The Blaine County Journal News-Opinion - We've Got The County Covered

October 2 will be a day of celebration in Chinook, Montana! The annual Sugarbeet Festival is BACK, featuring a fully-packed day of events. With an event theme of Home on the Range and an array of diverse activities, there is bound to be something for every interest-from guns and cars to a historic talk and a parade with a multitude of shopping opportunities and even a brewfest and barbecue.

According to Chinook Area Chamber of Commerce President, Daniel Dahl, Indiana Street in Chinook will be blocked off to thru traffic so that vendors can set up on main street. Joining the vendors-who will be selling everything from arts and crafts to garden produce and sweet treats beginning at 10:00 a.m.-there will be food and music during the lunch hour, face painting, and a display of decorated sugarbeets that will be judged at 11:00 a.m. The Bounce On In organization from Havre will be bringing two bounce houses and a miniature golf course to provide additional entertainment.

Across town at the Blaine County Fairgrounds, the Chinook Rod and Gun Club will sponsor a gun show in the Commercial Building from 9:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m. and the Blaine County Cruisers will host a car show from 9:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m.

At 2:00 p.m. at the Blaine County Library on 4th Street West, Humanities Montana, in conjunction with the Blaine County Museum, is sponsoring a pair of speakers. Nez Perce Elder LeRoy Seth and Pendleton Designer Terry Ball will present a talk entitled "Hear Me, My Chiefs." During the presentation, the pair will discuss the creation of Ball's limited edition wool blanket, a work of art that commemorates the historic Nez Perce Flight of 1877.

As Ball designed the blanket, he wanted the colors, figures, and symbols to tell the story of the 1877 journey of a band of Nez Perce people as they attempted to reach Canada, hoping to find freedom. To accurately and respectfully capture the story, Ball consulted with Nez Perce Elders, who explained traditional designs and provided guidance in his choices for the colors.

The resulting limited-edition wool blanket depicts Chief Joseph flanked by Chief Looking Glass and Chief White Bird astride their horses in front of the Wallowa Mountains of the Nez Perce Homeland. In the foreground of the trio lie "skeleton tepees" and the "the Mountains of the Bear"-a foreshadowing of what was to come. A design drawn from a Pendleton blanket believed to be one of the first blankets traded with the Nez Perce, around 1896, frames the blanket, which features key colors: salmon for the central food source of the tribe, blue for the sky, and another blue for the water.

With proceeds supporting the Nez Perce Tribe Boys and Girls Club, Ball will be raffling one of the limited-edition blankets. Raffle tickets are available for purchase at the Blaine County Museum.

Following the historic presentation, the Sugarbeet Festival Parade will begin at 3:00 p.m. Parade line-up will occur between 2:30-2:50 p.m. at Meadowlark Elementary School on New York Street and depart from there.

After the parade, people are encouraged to congregate at Sweet Memorial Park at 700 New York Street for a Brewfest organized by the Friends of the Pool and Park Foundation (FPPF) and a Community Barbecue sponsored by the Blaine County Wildlife Museum (BCWM) Board. The two organizations are looking for help with setting-up and taking down chairs and tables to provide sufficient seating for this gathering. Anyone interested should contact Heather DePriest by calling 406-357-4201 (10-digit dialing, remember?).

At the Brewfest, Triple Dog Brewing and Beaver Creek Brewery will have representatives onsite, but members of the FPPF will be pouring additional Montana craft beers and other popular beverages, using their licensed pourers. The group has ordered 200 commemorative glasses for the Brewfest. These eight-ounce glasses feature a logo designed by Hannah Weber with Montana Grafix, which specializes in website design as well as in the creative design of logos and promotional products.

The barbecue meal will offer hamburgers, hot dogs, and a variety of salads. BCWM Board Member, Vicki Hofeldt will be doing the cooking.

DePriest confirmed that there will be live music at the event, but just who will be providing that entertainment has yet to be determined.

People attending the Sugarbeet Festival are encouraged to obtain a punch card and to collect participation stamps from the vendors that they visit. By 3:30, these punch cards should be deposited into collection boxes from which prize winners will be drawn following the parade. "For the prizes, we are going to have a 32-inch television, some gift cards, and other items from local stores," Dahl said.

Anyone with questions is encouraged to call Dahl at 406-399-3055. "We want the community to be involved and to enjoy the benefits of living on the Hi-Line," Dahl said.

In addition to visiting the various vendors and Chinook businesses-our Home on the Range-Dahl encourages participation in the parade with a float or some other entry, through the sugarbeet decorating contest, or as a vendor. Contact him for details. A tentative schedule is also available on the Chinook Area Chamber of Commerce Facebook page.