UPDATE: CAM-PLEX staff sent out a revised agenda at 4:58 p.m. May 5. The revised agenda is below. CAM-PLEX staff sent out the full agenda packet May 8, and that now appears below as well.
GILLETTE, Wyo. — The Campbell County Public Land Board’s next meeting, at 6:30 p.m. May 11, will include updates on the master plan, facilities, operations and more.
The meeting takes place in the boardroom of Energy Hall at the CAM-PLEX, 1635 Reata Drive, Gillette.
According to the agenda, the meeting will include updates on two events the CAM-PLEX is soon hosting that will draw thousands of people: the National High School Finals Rodeo and the Camporee.
National High School Finals Rodeo
The 75th annual National High School Finals Rodeo takes place this year from July 16 to July 22. Contestant check-in, which takes place around the clock, starts July 12.
The CAM-PLEX relies on volunteers for the event. Volunteers will receive a T-shirt to wear during their shift and two tickets to any rodeo performance per eight hours that they work. The short-go performance is the sole rodeo performance for which volunteers can’t get free tickets. To volunteer, click the Volunteer Profile Link to sign the waiver, update a profile, find jobs and choose shifts.
On May 2, Campbell County commissioners agreed to allow county employees, with department head or elected official approval, to receive paid leave to volunteer for a four-hour shift during the weekdays as long as they also volunteer for at least four additional hours on their own time. It’s hard to find volunteers for the weekday daytime shifts.
CAM-PLEX Executive Director Aaron Lyles said at the May 2 meeting that the rodeo has filled 633 shifts and has 712 shifts yet to fill, or roughly 130 volunteers. Most volunteers sign up in June. The greatest volunteer need right now is gate security.
Country music artist Chancey Williams will perform in concert July 15, Lyles said.
Camporee
Camporee, which will take place Aug. 5–11, 2024, is an international religious festival put on by the Seventh Day Adventist Church. About 55,000 people are supposed to come to the community of Gillette for that week. The event, which takes place once every five years, is comprised largely of minors. It will be closed to the public as attendees camp out at the CAM-PLEX. This is the first time Gillette is hosting the event, which has taken place a few times in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. Event organizers have asked CAM-PLEX to make many preparations, including providing a space for their portable amphitheater.
As of 4:40 p.m. May 5, 10,895 people, including 8,773 who are at least 13 years old, have registered to attend the event, according to ticket reports. About 75% are from North America.
Other upcoming meetings related to the CAM-PLEX include the following:
- Camporee stakeholders meeting, at 1:30 p.m. May 8
- The third master planning public meeting, at 6:30 p.m. May 18
- The quarterly board and commissioner meeting, at 6:30 p.m. June 8
