Blackfoot Celebrates 125 Years with fair, car show and fireworks
BLACKFOOT, Idaho (KIFI) – The City of Blackfoot is celebrating its 125th anniversary this weekend with "Celebrate Blackfoot," a two-day event program at Jensen's Grove. The weekend includes a vendor fair, family activities, a car show, barbeque and fireworks show.
"I love Blackfoot, it's been a wonderful place to live and raise my family," said Bonnie Moon, the mastermind behind the pioneer settlement stations at Celebrate Blackfoot. "We should be so grateful for our nation and for all those people that sacrificed for our good. So come out and celebrate America 250 and Blackfoot 125."
The pioneer settlement stations are near the Kids Zone at Jensen's Grove. Everything is free at the settlement, giving kids a hands-on experience of the life of pioneers who travelled thousands of miles to settle Blackfoot.
"It's important to remember those who came before us, they built everything that we have. They had to walk a thousand or over a thousand miles to get here until the trains came," Moon explained. "They sacrificed so much, they didn't just do it for themselves, they did it for their children and grandchildren and we need to remember that."
Kids can take a ride in a handcart, practice catching fish, carry water on a shoulder yoke, gather eggs and wash clothing for candy prizes. The interactive activities are only possible because of all the youth volunteers through the Just Serve program.
In Bingham County, if youth complete 30 hours of service, the county commissioners award them a service medallion. Several of the volunteers at the Celebrate Blackfoot pioneer settlement were gaining five hours of community service.
Moon said she's been doing pioneer stations with younger kids for between 10 and 15 years. But at the anniversary celebration this weekend, where the city is expecting 8,000 visitors, the scale is new and different for the Moon family and volunteers.
"That's why we've got so many helpers and it's wonderful because nobody can do it alone, there's a good 20 people helping out most of the time," she said.
The event this weekend is also a hub for local organizations to connect with the community, including local non-profit Bless Blackfoot. They take donations for essential and non-essential items like shoes, clothing and household items for people in the area to get for free.
"There are no qualifications to be blessed by our organization," said Krista Allman, vice president of Bless Blackfoot. "We help anybody who has any need."
"We like to come out in our community because we love Blackfoot, it's why we do what we do, so Celebrate Blackfoot was perfect," said Amber Hare, secretary of Bless Blackfoot. "We're here to raise awareness and we also have our fundraisers to thank our supporters on social media."
Bless Blackfoot is currently looking for a place to call their own to help meet the needs of community members. Currently, they work out of a local storage unit.
"It's getting trickier to meet the needs of everybody who has needs," Allman added. "So we'll do this raffle to try to earn a little money so that we can get moved into a space and our events will be easier to set up."
If you're interested in donating or volunteering with the non-profit, visit their website blessblackfoot.org. To receive help from Bless Blackfoot, their website can also connect the community with resources and provide assistance.
The festivities this weekend culminate with the Liberty Fireworks Show at 10 p.m. at Jensen's Grove in Blackfoot on Saturday, June 27.
Schedule of Events
FRIDAY
- 12 p.m. - Vendors Open
- 5 p.m. - Smoke-N-Wings BBQ Competition
- 5 p.m. - Burn Out Competition at Tadd Jenkins Auto Group
- 8 p.m. - Zumba Party
SATURDAY
- 8 a.m. - Pilates and Yoga Class
- 10 a.m. - Open Ceremony and Vendor Open, Car Show, Kids Business Fair
- 11 a.m. - R/C Car Races
- 11 a.m.-4 p.m. - Historical Tours at the Idaho Potato Museum, Corn Hole Tournament
- 2 p.m. - Car Show Awards
- 10 p.m. - Liberty Fireworks Show
