Northern Wyoming News - Serving the Big Horn Basin for over 100 years

Last week I talked about how one of my favorite things about working for a newspaper is that every day brings something new.

This week was the perfect example. There was a lot of “normal” stuff like staff meetings and coverage of government meetings. But I also had the opportunity to cover the play “Big Fish” which is a play I was not familiar with. It was delightful with great singing, wonderful sets and a good storyline.

I was able to interview history teacher Randy Durr about his recent field study trip to Washington, D.C. and then ask questions of the students in the class. Listening to the class talk about some of the places they visited brought back memories of my own trip to D.C. when I was a reporter for the Lovell Chronicle and we attended a national newspaper governance conference. We had plenty of free time and some of my favorites were the same as the students – including visiting some of the monuments at night. The most memorable one for me was the Jefferson Memorial.

And like the students I left D.C. with a yearning to go back and revisit many of the places again and see more of the places I didn’t have the opportunity. When I went, there wasn’t the World War II Memorial, or Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial and we didn’t get close to the Washington Monument.

The following day brought an interview with former NASCAR driver Kyle Petty who will be bringing his charity ride through Wyoming for the third time in 23 years, but the first time through Worland with a stop in Ten Sleep.

That interview ranks up there as one of my all-time favorite interviews. It was one of those interviews when you get done you know it was a great interview. Hopefully, as you read the story in today’s issue you’ll think it a great story as well.

Petty was friendly and engaging and what we in the “biz” like to call an “easy interview.” You ask a question and then they just start chatting. There were no one-word answers or hesitations like some interviews when you can tell they are holding back or don’t want to answer.

He had a sense of humor, was passionate about the subject – the ride and the charity, and was willing to talk about whatever I wanted, even letting me get off course from the main point of the interview the Kyle Petty Charity Ride Across America for Victory Junction.

We were able to talk a little NASCAR. He wouldn’t go so far as to make a “bold prediction” on who would win the 2017 Monster Energy Cup Championship. In fact, he said, anyone making a prediction at this point under the chase format would be exactly that – very bold.

He was candid about leaving NASCAR and you could tell that while he grew up in NASCAR, with his father, Richard Petty, the leader in wins and still owning a team, he had no regrets. He is a color commentator for NBC with pre- and post-race coverage.

Interviewing Kyle Petty wasn’t like interviewing some other “celebrities.” In fact I’m not sure he considers himself a celebrity.

Working most of my career in small towns in Wyoming I haven’t had a lot of opportunity to interview celebrities. I was able to do a telephone interview with country singer Michelle Wright but it wasn’t as easy of an interview. She seemed more guarded and it took longer to pull out answers.

I nearly had the chance to interview Charlie Daniels when the Shoshone Bar in Lovell sponsored his concert, but the interview was cancelled due to Daniels having a sore throat and wanting to save his voice for the concert.

And then I ended the week covering Cinco de Mayo party at West Side Elementary.

So, as I said last week, journalism truly does give me something new every day and there really is never a “normal” day.

Can’t wait to see what next week brings.