Wallop Park dedication: Aug. 7

A dedication ceremony for Malcolm Wallop Park will be held at 10 a.m., Friday, Aug. 7, at the north park site in Sheridan.

The dedication ceremony will feature Department of the Interior Assistant Secretary for Fish and Wildlife and Parks Rob Wallace. 

Wallace worked with Senator Wallop for many years, eventually serving as his chief of staff.

In 1976, Wallop successfully unseated three-term Democratic U.S. Senator Gale W. McGee, winning a seat in the United States Senate.

Wallop’s amendment to the 1977 Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act laid the path for Whitney Benefits Foundation to receive compensation from the federal government. Much of those funds were then used to improve the City of Sheridan and provide other community services, according to Kim Love, an organizer and one of the many driving forces behind the dedication.

The park – formerly known as North Park – contains sections of riparian area, making the area a perfect memorial for Wallop, who utilized his senate position to protect fisheries and waterways, according to co-organizer Kendall Hartman.

Love and Hartman will appear on Sheridan Media’s Public Pulse on Wednesday, Aug 5, to discuss the dedication.