Terry Mahoney | Posted: Wednesday, January 21, 2009 11:00 pm
BAKER, NV-- Nevada Governor Jim Gibbons was the guest of honor at the sixth annual "Old Sheepherders" arty held Jan. 16 and 17 at the Border Inn, Baker, NV. Governor Gibbons gave a short speech, focusing on his commitment to balance the Nevada state budget.
The highlight of the evening was the newly remodeled Border Inn. Owner Denys Koyle, has doubled the size of the Border Inn and added a separate dining room, half of which can be closed off for private parties. She also added new public bathrooms with a sheep motif. The dining room was cozy and warm for the dinner, entertainment and dancing.
Friday night entertainment was provided by Master of Ceremonies Hank Vogler, and Sourdough Slim. Musical offerings included a sing-along of "Roll Out the Barrel." During the open mike portion, the gathering heard several interesting histories of the building of sheep operations in Nevada and Utah. Rita Berger, Baker, NV; used to own the grocery store and the Outlaw Bar in Baker. She said "once Ralph "Timber" Nielsen, Fairview; brought a load of wood to her, he unloaded and stacked the wood and put a log in the fireplace. During the party her husband and "Timber" got into an argument. "Timber" then proceeded to reload the wood into his truck. He walked back into the house, pulled the burning log out of the fireplace and took it with him". At the end of this presentation, an excited Randy Livingston, Mt. Pleasant, jumped up and shouted "I know that story is true because I was there".
Retired trapper Van Warnick, Delta, had planned to tell a tale but was a little under the weather so his son, Jay stood in for Van. Jay told of the time when Van was the trapper on an airplane. The airplane swooped in low so he could shoot a coyote and he stuck his shotgun out the window, the wind whipped the shotgun around and Van shot the propeller off the airplane".
As the evening wore on, sheep people renewed old acquaintances, shared memories and told stories. Joe Frischknecht, Manti, told of "Dewey Peterson, who was out on the desert working sheep. Peterson had a nice saddle which he put on a horse and was riding along when the horse threw him off. He chased the horse on foot and every time he got near, the horse took off again. Peterson worried about losing his nice saddle, took out his gun and shot the horse. However, it was the Barton's horse."
Saturday was filled with visiting, a water tour and exhibits at Lehman Caves Visitors Center. This was followed by a lamb roast dinner and dancing with music provided by the Silver Sage Band, Delta.