Celebrating Saco

Chilly weather threatened to dampen spirits at the 2015 Saco Fun Days festivities on Sept. 5. By the 11 a.m. start of the annual parade along Hwy 2 however, a full day and night of celebration was in full swing.

As a small but enthusiastic group of firefighters, EMTs, schoolkids, musical performers and area residents marched and drove through downtown Saco, the mood was chipper and plans were already in the works to bring the evening's street dance indoors.

Among the paraders, Zora and Linden Holt stood out in period costume, driving a tractor complete with a sign on the back which read, "No Wild Bison." The children's parents and grandparents were in attendance.

Also noteworthy were members of the Malta Shriners, Dave Pippin and his nephew (and master of ceremonies) Chris, and Hinsdale worthy Sherman Lacock driving one of the handsome tractors he's fond of restoring. Saco and Hinsdale residents lined the streets and according to Heidi Pippin, organizers ran out of fundraiser buttons at the Pay-N-Save. People were into it.

A certain amount of mystery surrounds the quiet town. Many travelers and residents of neighboring communities know Saco as little more than a tiny stop along the Hi-Line with grain towers and ag equipment. And yet, it's also home to the historic Chet Huntley School, a saloon with at least one bullet hole in the ceiling, and a quote misattributed to Oliver Wendell Holmes painted on the side of a house at the west end of town. The quotation reads: "I would live in a house by the side of the road and be a friend to man." The line is actually from a Sam Walter Foss poem. It could be Saco's motto.

Later in the evening-after a free barbecue and other amusements-a mixed crowd of young ranch hands, new teachers and their elders and betters took to dancing and kicking up dust inside the Old Brand Saloon. Chris Pippin held court as DJ in the front corner of the room. Pretty smiles flashed and drinks-fueled revealers marked the occasion with gusto.

First-year Saco teacher Leah Minnerath upped the ante with spins and dips on the dance floor while fellow instructors Chelsea and Josie Quinones cheered her on. The latter couple (married in July) are also enjoying their first years as educators in Saco and Hinsdale respectively.

Minnerath's tale is just one of several new generations contributing to Saco's future. Having grown up in the area, she described her decision to stick close to home in simple terms: "I like the town," she said emphatically. "I really like the area and my family and friends are here. I'm not a city girl."

Chelsea and Josie are offering private lessons in voice and beginning guitar on top of their classroom responsibilities, the former following in the footsteps of the previous Saco music teacher, Amanda Rohlman. Josie has also been active in the Boy Scouts of America at the state level and plans to make himself available locally in the future.

Civic spirit and pride of place seem to be alive and well in Saco. If the latest crop of energetic young people is any indication, the community's future is in good hands.