Members of the Colorado-Wyoming Association of Museums filled the ballroom at the Clarion Inn & Suites on Thursday morning, ready to dig into a weekend of education, networking and fun.

The event brought more than 150 people to Craig.

“On behalf of the city of Craig and Moffat County, we would like to welcome you,” said Mayor Ray Beck before introducing keynote speaker Lou Wyman.

Wyman, founder of Wyman Living History Museum, regaled the audience with stories about the history of Craig — like when crowds gathered to catch live turkeys thrown from a rooftop around Thanksgiving.

“That’s something that I really remember,” he said. “Something that you just wouldn’t see in the community now.”

He also spoke about the passion he has for collecting and displaying artifacts in his own museum.

“I’ve gathered up stuff since 1950,” he said, quipping that he would have a lot more money had he put his efforts elsewhere.

Following the welcome, participants started in on the day’s events, including educational sessions geared toward specific areas of museum management.

One such session aimed to help museum staff comply with the Native American Graves and Repatriation Act, which provides a process for museums to return human remains and cultural items to Native American tribes.

“Our main goal is to really address the nuts and bolts of how to do NAGPRA,” explained Anne Amati, one of the session leaders.

Amati, NAGPRA coordinator and registrar for the University of Denver Museum of Anthropology, said she wanted to make sure the session addressed the needs of audience members.

“It’s going to be kind of fluid depending on what people are more interested in,” she said. “We’re hoping it’s going to be a real dialogue.”

As the day drew to a close, attendees could head to the Museum of Northwest Colorado for a historical scavenger hunt or go on a horse-drawn wagon tour of Craig’s historic house district.

Jeff Murray, Lakewood Heritage Center administrator, said this was his favorite part of the day.

“Getting out and getting to see museums is one of the things that drives all of use to work in the field,” he said.

Events continued Friday with seminars and workshops, primarily at the Center of Craig, and will continue Saturday, followed by a closing reception at the Wyman Museum and a tour of Yampa Valley Fiberworks on Sunday the final activity.

Reach Patrick Kelly at 970-875-1795 or pkelly@craigdailypress.com. Follow him on Twitter @M_PKelly.