“Blast from the Past”
East Segment Hosts 4th of July Community Celebration
“A Blast from the Past” provided great opportunities for everyone to get some physical activity in, such as volleyball games.
Story and photos by Anne Morsette
The weather this past week made the July 4th holiday season all the merrier. June ended the month in cool temperatures with wind and rain, but July has brought on a massive heat wave with little to no wind on some days. Usually, this weather would be very ideal for July 4th, however the year has been dryer than usual and a drought is occurring throughout much of the state. The east segment community planned accordingly and with the help of local entities such as White Shield community Ambulance, the McLean County Sherriff’s office, and adherence to TAT’s Fire Index, a “Blast from the Past” community fun day was orchestrated in White Shield.
Tug-of-war was probably the most memorable event for everyone at the 4th of July Celebration. The event provided for some great laughs and comradery between family and friends.
The kids enjoyed the bouncy houses! Chassidy Mongram was one of the smallest children in there but she had a great time playing the older kids.
On Wednesday June 30th, the community held their 4th of July celebration at the powwow grounds and the activities took place behind the recreation building. It was a fun filled day for the whole family! There was music being played by local DJ Jay Standish; a “kids’ corner” with bouncy houses, basketball hoop/slide, and water games to cool off; Bingo for the elders at the complex where it was nice and cool; and horseshoes and cornhole took place on the north side of the field throughout the entire day. Free snow cones, popcorn, and homemade cotton candy were made to order for everyone in attendance. Those who wanted to participate in the contest games registered in teams for volleyball, egg tossing, texting contest, war hooping, tongue rattling, and tug-of-war. Guests signed up for door prizes and held on to their tickets until the drawing which took place in the evening. Cookout meals of hamburgers, hotdogs, and macaroni/potato salads were served throughout the day. Ice cold water was readily available throughout the entire event and placed in coolers that were readily accessible.
“Bobbing for apples” and “fishing” were some of the more popular activities for the younger children. The water allowed them to cool off under a shade.
Wayne Fox, Elijah Everett, Chasmin Yellowbird, and Holly Price play for separate teams during a corn hole tournament.
Friends, family, and the entire community came together once more to enjoy a day of games, food, and fun with each other. The kids had a great time together, and the adults enjoyed time visiting and laughing as well. Last year’s festivities were put to a halt due to the pandemic, however this year East Segment came back full force with all the doings to make for a fun, memorable, but safe 4th of July holiday weekend. The heat, which reached temperatures as high as 91 degrees, didn’t hold anyone back. All ages came and enjoyed the day’s festivities. Shade with seating was also provided, and one could find a shady tree to sit under as well. Councilman Fred Fox gave a community update and began drawing for door prizes around 6:30pm. Prizes included brand new household items such as vacuums, blenders, an air fryer oven, 65-inch tv’s; outdoor activity items such as paddle boards, tent and cot bundle; and electronics such as laptops, iPads, and portable Bluetooth speakers and more! The big winning ticket item was a “four-wheeler”, which White Shield Warrior Oscar Felix won!
After the drawings, more food was grilled out and served. Some of the visitors left, but many stayed to play more horseshoes, tug-of-war, or get in on the texting and war hooping contests. The biggest spectacle was the tug-of-war. People gathered to watch and have fun for the rest of the evening in the field next to the powwow grounds. As the sun start setting, workers prepared for the firework display. Professional fire dancers provided some fun and exciting entertainment also. Just after dusk, a bright, colorful, and echoing firework display ended the day’s festivities. Family and friends enjoyed the spectacle while taking pictures and videos to share. There had been a lot of uncertainty surrounding the upcoming days’ fire index for the holiday weekend. If it was deemed unsafe, firework and burn bans were been put in place for fire safety however White Shield’s “Blast from the Past” did not fall under that fire index category on June 30th and everyone was able to enjoy the show while adhering to the community safety procedures.
The community 4th of July celebration was fun for all and a lot of new memories were made this year. Since such an event could not take place last year during the pandemic, it’s almost as if this year made up for that. True summer weather, food, games, door prizes and precious family time made for a great pre-July 4th celebration, especially during a time of uncertainty surrounding the firework and burn bans. The next couple days on, a firework and burn ban was put in place due to high temperatures, dry conditions, and wind gusts in the Ft. Berthold area. It’s a good thing White Shield’s celebration happened when it did. Everyone got to spend time together and enjoy the firework display. It also got everyone in the holiday spirit for the three-day weekend that was ahead of them.
East segment Councilman Fred Fox drew tickets out of a bucket for random door prizes while local DJ Jay Standish holds the bucket of tickets for him.
