Big time small town fun at Gold Dust Days

Published 12:00 am Wednesday, May 31, 2023

Beneath the shade of old trees outside the Gold Hill library, Lori Hettman was flipping through a large three-ring binder. With fluorescent-yellow sticky notes protruding in several places, the binder contained the carefully arranged but still evolving details for this year’s Gold Dust Days Heritage Celebration. 

“Imagine this place transformed,” Hettman said, gesturing across the grass toward the library.

The Saturday, June 3, event is all in her mind’s eye, from the library down to the end of the main street of the little town, from the old car show, the motorcycle show, the shaved ice and the fiber arts enthusiasts. It runs from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., with a breakfast that begins at 7 a.m.

Hettman’s been measuring sections of street and analyzing from the satellite view of Google Maps to make sure everything fits together, she said. Even the outliers turning in forms late or asking to move spots don’t escape her visualizing — like the princesses of Enchanted Experiences who have asked to move into the shade of the trees.

“Of course they want to be in the trees. It’s enchanting,” Hettman said with a smile.

The mainstay parade will begin at 10 a.m. with the national anthem, sung by local Shawna Scallon, a former Marine who used to sing the anthem in the service. At the head of the parade, local Sadie Bentencourt — a champion barrel rider —will be riding her horse and carrying the American flag, Hettman said.

The event will feature live music from the band Calamity Jane, and the marching bands from Scenic and Hanby middle schools will play in the parade. At the end of the parade, band students will be rewarded with a slice of pizza from Figaro’s, as is tradition, she said. The local chapter of Odd Fellows will also be serving breakfast at 7 a.m., and from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Miss Annie and her puppet show and face painting will be available for kids.

Hettman’s co-organizer, Lila Farney, beamed with pride to say her son will be in the event with his Gold Valley Little League team. But her face took on a mischievous glint to think of the dunk tank set up for the coaches.

“I’m so excited to see who gets dunked,” she said.

Gold Dust Days is a celebration of heritage and a chance for people to come together, Hettman said.

“It’s a chance for this town to shine. To celebrate its heritage, whether it’s gold panning, or Indian heritage or just the train tracks running through,” she said.

As part of the event, the Gold Hill Historical Society will have its doors open, a relatively rare occurrence now as the organization is fending off graying out and struggling to keep regular hours, she said.

Arabella Belle’s Victorian Circus will be performing its aerial arts. Model-T’s and “rat rods” will crawl in the parade. Local food carts like Dragon Express and Willy’s Burgers will be operating, while some are coming in from out of town like Crum’s Walking Taco and Lil’ Monster Donuts.

The Illinois Valley Lion’s club will be raffling off a motorcycle, while the Eagle Point Lions will collect old eyeglasses and hearing aids for charity.

When asked about the heritage of the Gold Dust Days festival itself, Hettman did the math through her memories.

“My daughter’s 32. We were in it when my dad was still alive, and she was probably 4 or 5. My dad was driving an old taxi cab in it then, you know the wind-up kind? Personally, I’ve been involved with it for 20-something years,” she said.

When organizing the annual event was handed over to Hettman in 2017, it was flagging. The Gold Dust Historical Society members were beginning to age, and the society began to lose momentum, she said. As a member of both the society and Gold Hill Community Development Organization, known as CanDO, Hettman said organizing the festival “kind of morphed over to me.” CanDO now helps sponsor the event. COVID-19 prevented the celebration for a couple of years. But last year, the tradition began again.

“We need more young people to start getting involved in rural towns and things like this,” Farney said.

She started volunteering alongside Hettman last year, she said. Aside from her passion to take up the torch for the next generation, she also believes this kind of volunteer work is a good way to learn community organizing and build relationships, all useful skills for her future career in social work. It’s also a good way to get to know everybody, even in a town with a population less than North Medford High School’s enrollment of 1,703. The whole zip code around Gold Hill comes out for Gold Dust Days, Farney said.

She and her husband, Jim, will have a booth at the event for their small business, Motives Metal Works. Events like this can be a main source of revenue for makers and artisans, she said. Next to Farney and her husband, their friend and neighbor has his booth, Sticks N’ Stones.

“His specialty is sticks and stones. Really, he’s a character. He’s just a wealth of knowledge about rocks, minerals, the hills around here,” Farney said.

“And he looks like an old miner!” Hettman interjected with a laugh, miming a long beard from her own chin.

If there’s a time to come and see Gold Hill, this event is the moment, Farney said. The Little League teams and the elementary school’s Dr. Seuss Day use the event for support as much as the local artisans. Many of the little “cottage” producers off the main street and creators normally out of the public eye come out to display their creativity, Hettman said.

“Smaller towns need to be noticed for their efforts in trying to retain a small community,” she said.

To learn more about Gold Dust Days, find Gold Hill’s Gold Dust Day Heritage Celebration and Parade on Facebook.