Plains Day: An old-fashioned Montana celebration
CHUCK BANDEL | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 1 year, 5 months AGO
Sawdust flies off the chains during the chainsaw race portion of the festivities outside the Wild Horse Plains VFW during Saturday's Plains Day celebration. (Chuck Bandel/VP-MI)
Sawdust flies off the chains during the chainsaw race portion of the festivities outside the Wild Horse Plains VFW during Saturday's Plains Day celebration. (Chuck Bandel/VP-MI)
A vintage car fan gets an up-close look at a 1951 Ford Country Squire "woody" during the Rehbein For Car Show, part of Saturday's annual Plains Day party. (Chuck Bandel/VP-MI)
The VFW Honor Guard leads the event-opening parade through town during Saturday's Plains Day celebration. (Chuck Bandel/VP-MI)
Crosscut saw event organizer Hunter Fielder gives it his all during the two-man cross-cut saw competition in the Plains VFW parking lot during Saturday's Plains Day celebration. (Chuck Bandel/VP-MI)
Sawdust flies off the "long-saws" during Saturday's log cutting competition in the Plains VFW parking lot as part of the Plains Day celebration. (Chuck Bandel/VP-MI)
Plains Day event goers filled the vendor and craftsmen display area along Highway 200 throughout the day. (Chuck Bandel/VP-MI)
The ominous clouds that circled the perimeter of the Wild Horse Plains were kept at bay.
Nary a drop of rain came down on what looked like a potential “rain on the parade” event, but Mother Nature and the mountains that surround Plains held the line against the potential precipitation that threatened to put a damper on the 2023 edition of Plains Day.
And, much to the delight of a large crowd of parade and event goers, the celebration proceeded as planned in what turned out to be a day-long party for residents and tourists alike.
Jessica and William Burnside, visiting the area from Portland, summed up the day quite simply.
“We were driving through on our way across the northern part of Montana and got stopped on the edge of town by what we soon realized was a long and fun parade,” said Jessica. “Since we were already stopped we decided to check it all out and we are very glad we did.”
The Burnsides were among a throng of hundreds of people who lined both sides of Highway 200 through the heart of Plains as the VFW Honor Guard led the event's opening parade through town. On the adjacent town “green” a total of 49 exhibitors, vendors and craftsmen hocked their wares and dished up a variety of things to eat.
The greenery also played host to the Rehbein Ford Car Show which featured several dozen beautifully restored cars and pick up trucks from Plains Days gone by.
Throughout the day a string of events within the celebration offered locals and tourists alike a chance to experience a good, old-fashioned small town Montana celebration.
Other activities included the traditional Turtle Races, held in the parking lot of Rocky Mountain Bank, (a major contributor to the annual festival), log sawing and axe throwing competitions outside the Wild Horse Plains VFW, and a wide variety of music, dancing and water-melon eating in the town’s two parks.
“I liked the log contest,” said 11-year-old Amy Jensen, whose family was in the early days of a vacation when they encountered the Plains event. “It was loud but pretty cool how the sawdust flew off the saws.”
Many locals commented on the size of this year’s event.
“It seems like there are way more exhibitors and vendors in the park this year than I remember from last year or year’s past,” said Plains area resident Carol Osborn. “There was a lot to see and do and it was all a lot of fun.”
