October 17, 2006
Contact: Lesley A. Collins,
307-261-7603

Trails Center Helps Host Equality State Book Festival with
Special Presentations and Free Admission

The National Historic Trails Interpretive Center (NHTIC) is hosting several special presentations on Friday, October 20 in conjunction with the Equality State Book Festival. Admission to the Center will be waived all day.

Presentations for the day include:

• At 9 a.m. and 4 p.m., the premier showing of Lee Groberg’s PBS documentary Sweetwater Rescue: The Willie and Martin Handcart Story will be presented.
• At 11 a.m. Tom Empey, head of the drama department at Casper College, will talk about his ancestors’ involvement with the construction and operation of the Mormon Ferry in 1847.
• From 1 – 3:30 p.m. there will be panel discussions about the handcart events of 1856 and the more recent debate regarding access and ownership of the Martin’s Cove area.

The Equality State Book Festival is sponsored by Casper College and other local organizations. “We are pleased to be part of this very special event,” said Trails Center Director Jude Carino. “The community has a wonderful opportunity not only to learn more about the Martin and Willy Handcart companies, who came through the Casper area 150 years ago this year, but also to interact with many authors and to learn more about Wyoming in general, its past and present.”

About a week after the Book Festival, the NHTIC will begin winter hours, Carino added. “As we close the month of October, the Trails Center will begin its winter hours of operation. We’ve enjoyed another successful summer season with local, regional, national and international visitors once again enjoying the interactive history lessons we provide at the Center.”

The facility begins its winter hours Sunday, October 29th. Hours of operation will be Tuesday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. On Saturday, October 28th, the Center will still operate on its summer schedule, open 8 a.m. – 7 p.m.; the facility will be closed on Sunday and Monday, October 29th and 30th.

The NHTIC is a public-private partnership between the Bureau of Land Management, the National Historic Trails Center Foundation, and the City of Casper.

-BLM-