New statue to debut at fairgrounds

CASPER, Wyo. (Wyoming News Now) - In April, we told you about a statue that will go on display at the Central Wyoming Fair and Rodeo, called “6 Miles South”. It honors a retired educator who taught in schools from Dubois to Casper. And in a Wyoming News Now exclusive, the artist gives us a sneak peak of the finished product!

Retired school teacher Helen Wolff is the brainchild for the new statue being built by Chris Navarro. Once the new foundation is finished, it will sit right in front of the Industrial Building.

Angela Berry, Marketing Director for the Central Wyoming Fair and Rodeo, is also a former student of Wolff’s... as it turns out. “Actually, Mrs. Wolff was my teacher at East Junior High School. So now I’m aging myself! Hahaha. She was an incredible teacher. She was my Home Ec teacher, and she’s just a really great lady.”

Berry explains how the idea for 6 Miles South came about. “Helen approached us and said this is what I want to do. And it has to be at the fairgrounds. Because, you know, it’s all about 4-H... And the little girl and her lamb and her horse... And that is exactly what the fairgrounds is.”

Wolff then reached out to a popular local artist and sculptor, Chris Navarro. Navarro says he has known Wolff for a while, himself. “I own a studio here, and I have a gallery in Sedona, Arizona. But yeah, I’ve lived in Casper for 50 years. So, you know, this is my hometown. And I’m proud to have another monument here. And then last year she called me up and said she wanted to meet, that it was time to do it. And this is a piece she wanted to put in Casper.”

Now for those of you hoping to get a sneak peek of the sculpture... Well guess what? You’re in luck. It was sitting around back, and Navarro gave me a sneak peek. (Video of it is in this report.)

Wolff told Navarro what elements she was looking for, then left the rest to him. “It was about her time being in 4-H as a little girl on the ranch. And she’d go to county fair and show her lambs... And she has a horse. She told me all these elements she wanted to put. So I kind of did the (mini) sculpture and showed it to her (as an example). And she said that’s exactly what I want. So that’s how the story came about.”

The public unveiling of the statue, and ceremony to honor Mrs. Wolff, is scheduled to be dedicated on Saturday, September 9th.

And we will have full coverage on our weekend edition of Wyoming News Now.

If you would like to see the report featuring Wolff when the project was announced, click here: https://www.wyomingnewsnow.tv/2023/04/18/former-educator-commissions-statue-fairgrounds/

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