Ford Wyoming Center

The Ford Wyoming Center, formerly known as the Casper Events Center, is celebrating its 40 anniversary this year. It’s hosted some of the biggest names in entertainment, music, politics, and sports over the last four decades. Wyoming Public Radio’s Hugh Cook spoke with Brad Murphy, the facility’s general manager, about its history, how it’s celebrating 40 years, and its future.

The Ford Wyoming Center in Casper hosted the 2022 Honest Amish National Beard and Moustache Championships, an event that celebrates facial hair, on Nov. 12. They combined it with Casper’s annual Booze and Bacon Festival, and the combination attracted hundreds of attendees.

The 2022 Honest Amish National Beard and Moustache Championships and the Booze & Bacon Festival are being held on Nov. 12 at the Ford Wyoming Center. The beard and moustache event began in 2010 and has been hosted in cities throughout the country since then while the Booze & Bacon Festival is a local event that's been held since 2018.

The CNFR has called Casper's Ford Wyoming Center home since 1999 and has been held there annually since then with the exception of 2020 due to the pandemic. Around 400 of the nation's top student athletes representing more than 11 regions and 100 different colleges and universities are competing in the hopes of achieving the coveted title of national champion.