Balloon Fest returns this weekend

The fourth annual Central Wyoming Hot Air Balloon Festival will be held Saturday and Sunday at Casper College's Murane Playing Fields.

Approximately 20 hot air balloons from around the region will participate in the event. The Kiwanis will host a pancake breakfast to coincide with a mass launch at 6 a.m. Sunday's mass launch will include "Kid's Day" with free tethered balloon rides for children, and also starts at 6 a.m.

All of the events are free to the public. Handicapped parking will be available, as well as bus dropoff service.

For more information or to volunteer for the event, call Mike Nighswonger or Chanel McCall at RE/MAX The Group at (307) 265-0200 or visit www.WyomingBalloonFest.com.

Jakob Dylan opens for Willie Nelson

Jakob Dylan will open for legendary country star Willie Nelson when he performs at 7:30 p.m. on Aug. 24 at the Casper Events Center, according to the Events Center.

Jakob Dylan, son of the legendary Bob Dylan, made the top 10 lists in 1996 with the release of the Wallflowers' "Bringing Down the Horse" CD. He recently released an acoustic-based, solo album "Seeing Things."

For ticket information, call (307) 577-3030 or (800) 442-2256, or visit www.CasperEventsCenter.com.

Veterans Museum extends hours

The Wyoming Veterans Memorial Museum will be open from 1 to 5 p.m. Tuesdays through Sundays, through Sept. 30, according to the museum.

The museum's exhibits tell the stories of veterans from all branches of service with ties to Wyoming who served from World War I to the present. The facility is located at the Natrona County International Airport, 3740 Jourgensen Ave., Casper, on the grounds of the World War II Casper Army Air Base.

To schedule morning tours or Monday tours for group visits, call (307) 472-1857 or (307) 251-1654.

Those same numbers can be called for more information or visit www.wvmm.org.

NC SkillsUSA team places second

Natrona County High School's SkillsUSA team placed second in the chapter business procedure competition at the National SkillsUSA Convention, which was held June 21-26 in Kansas City, Mo.

Team members included Keylee Sayler, Amy Andreen, Caleb Bunce, Sarah Saulsbury, Asher Markworth and Hannah Becker, according to the school district. The competition included a written test, a preliminary round and a final round.

The convention included competition in a variety of vocational specialties.