Editorial: Frontier Days has plethora of positives

Things are back to normal in Whitehall, nearly two weeks after another great Frontier Days Celebration.

Starting with the Rocky Mountain Bank barbecue and ending with the street dance, a nice crowd came out to attend the annual event. The Friday crowd was not quite as big as it was last year with high temperatures and no all-class reunion like in 2015, but Saturday certainly made up for it with Legion Avenue coming to life at 6:30 a.m. and the Fire Fighters barbecue.

The great thing about the 2016 event and the ones in the past, is what it can do for the community. Some of the businesses located downtown get a direct impact from this event. Not only does the community come together to have a little fun, they give back to the businesses that are the heart of downtown. For several businesses, this is their busiest time of the year, and it was a great weekend for them. Other businesses do not see an increase in sales, but in general the event is a positive for the Whitehall economy.

It is also great because it takes place in a small town. It is impossible to walk down the street a few feet without running into someone you know. Whether it is a neighbor or a friend you haven’t seen in years, there is something special about these two days in late July.

There are always great events in big cities, but they just do not have the same charm.

Going to a parade in a big city, people are lucky to see one person they know. Just another face in the crowd.

As great of an event as it was in 2016, Frontier Days would not exist without the hundreds of hours of work by chamber members and volunteers. With big events like the Futurity, many volunteers are needed. Three days before the 2016 Futurity, the Chamber was still looking for volunteers to help out. Hopefully next year, the number of volunteers helping out will increase, and this will lessen the workload a bit for all. The same can be said for the Christmas Stroll in December.

Thanks to everyone who helped out to make 2016 a great Frontier Days, and I look forward to the last week of July in 2017.

JHS