Northwest College’s annual Paint the Town Red event returns to downtown Powell on Friday, August 23, from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. Now in its seventh year, the event is free and open to everyone, with live music, games and activities for all ages, and more food trucks than ever before.
Paint the Town Red has become one of Powell’s biggest and most popular events, bringing the community and college together in a celebration of their decades-long partnership. The late August setting coincides with the beginning of the academic year at Northwest College and other area schools and introduces new NWC students to everything the town offers while allowing them to meet area residents and business owners.
This year’s entertainment includes acclaimed singer, songwriter, storyteller, and musician Kalyn Beasley, who is scheduled to perform on the Plaza Diane stage at 6 p.m. Beasley is a 2023 recipient of the Performing Arts Fellowship, given annually by the Wyoming Arts Council to two Wyoming-based musicians. His songs are meticulously crafted narratives with clever and infectious melodies and hooks, and his life as a cowboy, rodeo-hand, pilot, bookseller, and outdoorsman has given him an authentic Western background to draw upon for inspiration.
Opening for Beasley is Jillian Nordberg, a 15-year-old singer from Cody who is already a regular on the local music circuit across the Bighorn Basin and southern Montana. Nordberg is also a songwriter and guitarist who gravitates toward classic country artists but is known too for her own distinctive style and original songs. She has been performing publicly since the age of six with more than 1,000 gigs under her belt.
In addition to the musical performances, other activities include:
- Children’s face painting by the NWC Art Club
- Balloon Animals
- Recreation activities by the NWC Outdoor Recreation Department
- Rock climbing wall
- Athletic activities featuring the Northwest College Trappers
- Laser Tag
- Dunk Booth
- Esports competition
- Simulators from the NWC Center for Training & Development
- Children’s petting zoo
Also returning in 2024 is a beer garden, hosted by the Northwest College Alumni Association.
Food vendors will be serving from 4 – 8 p.m., and many downtown restaurants will be open for those who wish to dine inside. Visitors can also receive free photo prints at the event by tagging their Instagram and Twitter posts with #PaintTheTownRedPowell.
Area residents and businesses are reminded that Bent Street will be closed to vehicle traffic between 1st Street and 3rd Street from the hours of 1 p.m. to 10 p.m.
