BLACKFOOT — A triple celebration will take place in Blackfoot on Friday, when the community marks the 100th anniversary of the Blackfoot Railway Depot, the 30th anniversary of the Bingham County Historical Society and the 25th anniversary of the Idaho Potato Museum.

The celebration marking all three events will take place at Depot Park — located behind the Blackfoot Chamber of Commerce and the Idaho Potato Museum now housed in the former railway depot — beginning at noon on Friday. Those who attend are encouraged to bring chairs to sit on during the outdoor program. 

“We’ll have some wonderful speakers,” said Tish Dahmen, executive director of the Blackfoot Chamber of Commerce, adding that the program will also include a ribbon cutting, live entertainment and food.  

The event will feature short presentations by Bingham County Commissioner A. Ladd Carter, Blackfoot Mayor Mike Virtue, Idaho State Historical Society trustee Jim Johnston, Idaho Potato Commission representative Travis Blacker and Chris Wada of Wada Farms. 

Dahmen said Wada Farms is sponsoring the new Marilyn Monroe exhibit — a life-size cutout of the actress wearing a potato sack dress, which will be added to the Idaho Potato Museum’s entryway. 

“Now people will be able to take a picture with our world famous potato outside of the museum and Marilyn Monroe in her potato sack dress,” Dahmen said. 

The event will also include some dance and musical performances by various groups. And Dahmen said they will serve cake and a limited number of boxed lunches — similar to the ones formerly served on trains — during the event. 

The Blackfoot Railway Depot was completed in August of 1913, said Lois Bates with the Bingham County Historical Society. The former structure had become inadequate, she said, adding that the depot saw a lot of use — 600 train tickets were sold in May of 1913 alone. 

“It is interesting to know that eight passenger trains came daily and went on the mainline at Blackfoot,” Bates said.

The community celebrated the completion of the existing depot on Aug. 16, 1913, and organizers of Friday’s event are excited to mark the occasion with a celebration of their own exactly 100 years later. 

“It’s an amazing milestone,” Dahmen said, adding that those who worked to bring the depot to Blackfoot are in part responsible for the fact that there is a city here today since railroads were the making of many towns back then. 

The depot was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1974. 

“It’s a beautiful piece of history in town,” Dahmen said. 

As part of Friday’s celebration, the Bingham County Historical Society is also kicking off the opening of an Idaho State Historical Society traveling exhibit commemorating Idaho’s territorial sesquicentennial anniversary this year. The exhibit will be on display at the Bingham County Historical Society gallery, located at 3 N.W. Main Street in Blackfoot, through Sept. 14.