The annual Day of the Cowboy took on extra significance for Pioneer Bluffs this weekend.
In addition to music, tours of buildings on the property and other features, the event Saturday also highlighted the change in leadership underway with the recent hire of Christie Reinhardt following the announced retirement of longtime director Lynn Smith. On KVOE’s Talk of Emporia before the event, Reinhardt says she’s the luckiest woman in the world to lead the organization. Reinhardt’s most recent position was serving as Alaska’s program manager for the state’s Department of Health Perinatal and Early Childhood Unit.
Smith, meanwhile, is retiring after serving as Pioneer Bluffs’ only executive director in its 15-year history until this year. She says Pioneer Bluffs is in good hands as Reinhardt takes over. She also says Pioneer Bluffs is vastly different now from when the non-profit was formed.
Reinhardt says one of the main lessons from public health that translates to her new role is the importance of community and connection when it comes to physical and emotional health. She says Pioneer Bluffs is a place where people can share a vision and activities.
Activities lasted for most of Saturday, including music from Jeff Davidson and Annie Wilson, model trains from the Chisholm Rail Trails group and an ice cream social.
This Day of the Cowboy also came 100 years after the railroad came to Matfield Green, just a few miles north of Pioneer Bluffs.
