It Must Be Derby Time , And Bizarre Days Around the Nation.

Yes sir we, Bob, it is that time when the great city of Wallace, Idaho showcases all the fine restaurants, bars, hospitality and sense of humor to the world. What could possibly be more exuberating than to follow with quivering, drunken, anticipation  a ball floating down what was once a dirty, filthy, nasty, smelly, unsanitary,polluted, creek, officially the SouthFork of the Coeur D' Alene River, but lovingly , and adoringly  known to locals as " Lead Creek"Only now, of course, the creek is clean, but I don't think an event renamed " Clean Creek Derby" would have the same appeal.

I am sure that our great city of Wallace is not the only metropolis in the world that has a funky event of such magnitude, so I did a little research and found these beauties.

Spivey Corner, NC. you will love this one, folks. The National Hollerin Contest. Evidently folks in this sophisticated town feel that "hollerin" is a lost art. Hm, they must have never been to Wallace on a Saturday night on the old days. However, it is nice to know that because o Spivey Corner, NC, "hollerin" will never be lost to the world, and we are grateful,

In case one thinks that "Derby Days or Depot Days" is a little strange, hang on to your beer because if there ever was a reason to hold a festival, Fruita, Colorado has us beat. What could possibly top the event of all events, and the Creme de la creme of events?  Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you the "Headless Chicken Days". No, I did not make that one up. No one could.

Just when you thought that it could not get much more bizarre, I close today with this one,the one the Chicago Tribune heralds as one of the top 100 celebrations in the US. Ladies and gentlemen, drum roll please_______________I present to you the "Frozen Dead Guy Days". It is too much to write,, so I will get a little lazy here and do a little copy and pasting. This you will want to read.

 When Grandpa Bredo passed away in 1989, he was a parks-and-recreation director in Norway who suffered from heart problems. Four years later, he was the "frozen dead guy" living in a backyard shed in Nederland, Colo.Bredo's family was into cryonics, and from the time of his death he was stored in a cryonics facility in California. In 1993, though, his daughter and grandson decided to care for him themselves, at their home in Nederland. Word soon got out that a local family was keeping a frozen Grandpa in the yard, and the artsy, off-beat mountain town loved it.A couple of decades later, Grandpa Bredo is still there -- but his family isn't. They ended up heading back to Norway but left Grandpa in the shed, under the care of the Ice Man, a hired hand who refreshes the dry-ice supply once a month to keep him safely frozen. It's a good thing he stayed, since he's the center of a funny little tradition that has grown into a huge, annual celebration that marks the final days of harsh winter.
The party known as "Frozen Dead Guy Days" takes place over a weekend in March, and it's quite the wacky destination. People come from near and far to take part in the death-and-winter-themed festivities, including coffin races, frozen-T-shirt contests, ice-turkey bowling, brain-freeze contests and the frozen-salmon toss. There's live music, lots of beer and, of course, tours of Grandpa Bredo's shed, where the old man rests in suspended animation, waiting to rise again and greet his fans.
The Chicago Tribune ranked Frozen Dead Guy Days among the best 100 festivals in the United States.

http://adventure.howstuffworks.com/destinations/parades-festivals/5-weird-festivals1.htm
 More to come.

It's Derby Time

As the end of the school year drew tantalizingly near, and the warm sun poured through the old brick walls of Wallace Elementary School, hope sprang eternal in the hearts and minds of grade school children. Baseball, picnics, fishing, hiking, camping, The Fourth of July, and maybe a trip to a far away place, loomed as an enticement to get that darn school year over with and dance out of the musty halls with unbridled glee when that final bell tolled the glad announcement that you were free.



But wait, I forgot to mention one more enticement. Yes, there was one more upcoming event on the calendar that added fuel to the glowing fire of excitement. This was an event like none other in the world. It was the infamous "Gyro Lead Creek Derby Days". For you see, each grade school student was handed a book of tickets for the carnival that rolled into Wallace to add color and excitement the event. I eagerly awaited those free tickets each year, and I had political privilege because my best friend's father just happened to be the Chief of Police in Wallace, and we were given extra tickets every summer. (Yes, good old political corruption at it's best.)



So, the first night of the carnival, which was always on a Thursday night, and my friend and I would head for the streets of downtown, which was not much of a chore for me because I lived on Cedar Street, and the carnival was set up three blocks from my home. Someday I will tell you how I used to have to walk two whole blocks to school through three feet of snow. It was horrible, but that is for another day.



The first thing on our agenda at the carnival was the ride known as the "Octopus".This ride always set up in front of Morrow's Retail, and it was by far our favorite ride. Now, once is enough for many people, but my friend and I had only one thing in mind, and that was to ride as many times in a row as we could before we got sick. OK, was that really that different than the adults who would drink as many beers or shots as they could before they also knelt before the Porcelain Goddess? I think not!



This ritual went on for three fulls nights, sometimes being augmented by rides on the Ferris Wheel and munching on Cotton Candy and snow cones. Then, on Saturday night the excitement reached a fevered pitch as the drum and bugle corp made their annual pilgrimage through the street of Wallace, visiting each bar, and that was no small task in those days. As they went from bar to bar the playing got worse and worse. Then, the climax of the evening came. We always tried to be on the Ferris wheel as the fireworks lit up the festive, night sky.

Then came the super bowel moment of Wallace, the actual floating down Lead Creek of the derby ball from Mullan to Wallace. What a moment, a Kodak moment, if you will. Thousands of screaming, drunk people cheering madly as the big ball came down the murky river.

That night we would always take one more ride on the Octopus, and as we weaved our way off the ride for the last time for that year we bid a sad farewell, and said we would see it all again next year.

And,all of these years later. I say IT"S DERBY TIME

The Perfect Wallace Family Outing-It's Derby Time

Where can a family bond on a smoke filled sidewalk, shoulder to shoulder with drunks, glass eyed dopers, unwashed heathens, and carnival workers who look like they have not seen a tub or a shower since Bush 1? Where can revelers stand in public with open containers of beer? Where can you get culture listening and watching a drunk band marching through the town's streets, invading a bar, and emerging only to invade the next bar, and still be "playing" and marching without falling down?

Where can you watch a ball be thrown into a creek which was once so polluted that the locals affectionately called it ' Lead Creek" and follow it down the stream all the while whooping and drinking, and having a jolly good time?

Where else can a family all gather at the river, except maybe an old fashioned baptismal service, watch and wait with a pulsating excitement rivaled only on Christmas morning, for the big colorful ball to make an appearance in Wallace, And at last, there it is, bouncing and swirling as it makes it way to the finish line. The crowd lets out a collective, orgasmic like yell of pleasure, and just like that, it's over.

The next day the streets in Wallace look like they hosted a drunken orgy. There are just a few stirrings as those who work for the carnival begin to dismantle the rides that brought so much pleasure and illness to the children of the Valley. By nightfall, the last vestiges of the three-day celebration have been packed up, swept up, loaded on trucks, and are off to the next town and its unique celebration.

I have lived in numerous cities and towns since I graduated from Wallace High, and I have enjoyed the local events and celebrations like Seafair in Seattle, the Timber Carnival in Albany, Oregon, the Orgon State Fair in Salem, the County Fair in Spokane, 4ht of July in New York City and New Years Eve in Las Vegas, but there is no other event that comes close to this one. '

Lead Creek Derby and that what it was and is like Growing up Wallace,

June Jewels

Welcome to June in Wallace. June in Wallace is just like June in other American small town, and--well, on second thought, Wallace just may be a teeny, tiny, tad bit different than a few, ok, some, all right, all right, MOST American small towns in America, the world, and probably even Mars. Well, maybe it may be more like Mars with some very out of this world customs and celebrations. Anyway, welcome to June in Wallace, Idaho, my hometown.

Calendar of Events as listed on http://www.wallaceidahochamber.com/recreation/festivals-events/
-Idaho State Square and Round Dance Festival

June 8, 2017 – June 10, 2017

Event

3 Days

Square and Round Dancers from around the state and region come to dance and have fun in Wallace Idaho

View Map

Wallace Civic Auditorium503 First St.Wallace, Idaho 83873

Sue Reisenauer 208.596.3326

Gyro Days

June 15, 2017 – June 18, 2017

Event

4 Days

BBQs, radiothon, carnival rides & concession right smack in the middle of Wallace -- all capped off with the Lead Creek Derby. Win a pot of cash if you correctly guess how long it takes a giant leather ball to float seven miles via the South Fork of the CDA river from Mullan to Wallace. All proceed go towards local scholarships

View Map

Downtown Wallace, South Fork of CDA RiverDowntownWallace, Idaho 83873

Dean Cooper dean@wallacebrewing.com

Wallace Founders Day -- The Traveling Tombstone of WIlliam R. Wallace

June 24, 2017

Event

1 Day

The tombstone of town founder Col. William R. Wallace will be brought back in style to it's name sake, with a grand parade, picnic and dedication.

View Map

Downtown Wallace IdahoHistoric Downtown & Railfoad DepotWallace, Idaho 83873

Jamie Baker 509.435.3005

Ok, maybe the first event is not so different than most small towns host, but you have got to admit, Lead Creek Derby and a traveling headstone celebration are Not your normal civic festivals.

But, that's Wallace, Enjoy.

PS, Spelling and word errors in event descriptions are not mine. I make enough errors on my own.

Derby Days-A Special One -1942

The day was the same month and day as this one in 2016, but there was a special buzz in the air for the one in 1942,  The ball would be dropped on the 18th, but the awarding of the winning prizes was to be held on the 19th, and they would be given out by none other than Wallace's own Lana Turner, who was coming to her hometown to promote defense bonds and stamps. It must have indeed been a red carpet day for our hometown.

https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1338&dat=19420606&id=EOJXAAAAIBAJ&sjid=UvUDAAAAIBAJ&pg=5657,1292406&hl=en