Crowds Gathered For A Hamilton Weekend

If you couldn't find something to do in Hamilton this past weekend, you weren't looking. Major events combined to bring the people out, even though the skies were smokier than normal for this time of year.

At the Daly Days celebration in downtown Hamilton, the biggest crowd was again for the annual Daly Days Wiener Dog Races. They also had a race for those little chihuahuas, too. The races were sandwiched between the adult musical chairs competition, where the grand prize was a beautiful new recliner from Bitterroot Furniture. No one was injured in the pushing and shoving, and the new Mini-Triathon, where kids used the same course as the dogs to ride small bikes, spin around with a baseball bat and "swim" on a skateboard (photo below). The first block of Main Street was filled with shiny cars in the Bitterrodders Daly Days Car Show.

During the same time, the Daly Mansion was celebrating the Marcus and Margaret Daly legacy that created the town during the era of Montana's Copper Kings. Brought out for the first since they were restored were two horse-drawn Daly carriages (photo above). The response from people wanting a ride extended the rides through the morning well into the afternoon.

And the afternoon at the mansion grounds was where the annual Bitterroot Brew Fest was held (photo below). Under the trees, groups of people met and sampled local and national brews, while music was provided at the front of the Daly Mansion. The fun wrapped up officially at 8 p.m.

But that wasn't all. The parking lots were full at the Ravalli County Fairgrounds where a full day of rodeo action brought out the cowgirls and cowboys from around the state with a few bulls and broncs, too. Next week, Stevensville gets the attention with Creamery Picnic.