Explorer 2010 by Independent Publishing

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Explorer 2010

Missoula Independent

Explorer 2010

PUBLISHER Lynne Foland EDITOR Skylar Browning PRODUCTION DIRECTOR Joe Weston CIRCULATION & BUSINESS MANAGER Adrian Vatoussis ARTS EDITOR Erika Fredrickson PHOTO EDITOR Chad Harder CALENDAR EDITOR Ira Sather-Olson

Table of Contents

STAFF REPORTERS Jessica Mayrer, Matthew Frank, Alex Sakariassen COPY EDITORS Samantha Dwyer, David Merrill ART DIRECTOR Kou Moua PRODUCTION ASSISTANTS Jenn Stewart, Jonathan Marquis ADVERTISING SALES MANAGER Carolyn Bartlett ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVES Steven Kirst, Chris Melton, Sasha Perrin, Alecia Goff SENIOR CLASSIFIED REPRESENTATIVE Tami Johnson CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVE Teal Kenny ADMIN & ADVERTISING COORDINATOR Marie Noland FRONT DESK Lorie Rustvold

Missoula Independent P.O. Box 8275 Missoula, MT 59807 Phone number: 406-543-6609 E-mail address: independent @missoulanews.com PRESIDENT Matt Gibson

Island hopping along Flathead Lake’s marine trail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7 Five lesser-known Missoula hikes to escape the masses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14 Touring with bling, bait and buggers in the Seeley-Swan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22 Navigating Victor’s eccentric disc golf course . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28 Tips to a not-so-miserable paddle on the Flathead River . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35 Three scenic mountain bike trails for the casual rider . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .44 Try something different during Glacier National Park’s centennial . . . . . . . . . .50 The Indy calendar of summer events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .60 Cover photo by Chad Harder

Advertising Focus Pages Mission Valley . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Hip Strip. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Explore Montana . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Auto Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Seeley / Swan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 Downtown Missoula . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 Sustainable Living . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 Sportin’ Life . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 Play, Laugh, Learn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 Art, Antiques & Collectibles. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 Bitterroot Valley . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51

Caregivers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57 Glacier Park. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61 East Glacier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62 Lodging . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65 Real Estate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71 Business to Business . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74 Pamper Yourself . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76 Healthy Living . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80 Philipsburg . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82 Dish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86

Find Your Fun All Summer Long! Around the Fire

On the Water

On the Road

Tires • Wheels • Brakes Shocks Suspensions • Alignment • Batteries MISSOULA NORTH 721-1770

MISSOULA SOUTH 721-0888

HAMILTON 363-3884

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THOMPSON FALLS 827-8473

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Missoula Independent

RA C KI NG U P VE RT

it’s not just for winter anymore

The Runaway Train [top photo] at Whitefish Mountain Resor t is a seriously fine piece of lift-ser viced freeride mountain biking. It’s one of a network of cross-countr y and downhill trails for all abilities that make Whitefish the per fect place to get some vertical this summer.

com d.com ld orld.com rWor rWorld acierW Glacie © Gl

We’ve also got Zip Line Tours that take you up to 50 mph and 300 feet off the ground, an Alpine Slide that’s addicting for adrenaline junkies and grandmas alike, the amazing Walk in the Treetops canopy tour, some of the best views in Montana, and an ice cold beer waiting for you at the top of the Danny On Hiking Trail. Don’t stay on ﬂat land this summer! We’re open late June through the end of September, and on-mountain lodging starts at

just $68*/night.

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*Rate is per person, per night, based on double occupancy. Additional taxes, fees, and restrictions apply.

Pa Part arrt art a r tial iall ia all y lo all a locate cat cat ca ate a ted on on For Fore Fo Forest ore o or rre es stt S Servi erv er ervi e rrvvicce e la an and. and nd. n nd d d.

Main Photo © Chuck Haney

Bird’s-eye view Island hopping along Flathead Lake’s marine trail by Matthew Frank ou had to sell your MasterCraft to pay the mortgage, your girlfriend with a sailboat dumped you, and your buddy in Bigfork with jet skis got busted for running a Ponzi scheme. It might be God’s way of telling you to find new ways to enjoy Flathead Lake this summer. May we suggest sea kayaking? Flathead Lake is home to a little-known marine trail, a series of suggested paths for circumnavigating or crossing the largest natural freshwater lake in the West (find the map at http://bit.ly/duoNo0). The trail links islands, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks (FWP) campsites and boat launches. You could spend a week paddling from point to point on the 70-plus mile loop. Most don’t have the time (nor the paddling proficiency) required for such pursuits, so they opt for shorter jaunts. That’s exactly what we did. On a recent clear-skied Friday, Polson’s Flathead Raft Co. equips my friend Bryan and me with sea kayaks. After a quick tutorial—“You guys have done this before, right?” followed by diffident nods—we strap the kayaks to our roof rack and head toward Finley Point State Park, a popular launch point. The park, though, hadn’t opened for the season yet, so we improvise and find a private boat launch surrounded by seasonal homes that mostly appear empty. At about 11:15 a.m. we slide our long, bright-blue kayaks into the cold, clear water, and point north toward Bird Island. The southern half of Flathead Lake has lots of islands, making for good island hopping—and reducing, somewhat, the unnerving feeling of being out in the open in a wobbly kayak on a nearly 200-squaremile lake. We choose to scope out Bird Island partly because it seems a reasonable three-some miles from Finley Point State Park, according to the Flathead Lake Marine

photo by Bryan von Lossberg

Trail map, and partly because it promises to it’s managed as such by the University of Montana. It attracts picnickers, swimmers have lots of, well, birds. As we round Finley Point’s western tip, and campers, according to FWP, but on this with Bird Island still more than a mile away day we’re the only ones here. Instead of pulling up to the beach on and the snow-covered Swan Mountains drawn above it, we begin to hear the the island’s southern end, we float along island’s constant cacophony of squawks. the shore to reach the only other beach, We paddle east, along the top of Finley located on the northwestern corner. On Point, and then north again past two small- the way we find more geese perched on the er islands south of Bird Island. We spot a rocks and in the trees above. The forest bald eagle high in the western island’s appears so dense as to be impenetrable. We trees. Mallards and mergansers make tiny come to the end of the island, marked by wakes as they skirt away to avoid us. And boulders, and turn into a concealed little flustered, honking geese flutter out of the inlet where we beach our boats. Bryan and I find it a perfect spot to trees and land feet-first in the water a safe distance away. We continue our slow pad- throw down some sausage and cheese and take in the view to the north. We can see dle toward Bird Island’s southern beach. Bird Island is a pristine, heavily forest- Big Mountain and the jagged white lines of ed, 30-acre island owned by the state. FWP Glacier National Park. We plan to paddle purchased it in 1953 because it serves as back to this spot come summer, mostly prime goose and bird habitat. It’s close to because the boulder we’re sitting on would the cluster of small islands the Montana be perfect to jump off—when the water’s Legislature established in 1947 as the 20 degrees warmer. Curious about what’s on the island, we Flathead Lake Bird Preserve. While Bird Island isn’t technically part of the preserve, head into the forest, but don’t make it far. 8 Missoula Independent Explorer 2010

There are no trails, as far as we can tell, only thick brush and trees and pillowy moss that cushions our Chacos. And lots of goose poop. We retreat to the beach. Before heading back to Finley Point, I fire up the GPS utility on my smartphone to track our distance and speed. We put our PFDs back on, slide our legs into the kayaks and push off again. On the paddle back we spook even more geese. And we spot more mallards and mergansers. I look for herons or osprey—anything—but don’t see much else. Exactly 3.62 miles later, at a purposefully poky average speed of 3.19 miles per hour, we make it back to our boat launch, thankful for our windless and dry journey (and for my car not being towed from the private lot it sat in), and entirely intimidated by the much more ambitious, multi-day voyages the Flathead Lake Marine Trail offers. But not so much that we’d want to do them in anything but a kayak.

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Explorer 2010

Missoula Independent

photo by Matthew Frank

Open water Several companies in the area offer ways to get onto the water: 10,000 Waves Raft & Kayak Adventures Lessons and guided trips 1-800-537-8315 Strongwater Kayaks and gear 612 S. Higgins Avenue Missoula 406-721-2437 Pipestone Mountaineering Kayaks and gear 129 W. Front Street Missoula 406-721-1670

Missoula Independent

Rocky Mountain Outfitter Kayaks and gear 135 Main Street Kalispell 406-752-2446

Flathead Raft Co. Guided tours and rentals 1305 U.S. 93 Polson 406-883-5838

Trail Head Gear and rentals 221 East Front Street Missoula 406-543-6966

Silver Moon Kayak Company Whitewater and sea kayak instruction and gear 1215 N. Somers Road Kalispell 406-752-3794

Sportsman Ski Haus Rentals 145 Hutton Ranch Rd. Kalispell 406-755-6484

Bob Ward & Sons Boats and gear 3015 Paxson Street Missoula 406-728-3220

Sportsman Ski Haus Rentals Mountain Mall Whitefish 406-862-3111

Zootown Surfers Lessons and guided trips 5077 Old U.S. Hwy. 10 W. Alberton 406-546-0370

Tarkio Kayak Adventures Guided tours 406-543-4583

Explorer 2010

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Missoula Independent

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Explorer 2010

Missoula Independent

Hellgate Canyon Trail

photo by Jessica Mayrer

Off the beaten path Five lesser-known Missoula hikes to escape the masses

by Jessica Mayrer n a sunny spring day in Missoula, it’s tough to dodge folks wearing fanny packs and peeking at spring flowers popping up on the North Hills. It’s pretty much inevitable someone will ride your ass if you attempt hiking the “M” just about any time of year. And Blue Mountain is always crowded and covered in canine poop. With those popular treks crossed off our list, we offer five low-traffic, lower-profile paths in the same general area.

Missoula Independent

Hellgate Canyon Trail Set aside a couple hours for this one– it’s a whopper. I started at the Kim Williams trailhead at 10:40 a.m., strolling along the Clark Fork River for about a mile before hitting the Hellgate Canyon Trail. The only marker indicating a turnoff is a “Day Use Only” sign, but you’ll clearly see the trail. Early on, the Hellgate Canyon Trail intersects with another that descends. For me, it represented one last out before committing to climb to Mount Sentinel’s peak. I pushed on. Long switchbacks carved across the north side of Mount Sentinel

Explorer 2010

provide a constantly changing visual perspective, first East Missoula, then west toward Frenchtown. I felt superior looking down at the Kim Williams Trail, where, on a recent Sunday, people by the dozen below were pushing strollers and pulling dogs. After getting up on the climb I encountered only two other hikers. After 2.5 miles of winding, the Hellgate Canyon Trail ends, joining the Crazy Canyon Trail. From the junction, it’s only another half-mile to Sentinel’s peak. It’s worth it. The top offers a killer 360-degree view. If you have a short attention span, like

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Missoula Independent

Lincoln Hills

photo by Jessica Mayrer

me, you might want to take a shortcut down Jumbo’s face. Trails on the west side of the mountain end at the University of Montana, just a little way from the Kim Williams trailhead. That shaves about a mile and half off the hike. Round trip, the trek felt long, but took only about two hours.

Mellow switchbacks through tall pines into the Rattlesnake National Forest make the climb relatively easy. After hiking for about an hour, you’ll hit a junction. From

there, depending on time and stamina, you can continue on to the Sawmill Trail or the Stuart Peak Trail. A series of snaking paths take adventurous ones southeast to the Rattlesnake trailhead, to the awesome views of Stuart Peak or further east to Sheep Mountain. How to get there: Take Reserve Street north until it turns into Grant Creek Road. The trailhead is 5.5 miles from the West Broadway turnoff—and just past Snowbowl Road—on Grant Creek Road.

How to get there: Find the marker along the Kim Williams Nature Trail, which is about one mile east of the University of Montana. The Ravine Trail With only four parking spots at the trailhead, it’s clear the Ravine Trail doesn’t host a lot of hikers. In fact, aside from a couple of mountain bikers and one other person on foot, it was just me and my dogs for most of the 2.5-mile ascent on a recent afternoon.

Lincoln Hills This could possibly be one of the best local spots to check out wildflowers. In the spring and early summer, the rolling hills and steep slopes on the way to the top of Mount Jumbo are covered by arrowleaf balsamroot, which are a Council Grove State Park

photo by Cathrine L. Walters

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Visit our unique gift shop at the Butte Plaza Mall Explorer 2010

Missoula Independent

O’Brien Creek

photo by Jessica Mayrer

bit like a miniature sunflower, their botanical cousins; bitterroot, with short green stalks and pink petals; and the delicate bluebell. Wildlife and an array of avian diversity are in abundance here, too. Keeneyed hikers will likely spot bluebirds, hawks and coyotes. (Keep an eye out for seasonal closures posted at the trailhead. Certain trails are off-limits during the colder months to protect wintering elk and mule deer). One may choose from a variety of trails that branch off in several of directions. My favorite hike is the Backbone Trail, which runs to the top of Mount Jumbo. It’s steep and, thankfully, punctuated by flat fields of wildflowers that offer awesome views of the valley. It takes about 45 minutes to get to the top of Jumbo—perfect if you’re looking for a quick workout. How to get there: From Rattlesnake Drive, turn on Lincoln Hills Drive. Follow Lincoln Hills Drive 1.3 miles to the trailhead. Once on the trail, turn right at the first junction. That trail will take you to the top. 18

Missoula Independent

O’Brien Creek This hike stands out (and some might say bizarrely so) because of the ceramic angels placed in rocky crevices along the trail. A private residence is plunked right in the middle of otherwise public lands and, evidently, inhabitants of this residence have a thing for ceramic angels. Dozens of figurines line the property’s periphery—tall angels, wide angels and American Indian angels. The occasional cherub smiles from a rocky pedestal. The menagerie continues for about a mile, with winged figurines reading the Bible and others carrying sheep. All of them peer down from perches above, or look up from creek-side rocks. The hike itself is pretty flat, at least for the first three miles or so. Trees shade the trail and O’Brien Creek whispers by, making this a perfect summer hiking spot that rarely sees much traffic. The trail stretches on for many miles into the Lolo National Forest. How to get there: Take Brooks Street south as if going to Lolo. Make a right on Blue Mountain Road, and a left at O’Brien

Explorer 2010

Creek Road. Follow O’Brien Creek to the end until you hit the trailhead. Council Groves State Park This is one of my favorite summer strolling/lounging spots. I love it so much that I almost didn’t share it. But, because I care about your summer frolicking opportunities, here it is. Council Grove sprawls 187 flat and scenic acres. A meandering trail along the Clark Fork River dotted by cottonwoods makes for a sweat-free stroll. Depending on seasonal river flow, it’s an easy trek in river sandals or waders to a series of islands and peninsulas in the Clark Fork River and, sometimes, to the other side of the Clark Fork. Much of the park’s acreage—inhabited by geese, ducks and salamanders—lies on the opposite side of the river. How to get there: Take Mullan Road west from Reserve Street. Make a right at a turnoff six miles from Reserve—look for the park’s sign. From the turnoff, it’s about a half-mile to the park, which also offers picnic tables, grills and restrooms.

31 different camps available Get outside this summer: Explore…Learn…and Have Fun!

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Visit one of the largest Smokejumper training centers in the U.S. Learn about the latest in fire management techniques and fire ecology. Tour the Smokejumper Loft, ready room, and Smokejumper Aircraft. Junior Smokejumper Program, for kids ages 6-12. Call for more information • 6 Tours Daily at 10 AM, 11 AM, 1 PM, 2 PM, 3 PM & 4 PM • email: smokejumpercenter@yahoo.com Explorer 2010

Missoula Independent

Bay Point

On Whitefish Lake! O SPECTACULAR VIEWS!! Enjoy your morning coffee on your own private deck! After a busy day browsing around Whitefish or hiking in Glacier National Park, take a swim in Bay Pointâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 600 feet of private lakeshore or in the pool. Tired muscles from hiking? Try the hot tub and then schedule a private massage in your own condo. Now that you are relaxed, enjoy the spectacular sunsets! If you canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t make it this summer, there is plenty to do in the fall or winter. Call today or visit

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406-862-2331 or 800-327-2108

Missoula Independent

Explorer 2010

Celebrating Community Service Since 1970

Behavioral Health Department Chemical Dependency Program (Adult and Adolescent) Chemical Dependency Evaluation Cultural Activities Out-patient Treatment Intensive Out-patient continuum of care MIP Grp I & II

24-Hour Crisis Intervention: HOTLINE 721-2700 Outreach

Outreach & Referral Services General Welfare Health/Medical Adult & Adolescent In-Patient

Support Center Telephone and Fax Services Job Listings Health Advocacy

Family Groups:

Health Services

(Individual, Group & Native Women’s) Prevention Education (All ages)

Medical Assistance Over-the-Counter Medicines Pharmacy Assistance Behavioral Health Services

HIV/STD Education Health Fitness Promotion Immunizations Medical Transportation Special Screening Clinics Diabetes Program Services -edu. classes Early Cancer Detection -Mammogram -Breast and Cervical Free HIV Counseling & Testing Free Condoms tobacco use prevention

Physical Address: Building #33, Fort Missoula, 59804 Phone: 829-9515 Fax 829-9519 ”Providing Health and Human Services to the Missoula Community”

For further information on these & other services phone 829-9515 or stop in M-F 8am to 5pm. 24 Hour Drug & Alcohol Crisis Hotline Phone 406-721-2700

www.missoulaindiancenter.org

Explorer 2010

Missoula Independent

photo by Mike Fredrickson

More cowbell! Touring with bling, bait and buggers in the Seeley-Swan by Erika Fredrickson have come to love fly-fishing over the years growing up in Montana, but I keep with me a childhood nostalgia for bait fishing. While fly-fishing holds with it an artistic sensibility—from the exquisitely tied nymphs to the graceful casting methods—there’s something about reeling in a fish hooked to a night crawler that seems so awesomely Huck Finn. Not that bait fishing is a totally earthy, nononsense affair these days. Sifting through a tackle box of all the sparkling hardware and gaudy colors is like sorting through a 10-year-old’s jewelry box circa 1985. It’s the kind of shiny stuff that magpies go crazy for.

Missoula Independent

When my dad and I have gone up to the Seeley area for fishing trips, we bring fly rods and spinning rods to get both types of fishing in at several different lakes. Turning off Highway 200 at Clearwater Junction to head north on Highway 83 takes us to a string of lakes in the Clearwater and Swan valleys. Some are secluded while others are crowded with trophy “cabins.” A few have a wider selection of bass, salmon and trout. Others, like Salmon Lake, seem to be overrun by the aggressive (but tasty) northern pike. At any rate, each lake has its own character, and you should take the time to get to know each one well. For us, four lakes in two days make for a nice leisurely exploration. And since there are at least nine lakes to choose from between the two valleys—plus

Explorer 2010

other lakes off Highway 200—you can mix and match as you please. Here’s where our fishing travels have often taken us: Harper’s Lake Harper’s Lake, three miles past Clearwater Junction, is a popular family spot to fish and one I remember as a kid when car camping trips felt like endless summers. Stress? Didn’t even know what that meant back then. So, climbing down the hill into the basin where the lake sits floods my senses with that feeling of having no responsibilities beyond climbing trees and eating roasted marshmallows—if only momentarily. It’s a good place to take the leisure aspect of fishing seriously. Find a nice

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spot to cast your line, perhaps near one of the submerged trees where fish like to hang out, lean your poles against a homemade holder made of branches stuck in the ground and then sit back on the grassy hill and relax. The limit for lake trout is five daily. But since Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks stocks the lake every fall with large rainbow trout—often over 12 inches long— it’s a good bet you’ll get something worth keeping. Lake Alva You can fish Salmon Lake for northern pike (using spoon lures or crankbait, which look like silvery fish), or hit Seeley or Lake Inez for salmon. But if you’re looking for a little bit of isolation, Lake Alva’s a sweet spot. Lake Alva is a slender 298-acre body of water where you can often watch osprey diving for fish. Fishing off the boat ramp gives you plenty of room to cast. And if you want to mimic night crawlers without actually poking holes in a live one, you can use purple San Juan worms or wooly buggers— some advice relayed to me via Missoula’s Kingfisher employee, Jason Looney. Those worm look-a-likes seem to attract rainbow trout effectively—especially in the mornings and late evenings. Or you can fish by boat, which is worth it even if you aren’t lucky with fishing since the public land surrounding it is hardly developed at all and, therefore, easy on the eye. That makes it a nice place to camp, too, and if fire season isn’t out of control you can build a campfire to cook up your bounty. Or just make yourself some cowboy coffee and enjoy a spot without the trophy home eyesores.

Rocky Mountains and Bob Marshall to the east from his airplane the previous week and, according to reports, the spot enthralled him. He ended up spending a good portion of his summer there, after which Elbow Lake was renamed Lindbergh Lake. In 1999, three-fourths of the 10-mile shoreline was purchased as public land, which has kept the lake and its wild inhabitants thriving. Lindbergh Lake has most species of fish that you find in other nearby lakes, includ-

good advice about the nearby lakes. Driving past Ovando you’ll hit Brown’s Lake, a popular spot for boaters, RVs and lakeside fisher people. On a recent trip there we saw couples sitting in lawn chairs and several boatloads of families testing out their best lures. Boating on Brown’s Lake can be sketchy in the afternoon because the area is so unsheltered that when wind and storms come up, you might as well be on the ocean with the kind of white caps you get.

photo by Mike Fredrickson

ing westslope cutthroat, kookanee, lake trout and whitefish. There’s an old growth grove nearby and a crazy amount of wildlife, including grizzly bears. I’ve never seen them, but it’s good to keep in mind that, as you cast your line, the fish on the other end isn’t just food for humans.

Brown’s Lake Lindbergh Lake While you’re in the area, you might as In September 1927, just four months well take the time to side trip to the quirky after he completed the first non-stop town of Ovando. Why? First of all, there’s transatlantic flight, Charles Lindbergh Trixie’s Bar, where you can get a beer and snuck away from a commercial aviation listen to live music to give yourself a little tour to camp and fish on the banks of break from all that rigorous fishing. But Elbow Lake in the Swan Valley. He’d already also, there’s a fly shop there called The seen the 815-acre lake flanked by the Blackfoot Angler that has all kinds of flyMission Mountains to the west and the fishing goodies to stock up on, plus really 24 Missoula Independent Explorer 2010

Okay, that’s an exaggeration, but it can get pretty bad. And you do have to be careful of getting stuck in the weedier, shallow sections. As for bait, night crawlers, corn and marshmallows seemed to be all the rage. But it doesn’t stop there. Fishermen on this lake seemed to be working with tons of crazy hardware, including cowbells—shiny objects attached to the fishing lines. I used hot pink and silver cowbells with a diamond-like piece toward the end of the line that’s called a wedding ring. All that bling can get you three-to-five pound rainbows in the 20-inch range, which makes me think that if there’s any place besides a rock concert to yell out “More cowbell!” it’s Brown’s Lake.

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Fly in style For more info on licenses, guiding and gear, visit the following Kesel’s Four Rivers Fly Shop 1522 S. Reserve St. Missoula 406-721-4796

John Perry’s Montana Fly Fishing 68 Rock Creek Road Clinton 406-825-2997

Chuck Stranahan Fly Fishing 109 E Main St. Hamilton 406-363-4197

Grizzly Hackle 215 W. Front St. Missoula 406-721-8996

Blackfoot Angler 401 Main St. Ocando 406-793-FISH

Osprey Outfitters Fly Shop 1963 N. First St. Hamilton 406-363-1000

The Kingfisher 926 E. Broadway Missoula 406-721-6141

River Otter Fly Shop 5516 Old Hwy 93 Florence 406-273-4858

Arends Fly Shop 7356 U.S. Hwy. 2 East Columbia Falls 406-892-2033

The Missoulian Angler 401 S. Orange St. Missoula 406-728-7766

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Glacier Fly Shop 111 Hungry Horse Blvd. Hungry Horse 406-387-4079

Fisherman’s Mercantile 73 Rock Creek Road Clinton 406 825-6440

Fishaus Fly Fishing 702 N. 1 St. Hamilton 406-363-6158

Glacier Wilderness Guides 11970 U.S. Highway 2 East West Glacier 800-521-7238

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Lakestream Flyshop 334 Central Ave. Whitefish 406-862-1298

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Getting into the Spirit Navigating Victor’s eccentric disc golf course

by Chad Harder photos by Morgan Lanning ust as my party of seven was getting down to the business at hand—cracking the first of our frosty beverages and scoping the fairway of Spiritwood Disc Golf Course’s tightly treed first hole—an unlikely pair of tossers suddenly materializes from the ponderosas, strolls over and asks to join our game. Now, whether you play disc or ball golf, you know it’s a break in protocol to ask to play with an already oversized group. But having just arrived at the remote course above Victor with no course maps, we had little confidence in our ability to find our way. Besides, who knows? Maybe a more-the-merrier round is just how it’s done around here. We hesitantly take up the drifters on their offer. My crew included many skill levels, but for the most part we’re experienced and solid throwers. We’d all played together at Blue Mountain, and on rare occasions (like when it’s open) at Pattee Canyon. In fact, between us we’d likely played dozens of courses around the West—but, strangely enough, none of us had ever finished a round at Spiritwood, even though it’s just 45 minutes from Missoula.

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Turns out, it’s not just my friends missing out—the distance is significant enough to keep the masses at bay, or rather at Blue. Indeed, that busy course’s lower parking lot was overflowing with a riot of people and dogs and coolers when we’d driven past it less than an hour earlier. For this dollar, disc But unlike Missoula’s popular public courses, Spiritgolfers get a fun, wood is “a public course on private property.” Owners ask creative, challenging for people to call ahead before visiting, and to pay a buck a round. That dollar helps offset and ever-evolving trash removal, maintain baskets and cover other expenses that come with running a disc course. golf course. My crew agrees the single bill donation feels like a bargain, and we slide our bills into the custom-built kiosk gladly. For this dollar, disc golfers get a fun, creative, challenging and ever-evolving course. Like many or even most courses, Spiritwood 30

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has a long and well-appreciated history of funky non-traditional targets. As of May, however, 14 league-approved baskets bring the course closer to the industry standard, for better or worse. Those appreciating obscure disc golf challenges will enjoy the par-four Dog House (hole 7, and liners don’t count), a suspended old-school Ford tailgate (hole 14), and the booming par 4 off the hill and across the irrigation ditch to the suspended “Blue Heaven” (hole 6). But it’s not just the holes that make Spiritwood both interesting and unusual. For example, the entrance area is home to a variety of eye-catching stuff, from a naked teepee frame to oddly con-

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structed homes and piles of junk. Morels have been spotted—and harvested— near hole 8, otherwise referred to as “The Green Thing.” And then there are the random drop-ins, like the group that played a few holes with us before we politely moved on. But the course itself? It’s fun, challenging and clearly different enough to be well worth the drive. Directions: From Missoula, drive south on Highway 93 to 3 miles south of Victor. Turn right on Bear Creek Trail, turn left on Red Crow Road, go straight onto Fred Burr Road and take the first right. Watch for signs. The owner asks that you call 961-4138 before playing.

Downtown Missoula

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Downtown Missoula

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photo by Alex Sakariassen

Go with the flow Tips to a not-so-miserable paddle on the Flathead River by Alex Sakariassen ’m a lot of things—adventurous, obsessive, “wonderful,” if you ask my mother—but today, stupid gets the blue ribbon. As the 50th icy breaker crashes over the bow of this kayak-cum-bathtub, all I can do is fight to maintain my numb grip on the paddle and curse myself for forgetting a raincoat. I’m rarely so unprepared, so this, along with the river, is new territory for me. The main branch of the Flathead River south of Polson’s Kerr Dam promises one of the most breathtaking and unexpectedly scenic paddle trips in western Montana. Calm stretches of emerald green water ripple lazily past bald eagle and osprey nests. Silt cliffs tower above much of the river’s

eastern bank, reminiscent of the rutted buttes of the Dakotas’ famed Badlands. From a kayaker’s vantage, there’s nothing to suggest that, less than a mile away, swaths of grazed ranchland dominate the countryside. But there’s more to a daytrip on the Flathead than soaking in the scenery. Pulling together a quick paddle on short notice requires some degree of advanced planning, and staying relatively dry in midspring is no easy feat. So I offer a number of cautionary tales, under the guise of kayaker tips, to take some of the last minute anxiety out of a day on the Flathead. Hopefully someone else can benefit from my intermittent fits of shivering.

Tip No. 1: Don’t put too much stock in guidebooks About a week before hitting the water, I go over logistics with my close friend and kayak buddy Zane Krempel. We browse the Flathead River section of a Montana guidebook for some minutes before settling on a 20-mile stretch of easy paddling southwest of Polson between Buffalo Bridge and Sloan. The detailed description practically screams “beginners welcome,” something that would normally turn vets like us away. But with lowerthan-average water levels and an unseasonable chilly forecast calling for a partly cloudy Saturday in the low 50s, we opt not to take our chances with any whitewater. Twenty miles sounds like a long day,

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photo by Alex Sakariassen

and the guidebook suggests budgeting for eight hours on the river. It’s important to keep in mind, however, that these guidebooks must cater to the slowest, most inexperienced outdoorsmen. Zane and I reach a mutual conclusion: The trip will likely take us a fraction of the time, and we shouldn’t count out the possibility of hitting some bumpy water. Tip No. 2: Don’t forget your tribal recreation permit I’m no stranger to permitted waterways. Several summers canoeing in Ontario’s Quetico Provincial Park, which requires users to apply for a Canada Pass several months in advance, taught me long ago to check local regulations. Sure enough, a majority of the Flathead River’s main branch lies on the Flathead Reservation. Three-day tribal recreation 36

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permits from Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks cost $8, and Zane and I find them at Bob Ward and Sons the night before our trip. He promptly heads home to sleep. I, on the other hand, venture downtown with an old friend just in from Portland. I tell myself it’s going to be an early night after some innocent catching-up with a fellow writer over drinks. Of course, by this stage in life, I really should know better. Tip No. 3: Don’t go on a bender the night before I wake up the morning of our kayak trip with Zane leaning over me. An unexpectedly wild Friday night caused me to sleep through my 6 a.m. alarm. And Zane’s calls. And even his knocks on the front door. He finally crawled in through my living room window. I pop a few ibuprofen, cram my camera in a stuff sack and hit the gas station for some coffee. It’s 7:30

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a.m. and we still have to drop my car off at the take-out point. I’m too busy shaking off a headache to heed that nagging you-left-something-behind-you-moron feeling. Tip No. 4: Don’t underestimate how freakin’ cold the water gets We haul the tandem kayak—a loaner from Zane’s parents (thanks guys)—down to the water and Zane immediately elects me bowman. Translation: I’m the sucker who gets his feet wet. It’s no warmer than 45 degrees out, and the water temperature is in the ballpark of 300 below zero. I get a thorough dousing in the first 100 yards of river as we lose elevation. In the stern, Zane looks rested, relaxed and, most notably, dry. If we get stranded somewhere in this semi-remote expanse of country and I don’t die of hypothermia first, I’ve decided I’m eating the smug bastard.

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photo by Alex Sakariassen

Tip No. 5: Don’t look at the shore when you’re paddling into the wind An hour later, we round a bend into 15-mile-anhour headwinds. The Flathead might be calm otherwise, but we plow through sizable whitecaps at full steam, flecks of rain and river spray stinging our faces. By now I’ve realized what that forgetful suspicion earlier was all about. My raincoat is still neatly tucked in my camping gear back home. I’m soaked to the bone and my fingers have turned nearly that creepy blue you see in survival flicks. We charge ahead, muscles straining, our tandem rhythm finally worked out. I take my eyes off the bow for just a moment and my spirits sink. We’re paddling our hardest with a strong current in our favor, and still the trees are moving backwards.

photo by Alex Sakariassen

Tip No. 6: If you don’t like the weather, wait until you round the next bend I’m close to the breaking point, physically speaking. My arms feel heavy, my abs ache from forcing my body forward into the waves. Suddenly we round a bend in the river and the wind dies. On our right, perched at the top of a gnarled oldgrowth pine, is a bald eagle’s nest complete with streamers of orange twine. Zane and I pause for a

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few minutes, dropping our paddles and stretching. We pull onto the bank a few miles downstream and stomp the blood back into our toes. That’s when the weather does a 180. The rain stops, the sun comes out, and Zane rummages through his rucksack to find a spare windbreaker. By the time we shove off, I’m almost eager for round two. Tip No. 7: Trust the wind We spend the next couple hours bouncing between headwinds and calm, but I’m warmer and drier and loving every minute. Then the unbelievable happens. We round the final bend, the last four miles to Sloan before us, and the winds we fought so hard against catch the backs of our paddles. Zane removes his GPS from his dry bag and clocks our speed. Five miles per hour—our fastest average of the day—and we aren’t even paddling. The two of us kick back and let the wind take us, tacking with our paddle blades when need be. Sloan Bridge looms fast on the horizon, and just beyond it the landing. I ask about our time and Zane consults the GPS again. Four and a half hours. We totally called it. Stupid may get the blue ribbon for the morning, but I’m thinking I should add speedy-as-hell or toughas-nails to my list of applicable titles.

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photo by Chad Harder

Switching gears Three scenic mountain bike trails for the casual rider by Independent staff ummer in Montana attracts all sorts of visiting outdoor adventurers, some of whom stretch the definition of “adventurer.” We’re thinking of the inlaws, the cubicle-working city slickers and the minivans full of distant relatives who descend on Big Sky Country as soon as the temperature cracks 65 degrees in hopes of getting some use out of their newly purchased REI all-weather windbreaker. You know these people, and you love them, because they offer you an annual excuse to ratchet down the extreme outings, take a deep breath and soak in a mountain bike

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trail that doesn’t look like it was created simply to send you over the handlebars. Luckily for us, western Montana offers enough bountiful trails that offset easy rides with brilliant views. Here are our three top suggestions. It’s all downhill from here Perhaps the best part of the famed Route of the Hiawatha is that you can ride the entire 15-mile stretch without hardly ever having to actually pedal your bike. For the exertion-immune or intimidated novice, this leisurely downhill ride—a 1.7 percent grade, to be precise—along the old Milwaukee Railroad is the most scenic in the region.

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In order to coast the trail, you’ll need to make a few unusual preparations. For one, it requires a small fee ($9 adults/$6 children). More importantly, you need a light. Yes, a light. That’s because the Hiawatha features the menacingly long and dark Taft Tunnel (also known as St. Paul Pass), which burrows for 1.66 miles under the Bitterroot Mountains and crosses the Montana state line into Idaho. How long does that 1.66 miles feel? Well, no pun intended, but you can’t see the light at the end of the tunnel. Seriously. Taft Tunnel is just one of the route’s 10 tunnels, but the longest by far; tunnel No.

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22, the second-largest, checks in at just 1,516 feet. In addition to tunnels, seven high steel trestles offer riders unencumbered views of the landscape. Our favorite goes over Kelly Creek, 230 feet below, and stretches 850 feet long. It also marks nearly the halfway point of the ride. In all, the Hiawatha takes most riders just under three hours from start to finish, not including stops along the way. And be sure to budget for those stops—the views are breathtaking. How to get there: From Missoula, take I-90 west toward the Idaho border. Turn off at Exit 5 in Taft, Montana, and follow signs to the East Portal Trailhead, just two miles off the highway. Bike, helmet and light rentals are available at the Lookout Pass Ski Area at Exit 0. A shuttle is available to return riders back to the start of the trail. Ghosts of Montana’s past The Hiawatha sets a funny precedent: amazing scenery, but not a lot of work. The Summit Cabin Loop near Garnet Ghost Town doesn’t provide quite the same vantage point as the Hiawatha, but it does offer stellar views of the surrounding Mission Mountains, as well as a chance to see the old mining town. The nearly 10-mile loop also requires a bike rider to, you know, actually pedal the bike. The appeal here is as much Garnet as it is the trail. In 1898, about 1,000 people called the town home. Just seven years later, after most of the gold had been mined, about 150 people remained. By 1947, when the town’s last remaining merchant died, Garnet was left empty. Today, the Bureau of Land Management runs the ghost town, with many of the original buildings still preserved. 46

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With so much to choose from, the best way to section the Rattlesnake is by skill level. For beginners, the easiest route starts at the main trailhead just off Sawmill Gulch Road. Wide and flat, the trail—which used to be an old logging road— heads due north along Rattlesnake Creek and offers numerous chances to break off and explore before looping back to the main trail. Eight miles in you’ll come to Franklin Bridge, and 12 miles in there’s an opening at Elk Meadows. The trail ends at 15 miles, as the recreation area turns to designated wilderness, wherein the use of mountain bikes is prohibited. No matter—usually within the first couple miles, bikers will come across views of deer, elk, mountain goats and, on rare occasions, black bears on the surrounding cliffs. There photo by Sarah Daisy Lindmark are, however, no rattlesnakes in the area, despite the name. The Summit Cabin trail climbs up from For a more challenging ride, check out Garnet along well-maintained dirt roads. Steady climbs don’t require much technical the popular Sawmill-Curry Loop. From the skill, but they do require a little effort. In main parking lot, ride up the paved all, the trip takes under two hours, leaving Sawmill Gulch Road approximately 1.5 miles—a slow and steady climb that gets plenty of time to tour Garnet. How to get there: From Missoula, take the blood pumping—to a dirt turnoff leadHighway 200 toward Seeley. Turn south at ing to a park gate. The trail continues, the Garnet Range Road located between climbing steadily through switchbacks for mile markers 22 and 23, about 30 miles approximately three miles until the path east of Missoula. Follow the Range Road widens and (finally) plateaus. At this relaxation point, keep an eye out for the small approximately 12 miles to Garnet. wooden sign marking the turnoff to Curry Gulch and the fast, wild ride back down. Close to home The one sure way to make riders of any The quick descent through thick trees skill level happy is to haul a couple of bikes lands bikers back at a main entry into the to Missoula’s sure-fire, one-size-fits-all Rattlesnake’s “South Zone” along Spring recreational solution: Rattlesnake National Creek, and leads eventually to the main trail along Rattlesnake Creek. The climb is Recreation Area. What makes the Rattlesnake so perfect? long and tedious, but the payoff is well It’s close, it’s almost impossible to get lost, worth the pain. How to get there: The main trailhead the scenery is rewarding, it offers trails for novices and experts alike and, all told, of the Rattlesnake National Recreation Area there are more than 60,000 acres of terrain is located 4.5 miles north of Missoula, just off Rattlesnake Drive. to play in.

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Ready to ride The following western Montana businesses offer bikes for sale and/or rent: Big Sky Bikes 1110 South Ave. W. Missoula 406-543-3331

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Open Road Bicycles and Nordic Equipment 517 S. Orange St. Missoula 406-549-2453

Glacier Cyclery and Fitness 326 Second St. E. Whitefish 406-862-6446

Hellgate Cyclery 316 N. Higgins Missoula 406-549-8785 Bicycle Hangar 1801 Brooks St. Missoula 406-728-9537

Red Barn Bicycles 399 McCarthy Loop Hamilton 406-363-2662 Valley Bicycles and Ski 219 S. First St. Hamilton 406-363-4428

Kendra Richardson S R Montana Real Estate O O L C 406-329-2043 I K D Kendra.Richardson@prumt.com Explorer 2010

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Facets of the Jewel Try something different during Glacier National Park’s centennial

Photos and text by Chad Harder

to-the-Sun Road are stunning, and the interpretive stations along the way are chock full of information. But with a little extra planning and a pack on your back, you can still find yourself surrounded by grizzly bears, glaciers and vertical walls of granite that aren’t packed with people. But maybe you’ve already seen a wide array of the park’s trails and backcountry sites, and now it’s time for you to take your trip to the next level–like bringing the watercolors to capture some of the park’s impressive mountains, or a tripod for shooting night photographs, or some

s the get-out-of town season rolls around, many of us will be heading to one of North America’s crown jewels, Glacier National Park. This epic destination draws people from around the world, with nearly 2 million visitors expected to visit the park during its 100th anniversary. As these nature-lovers fill the park’s more accessible locales, solitudeseekers can still find less popular sites and rewarding activities off the beaten track. Sure, the views from the famous Going50 Missoula Independent Explorer 2010

mountaineering gear to summit one of the more rugged peaks. So go for it! Get up before the sun and plan a trip just a little deeper into the backcountry. Or strap the snowboard onto your pack. Or ride your bike up from the Avalanche Creek Campground for a sunset ride up to the top of Logan Pass, and bomb back to your car under the full moon. The summer season in Glacier is short, and there’s much to do. Don’t waste a moment. Check out the goats! If you’ve been to Glacier a few

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times and have yet to see all this wildlife everybody’s talking about, here’s an almost guaranteed place to go see mountain goats. Along the park’s southern boundary, near the Walton Ranger Station, an exposed natural mineral lick attracts animals from miles around. For many years the lick has drawn animals seeking minerals and salt, and as many as 73 goats have been spotted here at one time. Keep your eye out for “accidental falls into the river,” says a Park Service flier. The goats are constantly jockeying for position along the best licks, and sometimes the challenges can turn to threatening horn swipes. Many other types of animals visit the licks, too, giving you the chance of seeing an elk or an occasional black bear. And of course there are many places in the park to

witness the wildlife of the Northern Rockies, but many of the other prime locales require a bit of a hike. So get out the telephoto lens and keep your distance. Goats are typically docile around humans but have been known to gore the foolish photographer who approaches too close. If you have any questions or trouble finding the location, stop in at the Walton Ranger Station for directions or insider tips. Skiing America’s Crown Jewel As the snow melts in spring across the country, most people hang up the skis and think about fishing, rafting and backpacking. But with high mountain access granted by roads like the Going-to-the-Sun Road, snow jonesers from around the Pacific Northwest have discovered the joys of summertime skiing.

Although it can be quite a bear to haul your skis, snowboard or saucer sled up the snowfields that linger in Glacier’s high country year-round, the adrenal rewards can be extreme. There’s no official park policy on backcountry skiing, so bring the binoculars, find a suitable snowfield, load up the pack and hike to it. Glacier’s high peaks provide smooth schussing well into July, and even on sunny weekend days some of the more accessible runs can become almost crowded with skiers. But backcountry skiing is not for the feeble or unprepared, as avalanches, crevasses, quickly changing weather, charging mountain goats and other increased risks require that downhillers enter the high country fully prepared for an emergency. But with an informed and responsible group, risks can be minimized, and the Continued on page 56

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Continued from page 52

rewards of skiing in one of the continent’s most beautiful areas can become a fond memory. Bombing on bikes down Going-tothe-Sun Road This is a Glacier classic, and getting more and more popular. The charm, of course, comes from not just riding the serpentine ribbon of asphalt, but doing so under the cover of a full moon. This ride can range from strenuous and exhilarating to just exhilarating. By starting outside the park, you can enjoy a long flat ride before climbing up to Logan Pass. But more and more people are relying on 56

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friends to bring them to the top in the back of a pickup and zipping down the road by moonlight. Bear in mind, however, hundreds of riders and runners can take part in the event, making for a busy road. If it’s solitude you seek, try doing the ride the night before or the night after the full moon, when crowds are at a minimum. Helmets and headlights are a must, and taillights are highly recommended. Rangers are out in full force, trying to keep kamikaze kids from careening off the road at top speed. The trip can take many hours if you bicycle to the top, or less than half an hour if you just bomb down the run. Either way, it’s a lot of fun. Bring the kids and the grandparents, but leave the

Explorer 2010

dogs at home—they’re not allowed off leash in your national parks. Sneak a peek in the peaks With hundreds of streams, lakes and rivers, Glacier National Park provides the scantily clad dipper ample opportunity to shed layers and slither through glacially fed waters. According to one park employee, park policy on skinny dipping is: “Go right ahead if you’re by yourself. But if we receive any complaints, you’ll probably get hit up with indecent exposure.” Of course you should be careful of fast moving river currents and the occasional grizzly bear, but the park’s so wellendowed with swimming holes and sun soaked rocks for post swim snoozing it’d be

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a shame to visit and not dip into the continent’s headwaters. So be discreet and choose your friends carefully, if not aesthetically. Photographing wildflowers and waterfalls Glacier National Park offers the macrolens toter a grand opportunity to frame flowers and streams in front of majestic peaks. Bring a tripod, flash and extra plastic bags in anticipation of poor weather conditions. The flash will help bring out brighter colors on the flowers and fill in shadow detail. Using the tripod will allow you to acquire nice water blurring in the flowing waterfalls.

The wildflower season in Glacier has already begun, but if you’re having a hard time finding the flower-filled meadows, just head up, up, up. As the snow level retreats later in the year, you’ll need to be higher to find the flowers. Indeed, a careful observer can find flowers in the park well into September. A great quote to remember when

making pictures comes from the late great war photographer Robert Capa: “If it’s not good enough, you’re not close enough.” (Except when shooting grizzlies, of course.) So bring your tripod, roll around the meadows and fill the frame with flowers. With a little dedication, you’ll be making your own postcards.

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months of fun

JUNE

It’s official, everybody: Welcome to the summer months. Happy birthday to Dr. Miranda Lewis, as well as to Sarah Noble from back on the ol’ school bus. As an aside, this first sunshine-bloated month was named by the Romans in honor of Juno, queen of the gods, whose actions are described on the hallowed pixels of Wikipedia thusly: “Perhaps Juno’s most prominent appearance in Roman literature is as the primary antagonistic force in Virgil’s Aeneid, where she is depicted as a cruel and savage goddess intent upon supporting first Didi and then Turnus and the Rutulians against Aeneas’ attempt to found a new Troy in Italy.” Luckily, we’ve already got a Troy here in Montana, so rather than move to establish any beachheads, just celebrate summer’s sensual arrival in whichever way your neighbors find least appropriate. Thursday 10 June Prove that age brings not only wisdom, but talent and athleticism, at the Kalispell’s Montana Senior Olympics Summer Games, which invites men and women 50 and older to partake in events including archery, basketball, cycling, golf, racquetball, tennis, table tennis, bowling, swimming, road race, horseshoes, softball and track and field. Call 586-5543 or visit montanaseniorolympics.org. Foment a workers’ revolution, or simply down a few pints and ride a Garden City Gondola rickshaw, with food, drinks and fellow comrades in the struggle during Downtown ToNight in Missoula’s Caras Park, where Bad Neighbor throws forth rock and pop from the tented stage. 5:30–8:30 P M. Free. Visit missouladowntown.com. 60

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photo by Chad Harder

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A 7 PM production of You Can’t Beat the House kicks off the two-play season at the Gunport Theatre located in the middle of Deer Lodge’s Old Montana Prison Museum. Shows run through Fri., June 20. Call 846-3111 or 846-3543 or visit powellcountymontana.com. Friday 11 June The fourth annual Love Your Mother Earth Festival, a three-day music and enviro-fest, kicks off at its new location, the Rock Creek Lodge, at noon and runs through Sun., June 13. The weekend soiree features over 50 bands on four stages, free camping and swimming with admission, local and organic food, eco-workshops and more. $50 at the gate, plus $10 per car/$40 plus fees advance. Visit loveyourmotherfestival.com or griztix.com.

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So, we’re thinking duct tape or Gel-Curve. Jewel plays a solo acoustic show at the Wilma Theatre Tuesday, June 22, at 8 PM. $39.50 at Rockin Rudy’s or online at www.ticketfly.com.

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If you pray at the altar of rock, then you’ll want to catch Reverend Horton Heat at the Wilma Theatre Sat., July 31, with Split Lip Rayfield and Hillstomp. 8 PM. $19 in advance from Rockin Rudy’s/ $21 day of show.

Honoring the homesteaders and settlers who called dibs, Hot Springs’ annual Homesteader Days Celebration takes place through Sun., June 13, and promises rodeos, parades, live music, a powwow, 3K and 6K runs, an antique car show and more. Call 741-2662 or visit hotspringsmtchamber.org. And this year, as last, the concurrent counter-point: The Chief Victor Days Celebration begins at 5:30 PM and pays homage through Sat., June 12, at Victor Park in Victor. Highlights include Friday’s fireman’s dinner, a parade, a 5K run, a pow wow and more. Call 642-3924 or visit chiefvictordays.com. If you like your entertainments to involve hot firearms and still hotter women, the Hamilton Players serve up just the right blend of estrogenated black powder with their production of Annie Get Yer Gun, which begins a three-week run at 8 PM at the Hamilton Playhouse, 100 Ricketts Road. Shows begin at 8 PM Thu.–Sat., with 2 PM 64

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matinees every Sun., and the production lasts through Sun., June 27. Call 375-9050 or visit hamiltonplayers.com. Saturday 12 June Communities around western Montana host farmers’ markets, featuring local produce, flowers, baked goods and crafts—in Missoula at Circle Square (missoulafarmersmarket.com), on Pine Street (missoulasaturdaymarket.org) and under the Higgins Avenue bridge (clarkforkrivermarket.com), in Stevensville at Third and Main streets, in Hamilton at South Third and Bedford streets and in Kalispell at Center Street and Fifth Avenue. Hours for each market vary, but 8 AM–1 PM is the total span. You and all Missoula’s other eco-peeping Toms can get your fill during homeWORD’s eighth annual Sustainability Tour, “Sustainability: Options for Everyone,” which highlights model homes and communities

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in Missoula (nine home sites within two miles of downtown) from noon until 5 PM and wraps up with a celebration at homeWORD’s newest project, the Equinox, at the former site of Liberty Lanes, that honorable old bowling alley from which, just as an aside, my scavenged lawn columns originated, as a matter of fact. Call 532-HOME, or visit homeword.org. Sunday 13 June Alas, poor broccoli, produce is not allowed on the carousel: Go ‘round and ‘round during a Sunday Market & Festival, which takes place every Sun. through Oct. 17 from 1–5 PM at A Carousel for Missoula. Stock up on local veggies, meats, arts & crafts and more. Call 549-8382 or visit carrousel.com/carouselsunday-market-and-fes. If your life’s mission has thusfar involved “putting the fun back between your legs,” it’s clearly time to join the Missoulians on Bicycles (MOBI) for their Mission Meanderings Ride, which leaves at 8 AM from Missoula with alternate meeting spots in Ravalli at 9 and in Moiese at 10. The 75- or 90mile ride takes cyclists to Polson and returns via back roads. Free. Call Patty at 745-4549 to reserve a spot. Every Sunday evening through Aug. 22, youngsters get the boot so the grown-ups can have a playdate of their own: Splash Montana’s weekly Afterhours Adult Swim goes down from 6–9 PM. Ride the slides, float the Lazy River, cross the Log Walk, play inner-tube water polo, water volleyball, water tonsilhockey… whatever! Regular admission fees apply. Call 721PARK or visit missoulaparks.org. Monday 14 June Young artists! Now that school’s been out for a little while, jump back into learning with the Missoula Art Museum, 335 N. Pattee St., which begins 10 weeks of arts classes—from sculpture, paper clay and batik to nature art and chalk pastels— 66

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beginning today and running through Thu., Aug. 12. Tuitions vary. Call 728-0447 or visit missoulaartmuseum.org Learn equine essentials at Wildlife Adventures Youth Horsemanship Camp in Victor. Sessions run June 14–18, June 20–27 and July 5–9. Organizers promise packing demonstrations, trail rides, guest speakers, classes and nightly bonfires. Call 642-3262 or 888-642-1010, or visit wildlifeadventuresinc.com. Tuesday 15 June Haunting tones and sweet melodies fill the Tarkio Lodge (tarkioriverlodge.com), just 45 miles west of Missoula, at 2 PM, where a seven-day conference, the Renaissance of the Native American Flute, aims to celebrate and explore the music, mythology and rebirth of an ancient voice in the winds. Call 726-3353 or visit aoflutes.com/rnaf.htm. Wednesday 16 June Out to Lunch in Missoula’s Caras Park, this week with mind-controlling hockey anthems (just kidding about the mind control. And the hockey anthems.) from Strange Brew. 11 AM–2 PM. Free. Visit missouladowntown.com. Thursday 17 June Foment a workers’ revolution, or simply down a few pints and ride a Garden City Gondola rickshaw, with food, drinks and fellow comrades in the struggle during Downtown ToNight in Missoula’s Caras Park, where the Big Sky Mudflaps swing their jazzy junk from the tented stage. 5:30–8:30 PM. Free. Whitefish’s Alpine Theatre Project begins a 10-day run of Barrymore, in which William Luce serves up a one-man show based upon the life of actor, lover, father and scoundrel John Barrymore, with Tue.–Sat. shows at 8 PM and 6 PM Sun. matinees through Jun. 27, at the Whitefish Performing Arts Center, 600 E. Second St. $18–37. Call 862-SHOW.

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GRAB LIFE BY THE FETTUCCINE OR THE PEPPERONI!

Of course, you could take in an entirely different shot of culture at 5:30 PM at the Missoula Art Museum, where Artini: 23,024 Rose Stones blends exhibiting artist Kerri Rosenstein, a 7 PM gallery talk from MAM Registrar Ted Hughes, live jazz and funk from Def Cartel and all the hors d’oeuvres and beverages you’d expect from an event with such a name. Free. Call 728-0447 or visit missoulaartmuseum.org. Friday 18 June

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Keep it a bit more local, if no less internally combustive, when Montana Harley Davidson Buell sponsors Hot Harley Nights at 6:30 PM in Caras Park. Call 7212154 or visit mtharley.com. Did somebody say, “Cow pie bingo?” Yep, Western Heritage Days in Stevensville features the turd-wagerin’ you love, plus a good old fashioned parade with games, BBQ, Dutch oven desserts, crafts, black powder demonstrations—easy, teabaggers—music and food, as well as living history activities, wagon rides, antiques, rodeos and more continuing through Sat., June 19. Call 777-3773 or visit mainstreetstevensville.com. If you like your entertainments to involve hot firearms and even hotter women, the Hamilton Players serve up just the right blend of estrogenated black powder with their production of Annie Get Yer Gun, which continues a three-week run at 8 PM at the H a m i l t o n P l a y h o u s e , 10 0 Ricketts Road. Shows begin at 8 PM Thu.–Sat., with 2 PM matinees every Sun., and the production lasts through Sun., June 27. Call 375-9050 or visit hamiltonplayers.com Saturday 19 June Your veggie bin—not to mention your meat cupboard—is looking a might bit bare: Western Montana responds with several farmer’s markets, featuring local produce, flowers, baked goods and crafts—in Missoula at Circle

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Square (missoulafarmersmarket.com), on Pine Street (missoulasaturdaymarket.org) and under the Higgins Avenue bridge (clarkforkriver market.com), in Stevensville at Third and Main streets, in Hamilton at South Third and Bedford streets and in Kalispell at Center Street and Fifth Avenue. Hours for each market vary, but 8 AM–1 PM is the total span. Unsure about the name of our state flower? Visit the 31st annual Bitter Root Days celebration hosted by the Ravalli County Museum in downtown Hamilton at 10 AM, promising arts, crafts and food as well as over 1,000 blossoms of Montana’s state flower, the bitterroot. The Missoula Art Museum gives you reason to drag the whole truckload of kin down to 335 N. Pattee St., where they present a Saturday Family Art Workshop “Shoebox City” at 11 AM. $5 per artist. Call 728-0447 or visit missoulaartmuseum.org. Sunday 20 June Alas, poor broccoli, produce is not allowed on the carousel: Go ‘round and ‘round during a Sunday Market & Festival, which takes place every Sun. through Oct. 17 from 1–5 PM at A Carousel for Missoula. Stock up on local veggies, meats, arts & crafts and more. Call 549-8382 or visit carrousel.com/carouselsunday-market-and-fes. And again, the five valleys’ deepest rollers, Missoulians on Bicycles (MOBI), invites hearty souls and their bikes to jump in on the Geezer Ride to the River City Grill, which leaves at 10 AM from the Greenough Park parking lot, at the corner of Monroe and Locust streets, for the mellow 12-miler. Gayle and Ernie beckon you to call 240-9279. Monday 21 June Give it up for the Northside! The Zootown Arts Community Center (ZACC), 235 North First Street, kicks off their summer program of week-long art camps for children and young adults.

Class subjects range from movement and dance to recycled art and pottery. Visit zootown arts.org or call 549-7555. Junior thespians! The Missoula Children’s Theatre kicks off the first of several week-long summer day camps with The Pied Piper, which runs through Fri., June 25, and features 3 and 5 PM performances on Sat., June 26, and Sun., June 27. Register by June 18 by calling 728-1911. Visit mctinc.org. Celebrate a new dawning on this longest day of the year when you heft metaphorical golden shovels and sup upon refreshments from 5–7 PM during homeWORDS’s Groundbreaking Ceremony for Solstice, their 11th affordable housing project in Missoula, which will stand next to its sister building, Equinox, at 1515 Liberty Lane. Yep, that’s on the site of the former Liberty Lanes. Tricky wordplay, sign department. Free. Call 532-HOME. One hell of a rant-a-thon—but in a good way, H.—awaits at the Wilma Theatre, where Henry Rollins’ spoken word “Frequent Flyer Tour” touches down, as well as bare nerves, at 8 PM. $20 plus fees/$18.50 plus fees advance. Visit thewilma.com/ events or ticketfly.com. Tuesday 22 June And as if to bring balance back to the venue, Jewel busts out a solo acoustic show in the Rollins-enated hall of the Wilma Theatre, with special guest Radney Foster opening the exorcism at 8 PM. And if you’re reading this J., Joshua Z. from Homer says hi. $39.50. Visit thewilma.com or ticketfly.com. Tenderly fulfilling the entertainment needs of an entirely different subset of fans, Slightly Stoopid makes their first Missoula appearance since that crazy May Day show in the Macy’s building to rock Ryan Creek Meadows—just 26 miles east of Missoula!—with special guests Steel Pulse and the Expendables. $33/$27.50 advance. Get tickets at Rockin

Rudy’s, by calling (877)4359849 or by visiting ticketfly.com. Wednesday 23 June Nineteen different food vendors, ice cream sellers and coffee shop drips boogie-woogie on down for Out to Lunch in Missoula’s Caras Park, this week with classically big sounds from the Ed Norton Big Band. 11 AM–2 PM. Free. Visit missouladowntown.com. Thursday 24 June Foment a workers’ revolution, or simply down a few pints and ride a Garden City Gondola rickshaw, with food, drinks and fellow comrades in the struggle during Downtown ToNight in Missoula’s Caras Park, where Great American Taxi grooves the crowd with Americana from the tented stage. 5:30–8:30 PM. Free. Visit missoula downtown.com. Friday 25 June Hold onto your fish, Missoula Osprey fans, because tonight kicks off a season-opening, three-game series against our bitter rival, the Billings “Butterfingers.” Fri.–Sat. games at 7:05, Sun. game at 5. Call 543-3300. Giddyup when the Senior Pro Rodeo at the Beaverhead County Fairgrounds in Dillon extracts whoopin’, hollerin’ and cheerin’ from those attendin’ at 7 PM. Call (928) 684-9566 or visit seniorrodeo.com. If you like your entertainments to involve hot firearms and even hotter women, the Hamilton Players serve up just the right blend of estrogenated black powder with their production of Annie Get Yer Gun, which concludes a three-week run at 8 PM at the Hamilton Playhouse, 100 Ricketts Road. Shows begin at 8 PM Thu.–Sat., with 2 PM matinees every Sun., and the production ends Sun., June 27. Call 375-9050 or visit hamilton players.com Here’s hoping gas gets a whole hell of a lot more expensive Explorer 2010

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before the 10th annual Garden City River Rod Run brings over 200 hot rods and classic cars to Missoula’s Caras Park at 1 PM— with a 9 PM rubber-peeling, smoke-spewing, law enforcement-ignored parade down Higgins Avenue—and resumes at 8 AM on Sat., June 26. Free. Call 543-4238 or visit missouladowntown.com. Contestants from five states and several Canadian provinces—just don’t tell them thar Arizona sheriffs—compete in the Western Montana Quarter Horse Association Horse Show, taking place at the Sapphire Event Center in Corvallis today through Sun., June 27. Call (208) 6831617 or visit mqha.com. Saturday 26 June Get up to the Lolo Pass Visitor Center by 7:30 AM—that’s Pacific time, people—so you can feel the burn during the Mountain to Meadow Half Marathon and 5K Fun Run, which is limited to 500 runner/walkers, so hurry up and call (208) 942-0008 or visit runlolopass.org. $20 registration/free for kids. If you can’t hit Lolo, another option is to run 5K or 10K during the 33nd annual Whitefish Lake Run in Whitefish, which begins at 8 AM and can accommodate another 500 runners, so that’s 1000 runners “off the streets” for a while, which is a good thing. Call 862-3111 or visit sportsmanskihaus.com. Communities around western Montana host farmers’ markets, featuring local produce, flowers, baked goods and crafts—in Missoula at Circle Square (missoulafarmersmarket.com), on Pine Street (missoulasaturdaymarket.org) and under the Higgins Avenue bridge (clarkforkrivermarket.com), in Stevensville at Third and Main streets, in Hamilton at South Third and Bedford streets and in Kalispell at Center Street and Fifth Avenue. Hours for each market vary, but 8 AM–1 PM is the total span.

the Dillon Fairgrounds and extracts whoopin’, hollerin’ and cheerin’ from those attendin’ at 2 PM. Call (928) 684-9566 or visit seniorrodeo.com. The Bitterroot National Forest invites you to learn about the history of surveying in the Bitterroot Mountains as they host the Monthly Moonwalk “Surveyor

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Sunday 27 June Alas, poor broccoli, produce is not allowed on the carousel: Go

SPOTLIGHT

star power I’ve always been curious about people who seem to have, from a young age, known exactly what they wanted to be when they grew up: The grade schooler who yearns to find a cure for cancer or the prodigy high school cello player who’s busy practicing her heart out while the rest of us watch movies and skip classes and only imagine ourselves as vaguely famous someday. Kevin Red Star is one of those maddeningly dedicated artists whose focus and talent have carried him forward on what seems like a fated path. The American Indian artist grew up on the Crow Indian Nation in Lodge Grass, Mont., under the auspices of an artistic, nurturing family. In 1962, when he was 19 years old, Red Star joined the inaugural class of 150 students from 80 nationwide tribes at the new Institute of American Indian Art (IAIA) in Santa Fe, N.M. And it was there that he explored images of his Crow people, a theme he continued after his acceptance to the San Francisco Art Institute a few years later, and one that he’s focused on in his work ever since. Red Star’s an interesting painter, too, in that he’s always kept his paintings in a fairly positive, cel-

Hold onto your fish, Missoula Osprey fans, because tonight begins a three-game series against our bitter rivals, the Great Falls “Puppytrappers.” Mon.–Wed. games at 7:05. Call 543-3300. ebratory realm—even during the politically charged 1960s when some American Indian art focused on critiquing the commercialization of American Indian culture. That’s not to say his work glosses over truth or doesn’t have some edge. It definitely has broad appeal, but the acrylic, ink and collage pieces address tradition in Red Star’s own quirky way. And his playful colors and evocative scenes—which you can take a gander at during his current summer-long exhibit at the Missoula Art Museum (MAM)— have made him a major influence on young artists over the decades, as well a visual historian. That’s a good road to have traveled. —Erika Fredrickson

WHAT: Crow culture art exhibit WHEN: Currently on display through August 27 WHERE: Missoula Art Museum, 335 N. Pattee St. HOW MUCH: Free MORE INFO: missoulaartmuseum.org

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‘round and ‘round during a Sunday Market & Festival, which takes place every Sun. through Oct. 17 from 1–5 PM at A Carousel for Missoula. Stock up on local veggies, meats, arts & crafts and more. Call 549-8382 or visit carrousel.com/carouselsunday-market-and-fes.

Monday 28 June

WHO: Kevin Red Star

Giddyup when the Senior Pro Rodeo busts outta the gates of 70

Moon” at 7:30 PM at the Blodgett Canyon campground, where a guided hike at 6:30 leads into the evening’s presentation. Free. Call 375-2606.

Wednesday 30 June Nineteen different food vendors, ice cream sellers and coffee shop drips emerge for Out to Lunch in Missoula’s Caras Park, this week with musical accompaniment by RattleTrap. 11 AM–2 PM. Free. Visit missouladowntown.com.

JULY Thursday 1 July Foment a workers’ revolution, or simply down a few pints and ride a Garden City Gondola rickshaw, with food, drinks and fellow comrades in the struggle during Downtown ToNight in Missoula’s Caras Park, where Reverend Slanky funks all over themselves on the tented stage. 5:30–8:30 PM. Free. Visit missouladowntown.com. Friday 2 July View and buy art from over 100 regional artists when the 30th

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MUSSELSHELL RIVER RANCH For your own great piece of the west head to eastern Montana. Beautiful working cattle ranch located along the tail-waters of the Musselshell River. 12000+/- deeded acres 28000+/- BLM lease land. Abundant wildlife includes elk, mule deer, whitetail deer, pheasant and turkey. This ranch is not outfitted, and is bordered by the Charles M. Russell game range. There is a private river crossing as well as a main road access. The animal units are about 6600 . At present time it is operating about 500 yearling and 500 pairs. The ranch is an excellent grass ranch, with rolling benches, river bottom and coulees. There is also a flood irrigation system for about 90 acres. All fields were replanted in Alfalfa in 2008. Plenty of water, artesian wells, springs and the Mussellshell River runs year round. Some of the oldest water rights recorded. Included are 5 homes, shop, barn, cake shed, tool sheds and many outbuildings. Priced at $7,500,000.00 MLS #10003163

FANTASTIC ROCK CREEK FRONTAGE If you're looking for a great place to float your drift boat or to raft in and out of... look no further. Nestled along Rock Creek just 7 miles from I-90, this property is clearly a place to call home! A little over 7 acres with creek frontage. Property features include two barns, one with a dirt floor perfect for storage of atv's, snowmobiles, motorcycles, trailers, campers. The other barn has a concrete floor, an awesome heating system and a great loft. The RV home with a well-built snow shed is a one bedroom/one bath cozy retreat. You can remove the trailer and build your dream home or add to the patio. Enjoy breathtaking views while watching the Deer and Big Horn Sheep roam through your yard. Priced at $550,000.00 MLS#10003817

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crafts and more. Call 549-8382 or visit carrousel.com/carouselsunday-market-and-fes.

annual Whitefish Arts Festival begins at 10 AM runs through Sun., July 4, at Parkside Credit Union Park in Whitefish. Visit whitefishartsfestival.org. The galleries, shops and restaurants of downtown Missoula and Stevensville celebrate First Friday with art exhibits, bands and refreshments, beginning at 5 PM. Free. Visit firstfridays missoula.blogspot.com. Saturday 3 July Hold onto your flesh, Missoula Osprey fans, because tonight begins a four-game series against our bitter rivals, the Helena “Elitist Politicians.” Sat., Mon. and Tue. games at 7:05 PM, Sun. game at 5. Call 543-3300. Communities around western Montana host farmers’ markets, featuring local produce, flowers, baked goods and crafts—in Missoula at Circle Square (missoulafarmersmarket.com), on

Little known fact: That guitar is made of chocolate. Creedence Clearwater Revisited plays the Western Montana Fair Saturday, Aug. 14, at 7:30 PM. $25. Fair entry cost TBA.

Happy Independence Day! Cool your jingoistic patriotism with a plunge at the Splash Montana Independence Day Party, which begins at 3 PM and features roughly one million flavors of ice cream donated by Cold Stone Creamery. Call 721-PARK or visit missoulaparks.org. And once it gets quasi-dark, check out Southgate Mall’s celebration beginning at 9 PM, with fireworks at 10:30. Wednesday 7 July

Pine Street (missoulasaturdaymarket.org) and under the Higgins Avenue bridge (clarkforkrivermarket.com), in Stevensville at Third and Main streets, in Hamilton at Third and Bedford streets and in Kalispell at Center Street and Fifth Avenue. Hours for each market vary, but 8 AM–1 PM is the total span.

Sunday 4 July Alas, poor broccoli, produce is not allowed on the carousel: Go ‘round and ‘round during a Sunday Market & Festival, which takes place every Sun. through Oct. 17 from 1-5 PM at A Carousel for Missoula. Stock up on local veggies, meats, arts &

Explorer 2010

Nineteen different food vendors, ice cream sellers and coffee shop drips trip on down for Out to Lunch in Missoula’s Caras Park, this week with hippie rock from Odyssey. 11 AM–2 PM. Fr e e . Vi s i t m i s s o u l a d o w n town.com.

Missoula Independent

Thursday 8 July Foment a workers’ revolution, or simply down a few pints and ride a Garden City Gondola rickshaw, with food, drinks and fellow comrades in the struggle during Downtown ToNight in Missoula’s Caras Park, where the winning band from the Independent’s Best of Missoula Contest plays indescribable music from the tented stage along with Tom Catmull & The Clerics, which is not to say they mightn’t win once again, now is it? 5:30–8:30 PM. Free. Visit missouladowntown.com. Friday 9 July Celebrate the culture we’ve amassed in the past 233 years when you travel to Butte for the 72nd annual National Folk Festival, three days of music,

Missoula Independent

Project begins a three-week run of Hair, the beloved christo-hippie musical, with Tue.–Sat. shows at 8 PM and 6 PM Sun. matinees through Aug. 1, at the Whitefish Performing Arts Center, 600 E. Second St. $18–37. Call 862-SHOW or visit alpinetheatreproject.org. Saturday 10 July

Prepared for a solar eclipse at any moment. Slightly Stoopid plays Ryan Creek Meadows Tuesday, June 22, at 7 PM. $33/$27.50 advance.

crafts, demonstrations and more. Free. Visit nationalfolk festival.com. The Flathead’s art scene blossoms into full exposture for the weekend during the Artists and

Explorer 2010

Craftsmen of the Flathead Summer Outdoor Show, which takes place through Sun., July 11, next to the courthouse in Kalispell. Call 881-4288. Whitefish’s Alpine Theatre

A feverish sweat covers Caras Park as the Missoula Marathon Registration and Expo takes place all day, from 8 AM–6 PM, and leads into the real deal—the big, long run, that is—on Sun., July 11 at 6 AM. Visit missoulamarathon.org or call 626-4055. Endure one or all of six different legs of the 8th annual Glacier Challenge, a 55-mile race that includes a 10K run, canoe race, road bike, mountain bike, kayak

and 5K run around Whitefish and promises music and free food at an after-race party. Call 755-4622 or 261-1831, or visit youthhomes.com/glacier_ challenge. Communities around western Montana host farmers’ markets, featuring local produce, flowers, baked goods and crafts— in Missoula at Circle Square (missoulafarmersmarket.com), on Pine Street (missoulasaturdaymarket.org) and under the Higgins Avenue bridge (clarkforkrivermarket.com), in Stevensville at Third and Main streets, in Hamilton at South Third and Bedford streets and in Kalispell at Center Street and Fifth Avenue. Hours for each market vary, but 8 AM–1 PM is the total span. Enjoy music, food and dessert during the 28th annual Hellgate Rendezvous, a juried ar ts and crafts show that takes place on the Missoula County Courthouse lawn in downtown Missoula today through Sat., July 11 from 10 AM to 6 PM. Visit missoulachamber.com. The Missoula Art Museum gives you reason to drag the whole truckload of kin down to 335 N. Pattee St., where they present a Saturday Family Art Workshop “Papermaking” at 11 AM. $5 per artist. Call 728-0447 or visit missoulaartmuseum.org. Sunday 11 July Alas, poor broccoli, produce is not allowed on the carousel: Go ‘round and ‘round during a Sunday Market & Festival, which takes place every Sun. through Oct. 17 from 1-5 PM at A Carousel for Missoula. Stock up on local veggies, meats, arts & crafts and more. Call 549-8382 or visit carrousel.com/carouselsunday-market-and-fes. Full grown artists, and wannabes as well, can head down to the Missoula Art Museum, 335 N. Pattee St., where an Adult Abstract Mosaic Mirror Class runs from 10 AM–3 PM. $75/$67.50 members. Call 728-0447 or visit missoulaart museum.org.

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Wednesday 14 July In honor of our dear allies to the east, celebrate a big French national holiday—aka Bastille Day, or Fête Nationale in the mother tongue—by gathering up an unruly mob of unwashed peasants, laborers, office workers and the like and storming whichever government building most raises your bile. And if this ever goes to court, I didn’t write that. Joe Weston did. Nineteen different food vendors, ice cream sellers and coffee shop drips splatter on down for Out to Lunch in Missoula’s Caras Park, this week with tunes by the Big Sky Mudflaps. 11 AM–2 PM. Free. Visit missouladown town.com.

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Hold onto your flash, Missoula Osprey fans, because tonight begins a three-game series against our bitter rivals, the Orem “Grannyslappers.” Wed.–Fri. games at 7:05. Call 543-3300. Thursday 15 July Foment a workers’ revolution, or simply down a few pints and ride a Garden City Gondola rickshaw, with food, drinks and fellow comrades in the struggle during Downtown ToNight in Missoula’s Caras Park, where Odyssey flashes back and forth from the tented stage. 5:30–8:30 PM. Free. Visit missouladowntown.com. Friday 16 July Show the trees and their huggers who’s boss when the Darby’s three-day eighth annual Logger Days take place at the Explorer 2010

Missoula Independent

Ravalli County Veteran’s Memorial, featuring scores of logging competitions and a parade Sat. morning at the south end of Darby on Hwy. 93. Call 821-4151 or visit darby loggerdays.com. Take your classic car for a spin around Sanders County during the 10th annual Rods & Classics Annual Show & Shine by a Dam Site, taking place at Ainsworth Field in Thompson Falls from 5–9 PM today and from 10 AM–4 PM on Sat., July 18. Call 827-4485 or visit rodsn classics.com. Trade in your waders for dancing shoes for the three-day Kootenai River Bluegrass Festival, which kicks off today at Roosevelt Park in Troy. Bands include favorites like Broken Valley Roadshow, Jackstraw, Pinegrass and the

Missoula Independent

the intersection of Mullan Road and North Reserve Street. Call 543-6623 or visit missoulachamber.com.

Tragedy is the new black. Montana Lyric Opera presents a fully staged production of Puccini’s Madama Butterfly at the Montana Theatre in UM’s PARTV Center August 11 and August 13 at 7 PM nightly, and August 15 at 5:30 PM. $19-39. Purchase tickets at www.MTOpera.org.

Foghorn String Band. Music starts at 5 PM Friday, 10 AM Saturday and 11 AM Sunday. $25 adult three-day pass/$10–$15 per day/free for children 12 and under. Visit www.krbgf.org for more information.

Explorer 2010

Saturday 17 July Missoula b-ballers show off their skills on the court at the 13th annual 3-on-3 Street Jam, taking place in the parking lot of Northgate plaza, located near

Communities around western Montana host farmers’ markets, featuring local produce, flowers, baked goods and crafts—in Missoula at Circle Square (missoulafarmersmarket.com), on Pine Street (missoulasaturdaymarket.org) and under the Higgins Avenue bridge (clarkforkrivermarket.com), in Stevensville at Third and Main streets, in Hamilton at South Third and Bedford streets and in Kalispell at Center Street and Fifth Avenue. Hours for each market vary, but 8 AM–1 PM is the total span. Civitella Espresso Bar, which serves great food and coffee drinks on the bottom floor of the

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Missoula Public Library, hosts a Celebration of Sustainable Farming from 10 AM–2:30 PM in honor of the organic and fair trade constituents of their menu. Entertainment and refreshments abound, though the “Hokey Pokey” is unlikely. More info at eddiescoffeeshop@gmail.com. Full grown artists, and wannabes as well, can head down to the Missoula Art Museum, 335 N. Pattee St., where the Adult Class “Birds and Art” runs from 10 AM-1 PM. $35/$31.50 members. Call 728-0447 or visit missoulaartmuseum.org. Hold onto your feeyash, Missoula Osprey fans, because tonight begins a four-game series against our bitter rivals, the Ogden “Clumsyrunners.” Wed.–Fri. games at 7:05. Call 543-3300.

admission fees apply. Call 721PARK or visit missoulaparks.org. Wednesday 21 July Nineteen different food vendors, ice cream sellers and coffee shop drips salute your wallet for Out to Lunch in Missoula’s Caras Park, with rock and soul from The Congress. 11 AM–2 PM. Free. Visit missouladowntown.com. Thursday 22 July Foment a workers’ revolution, or simply down a few pints and ride a Garden City Gondola rick-

If you’re feeling a little cottonheaded and confused, you’ll be in great company when you meet the Missoulians on Bicycles (MOBI) at 10 AM in the Greenough Park parking lot—corner of Monroe and Locust streets—for the 10–14-mile Geezer Ride to Some Restaurant Somewhere. Call Gayle or Ernie at 240-9279, and bring a nametag to pin to your shirt in case you get lost. Every Sunday evening through Aug. 22, youngsters get the boot so’s the grown-ups can have a playdate of their own: Splash Montana’s weekly Afterhours Adult Swim goes down from 6–9 PM. Ride the slides, float the Lazy River, cross the Log Walk, play inner-tube water polo, water volleyball, water tonsilhockey… whatever! Regular

Missoula Independent

Come see just what horses can do at the four-day Event at Rebecca Farm, an equestrian competition featuring dressage, cross-country, steeplechase and stadium jumping that takes

SPOTLIGHT

runner’s high

Sunday 18 July Alas, poor broccoli, produce is not allowed on the carousel: Go ‘round and ‘round during a Sunday Market & Festival, which takes place every Sun. through Oct. 17 from 1–5 PM at A Carousel for Missoula. Stock up on local veggies, meats, arts & crafts and more. Call 549-8382 or visit carrousel.com/carouselsunday-market-and-fes.

shaw, with food, drinks and fellow comrades in the struggle during Downtown ToNight in Missoula’s Caras Park, where Bob Wire broadcasts lewd-ish, but probably somewhat scrubbed for consumption by the general public, honky tonk from the tented stage. 5:30–8:30 PM. Free. Visit missouladowntown.com.

If you read through the comments section on the Missoula Marathon homepage, you’ll notice runners from Texas, Minnesota, New York and elsewhere all hyping our local race. Everything from striking scenery to good weather to a friendly community helped make the Missoula Marathon, even in its infancy, the Best Overall Marathon, according to voters in the January 2010 issue of Runner’s World magazine. The local marathon is organized by Run Wild Missoula, which anticipates a surge in numbers this year because of the Runner’s World win. But it’s not just outsiders champing at the bit to get in on Missoula’s gem marathon. If you spend any time near the Runner’s Edge downtown or Waterworks Hill you’ll notice a diverse group of local runners in training for the big summer event. In fact, it seems like everyone from the fittest runner to the occa-

Friday 23 July Celebrate the founder of Hamilton—and owner of the Anaconda Copper Mine—Marcus Daly, today and Sat., July 25, during Daly Days in Hamilton, which runs from 9 AM–5 PM each day, features a Friday night Street Dance, the Bitterrodder Car Show and a Pinewood Derby race on Sat. Call 3632400 or visit bitterrootvalleychamber.com. Kalispell’s Depot Park hosts the 42nd annual Arts in the Park—a benefit for the Hockaday Museum of Art that takes place today through Sun., July 25, and promises the work of over 100 regional and national artists as well as art activities for children and food, music and performance for everyone. $3/$5 weekend pass. Call 755-5268 or visit hockadaymuseum.org. Saturday 24 July

sional jogger to the most un-sporty couch potato is running (or walking) the marathon (or half marathon) this year. And why not? Deciding to run a marathon for the first time is one of those things people do as a sort of life-changing, let’s-get-this-train-turned-around kind of spiritual catalyst. Though the Boston Marathon and the New York Marathon and even the Walt Disney World Marathon have their merits, you might as well get your running fill—whether you’re a newbie or a marathon elder—with a side of Rocky Mountain scenery. —Erika Fredrickson

WHAT: Fourth annual Missoula Marathon WHEN: Sunday, July 11, at 6 AM (5 AM for walkers) WHERE: Downtown Missoula corner of Higgins Ave. and Front St. MORE INFO: runwildmissoula.org

Explorer 2010

place today through Sun. at 1385 Farm to Market Road in Whitefish. Call 755-3276 or visit rebeccafarm.org.

Ball it up at this year’s Flathead Lake Hoopfest, the 3-on-3 tournament that fills Polson’s Main Street with basketball courts for dribblers of all ages, with slam dunk and 3-point competitions throughout the weekend. C a l l 8 8 3 - 5255 o r v i s i t flatheadlake3on3.com. Communities around western Montana host farmers’ markets, featuring local produce, flowers, baked goods and crafts—in Missoula at Circle Square (missoulafarmersmarket.com), on Pine Street (missoulasaturdaymarket.org) and under the Higgins Avenue bridge (clarkforkrivermarket.com), in Stevensville at Third and Main streets, in Hamilton at South Third and Bedford streets and in Kalispell at Center Street and Fifth Avenue. Hours for each market vary, but 8 AM–1 PM is the total span.

The Missoula Art Museum gives you reason to drag the whole truckload of kin down to 335 N. Pattee St., where they present a Saturday Family Art Workshop “D.I.Y. Screenprinting” at 11 AM. $5 per artist. Call 728-0447 or visit missoulaartmuseum.org. Sunday 25 July Alas, poor broccoli, produce is not allowed on the carousel: Go ‘round and ‘round during a Sunday Market & Festival, which takes place every Sun. through Oct. 17 from 1-5 PM at A Carousel for Missoula. Stock up on local veggies, meats, arts & crafts and more. Call 549-8382 or visit carrousel.com/carouselsunday-market-and-fes. Monday 26 July The Bitterroot National Forest’s second Monthly Moonwalk of the summer—this one carries the title “Skull Moon”—begins at 7:30 PM at Upper Lake Como campground, where a local wildlife biologist teaches skull identification and remarks on fascinating wildlife adaptations, sort of the animals’ versions of the iPad. Free. Call 375-2606. Wednesday 28 July Nineteen different food vendors, ice cream sellers and coffee shop drips stomp on down for Out to Lunch in Missoula’s Caras Park, this week with country western flava from Sho-down. 11 AM–2 PM. Free. Visit missouladowntown.com. Thursday 29 July Foment a workers’ revolution, or simply down a few pints and ride a Garden City Gondola rickshaw, with food, drinks and fellow comrades in the struggle during Downtown ToNight in Missoula’s Caras Park, where Beyond the Pale makes the poppy rock on the tented stage. 5:30–8:30 PM. Free. Visit missouladowntown.com. Hold onto your fish, Missoula Osprey fans, because tonight begins a two-game nano-series against our bitter rivals, the

Billings “Cockroach-eaters.” Thu. and Fri. games at 7:05. Call 543-3300. Saturday 31 July Communities around western Montana host farmers’ markets, featuring local produce, flowers, baked goods and crafts—in Missoula at Circle Square (missoulafarmersmarket.com), on Pine Street (missoulasaturdaymarket.org) and under the Higgins Avenue bridge (clarkforkrivermarket.com), in Stevensville at Third and Main streets, in Hamilton at South Third and Bedford streets and in Kalispell at Center Street and Fifth Avenue. Hours for each market vary, but 8 AM–1 PM is the total span.

Corner of N. Higgins & Main, Missoula, MT 406-549-1070 • darkroomofmontana.com

Celebrate northwest Montana’s wild lands and support the Yaak Valley Forest Council’s stewardship work when you attend the fifth annual Yaak Wilderness Festival at the notorious Dirty Shame Saloon in “downtown” Yaak. Music starts at 4 PM with Alan Lane, Wise River Mercantile, Drum Brothers and Prisoners of Time. Plenty of kids’ activities, vendors, free camping and a raffle round it all out. Check yer guns at the door and call 295-9736 or visit yaakvalley.org. Hold onto your face, Missoula Osprey fans, because tonight begins a three-game series against our bitter rivals, the Great Falls “Turkeylegs.” Sat. and Mon. games at 7:05 PM, Sun. game at 5. Call 543-3300. July goes out hootin’ and hollerin’ as the good Reverend Horton Heat plays the Wilma Theatre with Split Lip Rayfield and Hillstomp at 8 PM. $21/$19 advance. Visit thewilma.com or ticketfly.com.

AUGUST Sunday 1 August Every Sunday evening through Aug. 22, youngsters get the boot so’s the grown-ups can have a playdate of their own: Splash Montana’s weekly Afterhours Explorer 2010

Missoula Independent

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Missoula Independent

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Adult Swim goes down from 6–9 PM. Ride the slides, float the Lazy River, cross the Log Walk, play inner-tube water polo, water volleyball, water tonsilhockey… whatever! Regular admission fees apply. Call 721PARK or visit missoulaparks.org.

shall we?—washes up on the banks of the Clark Fork River’s Caras Park from 11:30 AM–4 PM when the KidsFest Children’s Festival offers games, crafts, live music and entertainment, as well as tons and tons of food and beverage. Call 721PARK or visit missoulaparks.org.

Wednesday 4 August

Thursday 5 August

Foment a workers’ revolution, or simply down a few pints and ride a Garden City Gondola rickshaw, with food, drinks and fellow comrades in the struggle during Downtown ToNight in Missoula’s Caras Park, where Sho-down’s country western tuneage implores you and to boot scoot a mandala in the grass. 5:30–8:30 PM. Free. Visit missouladowntown.com.

A free celebration of kids, by kids and for kids—let’s not speculate about what’s in the hot dogs,

Why are acoustic guitars so damn curvaceously sexual? Anyway, at 8 PM, the Wilma

Nineteen different food vendors, ice cream sellers and coffee shop drips swing hips for Out to Lunch in Missoula’s Caras Park, this week with a soundtrack for wild dance floor grindation by Salsa Loca. 11 AM–2 PM. Free. Visit missouladowntown.com.

Theatre hosts acoustrix Brandi Carlile, who shall then proceed to “tear it up.” $23/$20 advance. Visit thewilma.com or ticketfly.com. Friday 6 August The galleries, shops and restaurants of downtown Missoula and Stevensville celebrate First Friday with art exhibits, bands and refreshments, beginning at 5 PM. Visit firstfridaysmissoula. blogspot.com. Bring along the bulk Lactaid and get your fill of buttermilk during the 98th annual Stevensville Creamery Picnic through Sat., Aug. 7, featuring live entertainment both days as well as a Sat. parade and car show along with the Montana State Barbecue Cook-off. Call 777-7210 or visit creamerypicnic.com.

The oldest and biggest gun show in Montana shoots off in UM’s Adams Center and carries on through Sun., Aug. 8: The annual Original Missoula Gun and Antique Show highlights all shapes and sizes of weaponry and has tables full of cowboy and Native American artifacts, civil war antiques and other cool western substances. Call 5494817 or 543-0019, or visit hayesotoupalik.com. Saturday 7 August Bag a bushel or two when communities around western Montana host farmers’ markets, featuring local produce, flowers, baked goods and crafts—in Missoula at Circle Square (missoulafarmersmarket.com), on Pine Street (missoulasaturdaymarket.org) and under the

Your swimming suit is ready for you. Are you ready for it?

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Missoula Independent

Higgins Avenue bridge (clarkforkrivermarket.com), in Stevensville at Third and Main streets, in Hamilton at South Third and Bedford streets and in Kalispell at Center Street and Fifth Avenue. Hours for each market vary, but 8 AM–1 PM is the total span. The Flathead Valley’s artisans head to Bigfork this weekend when more than 100 artists display and sell their work from 10 AM to 5 PM at the 32th annual Festival of the Arts in Bigfork, which also takes place on Sun., Aug. 8. As part of Polson’s Festival Days, the Sandpiper Art Gallery, 306 Main St., hosts their 39th annual Art Festival from 10 AM–6PM on the Courthouse lawn. Call 8835956 or visit sandpiper artgallery.com.

Sunday 8 August Alas, poor broccoli, produce is not allowed on the carousel: Go ‘round and ‘round during a Sunday Market & Festival, which takes place every Sun. through Oct. 17 from 1–5 PM at A Carousel for Missoula. Stock up on local veggies, meats, arts & crafts and more. Call 549-8382 or visit carrousel.com/carouselsunday-market-and-fes. If you’re feeling a little cottonheaded and confused, you’ll be in great company when you meet the Missoulians on Bicycles at 10 AM in the Greenough Park parking lot—corner of Monroe and Locust streets—for the 10–14-mile Geezer Ride to Some Restaurant Somewhere. Call Gayle or Ernie at 240-9279, and bring a nametag to pin to your shirt in case you get lost.

Every Sunday evening through Aug. 22, youngsters get the boot so’s the grown-ups can have a playdate of their own: Splash Montana’s weekly Afterhours Adult Swim goes down from 6–9 PM. Ride the slides, float the Lazy River, cross the Log Walk, play inner-tube water polo, water volleyball, water tonsilhockey… whatever! Regular admission fees apply. Call 721PARK or visit missoulaparks.org. Get to Caras Park early, as the place is bound to fill up when the Missoula Symphony Orchestra presents their annual Symphony in the Park at 7 PM. Fr e e . Vi s i t m i s s o u l a d o w n town.com or call 543-4238.

begins a two-game series against our bitter rivals, the Great Falls “Osprey Fan Haters.” Mon.–Tue. games at 7:05. Call 543-3300. Tuesday 10 August While you’re unlikely to run into that guy with the smoked chameleon again this year, the Western Montana Fair and Rodeo kicks off at the Western Montana Fairgrounds today and runs through Sun., Aug. 15, featuring music, carnies, a demolition derby and lots of deep-fried love. Call 258-3236 or visit westernmontanafair.com. Wednesday 11 August

Monday 9 August Hold onto your feesh, Missoula Osprey fans, because tonight

Nineteen different food vendors, ice cream sellers and coffee shop drips grow a pair for Out to

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Missoula Independent

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Lunch in Missoula’s Caras Park, this week with fun-time tunes from Full Grown Men. 11 AM–2 PM. Free. Visit missouladowntown.com. Hold onto your foshizzledizzle, Missoula Osprey fans, because tonight begins a two-game series against our bitter rivals, the Great Falls “Knucklesuckers.” Mon.–Tue. games at 7:05. Call 543-3300. The Montana Lyric Opera presents Giacomo Puccini’s Madama Butterfly at 7:30 PM in UM PARTV Building’s Montana Theatre, with additional shows on Aug. 13 and 15. Call 5427423 or visit mtopera.com. Thursday 12 August Foment a workers’ revolution, or simply down a few pints and ride a Garden City Gondola rickshaw, with food, drinks and fellow comrades in the struggle during Downtown ToNight in Missoula’s Caras Park, where Victory Smokes project a behemoth noise-monster of indie rock from the tented stage. 5:30–8:30 PM. Free. Visit missouladowntown.com. Whitefish’s Alpine Theatre Project begins a 10-day run of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s A Grand Night for Singing, with Tue.–Sat. shows at 8 PM and 3 PM Sun. matinees through Aug. 22, at the Whitefish Performing Arts Center, 600 E. Second St. $18–37. Call 862-SHOW or visit alpinetheatreproject.org. Friday 13 August Downtown Whitefish celebrates the little purple berry western Montana loves during the Huckleberry Days Art Festival, which uses the native fruit as inspiration for music, entertainment and an art fair. The threeday annual event, which begins today, also features crafts, a pieeating contest and a treasure hunt. Visit whitefishchamber.org or call (877) 862-3548. Montana’s greatest classic rock fest amps it up during the threeday Rockin’ the Rivers at “The

Bridge” amphitheater in Three Forks where headliners include Collective Soul, Cracker, the Doobie Brothers and the Dave Walker Band. Music starts at 2:30 PM and runs through Sun., July 15. Call (866) 285-0097 or visit store.rockintherivers.com. Saturday 14 August Communities around western Montana host farmers’ markets, featuring local produce, flowers, baked goods and crafts—in Missoula at Circle Square (missoulafarmersmarket.com), on Pine Street (missoulasaturdaymarket.org) and under the Higgins Avenue bridge (clarkforkrivermarket.com), in Stevensville at Third and Main streets, in Hamilton at South Third and Bedford streets and in Kalispell at Center Street and Fifth Avenue. Hours for each market vary, but 8 AM–1 PM is the total span. The Missoula Art Museum gives you reason to drag the whole truckload of kin down to 335 N. Pattee St., where they present a Saturday Family Art Workshop “Papermaking” at 11 AM. $5 per artist. Call 728-0447 or visit missoulaartmuseum.org. Sunday 15 August Alas, poor broccoli, produce is not allowed on the carousel: Go ‘round and ‘round during a Sunday Market & Festival, which takes place every Sun. through Oct. 17 from 1–5 PM at A Carousel for Missoula. Stock up on local veggies, meats, arts & crafts and more. Call 549-8382 or visit carrousel.com/carouselsunday-market-and-fes. If you want to see what a jail break at the animal pound might look like, trot on down to Caras Park from 11 AM–5 PM, where the 5th annual Pet Fest celebrates all that those furry, scaled and/or feathered friends add to our lives. Free, and consider bringing a pooper-scooper. Visit facebook.com/PetFest. Every Sunday evening through Aug. 22, youngsters get the boot Explorer 2010

Missoula Independent

so’s the grown-ups can have a playdate of their own: Splash Montana’s weekly Afterhours Adult Swim goes down from 6–9 PM. Ride the slides, float the Lazy River, cross the Log Walk, play inner-tube water polo, water volleyball, water tonsilhockey… whatever! Regular admission fees apply. Call 721PARK or visit missoulaparks.org. Monday 16 August Hold onto your Humuhumunukunukua’pu’a’a, Missoula Osprey fans, because tonight begins a four-game series against our bitter rivals, the Idaho Falls “Ingrown Hairs.” Mon.–Thu. games at 7:05. Call 543-3300. Wednesday 18 August

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See the same carnival rides that were in Missoula last weekend in a different setting when the Northwest Montana Fair and Rodeo comes to Kalispell’s Flathead County Fairground today through Sun., Aug. 22, bringing 4-H and FFA exhibits as well as rodeo, horse racing, country and rock music. Call 758-5810 or visit nwmtfair.com. Nineteen different food vendors, ice cream sellers and coffee shop drips emerge for Out to Lunch in Missoula’s Caras Park, this week with American pop rock dished up by Ben Fuller. 11 AM–2 PM. Free. Visit missoula downtown.com. Thursday 19 August Foment a workers’ revolution, or simply down a few pints and ride a Garden City Gondola rickshaw, with food, drinks and fellow comrades in the struggle during Downtown ToNight in Missoula’s Caras Park, where Blue Collar manifests a classic and country rock soundtrack for some serious effigy-torchin’ from the tented stage. This is not a Teabagging event, people, so leave the colonial garb at home, thanks. 5:30–8:30 PM. Free. Visit missoula downtown.com.

A gargantuan slew of bands in three days rocks your world when Wäntage USA brings on Total Fest IX, taking place through the weekend at the Badlander and Palace Lounge in Missoula. Visit totalfest.org. Friday 20 August Historic downtown Philipsburg attains a highly polished sheen as it rolls out the seventh annual Art and Jazz on Broadway event, which runs from 11 AM–5 PM, features over 60 juried artisans, live jazz from Eden Atwood, the Mike Bader Band and Montana Lite Jazz, numerous children’s activities and all the food and drink the crowd can handle. Call 8590066 or 859-3189 or visit philipsburgmt.com. Hold onto your piscine sample, Missoula Osprey fans, because tonight begins a three-game series against our bitter rivals, the Casper “Bobcat Fans.” Fri. and Sat. games at 7:05 PM, Sun. game at 5. Call 543-3300. The Hamilton Players present its production of I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change, which begins a two-weekend run at 8 PM at the Hamilton Playhouse, 100 Ricketts Road. Shows begin at 8 PM Thu.–Sat., with 2 PM matinees every Sun., and the production lasts through Sun., Aug. 29. Call 375-9050 or visit hamiltonplayers.com Saturday 21 August Why continue to water your garden when you can get all you need at western Montana’s farmers’ markets? They feature local produce, flowers, baked goods and crafts—in Missoula at Circle Square (missoulafarmersmarket.com), on Pine Street (missoulasaturdaymarket.org) and under the Higgins Avenue bridge (clarkforkrivermarket .com), in Stevensville at Third and Main streets, in Hamilton at South Third and Bedford streets and in Kalispell at Center Street and Fifth Avenue. Hours for each market vary, but 8 AM–1 PM is the total span.

Sunday 22 August Alas, poor broccoli, produce is not allowed on the carousel: Go ‘round and ‘round during a Sunday Market & Festival, which takes place every Sun. through Oct. 17 from 1–5 PM at A Carousel for Missoula. Stock up on local veggies, meats, arts & crafts and more. Call 549-8382 or visit carrousel.com/carouselsunday-market-and-fes. Tuesday 24 August The Bitterroot National Forest hosts their third Monthly Moonwalk of the summer—this one dubbed “Salish Moon”— which begins at Stevensville’s Fort Owen State Park with a 7:30 PM presentation by Salish elder Frances Vanderburg after a 6:30 guided hike kicks it all off. Free. Call 375-2606. Wednesday 25 August Nineteen different food vendors, ice cream sellers and coffee shop drips conglomerate like tar in a bubbler for the final Out to Lunch sesh of the seas, bro, in Missoula’s Caras Park, this week with tunes from Smoke. 11 AM–2 PM. Free. Visit missoula downtown.com. Thursday 26 August Foment a workers’ revolution, or simply down a few pints and ride a Garden City Gondola rickshaw, with food, drinks and fellow comrades in the struggle during Downtown ToNight in Missoula’s Caras Park, where The Tom Cats rock in a classic manner on the tented stage. 5:30–8:30 PM. Free. Visit missouladowntown.com. Friday 27 August The Hamilton Players present its production of I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change, which begins a two-weekend run at 8 PM at the Hamilton Playhouse, 100 Ricketts Road. Shows begin at 8 PM Thu.–Sat., with 2 PM matinees every Sun., and the production lasts through Sun.,

Aug. 29. Call 375-9050 or visit hamiltonplayers.com Saturday 28 August Communities around western Montana host farmers’ markets, featuring local produce, flowers, baked goods and crafts—in Missoula at Circle Square (missoulafarmersmarket.com), on Pine Street (missoulasaturdaymarket.org) and under the Higgins Avenue bridge (clarkforkrivermarket.com), in Stevensville at Third and Main streets, in Hamilton at South Third and Bedford streets and in Kalispell at Center Street and Fifth Avenue. Hours for each market vary, but 8 AM–1 PM is the total span. Monday 30 August Sad as it may seem, this here summer’s almost over, so for those who need public officials to tell you what time it is, Missoula Parks & Recreation Department hosts the End of Summer Ice Cream Social from 1–3 PM at Splash Montana, where you can take a weepy last ride of the season down the waterslides before bawling into the free ice cream provided by Cold Stone Creamery. Regular admission fees apply. Call 721PARK or visit missoulaparks.org. Tuesday 31 August Like a traveling band of actors, directors and props wenches, Montana Shakespeare in the Parks rolls to the UM Oval for a 6 PM performance of the bard’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Free. Call 994-1220. We have made an honest effort to scoop up every car show and carnival, fair and festival that could have qualified for this guide of what’s happening in western Montana. If we left you out, drop a line to calendar@missoulanews.com and let us know what you’ve got going on. We’ll put you in the regular paper and file you away for next year. Until then, enjoy the summer.

Keeping Missoula's Histor y A l i v e ! The Museum was established in 1975 to collect, preserve and interpret the history of Missoula, Fort Missoula, the history of forest management, and the wood products’ industry in western Montana. Located on 32 acres at the core of historic Fort Missoula (1877-1947) the Museum has over 29,000 objects & 13 historic structures

SPECIAL EXHIBIT:

When the Mountains Roared: The Fire of 1910 Historical Museum at Fort Missoula Building 322 – Fort Missoula Call 406-728-3476 for special needs or more info

fortmissoulamuseum.org Accredited by the american Association of Museums

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Missoula Independent

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Al's & Vic's 119 W. Alder • 728-4804 A Missoula institution for over 70 years, Al's & Vic's keeps the tradition and its unique spirit intact for its local residents. Buckets of PBR, a wailing Juke box and free pool on Sundays are just a few amenities that keep this bar a local favorite since 1936. $ Bagels On Broadway 223 West Broadway (across from courthouse) (406) 728-8900 Our bagels are made from scratch every day – over 20 varieties. You’ll get a bagel with the traditional hard crust and flavor that nobody can copy. Our bagels contain no fat, preservatives, or cholesterol. We have many sandwiches, homemade spreads, soups, salads, and sweets, as well as espressos and smoothies. Try a bagel for a healthy alternative any time of the day. $-$$ Bernice’s 190 South 3rd West • 728-1358 Bernice’s: a Missoula staple; serving strong coffee and baked goods in the heart of the Hip Strip since 1978. You can also stop by and see us at the Clark Fork River Market. We’ll be there bright and early on Saturdays beginning May 8th from 8AM to 1PM. If you miss the market, we’re open every day 6AM to 8PM. $ Big Dipper Ice Cream On the corner of 5th and Higgins • 543-5722 Big Dipper Ice Cream serves Missoula's favorite homemade ice cream and sorbet. We have cones, shakes, sundaes, specialties and pints and quarts to take home. Open daily. $

Biga Pizza 241 W. Main Street 728-2579 Biga Pizza offers a modern, downtown dining environment combined with traditional brick oven pizza, calzones, salads, sandwiches, specials and desserts. All dough is made using a "biga" (pronounced bee-ga) which is a time-honored Italian method of bread making. Biga Pizza uses local products, the freshest produce as well as artisan meats and cheeses. Featuring seasonal menus. Lunch and dinner, Mon-Sat. Beer & Wine available. $-$$ Bison Inn Cafe 27330 US Highway 93, Ravalli, MT 406-745-0997 • 888-361-4748 www.BisonInnCafe.com Home cooking just like mama used to make. Buffalo burgers, Indian tacos, huckleberry shakes, homemade pies and much more! Our restaurant is known for creating mouthwatering huckleberry shakes and bellypleasing buffalo burgers. We get all of our buffalo meat and potatoes from local markets, and our staff makes every dish fresh when you order to ensure the best quality and taste. Blackfoot River Brewing 66 S. Park Ave., Downtown Helena 406-449-3005 Blackfoot River Brewing is Montana's First and Only Certified Organic Brewery. Blackfoot's traditional hand-crafted unfiltered draft beers are available exclusively at select establishments across Western Montana. Located in historic Downtown Helena. Real Good Beer Made by Real Good People (c).

Butterfly Herbs 232 N. Higgins • 728-8780 Celebrating 38 years of great coffees and teas. Truly the “essence of Missoula.” Offering fresh coffees, teas (Evening in Missoula), bulk spices and botanicals, fine toiletries & gifts. Our cafe features homemade soups, fresh salads, and coffee ice cream specialties. In the heart of historic downtown, we are Missoula’s first and favorite Espresso Bar. Open 7 Days. $ Ciao Mambo 541 S. Higgins Ave. 543-0377 Ciao Mambo, at the end of the Hip Strip on 4th and Higgins, serves up fresh, classic, immigrant style Italian food seven days a week. Terrific service and an extensive domestic and Italian wine list. Try our Wednesday all-you-can-eat spaghetti! Dinner only and take out service available. Ciaomambo.com or 543-0377. $$-$$$ Double Front Chicken 122 W. Alder Downtown Missoula • 543-6264 Chicken Dinners are our Specialty! Always fresh, never frozen. Cooked to order. Our recipe has not changed in over 40 yrs. Don't forget our seafood & grilled specialties. Our downstairs lounge offers a full beverage bar along with pool, music, & gaming. Come find out why we are still the Best Chicken establishment in Western Montana. Call ahead to eat in or take-out/remember "The Best Takes A Little Longer!" Glacier Village Café 304-308 Hwy 2 East, East Glacier Park, MT 406-226-4464 • www.glaciervillagecafe.com The Glacier Village Café has been serving delicious meals, coffees, and baked goods since opening in 1939 as Mike’s

Innovative and Traditional 217 Ryman St * 728-9881

HD CABLE & SATELLITE

MISSOULA’S SPORTS BAR SINCE 1952 KENO POKER POOL DirecTV Sports Pack NFL Sunday Ticket ESPN Game Plan Mega March Madness

Missoula Independent

featuring: organic Montana flour fresh, local ingredients seasonal menus artisan meats and cheeses on-site beer & wine

11 Plasma TVs Montana’s Largest Football Helmet Collection MLB Extra Innings NBA League Pass ESPN Full Court NHL Center Ice

Explorer 2010

Open for lunch Monday through Friday; for dinner, Monday through Saturday 241 W. Main Street 728-2579

bigapizza.com

the Place. In 2008, the Glacier Village Café was bought by the Kellys and extensively remodeled, opening up space for the Last Star Espresso, Ice Cream, and Gift Shop which has a little something for everyone on your list. $-$$ The Grubstake Hamilton 363-3068 • www.grubstake.com The Grubstake Restaurant is located 2000 feet above the Bitterroot Valley overlooking Hamilton, Montana. We are open from Memorial Day weekend until early September. Please phone for reservations and directions. Our classic menu (Wednesday through Saturday) includes prime rib, steaks, fried chicken, trout, shrimp and other entrees. We serve our "All You Care to Eat" BBQ menu on Sundays, Mondays and Tuesdays. On those nights we have BBQ tritip, country ribs and chicken, bakers, corn, rolls and "homemade" root beer. We have a full salad bar and buttermilk pie every night. Billy-Jack will be here to greet youbring your camera! $$-$$$ Hi-Country Snack Foods of Montana Lincoln, MT • 1-800-433-3916 www.hicountry.com Explore Lincoln's Legendary Hi-Country Trading Post, the home of Hi-Country Beef Jerky. Also featuring: food from across the state, regional art & carvings, homemade fudge & confections, quality jewelry & apparel, gift packs galore & home spice kits! Call for our FREE mail order brochure 1-800-433-3916. Iza Asian Restaurant 529 S. Higgins • 830-3237 www.izarestaurant.com All our menu items are made from scratch and we use no MSG products. Featuring dishes

from Thailand, Japan, Indonesia, Korea, Nepal, and Malaysia. Extensive hot and ice tea menu including bubble tea. Join us in our Asian themed dining room for a wonderful IZA experience. Open Mon-Sat, lunch 11:30-2PM and dinner 5PM-close. LIVE JAZZ Thursdays FREE $-$$ James Bar 127 W. Alder 406-721-8158 An urban rock feel is what James Bar is all about. Enjoy sipping wine or a specialty cocktail by the fireplace in plush booth seating while rock from every generation plays in the background. It's the escape you're looking for. The menu is designed with sharing in mind as well as a Missoula take on the urban slider (little burger). Monday - Saturday 11am; Sunday 1pm $-$$ Luna's 1112 US Highway 49 East Glacier Pk, MT 59434 (406) 226-4433 Once you enjoy a meal at Luna’s Restaurant you will likely return for more of their fresh food and warm hospitality. Luna’s, a local, family owned business is renowned for salmon burgers, Indian tacos, chili, tri-tip steaks, and exceptional salads. The fresh-fried red potato chips will leave you craving more. Many vegetarian options are on the menu, almost always prepared with organic and natural ingredients. Locally roasted coffee from Montana Coffee Traders is served along with espresso drinks and teas. Start your day with a hearty breakfast burrito or biscuits and gravy. Open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner with a cozy atmosphere and seasonal patio dining. We also feature local art and books available for purchase. We have ample parking, even for RVs and campers. $-$$

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MacKenzie River Pizza Co. Downtown: Front Street – 721-0077 Reserve Street, I90 exit – 721-0099 Spectacular gourmet pizzas on delicious sourdough, natural grain or thin crusts. Additional flavorful and fresh menu choices include made-to-order pasta dishes, huge salads, signature chicken chili, Montanasized sandwiches and tasty panini. Choose from a variety of microbrews and fine wines. Open for lunch and dinner seven days a week. $-$$ The Mustard Seed Asian Café Located outside Southgate Mall Paxson St. Entrance 542-7333 Contemporary Asian cuisine served in our all new bistro atmosphere. Original recipes and fresh ingredients combined from Japanese, Chinese, Polynesian, and Southeast Asian influences to appeal to American palates. Full menu available in our non-smoking bar. Fresh daily desserts, microbrews, fine wines & signature drinks. Take-out & delivery available. $$–$$$. Pearl Café & Bakery 231 E. Front St. • 541-0231 Country French specialties, bison, elk, fresh fish daily, delicious salads and appetizers. Breads and desserts baked in house. Reservations recommended for the warm & inviting dining areas, or drop in for a quick bite in the wine bar. Now, you may go to our website Pearlcafe.US to make reservations or buy gift certificates; while there check out our gorgeous wedding and specialty cakes. Open Mon-Sat at 5:00. $$-$$$

Explorer 2010

Missoula Independent

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Pita Pit 130 N. Higgins • 541-PITA Fresh thinking, healthy eating. At Pita Pit we roll over 25 types of delicious pitas from 9am3am daily. Choose from favorites like the chicken caesar, gyro, Philly steak, club, and buffalo chicken. If you are a vegetarian, you will enjoy a hummus, baba ganoush, or falafel pita. Come visit us downtown, or call 541-PITA for delivery. $-$$ Ramsey’s Firebrand Food & Ale Highway 2, Near East Glacier (406) 226-9374 Ramsey's has pleased the locals for over thirty years with a menu ranging from prime rib to kids’ burgers, shrimp to pizza, pasta to salads, martinis to Red Hook ale on tap. Try your luck on the Keno and Poker machines. Sample a variety of wine from the wine list. Buy your favorite spirit to go. This non-smoking establishment is open all year from 4 to 10 p.m., located 3 miles west of East Glacier Park on US Highway 2. $$ Red's Bar 217 Ryman St. • 728-9881 Missoula’s Sports Bar since 1952, Red’s is the perfect place to watch the game on one of our nine flat-screen TVs. Featuring ESPN GamePlan, NFL Sunday Ticket, MLB Extra Innings, NBA League Pass, Mega March Madness, ESPN Full Court, and NHL Center Ice, Red’s is any sports fan’s dream. River Rising Bakery 337 Main St., Hamilton 363-4552 Hamilton's newest bakery, deli, and espresso bar. Serving all butter pastries, delicious and nutritious muffins, cream scones, and delectable desserts.

Missoula Independent

Or choose from our selection of homemade soups, salads, and sandwiches found nowhere else. Open 6:30am-5:30pm Monday-Friday, 8:00am-4:00pm Saturday, 8:00am-2:00pm Sunday. Weekday local business lunch delivery available 9:00am-1:00pm. $-$$ Spice of Life 163 S. 2nd St. Hamilton 363-4433 Spice of Life welcomes you to the Bitterroot’s best locavore dining experience; serving up fresh and fun food in a conscientious manner. For lunch try one of our hand made burgers from Lolo Locker or one of our fabulous fresh salads. Dinner selections include natural beef which contains no growth hormones or antibiotics ever, sustainable seafood selections and pasta dishes made from Montana wheat from Pasta Montana. Quench your thirst with beer from right here in Hamilton or try one of our reasonably priced yet fantastic wine selections. Children’s menu available. No reservations. So come as you are to Spice of Life! Lunch: Mon - Fri 11:00 to 2:00; Dinner: Tues - Sat 5:00 to 9:00. Sportsman’s Bar and Casino 616 Railroad Avenue Alberton, MT 59820 (406) 722-4998 Welcome to Sporty's, where you'll find the biggest collection of boozers, cynics, hillbillies, malcontents, miscreants, mountain men, perverts, rednecks, shodders, trailer trash, transients, some great cleavage, horrid manginas and everyone's favorite bum. Join us for our idea of Montana fun. If you don't have a sense of humor or are offended easily, don't bother

Explorer 2010

partying with us; otherwise join us for a night you'll never remember with people you'll never forget. $-$$ Not Just Sushi Corner of Pine & Higgins • 5497979 Sushi Hana Downtown offers a new idea for your dining experience. Meat, poultry, vegetables and grain are a large part of Japanese cuisine. We also love our fried comfort food too. Open 7 days a week for Lunch and Dinner. $$–$$$ Taco Sano In the Alley on the corner of Higgins and 4th 541-7570 Come check us out and see what makes our tacos, burritos, and quesadillas taste so good. With a dozen or so sauces, and three salsas, we are able to flavor your food in a way that is unique and truly delicious. If you are a fan of breakfast burritos, come by anytime; we serve them all day long. You can find us on the Hip Strip. Call 541-7570, or go to tacosano.net for Delivery. Wheat Montana Bakery & Deli Corner of 3rd West & Reserve Missoula 327-0900 Come in and try our famous homemade taste. We use healthy ingredients from our home state to bring you fresh baked goods, sandwiches, soups, salads and, of course, espresso! Check out our display of Wheat Montana and Made In Montana products. Open every day... see you soon! $

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BUTTERFLY HERBS THE ESSENCE OF MISSOULA

COFFEE • TEAS • HERBS • SPICES • UNUSUAL GIFTS

COFFEE HOUSE ESPRESSO ¥ ICE CREAM ¥ SANDWICHES SALADS AND SOUPS 232 NORTH HIGGINS AVENUE DOWNTOWN MIS SOULA • 728-8780

Since 1972

Join us for a night you'll never remember with people you'll never forget. Find out about Chesty Fest ... cleavage contests, and general nonsense.

SPORTSMANS BAR AND CASINO 616 Railroad Avenue, Alberton, MT 59820

(406) 722-4998

Spice it up! Thai Style Grilled Tuna Topped with cucumber & shallot relish with red chile & lime. All of our entrees are served with your choice of side dish and seasonal vegetables, a green salad, and bread.

Open for lunch M-F 11-2 Dinner served Tues-Sat 5-9

To view the rest of our delectible menu please visit www.thespiceinhamilton.com

Explorer 2010

Missoula Independent