Famed American artist and illustrator Norman Rockwell would probably have loved every minute of the 2022 Noxon Fourth of July party.

The essence of American culture Rockwell so brilliantly captured on magazine covers and paintings was all on display, and then some as the good citizens of Noxon showed they know how to celebrate America’s Independence Day.

In a very “Rockwellian” setting the little town across the one-lane bridge that spans the Clark Fork River on its final miles through Montana was alive and splashed from head to toe with the red, white and blue.

Across from the town’s business mainstays like the Noxon Mercantile, Toby’s Tavern and the Angry Beaver General Store, whose motto is the “wetter the beaver the better”, residents from throughout the area packed the very American style town park and lined both sides of the two-block long “downtown” business core while being treated to a parade that goes both ways, good food in the park, and vendors plying their goods.

Red, white and blue outfits were the theme of the day for the hundreds of people who chose to spend the day in this small, mountain town just off Highway 200 only a few miles from the Idaho border.

“I’ve been doing this a long time,” laughed Noxon resident and chief burger flipper Joyce Byler as she tended to a growing stack of thick, juicy hamburgers and cheese burgers for a long line of hungry celebrants. “Looks like we’ve got a pretty good turnout here again this year”.

Byler’s assessment was spot on. Many of those who milled about in the town’s public park, shopping and otherwise reveling in what is still to most Americans a day to celebrate the good fortune of living in America got what they were looking for.

“We came over from North Idaho,” said Robert Fleckman, a retired contractor. “We came here last year too, this really is a good way to spend time loving America and being among people who feel the same way”.

Those sentiments were echoed by Jon Little, a Seattle area resident, who said he and his family were on vacation and heard the Noxon celebration was a good time.

“We came over to relax and do some fishing in this beautiful area,” Little said while warming up in the park’s horseshoe pits prior to the horseshoe pitching competition. “This is what America has always been about, celebrating the fact we live in such a great country, and doing so with good, down-to-Earth fellow Americans”.

After waiting patiently for the main event, the Fourth of July Parade to begin, party goers were treated to perhaps the only parade in America that turns and passes itself while going back “the other way” throughout the town’s small but active business core.

And the parade did not disappoint those who were seeking a good, old-fashioned parade with floats, antique cars and trucks and riders on horseback.

As the honor guard which headed the parade waited by the side of the street, the parade turned a corner and came back the other direction, a “bonus” to some.

“We heard this parade went both directions”, said one visitor from the Butte area. “this has got to be unique among parades. You get to see the parade pass by twice”.

And as the humidity began to rise as the parade marched down the home stretch and dozens of children dived for candy thrown from parade entrants, the final treat and surprise was high-arching mists of cooling water that local firefighting vehicles shot into the air, much to the delight of the assembled throng.

The day’s events also included a turtle race, chicken poop “bingo”, a “bake-walk” in the park and a spirited horseshoe competition.

Music and food kept celebrants entertained throughout the day.

“We came up from Butte to see if we could find a place in this area, which we love so much, to have as a beautiful place to go,” said red, white and blue be-decked Tania Brackett. “We’ve always loved this part of Montana and are hoping to find a place we can call our own”.

One of the last to march down the parade route was standout Noxon High student athlete Cade VanVleet, who was dressed in full firefighting gear as part of his summer work as a volunteer firefighter.

“This is a great place and being a volunteer is a good way to help out,” he said. “It’s great to see this many people here in town, celebrating with us”.