Kathy and Patsy Wygle Named Grand Marshals of 2019 Wagon Days Parade

KETCHUM, IDAHO – Mayor Neil Bradshaw has named Kathy and Patsy Wygle as the 2019 Wagon Days Grand Marshals.

For over 50 years, Kathy Wygle has remained at the center of theater arts in Ketchum. She served over 20 years at the helm of the nexStage Theatre, ensuring the tradition of theater and culture remains in Ketchum. She and her sister, Patsy, introduced generations of community children to the arts.

Kathy Wygle founded Laughing Stock Theater in 1977. In 1992, she became executive director of the Sun Valley Repertory Company, which later became the Sun Valley Performing Arts/nexStage Theatre. When the nexStage owners decided to sell, Wygle led a community effort to raise money and purchase the property. Years later, as she planned to retire, Wygle rallied the community again to raise funds.

Tim Mott and the Board of the nexStage mounted a campaign, which culminated in the construction of the Argyros Performing Arts Center.

Patsy Wygle has been a theatrical force in the valley for decades. She and her late husband, Keith Moore, began performing musicals for Laughing Stock in 1988.  Although they were both New York City devotees, they decided to come out for a year to help Kathy run the nexStage.  That was 12 years ago.  While working and teaching at the nexStage, Patsy and Keith also headed the Upper School Theatre program at the Community School for six years.  Wygle is led by the conviction that everyone should have the experience of art and theater in their lives.

The Wygles continue to run Laughing Stock Theater in Ketchum producing the annual Shakespeare Festival and A Christmas Carol. They also run after-school classes and “Summer Stages,” a summer performing arts camp held in July.

“Kathy and Patsy have made significant and lasting contributions to this community and its culture for many years,” said Mayor Neil Bradshaw. “They are the perfect pair to celebrate at this year’s Wagon Days celebration.”

The community is invited to honor the Wygles as the 2019 Grand Marshals at a reception on Friday, August 30, from 5 to 7 p.m. at Ketchum Town Square. Food and beverages will be available.

A Barn Dance follows the event from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Ore Wagon Museum with music by Old Death Whisper.

Wagon Days 2019 gets underway at 11 a.m. on Friday, August 30, with the traditional reading of cowboy poetry at the Ore Wagon Museum. The centerpiece event is the Big Hitch Parade, one of the largest, non-motorized parades in the Pacific Northwest featuring museum-quality buggies, carriages, carts, stage coaches and wagons. The Big Hitch Parade starts Saturday, August 31, at 1 p.m.

Weekend festivities come to a close after the Street Party following the parade with music by one of country music’s promising newcomers, Brandon Lay.

For more information about the 2019 Wagon Days Weekend, visit: www.wagondays.com.