Thumbs up to a weekend full of fun events in Powell.

A mounted shooting competition, the Wyoming Desperados Battle in the Basin, begins at 5:30 p.m. Friday at the Park County Fairgrounds and continues through Saturday.

The annual Wings ’N Wheels event takes place Saturday at the Powell Municipal Airport, with a fly-in and car show.

The event kicks off with a scholarship benefit breakfast at 7 a.m.

The popular air show begins at 11 a.m., with pilots performing aerobatics close to the ground to wow the crowd.

Historic, classic and unusual vehicles will be on display throughout the event, and trophies for the car show will be awarded at 2 p.m.

Owners of vehicles in the car show are invited to drive the vehicles downtown at the end of the show during an impromptu car show parade down Bent Street.

Meanwhile, the annual Arts Festival will take place at Plaza Diane, with an arts and craft fair from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., plein air artists painting outdoors on Bent Street and live music from 4-10 p.m. on the Plaza’s outdoor stage.

This year, hourly bus rides will provide transportation from Plaza Diane to the Powell airport and back, beginning at 7:30 a.m. The service will reduce traffic to and from the airport and will encourage people to attend both the arts festival and the Wings ’N Wheels events.

“Think of it as a festival weekend in Powell,” said Plaza Diane Coordinator Karen Roles.

Unfortunately, the downtown art walk will not take place, as only a couple of businesses were interested in sponsoring artists for the event.

Thumbs up to the vision of Powell as an arts community.

As a way to boost economic development and distinguish the Powell community, several people have proposed and are working to promote the arts in Powell. Chief among them are artists Martin Garhart and John Giarrizzo, who voiced that goal years ago.

That vision is supported by strong visual and performing arts and photography programs at Northwest College. It also is promoted by Plaza Diane Center for the Arts and other local groups.

We applaud those who are continuing the effort to make that vision a reality and encourage the community to support it as well.

Thumbs down to a death from a grizzly attack in Yellowstone.

The death of a Billings man last week is a sobering reminder that people who enjoy the backcountry in the country’s first national park must take safety  precautions, such as hiking in groups of three or more and carrying bear spray.

This case illustrates that everyone, not just newcomers, must take those precautions and avoid becoming complacent about personal safety in the park.

The victim, Lance Crosby, was familiar with Yellowstone. He was a long-term seasonal employee of a company that operates three urgent care clinics in the park. He had worked and lived in Yellowstone for five seasons and was an experienced hiker.

Thumbs up to a grant awarded to Powell Economic Partnership to help it open up a Makerspace in Powell. We’re anxious to learn more about this innovative service.

This is another encouraging sign that PEP is working to bring innovation and economic development to Powell, an effort that had stalled for several years before PEP picked up the dropped ball. We congratulate the organization and its board and look forward to continued progress under PEP leadership.