Sold-Out Crowd Toasts WYO’s Success

Over 40 people enjoyed food, drinks and music and toasted the WYO Theater’s receipt of a special award in a celebration Thursday night in the WYO’s Mars Lobby.

Erin Butler, who’s the WYO executive director, said the theater’s board started Happy Hour at the Lotus Cafe last summer.

The event also provided an opportunity to celebrate the receipt earlier this month of the Governor’s Arts Award in Cheyenne. Butler said the award is presented annually to between three and five individuals, institutions or groups in recognition of their impact on the arts in Wyoming.

Caitlin Addlesperger, who’s a WYO board member and chair of the board’s marketing committee, said Thursday night’s crowd was a sell-out for the event.

She said the Lotus Cafe was named in honor of the theater’s original name, The Lotus, when it opened in 1923 as a vaudeville venue. She said the cafe celebrates the WYO’s history and celebrates local musicians like Stefanie Wilkerson, who provided music for Thursday’s event.

The event started at 4:30 p.m., and at 5:30, complimentary glasses of sparkling wine were handed out for the toast.

Addlesperger said the toast wasn’t only to the success of the WYO but a toast to the community members who have made the theater a success. She said success wouldn’t have happened without the help of those community members.