Wallace goes purple for Huck Fest
Photo by CINDY LIEN Participants of the Huckleberry Festival 5K walk/run line up at the starting line Saturday morning. This year’s overall male winner was John Andrews and the overall female winner was Lauren Bourgard.
Photo by CHANSE WATSON Huck Fest attendees enjoy the sun and check out the many vendor booths set up on Sixth Street. Booths lined both Sixth and Cedar streets.
Photo by CHANSE WATSON Jeep lovers check out the many Jeeps parked near City Hall in downtown Wallace for the first Dave Smith Jeep Fest.
WALLACE — The Silver Valley has a lot to be proud of when it comes to its natural beauty. Miles of undeveloped wilderness offer residents and visitors alike an almost limitless supply of things to do and see.
One of these activities in particular is the processes of searching for and harvesting the sought-after state fruit — the huckleberry.
Found in the higher parts of the surrounding mountains and hills, the huckleberry has become almost as much a part of the Silver Valley’s identity as mining.
This admiration for the small purple berry is exemplified during Wallace’s Annual Huckleberry Festival and 5K Walk/Run.
Put on by the Historic Wallace Marketing Group, the 33rd run of this event was held over Aug. 17-18 and drew quite a crowd.
“We figured we brought in at least 3,000 people into town over the weekend,” Historic Wallace Marketing Group President Cindy Lien said. “The bars and restaurants were packed.”
This year’s Huckleberry Festival provided attendees with a laundry list of activities and events.
On Friday, kids partook in some games held on the Northern Pacific Depot Railroad Museum lawn while adults had the opportunity to peruse the many vendor booths set up downtown. These booths, accompanied by live music, were available both Friday and Saturday.
Saturday morning was when the real fun began as 146 walker/runners took off from the starting line at Fourth and Pine streets for the 5K walk/run.
Improving on last year’s turnout, Lien was overjoyed with the number of participants.
“Last year we had around 80,” she said. “I’ve been the race director for six years and I’ve never seen such a great turnout.”
It was also interesting to note that for the first time, women racers outnumbered male racers by an almost 2-to-1 margin.
The overall male winner of the 5K was John Andrews and the overall female winner was Lauren Bourgard. Finishing times could not be provided.
A few hours after the winners of the 5K were announced, it was time for the Huckleberry Pie Eating Contest. Contestants 12 years old and under dug in and mowed down on their pies to earn what people at Huck Fest think of as a badge of honor — a purple face.
For the second year in a row, Tyler Wuersel took home the first prize.
Also during the day was the Huckleberry Hound Contest, where some of the Silver Valley’s fuzzy friends donned huckleberry themed attire for the purpose of raising money for Shoshone Pet Rescue. Jake, the dog from Idaho Silver/Rayma Shields, ended up with the blue ribbon.
When it came to the question of which Wallace business had the most huckleberry spirit, U.S. Bank took first in the “Celebrate Purple” window display competition.
On top of all the huckleberry-themed fun, the first Dave Smith Motors Jeep Fest was held on Saturday at the east end of Cedar Street. Dave Smith and other Jeep lovers showed off some of their top-of-the-line rigs and helped add to the overall fun of the day.
As it always has, the Huckleberry Festival prides itself on being an event that also gives back to the community. Through events and a 50/50 raffle, this year’s festival raised more than $800 for Shoshone Pet Rescue.
With so much positive news, Lien couldn’t help feeling happy about how the 33rd Huckleberry Festival turned out.
“It was such an awesome family event and we are so grateful to all our volunteers and the folks that participated for making it the largest Huckleberry Festival and 5K in our 33-year history!”