July 4, 2012
Celebrating the 4th — and 3rd — Stone Bank way
Happy Independence Day from the Stone Bank
How about some news from 1899 — as one newspaper editor urged the city’s founders to plan a celebration?
From the June 9, 1899, Bottineau News — a call to action!
From the same day’s newspaper a paragraph below:
A week later — ACTION. From the June 16, 1899, Bottineau News — the town founders appoint a committee.
(Funny how little things change, eh?)
Now, can anyone tell me — without looking it up — what the heck is a Calathumpian parade?
Well, it looks like they got organized and had a July 4th celebration in 1899.
Just over a year later, in July 1900, work began on the “fine stone building” we now call the Stone Bank.
In 2012, a splendid and well-attended July 3 fireworks display drew a good crowd to nearby Lake Metigoshe, straddling the U.S.-Canadian border. Perhaps 100 or more speedboats and pontoons floated in the bay, and hundreds more gathered along the shoreline to watch the bombs bursting in air over Masonic Island. The night was sultry. and a full moon rose behind a thin veil of clouds to watch over the event.
Can’t tell you why the 4th is celebrated on the 3rd here. I suspect it has something to do with the annual Skinautiques waterskiing show at Lake Metigoshe being scheduled for last night — but that’s just a guess. The Stone Bank blogger’s b.f. said he overheard a girl of about 5 quizzing her mother about this very topic. “Why do we have fireworks on July 3rd for the 4th of July?” the girl asked between oohs and aahs. “Because then families can celebrate together on the 4th,” the mom said. “Aren’t we a family?” the girl said, looking over at her dad and brother. “Of course,” mom said. “Well, I wish we could cell-a-bate tonight, because I like these fireworks!”
Wherever you and your family are, and however you celebrate, have a happy and safe 4th of July!
stonebankblog 
tuxedofiles said,
July 4, 2012 at 11:39 pm
Alright, this had me scrambling to find out what “calathumpian” means. In case anyone wants to know check WikipediaWikipedia.
tuxedofiles said,
July 4, 2012 at 11:41 pm
Sorry about the repeat. Didn’t scrub the html coding thoroughly. Sort of makes my comment calathumpian, in a sense.
Sharon S said,
July 5, 2012 at 1:19 am
You know, it just seems so strange for Bottineau — but those were different times. Thanks for the research!