#12-2020 Popular. 1979 Labor Day weekend in Dillon, Montana! A popular weekend!
In September 1979 I was in Dillon, Montana for the annual Labor Day weekend festivities. It was and is a very popular weekend in southwestern Montana. It is the County Fair and Rodeo weekend. It is the weekend that many return to their “roots”, hold family reunions and celebrate the end of summer.
Dillon, Montana is in Beaverhead County, the largest county in Montana. There were and still are more cows than people. My father was the veterinarian and had a veterinary practice in the county and parts of other counties. His speciality was large animals, and cows were a big part of his practice. He traveled to many ranches through the year, often eating in homes or cookhouses at the ranches because of the distance from Dillon. Sometimes he was gone for a couple of days during calving time or fall rush of working cattle. For many years the roads were not even paved so ranchers were very generous to provide him a hot meal.
And so began the tradition of my Mom (Helen) & dad (Don) hosting a “feed” at their house in Dillon after the parade on Labor Day. This was their way of thanking clients and friends for feeding Don! It was common knowledge that Helen would have food available. And of course, my sister & I grew up with many of the ranch kids, so our house was often the common meeting place for many. She feed lots of people throughout the Labor Day weekend!
Since it was a popular weekend, my grandfather volunteered to babysit my son for an evening. This would be his first time at Dillon Labor Day weekend! Of course I joined my friends and family in the local celebrations downtown. The celebrations occurred in the bars up and down Main Street. Meeting friends & relatives you haven’t seen in years, is always fun and requires a “cheers” or more than one!
On Monday of Labor Day weekend is the Parade. It is the last day of the festivities with a rodeo in the afternoon. It is a very popular day. But since I had celebrated too much, I thought attending the parade was not a wise decision and it would be best to stay at my parent’s house & stir the goulash and help get things ready. Mom took Greg, my son. It was normal to have 50 people descend on the house after the parade, quickly eat and rush to the rodeo which started about 2 hours after the parade ended.
This is my mother's recipe for goulash.
She gave me this recipe when I married.
She made more than 1 batch for a crowd.
Since I didn’t feel 100%, I laid down to rest. Yep, fell asleep. Suddenly my mother was at the bedroom door, holding my son who had attended his 1st parade, crying loudly. I woke up immediately! My first thought was I had burned the goulash! And believe me, mother’s goulash was good, expected at the lunch and heaven help me if I had burned it! Through tears she told me about the jets flying over of the parade and that one had hit the grain elevator where the parade passed by. In disbelief of the events unfolding, and that my immediate family was safe, I rushed to the hospital. The human hospital. Dad was on the board of trustees for the hospital & had already left for the hospital to provide help. He even stopped at his veterinary hospital to get x-ray film. I was a medical lab technician and I had worked with the medical technologist there. Anticipating injuries and fatalities, I rushed to help. The lab welcomed me with open arms. We prepared for a major disaster as it was common to have thousands of people in town for the weekend and at the parade. People, who had ever been employed at the hospital rushed to help. I said, I can draw blood on patients until my best friend is brought in. Knowing she was at the head of the parade on a horse and the jet had gone down near the front of the parade, I was worried sick. And then we waited.
Suddenly Dad came into the lab and said he was going home to eat. What??? Dad leaving; highly unusual. He told us there was limited injuries; maybe 2 or 3 with burns. Imagine our surprise! But a welcome surprise. There were many things that happened that day, many positive things displaying how a small community comes together & works together in a crisis. Some things were truly unbelievable.
My husband who was at home in Huntley, was on a tractor piling corn silage during harvest, and heard the first news of the crash on his radio. He knew my family always stood by the depot for the parade. He rushed to the phone to call my parents house. He was quite glad to hear good news that we all OK!
My family is standing in the lower right of the left hand picture.
So a popular weekend turned into a popular memory; one I will never forget! Nor will the town of Dillon or anyone who was there! And I think of it every time I make goulash!
