Laurel’s 100th Birthday Festivities This Week

Courtesy of The Laurel Outlook

        Laurel’s Centennial Days are August 8-9. Laurel was established by the Yellowstone County Board of Commissioners on 08-08-08, Aug. 8, 1908.
On Friday, Aug. 8, you’ll want to get a special hand-stamped commemorative postal cancellation at the U.S. Post Office located on First Avenue of the specially designed Laurel Centennial Post Card. 

        Gay Easton’s book containing photographs of historic Laurel Buildings is now available at Jan’s IGA, Price Pharmacy, City Hall and the Laurel Chamber of Commerce. Because of interest in the book, Centennial Committee member Jean Carroll Thompson, worked with both tour companies and Montana Rail Link to establish a tour, based on locations from The Centennial.

        Montana Fun Adventures will conduct tours on Aug. 8, from 1-6 p.m. and on Aug. 9, from noon until 5 p.m. The tours will start at the old railway station platform on East Main Street (across from the Laurel Outlook), review some of the downtown businesses then end at a private tour of one of the homes featured in The Centennial.

        Montana Rail Link will give people a glimpse of what it would have been like to travel by rail 100 years ago. They will have an old passenger car on display across from the Outlook. “We’re really excited to have this attraction as part of our Centennial celebrations,” Lynda Frost with MRL said. The car will be open for tours both days.

        The tours will last between 60 and 90 minutes and cost $10. There will be a Senior Citizen discount of $5 for people 62 and older. The tour buses seat a maximum of 13 riders, will be air conditioned and have wide view windows. There will be live narration throughout the bus tour. 

        In addition to the bus tours on Aug. 8 and 9, there will be a festival in the Town Square on Aug. 8, from 10 a.m. to
5 p.m. with games and local vendors. That evening there
will be a barbecue hosted by the Mayor and City Council.
It begins at 5 p.m., and continues until 7:30 p.m. Free Pepsi, hamburgers and hot dogs will be served by former and current city officials.

        At 7 p.m., the birthday celebrations will begin, culminating in free birthday cake for everyone who attends and a fireworks display

        A parade is planned Saturday, Aug. 9, starting at 10 a.m., with two planes doing a fly over at 9:45 a.m. A special treat in the parade will be the Budweiser Clydesdales pulling an old beer wagon. The Centennial activities will conclude with the
7 p.m. performance of Odyssey West at Riverside Park by Rob Quist and Jack Gladstone. Tickets are available at the Laurel Chamber of Commerce, 1st and Main.

        A shuttle bus will run between Riverside Park and the Laurel High School parking lot. Those attending the concert are encouraged to park at the high school and ride the shuttle to the park. The Big Sky Choir will perform at the park from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.

        There will be a beer garden/food booth in Riverside Park Saturday night from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m.