The Fourth of July means many things to many people, but one recurring theme is freedom.

Freedom from Great Britain, freedom from tyranny, and, in Polebridge, freedom from order.

The tiny community 35 miles north of Columbia Falls has held a small parade for several decades on Independence Day, and the requirements for getting in are quite strict.

“It’s not planned,” said parade marshal and 34-year Polebridge resident Rob Fisher. “If you want to be in it, you just show up at high noon.”

Hundreds upon hundreds of spectators from near and far line the small dusty road leading from the “highway” to the “Merc.” The Mercantile is the heart of Polebridge, a historic building nearly as old as the town itself that sells fresh baked goods, trinkets and single beers to go.

It’s about as old-school as you can get in Montana, as the chances of a cellphone getting service in town are roughly the same as Canada invading. One of the themed parade entries touched on this.

The “North Fork Technology” group was dressed in tin foil and sang about how nice it was being off the grid.

With all the goofiness of the parade, it can be easy to forget about the purpose of the day. Thanks to Ray Brown, a local resident, all present near the Mercantile building could be reminded of the freedom the day represented.

For the second year in a row, a group of veterans got up on the small stage and read the Declaration of Independence line for line. The veterans, 14 men and one woman, served between 1950 and 1994 and took turns reminding Americans of the sacrifices offered in the nation’s history.

Of course, the wacky parade is tongue in cheek when it comes to freedom.

“A lot of people are solicited by floats to hold a sign or something,” said Steve Berg, a property owner since 1979 and one of the veterans. “You may have thought you were spectating, but you get conscripted.”

Berg himself played the North Fork listening expert for the “NSA Mobil Tracking Unit” float. 

With the Cajun Clan (a truck full of native Lousianans) a face-painted bluegrass band, a “levitation artist” and several mule teams, the parade isn’t the standard fare. Sure, there are bagpipers and a fire engine, but when they are surrounded by so much color and cacophony the fun comes easy.

Larry Wilson, part of the North Fork Preservation Association, was one of the cantankerous leaders of the event. He thought back with a grin to the first iteration of the parade.

“It was one guy wrapped in an American flag walking down the street,” he said. “Three people were walking behind him. It’s gotten to the point where there are [2,000] to 3,000 spectators here.”

With beers, barbecue, goofy floats and a dusty, hour-long drive to the town, a secluded day of reveling is in store for anybody willing to make the trek.

It will be special next year, Fisher said, because it will mark the 100th anniversary of Polebridge.

Now that’s something to celebrate.

Reporter Ryan Murray may be reached at 758-4436 or by email at rmurray@dailyinterlake.com.