Parade Marshal George Abeyta waves to the crowd lining Main Street Lander during the 124th annual Pageant of the Old West Parade. (Matthew Copeland / WyoFile)

Independence Day in Lander draws throngs of celebrants from across the region every year, making the Pageant of the Old West Parade a must-stop for those seeking election in the state.

Aspiring governors Mark Gordon, Sam Galeotos, Harriet Hageman and Rex Rammell all marched the length of Main Street for the 124th annual event, as did would-be auditors Kristi Racines and Nathan Winters, Leland Christensen who’s running for treasurer, Ed Buchanan who hopes to stay on as the secretary of state and numerous candidates for city and county offices.

None, however, could compete with the enthusiastic reception afforded community leader and Parade Marshal George Abeyta. A great-great-grandson of revered Eastern Shoshone Chief Washakie, a Fort Washakie School teacher and coach, and a champion Fancy Feather dancer, Abeyta made national news last year when he sent a former student to Disneyland — honoring a 20-year-old pledge to gift such a trip to any student who earned his or her degree from a four-year university.

Never miss a Photo Friday. Subscribe for free.

Matthew Copeland is the chief executive & editor of WyoFile. Contact him at matthew@wyofile.com or (307) 287-2839. Follow Matt on Twitter at @WyoCope

Join the Conversation

2 Comments

Want to join the discussion? Fantastic, here are the ground rules: * Provide your full name — no pseudonyms. WyoFile stands behind everything we publish and expects commenters to do the same. * No personal attacks, profanity, discriminatory language or threats. Keep it clean, civil and on topic. *WyoFile does not fact check every comment but, when noticed, submissions containing clear misinformation, demonstrably false statements of fact or links to sites trafficking in such will not be posted. *Individual commenters are limited to three comments per story, including replies.

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

  1. Reply

  2. Thank you for the kind words. We truly appreciate the support and encouragement.

    Reply