64th annual Homesteader Days takes over Hot Springs

HOT SPRINGS - The 64th annual Homesteader Days celebration kicked off on Friday in Hot Springs with vendors setting up their booths and live music on Main Street. The festival is designed to celebrate the history and heritage of the original Native American and white settlers that chose to make a home in the area.

Attendance was light on Friday as vendors set up for the weekend business. Andrea Harsell performed what she described as “original roots rock” at the Symes Hotel while the classic rock band “Out on Bail” performed at Fergie’s Pub on Main Street. The bulk of activities were planned for Saturday and Sunday.

Saturday kicked off with a softball tournament held at the high school, sign up for the car show and the “Skunk Alley” 3K and 10K runs. The car show returned this year after an absence of several years.

Alan Reisinger, coordinator of the softball tournament, said the turnout was good and the weather provided a great day for softball. The Ranch Team from Charlo took first place followed by the Printery Team from Plains in second and the team from Thompson Falls placed third.

For the “Skunk Alley” run, in the 3K race the top three results were carried by the Carr family. Blaine, Tyler and Shannon took first, second and third respectively. In the 10K run, first place went to Logan Naegeli. Plains track and field distance coach Tony Banovich took second place while Josh Wulfekuhle took third.

While the public gradually accumulated on Main Street, the next main event was the popular “kiddy parade.” The participants gathered in front of Buck’s Grocery, dressed in costumes and some riding bikes and tricycles.

Kids dressed as fairies, hippies, Star Wars characters and Daniel Boone-like explorers paraded down Main Street and back to the applause and cheers of onlookers. All the kids in the parade received prizes.

After the parade, many of the kids headed down to the Hot Springs City Park for a variety of games. The shoe race where participants remove their shoes and then race to put them on again was held in addition to the traditional three-legged race with multiple age groups. No results were kept and all participants received a prize.

After a brief lull in activity during the hottest part of the day, live music and performances commenced on Main Street. Harsell performed on the main stage followed by a performance by a group of Native American drummers and dancers.

Diana Cote led the performance of the Sunrise Drummers from Arlee and Dixon accompanied by her daughter, son-in-law and grandson. The Sunrise Drummers were aided in the performance by dancers from St. Ignatius. Cote said the song and dances were performed as an offering of peace and friendship for the audience of about 50 people.

“The dance is intended to encourage people to join in, make friends and meet each other. We sang a song to celebrate the flag and pay respect to our country. We then sang a grand entry and then some inter-tribal songs that everyone can dance to,” said Cote.

Cote and the other drummers were aided in their performance by elaborately adorned dancers. According to dancer Dakota Gun Hammer, the dance was a traditional routine stemming from what he described as an “old custom.”

“It’s called a grass dance. When tribes would move camp, they often found that the grass was too high so they would go in and dance to stomp down the grass,” said Gun Hammer.

John Patrick Williams took to the stage following the drummers, performing original songs and covers. Many in the audience took shade near buildings or retreated into Fergie’s Pub as the day’s heat bore down on the street.

There was a wide array of vendors present for the Homesteader Days celebration. Donald Swafford of Hot Springs demonstrated the technique for carving arrowheads, dart points and stone knives for spectators.

The Glen family cooked up gourmet kettle corn while Fred and Lisa Saur filled the street with the aroma of chicken and sausage gumbo and crawfish etouffee from their booth named the Lost Kajun Kitchen.

As the activity on Main Street wound down, festival attendees made their way to the arena just outside of Hot Springs for the ever-popular rodeo. Cowboys donned protective gear including protective vests with some even wearing helmets in anticipation of flying off the backs of bulls and broncs.

Events such as barrel-racing, calf-roping and steer wrestling thrilled the crowd of several hundred spectators. Dust and cowboys flew through the air during the bronc and bull riding events. Announcer Bo Carpenter kept the crowd informed about the competitors while bull-fighters Cody Morris and Tyler McDade ensured the safety of riders.

Judges Stuart Schall and Eric Christiansen kept score while Shandi Higgins and Kelly Hutchinson carefully timed the events. The rodeo continued into Sunday.

On Sunday, the grand parade took to the streets sporting 32 entries. Orville Bjorge was the Grand Marshall. Born in 1923, Bjorge is the son of an original homesteader of Hot Springs. His father Martin took up their homestead in 1910. Bjorge and his brother Morris later moved to another place in the Gulch in 1940, where Orville still resides to this day.

Prizes were given out for the best parade entries, spanning everything from the best youth float to the best antique car. Winners for the best commercial float went to the Farm Girls - Gary Redman and Hot Springs Health and Rehabilitation respectively. First place for the best residential float went to La Rue Hot Springs Museum followed by Frank Lopez sporting his over 40 years clean and sober float, a float reminding those in attendance not to drink and drive. Third place went to Francis Stanger for the tribal float. The best youth float went to the Little Bitterroot 4Hers and was followed by the Kingdom Kids; Best classic car went to Ray Fleish for his 1953 Pontiac; Best team of horses went to the Jackson family; The horseback riders award went to the Schmiedbauers; Best midget patrol went to the Western Montana Shriners; Austin Norgard and Lizzy Fisher took the best dressed cowboy and cowgirl while Hot Springs Mayor Randy Woods won the award for the best service vehicle with the city fire truck.

Mayor Woods said the event was well received and was pleased with the turnout. Woods said law enforcement received no calls regarding the event.

“It went really well. I’m really proud of the people that were in charge of the events. We had a really good turnout and everyone I talked to had positive things to say. Everyone just came and had a good time,” said Woods.

Homesteader Days organizer Leslee Smith said overall the event was a success.

“We probably had around 800 people come out. The bands were great. The rodeo went very well. The car show was a huge success. Overall things went very well,” said Smith.