By Ashley South
The quaint town of Troy changes for one day out of the year during the annual Troy Old Fashioned 4th of July Celebration. Beginning in 1915 the celebration has grown over the years, drawing thousands to gather in the greater Troy area to enjoy family, friends, and their home country. The Celebration kicked off with the Troy 5k Color Fun Run hosted by the Troy Youth Foundation at the Troy Airport Walking Path. Breakfast was served at Roosevelt Park as one of the fundraisers for the Troy Chamber of Commerce, who hosts the 4th of July Celebration. The Cole family, Chera, Phillip, Derek and Shelby volunteered their time at the concession stand to host the breakfast before the start of the parade. The Troy Ministerial Alliance all church service was held at Roosevelt Park in the bleachers to start the morning at the park.
Troy Cruzers Car Club hosted the classic car show during the 4th of July Celebration, over forty classic cars lined up for the parade. “Great Event Yesterday! Many great people, Awesome Parade, And Much Fun at Rosevelt Park.” Said the Troy Cruzers Car Club. The parade line up started along the traditional St. Regius Haul Road, with the fire truck engines in the front, followed by unique floats, showcases, classic cars, and much more. The parade lasts around forty five minutes and ends at Roosevelt Park to start the big celebration at Roosevelt Park.
The park was lined with multiple booths full of local crafts, fundraisers, outreach booths, and a dozen or more food options. There was an expanded carnival area, and kids enjoyed trying the different rides and activities including a dunk tank. Live music played all day including Troy’s Got Talent. The roster was full of unique shows including duets, musical interpretations, and youth dance performances. Boulder Creek Band started playing in the beer garden at 7:00 p.m. skilled in mountain style bluegrass.
A free shuttle sponsored by local churches, non-profits including the LOR Foundation, the Chamber of Commerce, and local businesses brought people in-between Troy and Libby reducing travel accidents during the busy holiday season. The Pitiful Players hosted a play called Pirates of the Kootenai held at the Troy Theatre for an added fun event for the 4th of July. Starting July 1st Mayor Chuck Ekstedt hosted a large firework show above Callahan Creek, near the Troy Museum to kick of the nightly firework displays.
As dusk approached booms and sparkles could be seen and heard across the Kootenai valley creating the preface to the annual firework show held at Roosevelt Park. Troy’s 4th of July firework show is the third largest in the United States. Nearly standing park only, thousands of people spread across Roosevelt park for the big show. The show lasts nearly forty five minutes with a variety of colorful displays. The well trained Troy Fire Department Crew oversees the safety of the show. You could smell the freedom in the air as the firework show came to an end, and another Old Fashioned 4th of July Celebration has come to a close. “We would like to thank the many of our volunteers that helped pulled off this year’s event. It really could not have happened without anyone of you! And there were lots! It takes around one hundred and four volunteers to have this sized event take place in our community.” Said the Troy 4th of July Committee.
Each year the Troy Old Fashioned 4th of July celebration grows, and the Troy Chamber of Commerce is always looking for volunteers to help out. For more information please see the chamber website troymtchamber.org or reach out through their Facebook page.
Photo courtesy from the Troy Chamber of Commerce and the Troy Cruzers Car Club, and Chuck Ekstedt
Yaak 4th of July Celebration Held at the Historic Log Community Center
Submitted by Sandra Beder-Miller
“Why the Yaak Celebrates the 4th of July”
The 4th of July holiday is a day to celebrate with family and friends by attending barbeques, parades, and fireworks. Sometimes the real reason for the holiday is forgoes in the celebrants. It is a time for us to pause and remember our independence from the tyranny of Britain’s mad King George 247 years ago and the founding documents that started America on her path to freedom. The signers of the Declaration of Independence knew they were committing treason when they created and signed this document “with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.” 84 members of the Yaak community and their out-of-town guests gathered at the Yaak Community Hall on July 4th to listen to a reading of the Declaration Independence and honor our local veterans who have fought to protect our rights stated in our founding documents.
The Yaak celebration began with a small parade from the Yaak Community Church to the Yaak. Community Hall. The program included welcoming remarks, a short prayer, and a letter that was read from U.S. Montana Senator Jon Tester that stated “as we revisit our country’s founding document, you’ll be reminded of the values that define us all as Americans. Those values are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, and just as they define us as Americans, they also define us as Montanans.” The constitution was read by active and retired veterans and two Yaak young adults: Jerry Thomas; Retired Army Captain, Mike Zwiebel; Retired Marine Corps Corporal, Layle Rockwell; Active-Duty Marine Corps, Zippy Purdy; David Crisamore; Local Yaak residents, Mike Harrell; Retired Army Master Sergeant. Every attendee was invited to take home a pocket constitution that included the Declaration of Independence, the constitution, and the Bill of Rights. The celebration continued with a very American way to celebrate July 4th by serving barbequed hotdogs, chips, cupcakes, and cookies.
Photo left, (left to right) “The Readers” David Crisamore, Zippy Purdy; Local Yaak residents, Mike Harrell; Retired Army Master Sergeant, Mike Zwiebel; Retired Marine Corps Corporal, Jerry Thomas; Retired Army Captain, Layle Rockwell; Active-Duty Marine Corps. Photo right, a float in the Yaak Parade.
Photo left, (left to right) “The Readers” David Crisamore, Zippy Purdy; Local Yaak residents, Mike Harrell; Retired Army Master Sergeant, Mike Zwiebel; Retired Marine Corps Corporal, Jerry Thomas; Retired Army Captain, Layle Rockwell; Active-Duty Marine Corps. Photo right, a float in the Yaak Parade.
Kootenai National Forest Moving to Electronic Mailing List for Forest Updates
Submitted by Larona Rebo USFS
To reduce costs, lessen environmental impacts, and further outreach planning information, the Kootenai National Forest is transitioning to the use of electronic mailing lists, rather than postal mail, for all updates regarding forest management projects. Beginning mid-July, the forest will start utilizing the GovDelivery email notification system to send updates to those interested in being involved in the planning process for National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) projects on the forest. GovDelivery allows users to choose specific projects, issues or areas of interest to subscribe and receive project updates and information. Subscriptions can be modified at any time to ensure users remain informed or engaged in environmental analysis for projects of their choice on the Kootenai National Forest or projects nationwide. Electronic delivery provides subscribers immediate access to downloadable project documents that are then easy to share with others while reducing the number of unwanted letters and extra copies of large documents. To sign up for GovDelivery and take advantage of new electronic notifications, please visit https://www.fs.usda.gov/projects/kootenai/landmanagement/projects and insert your email address into the sign–up field under the “Interested in Forest Projects” header.
The Kootenai National Forest’s current postal mailing list will be retired in December 2023. After that date, subscribers should not expect to receive project notifications by postal mail. Those interested in remaining a postal subscriber must re-submit their contact information by sending a letter to: KNF GovDelivery, 31374 US HWY 2 Libby, MT 59923. If you have questions or need assistance, please contact Janis Bouma at janis.bouma@usda.gov or (406)-283-7774. The Kootenai National Forest thanks the public for their continued interest and involvement in the project planning process.