1967: Parade with a View
An Inter Lake photographer watched the 1967 fair parade from a perch atop a building at the west side of Main Street between Second and Third streets. Visible at top left is a sign for the Kalispell Hotel (now the Kalispell Grand Hotel). The large building at top right is the former Elks Building, which was to become the home of the then brand-new Flathead Valley Community College. Visible to the north is Buffalo Hill.
The Blue Army entry from St. Matthew’s School featured a message about “Our Lady of Fatima.” The float won first-place in the religious category.
Smokey Bear made an appearance in 1967 with a timeless message: Prevent forest fires.
TIDES OF TIME was winner of the Battle of the Bands contest sponsored by The Blue Haze and got to perform on a float during the parade.
Lethbridge responded to the call for parade entries from Canada and had their float featured on the Inter Lake’s front page the afternoon of the parade.
This year, the Daily Inter Lake is sharing some memories of the Northwest Montana Fair from 50 years ago.
Today, we bring you Inter Lake photos of the 1967 fair parade, which was held (like this year’s parade) on Friday, Aug. 18.
The parade that year had 46 entries, according to Les Tinseth, who served as Kalispell Lions parade chairman. Tinseth noted that letters sent to Canadian chambers of commerce led to entries from Lethrbidge, Alberta, and Trail, B.C., in addition to many local entries, including 14 by 4-H groups.
This year’s fair parade, with 65-plus entries, kicks off at 10 a.m. with viewing available as far south on Main Street as 10th Street. The parade will proceed on the east side of the courthouse couplet and then continue to Center Street. These days, the fair is administered by the Kalispell Chamber of Commerce.