Wild West Days Offers Plenty Of Fun

Poplar is the place to be this weekend as parades, rodeos and a horseshoe tournament are all part of Wild West Days from Thursday, June 11, through Sunday, June 14.

Parades are scheduled to start at 11 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday. This year’s theme is “Dazed and Confused.”

Rodeo action is set to being on 1 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday at the Poplar Saddle Club. After a NRA rodeo on Saturday, a ranch rodeo is planned for Sunday.

Activities on Saturday also include a community rummage sale from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the bank’s parking lot, and a community pie social from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Catholic church will all proceeds going to the Poplar Volunteer Fire Department. A ping pong drop is scheduled after the parade west of the bank.

There will be a mechanical bull challenge at 5:30 p.m., a live poker game will begin at 6 p.m. and live music with Mars Daniels at the American Legion Club at 8 p.m. A street dance begins at 9 p.m. with DJ Darren.

Cornhole tourneys will start at 6 p.m. Friday along with 5 p.m. for youth and 6 p.m. for adults on Saturday.

Fun on Friday will include a horseshoe tournament with registration at 3 p.m. and start time of 4 p.m.

Tug of war for youngsters is scheduled to start at 5:30 p.m. on Friday. There is a limit of eight teams for each of the 10 categories.

The list of events for Friday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. includes inflatables, pony rides, wild wacky hair and a petting zoo. The Small Steps Dance Show is scheduled at 3 p.m. The Poplar Volunteer Fire Department will provide entertainment at a dunk tank.

Fort Buford State Historic Site near Williston, N.D., will host a 160th Anniversary Celebration marking the establishment of Fort Buford.

Enjoy a full day of immersive, hands-on experiences Monday, June 15, from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Explore the sights, sounds, and skills of life on the northern Plains in the 1800s while engaging with interactive stations and demonstrations across the parade grounds at this free event.

Fort Buford State Historic Site was one of several military posts established to protect overland and river routes used by immigrants settling the West. It operated from 1866 to 1895 and is probably best known as the place where Hunkpapa Lakota leader Sitting Bull relinquished his rifle to the U.S. government in 1881.

Featured activities throughout the day include: Wet Plate Photography Demonstration. Learn about the historical wet plate collodion process with photographer Shane Balkowitsch, noon to 1:30 p.m.

Young Recruit Station:

Enlistment Papers and Frontier Passport Book. Young visitors can enlist and carry a frontier passport booklet to collect stamps and experiences throughout the day.

Adobe Brickmaking Demonstrations and Hands-On Participation. See how early structures were built and try your hand at forming your own adobe brick.

Telegraph and Morse Code Station. Send and receive messages using the communication technology that connected frontier posts.

Army Life: Then & Now. Use a comparison table to explore daily life for soldiers in the 1860s and today.

Frontier Games and Croquet on the Parade Grounds.

Try historical games that soldiers and families enjoyed at the fort.

Tin Punch Lantern Activity.

Create your own decorative lantern inspired by

19th-century designs.

Mini Talks: “Fort Buford: Why Here?” Discover why this location was chosen and how it shaped regional history, 10 a.m., noon, and 3 p.m.

Guests are invited to bring a blanket and picnic lunch to enjoy on the parade grounds. Light refreshments and lemonade will be available throughout the day.

This event is part of the ND250 commemoration celebrating our country’s 250th birthday. Fort Buford State Historic Site and the Missouri- Yellowstone Confluence Interpretive Center are managed by the State Historical Society of North Dakota.