(Riverton, WY) – There will be a new look outside the Ron Thon Memorial Wrestling Tournament at Riverton High School later this week. Thanks to the work of the Riverton Chamber of Commerce, food trucks will be on campus for the first time at this, the largest wrestling event in Wyoming.
New Chamber director Cindy Olson-Roden spearheaded the effort which had a few small roadblocks in place before it could come to fruition.
“I called and talked to Reggie (Miller) and Mark (Lenhardt),” Cindy said. “We had a meeting. Everything was in place for the Ron Thon except they couldn’t park the trucks on school grounds.”
Parking is at a premium for the Ron Thon every year with approximately 50 teams coming to Riverton. The addition of a girl’s tournament has expanded the event even further.
Parking the trucks across Sunset Blvd wouldn’t work since the distance on a frigid Wyoming winter’s day would eliminate most of the customers.
“I called Jada White at the admin building and asked why this rule was in place,” Cindy said. “She talked to Jodi (superintendent Jodi Ibach) who gave us approval. We called Reggie and told him we could park between the high school and the James H. Moore Career Center.”
Cindy began calling local food trucks. “I had as many nos as I had yeses,” Cindy said.
Four of the food trucks serving at the Ron Thon Tournament – h/t Facebook
She was able to get five food trucks to commit to the tournament. They are Garys Rojo O Verde, Troy’s Rollin Chuck Wagon, Hangry’s, Dos Salitos and Brewed Awakening.
They conducted a sort of trial run at the Riverton High School Speech Meet last week with food trucks in the same location they will be at later this week.
Under Olson-Roden’s leadership, the Riverton Chamber of Commerce aims to take a more active role in local events.
“We’re looking at getting more involved with sports and tourism,” she said.
The Ron Thon will be a big step, as will future plans for the Class 2-A West Regional Basketball tournament arriving in Riverton in four weeks.
Olson-Roden steps into a position that has been a revolving door in recent years. She is a local with many years of experience in Riverton.
“Growing up here and owning a business, it was a good fit for me,” she said. “It’s great to be home. I’m not going anywhere.”