Letter from the editor

Parade spectacle doesn't disappoint

With tough times around the Flathead and a lingering winter that seemed to push tourist season ever farther away, what might have become of the famed Bigfork Fourth of July Parade was anyone's guess.

Since entrants aren't required to register, the number of people who might line up to parade through downtown is never a sure thing until the day of the event. Residents could be excused for being concerned about this year's attendance.

Well such concern was misplaced, because as I walked up and down the parade line-up Saturday morning at 10:30, one person after another was astounded by the size of this year's event — and the floats from Kalispell's event hadn't even arrived yet.

And the view from downtown, well, that might have been even more spectacular.

The Chamber of Commerce organized yellow police tape to keep the crowds out of the parade path — a needed caution after a Flathead County Sheriff had to nab a child out of a truck's path at last year's parade — and the sides of Electric Avenue were bulging with people craning to get a better view.

Unlike parades of old (I'm told) this year's event didn't begin at the corner of Grand and Electric and finish after passing the Garden Bar. Thousands of people were waiting as far back as the fire hall and watched the floats until they crossed the one-lane bridge downtown.

I heard the number 10,000 thrown around by more than a few folks as they estimated how many people were in the Village to witness the parade, and while I'm a terrible guesser when it comes to crowds, I wouldn't be surprised.

For a small place famous for its Independence Day celebration, Bigfork outdid even its own oversized reputation in 2009. Red Lodge, you've been put on notice.

And now, the Bigfork Eagle's (completely unofficial and arbitrary) choices for best parade entries:

Best car: With apologies to the Pax Peak fire, err, cart, this was a battle of Corvettes. Though the late model Z06 with carbon fiber wheels would win in a drag race, I have to give the nod to the 1960-ish model.

Best act: I'm a sucker for the bagpipes; Montana Highlanders bagpipe band wins this one hands-down.

Best float: With easily half the field disqualified for hitting me with candy and/or popsicles, I'll cast my vote for Swan River Gardens. Sure it's kind of an advertisement, but they were giving out plants the whole way and they didn't hit me with a single one.

People's choice: This category is based solely on crowd's reaction (as heard by someone who was concentrating on something else entirely). The undisputed loser was the Flathead County Democrats. Sorry guys, you may have won the election, but you had the most boos at the Bigfork parade. The winner: Without even a close second, 5-year-old Sam Rivera — a.k.a. Superman — elicited the biggest cheers of the day.

—Alex Strickland