Thayne council approves Spur and Ski skijoring event and $15,000 Travel & Tourism funding

The Town of Thayne council on Jan. 21 approved use of town property for the Spur and Ski skijoring event on Feb. 28 and March 1 and authorized a $15,000 expenditure from the Travel & Tourism fund.

Organizers Kaitie Vigna and Danice Heward described the event, noting 38 teams already registered from several states. The Travel and Tourism Board had approved the $15,000, but the council’s approval was required because the amount exceeded the board’s authority. Councilmember Visser moved to approve the facility use and later moved to approve the $15,000 expenditure; both motions passed. Councilmember Heward recused from the funding vote.

Mayor Simpson noted the Travel & Tourism account totalled about $62,000 from prior years and suggested organizers contact the Wyoming Travel and Tourism Board for additional promotion. The council also encouraged outreach because several other skijoring events in the region had been canceled this season.

Next steps: organizers to coordinate promotion with state tourism officials and to finalize logistics with town staff.