WARRIOR DAYS
Concerts, bull riding, a motorcycle rally, barrel racing, a shooting competition, carnival and more are set to mark this July as a possible pivot point in how Carbon County is reshaping how it produces events for the public.
The events surrounding this summer’s annual Energy Days and Fourth of July will be a pilot project, sort of a test run.
Though its planning seems a bit hasty—normally events like these take months and months to put together—this summer’s Warrior Days could set a high bar.
It’s no secret the county has struggled to develop events that are not only well-attended, but generate worthwhile economic activity.
In fact, the money to expand the usual Fourth of July activities this year comes directly from the $40,000 budget set aside each year for the Carbon County fair. The fair, however, is a money-losing affair.
“We are paying people $20 just to attend,” said Karra Hillam, local business woman and volunteer who is helping organize Warrior Days. She is referring to the costs associated with putting on the county fair being akin to paying people to attend.
She said before Warrior Days was even in the planning stages, she had been encouraging Frank Ori, the county’s recreation director, to remake the fair into a better event.
Unfortunately, Ori had a stroke in 2017 and continues to recover. Earlier this year Hillam decided to approach the county again about doing some expanded events—she met with county staff and the commissioner, Jake Mellor, in charge of overseeing the recreation department.
She found a very enthusiastic audience.
Rachael Krompel was soon enlisted to help organize the entertainment. Krompel has extensive ties to rodeo and music promoters and years of experience. Her father, Bill Krompel, was a county commissioner for more than two decades here.
Krompel says she’s putting in from four to six hours daily ensuring the July events are successful.
She managed to not only secure a major act in Darryl Worley, who will headline a July 7 concert, but she also secured rodeo and bull riding events at close to 50 percent to 75 percent off what the promoters normally charge.
“They love our facilities and have always wanted to put on shows here,” she said.
Hillam says Krompel has been the real brawn behind efforts to quickly tie everything together.
“The cause is what keeps me motivated. I think this is for a good cause,” Krompel said.
Warrior Days was named with the idea that not only is July Fourth a celebration of war veterans and the nation’s independence, but that everyday warriors—people with disabilities, people struggling with poverty—deserve to be honored, too.
Valorie Marietti, a volunteer helping with Warrior Days, who is also raising funds to bring an Angel of Hope statue to Carbon County, said she got involved because her organization, Team Jace, was already holding a Harley Davidson motorcycle on July 7.
She says she emailed the area’s elected officials back in April about her fundraisers, including a recent dinner on May 10.
She says Mellor was the only person who responded. And when she told him about the motorcycle ride and rally, he suggested a way of making that a part of Warrior Days.
“He has been so supportive,” she said.
As Krompel, Hillam and Marietti, other volunteers and county staff members move toward July 4, they are hoping local politics takes a back seat. Mellor is up for a tough re-election this year.
When Warrior Days was first announced and then brought before county commissioners for approval, a disagreement between commissioners crested into public view.
Hillam and Krompel said they were as taken aback by the development as anyone, not realizing that two of the three commissioners had not been extensively briefed beforehand on all of the efforts being made to bring Warrior Days off.
The volunteers felt caught in the middle of a political brawl. Commissioners eventually smoothed things over amongst themselves and approved contracts and other minutiae in order to seal deals with promoters and other vendors.
Krompel said she understands the strife but reiterates that “this is for the benefit of the community, not the personal benefit of a commissioner.”
Hillam and Krompel both said they believe this summer’s test run could jump start the county’s ability to bring more world-class entertainment and nationally recognized events and promotions to the area in the future.
Much hand wringing has gone on among Carbon business leaders and elected officials about the state of the local economy. Multiple economic development efforts, both publicly funded and private, are in various stages of development. Some are hoping to lure in manufacturing and industry into an opportunity zone along Ridge Road to created more jobs. Another group is financing efforts to grow tourism to the area. And still another group is mulling ways to attract new residents to the area and grow the tax base in that way.
Hosting large, well-attended, well-marketed events is a natural out-growth of all these efforts to stimulate economic activity.
As for Warrior Days, all four days are filled with new activities. On July 4, a parade and fireworks coincides with the annual Energy Days event. On July 5, there will be a movie night, carnival, lunch with veterans and more. On July 6, it’s competition galore: shooting, horseshoes, a soccer tournament, a TougHer competition and bull riding. A foam dance will take place at night. The concerts are on July 7, along with the Harley rally, a motocross race and a Special Olympics rodeo.
Veterans can attend all four days of events free, as can children under age 5.
Pre sale tickets are available now and can be purchased through www.castlecountryevents.com.