Chugwater Chili: What do you like about Longmire Days?
Craig Johnson: What I like about Longmire Days is the accessibility of the actors, directors, producers and crew. I can’t think of another event where all of these high-profile people are just walking around the streets of a four-thousand person town, chatting with people, signing stuff and getting their pictures taken? I think it speaks awfully well of the people who’ve been responsible for Longmire these last six years, they’re a great group.
Chugwater Chili: What surprises you about the event?
Craig Johnson: The success of it. I mean when we first started putting this together with the Buffalo Chamber, we figured it’d get some people in but I don’t think we were prepared for the response. I remember driving in with Robert Taylor and he was asking me how many people we thought might show up and I told him we figured a few thousand. We drove over the hill where the courthouse is and the Buffalo Police had the road blocked off and all you could see on Main Street was people as far as the eye could see. Robert turns to me and says, “I’m no math major, but that looks like more than a couple thousand.”
Chugwater Chili: What would you like the fans to remember about their experience?
Craig Johnson: That the things I write about, justice, decency and kindness are alive and well not only in my books but in Wyoming. When you write about a place you love, your home, it’s important to be truthful—that’s the only thing a place asks. I love writing about Wyoming and I love the look on people’s faces when they come here and discover the place is real.
Buffalo Chamber organizer Thom Gabrukiewicz says "last year’s Longmire Days drew some 12,000 people. With this being the last season on Netflix, we expect at least 14,000 people to our little community of 5,000 souls. That’s quite an influx of people, to be sure, but we all seem to handle it well."
Softball games, a parade, and a chance to meet the actors are fun events. Thom adds a must see event is "Saturday night’s street dance and Sunday’s final concert, just to see the sheer number of people that come into town. This year, Jason D. Williams www.RockinJasonDWilliams.com playing the Sunday night concert. Other than that, the horseback ride with the actors is a great event. It does cost $300 – and it always sells out – but to see the majestic beauty of the Bighorn Mountains is amazing."
In fact, Heide Kelly Rewerts of Naperville, IL says she likes the friendly environment of Longmire Days the most. The parade and the Cowboys and Indians softball game are some of her favorite events, and the actors are involved and so much fun to meet at both events. She also enjoys going to the local theater for free showings of Longmire episodes. She also met one of the actors from the show and got a picture with him.
For more information about Longmire Days see the Buffalo Chamber www.buffalowyo.com. Follow Chugwater Chili on Facebook and Twitter.
