Brian Timmer, artist and owner of the Timmer Gallery in Cody, just finished his second public mural in Cody, celebrating the United States’ 250th anniversary in 2026.
The mural depicts a patriotically colored bald eagle flying in the gap between Cedar and Rattlesnake Mountains, the iconic peaks on the western edge of Cody flanking the route to the East Entrance of Yellowstone National Park. Under the eagle are a free-roaming bison and an old-fashioned American cowboy.
"I thought it'd be cool if we showed the view from our town," Timmer said. "As I was looking at this idea of an eagle in this scene, my 11-year-old son, George, said it'd be cool if there were 13 stars and stripes on the eagle for the original 13 colonies. That was a great idea, and it came together that way."
Timmer's 10.5-by-13-foot mural is at the corner of Sheridan Avenue and 13th Street, ensuring anyone traveling through Cody will see it. It's one of the many ways Cody is making its namesake proud by celebrating a big anniversary in a big way.
A Year And A Day
Communities across Wyoming have been busily planning for America's Semiquincentennial. Cody's America 250 Committee has been holding regular meetings since September 2024.
"It's a little tricky to add much more to our Fourth of July activities," said Jennifer Thoma, executive director of the Cody Country Chamber of Commerce. "Cody's already so full of visitors and activities, so we're just trying to tie everything together by adding the theme of America's 250th anniversary and celebrating all things Americana."
Cody's typical Independence Day festivities span five days, centered on the Cody Stampede Rodeo from July 1-4. Instead of a single parade on the 4th, Cody has three days of parades, along with other public events, making it the busiest weekend of the already-busy summer season.
Anticipating even more people in Cody for the 250th anniversary, Thoma said the committee decided to extend the community's celebration throughout 2026. Independence Day will be bigger and better than ever, but resources are being allocated to other appropriately patriotic events leading up to July 4.
"We're planning a lot of commemorative things and making the town look great for the visitors we have while adding a lot for people who don't get to be here on July 4," she said.
Timmer's mural wasn't commissioned by the committee. He was approached by Sandy Newsome, the former representative of Wyoming House District 24, who owns the building where he painted the piece.
"It's not specific to the 250th anniversary," he said. "Our thought is that people can stand in front of this mural for a photo during their trip. I think it'll be fun and, hopefully, inspirational for everyone who visits us."
Timmer also said his mural is right next to Sitti's Table, a restaurant that has recently received numerous accolades and national attention. He hopes the mural will draw more people to the Guy Fieri favorite.
"It's right around the corner from the main drag, and they're getting some pretty awesome acclaim," he said. "It's a really nice restaurant, so I'm hoping the mural will be a positive for them, too."
Flags, Food, And Beer
Cody's America 250 Committee has so much planned, Thoma had a hard time highlighting everything they've planned for the semiquincentennial. One of the big events will be the "Flag of Honor" display on Flag Day, June 14.
"During the first week of June, we'll have flags posted along Sheridan Avenue from the Chamber to the Park County Courthouse all the way down to the Cody Heritage Museum," Thoma said. "We're allowing people to place a flag in honor of a veteran in this family as a way to honor all our veterans."
That weekend, the committee is partnering with the Cody Medical Foundation to beef up the annual Cody Frontier Festival. It's been a linchpin summer event since the 1980s.
"We're going to be doing a chuckwagon cook-off competition that weekend," Thoma said.
The Cody High School Drama Club is also getting a boost from the committee for a springtime production of "Annie, Get Your Gun," the Irving Berlin musical featuring a fictionalized telling of how Annie Oakley came to be the premier attraction of Buffalo Bill's Wild West show.
This will be in addition to the annual summer production of Buffalo Bill's Wild West Spectacular, performed from mid-June to early August at the historic Cody Theatre. The original musical, featuring actors from all over the country, is already selling tickets for its eleventh consecutive season.
"We're really trying to promote Cody's arts culture," Thoma said. "These productions give us another way to show off our western heritage."
Another summer mainstay in Cody is Celebrities for a Cause, which brings a bevy of celebrities to Cody for a softball game, golf tournament, and other activities in August. Thoma said Cody's America 250 Committee is coordinating with them to add some semiquincentennial spirit to their events, even after July 4 has come and gone.
People can already get a taste of Cody's festivities with Two Fifty Pale, the "official beer of Park County's celebration," created by Cody Craft Brewing. It's been available since July 2025, and $1 from every pint and six-pack sold over the next year will be donated to the committee.
"It's one of the many little things to enhance the overall theme throughout the year,"Thoma said.
Biggest Blowout
With so much going on in Cody between June 30 and July 4, it'll be hard to fit much more into the Independence Day festivities surrounding the Cody Stampede Rodeo. Nevertheless, Thoma said there's a lot of discussion and coordination to make that week even more memorable than it already is.
"We are working with Cody Stampede Rodeo for some special things that they will do throughout the summer," she said. "We haven't narrowed that down specifically, yet, but we've talked to them."
When America turned 200, the grand marshal of the Cody Stampede Parade was none other than "the Duke" himself, John Wayne. While he was in town, he cut the ribbon to open the Cody Firearms Museum, now part of the Buffalo Bill Center of the West.
The Cody Stampede Parade Committee usually doesn't announce its grand marshal until April, and there hasn't been so much as a whisper about who they're trying to recruit for the semiquincentennial.
"We're trying to line up a celebrity grand marshal and a few other things," Mack Frost, a member of the parade committee for 45 years, told Cowboy State Daily in July. "We were in the planning phases before last year's parade. I imagine next year is going to be a nightmare, but it'll be a good time."
Meanwhile, Thoma said the America 250 Committee is working with the Buffalo Bill Center of the West on a more permanent project being done in the spirit of the anniversary.
"We want to add an extension to the Paul Stock Nature Trail that runs through their property," she said. "They want to do it, and we're working with them on that."
Festivities will extend beyond Cody, too. Thoma mentioned that the Town of Meeteetse is planning a cattle drive and a street dance that weekend. Since July 4 falls on a Saturday in 2026, that'll be an excellent reason for visitors to explore more of Park County while visiting Cody.
The Extra Color
Timmer moved to Cody from Kansas over seven years ago, and he's already made his mark in the community. He had already painted his first public mural, depicting the climactic scene from the 1952 movie "High Noon," before he was commissioned for his latest piece.
"I wanted to capture the heart of Cody," he said. "It's something different in my portfolio, so I want there to be an emotion to it, and for people to find it inspiring in different ways."
Several massive murals have appeared in Cody over the last year, including a colorful one that now dominates the bandshell in City Park, directly adjacent to the Cody Chamber building. The Cody Public Art Committee commissioned them to add more color to the community.
Thoma said Cody's America 250 Committee hasn't commissioned any murals yet, but they're discussing several potential public art projects in 2026. Regardless, she's excited about how the new and existing murals will bring "bright rays of sunshine" to everything being planned in Cody for the anniversary.
"It's another way to show everyone how proud we are of being Americans," she said.
People will be standing shoulder to shoulder on Sheridan Avenue during the Independence Day parades, and the Cody Stampede Rodeo Grounds will be filled to capacity for the five days of rodeo in "the rodeo capital of the world." It'll be hard to make a bigger ballyhoo in Cody for the Fourth of July, but everyone involved in planning it is doing their damnedest.
"It's a great way to spend the Fourth of July, there's no doubt about it," Frost said. "If you plan your vacation properly, you can have one heck of a good time in Cody and northwest Wyoming in general."
Timmer's just happy to add a little bit of color to the celebration.
"I think it'll be fun next year when everybody's in town," he said. "I hope it stops people in their tracks, and they find it inspiring in different ways."
Andrew Rossi can be reached at arossi@cowboystatedaily.com.
