Ennis

It's been years since we've been to a small town, old-fashioned, fun-filled Fourth of July celebration. So, when Gordon and Juanita suggested we make the trip to Ennis to enjoy this small Montana town's Independence Day festivities, we were all over it! We were up and out the door early and our friends toted us some 80 miles to be a part of it all.

We arrived in plenty of time for the parade, and just barely enough time to find a prime spot to place our chairs along the route down Main Street. This is definitely the place to be in these parts today!

While we were waiting, look what we spotted! A very patriotic Montana Jayhawk! We exchanged "Rock Chalks" and had a wonderful conversation about the school we all love so much. While we were chatting, another Jayhawk overheard us and stopped by to chime in. The parade hadn't even started yet, and already the day was perfect. We had beautiful weather, gobs of red, white and blue and a flock of Jayhawks in small town Montana!

With the singing of the National Anthem, the parade was underway. With about 1,000 residents, Ennis is definitely a small town. But, it definitely knows how to put on a big-time parade.

There were lots of flags, horses and pretty girls...

...and not just one band of bagpipers, but two.

And, there were lots of kids! We watched a cute little girl walk her calf down the street. (Love those red boots!)

And herds of cute little ones on bikes. Every one was outfitted in red, white and blue, and a helmet, of course!

There were even dancing kids. These talented little ones were with the "other" bagpipers.

And, these colorful kids brought cool relief to the warming crowds. See that cutie on the right? Sure, she looks innocent enough. But, trust us, she's a dead eye with that giant soaker she's packin'!

Of course, no parade is complete without clowns. This guy was riding something that resembled a flying saucer.

And, this colorful clown took time to meet and greet with the crowd. She thanked everyone for coming and wished us all a Happy Fourth.

Smokey the Bear even made an appearance! With lots of rain this season, Montana hasn't had to worry about forest fires this year. But, remember, only you can prevent forest fires!

A gilded Albert Einstein made an appearance. The name of this frisbee-throwing sculpture is "Albert Einstein Between Theorems". The flag and patriotic bow tie were added for the parade.

The local medical center's entry was a hospital gown-wearing, IV-rolling kazoo band! Gotta love it.

It took the crowd a moment to figure out what riding in this car. Do you see it now? It's an ice cream cone!

The most flag-waving parade entry was the Bozeman Tea Party. They received a big round of applause from the crowd.

After the parade we made our way back through town to drop our things in the truck. We passed by a cute quilt shop where Juanita and I picked up a few things a couple of weeks ago.

During our shopping visit, Juanita chose some beautiful flannels for a special quilt she's making for Gordon. And, I chose the four fabrics of Nevada for our travel quilt. (Yeah, I know we're in Montana! But, I didn't find any quilt stores in Nevada.)

With our gear stored in the truck, we headed to the Lion's Club tent at the park. They were serving up a special Fourth of July lunch. After all of that parade watching, we were ready to chow down.

After a fun lunch in the sun featuring hot dogs, burgers and traditional holiday sides, we stuffed our satisfied selves in the truck and enjoyed the scenic drive back to Island Park.

Thanks, Gordon and Juanita, for the best small town, old-fashioned, fun-filled Fourth of July celebration ever!