Yellowstone Historic Center's 2009 Heritage Celebration - West Yellowstone

Saturday, July 18, 2009

Yellowstone Historic Center's 2009 Heritage Celebration will be held in West Yellowstone's Union Pacific Dining Lodge.

The Town of West Yellowstone is celebrating the arrival of the first train, delivering tourists to Yellowstone National Park. This year is a celebration of the town's history. The evening kicks off at 5:00pm with a social hour and the start of the silent auction. The dinner is being provided by the Bountiful Table of Bozeman, and will be followed by remarks from local historian Paul Shea and Ralph Justen, YHC's executive director. The Ann Tappan Trio will perform later in the evening.

The auctions will feature some very special items from local artists and artisans. Larry Zabel, well-known wildlife and western artist from McCallister, has provided an original painting for the auction. The top bidder will be able to choose between the painting 'Hayden Valley Thunder' or a blank canvas on which Larry will paint a scene of the bidder's choice. Larry will do a 'quick draw' on a bison skull, which will be included in the auction. Larry's work has earned him numerous awards including several 'People's Choice Awards' at the C.M. Russell Shows.

Rich Holstein of Rich's Rustic Frames will provide several pieces of his work which feature recycled lumber from historic places. This year, Rich is building a dining room table and benches made from wood reclaimed during refurbishment projects in the Old Faithful Inn, West Yellowstone's Union Pacific Dining Lodge, and the amphitheater at Red Rocks Park in Colorado. Rich was recently selected as the recipient of the Environmental Achievement Award from the Environmental Protection Agency, recognizing his use of recycled materials to create works of art.

Also featured at the auction will be one-of-a-kind textiles, pottery, wood carvings, jewelry, and original paintings.

All proceeds are used to support the activities of the Yellowstone Historic Center, a registered non-profit organization. The Center's mission is to understand, preserve, and interpret the unique cultural heritage of West Yellowstone and the Hebgen Lake Basin, and the connection of this heritage to the development of transportation and visitation to Yellowstone National Park. The Yellowstone Historic Center Museum in West Yellowstone is open each year from mid-May through mid-October. Tickets can be purchased at the Yellowstone Historic Center Museum in West Yellowstone or by phone.