With the annual winter shopping season now in full swing, Wyoming's old town centers are seeing an uptick in visitors drawn to colorful light displays, roasted chestnut and hot chocolate carts, free horse-drawn carriage rides and one-of-a-kind gift options offered by local merchants.

Jessica Seders, executive director of Gillette Main Street, said Wyoming's historic downtowns are a great way to get even the most committed Scrooges into the holiday spirit.

"Gillette's downtown is full of historic buildings that could be found in an old western town," Seders explained. "A lot of people just come down for photo opportunities, and to spend evenings -- especially when it's all lit up -- walking and enjoying the downtown."

Downtown Gillette, which came to life with the arrival of the railroad in the early 20th century, boasts a wide variety of mom and pop shops, restaurants and holiday events. The original General Store building still sits on the town's first block, and Seders pointed to a new attraction, an original homestead wagon on display on the 3rd Street Plaza.

Chad Banks, manager of the Urban Renewal Agency and Main Street Programs for the City of Rock Springs, said visitors can check out the original City Hall, made from sandstone in 1893, which is now a historic museum, or stroll through the town's original and iconic train depot, now a coffee shop and event center full of holiday cheer.

Banks noted one common misperception is locally-owned stores are more expensive than corporate chains.

"That's not always the case, and oftentimes our retailers downtown can even beat prices online," Banks pointed out. "It's always worth giving those folks a chance to earn your business first, before you jump online, or jump to the big box stores."

Gillette is also holding a Christmas window decorating contest. Locals and visitors can scan QR codes to vote for their favorite storefront displays through Dec. 20. Seders added spending time and money in Wyoming's downtowns boosts local economies, and the businesses who sponsor Little League teams and buy ads in high school yearbooks.

"Because when you go to ask for a donation for your kid's ball team, typically it doesn't come from a big box store, it comes from the small businesses," Seders emphasized. "If we want to keep those in business, we've got to look to them not just during the holidays but year round."


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April is both National Poetry Month and National Library Month, and younger generations are embracing both.

The American Library Association says "Gen Z" and millennials are using public libraries, both in person and digitally, at higher rates than older generations. They're also engaging with poetry, but often not the classics taught in school. Instead, it's minimalist verses set to music and posted on social media platforms such as TikTok and Instagram.

"There's easy access for poetry. There's access through libraries," said Lauren Camp, New Mexico's current poet laureate. "Libraries are pretty much my favorite place and have been for my whole life."

Camp, the Arab-American daughter of a Jewish-Iraqi immigrant, has lived in New Mexico for 30 years. She's the author of eight poetry collections and New Mexico's second Poet Laureate.

Multiple libraries across the state, including those in Taos, Santa Fe and Albuquerque, have scheduled poetry readings and other literary events this month.

Some research shows that fiction readers often are more empathetic - better able to put themselves in someone else's shoes. Camp said you shouldn't expect to like all poets or poetry any more than you like all music or all art, but believes finding a handful that you like can enrich your life.

"In these very fraught, complicated times," she said, "we all need to find more ways of accessing empathy for an 'other' - and I think poetry is a really good way to do that because it narrows down to one experience and one sliver of one experience."

New Mexico has nearly 150 public libraries, according to Felt Maps, including branches and other locations that offer library services. The New Mexico State Library also supports more than 100 public and tribal libraries.

For those with young kids, Camp recommended the Poetry Out Loud program as a starting point to engage them.


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Military bravery and sacrifice is recognized today, with the nation's recipients of the National Medal of Honor being celebrated for their service.

In addition to ceremonies across the country, a permanent place of remembrance opens in Arlington, Texas today, the new National Medal of Honor Museum.

Chris Cassidy, CEO of the museum, hopes it will serve as a reminder of what he calls the pillars of American excellence, courage, sacrifice and patriotism.

"It's telling the stories of American military heroes but it's also a way to be inspired for courage in your own life," Cassidy explained.

The museum includes the story of New Mexico's Hiroshi Miyamura, a Medal of Honor recipient who served in the Pacific Theater during World War II before returning to Gallup. The son of Japanese immigrants who moved to the community in 1923, Miyamura was the first living Japanese-American to receive the medal.

Cassidy pointed out the new museum features more than 100,000 square feet of space, about one-third dedicated to exhibition galleries. He noted medal recipients are selected for going above and beyond, putting the mission and interests of others ahead of their own.

"It's not a war museum or a military history museum or a place where you see a ton of airplanes and tanks," Cassidy stressed. "There's other great places for that. This museum is storytelling about amazing Americans that did something when the country needed them to."

Closer to home, New Mexico lawmakers honored the state's veterans this month by passing two bills to provide them with tax relief and free recreational opportunities. The legislation expands property tax exemptions and provides veterans with unlimited day-use and camping passes for specific recreational areas.


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Some 29 Arkansas Medal of Honor recipients will be recognized Tuesday as the National Medal of Honor Museum opens in Arlington, Texas.

The museum is dedicated to celebrating the stories of the more than 3,500 service members who have been awarded the nation's highest honor. The opening coincides with National Medal of Honor Day.

Chris Cassidy, CEO of the museum, said the facility is unlike any other military or war museum.

"We've paid a lot of attention to telling a broad swath of stories from the Civil War to present day of all branches of service, of all hometowns and states and ethnicity," Cassidy outlined. "Just kind of covering a broad section of America, because the Medal of Honor recipients really do represent America."

Arkansas was home to Medal of Honor recipient John Canley, who received the medal for his actions in Vietnam. Canley was the first living Black Marine to receive the Medal. He died in 2022.

Tuesday is the 162nd anniversary of the day the first Medal of Honor was awarded. Only 61 recipients are still living. Cassidy noted the museum will be a place where the public can interact with these heroes.

"In the ensuing weeks and months, we have several programs that we'll put on in the museum, where folks can come and listen to their stories live, and ask the Medal of Honor recipients questions in person," Cassidy added.

The $290 million structure has classrooms and spaces for meetings, memorials and ceremonies.


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