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.”