Christmas in July

I am always amazed how much time is spent in the preparation for Christmas and how fast the actual day goes by. The 4^th of July is Island Park’s big day, it’s “Christmas”. Months of preparation go into organizing the holiday weekend.

The Chamber of Commerce organized the Sawtelle Stampede. The Boy Scouts spent weeks gathering donated items in preparation for the annual Scout Garage Sale. The Hurds worked hard to wrap up their remodeling of Robin’s Roost and stock their shelves for their first 4^th of July as grocery store owners. Joe got himself a spanking new wrecker. The rebuilding of the Big Springs boat launch road was completed. Lakeside readied for the night’s public fireworks display. The ambulance, fire and law enforcement services were all fully staffed and at the ready for any need that might arise. From Last Chance to Henry’s Lake, businesses throughout the caldera had worked tirelessly to prepare for those visitors who planned to spend their holiday weekend in Island Park.

As the holiday weekend arrived, the line of vehicles driving up Ashton Hill testified that everyone’s work was not in vain. Every available cabin was full of renters or owners. The campgrounds were full and many unimproved camping spots were also crowded. The rivers were fished or floated. The runners ran the race. Everywhere one looked were dust trails created by ATVs. It was as if a multitude of low-hanging jet vapor trails could be seen throughout the forest. Merchants and restaurants worked hard to attend to customers as quickly as possible despite the increased traffic.

Finally, Saturday night arrived and the celebratory fireworks were set off. The occasional strings of firecrackers were lit but the forest made it through another 4^th. Mother Nature put a period on the holiday with a Sunday evening rain, knocking down the dust and letting us know that the weekend had ended.

Just like that, the week that required months of preparation ended and the post-holiday exhaustion kicked in. Unlike Christmas where one has a week to recharge, with a new week brings new visitors to the caldera and the people of Island Park must be on their “A” game.