Enterprise The Idaho
Oneida County's News Since 1879 Malad City, Idaho
July 6, 2023 |Vol. 143 No. 27
$1.50
NEWS IN BRIEF
Joey Chestnut wins 16th Mustard Belt
The Welsh Men’s Chorus opened the Festival with the Welsh national anthem
Welsh Festival 2023 draws large crowds; new bard named For the 17th year in its history, the Malad Valley Welsh Festival took place at the City Park, 2nd, 4th, and 5th ward chapel, and various places around the valley. The weekend was full of music, poetry, art, history, and activities for visitors of all ages. Highlights of the event included presentations on Welsh history and identity, a youth musical concert, a piano ensemble performance, the naming of a new Welsh Festival bard, a “live radio show from the trail,” and tours of historic Samaria cabins. The weather stayed pleasant throughout the weekend, and the rain that was forecast never fell. Throughout this edition of the paper, you will find coverage of each of the major events of Malad’s premiere festival.
Visitors from all around the region flocked to Malad for this year’s Welsh Festival
Colemans Named Volunteers of the Year This year’s volunteer of the year is being presented to Brad and Melanie Coleman. Although both Colemans have eschewed the limelight and tried to fly under the radar, the city felt it was necessary to acknowledge their amazing contributions to the community. “They’ll probably never talk to us again,” Mayor Joan Hawkins said while presenting the couple with a plaque recognizing their service, “but we felt it had to be done.” Brad and Melanie are being recognized for being the masterminds behind Malad’s newest Christmas adventure, the light show at the city park. Brad’s background in IT and love for building things, coupled with Melanie’s creativity led this to be a perfect project for the two of them. Their curiosity was sparked after seeing a similar light show that they thoroughly enjoyed. Nearly a year later after countless hours put into this project, that spark evolved into an incredible light show featuring the most loved
Mayor Hawkins presents the "Volunteer of the Year" award plaque to Melanie and Brad Coleman
Christmas songs paired to more than a thousand lights, a first of its kind in Malad. This undertaking was no small feat. As they selected their music Melanie began sequencing the light’s actions
for each song, and Brad started building the sets. They took many opportunities to run a variety of different light shows to be sure that they could pull VOLUNTEERS OF THE YEAR On Page 2
INSIDE THE ENTERPRISE THIS WEEK Welsh Festival Presentations....................2 Welsh Festival Poetry.......................Pg.3-4 Looking Back........................................Pg.6
Welsh Festival Music.......................................Pg.10 Puzzles.............................................................Pg.11 Sports...............................................................Pg.12
After a two hour weather delay (lightning was covering the Coney Island skyline), Joey Chestnut and his competition finally took the stage for the Nathan’s Famous Independence Day Hot Dog Eating Contest, an American tradition since 1972. The event has been officially sanctioned by the Major League Eating organization since 1997. In that time, Chestnut has been named the winner of the Mustard Belt 16 times, this one marking his 8th in a row. Chestnut ate 62 hot dogs and buns in ten minutes, well ahead of second place. The women’s contest winner, Miki Sudo, ate 39.5 in what became her ninth win. Both plan to return next year.
July 4, 2023 identified as hottest global day on record
According to temperature reporting from around the globe, July 4 marks the hottest temperature which has ever been recorded as an average of global temperatures over a 24 hour period. The temperature itself was listed as 62.62 degrees Fahrenheit. If that sounds mild, remember that half of the world is experiencing winter, and the global temperature average includes the polar regions. Climate experts predict that the record will be broken this year at least a few more times, given weather-modelling predictions.
Idaho Crime Report released
Idaho State Police released its annual Crime in Idaho report Monday, showing that crime statewide decreased in 2022 from 2021, but there was an increase in human trafficking, hate crimes and violent crimes, including homicide. The report is a compilation of data supplied by police departments and sheriff’s offices around Idaho. The data showed a 4.4% drop in the number of “crime incidents” statewide compared with 2021 numbers, though the report also listed an 8.8% increase in violent crimes, including a nearly 15% jump in aggravated assaults. 4,715 violent crimes were reported in Idaho last year. Homicides hit a five-year high in 2022, with 51 reported across the state.
Riders stuck on fair ride for several hours
In what surely must be many people’s worst fear, eight passengers were stuck upside down on a roller coaster ride at the Forest County Festival in Crandon, Wisconsin. The “Fireball” ride apparently experienced a mechanical failure that left the cars locked into place at the top of a loop in the ride. Eventually emergency personnel were able to safely extricate the passengers with harnesses and lower them to safety, after waiting for emergency services to arrive from 45 minutes away. All in all, ten fire vehicles, nine ambulances, and fifty personnel aided in the rescue.