News – Sheridan Media
On Sunday, Aug. 17, Ucross held its annual Ucross Arts Festival at the Park at Ucross. Caitlin Addlesperger, Ucross President and Executive Director, extended a welcome to all who attended the event,
Tawni Shuler talked about her design on the T-Shirt, with the Raymond Plank center and a sandhill crane. She said, “I think this is the summer of sandhill cranes, this feels like the essence of Ucross.” Shuler is a Ucross Alumni and now works as the program director at the Foundation.
The event featured several live performances, headlined by nationally acclaimed acoustical guitarist Hayden Pedigo. Pedigo is from Amarillo Texas, and he said much of his music is inspired by the flat, dry and windy Texas Panhandle. He added that last year was his first residency here at Ucross.
His performance was a part of his international tour for his new album, “I’ll Be Waving as You Drive Away.”
There was food provided by the pop-up Ucross Café food truck and Ucross chef Jackie Vitale served up several different pizzas from the wood fired grill. There were also salads, popsicles and drinks.
Poet M.L. Smoker, who was a Ucross Native American Fellow, is Nakoda, Dakota and Lakota, and a citizen of the Fort Peck Tribes. She served as Montana Poet Laureate from 2019-2021. She attended college in California, where she met a good friend who was from the Sarpy Creek area of Montana.
After Smoker, Addlesperger introduced The Insta-Gators , a local band that play a mixture of funk/soul/Americana.
The final artist was Dave Romtvedt who is a writer and musician from Buffalo, who first came to the state as a Ucross resident from Washington state. He liked the area and decided to make his home in Buffalo. Romtvedt served as Wyoming poet laureate from 2003 to 2011.
An overcast, cooler day brought out a large crowd. People brought blankets and lawn chairs and spread out over the green lawn in the Ucross Park to enjoy the event.
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Last modified: August 19, 2025