Cheyenne Frontier Days Closes Park To Public Access Except During Events

Cheyenne Frontier Days officials say concerns over liability and increasing incidents of vandalism have led them to close Frontier Park to the public except during public events.

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That's according to a CFD news release. According to the release 'This includes all of Frontier Park, excluding the Cheyenne Frontier Days Old West Museum and Chute 10 Mercantile store, and the Event Center and Tennis Center, which will all remain open for business at their usual hours.''

Events such as the Cheyenne Farmer's Market will not be affected by the closure, nor will events held as part of the annual CFD celebration in late July.

CFD CEO Tom Hirsig says there have been two significant cases of vandalism just in the past couple of weeks:

Hirsig Says Closure Signs Have Been Ignored

Hirsig says simply puttting up signs saying the park is closed hasn't worked:“We’ve had signs up for months alerting the public that the park was closed, but that signage has been mostly ignored. We felt now was the right time to start enforcing it,” said Hirsig. “We would love to allow folks to continue to enjoy the property, but our responsibility is to ensure the long-term health of CFD. We could be liable if anyone got hurt. One unfortunate accident could put the future of CFD in jeopardy and we can’t afford to take that chance.”

While public parks operated by the city of Cheyenne, which are protected by 'sovereign law" in Wyoming that essentially removes them from liability for injuries or accidents, Frontier Days leases Frontier Park from the city and could be on the hook for injuries such as someone falling on the ice or similar events.

According to the release ''The organization will hold a public meeting at CFD headquarters on November 19 at 5:30 p.m. to explain its decision and allow neighbors a chance to address their questions to CFD leadership.''