Fourth of July celebrated

Hundreds of on-lookers lined Old US Highway 10 in downtown St. Regis Monday afternoon to enjoy the Fourth of July Parade. The parade kicked off a day full of events to celebrate the national holiday.

Before the parade took off through the town, the participants in the parade gathered in the Dog House Saloon parking lot on the east side of town.

The West End Volunteer Fire Department along with the St. Regis Volunteer Fire Department and the Superior Forest Service brought trucks to ride in the parade. Members of the departments decorated the trucks with American flags, balloons and pennants. Other decorated floats joined the service trucks for the parade.

Various ATVs, four-wheelers, and other trucks rode along as floats in the parade. Locals drove most of the vehicles in the parade including Trestle Creek Golf Course, Cabin Fever Quilters, American Legion and New Day Fellowship.

A decorated float that drew attention was a black 48’ Ford Coupe. Rudy Kirk of Lozeau owns the classic car and said this year was the first time he brought it to the parade.

The Coupe’s decorations supported the Old School House in Deborgia. Ada Mesenbrink, an original Happy Home Maker for the Old School House, rode in the passengers seat.

Mesenbrink lived in Deborgia before Interstate 90 was built and is one of three remaining Happy Home Makers. Grace Hauble and Norma Hess are the other two.

Mesenbrink, who now lives in Havre, said she ran the general store in Deborgia and raised eight children, who would all run the cash register at the store.

Mesenbrink, who grew up in Iowa, said participating in the Fourth of July celebration is always a good time.

“The beautiful thing is that it brings people to the area,” Mesenbrink said of the Fourth of July celebrations in St. Regis.

Mesenbrink moved to Deborgia in 1948 and Kirk said it is an interesting coincidence that she rode in the 48’ Coupe, made the same year she came to Deborgia.

Mesenbrink’s children went to the Old School House when it was still used as a school. Today, the Old School House is a community center run by the Happy Home Makers and the Old School House Foundation.

As the floats lined up and took to the street for the parade, people sitting on lawn chairs and street curbs watched the floats pass by them.

Periodically throughout the parade, the fire trucks sprayed their fire hoses into the air. The firefighters were careful not to get on-lookers too wet and sprayed mostly mist into the crowd.

While the firefighters played with the thousands of gallons of water hauled in the trucks, passengers on the floats tossed candy into the crowds.

Ten-year-old Faith Faucheux sat on top of a West End fire truck and threw candy to those watching the parade from the sidewalks. Faucheux, who lives in Texas, comes out every year to celebrate her birthday and visit her grandfather, West End volunteer John Dubois.

Faucheux, who was born on the Fourth of July, sat by her grandfather while she waved and tossed candy. She celebrated her birthday by helping to decorate the fire trucks and ride along in the parade.

Once the parade ended and the floats circled back through town to the Dog House Saloon, the St. Regis Community Council began to judge the floats in 12 different categories. Winners in each category received a $25 prize. A grand prize of $150 will also be handed out to the best float of the parade.

The St. Regis Community Council puts on the parade each year. Council vice president Jessica Connolly said the Council is a nonprofit and does not make money from the Fourth of July events.

Besides the parade to kick off the holiday, the Community Council also organizes the Fourth of July Carnival, which fills the St. Regis Community Park.

The Carnival is new to the St. Regis Fourth of July festivities and is in its third year. Along with carnival games, the Carnival had live music from the Eagle’s Nest Band. While the band played country music, people also enjoyed food from vendors and children played on a fun house and a mechanical surfboard.

Children also took pony rides and Monte, The University of Montana mascot, showed up to take pictures and entertain the crowds.

Next to the vendors, the Cabin Fever Quilters set up a booth for a quilt raffle. Proceeds from the raffle went to repainting the Old School House in Deborgia.

Connolly said the carnival had even more of a turnout the past two years because it ran along with the Fourth of July softball tournament at the Community Park.

“It has been better when it lines up with the softball tournament,” Connolly said.

The turnout of people who did show got to enjoy a spaghetti-eating contest and a chili cook-off. Those in attendance got to watch or participate in the contests along with the other activities. Both events have been staples of the St. Regis Fourth of July celebrations and are also put on by the Community Council.

After the parade and carnival, the late afternoon brought a logging competition, which is also a tradition to the Fourth of July in St. Regis.

Connolly said the carnival is the only new event the Community Council has added over the years.

By evening when the sky grew dark enough to see the display, a fireworks show capped off the daylong Fourth of July celebration.

Each year, the St. Regis Volunteer Fire Department organizes the fireworks show.

Connolly said the Fire Department collects money year-round from local businesses. The Fire Department also collects money in fire boots from local residents.

As people prepared to watch the fireworks show, residents in St. Regis came together for a football game in the Community Park. Locals, who are recently out of high school, joined together during the fireworks show to play a game.

The grand finale of the fireworks show marked the end to another Fourth of July.