SUBLETTE – Members of the Village of Sublette Board and Sublette 365 had reason to believe Sublette was going to have a swarm of visitors during the weekend of Sept. 7-8.
One factor could have been it was the celebration of Sublette turning 170 and both days had long lists of activities.
The second factor could have been Hops & Harmony was hosting three musical acts, including Grammy Award-winning, Diamond Rio.
All signs proved to be right as Sublette had a record number of people at Centennial Park on Saturday and throughout the entire two-day bash.
“We had Diamond Rio at Centennial Park in Sublette. It was one of the most incredible events I’ve been a part of. We had well over 1,500 people in attendance, and the concert promoters said we were closer to 2,000 people,” said Nick Dinges, the president of Sublette 365, the organization which hosts Hops & Harmony every September. “I think the community rallies around this event. I’m not sure there was a place to park in Sublette during the concert, which was pretty neat to see.
“Listening to Diamond Rio, Voth, and Desiree and the Wilde was awesome. It was neat to see the musicians and it was neat to see the community to rally around it. I think everyone had a lot of fun.”
Along with the music was the annual beer tasting, which also posted a new record.
“The beer tasting went well. We went through all of the beer, so I guess that’s a positive thing,” Dinges said. “Historically, we’ve had between 300-400 people participate in the beer tasting. This year, we had over 800 people participate in the beer tasting.
“It was great to see adults out having fun. Also, it was great for the concert to be for all ages. There were families back in town for Sublette’s 170th Anniversary celebration and they got to enjoy it with their children. It’s amazing to see the multi-generational families come together and enjoy themselves.”
Before Hops & Harmony took place Saturday evening, a softball tournament was played on the ball field at the park, while downtown hosted bounce houses, a petting zoo, a Les Wilson performance, and a parade.
The parade had a special guest of honor, Don Dinges, as the grand marshal.
“I was extremely surprised I was asked to be the Sublette Parade Grand Marshal. I was asked about 10 minutes before the parade started,” Dinges said. “I had no idea. My two daughters were there and said, ‘You have to come.’ I didn’t really have a choice.
“It was very neat. We had a great parade and there were many people along the streets watching the parade.”
The celebrations continued Sunday as Pullin’ in the Park roared and rumbled in the park beyond the face painting, bounce house, and corn pit, while a craft sale took place for the second straight day inside the Ellice Dinges Center.
Kim and Chris Leffelman view Pullin’ in the Park, which has been held for 15-plus years, and their commitment to the park as a large part of who they are.
“It was wonderful to see such a crowd on Saturday. I kept saying, ‘This is the largest event ever in Sublette.’ We totally appreciate everyone who came in, respected our park, and left with just as much respect as they had when they came in,” said Kim, who is Chris’ partner on most of his projects as the Sublette Park Board president. “This is why Chris and I try to keep the park as nice as it is. That is our goal, for everyone else to enjoy it. We try to keep it maintained as best as possible. When people come and donate, we put it toward the park in the best way we can.”
“We want the kids to enjoy it. We’ve had so many people let us know that they appreciate how great the park looks. We love it. It’s absolutely everything to us.”
In recent years, Centennial Park has added a walking path, benches, and park equipment as a result of donations.”
Linda Klein was almost speechless toward the end of the weekend’s celebration.
The way the community comes together is remarkable.
“This entire weekend has been magnificent with the volunteers helping as much as they did,” said Klein, who is the treasurer of Sublette 365. “The planning and the volunteer hours to help make sure everything was set up, ready, and went well, was amazing. It brings me so much joy to see all of this happen.
“We’ve done this continuously for several years, and turnouts like we’ve had this weekend are exactly why. We did it all together.”
