PARKMAN — It's been one month since the Elk Fire burned nearly 100,000 acres in Wyoming. Now 75% contained, more than 500 firefighters continue to keep close watch over the area. The Parkman Bar and Grillin Parkman, Wyoming has been supporting those firefighters and the community in several ways since the fire began.
"Our mountain front, the face of the mountain will never be the same as it ever was," said owner of the Parkman Bar and Grill, Patricia Caywood.
Community means everything to Caywood.
"It means the world to me. It feels like home when I moved out here and came into the Parkman Bar," said Caywood in Parkman Sunday. "The community is one of the best communities that I've ever been blessed to live in."
With her own family members helping fight the Elk Fire, Caywood couldn't stand idly by.
“My husband works for the Forest Service. He was one of the ones who was called out initially along with my brother,” Caywood said.
Despite the fire shutting the bar down for a week, Caywood started networking to see what could be done to help.
"The small part that I thought we were going to be helping out kind of progressed even wider," said Caywood. "Just one simple post being shared out in the community. Then my bar filled up very quickly, trail mix, jerky, you name it, chips, lunch meat."
From gathering donations of food to making sack lunches and delivering meals, Caywood said the outpouring of support from the community kept coming. Two of Caywood's employees personally delivered meals to working firefighters.
"Between the two girls delivering one direction and my son and his wife delivering to another direction, they kind of went from there," Caywood said.
They weren't just supporting those fighting the fire, however, but also those holding down the fort.
"We have all these people that want to help in any way. I was like, we also need to like thank them back," said Parkman bartender Jesse Smith.
Over 500 patrons showed up to Smith's "Let it Rain" celebration for the community at the Parkman Bar two weeks ago.
"People were parking almost a mile down the road to walk in and it just, it blew our minds. But the camaraderie that was here, the spirit that was here that night was just so needed," Smith said.
It's given the Parkman Bar even more donations, allowing them to wrap their arms around the community.
"We've been able to raise over $14,000 for the local fire departments, which will be distributed this next week," said Caywood.
They've even been able to provide firefighters with free, home-cooked meals.
"They come in and they're, they're covered in soot and tired and hungry. And to know that they can just order whatever they want off the menu and the paperwork, you know, it was really cool," Smith added.
It's a small business accomplishing a big feat by helping those who need it most.
"I'm thankful to live where we live, for the community that we have and for the staff that, you know, is here at the Parkman Bar and Grill. Because without all of that, none of this would have been possible," said Caywood.
Caywood said Wyoming residents impacted by the Elk Fire are still in need of donations.
"They can still donate to the local fire departments in Ranchester, the Tongue River Fire District, the Dayton Volunteer and Search and Rescue Fire Department. The Parkman Bar and Grill, they can mail it to the P.O. Box 61 in Parkman. They can drop off any monetary donations here to the bar themselves," Caywood said. "Stop by and have a burger, of course."
