Heritage Days is a decades-long tradition in the Kalispell Public Schools vocational agriculture program.

More than 1,000 first- and second-graders from 17 schools came out to the event at the H.E. Robinson Agricultural Education Center Oct.12. 

Vocational agriculture students organized and led about 10 activity stations set up throughout the center grounds.

 Some children were decked out in cowboy boots, hats and neckerchiefs, prepared for a full day of farming fun. Under the cacophony of music, chatter and laughter, children kicked up dust in line dances, roped cow dummies, petting farm animals, found their way out of a corn maze and went on tractor rides. They also learned about Montana’s wheat crop, equestrian riding styles, cattle branding and ear tagging. 

Brian Bay, a vocational agriculture teacher, said this is a good age group for this type of field trip.

“It’s a great field trip for first- and second-graders to learn about the agriculture industry,” Bay said. “There’s a lot of excitement and they’re great listeners.”

He said agriculture, particularly cattle and wheat crops, are important to Montana’s economy. Bay also said the event gives students an idea of what vocational agriculture students do.

Junior Justine Hersey, 16, was teaching students about wheat using a diagram of the plant and a graphic model of processing wheat from farm to product.

“We’re teaching the different parts of the plant such as the roots, the leaves; we’re focusing quite a bit on the head because within the head are the kernels. It all starts with the kernels,” Hersey said. “Montana harvests about 200 million bushels of wheat a year.”

At the roping station, senior Cole Bauer, 17, took 6-year-old Jack Weigum through the ropes of lassoing a dummy calf. Bauer recalled his experience with Heritage Days as a second-grader. 

“It changed how I looked at a lot of agricultural stuff,” Bauer said. “It definitely brought me to come to the agriculture center when I was older because you remember all the good times the fun day out at the ag center.”

Weigum, a Cayuse Prairie School first-grader, jumped on top of a straw bale. Standing beside him, Bauer guided Weigum’s arm into a circular motion, “One, two, three, let it go,” Bauer said.

Weigum’s rope fell short of the dummy.

“Let’s try one more time: one, two, three, let it go,” Bauer said. This time, Weigum’s rope landed around Bauer. They both laughed before the first-grader jumped off the straw bale to join his classmates and sit by his mother, Kerri.

Kerri Weigum teaches at Cayuse Prairie School and was helping supervise the class. She said Heritage Days is a great introduction to farm animals and activities.

“Agriculture is a huge part of our community. Cayuse Prairie is a rural school and so we live out in farming country. We have a farm right beyond our playground, but we don’t really see animals up close,” she said.

Before roping, Jack Weigum had gone through a petting zoo of two pigs, two Corgis, a calf, goat, a chicken and a rabbit.

“I saw the calf,” he said. “[It was] kind of cute.”

Kerri Weigum’s other son, Harris, a 16-year-old junior vocational agriculture student, was helping lead classes through each station. He had been to Heritage Days as a first-grader and remembered the roping activity well.

“It was a big deal that we got to come out and see the big kids,” Harris Weigum said. “[Today] I get to teach them some of the stuff I learned when I was going through this.”

Reporter Hilary Matheson may be reached at 758-4431 or by email at hmatheson@dailyinterlake.com.