My Favorite Things About Living in Downtown Casper: The Sounds
I'm blessed to live in downtown Casper. One of my favorite things about the town are the sounds. Casper sits in a valley, and a lot of the sounds bounce off Casper Mountain. To some the noises are meaningless, but if you listen there is a story.
Parade day brings a lot of lively noises. There is the commotion of cars and trucks honking. The fire trucks blare their sirens. Some floats have live music with banjos and guitars. I hear the sounds and I immediately see the kids rushing to grab candy thrown from the floats.
On any given Friday, you can hear Natrona County cheer at Cheney Alumni Field. The announcer calls out familiar last names into the night. The cannon blasts tell you when the Mustangs get a touchdown. My dogs are not a fan of explosions, but I know it is a reason to celebrate.
When David Street Station has Movie Night, the sounds of Clark Griswold nearly electrocuting himself setting up the Christmas lights in Christmas Vacation resonates across the hills of Casper. You can almost smell the popcorn.
On some summer days, live music rolls in from several different directions. It is not uncommon to hear country or folk music coming from Grant Street Grocery, the Nicolaysen, and David Street Station all on the same day.
When Casper Speedway is running, the muffled sound of the announcer blaring on the loudspeaker with the racers roar fills the night.
Other nights the railroad cars at the train station crash together with a loud CLANG that echoes across the valley.
Of course, there is always the ever-familiar sound of the howling Wyoming wind.
I guess this is all to say there is a lot happening in our "small" town. Sometimes you just have to stop and listen. That is one of the many reasons why I love Casper.