(Dubois, WY) – Brooks Lake Lodge & Spa turns 100 this year with plans to celebrate the big birthday in a major way. The July 2, 2022, free open-to-the-public centennial party to remember will feature live music, free food, drinks, lodge tours, exhibits, souvenirs and more.
Originally built in 1922, as a stopover for travelers heading to Yellowstone National Park, the all-inclusive, exclusive Brooks Lake Lodge, located in the Shoshone National Forest near Jackson Hole, Wyoming, today offers guests an authentically Western experience, with nature-immersed outdoor adventures and rustic-luxe accommodations paired with a super dining scene.
While typically open in the summer to only a minimal number of overnight guests, Brooks Lake Lodge will open its doors and the property to the public on Saturday, July 2, 2022, to share its centennial status in an all-day celebratory party with festivities going from 11:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Music will begin at 12:30 with the Star Spangled Banner.
Events will include free food all day featuring a cookout with an assortment of delicious plates and free live music from the highly talented Lake String Quartet, resident musicians for the Yellowstone Lake Hotel, playing everything from Mozart to Bon Jovi. Local celebrity Jess Camilla O’Neal will sing the National Anthem and play guitar throughout the day, and cowboy poet – and Brooks Lake Lodge legacy – Jerry Bell will weave his spellbinding Western tales. Cash bar libations will include craft brews from the award-winning Melvin Brewing Company, which will create a special-for-the-occasion Centennial brew to ring in Brooks Lake Lodge’s 100th, as well as local distillery spirits.
Visitors will enjoy a rare opportunity to explore the entire lodge, learning its history while touring the 100-year-old building – checking out the Tea Room, the Lobby, the Great Hall and the Cowboy Bar, as well as the private cabins. Outdoors on the lodge’s sprawling scenic lawn that overlooks Brooks Lake, partygoers can participate in lawn games such as cornhole and ladder golf. Those interested in archery can learn to shoot targets on the Lodge’s archery range with the help of a guide.
Party guests can also enjoy exploring and learning from several informational and educational exhibits on the Brooks Lake Lodge lawn from the Big Horn Sheep Museum, the National Forest Service, the Dubois Chamber of Commerce and more. A Centennial Celebration web page has been created to provide updated event details and activities as they’re confirmed, so keep checking in for more information.
The July 2, 2022, centennial celebration is free, family-friendly and open-to-the-public, and Brooks Lake Lodge will be providing transportation from the state parking area to the lodge (a five-mile scenic stretch on dirt road) via a fleet of 14-passenger buses, provided by Wind River Transportation Authority, that will shuttle guests throughout the day.
Party guests may also bring and ride their bikes from parking to the lodge. While the party is open to the public, Brooks Lake Lodge asks for guests to please RSVP HERE so the staff can prepare enough food and drink for everyone to enjoy. The lodge will not be accepting overnight bookings for the nights of July 1 and 2; and because there are dogs who live full-time at Brooks Lake Lodge, they regret that visitors’ dogs are not welcome.
“We are thrilled to welcome the public to celebrate our centennial on July 2nd,” says Brooks Lake Lodge General Manager Matthew Tousignant, “and excited to treat our party guests to a special day that honors the history of the ranch, offering a chance to peek behind usually closed doors and just enjoy an all-out, free, fun-for-the-family event in our incredibly beautiful wild Wyoming setting.”