More memories of the Bridger Hall fire - and the relief effort that brought a community together

One of the biggest frustrations of being a newspaper reporter or editor is working on a big story and having a relatively small amount of space to fit it in. That was the case with the story about the fifth anniversary of Bridger Hall fire at Northwest College in yesterday’s Powell Tribune. Only a small part of the information I gathered wound up in the story in the paper.

Thankfully, this blog provides a format to include some of the material we had to leave out.

One story that did not come out during the original coverage Bridger Hall fire was one that NWC instructor Gary Sturmer said he laughs about now, though it wasn’t funny at the time. Sturmer said a student’s vehicle was parked in front of Bridger Hall when the fire broke out, and it blocked the space needed to park a second fire engine.

“We had to find out who it belonged to by the license number, and the keys got sent to me,” he said.

Quickly, Sturmer jumped into the driver’s seat and started the vehicle, intent on moving it out of the way. Unbeknownst to him, the student had left his stereo with the volume cranked all the way up. As soon as he turned the ignition, “It’s just doing a big, huge booming base,” he said. “The car was probably worth about $1,500, but it had something like a $9,000 stereo system.”

That fancy stereo system came equipped with a security device that prevented any tinkering with the system — including adjusting the volume.

“You had to have a security code to access the controls,” Sturmer said.

Jeremy Johnston heard the commotion as he was helping firefighters nearby. “I could hear this BOOM, BOOM, BOOM. My first reaction was, ‘Why is Gary listening to that stereo?"

Meanwhile, Sturmer gave up on adjusting the volume and, accompanied by the ear-splitting noise, drove the car and parked it out of the way.“That stereo probably had every anti-theft device available,” Johnston said. “Gary probably suffered a hearing loss from it.”

Johnston told about his experiences when he was going through rooms to get students’ possessions and return anything salvageable to them.

“It was an emotional roller coaster,” Johnston said of his work to recover students’ belongings.
“The first room I helped clean out belonged to a young lady. I think she had the entire clothing line from every major clothing line, including Victoria's Secret. How she managed to pack everything in that small room, I have no idea.

“It was a little uncomfortable going through the personal things in kids’ rooms,” he added.
In another instance, “One kid had every video game, TVs, DVDs, all kinds of electronics. The ultimate thing he wanted to make sure was save was this signed guitar. Fortunately, he had put it away in a closet, and there was nothing wrong with it. When he found out his signed guitar was OK, he was ecstatic.

“After he decided his guitar was OK... he wanted us to salvage his fish tank. There's nothing like the smell of dead goldfish that have been through a fire and all that. The mixture of dead fish, smoke, the water in there starting to mildew — that was hard to get through that.”More often than not, the news about belongings wasn’t good. Textbooks were burned or waterlogged; clothing and photo albums were destroyed.

One thing that worked to the college’s favor was the fact that the Powell Volunteer Fire Department had just moved to its new facility on South Street, vacating the former building on Bent Street and Coulter Avenue. The empty building became a center where belongings could be sorted through and, as often was necessary, left out to dry.

Johnston said it was interesting to see how randomly the fire and water had damaged the building and the students’ belongings.

The room where the fire started, you’d see these cabinets that were just scorched, but inside drawers, it was as if nothing had happened,” he said. With the water damage, it was kind of hit and miss. Some of the things in the cabinets were OK; others were soaked.”

Johnston said the Frisby Building, northeast of Bridger Hall, was shut down for about a week while it was cleared of smoke and cleaned.

“Everything just stunk and smelled like smoke,” he said. “It just permeated everything. It seems like it was about a month before most of that smell went away.”

For some, the fire brought back specters from the past.

Lindy Minick Nielsen, who was the resident director at Bridger Hall at the time, had experienced an apartment fire a year earlier as a university student in another state. She said the Bridger Hall fire stirred up those memories and added its own trauma to them, but it also helped her understand the trauma the students were experiencing.

"Coming around the corner and seeing that monstrous flame coming out of the window was one of the single-most scary moments of my life," she said.

"I remember that I held out my arms and said, 'Let's huddle up.' I had no idea where my RAs were, so I just barely eeked out the words, 'Line up by room order.'

"Immediately, the students were so amazing. They used the buddy system and were able to account for everyone except three people — so crazy I can still remember their exact names."

Instructor Floyd Young chose to help from the sidelines by offering the Trapper Gym to house displaced students, then arranging for mattresses to be delivered and security arrangements made.

“I was a behind-the-scenes guy,” he said. “I can’t be near a fire. When I was a little-bitty guy (5 years old), I was in a house fire, and I was trapped. Everybody thought I was out. I knocked and knocked on a big picture window, but nobody could see or hear me. A firefighter finally saw me, and told me to get back. He broke the window and rescued me.”

Those memories were as vivid as ever during the Bridger Hall fire. Even as Young made preparations to help students, “I could see Bridger Hall burning down through the window.”

Everyone I spoke to said one of the biggest things that stands out about the Bridger Hall fire was the amazing response of everyone on campus and the community.

Aramark, the company that provides meals on campus, came to the rescue with food and water for the firefighters.

“I think every employee and almost every student that was on the campus jumped in (to help),” said Dee Havig, NWC residence and campus life director. “People even putting their backpacks down, saying, ‘What can I do to help?’ The campus — everything just shut down. Everybody was out helping. It’s a pretty warm feeling when you see that.”Donations of food, drinks, beds, linen, clothing and hygiene supplies poured in from members of the community and from area stores.

“The community spirit here, just how tight-knit of a community this is, just amazed me, Johnston said. “People came forward and raised money to help students get back on their feet, clothing them, in some cases, just taking them in. That night, I don’t think anybody stayed in the gym. They all found somebody to stay with, on campus or off. It just really demonstrated to me how the campus could come together as a team — helping students, caring for their needs, cleaning up.”

It wasn’t long before relief efforts expanded throughout the Big Horn Basin and to Billings, as well as some college campuses nationwide.

Kim Mills, vice president of administrative services, said it’s interesting that the things he remembers most about the fire are the positive things that happened as a result.

“You remember the good things, and you move on,” he said.

Tomorrow's Tribune: 3-31

“It was moments later that it became a ‘surround and drown’ situation. The fire spread so quickly without the aid of sprinkler systems,” Powell firefighter Sam Rodriguez, recalling his and fellow firefighter Scott Horton's entrance into a burning Bridger Hall back in 2004. Rodriguez and Horton soon had to beat a hasty retreat as smoke and flames raced down the hallway literally into their faces. Fearing that Colter Hall -- located just yards away from Bridger -- would be the next fiery victim, firefighters evacuated the building.

Today (Monday) marks the fifth anniversary of the blaze. A look back in tomorrow's paper. At right, an unidentified Cody fireman mans the hose during the fire.

“Be aware of their concerns, but don’t let them pilot the ship!” Cody resident Bob Swander, cautioning the Bureau Land of Management against overvaluing the input of environmental groups as they craft a new Resource Management Plan for the Big Horn Basin. Check out a host of varying opinions on what the future of the Basin's public lands should look like below the fold.

"We think he made the right decision there," Deputy Park County Jim Davis, commenting on a Wyoming District Court judge's decision to leave Yellowstone's temporary winter use plans in place. We'll walk you through the latest development in the convoluted battle over snowmobiles in the park on the county page.

Deciphering Park County’s voter turnout

Late last month, the Park County Elections Department brought the 2008 election cycle to an official close with a final purge of the voter rolls. That process removed all inactive voters; it also gave a complete set of numbers to work with in calculating voter turnout.

The Park County Clerk's Office has pegged turnout at 91 percent of registered voters. According to past statistics, that would be the lowest since 1996. But County Clerk Kelly Jensen said that's out of line with election day observations.

“We know based on comments from the judges and everybody who worked the election — it (turnout) was amazing,” Jensen said.

So why do the statistics say differently?

Jensen believes it may be because of the methodology. Here are three examples:

Method #1: The method used by the county clerk’s office this year

Take the number of votes cast (15,049), divided by the number of registered voters on election day plus the number of same-day registrants (total of 16,522).

Turnout: 91%

Pros: Counts everyone who was registered to vote at the time the polls closed.
Cons: Some voters on the election-day rolls are likely no longer eligible to be Park County voters, unfairly lowering the turnout.

Method #2: The method used by the Secretary of State’s office

Take the number of votes cast (15,049), and divide it by the number of voters registered the morning of election day (14,867).

Turnout: 101%

Pros: It looks good.
Cons: The method counts the votes of same-day registrants, but inexplicably doesn’t count them as registered voters. The results, said county elections deputy Virginia Livingston, are “arithmatically suspect.”

“I just have trouble with the premise — how can you have more than 100 percent?” Livingston asks. “If everyone turns out, you have 100 percent.”

Method #3: The method possibly used to calculate past turnouts

Take the number of votes (15,049), divided by the number of registered voters remaining after the voter rolls have been purged of inactive voters (15,305).

Turnout: 98%

Pros: Only counts the number of active registered voters. Some people may have moved out of the county, and voted elsewhere in the United States. “In reality, a bunch of those people that were purged, I’m sure, no longer live here,” Jensen said.
Cons: Registered voters who simply decided not to vote or keep their registration active are let off the hook.

There are undoubtedly other methods as well, but Jensen says the question is largely academic.

“No matter how the numbers shake out, Park County has incredible turnout,” she said.

Nationwide, estimates says that around 62% of all eligible voters cast a ballot in the 2008 general election. My rough calculations say that Park County has around 22,000 folks over the age of 18. With 15,049 ballots cast, that would put our actual turnout around 68%.

Powell Landfill reflections

By Morgan Tyree

Editor's note: the following recollections of Powell were submitted as part of the Tribune's celebration of Powell's Centennial. More information on the project can be found here.

The other night I threw out my old house slippers that my wife had purchased for me the last time she was Christchurch, New Zealand. As I carried them out to the alley where the dumpster awaits, I considered the stars above and the thousands of miles the slippers had traveled (not necessarily with my feet in them). After making the glorious journey from New Zealand to Wyoming, they would simply return to the earth via the Powell Landfill. I felt they should be sealed up and shipped back to Christchurch where someone could depose of them in a more respectful manner; much like the remains of a foreign national who is returned to their home country for burial.

I looked at the shoes one more time. The tags on the inside were very worn, but I could plainly read, "Made in China." Hmmm, I contemplated. Still, so far away but, their mysterious appeal and existence seemed to suddenly fade when I considered all the things around me that are made in China. Undoubtedly the slippers will feel right at home in the Powell Landfill.

Updated: Flip-dunking Waddell appears on "Today"

Updated: Video of the interview embedded below.

It's turning into a bona-fide 15 minutes of fame for Adam Waddell.

The University of Wyoming's freshman center did a live interview at the Today Show's New York City studio Tuesday. Waddell, who hails from Cody, and U.W. head basketball coach Heath Schroyer discussed his now-famous dunk with hosts Ann Curry and Lester Holt.

We've got a little blurb in today's paper about the appearance.

Waddell drew national attention and viral Internet celebrity last week when he slammed a huge dunk, lost his grip on the rim, and crashed to the floor after a 270 degree mid-air flip.

Fortunately, he was okay.

Here's the "Today" piece that aired this morning, entitled "Dangerous dunk caught on tape."

Buffalo Bill Cody's Cowboy Band travels to Denver

Editor's note 3/24: Updated to include comments on how the performance went

If Wednesday’s performance by the Buffalo Bill Cody’s Cowboy Band at the Nelson Performing Arts Center in Powell was any indication, the band will be a sensation when it performs during the National Conference of Society for American Music in Denver on Friday.

Between songs, band director Mike Masterson provided a narrative about the band and its music – the same music heard during Buffalo Bill Cody’s Wild West Show in the early 1900s – along with historical information about Buffalo Bill and his show.During the performance, a multimedia presentation featured segments of original black-and-white photos, motion pictures and posters of the Wild West Show, along with segments from the Western movie classic, “Annie Oakley,” starring Barbara Stanwyck. With her ability to shoot a dime tossed in the air at a distance of 90 feet, sharpshooter Annie Oakley was the Wild West Show’s star attraction for 17 years.

The band also performed at Casper College on Thursday afternoon.

Masterson said he submitted a proposal for the performance to the society, which looks for music of the region during its annual conferences. What better music to present, he asked, than the music that first portrayed the American West?

While modern cowboy music generally features a combination of guitars, fiddles and banjos, the Buffalo Bill Cowboy Band is a 20-member brass band. For me, Wednesday’s performance was reminiscent of soundtracks of many of the classic western movies I watched as a girl.

Here's a recording of the closing song of last week's show. (Editor's note: The audio quality is a little scratchy, but that makes it sound more historically authentic, right?)

Buffalo Bill's Farewell March and Two-Step - 2:55
If the audio player doesn't work in the space above, you can download the recording here.

Wednesday’s audience was enthusiastic, and Masterson said the performance was exciting for him as well. Band members responded to every tiny motion of his hands and baton, resulting in music that seemingly came alive — and Friday’s performance will be even better, he said.

Society for American Music members — get ready to have your socks knocked off.

Update, March 24, 2009:

Masterson said the band's performance for the Society "went beautifully from beginning to end."

Paul Fees, past Buffalo Bill Museum curator, "had the audience leaning forward to hear the story of Buffalo Bill, his Wild West Show and the Cowboy Band," Masterson said. "The videos and photos in the Power Point presentation provided visual context for the show, and the band had them tapping their feet and moving to the music. The whole event brought the audience to their feet twice at the end of the performance."

"The Cowboy Band members from our Wyoming and Montana region performed with real energy and feeling for the music. It was a true ensemble performance as everyone worked together to make it a great concert," he said. "People from the (Society of American Music) conference were effusive with their positive comments. It was a peak experience for all of us for sure."

"Faces" photos and next photo theme: "Spring"

Round faces, furry faces, young faces, old faces — we've got them all! Our "faces" photo theme inspired photographers to submit a variety of face shots — some were even taken on the other side of the world.

Thank you to all the photographers who participated in the "faces" photo theme! Please continue to share your creative work with us!

In honor of the spring equinox on Friday, March 20, the Tribune's next photo theme is "spring."

We invite photographers of any age and skill level to submit the sights of spring.Please send entries to web@powelltribune.com. Photos may be submitted as jpegs, tiffs or PSDs. Please include the first and last name of the photographer with entries. For more information about our photo themes, see our blog entry. We'll publish one or two shots in the print edition and post the others on our blog.

Here are some of our favorite "faces" photos:
Charlie L.R. Johnstone of Tulalip, Wash. visited family in the area last month and snapped this shot of his dad, Charlie W. Johnstone, and his trusty Mabel in his truck.

This photo, titled "My Toys," was taken by Fred Burris of Powell.

Harriet Bloom-Wilson of Powell took this photo during a recent trip to Vietnam.

Harriet also sent this shot from her Vietnam trip.

Westside Elementary students had fun with the camera and took this photo ...

and this close-up ...

and this serious shot ...

Powell High School Trevor Donarski in his state championship match last month. Tribune photographer Don Amend took this shot of Donarski, who won his second state title.

Justine Larsen of Powell couldn't resist sharing the shots she took of her son, Charlie ...

and her daughter, Augusta.

Janice Gormley, who played Betty Buffalo in the Northwest College staff and faculty play earlier this month, pauses backstage before the production, titled "Terror on the Ground." Tribune photographer Ilene Olson took photos of backstage preparations.
Update: Kristin Greenwald sent in this picture of her 5-month old daughter Kaylen a bit late, but we thought it was too cute to not include!

U.W. Cowboy slams it (and himself) down

Cody native and University of Wyoming center Adam Waddell had a huge breakaway dunk in Tuesday night's College Basketball Invitational game against Northeastern University. Perhaps it was a little too huge.

Waddell, a redshirt freshman, apparently forgot to let go of the rim -- and he ended up doing a stunning midair flip.

Check it out in the video clip embedded below:
The highlight-reel play (incident?) made ESPN's top 10 last night and sent the web buzzing with thousands of comments.

"This is the most relevant Wyoming has been in American culture since the Oregon Trail," remarked one user on the sports blog Deadspin.com.

"too bad we lost," said a Cowboy supporter on YouTube. "waddell at least made a memory for a forgettable season for wyoming fans."

We've got a cool photo sequence of the dunk and spill on tomorrow's Sports page.

No lobe lost over earmarks

In the debate over the $410 billion budget bill and its $7.7 billion worth of earmarks, it was hard to miss the references to the Buffalo Bill Historical Center. Their $190,000 grant to help digitize Buffalo Bill Cody's writings drew plenty of attention.

John McCain twittered about it. Glenn Beck ragged on it. Sean Hannity heard about it (screen capture below). Even the Associated Press highlighted it.

That was all thanks to the Taxpayers for Common Sense, who opted to highlight the BBHC project -- out of 8,570 earmarks -- as one of ten examples.

(The Taxpayers haven't replied to e-mails seeking comment on why the historical center's earmark was highlighted out of the thousands of other easy targets.)

Opinions on the worth of the BBHC's grant have ranged from "egregarious" to "important scholarly work," but here's my favorite take.

It comes from Marcy Martin of American Chronicle. She wrote,

"$190K to update a collection at the Buffalo Bill Historical Center in Cody, Wyoming. Are we sure this is actually a real place? Is it possible that we might be sending money to some sophisticated computer geeks from the University of Wyoming who have set up shop at an old Linens&Things and are planning one humdinger of a kegger?"

Apparently, the $210,000 I requested for "Google Search Awareness" didn't make it into the federal omnibus spending bill. Otherwise, using just a few keystrokes, Ms. Martin might well have been able to learn for herself that the historical center is indeed a real place, and a well-respected one at that.

Unfortunately, reality is often the first thing to go out the window when an over-eager writer gets their hands on a story.

In this writer's opinion, the argument over whether or not the project has merit and how many jobs it creates has missed the point. Many of the earmarks will do great things, and any project that spends money is helping somebody, and that, in all likelihood, is also boosting the economy to some extent.

The real issue and problem with earmarks, is that -- by definition --they are funds set aside through side-stepping the rules. It may be a "normal part of the process," but it isn't supposed to be.

Wyoming's Republican Senators John Barrasso and Mike Enzi, apparently realizing the problem, came out strongly against the "pork-barrel" earmarks this month. Of course, that put them in the bizarre position of speaking in harsh tones about the $23.9 million worth of pork they themselves inserted into the budget. (The Casper Star Tribune did a follow-up piece on the apparent contradiction.)

The perspective that may be lost in this is that despite all the ruckus (and the fact that $7.7 billion is a lot of money), earmarks represent a small fraction of government spending -- something Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) noted back in February.

"Let me say this to all of the chattering class that so much focuses on those little tiny, yes, porky, amendments," Schumer said. "The American people really don't care."

Questions about your garden?

As we creep toward Spring -- despite this morning's dusting of snow, the Spring Equinox is this Friday -- thoughts turn toward gardening.

Our readers are invited to submit any gardening questions they have, and we will answer them in an upcoming edition of the Powell Tribune.

Questions should include a first name and last initial, as well as the town of residence.

And please remember, there's no such thing as a stupid question!

Tomorrow's Tribune: 3-17

A preview of the St. Paddy's Day edition of the Tribune, illustrated by quotes that didn't make the cut...

"Democracy isn't cheap," Park County elections deputy Virginia Livingston, referring to the $127,809 spent to run the 2008 elections. Check out page 3 tomorrow for the cost per voter and why there were more than 22,000 extra ballots ordered. Sweet infobox included.

"When they were up by 14 they should have been worried; they should have called time out," Powell High School assistant boys basketball coach Mike Heny, joking that the Torrington Trailblazers, leading 27-13 in the second quarter, were right where the Panthers wanted them. Powell made an improbable comeback -- their second of the state tournament -- to claim the Class 3A consolation championship. Read about their tournament, and the strong second-place showing by the Lady Panthers, in Tuesday's Sports pages.

"Because of a witness report, we wanted to get him stopped before the intersection," Police Chief Tim Feathers, talking about an erratic driver who reportedly hit a telephone pole and ultimately a squad car Monday morning. Learn more about the incident and the subsequent arrest on page one.

Hometown pride from D.C.

By Cathy (Howard) Miller

Editor's note: the following recollections of Powell were submitted as part of the Tribune's celebration of Powell's Centennial. More information can be found here.

Powell — a small town where everyone knows you and you know them, a place to raise children, where you can feel safe. An old fashioned main street. I remember crazy days, 10-cent movies, gas at 10 cents a gallon, dragging main with my friends, white Christmases with a downtown that looks like it could have been a Rockwell painting. The smell of the town when the bean mill burned down — the sight of my grandfather racing to get to the fire station so he could fight fires. The old junior high when Mr. Langdon was the principal; Mr. Merithew, who retired after he and I had an altercation; Mr. Gonion who changed grades and classes every year his son did and I managed to get him every year for either math or science.

Francie Cozzens, who locked me in the post office one night when I was out way too late, leaving me to explain to Mr. Duram why I was there the next morning when he opened up. I spent the better part of my adolescence and teen years walking from one end of town to the other several times a day. One day a friend and I even walked to Elk Basin to see her dad for his birthday.
Growing up in a simpler time and place — the best time of my life.

Powell has a past a little checkered at times, but still better than most places. Powell has a future, and I see great things for the town of Powell ... I hope it stays small and friendly. I no longer live in Powell, but there isn't a day goes by that I don't think about the town I grew up in or tell my grandchildren about the town I came from. I tell them about my friends growing up and about the schools. I tell them about the main street that is only three blocks long and the stores don't stay open 'til 10 p.m., but the things they can do there that they can't do here would astound them. See, we live outside the metro D.C. area, and you don't let your kids outside here without being with them. The oldest grandchild is 9 and has never been out without adult supervision here. Powell was a great place to grow up in the '50s and '60s, and I'm proud to say Powell is my hometown.

PHS girls advance to title match, boys to consolation championship

Casper bills itself as Wyoming's "Adventure Capital." It sure lived up to its slogan yesterday.

The guys and gals basketball teams from PHS made huge comebacks late in their games on Friday to pull out two thrillers.

In a 4:30 p.m. matchup against the Lady Bison of Buffalo, the Lady Panthers found themselves down 14 with only about 5 minutes left in the third quarter. A spirited run brought Powell within striking distance, but with only three minutes left in the game, they still trailed by eight.

Never panicking, PHS kept the pressure on Buffalo, made some critical free throws and buckets down the stretch, and found a way to pull out a 47-44 nail-biter.

Lady Panthers head coach Luke Danforth's expression after the game pretty much says it all. John Wetzel snapped the photo.

The win will pit them against the Lady Broncs of Jackson in tonight's Class 3A championship game. It will mark the fourth meeting between the two-time defending champs and PHS.

In December, Powell lost their first match with Jackson, 41-28. But Powell took a 35-34 thriller at home in February, and last week at regionals, emerged with a 44-41 victory to claim the western conference's No. 1 seed.

Jackson advanced to tonight's title match after decimating Torrington yesterday, 46-18.

The girls will tip off as soon as the 4A girls' title game ends. That 4A contest starts at 3:30 p.m.

Meanwhile, on the guys' side, the Panthers similarly found themselves down 12 at the end of the third quarter. After a furious run, the dudes battled back into the contest and came out on top with a stunning 57-55 win.

They'll play Torrington at 12 p.m. today for a shot at the consolation championship.

You can look at the full brackets for the boys and girls on this WHSAA page. You can also follow the games (fairly) live online here. I think the contests are also slated for broadcast on KPOW.

You'll be able to read full recaps of all the state action in Tuesday's Powell Tribune.

Celebrate 100 years with stories

Editor's note: this project has now been closed and the centennial blog shut down. Thanks to the two folks who participated! Their stories can be found here and here.

We are starting a new, separate blog for the Powell centennial!

We invite(d) any and all Powell community members (present and former) to share their stories and memories about Powell. What better way to celebrate the life of a town than by telling stories?

This blog is here to serve as a community share space to tell the tales of our town. It is up to you to decide what you want to share. Stories simply have to be Powell-related and appropriate for all readers. Feel free to tell us about your favorite moments in Powell: Your 8th birthday party in Washington Park, dragging "Main," the tale of your not-so-famous grandfather who saw the whole thing go down at the bank or the passion you felt for the game when you played for the Panthers.

Over the (capitol) Hill

When he went to the final day of the 2009 legislative session in Cheyenne on March 5, House Speaker Colin Simpson, R-Cody, was greeted by colleagues clad in black.

They weren’t mourning the Wyoming Legislature’s adjournment — instead, they were celebrating Simpson’s 50th birthday.
Simpson, who finished his first session as speaker of the House and his 11th in the Legislature, is featured in Tuesday’s edition of the Tribune.

In an interview with Gib Mathers, Simpson reviews bills that will further Wyoming’s energy industry while protecting the environment and bills designed to protect consumers.

Contrast photographs and next theme: "Faces"

We’ve had a great community response to our photo themes and hope you keep them coming! We’ll choose one or two photographs to appear in the newspaper. The next photo theme is: “Faces.” Send entries to web@powelltribune.com. Photos may be submitted as jpegs, tiffs or PSDs. Please include the first and last name of the photographer with entries. For more information about our photo themes, see our blog entry. Here are the “contrast” photos we’ve received.

This image of a black-burned log in the background and orange foliage with the fall colors was taken by Gary Cole in Yellowstone this past fall.

The sun peeks over the tree tops on Red Lodge Mountain, on Saturday, February 21. This photo was taken by Tribune staff photographer Kara Bacon.

Golden, fall leaves contrast a bright blue sky in this photo by Donna Wageman.

This happy lab sits among bright yellow flowers — a reminder of the past summer and a foreshadow of the one to come. This photo was submitted by Clive and Shirley.

'Feet' shows the contrast between generations and the tiny size of a baby's foot next to her father's at her christening day. Photo submitted by Fred Burris.

Of dented poles

In case you're wondering how that pole in front of Copenhaver, Kath, Kitchen and Kolpitcke got its unhandsome dent, here's what happened on Feb. 22.According to the Powell Police crash report, driver Sandra Hendricks fell asleep at the wheel, and drifted off Clark Street.

Around 1:15 a.m., the vehicle collided with the light pole, inflicting an estimated $5,000 worth of damage to the van, and a $500 ding to the pole. Hendricks declined medical treatment.