Smeltermen's Day Revival

Here's a blast from the past, right from the pages of this very newspaper – the Friday, Aug. 7, 1981 edition of the Anaconda Leader, where the Community Page promoted the return of Smeltermen's Day the year after the smelter's closure. The original article, which includes this photo of kids and families celebrating at a previous year's Smeltermen's Day, states that "Anacondans will be treated to a day of fun and entertainment Saturday, August 8, due to the efforts of Jim Moses, the Smeltermen's Union and community donations. Smeltermen's Day has returned to Anaconda!" The article states that the day would begin with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at "the new Chamber of Commerce location, previously the Visitor's Center at the east gate of the Anaconda Co." The festivities included slide shows and bus tours, then the parade from Park and Main to Kennedy Common "where trophies will be given for winning participants. Miss SnoFest Laurie Nelson and Anaconda's believed-to-be-oldest native citizen, John Johnson, will be grand marshals for the day." The festivities concluded with the "Old Timers-American Legion" game at Washoe Park. Leader file photo courtesy of Jim Moses.