Wyoming Department of Agriculture: Public protectors or cookie monsters?

The Wyoming Department of Agriculture has proposed a new set of rules and regulations for folks who sell things like baked goods at places like farmer's markets.

In a nutshell, the Department would start treating home-based goody-bakers (called "cottage food establishments") more like restaurants. The goal is to increase food safety, but at least one local vendor is afraid the new requirements would force most cooks to stop baking.

Are the regulations too burdensome? Check them out for yourself:

The changes would apply to two sections of law: the Wyoming Food, Drug & Cosmetic Safety Act (those proposed changes can be found in this PDF) and Wyoming's Food Safety Rules (that proposal can be found in this PDF). If that's too confusing, the PDFs can also be found on this page.

For those interested in the issue or interested in commenting, there'll be a public meeting in the Barling Room of the Park County Courthouse this Wednesday (the 16th) from 7 to 9 p.m. You can speak your piece there, or you can send your comments via email to Dean Finkenbinder at dfinke@state.wy.us.

If you do have thoughts, now's the time to say so: the public comment period closes this Friday (July 18th).

The dirt on fair deadlines

Don't forget: if you want to get your handiwork or wrestling team in the Park County Fair, Friday (July 11) is last day for most entries. So, get your prized pigs, pickles or poultry signed up before 5 p.m. - elsewise, you'll have to wait until next year. 

Entries can be submitted at the Fair Office in Powell, or the Extension Office in Cody.

Arts and crafts are due Monday (July 14).

wild ride

It was a wild ride for this cowboy, Derry McLane of Bozeman, Mont., During the Cody Stampede rodeo July 4. McLane somehow got caught up in his rigging and was unable to free his hand after the ride. It took quite an entourage of people to get the horse stopped, even after it was roped by the one of the pickup men. Everyone certainly breathed a sigh of relief when McLane was able to walk out of the arena.

Exploding sky

Night was transformed to day when the Powell Volunteer Fire Department fired-up their annual Fourth of July fireworks.

The boys let it rip — BOOM, BOOM, BOOM! Like lightning erupting, the sky was torn apart in radiant colors.

In the pit where the firefighters sparked their ordnance, the earth shook from explosive concussions and spent gunpowder hung in the air like dust from passing cars.

Between deafening blasts, the crowd cheered. Within the pit, exuberant firefighters whooped. It was a night of explosive pageantry befitting any Independence Day celebration.

Nice job, guys.

Trailers toasted

Around 4 p.m. Friday, Powell Volunteer firefighters responded to 814 Lane 6-3/4 for a controlled burn that got out of control. Blowing embers from about 100 yards away reached two trailers sitting side by side.

The mobile homes were quickly engulfed, but the owner was not worried. He was concerned about a nearby haystack and barn, said Capt. Sam Rodriguez. The hay and barn were kept saturated.

Firemen Mike Meeker and Doug Leichner keep a close eye on one of the trailers that burned to the ground.

Video: One noisy library

"Noise Guy" Charlie Williams visited the Powell library on June 26 to show off his sound effect skills. It was pretty cool.

Runtime: 3:18

Have a blog? We want to know!

Are you a local Tribune reader with a personal blog of your own? Want more people to know about it? We'd love to put a link to your blog on our now-barren sidebar.

Send your blog's address to web@powelltribune.com or post it in the comments below.

Quick note: The Tribune may not include all submissions. For example, we're not really interested in linking to explicit content and commercial bloggings. So, if you swear and sell Viagra on your blog, we probably won't add it to our directory.