Katelyn Moorman
Staff Writer
As the winter break inches closer, many students prepare to leave town to join their families, wherever they may be.
However, some students do not have the option to travel home for the break and end up staying in their apartments or dorms to ride out the snow. For those students, there are still options in Laramie to have an enjoyable break.
“Most of the time, I spend my breaks hanging out with my friends, going to some of the local coffee shops like Coal Creek or Night Heron and just relaxing before school starts back up again,” said Lauren Regnell, a junior at the University of Wyoming.
Students in town over the break can walk downtown and see decorations while they shop, go ice-skating at the Laramie Ice & Event Center or do outdoor activities.
The Gryphon Theatre is hosting a screening of The Polar Express Dec. 20, where there will be popcorn and hot chocolate available for the showing.
There is a Laser Holidays event Dec. 21 at the Harry C. Vaughan Planetarium where music and visuals are themed to the holidays. Regnell said there are several museums around town that would be interesting to check out over the holidays.
There is a Community Christmas Party and Solstice Celebration Dec. 21 at The Trading Post, and there will be a Nordic skiing competitive event called “Pole Mountain Shuffle” at the Tie City Trailhead Jan. 18 at 9:30 a.m. Short courses and long courses are available, including a race for kids.
“A lot of people will hit up the Snowy’s to either ski, snowboard or even snowmobile,” Regnell said.
There are also numerous basketball games going on late December and January, the full schedule being available on the school website. The first men’s basketball game (Cowboys vs Nebraska Wesleyan) is on Dec. 28 at 4 p.m. in the Arena Auditorium, and the first women’s basketball game (Cowgirls vs Boise State) is on Jan. 1 at 6:30 p.m. in the Arena Auditorium.
Students living on campus should know the residence halls close Dec. 21 at noon.
Students who wish to live in the dorms have the option of temporarily being moved to a different room if space is available, and a daily charge will apply. The charge is $19.20 for double occupancy and $28.50 for single occupancy per night or $114.00 a week for single occupancy and $171.00 for double occupancy.
Students living in temporary rooms over the break will not have access to their original rooms and will have to get their cards encoded for winter break. The deadline to apply and get a card encoded is Dec. 13.
Washakie Dining Center will also be closed from Dec. 21 through Jan. 23, and meal plans will not be available over the break.
Transit services will be closed completely from Dec. 24 to Jan. 1, and a Holiday Schedule will be put into place Dec. 23 and again Jan. 2-24.
