The Idaho Town That Literally Radiates Light

John Evans was Governor and Ronald Reagan was President.  Return of the Jedi was a popular film.  Every Breath You Take was the top song.  It’s about the time some folks in Arco, Idaho had an idea for celebrating their communities claim to fame.  Which you can see in the photograph above.  The power came out of experiments at nearby Atomic City, which is now mostly a ghost town.  The entire area would come to be dominated by Idaho National Laboratory.

The Atomic Days parade is brief.  One year I dashed into a store and grabbed one small item.  I nearly missed the procession.  While the parade is small, it’s just one portion of a much larger two-day event, which includes a foot race, assorted games, and a rodeo.  The latter celebrates an even older heritage in Idaho.

Events get started on Friday, July 14^th.  The parade is the next day.  You can see more details on Facebook.  There are two methods to get there from Twin Falls.  Drive north on Route 93/75 to Shoshone.  Cross the railroad tracks and hang a right on Route 26.  The trip should take less than two hours.  If you don’t mind an extra 10 minutes on the road, keep going north on Route 75 in the direction of Bellevue.  When you reach the intersection of Route 20, hang a right to Carey, where you can then catch Route 26.

Oh, and when in Arco, you’ve got to stop and admire the work of decades of graduating high school seniors.  For those of us who don’t like heights, it demands some respect!