Hailey 4th of July

The 4th of July was a whirlwind of good old-fashioned western fun. The day began with the Hailey Old West Shootout in downtown Hailey.  This involves a sheriff, some “bad guys”, Indians, bible pushers, and whores.  Seriously. Which, apparently, is an accurate representation of the Wood River Valley at it’s inception. While there is still a lot of gun-toting here, the clientele has certainly changed.

After the shootout was the 4th of July Parade.  The 4th of July in Hailey is a really big deal, it’s said to attract tourists in the thousands. There were certainly a lot of people packed in the streets with the beautiful weather.

Lunch at the Wicked Spud was next, followed by an afternoon of watching the Hailey Criterium.  A criterium, or crit, is a short course road cycling race usually held on city streets. There are many different groups of participants, but I was most interested to watch the Elite category, who raced last.  The field included at least one Olympic Time Trial cyclist who now calls the Wood River Valley home.  It was an exciting race to watch, because the two leaders actually lapped the field, which is a relatively rare occasion.  Usually, when a racer gets lapped by the leaders, they are out of the race.  But apparently you can’t disqualify the whole field. It was spectacular to watch.

The day ended at the Days of the Old West Rodeo at the Hailey Rodeo Grounds, but that deserves it’s own blog post.  Below are a few images from my 4th!