It was 1980, the week after Labor Day and Whitefish was deserted, just like every year before.

The last few visitors had already gone south and Central Avenue was empty. Dogs slept in shop doorways while their owners endlessly rearranged their window displays, tightened their belts and prayed for an early ski season.

Come the hour, cometh the man. A few fun-loving Whitefish business folk, ably led by chief merrymaker Gary Elliott, decided to create something that would bring at least one more weekend of tourism to Whitefish, and so the Whitefish Summer Games was born.

Whitefish was different when the Games debuted in 1981 with a list of events that included mouse races, which were wildly popular. Other events covered the sports spectrum from golf to volleyball, softball to 5k runs, beer chugging to darts, basketball, biking, kayaking and horseshoes.

Central Avenue and nearby fields were alive with laughter, color and action as locals and tourists joined in the fun.

The first two years were a great success as more events were added, and businesses thrived. Unfortunately, the third September saw snow and freezing cold, and the next year it rained so hard that most of the events went into decline and fizzled out. Only the men’s and women’s soccer tournaments survived, and they still bring more than 500 adult soccer players each year from as far as Edmonton, Billings, Spokane and Saskatoon.

A lot has changed in Whitefish since 1981, and there are often more Porsches than pickups downtown. We’ve been packaged and polished and discovered, and these days Central Avenue is filled with tourists searching to buy something to commemorate their visit to the Wild West.

However, as Whitefish continues to yuppify, we’re becoming less wild by the week and perhaps in danger of losing that unique spirit — that outgoing, friendly, down-to-earth joy of living that has made Whitefish such a wonderful place to visit and live.

For that very reason, the Summer Games was revived two years ago in the hope of providing a way to recapture the spirit of the 1980s — to have carefree fun and partake again of athletic adventure, even if only at croquet, horseshoes, softball or ping pong, and to renew old acquaintances and create new ones.

n 2013 there were 24 events, including rugby, lacrosse and mounted horseback shooting. Last year pickleball was the big new success, and this year the Games promises to be even larger. If you also believe that Whitefish could benefit from a little nudge back in time, then please join an event and have some fun.

Grandma, how about a pinochle tournament? Grandpa, how about bocce ball or a fishing contest? Moms and dads, how about getting together with a few friends and creating your own event?

— Colin Sellwood, Whitefish