Art exhibition highlights Ford Wyoming Center’s legacy of entertainment | Casper

In honor of the occasion, the Ford Wyoming Center partnered with Visit Casper to create a three-stop tour around downtown. A guided tour was given on June 1, but all the exhibits will stay up until the end of this month. Some of the stops on the tour include The Nicolaysen Art Museum, Scarlow’s Art and Coffee and Art 321.

“I think the Ford Wyoming Center is an integral part of Casper and the entire state of Wyoming. It really generates a lot of buzz,” said Tia Troy, spokeswoman for Visit Casper. “It provides a good service for a lot of different activities from concerts to sporting events, to meetings, to being a great venue for people… the Ford Wyoming Center is definitely an anchor of the Cowboy State as a whole.”

Each stop on the tour features artifacts and history from the venue. The Nicolaysen Art Museum highlights the center’s sporting history, with an emphasis on rodeo (the College National Finals Rodeo begins Sunday). Art 321 features a broader range of history, with artifacts sitting on pedestals and the entire back wall plastered with posters of events occurring throughout the history of the center.

The exhibit in Scarlow’s lines the shop’s walls as well, but a closer look is needed. Plastered to red boards are tickets from the center’s first 20 years. They end in 2002, when tickets for events went digital.

The center began celebrating its 40-year anniversary in January with its New Years’ event. Festivities will continue throughout the year, general manager Brad Murphy said, with a community-based event to wrap things up in late fall or early winter.

“It’s about creating those memories,” Murphy said. “Seeing a kid win a state championship and the thrill of them winning, but also seeing that kid that just lost that game and they’re crying their eyes out … seeing those people in the pit during the concert, going crazy and having fun.”

Sure enough, on the anniversary page of the Ford Wyoming Center website, a simple question is asked to visitors: “What’s your favorite memory of the center?”

The answer depends on who you ask. Some highlights included the 2017 solar eclipse, the annual College National Finals Rodeo or the concerts.

“One, it’s my favorite band,” Claire Marlow, owner of Scarlow’s said about seeing Foo Fighters in 2017 at the center. “And two, you get to go see them with around 2,000 people. You don’t get to do that often.”

Murphy said his favorite memory came during Elton John’s 2017 performance — specifically watching the crowd react during the song “Crocodile Rock.”

“It’s about the people and the experiences that they have,” Murphy said.

Those who’d like to share their favorite memories of the Ford Wyoming Center can visit fordwyomingcenter.com/center-information/40th-anniversary-1 to submit them.