Civic Season 2025 is here!
Six events in Cheyenne & Laramie
June 17 - July 4
Join the Wyoming State Museum along with a collaborative of local and statewide organizations for our 4th Annual Civic Season!
The season begins on June 17th at 5:30 pm with a panel at the Laramie County Library that will highlight local high school students in conversation with civic superheroes Melissa Martin, Marguerite Herman, JoLynn Paulsen, and Milward Simpson. It culminates with the Civic Season Festival on Wednesday, July 2, from 5:30 - 8:00 pm on the Wyoming State Museum grounds.Â
Civic Season is a new American tradition encouraging people to go beyond hotdogs and fireworks to dive deep into our nation's democracy, identity, and future. Each of our Civic Season events is designed as an entry point into civic engagement, utilizing games, community debates, teenage speakers, pizza parties, and even live music to create fun and inviting environments for civic education and exploration.
Civic Season has been made possible through a Community Culture Grant from Wyoming Humanities.Â
A Slice of History: Unity in Action
Thursday June 19th, 6:30 - 8:00 p.m.
Wyoming State Museum
Discover the powerful civil rights legacy of Cheyenne's Allen Chapel and the generations of Black leaders who helped shape our community—and our state.
Join us for the perfect pairing of pizza and history featuring Rev. Dr. Hilton McClendon Sr., pastor at Allen Chapel AME Church in Cheyenne, and Jim Byrd, a fifth-generation Wyomingite and former state legislator. The evening will begin with a round of trivia to win a $50 gift card, followed by stories and reflections from Hilton and Jim on local and national civil rights activism.
All attendees who register and attend the event will be entered for a chance to win a $50 visa gift card.
Democracy Under Construction
Thursday June 26th, 6:30 - 8:00 p.m.
Wyoming State Museum
Ever wanted to chat about civics and democracy with your friends, but never had a chance to do so? With Democracy Under Construction: The Game, you'll play Jenga while digging into the ups and downs of democracy in Wyoming!Â
Democracy Under Construction is a Wyoming Humanities program to help Wyomingites better understand the history and current issues impacting democracy in the U.S., with emphasis on how journalism shapes our nation’s democratic state. It explores partisanship, civility, and Americans’ ability to think critically about social and political issues.
Free book included! All attendees who register and attend the event will be entered for a chance to win a $50 gift card. Attendance is limited to 35 people, save your spot ASAP!
Civic Season Festival
Wednesday July 2nd, 5:30 - 8:00 p.m.
Wyoming State Museum
The Coachella of democracy! Join the Wyoming State Museum along with a collaborative of local and statewide organizations for a summertime celebration of who we are as a nation, how we got here, and where we want to go next.Â
On the main stage you’ll jam out to live music from Winston Creek, learn about the importance of civic education from the next generation of Wyomingites, and listen to inspiring stories about civic engagement. Explore stations hosted by civic partners, grab food and drinks from local vendors, discover how your personal background and values give you the power to shape the future, and create an art piece to commemorate it all.
Cheyenne’s annual Civic Season Festival is all about gathering friends, having some fun, and amplifying our voices to create a Wyoming we’re all proud of.
Wyoming's Kickoff to America's 250th!
July 10th: 12-8 p.m.
Capitol Square
Celebrate statehood & the countdown to America's 250th with music, food, and family fun!
On July 10, from Noon to 8 p.m., the Capitol Square will be the site of the official kickoff for a year of celebration in advance of commemorating America’s 250th anniversary. The July 10 celebration coincides with Wyoming statehood day and launches monthly events leading up to the grand celebration of America’s semi-quincentennial on July 4, 2026.
The July 10 festivities will include guided tours of the Capitol, Wyoming history talks, live entertainment, food trucks and activities for children, offering a meaningful and memorable experience for all ages to celebrate Wyoming’s statehood and its place in our nation’s 250-year history.
Dino Day
Saturday July 12th: 10am - 2pm
Have a dino-mite time at the Wyoming State Museum’s annual Dino Day! Visit our “field of dinos” to see how large some of your favorite dinosaurs were, touch fossils, meet live reptiles, make crafts, play games, and capture prehistoric memories in our dino photo booth! Plus, meet paleontology and geology experts from around the state.
Every family that registers for and attends the event will be entered into a raffle to win a Texas Roadhouse Family Pack Dinner worth $49.99!
Extension of Capitol Gallery Exhibit!
Now through July 26th
Discover the beauty and heritage of Wyoming’s working landscapes in the Capitol Gallery’s extended exhibition, “Inspired by the Land: 25 Years of Conserving Wyoming’s Working Lands.” This collaborative exhibition between the Wyoming Stock Growers Land Trust and the Wyoming State Museum will now be on display through July 26th.
This exhibit features photography, paintings, poetry, fiber arts, and historic artifacts, offering a unique glimpse into the deep connections landowners and Land Trust supporters have with the land. Through their personal stories, you’ll discover what these landscapes and their inhabitants mean to their families and the enduring spirit of Wyoming.
“Inspired by the Land” invites visitors to reflect on their relationship with our treasured natural spaces. Located in the Capitol Extension, the Capitol Gallery serves as a dedicated space for celebrating Wyoming’s rich cultural heritage through engaging rotating exhibitions and partnerships with institutions statewide
2024 's Volunteer of the Year
Evan Green
You may recognize Evan Green from his ever-popular “Firearms Friday” videos, which have reached over 700,000 views on YouTube! Evan not only presents on various histories and topics related to our permanent gun collection but also researches them. He has shared his expertise with other Wyoming and Colorado museums, increasing his and the museum’s impact around the region. Evan has also helped build our firearm collection here at the museum, helping us research and acquire new donations.Â
We are incredibly grateful for the time (over 800 hours each year!), care, and enthusiasm he brings to our collections and the museum. Thank you, Evan!
New Donation!
Items from Maven Outdoor Equipment Company
We want to give a big “Thank You” to Maven Outdoor Equipment Company for their generous donation of binoculars, t-shirts, hats, and other items for the State Museum’s permanent artifact collection. Â
Maven was founded in 2013 in Lander, Wyoming, and is a successful business today. The founders set out to build an optics company around quality and high performance. By building Maven around a direct-to-consumer business model, they introduced products that compete with the major European brands, all while eliminating retail markup from stores. Maven products are highly regarded in the optics sector. We are pleased to represent a homegrown Wyoming company’s products in the collections.
 Stay up to date on everything happening at the museum by following our Instagram and Facebook accounts! You'll get to see special looks into our collections, upcoming events, behind-the-scenes museum work, and more! Click the links below to follow us, or search our handle @wyomingstatemuseum.
|
