Compiled by SALLY ANN SHURMUR

Star-Tribune staff writer

Neighbors defined in a variety of ways are the theme of today's events, ranging from a cozy, old-fashioned downtown Casper neighborhood to a 50-year-old corporate neighbor's anniversary to a regional group of committed citizens.

The neighborhood surrounding Grant Street Grocery hosts the annual Tour de Grants today from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., celebrating Casper's only remaining neighborhood grocery.

Streets will be blocked off from Lind to Milton and Park to Lincoln. Anyone who rides a bicycle to the store will receive free ice cream.

Activities include garage sales, live music, cheese tasting, famed $1 "sliders," and a variety of games.

Anna & Friends provide live music from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. A magic show by kids for kids takes place from 12:30 to 1 p.m., with karaoke from 1 to 3 p.m.

The Wyoming Food Bank will be there to highlight its activities and needs, and the grocery is offering all canned goods for 50 percent off during the party, making it a great time to donate to the food bank.

In Glenrock, a community celebration will take place to mark the Dave Johnston power plant's 50th anniversary and to mark the construction of the new wind projects.

The event kicks off with a 5K run/walk beginning at 7 a.m., starting at the Glenrock South Recreation Complex and finishing at the Glenrock Town Park. A biscuits and gravy breakfast will be offered at the Glenrock Senior Center, located at 615 W. Deer, beginning at 8 a.m. Cost for the all-you-can-eat breakfast is $5 per person{M3.

The majority of event activities will take place throughout the day at the park adjacent to the plant, beginning at 11 a.m. Park activities will have a 1950s theme and will feature performances by 1950s-era celebrity impersonators and other entertainers, catered lunch and dinner, activities for children, pony rides, music and dancing, a melodrama, bingo, car show, plant memorabilia, vendor booths and more.

To accommodate the number of people expected to attend the event, bus service will be provided between the Glenrock High School parking lot, located at 225 Oregon Trail, and the plant park, beginning at 10:30 a.m. Bus service will run every half-hour, with the final return trip scheduled for 8 p.m.

Bus tours to the Glenrock wind farm will also be offered, beginning at 8 a.m. and originating at the high school parking lot. Buses will leave for the wind farm every hour, ending at 5 p.m., with an expected round-trip lasting about 90 minutes.

The annual Conference of the NAACP for the Wyoming, Montana, and Colorado region will be held at the Parkway Plaza Hotel in Casper. A luncheon will also be held at noon in the Tiffany Room. James Simmons, president of the Casper Branch of the NAACP, will be keynote speaker for the luncheon.

The title of the luncheon speech will be "Prelude to 100 Years of the NAACP," noting that the NAACP was founded Feb. 12, 1909, the 100th anniversary of the birth of Abraham Lincoln.

Cost of the luncheon is $40, and is included in the cost of the entire conference for those who wish to attend the entire conference, or any part of it. Tickets may be purchased at the door, and the public is invited.

The Audubon Center at Garden Creek invites children and adults to take a nature walk at 9 a.m. The activity is sponsored by Murie Audubon Society and is free. Hikers will see wild flowers and many species of birds and animals. Binoculars are available for birdwatching.

To access the center, follow Poplar Street south after crossing the intersection of Wyoming Boulevard. Distance to the center is about one mile. A sign indicates where to turn left onto a dirt road.

Metro Animal Shelter would like to invite the public to the annual Dog Days of Summer Adopt-A-Thon from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the shelter, 2392 East Metro Road in Casper. Popish Veterinary Clinic will be on hand from 1 to 4 p.m. to offer a $20 microchip clinic.

Popish staff will also offer vaccinations for dogs and cats ranging from $10 to $15.

Refreshments will be available all day.