Wild West Festival, to me, meant serving my community.
I honestly can't explain the physical feeling that comes from looking out over a crowd of 3,000, 4,000, sometimes 5,000 people who are having fun—dancing, singing along, laughing, and enjoying the entertainment and vendors. For a few hours each night, people get to forget about their worries and their stresses.
They get to spend an evening outdoors with their friends, their families, and their community. Knowing that we could help create that experience for people made every bit of the blood, sweat and tears worth it.
But internally, serving on the Wild West Festival committee became so much more than putting on an event. It became an education in what it means to serve alongside some truly remarkable people.
Bob and Sondra Swift are a wealth of information, and they share that knowledge so willingly. The history we've learned from them, along with the care and work ethic they bring to Ellis County, is something I deeply admire.
Tom and Shelly Lippert are true pillars of this community. I often joke that I want to be like them when I grow up. They care more about other people than they do about themselves as evident by their work at FHSU, Hays Larks, Wild West Festival, Oktoberfest, and involvement with their grandchildren’s activities, and they've raised their children and grandchildren to do the same. I have no doubt that the generations following them will continue taking care of this community.
Julie Edgeman has an incredible ability to see beyond the moment. She doesn't just see the immediate need—she sees what we're ultimately trying to accomplish and works hard to help us get there. Alongside her husband Rick and daughter, Emily, I've also had the privilege of experiencing a little more of the world through their travels and life experiences. And now Emily is serving Ellis County in the dispatch center, something that came, in part, through a connection she made through Wild West Festival. I will always treasure the hours of conversation, work, laughter, and life shared with that family.
James Bell is a quiet worker. Probably because he understands the true value of words—and how words spoken too loudly or carelessly can come back to you. However, speaking negatively about someone simply isn’t James' nature. He works hard without looking for accolades or personal benefit, and his media skills have helped shape Wild West Festival for the digital world we live in today.
And perhaps the most important thing Wild West Festival gave me personally was our best friends. Through the festival, we met David and Nanette Fitzhugh and their family. Today, we don't just know the Fitzhughs—we do life with them. They are our go-to confidants in times of trouble and times of joy. Our friendship grew from serving together on Wild West Festival, but it has become so much more than that. We've spent weekends camping, evenings enjoying local Ellis County restaurants, cheering on FHSU athletics and the Hays Larks, participating in 100 Who Care giving events, traveling together for comedy shows, and making plans for the next adventure.
And then there are the other committee and community volunteers who make an event like this possible. I've gotten to know and enjoy the company of Lyle and Megan Pantle, Audra and Dylan O’Reagan, Mike and Mary Martin, David Vilaysing, Pat Kelly, Lance Armbruster, Jeff Jordan and Mandy Feik as well as people from Adams Brown Beran and Ball, Adam Pray and the Platinum Group crew, Pizza Hut and the Normandin brothers, Ron and Tammie Williams, Scouting America Troops 133 and 101, The Hays Striders, Kiwanis, and many others. There are people whose names I unfortunately don't know, but whose faces, smiles, hard work, and memories will stay with me.
I especially enjoyed serving alongside my husband, Jeff, our children, and our nephew, Thomas. Being able to share this experience with my family has made it even more meaningful. There is something special about working side-by-side, giving your time to something bigger than yourself, and knowing that your family is experiencing those moments with you. I will forever cherish the 13 concert events I was fortunate enough to experience as part of the Wild West Festival committee. Each one brought its own challenges, celebrations, long nights, laughter, exhaustion, and memories. But looking back, I wouldn't trade those experiences for anything.
Yes, we put on concerts. We created an event. We gave people a few hours to dance, sing, laugh and forget about the stresses of everyday life. But in the process, Wild West Festival gave me something I never expected: friendships, memories, family experiences and a deeper connection to the community I call home. Every day I spend in the future will be impacted by the time I spent on that committee—not just because of what we accomplished, but because of the people I met along the way.
— Brandy Ridgway, Hays, Wild West Committee member
Editor's note: Send your Wild West memories or favorite photos to hayspost@eaglemedia.com.