First annual Arlee Trail of Bales is a success
courtesy photo
Black Bear Espresso put together the winning hay bale submission with a sleepy bear needing some coffee.
courtesy photo
In Arlee's hay bale contest, Curl Up and Dye salon’s camper won second place.
courtesy photo
In Arlee's hay bale contest third place was awarded to Carney’s Welding for their demolition derby scene.
courtesy photo
courtesy photo
courtesy photo
Hey savvy news reader! Thanks for choosing local.
You are now reading
1 of 3 free articles.
By Mary Auld for the Valley Journal
ARLEE – Arlee’s business community livened up the town’s streets with creative hay bale creations.
Shannon Patton works at Valley Bank in Arlee and organized the contest. She was inspired by the hay bale decorating event in Ronan. Community members in Arlee wondered whether they could adopt the fall tradition, so they gave it a try.
Thirteen Arlee businesses participated in the event, including the Nkwusm language school, the post office, the Graywolf Casino and several more. The Arlee contest didn’t have a theme. Patton said she wanted to give locals full creative license in their decorating. She said participation in the contest exceeded her expectations.
“The response was so awesome that we’ll make it an annual event,” Patton said.
The Shall Cattle Ranch lent the bales to those who participated in the contest. The ranch delivered the bales to local businesses. They’ll pick them up after Halloween and feed them to their cattle, so the hay won’t be wasted. Participants had to wrap their bales if they wanted to paint them because animals can’t eat painted hay.
A panel of judges toured the selection of decorated bales and awarded prizes. Black Bear Espresso’s sleepy bear got first place. Second place was the Curl Up and Dye salon’s camper. Third was awarded to Carney’s Welding for their demolition derby scene using hay bales for car wheels.
Community members also got to express their opinions on the displays, and they agreed with the judges: Black Bear Espresso got the People’s Choice Award in addition to the first-place prize.
Opinions were also expressed on the Facebook page for the project. Photos of the bales attracted hundreds of likes and comments. Black Bear Espresso got 172 likes on Facebook. The second most popular bale on Facebook was Sustainable Lumber’s jar of fireflies. The fireflies lit up at night.
Patton said because Arlee is not an incorporated city, the town needs opportunities like the contest to collaborate. “Any time the community can come together and do something is great.”
