Parades, history and a look at our common heritage

Everybody loves a parade!

And in Montana, everybody loves the county fair... so when you combine the fair and the parade, you’re bound to have a winner.

I took time out from my work schedule on Friday to visit downtown Kalispell and watch the Northwest Montana Fair Parade as it made its way up Main Street from the staging area at Flathead High School to the Kalispell Center Mall.

All right, I had a personal interest in this particular parade — since my son Carmen was performing on trombone in the Glacier High School marching band. Plus, the Daily Inter Lake was debuting its spectacular new delivery truck wrapped with splashy photographs by our ace shooter Brenda Ahearn.

But putting that all aside, it was worth going just because it was a parade. There was plenty of fun and amusement for young and old, but there is something serious about a parade, too. The fact that we can get together on a busy Friday morning, both as spectators and participants, in order to share a happy half hour or two celebrating our common heritage, lifestyle and future means that we in the Flathead still have what it takes to be a real community and not just a place on a map.

It was heartening to see participation by both the Flathead County Republican and Democratic parties as well as the marching bands from Flathead and Glacier high schools. It reminds us that no matter how strong our rivalries become, we should be able to come together in common cause and civic pride to promote what matters the most — our American principles and Montana values.

It’s especially important for our young people to see the American flag and the Americans who have fought or volunteered to protect it and to keep us free. You’re more likely to see those patriotic reminders at a Fourth of July parade, but there were ample tokens of Americanism here too — the color guard at the start of the parade, the American Legion participants, and the many representations of the Stars and Stripes.

I’ve had special reason to be thinking about Main Street parades recently, as I have been putting the finishing touches on the Inter Lake’s upcoming photographic history book, “Northwest Montana Memories: A Pictorial History of Flathead County: The Early Years.” One entire chapter of the book, titled “Recreation & Celebrations,” is chock full of parade photos from as early as 1906 up through the 1930s. There is something magical about those horse-drawn carriages, festooned flags and old-time Kalispell citizens gathered in communion to promote a better world through American idealism.

There are lots of other fascinating photographs in the book as well. Everyone who stops by my office and thumbs through the proof copy is ready to buy one on the spot!

Well, sorry, it’s not quite ready yet, but you won’t have to wait long. “Northwest Montana Memories” will be available in early November, in plenty of time for Christmas, and you can save $10 by ordering in advance. To place an order, email Patti Carlson at pcarlson@dailyinterlake.com or call her at 758-4425. If you plan to pick up your copy at the Inter Lake, you can save the shipping costs as well. Or, if you want to have the book shipped to yourself or as a gift, you can order online at nwmt.pictorialbook.com

In the meantime, you’ve got one more day to celebrate another great local tradition. Get out to the Northwest Montana Fairgrounds and enjoy the last day of the fair. Some of the pictures you take today may wind up in another book the Inter Lake will print a hundred years from now!