With 300 people a day receiving assistance in the visitor center this past week, summer is definitely off and running here at the Chamber. Visitors seem to have shrugged off high gas prices (again) and economic uncertainty to come and enjoy Cody and Yellowstone.
According to Chamber board member and BBHC employee, Lee Haines, a family from Texas that he spoke to this last week extolled Cody's friendliness and shared how impressed they were with the community - so much so that they had decided to spend another full day here. These are the types of stories we love to hear!
Speaking of giving people a reason to stay in town longer, congratulations to the BBHC for the reopening of the new Buffalo Bill Museum. It is very well done, and if you haven't had a chance to see it yet, the official grand opening and Chamber Ambassador ribbon cutting will take place next Friday, June 15th.
Another grand opening across the street from us also deserves congratulations. West Park Hospital has completed their new addition and it looks fantastic inside and out. Having worked in healthcare previously, I know firsthand how important these high quality facilities and services are to a community. We're lucky to have so many dedicated employees, nurses, physicians and volunteers working hard to ensure that Cody and the Big Horn Basin stay healthy.
A new event taking place all next week is the Field of Honor, which will be held at the Park County Complex along Stampede Avenue. Over 800 U.S. flags will be on display and numerous special speakers and events are planned. In case you missed it, a good article in the Cody Enterprise (http://bit.ly/Lp65AC) provides schedule and event information.
Staff and Board members from the Cody Chamber and other community stakeholders, including representatives from the City of Cody, BBHC, Park County Travel Council, Chamber Government Affairs Committee and Senator Enzi's office are meeting today in Mammoth with Yellowstone National Park Superintendent Dan Wenk and members of his staff about some of the proposals he talked about during Parks Day last month.
The Chamber Board (and we have heard from others in our community) are very concerned about certain elements of the soon-to-be-released updated Yellowstone Winter Use Plan proposals, including the possible winter closure of the East Gate and the possible discontinuation of avalanche control with the howitzer on Slyvan Pass, thus leading to a gate opening date which could vary year-to-year. While the official proposals will not be released until June 22, we wanted to be proactive in discussing these issues with Park personnel. I will keep you updated.
Finally, in the next couple of weeks, the Chamber will be launching a new and improved website. It will include a fresh, user-friendly interface designed to connect visitors and residents with member information and things to do here as quickly as possible. I look forward to sharing it with you.
