The Cody Wild West Extravaganza

Several years ago, other vendors told us about Cody, Wyoming’s Wild West Extravaganza. They said it was one of the best shows of the year and so this year we decided to apply.  To apply we had to send images, pictures, of our booth and we also had to describe the type of jewelry we would sell. We stressed that we would offer Wyoming Jade and Wyoming minerals and fossil Jewelry, and we were excited when we were accepted!

It was a two hundred-forty-mile drive from our home in Thayne, Wyoming, To Cody. There were two routes we could take, both about a six-hour drive, but one took us through Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks.

Set up for the show was on Sunday evening and leaving early Sunday we arrived at our campsite at Buffalo Bill State Park. We ad been contacted by the state park, asking us if we would mind moving to a smaller site, as two visitors from Minnesota had mistakenly reserved a site that was difficult for them to back into. We agreed to switch sites, and all went well, so we set up our camp before driving to Cody for the setup of our canopy tent and tables.

The next morning, we got up early and when we arrived we saw that some vendors were already open for business. As we set out our jewelry people started to stop and look over our materials. Of course, we described our work as made from rocks that we had prospected, bought, or traded with other dealers from around the USA. There were no other dealers that sold jewelry with our niche, (a niche is a special thing about your shop that no one else can compete with, making your work unique).

The parade started with color guards and marching bands. Cowgirls rode on beautiful horses, but the most unusual thing about the parade was an entry from a local gun shop. The store had entered a wagon with a Gatling gun. As they drove by, they occasionally fired the gun and we first thought that perhaps a crazy person was attacking the crowd, however no one was running! It was just Cody, Wyoming’s wild west parade.

The parade ended, and the crowd moved to the vendor booths. One of my former students had moved to Cody and we were blessed when Chris and his family stopped by our booth. We were very busy all three days and each day brought more sales, along with the larger crowds.  Adding up the results, Renita found out that we had set another new record.

By the time it was all over we had gaping empty spaces in our trays.

Now we are sitting at our summer home. Yesterday we made an inventory of all we had sold, so we can fill the gaps in the cases. The next show is in two weeks but it’s a very small show at our rv park. Our last show of the year, a large one, is on Labor Day weekend. Now its time for doctors, dentists, and most important, fishing pickle ball, and kayaking, (and working more rocks). Clear skies