If there was any doubts that the tiny town of Parkman, Wyoming, at the foot of the Bighorn Mountains has a big heart, its weekend “Let it Rain” concert has surely banished them for good.
A blowout crowd of 500 or so people gathered Saturday at the Parkman Bar & Grill for the “Let it Rain” concert with Tris and David Munsick’s band, billed as a thank you from the community to the firefighters battling the Elk Fire, as well as a chance to cut loose and dance for rain.
The fire has burned more than 96,200 acres since it was started by lightning on Sept. 27 and has raced across the eastern face of the Bighorns, threatening the towns of Parkman and Dayton in the north to Story and Big Horn in the south.
So many people showed up for the concert that Caywood had to pull another 25 tables out of storage to expand the seating for the event. Cars lined the highway for a couple of miles before and after the bar, making it a long walk to get to the event — a walk people were more than happy to make.
“It was extraordinary,” Caywood said. “To be honest, I can’t believe the turnout that we had. I was blown away. My husband, Nick, was blown away. The crowd was great. The music was even better. You couldn’t ask for anything more.”
The stars, too, seemed to align for the occasion. Not only was there a beautiful starlit night for the event, but there was even a comet exclamation point in the sky — a breathtaking moment captured for all time by a local photographer named Andy Rudd.
After weeks of worrying over the wildfire, two days with rain and snow helped the upward of 1,000 people fighting the fire to turn a corner and increase containment from 28% before the storm to 48% as of Monday.
It’s a game-changer for the community and cause to celebrate, as well as ask Mother Nature for more.
Making History
No one is sure exactly when The Parkman Bar and Grill was built, but it’s a place where community history proudly decorates the walls. Photos of past bartenders and servers, as well as pictures of the community, line the walls all around the bar.
Saturday night’s “Let it Rain” concert, with an iconic cameo from a comet, will surely become part of the history on those walls.
Caywood told Cowboy State Daily she has all but lost her voice after the event, there were so many new people to meet and greet during the celebration.
“We had people from multiple communities,” Caywood said. “It was unbelievable the number of people who showed up. A lot of them told me they just wanted to say ’thank you’ and shake my hand, which I loved. I’m blessed. It was amazing. I have lost my voice again, and it has nothing to do with the smoke.”
Some of Caywood’s guests included firefighters, and there were state dignitaries as well.
“Even some of our commissioners came out,” Caywood said. “And there were some state representatives, too. It was an unbelievable turnout.”
Caywood made sure to do a big shoutout for all the volunteer firefighters and the hillbilly hotshots during the event.
A comet is faintly visible in the upper left in this photo taken at the Parkman Bar and Grill during Saturday's Let it Rain concert. (Courtesy Photo) 
People were in motion at the Let it Rain Concert where Tris and David Munsick and their band played to celebrate and thank firefighters battling the Elk Fire. (Courtesy Photo) 
People crowded in under the tent and filled up the parking lot at the Let it Rain Concert in Parkman. (Courtesy Photo) 
No room in the tent, no problem. People collected outside in the parking lot to thank firefighters and celebrate recent rain. (Courtesy Photo)
Rallying Point
Caywood’s bar almost from the very start has served as a clearinghouse for donations to all the firefighters.
A small mountain of generosity piled up inside the bar, forcing it to shut down for a couple of weeks so they could focus on distributing all the donations. There was water and Gatorade, ChapStick and wipes, muffins and protein bars, hot dog and hamburger buns, and more piled up in the huge stack.
Caywood couldn’t believe how much came in from the community, from the south end of the Bighorns to its north and beyond.
And all of it started from just one donation Caywood received from an anonymous person who just wanted to buy a few meals for firefighters.
When Caywood posted on Facebook that she was making meals for firefighters, it was like opening a floodgate. Everyone wanted to help her keep those meals for firefighters going.
And they have. Caywood now estimates she can keep feeding firefighters free meals through January.
You Don’t Need A Stage To Have A Good Time
The stage was on a makeshift gooseneck trailer that was a little tall for the tent. The Munsick family can be seen stooping just a little, a cowboy hat now and again bumping into the tent, as David plays a fiddle and he and Tris sing to an appreciative crowd.
It didn’t take long for dancers to take to the floor, whirling around to the lively music, and it was clear a good time was being had by all.
Tris and David are both related to Ian Munsick, who has made a national name for himself with his Wyoming-centric lyrics. Ian has credited his family not only for teaching him to play music and entertain, but for inspiring his writing as well.
Saturday’s concert was free, there was no cover charge, even though it was a fundraiser. In fact, even the wings were free after 9 p.m.
“We made it all free,” Caywood said. “Whenever I do anything here at the Parkman Bar, we always make it free. I never make anybody pay for anything. I don’t believe in that. We’re not always in it for the money. We’re in it for the community, so even when we do our Parkman Days or any of that, it’s always free.”
Caywood is still running numbers from the event to figure out just how much was raised in donations for firefighters. But she anticipates writing a check in excess of $13,000 for area fire departments. It will be split between Ranchester, Dayton, Big Horn and Big Goose fire departments.
That figure doesn’t include the in-house donations Caywood has received to help the bar continue to provide free meals for volunteer firefighters and the so-called hillbilly hotshots, people who outfitted their own trucks with water tanks to patrol neighborhoods, looking for any sign of a breakout for the Elk Fire.
“The meals are for all the volunteer firefighters and their crews, whether they’re working or they’re not working, the hillbilly hotshots, the EMTs, the sheriff’s department, any first responders — basically, they will never have to pay for a meal in my bar,” Caywood said. “I have enough to supply meals based off the community’s support for at least the next three months.”
Renée Jean can be reached at renee@cowboystatedaily.com.
