Steeped in Tradition: Scott and Pokey Heny keep family and community traditions alive
Heny Auctions is owned and operated by Powell native Scott Heny, who has worked in the auction services business for over 30 years.
Scott is equipped to provide clients with auctioneering services in the surrounding area, specializing in farm, ranch, estate, antiques and equine sales and provides clients the confidence to buy or sell items through his auction house.
“I love spending time traveling around the great state of Wyoming, providing my services at auctions, but Heny Auction is known in the area for our Father’s Day Sale, a sale which carries history and tradition,” Scott states. “We just celebrated our 45th Annual Wyoming All Breed Gaited Horse and Mule Sale, a tradition started by my dad Richard Heny.”
Carrying on the family tradition
Scott notes he and his siblings started helping their dad with riding, breaking and taking care of Fox Trotter horses, and shortly after, the family started a Fox Trotter Club.
“It became an active club in no time. We had a lot of Fox Trotter horses for sale, and the club decided to have a sale along with an annual show,” he says. “When I took over the sale, I changed a few things. I opened up the sale to an all breed sale, which means the sale is open to any type of gaited horse and mule.”
The Father’s Day event sells everything from Fox Trotters, Paso Finos, Tennessee Walkers and spotted saddle horses to gaited mules, giving those who raise gaited animals an opportunity to promote their breed.
Heny Auctions accepts up to 50 consignments each year, and buyers can utilize the online bidding service to participate in the yearly auction.
“Since I have taken it over, and due to good sellers and good buyers, it has stayed a success,” Scott adds. “It’s a family-run business. We enjoy meeting new people and connecting through a common interest.”
The morality and reliability offered by Heny Auctions can give anyone the confidence they need when buying and selling.
And the Heny’s slogan rings true in the Wild West of Wyoming – “Come down and visit the ‘Round Man With A Square Deal.’”
Keeping a legacy alive
Scott’s wife Pokey, a local school teacher, owns the American Dream Drive-In located in Powell, originally opened in 1949, making it Wyoming’s oldest and only drive-in.
However, when it opened, it was named Paul’s Drive-In, later renamed the Vali Drive-In and finally renamed again in 2004 to the American Dream Drive-In.
“I had no idea what it took to run a drive-in, but when I found out it was for sale, I had to save it, as there were rumors it would be sold and torn down,” Pokey states. “It all happened so fast. I just remember all of the fond memories I had there as a child and could not let it be destroyed.”
The American Dream Drive-In is open Memorial Day through Labor Day, offering a concession stand and only charging $15 per vehicle. For many families in Park County, it’s the last form of communal entertainment, where families can watch a movie and enjoy themselves.
For more information on Heny Auctions, visit henyauctionwy.com.
Melissa Anderson is the editor of the Wyoming Livestock Roundup. Send comments on this article to roundup@wylr.net.
