BY KAREN BOSSICK

Ketchum’s annual Wagon Days celebration received the prestigious Esto Perpetua Award from the Idaho State Historical Society this week.

The award, named for Idaho’s state motto “Let it be perpetual,” recognizes individuals and organizations dedicated to preserving the stories, places and traditions that define the Gem State.

This particular award honors the region’s mining legacy and pioneering spirit preserved through Ketchum’s nationally recognized Big Hitch Parade with its museum-quality stagecoaches, freight wagons, and carriages. It also acknowledges Wagon Days’ full lineup of cultural programming that includes talks about the history of mining in the area, an afternoon of cowboy poetry, Sun Valley history bus tours, horsemanship demonstrations, Shoshone-Bannock dancing, close-up looks at the Lewis Ore Wagons that ferried silver and ore and a street dance featuring country western music.

“Wagon Days is one of Ketchum’s most treasured traditions,” said Ketchum Mayor Pete Prekeges. “It’s a unique opportunity for our community and visitors to come together and experience the history, culture, and spirit that define this valley.”

This year’s Wagon Days celebration, held Sept. 4 and 5 over Labor Day Weekend, will feature the Big Hitch Parade at 1 p.m. Saturday.

That will be followed by a Wagon Days Street Party at Ketchum Town Square featuring Susie Brown, a Billboard Top-15 hit songwriter and recording artist, who has shared the stage with such notables as Blake Shelton, Brad Paisley, Rascal Flatts and Carrie Underwood.

Originally from Alpine, Utah, she began playing fiddle at 4 and went on to master multiple instruments, including guitar, mandolin, ukulele, accordion and bass before achieving national prominence as the lead singer of The JaneDear Girls on their breakout hit “Wildflower.”

Reserved seating for the Big Hitch parade along Main Street near Sun Valley Road is now available for $30 a seat at https://www.wagondays.com/.

The 116th Cavalry Brigade Combat Team became the first unit in the National Guard to transition from its armor unit to the new infantry squad vehicle.

It’s a transition spearheaded by the Army and new technology to get rid of the Abrams tank, Bradleys, and Paladins in favor of an off-road vehicle that can carry troops and equipment while also being light enough to be dropped out of a plane.

WATCH | See some incredible footage of the Abrams tank in action—

Idaho National Guard trades in tanks for modern war vehicles

“The idea behind this is to be quick and fast up to a line of departure where they would get out, and then the infantry would get to their objective,” explained Col. Jason Gracida.

The 116th has been a heavy armor unit since 1949. Col. Gracida became an armor officer in 2002 and deployed as part of Operation Enduring Freedom as one of the only tank companies in Iraq.

“I like to hold that near and dear to my heart,” said Gracida. “Knowing armor my whole career as an officer, it is kind of sad to see the tanks go, but I think this is helping us adapt to a faster, lighter, and more modernized military.”

The Idaho National Guard welcomed the public to the Warhawk Air Museum on Saturday as a farewell to the tanks and up-armored vehicles, and they got to check out the new infantry squad vehicle.

“This is a great experience my son has been in the Idaho National Guard, and we drove over from Idaho Falls,” said Don Dahl. “A few years ago, my son had the opportunity to be on deployment in this tank serving his country, so to actually come and see the vehicle that he was in during deployment was an opportunity for us.”

It’s the end of an era, as the tank used to be one of the deadliest weapons on the battlefield, but that battlefield has changed over the years with the addition of technology, drones, and long-range missiles.

It’s a tough transition for me to see, as I used to be a tanker from 2010 to 2013, and being inside the Abrams when it fires the main gun is an experience like no other, something Col. Gracida knows as well.

“The first time I ever fired that 120 cannon, there is nothing like it,” said Col. Gracida. “The firepower and the ability to reach out and touch your enemy at 3,500 meters. I always tell everybody it is the best job in the world.”

The 116th will keep its cavalry lineage that dates back to 1920. The 116th has fought in every major American conflict since, but now it will be a light infantry unit known as a mobile brigade combat team.

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