LONGMIRE DAYS-BUFFALO WYOMING

The town of Buffalo is situated at the foot of the Big Horn Mountains. The Big Horns have been one of the best kept secrets of the Western United States.

A celebration occurs each summer in Buffalo it is called Longmire Days. “Longmire” is a television show found on Netflix and it was taken from Craig Johnsons Longmire book series.

There were fifteen or twenty episodes and the show developed a fan base that holds steadfast to the show and also the actors that appeared in this television series.

The story takes place in a fictional town located on the border of Wyoming and Montana and the town also edges the Indian Reservation nearby.

It is a sociological view and interplay of the inner working of the reservation and county, including the fictional city of Durant who’s Sheriff is Walt Longmire.

We are on the road three to four months each year and don’t watch as much television as most people, we do read books.

Upon the insistence of my big sister ,who also doesn’t watch much TV, she required that I watch the show.

The first episode had me hooked like a hooker in a hook factory. We binge watched the television show like an opioid addiction.

We manufacturer small leatherwoods made of buffalo hide and we purvey our products throughout the nation in most of the Western United States.

Our products are featured in the Lodge at YellowStone National Park, Death Valley, Bright Angel in the Grand Canyon and many museums, Galleries,State Parks and saddle shops.

As long as our trusty staff of leather smiths don’t mutiny on us, we travel the nation exhibiting at juried art festivals.

We have the luxury to choose our yearly travels and schedule. As time has gone by we have decided to do the events and festivals that are the most fun rather than the highest grossing dollar amount.

Hence, here we are in Buffalo, Wyoming for the Longmire Days festival.

Our expeditionary tour this year was scheduled around making sure we get to Buffalo, Wyoming.

Our time and effort to get to this beautiful community was not ill spent. They had no juried art festival but they have a “recycling event” called “Love’n Junkin”. This show is a repurposing show of everything curious and western.

Seldom do we exhibit in a city of less than one hundred thousand population and yet here we are in Buffalo a town of five thousand people. This weekend it doubles or triples in size.

People from all over the U.S. and even the world show up to meet the author Craig Johnson and many of the actors.

The movie was taken from the series of books that Mr. Johnson wrote on his fictional character Walt Longmire.

After six or eight years of “ Longmire Days” has created long lasting friendships, both actors, author and all of the fan base.

It has met our expectations as a worthy and meaningful exhibition selection and also a chance to view another community event through the eyes of an artisan, an event builder and as a full fledged tourist and fan of Longmire.

I’ve spent approximately fifteen hundred or maybe sixteen hundred days at various festivals throughout the United States over the past twenty three years.

I watch, take notes and pay attention to event building wherever I go and … This is an event of UnCommon Merit.

The volunteers come from every corner of the community and nation.

The author and actors spend three days meeting everyone that wants an autograph, photograph and no one leaves disappointed.

The celebrities show uncommon perseverance in their patience and appreciation with all the accolades that are bestowed on them.

The three days of celebration includes non stop events including the author and actors, book signings, question and answer sessions, parades, street dances, ball games, talent shows, and even a spot for us to exhibit in Buffalo.

We are currently on a mountain top at 10,000 feet and reflect on our days in Buffalo that started at 5:30 a.m and ended at 10:00 p.m. The air is thin and our exertions are calculated as not to run out of oxygen.

We met thousands of people that came for this great community event.

We had a delightful breakfast with the literary agent that publishes the books on the Longmire series from NYC.

One night we rekindled a relationship and provided a meal fit for a King. It wasn’t the King or Queen but it was a British Aristocrat that returned to this small community, enjoying the Longmire connection.

Unwittingly she helped provide testament to the magnetism that this book, this author, these actors have on their fan base and this community.

Buffalo, Wyoming, Hats off to the community members that support this event with money, contributions, the volunteers, the workers, the Police, the Fire Dept. and Ambulance crew.

You have created a meaningful event, stand tall, be proud, Keep On Continuing!

Billandlauri Keitel
Buffalo Billfold Company

www.billkeitel.com