Paint your wagon (and rebuild it too)

The Lummis family has a long and generous history with Laramie County Community College, including their gift of land in 1968 on which the campus currently sits. The benevolence continued in 2013, when the family loaned the college its antique Arp & Hammond Hardware wagon to be used in the parades during Cheyenne Frontier Days each summer.

Only one minor problem: the wagon came to the college worn and in need of serious repair and restoration, and that’s where the talents housed in the walls of LCCC were put to great use.

With the help of the students in LCCC SKILLS USA Club, instructor Rob Benning and CFD Wagon Doctor Ken Willis, the work began. Because it sat idle for several years, the original wagon had warped and rotted boards. The sides, floor and seat of the wagon were carefully rebuilt. The back two wheels, or “fellies,” were also replaced, but the metal tires remain original.

The wagon and wheels were repainted to their original colors by the college’s Institutional Advancement team, and the Arp & Hammond Hardware Co. sign was recreated and added to the wagon.

After six months of extensive work and detailed attention, the wagon was ready for its grand unveiling. With the assistance of Dixie and Duke (the team of horses owned by Steve Siegel), the wagon had a few practice days before participating in Cheyenne Frontier Days.

This legacy of the Lummises can now continue in parades for years to come.