It was a packed weekend in St. Ignatius, with the 44th annual Good Old Days filling the town with events, fun, family and tradition.  

Good Old Days kicked off strong with the annual BBQ on Friday evening. This was followed by bounce houses for the kids and a dessert-baking contest, which Mayor Daren Incashola, a contest judge, jokingly called one of his toughest tasks as mayor.   

At the park amphitheater that evening, there was also a free concert by JD & Western Front Band, which Darren Orr, the key organizer for Good Old Days, said is always done really well. Orr said Friday concluded with the best fireworks show they’ve ever had.  

Bright and early the next morning, the annual Buffalo Run took off with 166 registered runners for the one-mile, four-mile and seven-mile runs. St. Luke Community Healthcare, which organizes this event, timed the four-mile and seven-mile races and awarded best overall to the fastest male and female in each race.  

Although temperatures were high, that didn’t keep the crowds away as the big parade kicked off on Saturday afternoon. Classic cars, floats, and the community brought their spirit to the parade with candy and popsicles flying through the air. Valley Banks, which sponsors and organizes the parade, had over 50 entries and gave out several awards.  

To keep the kids cool, the St. Ignatius Volunteer Fire Department made sure to blast water onto the crowds, an annual and beloved tradition.  

Later at the park, it was a packed house with a full parking lot, and people were using the overflow parking. Orr noted that there were 10 food or beverage vendors in the park, along with some craft vendors.  

“It was a hot weekend, but people still came out and celebrated Good Old Days,” Orr said.  

Orr explained they added tents above some of the bleachers to help keep people cool, and there were plenty of inflatable water slides to keep the kids cool. 

Other events at the park included dog races, the dunk tank and family games. For the dunk tank, both St. Ignatius Police Chief Jason Acheson and Fire Chief Paul Adams volunteered to get dunked. Acheson was so committed to the dunk that he chose to take the wet plunge in almost his full uniform.  

The busy afternoon continued into the evening with a BBQ and helicopter rides at the St. Ignatius Airport. There was also a movie night at the amphitheater, which Orr said had a great turnout.  

Early Sunday morning, events kicked off at the airport again, with a fly-in breakfast and duck races. Good Old Days concluded with tours of St. Ignatius Mission and praise in the park that evening.  

Stuart Morton, a chamber member and “minion” in helping make this happen, explained that it costs around $15,000 to put on Good Old Days. And $9,000 of that goes towards the fireworks show, he noted.  

“That’s a lot of money for our little town to come up with,” Morton said.  

Morton said many fundraising efforts, local businesses and community members come together to make this happen. But the event wouldn’t happen without Darren and Wendy Orr, he said.  

He explained there is a ton of work to be done each year, and Darren and Wendy have taken much of the heavy lifting. Morton added that there is no reason for them to do so other than to simply benefit their community.  

Race results:  

For the four-mile race, Charlotte Delaney was the fastest female with a time of 34.19, and Payton McElderry was the fastest male, finishing at 27.22. In the seven-mile race, Zoran LaFrombois was the fastest male at 38.29, and Quinn Delaney took the women’s place with a time of 46.36. 

Parade result:  

The grand prize in this year’s parade went to Ninepipes Lodge and Restaurant; their float also took second place in the commercial category. In this category, Rod’s Harvest Food placed first, and Cenex’s Special Olympics float placed third.  

In the club/organization/group category, The Big Red Barn placed first, followed by the Boys and Girls Club and the Sons and Daughters of the American Revolution.  

For the best child riders, Kenna Callahan and Rosslyn Wilson were named first- and second-place winners. In the best adult rider category, Laura Wheeler placed first, followed by Megan Callahan and Selena Eder.  

In the “She Thinks My Tractor’s Sexy” category, Willie Long took home first place. Other vehicle awards include Milan Kubla’s 1970 Chevelle for the Hot Wheels award, Chris Morrison’s 1938 Chevy Coupe for the necking award, a 1926 Model A received the “It still runs” award and Tim Orr’s 1966 Mustang received the chick magnet award.  

    Candy flies through the air from the Valley Banks float. The float was one of more than 50 entries in the Good Old Days parade, organized by Valley Banks. (Emily Messer/Leader)

 Sister and brother Eliza and Brenden Welch reach down for candy during the Good Old Days parade. (Emily Messer/Leader)

 Sister and brother Eliza and Brenden Welch reach down for candy during the Good Old Days parade. (Emily Messer/Leader)

 Haley Blixt runs with her dog, Pip, to help him achieve the best time in the dog races at Good Old Days. (Emily Messer/Leader)

 Mission Firefighter Jessie Girsch gets dunked during the Good Old Days event on Saturday, July 11. (Emily Messer/Leader)