American Legion post seeking Boys State participants

The local American Legion post is seeking high school juniors to participate in the Boys State program this summer.

Jim Thomas, chaplain of Robert Boyd Stewart American Legion Post 11 of Lovell, said this week that American Legion Boys State will be held June 8-14 in Laramie, and the application deadline is May 15. Jarrett Allen represented the post at last summer’s event.

Interested high school juniors can find an application by going onto the state American Legion website for the Department of Wyoming: www.wyolegion.org and clicking on the Wyoming Boys State link at the top of the home page.

“After they (the state office) receive it and approve it, they send it back to us and we go through the approval process after we see the number of young men who apply,” Thomas said.

Thomas emphasized that students from both local school districts – Big Horn County No. 1 and No. 2 – are eligible, and though typically two students per district are chosen, it’s an open field with no set local limit on the number of participants unless the statewide total passes 200.

He said there are a large number of activities at Boys State, including a visit to the state Capitol in Cheyenne, and elections are held to create a mock government at the municipal, county and state level using make believe political parties. Two delegates from Wyoming are then chosen to attend the national competition with expenses paid by the Department of Wyoming.

For more information, call Thomas at 272-4246, or email him at jimedtom@live.com.

Other events

Post 11 is looking forward to two events in May. Poppy Day will take place on Armed Forces Day, May 17, and Legion members will man a table at The Market providing information and passing out poppies in honor of service members who gave their life in sacrifice of their country.

Poppy Day and the week that follows lead up to the annual Memorial Day ceremonies at the Byron, Cowley and Lovell cemeteries on May 26.