Plains Day 2025: A celebration of community and tradition

Months of preparation, countless volunteer hours and the support of Plains Day coordinators Blair Blizzard and Clark Fork River Radio owner Raf Viniard all came together Saturday for the 2025 Plains Day celebration. Additional support came from the Sanders County Chamber of Commerce, Em’s Café and the Plains Park and Recreation Department.

The day began with a pancake breakfast hosted by the SkillsUSA students and supervised by Plains shop teacher Kyle Mitchell at the Plains VFW Hall. The team hoped to serve around 300 people — and they nearly reached that number within just a few hours. The SkillsUSA crew also held a bake sale along Railroad Street McGowan Grocery. 

Stockman Bank, formally Rocky Mountain Bank, kicked off their participation with two early events. First was an ice cream social, where over 200 ice cream treats were handed out. Bank Manager Erika Carter noted this marked the 40th year of the bank’s community tradition. Their second event was the ever-popular turtle races. 

The parade, which featured 50 entries, assembled at the school and marched down Railroad Street. Highlights included fire trucks, ambulances, wagons, antique cars, horses, a relatively new military vehicle — and, bringing up the rear, one essential pooper scooper following the horses. 

MT West Dentist/Dental Park was the hub for many afternoon events. The Later Bloomers and musician Dave Proctor entertained the crowd from the stage. 

During a break in the music, Blizzard signed up contestants for the pie-eating contest, featuring 10 chocolate cream pies donated by Em’s Café. Eight kids and two adults participated, though it was the grown-ups who led the charge.

Former Plains resident Jacob McPhee, 26, took first place — wearing a good portion of his pie on his face. 

“I thought the kids were going to win,” McPhee laughed. 

Second place went to Jordan Blais from Alberta, Canada. The winner received a $50 gift certificate to Em’s Café. 

The Dental Park hosted the always-messy watermelon-eating contest. Meanwhile, the Rehbein Ford Car Show took place across from Valley Glass. Best of Show honors went to Tom and Nancy McDowell for their restored 1960 Corvette. A total of 26 vehicles competed this year. 

At the VFW, a crosscut saw competition brought some friendly rivalry, with brothers Daniel and Timothy Steury taking first place with a time of 1 minute and 18 seconds. 

This year’s grand marshal was World War II veteran Betty Meyer, who, at 100 years old, rode in a 1925 Model T Ford owned by Ken Matthiesen. Fittingly, Meyer was even older than the classic car. Matthiesen has owned the Model T since 1998. 

Clark Fork River Radio organized a variety of kid-friendly events, including a photo booth, face painting, a bouncy house, water balloon toss, rubber ducky round-up, dunk tank, and a prize wheel. Proceeds from these activities were donated to local charities and organizations. 

The festivities concluded with evening events at Gray Welty Memorial Park, including a lively street dance and a movie under the stars. 

A new feature this year, introduced by the newly formed Sanders County Chamber of Commerce, was the “Passport to Plains” program. Participating businesses either donated cash or prizes for the celebration. A total of 26 businesses contributed approximately 30 prizes, culminating in a grand prize valued at $750.

    5-year-old Mya Black and 4-year-old sister Stella wait for the candy to be thrown their way during the Plains Day Parade. (Tracy Scott/Valley Press)
  

    Blair Blizzard, one of the organizers of Plains Day, pulls names out of a hat for the pie eating 10 contest contestants. (Tracy Scott/Valley Press)
  

    Entertainment was provided by Ronan musical group The Late Bloomers at the Dental Park. (Tracy Scott/Valley Press)
  

    Even the adults get involved during the candy grab. Tom Cleveland gets caught in the act. (Tracy Scott/Valley Press)
  

    One-year-old Plains resident Psylas Khachaturov takes a more laid-back approach during the Plains Day Parade. (Tracy Scott/Valley Press)
  

    Plains resident who recently moved to Kalispell, Jacob McPhee was the winner of the pie eating contest. (Tracy Scott/Valley Press)
  

    Plains Warrior Fitness float during the Plains Day Parade. (Tracy Scott/Valley Press)