ROCK SPRINGS — A new tradition may be taking root for veterans in Sweetwater County after the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 2321 hosted its first information fair Saturday at the White Mountain Library, connecting veterans with more than a dozen resources and drawing nearly 30 attendees.
The event was organized by Mindy Casto, who said the idea was inspired by a similar resource fair held by the Gillette VFW that had been running for several years.
“We need something like that in Sweetwater County,” Casto said. “So I brought it up to the VFW, and they were like, ‘Okay, sure.'”
From there, Casto said the event came together over several months through a steady stream of emails and referrals. She reached out to the Wyoming Veterans Commission and the Sweetwater County Veterans Service Office, both of which helped connect her with participating organizations.
By the time the fair opened, 13 different resource providers had set up tables. Between 25 and 30 veterans came through the doors.
Local businesses rallied behind the effort, helping spread the word by posting flyers throughout the community. Several also contributed to a free lunch provided to attendees during the event.
Community support extended beyond the business sector. A group of 4-H volunteers helped with setup the day before the event and returned in the afternoon to assist with teardown.
“We’ve had a lot of really good support from the community as a whole,” Casto said.
Casto said she hopes to grow the fair in future years and is aiming to make it an annual event held around the same time each year. The goal, she said, is to build it into a reliable resource for veterans across Sweetwater County.
