Butte is having a party to celebrate the 100th birthday of the Butte-Silver Bow Courthouse, and people from throughout the state are invited to attend. The first event is a Centennial Ball that will be held on Saturday, June 30, 2012, in the Courthouse Rotunda. Doors open at 7:00 p.m. and music begins at 8:00 p.m. Dance lessons will be provided earlier in the day so everyone can familiarize themselves with the period music and dances. Butte’s own T.J. Wald will be calling the dance, and R.L. Alexander and His Distinguished Dance Music Ensemble will be playing. The hors d’ oeuvres will be selected from Butte’s own Heritage Cookbook. Period attire dating from the middle 1890s to 1912 is required. The cost for the Ball is $50/couple and $35/single. Tickets can be purchased at the Mother Lode Theater and the Chamber of Commerce. Spectators are welcome and encouraged to view the ballroom dancing from the second and third floors of the Courthouse for a fee of $5.

Beginning on Monday, July 2, 2012, Courthouse tours and re-enactments by local actors and Butte historians will be offered inside the Courthouse. A children’s parade will begin at noon in front of the Courthouse and will wind through Uptown Butte and end at the Original Mine Yard culminating with Huck Finn/Polly Anna Days.

Other events include a ceremony on Tuesday, July 3, 2012, recognizing Butte’s Chief Executive, the Council of Commissioners, and District Court Judges. Dave Palmer, Council Chairman, and Paul Babb, Chief Executive, will speak. Then District Court Justices Krueger and Newman will discuss the history of the Courthouse and the importance of the court system to the people of our community and state. The event kicks off at 11:00 in the Courthouse rotunda.

At 3:30 p.m. that same day, music will begin with presentations by Red Lodge’s Alte Kamaeraden Brass Band and the Edmonton Pipers. The rededication of the Courthouse will begin at 4:00 with Chief Executive Paul Babb and several dignitaries from throughout the state. These activities will take place on the Courthouse steps.

At 5:15 p.m., visitors and dignitaries will parade to the Original Mine Yard for an old-fashioned Ice Cream Social. Period games and activities will be available for children and adults, including tug-of-war, potato sack races, horse shoes, croquet, and a dunking booth. Hot dogs and hamburgers will be served for a minimal fee, and free ice cream and root beer floats will be available. A gift basket auction will be held at 6:00 p.m. The public is invited to wear costumes and dress as your favorite Butte character or visitor, such as past presidents, politicians, or local characters with Butte connections from any time period. Prizes will be awarded for best costumes at 6:30 p.m. Festivities will end at 7:00 p.m. so families can adjourn in time to view the 3rd of July Freedom Fest fireworks display on Big Butte which is sponsored by Town Pump.

Additionally, Butte will display its “Traveling Gallows,” which were stored in the Courthouse for decades. This hanging gallows earned its name because they were used for hangings in various locations and were disassembled and then reassembled.