Good Old Days beats the heat
KRISTI NIEMEYER | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 3 months, 3 weeks AGO
Kids cool off on Mission's Main Street Saturday during Good Old Days. Misting tents, water slides and a cooling tent staffed by a nurse also helped participants beat the weekend's heat. (Christa Umphrey photo)
Stuart's Hometown Auto took the grand prize in the Good Old Days parade with an assortment of quirky characters and vehicles. (Christa Umphrey photo)
Employees from Rod’s Harvest Foods, led by a kazoo-wielding conductor, pushed a fleet of grocery carts along the Good Old Days parade route on Saturday. (Christa Umphrey photo)
Farmers and ranchers did what they usually do this time of year – move bales of hay around – during the Good Old Days Farmers Olympics. (Christa Umphrey photo)
Good Old Days kicked off Friday night with a barbecue and dance at the amphitheater in St. Ignatius. (Christa Umphrey photo)
Aircraft displays and a pancake breakfast were part of the Good Old Days Fly-in, Sunday at the St. Ignatius airport. (Christa Umphrey photo)
Giant inflatables supplied by the Dew Crew included bounce houses and water slides that helped keep kids cool at Good Old Days park. (Christa Umphrey photo)
Kristi Niemeyer is editor of the Lake County Leader. She learned her newspaper licks at the Mission Valley News and honed them at the helm of the Ronan Pioneer and, eventually, as co-editor of the Leader until 1993. She later launched and published Lively Times, a statewide arts and entertainment monthly (she still publishes the digital version), and produced and edited State of the Arts for the Montana Arts Council and Heart to Heart for St. Luke Community Healthcare. Reach her at editor@leaderadvertiser.com or 406-883-4343. | July 25, 2024 12:00 AM
For more than 40 years, Good Old Days has delivered a rousing community celebration to St. Ignatius on the third weekend in July. This year’s extravaganza was no exception.
“Overall, I would say this was one the best Good Old Days we’ve had, and one of the better attended as well, despite the heat,” said Darren Orr of the St. Ignatius Chamber of Commerce.
Organizers tried to offset the high temperatures with water slides, two misting tents and a cooling/medical tent, staffed by Nurse Ellen Kaphammer of Tribal Health.
The celebration kicked off Friday evening with a barbecue and dance in the Good Old Days Park, featuring music by Jeff Daniels and Western front.
On Saturday, the Buffalo Run departed from the Gambles Store at 8 a.m., and the Good Old Days parade trekked through town at noon. Stuart’s Hometown Auto won the grand prize this year with a quirky assortment of characters on mini-bikes and scooters.
Employees from Rod’s Harvest Foods, led by a kazoo-wielding conductor, pushed a fleet of grocery carts along the parade route. Big Sky Mafia, which hosted the car and truck show, boasted several entries and a fire engine doused kids along the parade route with water while a flame-throwing truck added some drama to the procession.
Afternoon activities in the park included an array of giant inflatables by the Dew Crew, including six water slides and bounce houses, which helped keep kids cooled off. Dog races, family games, a tug of war, Farmers’ Olympics, lawn-mower races, a dunking booth, miniature train rides and mini golf were also popular attractions. Artisans sold handmade wares, while vendors offered food, ice-cream and lemonade.
Sunday's fly-in at the St. Ignatius airport was popular with pilots and plane enthusiasts, and included helicopter rides, a pancake breakfast and a large display of aircraft.
“It was just a great weekend in St. Ignatius,” Orr said. “We have so many great community members that make these events happen every year – without them it wouldn’t be possible.”
Stuart's Hometown Auto took the grand prize in the Good Old Days parade with an assortment of quirky characters and vehicles. (Christa Umphrey photo)
Employees from Rod’s Harvest Foods, led by a kazoo-wielding conductor, pushed a fleet of grocery carts along the Good Old Days parade route on Saturday. (Christa Umphrey photo)
Farmers and ranchers did what they usually do this time of year – move bales of hay around – during the Good Old Days Farmers Olympics. (Christa Umphrey photo)
Good Old Days kicked off Friday night with a barbecue and dance at the amphitheater in St. Ignatius. (Christa Umphrey photo)
Aircraft displays and a pancake breakfast were part of the Good Old Days Fly-in, Sunday at the St. Ignatius airport. (Christa Umphrey photo)
Giant inflatables supplied by the Dew Crew included bounce houses and water slides that helped keep kids cool at Good Old Days park. (Christa Umphrey photo)