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Did you know—tomorrow is Idaho Day |
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March 3, 2015 |
by Katie Colson
 Idaho's
first ever Idaho Day celebration is tomorrow,
March 4. It will be a day to celebrate “Idaho,
her culture, her history, her diversity, her
resources, her beauty, and her greatness,”
according to Idaho Representative Linden
Bateman. Mr. Bateman, along with the Idaho
Historical Society, are in charge of this
statewide event.
The idea for Idaho Day came about after the
extremely successful Idaho Territory
Sesquicentennial Celebration two years ago in
2013. March 4 was chosen as Idaho Day because it
was the day in 1863 when President Abraham
Lincoln signed the act of Congress that created
Idaho Territory. July 3 also could have been a
possibility for Idaho Day, since that was the
date in 1890 that Idaho officially became a
state, but because the July 3 date was so close
to the Fourth of July, March 4 was selected for
Idaho Day.
There will be events celebrating the day around
the state, with some of the main events at the
Capitol Building in Boise. A few local
Boundary County events also note the day.
In Boise, special programs for Idaho Day will be
held in the morning in both houses of the Idaho
Legislature. In the Senate Chamber, special
talks will be given along with musical
performances by Paul Pugmire and the Horizon
Elementary School 4th Grade Choir. In the Idaho
House Chamber, there will be musical
performances by school children, by the
Shoshone-Bannock Fort Hall Drummers, and by Jena
Carpenter, a soprano from Opera Idaho. Speakers
in the House Chamber event include Paulette
Jordan, Randy L'Teton, and Representative
Bateman. Children representing the Idaho Cattle
Commission will bring flags into the Chamber.
The House Chamber event will close with a
reading of the 125th Statehood Anniversary
Address.
At noon on Idaho Day, a special program
commemorating Idaho will be held in the Capitol
Building's Lincoln Auditorium. In this program,
students from Adams Elementary School will
perform the song Idaho, along with And Here We
Have Idaho, our official state song. Idaho
Governor Butch Otter will present an official
proclamation, and speaker Keith Petersen will
give an address. Additional performances at this
Idaho Day program will be presented by a
traditional Chinese dance group, Sam Matisse,
and Shoshone-Bannock Fort Hall Drummers.
This special Idaho Day program from the Lincoln
Auditorium will be broadcast in a live stream on
the website of Idaho Public television. To
watch the event, which will begin at
approximately 11:10 a.m. Pacific Standard Time,
go to this website:
http://idahoptv.org/insession/leg.cfm
http://idahoptv.org/insession/leg.cfm
and click on the block that says "Lincoln
Auditorium."
Schools around the state have special programs
to participate in Idaho Day, including local
Boundary County Schools. Here in Boundary
County, the Museum is planning a special program
for 4th graders on March 4th, assisting the
schools with recognition of Idaho Day, according
to Dottie Gray, Secretary for the Boundary
County Museum Board of Trustees. Two years ago,
for the Idaho Sesquicentennial celebration, the
Museum presented a PowerPoint program about how
Idaho Territory has changed over the years to
become what it is today.
Students from Valley View, Mt. Hall, and Naples
elementary school will have a quick history
lesson at the museum, then will have to imagine
themselves as settlers coming to the new Idaho
Territory and creating a homestead. First they
will have to clean and prepare their “land,” or
a small box of sand for each group. They will
then tape string across the box into grids and,
using basic tools such as brushes, spoons, and
toothpicks, will uncover “artifacts.” They will
draw their finds on a paper grid showing the
exact location. At least one artifact will be
from the Museum collection, the rest will be
from 1863-1864. Students will be learning about
coordinates, mapping grids, and archeology
skills. The money to bus the kids to the museum
from their schools came from funds generously
donated by the Kootenai Tribe of Idaho.
The City of Bonners Ferry has received
information about Idaho Day, and the Mayor may
make a proclamation for that day.
Would you like to jump in and celebrate the day
somehow? Organizers of Idaho Day are holding a
statewide competition on who can take the best
Idaho Selfie. Show them what Idaho means to you
and use #myidaho on social
media to post your photo. At this date, the
contest winners have already been selected, but
Idaho photos can still be posted for all to
enjoy. Idaho Public Television will broadcast
the winning photos as part of their live
webstream of the event. You can watch all
this at the website noted above.
All are encouraged to help celebrate Idaho on
Idaho Day tomorrow. According to Representative
Bateman, “Celebrations nourish, refresh and
inspire the human spirit. We gain, from the
greatness of our past, courage and confidence
for the future.” |
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