St. Ignatius celebrates community
Hey savvy news reader! Thanks for choosing local.
You are now reading
1 of 3 free articles.
A jam-packed weekend in St. Ignatius meant fun for the whole family, with activities beginning Friday evening with a community barbecue, concert and fireworks show and lasting through Sunday with a fly-in at the airport and gospel sing later at the Good Old Days Park.
“From everyone I’ve talked to, they think it was one of the better Good Old Days that we’ve had,” St. Ignatius Chamber of Commerce member Darren Orr said.
With a weekend of perfect summer weather, hundreds of locals and visitors alike came to enjoy the food, games, and of course, the Good Old Days parade.
“It was a great turnout; we had great participation,” fellow organizer Stuart Morton said.
One big hit this year was the free concert Friday night by Sho-Down, a Missoula country-western band featuring St. Ignatius’ own Mike Hegwood.
“The concert was really good; in fact, we’re gonna have those people back next year,” Morton said. “They’re a great band.”
Early Saturday morning, runners hit the road for the Buffalo Run half-marathon, while the St. Ignatius Senior Citizens served a bountiful pancake breakfast at the Senior Center. But the highlight of the weekend came at high noon, as colorful, creative floats and parade entries took over Main Street for half an hour. After the parade, billed as the largest in Lake County, ended with a splash as fire trucks sprayed water high above Main Street, everyone moved to the Good Old Days Park, where the competition quickly heated up in the dog races and kids’ games.
The title of fastest dog in Mission went to a 1.5-year-old border collie named Gypsy, who took second place overall last year.
“We just play ball a lot,” owner Tom McCulley said of Gypsy’s training regimen.
“She’s the dog that took down that Dex — he’s been winning every year,” he added proudly.
Gypsy won a trophy and a bag of dog chow for her efforts.
After the dogs had their day, kids 12-and-under took the field for several contests, from egg carries and sack races to the water balloon toss. With more kids’ games participants than ever, competition was fierce for cash awards provided by Rod’s Harvest Foods.
And even more prizes were up for grabs in the BMX bike races — winners Sage Chiefstick and Kyler Clinkenbeard took home brand new bikes, while everyone who came without a helmet got a new one provided by Tribal Health, Orr said. Bikers also got a bottle of water and an ice cream bar to help beat the heat.
“The track was a lot better laid out this year,” Orr said of the bike races. “I think (the kids) all had a good time.”
Parade results
Antique car
1, Gordon Schliep
2, Matt Wetzel
3, Robert Hunt
Custom car
1, Angela Hawkuluk
Clubs/Organizations
1, CSKT Fire Prevention
2, VFW
3, Tribal Health
Commercial
1, Lake County Bank
2, Stuart’s Napa
3, Rod’s Harvest Foods
Adult horse rider
1, Roy Vallejo
2, Pat Espinoza
3, Chad Espinoza
Child horse rider
1, Breeze and Justice Clark
Native American
1, Little Shell
Novelty/humorous
1, Alfred McLeod
2, Bravo Boys
Stock car
1, Bill Mitchell
2, Cornerstone Faith
3, D.J. Zempel
Youth 12 & under
1, O’Connor kids
2, Jolynn and Jessica Girsch
3, Ciara Bridges
Farm equipment
1, Terry Andres
Grand Prize
Lake County Bank
Dog race results
Small dogs
1, Mia, Israel Umphrey, 5.7
2, Sparkle, Hayley Norton, 7.65
3, Suzie, Darlene Bordeaux, 7.7
Medium dogs
1, Kye, Jamie Miller, 3.58
2, Caesar, Dede Birthmark, 5.45
3, Brandie, Jessie Melton, 8.0
Large dogs
1, Gypsy, Tom McCulley, 3.2
2, Geico, Hunter Peterson, 3.25
3, Dex, Wendy Witson, 3.48
Bike race results
Ages 6-9
1, Sage Chiefstick
2, Roper Edwards
3, Destiny Hadley
4, Bridger Haines
Ages 10-12
1, Kyler Clinkenbeard
2, Cody Couture
3, Elijah Chiefstick
Dessert contest results
Adult
1, Maxine Michel, huckleberry cheesecake
2, Nicole Jensen, vanilla ice cream with hot fudge and chocolate chips
3, Cassie Holdaway, Oreo mint ice cream pie
Junior
1, Brooklyn Hunt, old-fashioned chocolate cupcakes
2, Jenesis Holdaway, peanut butter cream pie
3, Leila Krantz, s’mores cupcakes
