A common complaint in a small town is that there is little to do. 

But in and around Powell, that usually is not a problem. In fact, at times it seems there’s almost too much to do. During those times, people have to pick and choose from several activities and events because it’s difficult or impossible to attend or do everything. 

Take last weekend, for instance. Our community calendar in Thursday’s edition listed the following events and activities:

• A 9/11 ceremony before the Powell High School football game, put on by the Powell Fire Department. 

• The annual Homesteader Days Festival downtown.

• A Home Shopping Extravaganza at Park County Fairgrounds.

• The Yellowstone Quilt Fest in Cody.

• The annual Mustang Rendezvous fundraiser for Friends of a Legacy.

• A book sale at the Powell Branch Library.

• Coast to the Future Bike Tour for Bright Futures Mentoring.

• Sleeping Giant zip-line cleanup in the North Fork area east of Yellowstone National Park.

• String Fever concert in Cody.

• Trapper Stampede Rodeo in Cody.

• A petition-signing party in Ralston. 

• A free drive-in movie, courtesy of Trinity Bible Church.

• A Rosh Hashanah celebration commemorating the start of the Jewish New Year at the new Intercultural House.

• Powell Panthers football, tennis and swimming home games and events.

That list contains more than a dozen events that provided activities for a broad range of interests — basically, something for everyone. 

If that wasn’t enough, the following is a list of activities this week:

• Toddler Time, Story Time, children’s and and young adult programs at the Powell library throughout the week.

• Farmers Market on Monday.

• A global engagement discussion about Brazil at the Intercultural House on Tuesday.

• Open house at the Heartland Wednesday.

• Art fun for kids at the Powell library Wednesday. 

• A celebration of Mexican Independence Day and a cooking demonstration at the Intercultural House Thursday.

• A garbology research project at Northwest College campus mall. The public is invited to watch and help Thursday.

• PHS swim and volleyball teams compete at home on Thursday. 

• NWC Trapper men’s and women’s soccer home games Friday and Saturday.

• A Rambling Stretch — Wyoming inspired jazz concert at the NWC Nelson Performing Arts auditorium on Sunday.

For more information about coming events, check the community calendar on Thursday.

There’s an equally long list of events for the week following that, and the week after that ...

And, as we get farther into the school year, an increasing number of concerts, exhibits, classes, programs, activities and excursions are offered through Northwest College and Powell Valley Community Education. 

In addition, we’re fortunate to live in an area where outdoor recreation activities of all sorts exist in the mountains surrounding us — hiking, camping, fishing, hunting, boating, wildlife watching, photography — you get the picture.

In short, if you’re bored, it might be because you haven’t made yourself aware of the activities that go on around you, pretty much all the time. 

We encourage local residents to avail themselves of the community and outdoor activities that surround us. We’re exceptionally fortunate to have those opportunities.