Good Old Days dubbed "one of best ever"

Good Old Days, the annual community celebration in St. Ignatius, drew locals and visitors alike last weekend.

“I would say this was one of the best Good Old Days to date,” said Darren Orr, one of the event organizers.  

The Mr. and Mrs. Good Old Days pageant on Friday was followed by the annual barbecue at Good Old Days Park, a free concert with the Western Front Band with a fireworks display.

Saturday got off to a brisk start with the annual Buffalo Run, sponsored by St. Luke Community Healthcare. Top finishers were Brant Heiner (23:03.58) and Quinn Delaney (23:03.58) in the four-mile race, with father-daughter duo Jason Delaney (38:39) and Morgan Delaney (44:48.09) posting top men's and women's times on the seven-mile course. 

More than 50 cars, trucks, floats and other entries motored, clopped, and strolled through town at noon Saturday. The St. Ignatius Fire Department cooled off youngsters (and a few oldsters) by turning on their fire truck’s water cannon.

Action moved to the Good Old Days Park for the annual dog races and the second annual Ranchers’ Relay, sponsored by D&J Meats. According to Orr, the latter event “has garnered a big following as one of the most exciting events at Good Old Days.” Winners took home more than $350 in prize money.

Competition was also fierce in the lawnmower races, he said.

Dew Crew Inflatables brought water slides and bounce houses, while St-Char-Ro set up a remote-control racetrack and Rod’s Harvest Foods hosted kids’ games. Food, beverage and craft vendors shared their wares in the park.

The fire department hosted a dunking booth, the Pumpkin Patch offered train rides for kids and face painting, and the Montana National Guard set up a climbing wall. Festivities wrapped up with a free movie.

The St. Ignatius airport hosted a fly-in Sunday, with breakfast, static displays and helicopter rides. Praise in the Park capped off Good Old Days with more than 100 people attending the free barbecue and outdoor church service.  

According to Orr, the park “was just packed Friday night for the fireworks and concert” and Saturday was busy too, with people “coming in from every direction to take part in the town’s annual celebration.”

He noted that it takes lots of volunteers “to make this event work and to be a success, and we have an amazing community who chip in and help out.”

In addition to locals, St. Ignatius alumni and old friends return for reunions and “just to visit … It’s great seeing everyone and having an event to bring everyone together.”

Parade Winners

Grand Prize in this year’s parade went to Rod’s Harvest Foods; their float also took first place in the commercial category, followed by Valley Banks and Cenex.

Other winners include: Novelty Humorous, Robert Hunt; Native American, Fish and Game; and Equipment, Army National Guard.

The Callahans earned first in the Clubs category, followed by a float labeled “Pageant” and the Sons of the American Revolution.

Stuart Morton took first in Custom Cars with his 1931 Crown Victoria, followed by Terry Cable and John Maxwell.

In Antique Cars, Dennis Wheeler’s ’34 Ford Coupe took top honors; with Pat Cable’s1937 Chevy Coupe in second and Gordon Schleip’s 1958 truck in third.

Dog Race Results

Brandy clocked the fastest time of the day, zipping across the course in 2.855 minutes. He was owned by Jamie and competed in the Large Dog category. Aston’s Lila took a close second at 2.870, and Jaris’s Dixie came in third with 3.031. 

Small Dog: 1. Ivy (owner Brianna), 3.436 minutes; 2. Doug (Aston), 5.615; 3. Zoey (Haley), 6.626 minutes.

Medium Dog: 1. Stella (Jim), 3.287; 2.Vinnie (Sierra), 4.303; 3. Paislee (Felicia), 5.547.

The course was measured this year, enabling race organizers to track "meet" records in the future.

Ranchers Relay Results

The following teams claimed prize money from D&J Meats in the Ranchers Relay: 1. Eli & Blaine, $175; 2. Adam & Narussa, $150; 3. Deluna & Jeovoun, $50.

    Kids cooled off on the water slide during last weekend's Good Old Days. (Emily Messer photo)
  

    Niles Cunningham savors corn on the cob during Good Old Days in St. Ignatius. (Emily Messer photo)
  

    Kids cool off, courtesy of the St. Ignatius Fire Department, during last Saturday's Good Old Days parade. (Emily Messer photo)
  

    Nimble Border Collie chases after her ball in the Good Old Days dog races, held July 12 during Good Old Days. (Emily Messer photo)
  

    Classic cars roll through St. Ignatius during the Good Old Days parade, held Saturday. (Emily Messer photo)