From Elvis and blues to CrossFit and dance:

WORLAND — If you like to watch dance, listen to country music or Elvis, or want to learn about CrossFit, then CultureFest 2017 is the place to be Saturday.

The 16th annual CultureFest boasts a variety of entertainment acts this year, along with numerous food, activity, information and commercial booths. The fun runs from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the community center.

There are some familiar entertainment acts and some new acts to this year’s CultureFest at the Worland Community Center Complex in the back field.

RETURNING ACTS

•After performing for at CultureFest for the first time in 2014, blues guitarist and vocalist Dan Haley returns to the stage and kicks off the entertainment at 9:30 a.m.

Haley has performed at Nowoodstock and in 2014 won first place in the Wyoming Blues Challenge, sponsored by the Wyoming Jazz and Blues Society of Casper.

In an article in 2014 in the Northern Wyoming Daily News, Haley said he has no formal training when it comes to playing the guitar, having picked up the guitar in sixth grade.

Around the age of 13 or 14 Haley came to find his love of the “blues.”

When Haley performs it’s usually by himself. He says he plays mostly cover songs and is a pretty darn good arranger.

•Also returning are the Beautiful Feet Dancers from the Beautiful Feet Academy of the Dance Arts in Casper.

Director Julie Oliver said this is the fifth year the group has performed at Worland’s CultureFest.

“We love the family atmosphere, the small-town sweetness of the event. It’s always a beautiful day.

She said the event is always a favorite of the dancers.

She will be bringing 15 dancers, ages 5-21, who are part of their performance/competition team.

She said the dancers are invited to be on the team based on skill and attitude.

The dance group will perform two shows, one at 11 a.m. and the other at 1:30 p.m. Oliver said they will be two completely different shows.

The academy, which opened in August 2008, has 200 students and is open to anyone ages 1 to 100.

The name and music the group dances to is based on Isiah 52:7, “How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, “Your God reigns!” (NIV)

She said all dances are performed to Christian music, adding that people of any faith is welcome at the academy.

The performance/competition team has performed around the country since it opened, including Mount Rushmore, Lincoln Memorial, Washington Monument, in Hawaii on the anniversary of Pearl Harbor and next summer they head to New York City and the Statue of Liberty.

•Rattlesnake Ridge returns to CultureFest with Breck Buer and Bill Pennington on guitar and bass, Brad St. Clair drums and Ed Muller, rhythm guitar.

Buer said the whole band has only performed the past two years, but members of the group have performed for a few years before that.

“We enjoy it because it’s the community. It’s our way to give back to the community. We do it just to entertain the community,” Buer said.

Rattlesnake Ridge plays a variety of country and classic rock, from Alan Jackson to ZZ Top, Buer said.

The group will perform at 3:15 p.m. Their nearly two-hour set will conclude 2017 CultureFest at 5 p.m.

NEW ACTS

Three new acts this year are a CrossFit exhibition from Chopper Crossfit owner and coach Randall Homan and a few of his students, and Elvis aka Cain Torrez.

Homan said the exhibitions at 10:15 a.m. and 12:45 p.m. will begin with a short discussion of what CrossFit is and what participants do. Then they will demonstrate a brief workout to show that anyone from golden age can do the same workout as someone who is age 25 and athletic, Homan said.

“It’s not as intimidating as it may seem. It really can be for anyone who wants to get stronger and in a bit better shape,” Homan said.

He said they’ll use a couple pieces of equipment to showcase some of the items that are used in CrossFit. They will have pullup rings and rowers at their booth to provide more information to those attending CultureFest.

Homan said he wanted to perform at CultureFest because he feels it will be a great way to get out in the public eye. “It’s great accessibility to showcase what we do. Anyone can do [CrossFit], just show up and leave the rest to me.”

Elvis, or rather Worland’s own barber Cain Torrez, said he has been impersonating Elvis on and off since he was 18 and his mom first volunteered him.

He said he hasn’t performed for a while, but plans on focusing on Elvis’ 1970s music that includes two of his favorite songs, “It’s Now or Never” and “American Trilogy.”

Torrez said Elvis is his all-time favorite singer and he got into impersonating him because he “kind of look like him and I kind of sing like him.”

Elvis has made appearances at the Festival of Trees and the Worland Senior Center.

He said when he was approached about performing at CultureFest he agreed because “It’s a lot of fun.”

Elvis takes the stage at noon and 2:30 p.m.

VENDORS

As for the vendors, there will be a variety of food booths including Indian tacos, Asian cuisine, burritos, ice cream, barbecue, cotton candy, drinks, cookies and kettle korn.

Commercial vendors include jewelry, Scentsy, LipSense, Perfectly Posh, East Valley Apparel, campers and tractors and several craft booths.

Information booths include Chopper Crossfit, Cain Torres and Look Sharp Barbershop and Guardian Flight will have its helicopter there as long as the crew is not called out.

The first CultureFest was in 2001 and has grown each year. The original CultureFest was on Big Horn Avenue but was moved to the back field of the WCCC for the 2010 event.

Organizer and WCCC special events director Sheryl Ley said they average anywhere from 500 to 1,000 people, including 700 last year.