The eighth annual Sawtooth Salmon Festival honors the region's most celebrated resource through history, education and a great time. Sponsored by Idaho Rivers United, the festival will take place at Pioneer Park in Stanley on Saturday, Aug. 25, from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. and on Sunday, Aug. 26, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
On Saturday there will be a Wild Salmon Feast from 5:30 to 9 p.m., which is $10 for adults and $5 for children under 12. There will be live music both days, kids activities, food vendors and regional arts-and-crafts sellers as well as the highly anticipated field trips to the salmon spawning beds. In addition, Native Americans will perform ritual dances dressed in traditional clothing.
"It's grown a little bit every year," said Greg Edson, marketing and administrative coordinator for the Stanley-Sawtooth Chamber of Commerce. "This is the eighth year the chamber has been doing it."
The festival is an opportunity to celebrate salmon and steelhead fish. The festival's main sponsor, Idaho Rivers United, is Idaho's leading river conservation organization. The group works with developers and politicians to find solutions to threats facing the state's rivers.
"The festival is a celebration for the people who live around the Stanley Basin and understand the importance of fish from a historical and modern-day perspective," Edson said. "We need healthy fish."
The highlights of the festival will be musical performances by Ryan Peck, Hatti Moss, Dan Costello and Carter Freeman, as well as the salmon feed on Saturday night. There will also be hands-on children's activities including gyotaku, a traditional form of fish printing.
"If you don't know anything about salmon, Idaho Rivers United does an outstanding job with the tours," Edson said. "In addition, the Native Americans have been a part of the festival since its inception. They are there throughout the weekend and are a huge part of the festival and history."
The bus rides for the Salmon tours are free of charge. For more details, call (800) 878-7950.
Larissa Eschief of the Shoshone-Bannick Tribe performs the Fancy Shawl Dance at this Saturdays Salmon Fest in Stanley. Photo by Chris Pilaro
