Pioneer Day in Caribou County

The familiar cycle hit its midway point last week, as Bancroft hosted Pioneer Day festivities for Caribou County, following Soda Springs’ stewardship of Independence Day and preceding the start of the Caribou County Fair next week in Grace.  For those who love festivals, spectacles, events, and food trucks the five or so weeks are an endless series of delights.  And for those who love parades, Caribou County’s got you covered.

The Pioneer Day parade made its way around the downtown blocks of Bancroft, dispensing candy as it went (except for Highland Milling, who gave out bags of oats).  In addition to the traditional Fire Department, EMS, Sheriff’s, Rodeo Royalty, Elected County Officials, Senator Mark Harris, City Council, North Gem Cheer, Caribou Medical Center, Bayer, Bancroft Humanitarian, Advantage Plus, and Guardian Realty, the parade also saw entries from less common sources.  The Class of 1974 was one such float, honoring the memories of Kirk Larsen, Gary Welch, Date Yost, and Maggi Obrien, all of whom passed too young.   Nu Holsten Ranch, the Water Car’s Max Ellis Toolie, Hyde-A-Way Wagons, and RMSHA 2023 Junior Points Champion Roper Spencer all made entertaining entrances.  A handcart crew lugged their eponymous conveyance around the square, and the young men of Bancroft were called out for their allegedly wild hair. The Joseph Glen Hogan Mail truck made an appearance, as did Bryant and Donna Smith, celebrating 60 amazing years together.  The parade was overseen by Grand Marshal Craig Wilker, and lent distinction by the Distinguished Young Women of Caribou County, who greeted the crowd.

The Bancroft Rodeo (results in a separate story) filled the afternoon on Pioneer Day, as folks from close to home and farther afield descended on Bancroft for one of the oldest and most venerated rodeos in the region.  Action was heavy, but the weather for once cooperated and kept things much cooler than they could have been.  In attendance was the family of Chance Dimick, a local rodeo rider who was recently injured.  A Venmo account has been set up for him as well, and further information will be forthcoming in a later edition.

Kids’ races at the football field are something that everyone can enjoy.  While a holiday race in the mid-90s seems like a good time to take it a bit easy, the competitors in Bancroft poured it on, leaving nothing on the field other than some sweat and a few scattered knee scrapings.  As parents cheered them on, the kids from the youngest to the most competitive made for quite a sight as they chased their own personal gold.

Vendors set up near the Trading Post downtown, offering a wide variety of items, from jewelry and books, to food and treats.  The Trading Post itself was open for the day, as it has been on recent Pioneer Days.  Not only were people able to grab a seat, get some food, play a few games of pool, and chat out of the heat, but they were also able to see the progress that Mike Ackerman and a crew from Coburn Customs have been making.  Owing to Mike’s work schedule and other obligations, the remodeling process has been a long and slow one, but a tour inside makes it clear that the dream is within reach.  Ackerman hopes to have the Trading Post open for daily use before the end of the year, and that prospect seems absolutely achievable in its current state of completion.

 Trenton Dexter with Coburn Customs in Grace agrees.  “I started this as just a job, but now it’s a lot more than just a jobsite to me,” he says.  “This is the fourth year, and I think we’re getting really close.”  According to their current estimates, the company and Mike believe that they in fact may be done by the time school starts this fall, though no one is being held to that.

In addition to the vendors, the families of Hayden Frandsen and Bryan Egley were raising funds to send the two to Italy on an agricultural tour to see farming practices in that country with a group associated with the FFA.  @Alice-Egley is the Venmo account that was posted for the fundraising.  Tickets for a quilt raffle were also for sale.

As the afternoon wore on, anticipation for the Hatch Band and Dance picked up, and the evening found the streets full of dance and music, which continued until well into the night when the fireworks took over, bringing another memorable Pioneer Day in Caribou County to a close.

Bancroft may not be a huge town, but it certainly knows how to put on a good celebration, and its pioneer roots are on clear display from pre-dawn to the last ember of fireworks.