Rathdrum Days

Rathdrum Days begins on a Friday evening in Majestic Park. In 2026 that Friday fell on July 17, and the Rathdrum Area Chamber of Commerce, which runs the celebration, billed the evening as “Majestic Nights.” Food vendors and a Kid Zone opened at 5:30 p.m. The Kid Zone offered bounce houses, a dunk tank, games and fire-safety activities, and all of it was free. From 6 to 9:30 p.m. there was a beer garden and live music from Sammy Eubanks, an Idaho-based rock and blues performer. Pets are kept out of the park except in its designated dog park. After the park closed, an after party ran at Kelsey’s Bar on Highway 53 from 9:30 p.m. to midnight.

The chamber expected about 5,000 people over the 2026 weekend. “Which, for our small town, is good,” executive director Ariel Reed told the Coeur d’Alene Press.

Main Street at ten o’clock

The Saturday opens with the Community Parade at 10 a.m. According to the Press, it runs down Main Street from Washington Avenue to Coeur d’Alene Street. Reed puts the crowd along the route at 500 to 750 people. Parking is limited, and she points visitors to the city lot by the Rathdrum/Westwood Historical Society on Second Street or to the side streets. “Get there early,” Reed said. Nothing is thrown from the entries. Candy is handed out by people walking alongside. Entries with sirens, horns or loud music are placed away from the animals so they do not startle them.

The 2026 theme was “All American Summer,” set in honor of the nation’s 250th anniversary earlier that month. “Not only does it celebrate America’s 250th but it really celebrates the vibe of our town,” Reed said. The grand marshal was Eric Singer, director of Rathdrum Parks and Recreation, who was marking 20 years of work for the town. He graduated from Lakeland High School in 1996, and his family’s roots in the area go back to the early 1900s. Many locals know the Singer Ranch subdivision on Highway 53. “I feel honored and privileged,” Singer said. “I was born and raised in Rathdrum. It’s nice to be recognized as the grand marshal.” Reed called him the “go-to guy for so many people in our community.”

Wildfire smoke had lain over the region in the days before. It cleared on the morning of July 18, 2026, and left a bluebird day that reached 88 degrees. Hundreds of people lined both sides of Main Street to watch 42 entries pass under fluttering American flags.

Local firefighters sprayed water from their truck over the children in the street. Rathdrum police officer James Boni rode on the back of a 1953 American LaFrance Foamite fire truck owned by the Hauser Lake Fire District. “Cops are allowed to have dreams too, right?” he said.

Carter Casidy of the Idaho Central Credit Union drove a 1970 Ford G100. The model was often used to deliver mail, and this one carried a 6-liter V8 Corvette LS2 engine of 400 horsepower. Casidy said the engine swap was his marketing director’s idea. “It’s fun,” he said, and revved it.

Lance Cox, owner of Bell Tower Funeral Home and Crematory in Post Falls, brought a replica of a motorless 19th-century hearse. “It’s a little different than a celebratory fashion,” he said. “But it matches the old style of Rathdrum.”

Veterans rode motorcycles down the street. The North Idaho Saddle Mule Club drove a wagon, and riders came on mules named Sheriff and Slick. Stahley Overmeyer, 10, trick-rode Slick. The Albeni Falls Pipes and Drums of North Idaho played bagpipes, and Masher the Potato traded high-fives with children. Lakeland’s “Mini Hawk” cheer program marched, along with the high school’s varsity football players in their jerseys. The Press listed Rathdrum American Legion Post 154 among the entries, and Lakeland Jr. Tackle Football expected about 40 to 50 children to walk.

Miss Northern Idaho’s Teen, Pyper White of Post Falls, waved from the moon roof of a Jeep. “It’s a beautiful day out, and it’s a privilege to be here,” she said.

Along the curb, Jacinta Raymond watched with her son Zealand. In April his dirt bike had been stolen from their Post Falls home. It had belonged to his late father, Trevor Nerdrum. Northwest Guardian Riders, a Rathdrum-based nonprofit that supports veterans and the local community, raised the money to buy Zealand a 2013 KTM. “That’s how we roll in Idaho,” said Steve Cardoza, a member of the group.

Family Fun Day at Lakeland High School

After the parade, the crowd moves to Lakeland High School at 7006 W. Highway 53 for Family Fun Day. No alcohol, smoking, tobacco or vaping is allowed on school grounds. A pickleball tournament there had started at 7:30 a.m. The vendor and food fair opened at 9:30 a.m. and in 2026 had 135 vendors and 19 food trucks. From 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. the car show lined up classic cars, custom builds, hot rods and trucks. The free Kid Zone ran from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

At 1:45 p.m. the parade’s winners received their ribbons at the Main Stage. A chamber post listed Gil Redis playing at the high school from 1 to 3 p.m. on July 18. The McDonald’s Big Wheel Races followed from 2 to 3 p.m., then a watermelon eating contest at 3 p.m. and the Doggie Dash from 3 to 4:30 p.m. Live music ran without a break from 4 to 7 p.m., including My Own Worst Enemy from 4 to 6 p.m.

A calling contest in 1999

The Press traces the festival back to the 1950s. FYI North Idaho, a regional guide, describes it as the town celebrating its heritage in mid-July with three days of activities, including a parade, a car show, Wiener Dog races, lawnmower races, music, and craft and food vendors at the park. The chamber’s 2026 program ran two days.

On July 17, 1999, the Spokesman-Review called Rathdrum Days “the annual, old-fashioned community celebration.” The Rathdrum Chamber of Commerce sponsored it then too. That year the parade moved to Main Street, a new location, stepping off at 11 a.m. and ending at the high school. Debbie Waddell was grand marshal. Jim Ochenkoski, the festival chairman and the chamber’s first vice president, said organizers were adding activities. “We’re trying to make it so that there are things to do for families if they stay all day,” he said.

The 1999 Saturday started with a VFW breakfast at the Lions Club, a Street Hoops contest and the Dashco Dash fun run. The North Idaho Classics Car Show ran from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Jo Teske offered free art projects for children. On stage were the rock and roll band Trip, Rod Erickson playing country and folk, “Soul Kiss” playing ‘60s to ‘90s pop, and Merry-Lee Lewis singing country. Kevin Stroupe gave a juggling demonstration and class. There was a pie eating contest and a children’s show by Ronald McDonald. The Big Wheel Contest, a children’s race, started at 3 p.m. The Silver Spurs International Folk Dancers performed American and ethnic dances. The car show awards came with a raffle drawing for a Polaris Sportsman 500 ATV. The Park Committee closed the day with country, folk and gospel from 6 to 7 p.m. “It’ll be the best Rathdrum Days in recent history,” Ochenkoski said.

At 5:30 p.m. came the Husband and Wife Calling Contest. “Have you ever seen a pig calling contest where they call out soo-ey?” asked Candy Allen, who organized the Saturday events at the high school. “It’ll be like that where they will be judged on how well they call. It should be very entertaining.”

“It’s going to be scripted,” Ochenkoski said. “You’re not just free to call them anything you want.”