KEMMERER — The annual FossilFest took place over the weekend in Kemmerer and featured an array of community activities and entertainment, providing seemingly endless hours of fun for everyone to celebrate. People flocked downtown Friday-Saturday, June 17-18, with events at and near Triangle Park.

Camille Plowman, head organizer of the festivities, said, “Honestly, me and my committee, we love doing it, we love providing a fun weekend for everybody. … We have stuff for all ages, and we just love to see our community excel and have positive things to do and to bring other people in from out of town. … We advertise to get other people to come here, so that helps bring business to our community, too.”

Apart from the windy conditions, families and friends from all over Lincoln County and some from surrounding areas came together for a full two-day schedule of family fun. Starting the festivities off with a bang, kids and families of all ages were invited to play “Fossil Fish Water Games” including water tag, bubble machines and water kickball. Children enjoyed waterslides, an obstacle course and a water balloon launcher.

Family Fun Night at Triangle Park on Friday offered many adventures for kids and adults alike. Face painting, giant-sized kerplunk and a “Cookie Walk” made for a night for all to enjoy. At the same time, FossilFest’s DodgeBall Tournament took place across from Triangle Park. Beginning at 6 p.m., registered teams were divided into brackets by age and competed against each other in the empty lot near Grumpies in Kemmerer. After stopping by some of the food and drink vendors, community members were invited to finish off the first night with a set by Satin Steel Band, lasting until 8 p.m.

Kicking off the second day of festivities, FossilFest’s 8 a.m. 5K run that began near Victory Theater brought the community together for some early-morning fun. Winners of the race include Logan Rogers in the category of women under 30; Gabe Emery, in the category of men under 30; Kimberly Warren, for women over 30; and Zac Swasey for men over 30. Beginning at the same time that Saturday morning was the festival’s basketball tournament in the 1st Bank parking lot near the Triangle.

Afterward, community members gathered for the 10 a.m. candy-filled main street parade featuring floats by KCDC Kemmerer Daycare Center, Smokey Bear Wildfire Prevention, Paws and Claws Animal Adoption Center and many more.

Festivalgoers enjoyed stage performances by dancers, a professional hypnotist — Hypno Hick, magician Jason Fun, and musical groups Mason Jarr Band and Whitney Lusk Band.

The annual FossilFest water fight followed, assisted by the Kemmerer Fire Department.

“Yeah, we had pretty close to the turnout we usually have, and it was actually more consistent,” Plowman said. “Some years we have big crowds and some years we have smaller crowds, but it stayed consistent most of the time this weekend.”

Some personal highlights, Plowman said, included the music and seeing the fruits of many community members’ labor.

“Oh, gosh, I absolutely loved all of our bands,” she said. “I just did. … They were great. But the highlight for me is always just seeing it come all together. Just to see everything we’ve been working on all year-long come together and to just be able to watch everybody have fun — that’s the best part.”