Thumbs up to the upcoming 100th annual alumni celebration.

June has arrived, and in a few weeks, so will hundreds of Powell High School alumni. Panthers from decades past will return to their old stomping grounds June 26-27.

It’s remarkable that PHS alumni have gathered to celebrate an all-class reunion since 1915. We’re proud the tradition has continued through a full century.

A lot of work has gone into making this 100th anniversary a weekend to remember. Alumni festivities will include a parade, a golf tournament, a kegger with a bonfire, food and drink vendors, a car show, a color run, an art show, a horseshoe pitching tournament, band performances, the annual alumni breakfast and more.

Bright orange alumni yard signs are posted around town, helping spread the news about the 100th annual celebration.

If you’re a Powell Panther, we hope to see you there.

Thumbs down to the cold temperatures, recurrent rainfall and hail that damaged crops in recent weeks. In addition to causing headaches for ag producers, recent weather conditions also wreaked havoc on some area roads, slowing down or halting travel plans.

After warm sunny days early in the spring, things took a turn for the worse with below-freezing temperatures and heavy rain in May.

“What made it difficult were the fields where the crop was just emerging,” said Gary White, Allied Seed Company’s seed production fieldman.

Farmers need the sunshine to stick around for a while, and we’re ready for it, too.

Recent wet conditions cracked several areas of the Chief Joseph Scenic Highway, leading to a reduced speed limit in some areas, and last week, a series of 10 mudslides closed the highway through Wind River Canyon for a few days.

The closure showed how much Big Horn Basin residents and businesses depend on the direct route through the Wind River Canyon.

The northwest quadrant of Wyoming (the four Big Horn Basin counties of Park, Big Horn, Washakie and Hot Springs) is the only area of the state without a single mile of Interstate highway — a limiting, if not isolating transportation factor.

The call has been out there for some time: the need for an improved or alternate route out of the Big Horn Basin to the rest of the state. It would be expensive, and it doesn’t need to be four-lane, but perhaps some serious, long-term planning should be on WyDOT’s horizon for another route south from the Big Horn Basin. The huge slide in the canyon brings this need front and center.

Thumbs up to the new Garland exhibit opening Thursday at Homesteader Museum. Garland once was a bustling town known as the “place to be.” More than a hundred years later, most people barely notice Garland as they drive through the area.

Homesteader’s new exhibit, “Garland: The Town Forgotten,” opens Thursday evening and shares the history of the town — with stories spanning from saloons to coal mines. The exhibit will be up through October, and it’s a great opportunity to learn more about Garland’s history and how its luster faded over the years.

Thumbs up to the beginning of summer vacation. Friday marked the last day of school for kids in the Powell school district. Now it’s the season for lemonade stands, camping, baseball and family vacations.  

We’ve enjoyed seeing many successes academically, athletically and in activities in Powell’s schools over the past year, from kindergarten through college.

Here’s to hoping for a fun, safe and relaxing summer vacation.