Rendezvous is a go

by Rhonda Swain

About 25 Sublette County residents interested in reviving the Green River Rendezvous pageant met Tuesday evening to discuss ways to make the pageant a reality. Staging of the 66-year-old tradition, which was traditionally sponsored by the Sublette County Historical Society and the Museum of the Mountain Man, was temporarily cancelled last summer because of liability issues and lack of participation. A group of concerned citizens took it upon themselves to try to breathe life back into the pageant, and began organizing and having meetings to that end.

Four key people, Van Huffman, Mark Eatinger, Des Brunette and Julie Belton, formed the Green River Rendezvous Pageant Association Incorporated, an official non-profit organization.

Wednesday morning, Huffman and Eatinger outlined some of the group's plans for the 17 committees that have been formed to bring about the endeavor. The committees range from fundraising and pageant operations, to committees for the trapper camp, pony dancers, sound system, parking, make-up, wagons and feeding the cast. Tom Brown and Dave Bell are working on insurance for the event. The committees were formed in an effort to not make it a "full-time job" for anyone involved.

Huffman said they received a lot of input at Tuesday's meeting, including "whether it was wise for the (Sublette County Historical) Society to change the pageant date from Sunday to Saturday."

He said the society felt it would give people time to travel home, but some see the Sunday date as a way to keep people in town an extra day. The new organization would like input from community members in that regard.

Huffman said they will have to meet with the society and the Sublette County Sporting Association about the schedules they have in place that weekend so that everything meshes.

The society has turned over many of the pageant props to the association and they plan to lease the wagons and larger items. Huffman said they will check out some of the curatorial items at the Museum of the Mountain Man (like Bridger's armor and other museum articles).

The pageant organization has worked out a five-year lease with the sporting association, but will have to replace the perimeter fence around the rendezvous grounds, which will cost about $1,500, assuming they use volunteer labor.

Huffman said but he is, "tickled because everybody seems happy right now."

For the past several years, there has been no admission fee for the pageant because the McMurry Foundation donated money so the society didn't charge, but Eatinger said they will have to charge a fee now. They haven't determined what that charge will be, but Eatinger said they are "not looking for the moon."

Although Huffman said the project is "liable to be a real challenge for a while," he also said they are "off to a good start."

The association is looking for board members, and "welcome anyone with open arms."

If you are interested in being on the board of the Green River Rendezvous Pageant Association Incorporated or would like to volunteer to help with the pageant, please call:

Van Huffman - 367-2178

Mark Eatinger - 367-2826

Des Brunette - 367-2707