Lander Area Chamber of Commerce 2014 Travel and Relocation Guide | Page 63

necessary to maintaining a
comfortable camp and proper
tools and clothing.
In the evening, after all have
supped there is usually a
gathering around the great
council fire for the telling of
tales and the singing of songs.
A “shining time” is had by all.
1838
RENDEZVOUS
ASSOCIATION
We started out as a small
group determined to prevent
the destruction of a pristine

The Riverton Rendezvous and Hot Air Balloon
Rally is held in July, and
features a car show,
demolition derby, craft
show and spectacular hot
air balloons.
With a slogan of “Like
No Place On Earth,”
Wyoming lives up to its
billing by treating
balloonists to beautiful
vistas, big game and plenty
of wide open spaces.
For many years, the
Riverton Rendezvous has
been held on the third
weekend of July in
Riverton. A media flight is
scheduled Friday morning,
with other flights
scheduled Saturday and
Sunday mornings.
“We try to do evening
flights and an evening

fur trade area rendezvous site.
This effort became the “Lasting
Legacy” project of the Riverton
Centennial Committee and is
continuing through the 1838
Rendezvous Association, Inc., a
non-profit corporation.
The preservation of the site is
a ongoing project. The State
of Wyoming still owns the
property and is mining gravel
in a portion equal to about one
fourth of the area. This area
had already been disrupted
and so is not a loss. When

glow, but the winds tend to
kick up in the evenings,”
said Susan Skidmore, the
festival chairwoman. “The
norm is two great flights in
the mornings. Our
morning flights are always
truly wonderful.”
About 35 balloonists
attend the event.
Businesses pay $450 to
sponsor a balloon for the
weekend. Pilots compete
in a hare and hound with
$1,000 in prize money. A
$500 pole grab has been
won four times.
Each year, a special
celebrity balloonist is
honored and is asked to do
a guest talk during the rally.
Past luminaries have
included Colorado
ballooning legend Nick
Saum; the pilot of the
Smokey Bear balloon; Ruth

the mining is done we plan
to convert the mined area,
which will encompass a lake
of about five acres, into a park
for fishing, swimming, and
picknicking. Another area of
about 50 acres will be used
for tin tepees and the an area
of about 100 acres will be
preserved in a natural state.
Each summer we will have a
Rendezvous commemorating
the mountain men and traders
that held their annual fair on
this site more than 150 years

Ludwig, editor of the Balloon Federation of America’s periodicals; and the
late Malcolm Forbes, who
owned several
thousand acres near
Yellowstone and who
brought his special shape
chateau balloon to the rally.
But don’t expect to find
anyone dressed in a suit and
tie in cowboy country.
“It’s not anything fancy
or special,” Skidmore said.
The Riverton Rendezvous
began in 1980 to
commemorate the city’s
75th anniversary. Today,
the event runs two weeks
and includes a car and cycle
show, a rodeo and
fireworks. The balloon
festival rounds out the final
weekend.
Skidmore estimates 5,000
to 6,000 people attend the
event, quite a crowd for

www.landerchamber.com

ago. Men such as Jedediah
Smith, Henry Jackson,
William Sublette, Robert
Campbell, Jim Bridger, Kit
Carson, Osborne Russell, Sir
William Drummond Stewart,
Johann Sutter, the missionary
couples Gray, Walker, Eells
and Smith.
If you look closely you may
still see their shadows or step
in their moccasin track.
For more information call
307-856-7306
www.1838rendezvous.com

a state with fewer than
500,000 people.
“It’s still a very small
state, a very small town and
the balloonists are
celebrities,” Skidmore said.
“It’s a big deal for us.”
A wayward moose even
showed up during last
year’s rally, but most
wildlife includes mule deer
and antelope.
Most flights take
balloonists down a valley
over irrigated farm fields,
with alfalfa, beans, beets,
corn, wheat or barley. The
valley flying usually means
calm mornings with gentle
landings.
Balloons can stray out
beyond the crops to
badlands, where sagebrush
and rattlesnakes can be
found.
Excerpt from www.meetup.com

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