Vale 4th of July!

Every "Small Town, America" claims to host the best 4th of July celebration. But, let's be honest-- there can only be one winner, so I'm here to tell you why there's no where else you should be over Independence Day than my hometown of Vale, Oregon!!!

Rather than celebrating on one day, Vale jam-packs four full days of fun, giving locals and visitors more than just the typical small town celebration elsewhere. Read on!

First, there's the atmosphere. Everyone in town is simply buzzing with pride. Locals proudly show off the town's cute, historic down town, which is filled with shops and restaurants, a museum a block away, and friendly people. You can grab a burger, gravy fries, and a shake at the Starlite Cafe on one end of town for some local grub before peeking into Malheur Drug and Luzetta's Flower Shop for trinkets. And you definitely can't miss the bakery for fresh baked goods. That's just to name a few! Vale also boasts a Dairy Queen for speedy treats, Big "R" Burger, and Chavelita's restaurant with the best Mexican food north of the border (I suggest the shrimp cerviche!) The hot spot for adult only fun after the sun goes down is the Sagebrush Saloon where the owner has a great fenced in "party yard" with fun events like karaoke, pool, beach parties, mechanical bull riding, and more. New to the celebration is a Battle of the Bands competition at the Sagebrush, open to all ages. If you think America's got talent, you should see what Vale has to offer! If it's history you want, look no further. Vale is located on the Oregon Trail so visitors can see actual wagon ruts, visit the historic Stone House Museum, take a walking tour of the nationally recognized Oregon Trail-inspired murals (check out my favorite-- "Beginner's Luck" at Wadleigh Park-- I am in it!), or just grab an older community member for handed down tales of what it was like "way back when." You won't meet an unwelcoming face and everyone is more than willing to show you around their little piece of heaven.

If you're looking for fun and adventure for all ages, Vale has it! There is the more laid back events like the Oregon Trail Days and art in the park where vendors set up shop to sell food and items. Sometimes there is live music, karaoke, quilt shows, an obstacle course, and pie baking contests. If you're a local or an out of towner you won't be disappointed in the community Lions Club breakfast either. It's not just Texas that believes in big portions! For sports fans, there's a fun run and a beautiful 9-hole golf course not too far away (Country View Golf Course.) Bully Creek is a little oasis in the middle of sagebrush and dirt. It's a great place to take a dip and go for a swim, boat, fish, and/or jet ski. Plus, you can camp there, too, for a relatively cheap fee. If swimming in a lake isn't your thing, Vale has a community pool with a water slide and two diving boards. Kids hang out there all summer long-- it's the place to be! There are lots of activities for kids, too, in a town small enough to remain safe for kids to roam freely: stick horse races, sidewalk chalk art competition, a petting zoo, face painting, games in the park, and the parade. The parade is fun for all ages, but really a blast for kids. It's made up of rodeo royalty, old time cars with fancy horns (speaking of old cars, there is an old car show in the park-- usually featuring over 50 cars!), local families and groups, boisterous high schoolers threatening the crowd with water balloons, clowns, Shriners, veterans and military personnel, Smokey the Bear, firemen and engines with sirens blaring, and so much more. Candy galore, too! Make sure you take part in the Duck Race-- you can purchase a plastic duck at any of the local businesses and hope that your duckie is the first to reach the finish line on the Malheur River right outside of town. It's a sight to see hundreds of multi-colored ducks floating down the river!

And for the cowboys, and cowboys at heart, you can't miss the famous Vale Fourth of July rodeo in the Shamrock Arena! In addition to the standard rodeo events, like calf-roping, bull riding, steer wrestling, and barrel racing, Vale boasts one of the nation's handful of Suicide Races where the toughest and craziest horsemen and women run their horses full speed off a hillside, off of cliffs, over slippery pavement, and through a river. This is something you have to see for yourself to truly experience the thrill and excitement of it all. I highly suggest the river bank close to the fence so you can see the best part of the race and feel the wind whip across your face as the  horse thunders past you. Vale also hosts a Wild Cow Milking contest, which is my personal favorite event. My dad won the contest in 1988 and gave me his giant buckle adorned with rubies, gold, and silver. The gist of the event is to rope and milk a cranky mama cow the fastest. Cowboys get tossed around the arena and it's pretty comical.

Some might wonder what my favorite aspect of the celebration is-- and that's easy to answer. It's seeing people who come back year after year to my tiny home town to partake in the activities because they, too, know that Vale hosts the BEST Fourth of July celebration. It's a great time of year to see old friends and family or meet new friends. Now that I am a mother, it is fun to see my friends bring their kids to the events I once loved as a kid, and I know that my kids will also grow up loving their small-town celebration, too. It really is a great place to live and visit any time of the year, but particularly over the Fourth of July.

(This year, I will be celebrating all of the events, as well as my 10 year high school reunion! Yikes! I'm old!)

So, if you don't have plans this July, make a trip to Vale, Oregon to celebrate with us. Or mark your calendars for next summer. I promise you won't be disappointed!