While Bellevue continues to change through population expansion and business growth, residents can rest assured that one constant will remain: Les Cameron hunkered over amidst a shower of sparks, framed by the open doors of his Wood River Welding shop.
Cameron, who was born in 1947 and raised in Bellevue, was selected by the Bellevue Chamber of Commerce to serve as grand marshal in the city's 2007 Labor Day Parade, which will take place at noon on Sunday, Sept. 2.
"I have mixed feelings about being chosen because there are a lot of people who've done a lot more here than I have," Cameron said during a recent interview, betraying the humble nature of his personality.
Born 60 years ago in the old Hailey Hospital, now the location of Hailey's City Hall, Cameron has had a great vantage point from his welding shop on Main Street to bear witness to the developments that have taken place over the last half-century.
"People didn't have much around here when we were growing up," said Cameron, standing next to a drill press he estimates to be around 100 years old. "There was no indoor plumbing, and many of the ranches still didn't have electricity."
After four years of college, Cameron spent one year teaching industrial arts in northern Idaho, an experience he called "disappointing" because of the politics in the school system, and then worked on a repair team at a copper mine in Cuprum, which is now a ghost town located near the Oregon and Washington borders.
"I really value that experience," Cameron said. "I was looking for solitude and sure found it, as there were only 11 guys living there during the winter."
When Cameron's father opened the shop in 1945, his primary work was as a blacksmith, sharpening plowshares for farmers and ranchers. Since taking over with his brother, Ed, in 1973, Les has seen business move in another direction, mostly repairing machinery for excavation and contracting companies.
"Now there's more of everything, especially people," said Cameron, who graduated from Wood River High School in 1965. "This changes the way things such as business and government are done. Back then it was all done with a handshake."
Cameron will share this special occasion with his wife, Thelma, and four children, three of whom live in Bellevue. Together they will ride in a horse-drawn wagon down Main Street during the parade, something Les and Thelma are becoming expert at after serving as grand marshals for the Blaine County Fair, which took place at the beginning of August.
Bellevue's Labor Day Celebration will include live music, beginning after the parade at 1 p.m. and going until dusk in Bellevue City Park. The show will feature School of Rock, Muzzie Braun, the Jeremiah Jones Gang and the Cosmic Beans. The park will also be filled with antique booths, children's games, arts and crafts, and food.
On Monday, Sept. 3, the park will be the venue for the Bluegrass Festival, which will go from 1 to 5 p.m. and feature Mark and Kimberly Holt, Public Radio and Steam Powered Airplane. There will be more food and games during Monday's event as well.
Les Cameron, the grand marshal for the 2007 Bellevue Labor Day Parade, stands in his Wood River Welding shop, first started by his father in 1945. Cameron will ride in the Labor Day Parade with his wife, Thelma, and their four children on Sunday, Sept. 2, at noon. Express photo by Jon Duval
