Vista - Your Guide to the Bitterroot Valley

Vista – Ravalli Republic, Summer 2009 – page 3

Summer has finally arrived again here in the beautiful Bitterroot Valley.

As the days turn warm and the evening’s light burns bright, it’s time for all of us to enjoy this year’s flurry of festivals, fairs, art shows and other big events.

To make that you don’t miss a thing in this fleeting summer season of ours, the Ravalli Republic each year puts together a guide that we call VISTA. Inside you’ll many of the events and recreational opportunities found throughout the valley that help make our valley a special place.

If it’s music you’re after this summer, you’ll find it at Hamilton’s Claudia Driscoll Park on Thursday evenings with the Bitterroot Community Band’s summer concert series.

Or maybe this summer you are looking for a new way to explore the surrounding mountains and forest lands. Consider checking out a “Moon Walk.” The Bitterroot National Forest offers these interpretive journeys into the wilds where you’ll learn about everything from Karelian Bear Dogs to Mark Twain’s risky breakfast with the notorious Virginia City desperado Bad Jack Slade.

Or maybe you want something a bit more on the aerobic side. Take a look at the story by the Republic’s Will Moss on summer skiing. Feeling more lazy, then consider taking a long leisurely float in an inner tube down the Bitterroot River. Moss wrote about that too.

And then there’s the exciting Darby Logger Days where men and women display their skills with an axe and chainsaw. Reporter Stacey Lishok’s story offers a glimpse into this year’s event. You’ll see youngsters show how to set a choker chain and oldsters dance on floating logs. Contestants come from as far away as New Zealand to participate in the fun filled weekend in July. This year you’ll even have a chance to watch fearless cowboys climb about 2,000 pounds of fury in a Bull-A-Rama.

There are backcountry cabins and lookout towers to explore. History comes alive at the Daly Mansion near Hamilton and Stevensville’s Fort Owen. And, of course, there’s the county fair that marks the end of another summer.

There’s no excuse to be bored. There’s so much to do.

So get out there and enjoy.

Perry Backus Ravalli Republic Editor

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Table of Contents Historic communities..................page 4 Summer concert series.............page 10 Golfing......................................page 12 Moon walks...............................page 14 Tubing.......................................page 16 Backcountry cabins...................page 22 Brewfest....................................page 24 Darby Logger Days...................page 26 Skiing in the Bitterroot..............page 32 Daly Mansion............................page 36 Fort Owen State Park...............page 44 Being at the lookout.................page 46 Ravalli County Fair....................page 52 Calendar of events...................page 56

Vista

published by the Ravalli Republic Newspaper

Publisher Kristen Bounds Editor Perry Backus Production & Design Dara Saltzman, Clint Burson & Jodi Wright Product Sales Kathy Kelleher & Tyler Claxton Cover Photo Will Moss Interior Photo Credits Will Moss Rebecca Stumpf Perry Backus Vista 2009 is a publication of the Ravalli Republic, a division of Lee Enterprises. Copyright 2008 by the Ravalli Republic.

To be included in next year’s publication, call the Ravalli Republic at 363-3300

Page 4 – Vista – Ravalli Republic, Summer 2009

Community Histories

Stevensville

Victor

Montana began at Stevensville. The town was founded by the Italian priest Father Pierre-Jean DeSmet, who began St. Mary’s Mission in 1841, It was expanded by Father Antonio Ravalli, for whom the county is named.

Father Ravalli sailed from Europe in 1843 to the New World, and became not only the priest to the Native Americans of the Bitterroot Valley, but also their physician and pharmacist, sculptor, architect and machinist for the little settlement.

John Owen built the Fort Owen Trading Post. The actual town of Stevensville was begun by two traders, John Winslett and J. K. Houk. They came off the Emigrant Road in 1863 and built the town’s first store.

In 1864, a little group of settlers named the community Stevensville, after Isaac Stevens, the first governor of what was then the Washington Territory.

The original town site was platted in 1879.

Fr. Ravalli is buried in the cemetery at the Historic St. Mary’s Mission, which also offers a museum and restored original buildings, including Fr. Ravalli’s chapel, from the early history of the state.

A. S. Blake and his Shoshone wife came to the Bitterroot in the 1860s and were among the founders of the town of Victor. Blake later became the first elected state legislator from Missoula County, out of which Ravalli County was later carved.

Victor was originally named Garfield, after President James Garfield. It was later renamed after Chief Victor of the Salish tribe, whom the whites called the Flathead.

Blake organized the Farmers State Bank in 1907.

Soon thereafter, the town saw a business boom, and the bank helped support businesses in lumbering, mining, agriculture and education. Victor school had the county’s best school system, and became the first consolidated school district in Montana.

The bank survived five robberies, the 1929 stock market crash and the Depression. When other banks were closing their doors, Farmers State Bank continued in business, making loans sometimes based merely on faith and reputation, and kept the local economy going when much of the national economy dried up.

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Corvallis In 1853 and 1854, John Mullan established a winter base from which to make observations toward creation of an overland route to the Columbia River.

His party built four cabins at a large spring on what is now called Willow Creek.

The original settlement near what is now Corvallis was first named Chaffinville by Elijah and Margaret Chaffin. They, along with the Slack and Mitchell families, formed the town. In 1865, the Willow Creek Town Company was founded and the town of Willow Creek surveyed. The Chaffins moved to Oregon, but returned in 1866 and named the present site of the town after the town in Oregon of the same name, according to one source.

The agricultural land behind the town is some of the best in the valley, and construction of the big canal of the Bitter Root Valley Irrigation Company gave Corvallis the capability to bring hundreds of acres into production,

Hamilton Unique among the villages of early Ravalli County, Hamilton was a planned town that began with wide

streets and a defined economic center along its Main Street.

It began when financier and copper king Marcus Daly came to the Bitterroot, having already made a fortune mining in Butte and Anaconda in the 1880s.

In or about 1887, he bought some sawmills west of today’s Hamilton and in 1890 brought in two Minnesota planners, James Hamilton and Robert O’Hara, naming the town after one of them.

Hamilton was incorporated in 1894. O’Hara became its first mayor.

Hamilton’s population nearly doubled between 1907 and 1911, going from 1,800 to 3,000. (In the 2000 Census it was 3,705.) The town center was the intersection of Main Street and First, aka. U.S. Highway 93.

The commercial blocks along Main Street include several buildings listed in the National Register of Historic Places, identified by metal plaques telling about the history of the specific building.

Of particular note architecturally are two older structures. One, the Ravalli County Museum on Bedford Street near Third, began existence as the county seat. When the county outgrew its confines, Hamilton citizens, working through the Historical

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Society, organized a campaign to save the structure and make it a museum. For the historically-minded, it’s a must-see.

The other noteworthy structure is the building that houses the Hamilton fire department. It was, originally, Hamilton’s first city hall. Built in 1906, it also housed the public library and the fire department. The sole big change was the moving of the fire department truck doors from the front to the building’s State Street side.

Darby The town of Darby is the southernmost of the county’s incorporated cities. It got its name in 1888 from postmaster James Darby.

The town has survived three major fires that destroyed most of the buildings on its Main Street

(i.e., U.S. Highway 93).

Darby’s original economy was based on mining and fur trading, but in the early 1900s the town benefitted from a booming wood demand from the Anaconda Mining Company. That was followed by an apple boom, and then farming, ranching and the growth of the further timber industry. Environmental concerns and litigation restricted that industry and helped close several mills in recent decades.

Darby’s downtown maintains an Old West feeling, with a mix of older buildings and newer ones.

Florence The earliest settlers called the town “One Horse,” named for the creek that runs through it. In 1880 it was renamed for the daughter of A. B. Hammond.

Hammond helped open the valley to the lum-

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ber industry. He also brought the railroad to the Bitterroot Valley for moving lumber, and he put together a sawmill in a well-timbered area. The town of Florence pretty much grew up around it.

There was another town, just to the north, named Carlton, which merged with Florence. It left its name to the school district, which is called the FlorenceCarlton School District.

Another early visitor was Ellis Hanover Ross, who worked for the Hudson Bay Company. He was on his way to Snake River country in March 1824, but got stranded with 55 Indian men, 89 Indian women and children in deep snow. They waited until spring to make it over Lost Trail Pass, and Ross called the Sula Basin the “Valley of Troubles.”

Sula

The Bitterroot Forest Reserve was established in 1897, and in 1899 rangers Than Wilkerson and Hank Tuttle became its first rangers. At the no-longer present town of Alta, they built the Forest Service’s first cabin. Their job was to put out forest fires and improve the trails from Alta to Medicine Springs in the East Fork.

A gold miner named George Orr and another miner named Hackett discovered the Monitor Silver Mine beyond the headwaters of the West Fork of the Bitterroot. It was near Owl Creek, a tributary to Idaho’s Salmon River. In 1900, Orr and copper king Marcus Daly had a road built to the mine, the farthest west of any road in the Bitterroots at the time.

The Sula area, also called Ross Hole, was the site where the Lewis and Clark expedition first met the Salish Indians (also called the Flathead).

On Sept. 4, 1805, the expedition met a tribe of Salish on the East Fork of the Bitterroot River, in Ross Hole. The meeting was one of the first with the European-blooded Americans for the Salish.

The tribe was more than friendly. They provided the expedition with badly needed fresh horses and helped them make their way over the huge Bitterroot Mountains, through Lolo pass, and down the Lochsa River, bringing them closer to the Columbia River and the Pacific Ocean.

West Fork

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Summer concert series

Bitterroot Community Band kicks off their 26th Concert Summer Series With humble beginnings as an adult education class offered in Stevensville in 1983, the Bitterroot Community Band is still going strong 25 years later.

Now based in Hamilton, the group provides biweekly concerts through the summer months at their band shell in Claudia Driscoll Park, located on North Main Street.

Plan to bring the whole family down to Claudia Driscoll Park (along with a blanket or lawn chairs and a little snack if you wish) on Thursday evenings this summer for the best free musical entertainment in the valley.

JUNE 18

23

25

Community BBQ – 7 p.m./Bandshell Performance – 8 p.m.

Tuesday at 12 – Hamilton Legion Park – noon BCB Presents: Bittersweet – 8 p.m.

JULY 2 9 16 23

26 30

Bandshell Performance – 8 p.m.

BCB Presents: TBA Bandshell Performance – 8 p.m.

Concert on the Lawn – Daly Mansion – 6:30 p.m.

Daly Mansion Performance – 6:30 p.m.

BCB Presents: The Kent Curtiss Band – 8 p.m.

AUGUST 6

8

13

20 27

Ice Cream Social/Bandshell Performance – 8 p.m.

Stevi Creamery Picnic – Lewis & Clark Park – 1 p.m.

BCB Presents: Five Valley Accordions – 8 p.m.

Bandshell Performance – 8 p.m.

BCB Presents: Montana Acappella Society – 8 p.m.

SEPTEMBER 5

Ravalli County Fair – 3 p.m.

For more information, contact Shawn Thacker (642-3224) or Celeste Pogachar (363-2649) Admission is free to all concerts except the BCB/ Daly Mansion Fundraiser.

Page 12 – Vista – Ravalli Republic, Summer 2009 STACEY LISHOK

G O L F I N G

Staff Reporter

Long summer days can mean more time to tee off at two of the Bitterroot Valley’s public golf courses.

With the backdrop of the Bitterroot Mountains, a first-rate golfing experience can be found at both the 18-hole Hamilton Golf Club and the nine-hole Whitetail Golf Course in Stevensville.

Located off the aptlynamed Golf Course Road, the Hamilton Golf Club features greens for all types of golfing enthusiasts.

“It’s just a great course,” said pro shop customer service representative Ernie Frankforter.

“For a public course, it’s outstanding.”

The golf course originated in 1936 when Margaret Daly, wife of copper magnate Marcus Daly, donated the land for the front nine to the county.

In 1975, the course grew with the addition of the back nine for a full 18hole course experience.

The club also has a pro shop for golfing necessities and gear as well as a snack bar with everything from sandwiches and soup to soda and beer.

Hamilton Golf Club is open seven days a week from 6:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.

Cost is $18 for nine holes and $30 for 18 holes.

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Calling about a week ahead to reserve a tee time is strongly recommended.

A short trip down Eastside Highway from Hamilton takes golfing enthusiasts to Whitetail Golf Course in Stevensville.

Located next to Lee Metcalf Wildlife Refuge, the course offers nine holes and plenty of wildlife.

It’s not surprising to catch a glimpse of the course’s namesake or other wildlife that call the area home.

Whitetail is also open seven days a week, but operation hours vary by season.

Tee off time is usual 8:30 a.m. and in the summer, the course may be open as late as 8:30 p.m.

Cost is $15 during weekdays and $16 on weekends.

It is recommended golfers call in advance for a tee time Friday through Sunday.

To get to Whitetail Golf Course, turn left on Wildfowl Lane onto Lee Metcalf Wildlife Refuge and follow the signs to the course.

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Moon walks

RAVALLI REPUBLIC

Once a month, as the full moon glows, it seems safe to venture out into the dark while the moon makes shadows. You can still smell the flowers, feel the wind, hear the water, and sense the wildlife.

For the ninth year, the Bitterroot National Forest offers a series of interpretive “Moon Walks” from June through October. These walks are based on the book by Francis Hammerstrom, “Walk When the Moon is Full,” which is about her children and the nature walks they took every month under the full moon.

The Bitterroot National Forest invites you to join interpreters and naturalists for our 2009 series.

The presentation component of the program will begin at 7 or 8 p.m. on the full moon and last approximately 1 1/2 hours. This year on two of the evening programs there will also be a short walk prior to the presentations. The walks will begin one hour before the presentations begin. These hikes are for folks who would like to hike on one of the trails in the area prior to the presentation.

Below are the topics that will be featured during the 2009 series: • Sunday, June 7 – Bear Moon presentation at Blodgett Canyon Campground, Bitterroot National Forest at 8 p.m; guided hike at 7 p.m. Learn how the Wind River Bear Institute uses Karelian Bear Dogs to reduce human-bear conflicts and provide long-term solutions. The Institute uses “bear-shepherding” techniques to teach bears how to avoid humans. Come listen to staff of the Institute share about this successful program to reduce bear-human interactions.

• Tuesday, July 7 – Wolf Moon presentation at the north trail area at Lake Como, Bitterroot National Forest at 8 pm; guided hike at 7 p.m. Learn about wolf behavior, biology and management from the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Wolf Management Specialist.

• Thursday, Aug. 6 – Mark Twain Moon presentation at Fort Owen State Park near Stevensville at 8 p.m. In the early 1860s, en route from St. Joseph, Missouri to Carson City, Nevada, Mark Twain met and had breakfast with the notorious Virginia City

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desperado Bad Jack Slade. Fortunately, Slade was sober at the time, and Twain survived the interview.

Some three decades later on the third leg of his worldwide lecture tour, Twain stopped and lectured in five Montana cities. Delaney presents a most amusing view of these historical events from Mark Twain’s unique perspective.

• Friday, Sept. 4 – River Moon presentation at the Schroeder Ranch, Sun Ranch Institute at 7 p.m.

Learn from resource professionals about the impor-

tance of river dynamics and ecosystems for healthy wildlife, fish and cottonwood populations.

• Saturday, Oct. 3 – Ghost Moon presentation at the Larry Creek Group Camp, Bass Creek Recreation Area, Bitterroot National Forest at 7 p.m. Join us around a campfire to hear ghosts of the Bitterroot Valley share stories of their lives and untimely deaths.

For more information, contact Julie Schreck at (406) 375-2606.

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Tubing

No boat? No problem! Beat the summer heat in a tube WILL MOSS Ravalli Republic

It’s that time of year again.

Summer: when the rushing waters of the Bitterroot River offer valley residents one of the few respites from the long days of dry sweltering heat.

Time to get the rod and reel ready, stock the cooler with your favorite beverage, load the boat onto the trailer and ... wait, you don’t have any of those things?

Not to worry.

Just because you might not have all the toys that define summer recreation, doesn’t mean that you don’t deserve the same river-bound refreshment as the next guy. The solution is simple and, in a minimalist kind of way, stylin’.

Enter the innertube.

The idea of tubing is truly uncomplicated: just you, the river and a simple flotation device; no oars, no passengers, no nonsense.

First, you’ll need the tube.

Your options in this department are wide ranging from the basic to the extravagant. For the purist seeking waterway-oneness in the life-affirming scent of black tire rubber baking in the sun, you’ll need to go no farther than your local tire store where they’ve got excess tire innertubes already inflated and waiting for you in the back.

If it’s accessories you want, then a trip to the local sporting goods store could yield the tube of your dreams; drink holders, foot rests, attached pillows and any number of graphic decor options could make you the smartest and most stylish tuber on the river.

Once you’ve got your vessel, you need to figure out the float that’s best for you. Make sure to ask around (local fishing shops, sporting goods stores and other recreators) to find the best conditions.

The lack of a steering mechanism (other than your hands) generally means that the lazier the float is, the better.

Time is also a consideration as well. Do you have

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all day to float? Or only an hour?

Be sure that you have a good idea of how long it will take you to get to your predetermined take-out before you put in.

As always, the Bitterroot River can be unpredictable and at times dangerous. Make sure that you know the stretch you’re tackling and always stay well clear of channel obstructions such as rocks or downed trees.

Bring something to drink.

This could be water, soda or (as is often the case) beer (cans only!).

If you decide to drink alcohol during your float do it responsibly and remember that you need to stay aware of your surroundings at all times. Keeping track of your beverages can be as simple as tying them to your tube and letting them float next to you or as fancy as furnishing your outing with a dedicated cooler tube.

Dispose of your garbage properly, because it’s

the only Bitterroot River we’ve got.

Once you’re ready to go, slap on the sunscreen, strap on the Chacos, drop off that shuttle car and you’re off! Make sure to smile and send a big thumbs up to the guy in the fancy boat to let him know that you’re doing just fine.

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Backcountry cabins

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Want to experience the backcountry without having to sleep in a tent or camper?

Then rent a Forest Service cabin on your visit to the Bitterroot Valley.

The Bitterroot National Forest has eight cabins available, and there are dozens more in the other National Forests in western Montana.

In some cases, you don’t even have to stray far from your car to kick back in the great outdoors while sleeping indoors.

A Forest Service cabin will provide you with a unique rustic experience.

Not all the cabins are rustic though, some have all the modern convenience such as running water, electricity, etc.

The cabins are often located in some spectacular country, with plenty of options for excursions in the nearby woods and rivers.

Some of lookout cabins may leave you staring out its windows for hours, as they’re often perched on mountain tops. Many of the lookouts were used by the Forest Service for spotting wildfires back in the

days. Most lookouts feature 360 degree panoramas as all four sides of the buildings have windows. In the Bitterroot, check out the Gird Point Lookout and Medicine Point Lookout.

One of the more secluded cabins in the Bitterroot National Forest is the Magruder Ranger’s House, accessed by driving way up the West Fork of the Bitterroot River. The cabin is located 70 miles southwest of Hamilton.

If you don’t feel like driving for hours, then check the East Fork Guard Station. Located up the East Fork of the Bitterroot River. The drive to the cabin takes you along some breath taking country and the river is never far away, luring fisherman to its waters.

Once at the cabin, you’re at a jumping off point for hikes into the Sapphire and Pioneer Mountains.

Reservations for cabins can be made through www.Recreation.gov or by calling toll free, 1-877444-6777.

You can also view the cabins by going to http:// www.fs.fed.us/r1/bitterroot/recreation/cabin_lookout/cabin_lookout_rental.shtml

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Brewfest STACEY LISHOK Staff Reporter

From ambers to ales and stouts to porters, the Bitterroot welcomes back the 15th annual Micro Brew Festival, July 25 in Hamilton.

With the Bitterroot Mountains as the backdrop, vendors from around the state and region will showcase their favored fermentations on Bedford Street.

As the Bitterroot Chamber of Commerce’s largest fundraiser, the festival offers more than 30 brews making for a cool way to spend a hot, summer evening in the valley.

“It should be fun,” Pat Easley of the Chamber of Commerce said. “We’re going to have more activities this year.”

In addition to the brews and live music, Easley said games and raffles are in the works.

“We’re going to try and get rid of some of our older glasses with a coin toss,” Easley said. “And we’re working on getting a raffle going with the

Montana Brewer’s Association.”

The festival continues to grow each year, with 2,000 people in attendance in 2007 and about 2,500 in 2008.

In the past, vendors have included Blackfoot brewery out of Helena, Lewis and Clark, Bayern, Big Sky, Kettlehouse, Glacier brewing from Polson, Harvest Moon and more.

Making their first appearance at the local brew festival, is the Bitterroot’s newest brewery, the Blacksmith Brewing Company.

“I think it’s pretty cool,” said Blacksmith brewer Mike Howard. “I’m really excited to be representing our beers for the local people.”

Though Howard does not know what beers the Blacksmith will offer, he has some ideas.

“Hopefully, I’ve got some New Zealand hops on the way and I can do something good with that,” Howard said. “I’d like to make something cool and special for it.”

Cost for the festival is $15 and includes a commemorative glass and three tastes.

Afterward, it’s $1 per taste and there is not a limit to the number of pours.

The festival coincides with Hamilton’s annual celebration, Daly Days, which includes a weekend full of activities.

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Darby Logger Days

STACEY LISHOK Staff Reporter

The whir of chain saws and smell of freshly cut wood will sit heavy in the air during the annual Darby Logger Days celebration in Darby July 16-18.

With the annual logger sports competition comes live music, food, vendors, auctions and even a parade to celebrate the timber industry.

“It’s a family affair. There’s something for the whole family to do,” said Cal Ruark, president of Darby Logger Days. “We’ve got phenomenal contestants and I think the real thing that’s helped make this a big event is we give back to the community.”

Last year, Ruark said Logger Days donated 58 percent of its net earnings, about $20,000 to various organizations in the valley.

“We really try to give back as much as we can,” Ruark said.

In the past, the event has drawn between 4,000 and 6,000 people. This year, Ruark hopes for more with the addition of Thursday night’s Bull-a-Rama.

“Bull riding is a real popular thing,” Ruark said.

“We feel it’s just a compatible crowd. We think the people that enjoy Logger’s Day will enjoy the Bull-aRama. So far, the response has been tremendous.”

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The event will feature 32 bull riders from Canada, New Zealand, Australia and around the northwest as well as 10 PBR bulls, one of which is the famous Soulja Boy. The bull riding event will also be a fundraiser for “Tough Enough to Wear Pink” to raise awareness and money for breast cancer.

Ruark said the bull riders will be on sale for $125 a piece which includes two VIP seats to the main event.

“You draw for your bull rider and if your bull rider wins, you get $1,600,” Ruark said. “The other $1,600 we’ll donate to Tough Enough to Wear Pink.”

The Bull-a-Rama will also feature vendors, mechanical bulls and live music as Hired Hand will play tunes from 5 to 7 p.m. and Dirty Shame will keep the party going from 9 p.m. to 12:30 a.m.

While the Bull-a-Rama is a new addition, the favorites of the multi-day event return including 19 logging sports competitions featuring competitors from around the northwest and more.

Friday’s festivities kick off at 4 p.m. as gates open at the Logger Days area just south of downtown Darby.

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Food vendors, a beer tent, crafts and educational booths will be open and at 5 p.m. the logging fun begins with boxing over water, kid’s choker races, tug of war and local logger sports activities.

Crowd participation is encouraged in chainsaw and cast iron skillet tosses as well as the lumber pole.

“It’s where we have a small diameter tree buried in the ground that extends out over the pond. If you can get the ribbon off without falling in, you can get a cash prize,” said Erin Krueger, Logger Days secretary. “Those events are all open for the people from the crowd to participate.”

The event will also showcase “Overkill,” a V8 hot saw.

“We put on demonstrations with that throughout the weekend,” Ruark said. “People just roar every time you start it up.”

The Randy Richards Band will provide toe-tapping tunes to help close out the event Friday night.

Saturday, Logger Days kick off with a parade down main street in the heart of Darby beginning at 9 a.m.

The logging competitions, which feature 19 events from axe throwing and pole climbing to log rolling and cross cut sawing, will begin at 10 a.m.

“The pole climb is pretty popular and the spring board chop is popular,” Ruark said. “There’s a lot of them that people get into.”

Registration for kids events will start at 11 a.m. and the events will begin at noon. Kids events include a watermelon eating contest, tricycle races, tug-of-war and the sawdust pile with hidden money.

Helping close out the festivities

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with live music Saturday night is County Line.

This year, Logger Days is also raffling off a 2009 Soft Tail Cross Bones Harley-Davidson. Tickets are $20 apiece and only 2,000 will be sold. Second place is a $4,000 trip or winners can take $3,500 in cash.

Tickets can be bought at Farmer’s State Bank locations or at Napa in Darby. The drawing will be Saturday after the logging competitions and entrants need not be present to win.

Cost for Darby Logger Days is $12 for the two days. The Bull-aRama is $15 at the gate or $12 presale.

Gates for the Bull-a-Rama open at 5 p.m. and the event is at 7 p.m.

“The whole event is a crowdpleaser,” Krueger said.

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Skiing in the Bitterroot

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The Bitterroots can be a summer playground for the motivated skier.

WILL MOSS Staff Reporter

There is something bittersweet to the end of a ski season.

Sure, the prospect of long, sunny days spent fishing, biking and hiking may hold sufficient allure to put most folks’ memories of first tracks and bluebird powder days away for the season, but for others, the ceasing of the chair lift’s bull wheel signifies only the agonizing countdown – one day at a time – to when it finally starts back up.

Fortunately for those ski addicts who live in and around the Bitterroot Valley, the season doesn’t have to stop yet – or possibly – ever.

Tucked high into the towering peaks of the Bitterroot Mountains pockets of winters past remain – often deep into the summer – just waiting for the

skier or boarder who finally, one bright July day, pounds their fist on the table and says “I’ve had enough of this!”

All it takes to safely extend that most-gloriousof-all-seasons is the proper equipment, a little geographical knowledge and a well-spring of pent-up motivation.

First and foremost, destination is crucial.

Anyone can strap their skis to their pack and strike out into the mountains with visions of corn snow and goggle tans dancing in their head, but if you don’t know the right place to go, well ... you could just end up looking silly.

Elevation is critical to summer skiing. As the spring’s warmth slowly blooms into full-blown summer, the snow melts from the valley up so, generally speaking, the further you are from the previous winter, the higher you’ll need to go.

Eventually, however, the summer’s heat and extended arch of the sun will take its toll on the snow pack at almost any elevation. That’s why it’s best to search out north-facing areas; steep couloirs and deep bowls that manage to stay shaded most of the day.

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These areas can hold snow (if you can call it that) well into August and even September in above-average snow years, but as the melt-freeze cycle consolidates the pack into ever-shrinking fields, that corn snow can quickly become, well, ice.

Not that there’s anything wrong with skiing ice in August; it’s just that safety can become a factor.

Summer skiing often entails steep ascents and descents of very hard, very slick ice fields where one simple slip can quickly turn into a terrifying and extremely dangerous uncontrollable slide.

It’s always a good idea to use crampons for such ascents and traverses and to carry an ice axe with which to self-arrest.

As always, safety must come first, but if you use your head and play it smart, your ski season can last well into the summer.

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Daly Mansion

Of all the places to celebrate western Montana culture and history, the most beautiful might be the sprawling green lawns of the Marcus Daly Mansion.

The Daly Mansion was the Georgian Revival style summer home to Copper King Marcus Daly and his wife Margaret Daly. The mansion includes 42 rooms on three floors, seven fireplaces, and grand porches.

The grounds include an arboretum boasting the largest variety of trees in the state of Montana, lush green lawns, beautiful gardens, an ice house, a playhouse, a laundry house and a green house.

The Daly Mansion and The Margaret Daly Memorial Gardens and Arboretum are open all summer long seven days a week until mid October.

Tours of the mansion begin on the hour starting at 10 a.m. with the last tour at 3 p.m. Tour prices are $8 for adults, $7 for seniors, and children 6 and under are admitted free. The gates to the grounds are open until 5 p.m. and there is no admission fee.

For more information, call 363-6004 ext. 3#.

The mansion will also be home to the A.J. Gibson Exhibit all summer.

Albert John Gibson is among Montana’s best known and most beloved architects and the Daly Mansion is excited to host this traveling exhibit.

The exhibition, a collection of drawings, photographs and models of some of Gibson’s most memorable buildings (including the Daly Mansion), was curated by the Montana Museum of Art & Culture (MMAC) at The University of Montana, and sponsored by the American Institute of Architects (AIA) Montana Chapter. The exhibit is open to the public during regular tour hours, 7 days a week 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

For more information about A.J. Gibson and this exhibit, go to http://www.umt.edu/montanamuseum/ or http://www.missoula.com/news/node/1760

There are also a number of special events offered at the Mansion. They include: • Thursday, July 23 – Daly Mansion Birthday Celebration – a Children’s Lawn Party and Bitterroot Valley Community Band Concert The Daly Mansion was renovated three times since the late 1800s and the current style-Georgian Revival is turning 100-years-old in 2010.

So, the Daly Mansion Preservation Trust has decided to start celebrating a little early by hosting

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a Children’s Lawn Party on the grounds. Its also a wonderful way to kick off Daly Days.

The festivities begin at 2 p.m. and will end at 4:30 p.m. and will include lawn games, ice cream sundaes, lemonade and other activities for the whole family.

Admission is $1 for children and $2 for adults.

Pack a picnic dinner and stay for the Community Band Concert.

The Bitterroot Valley Community Band will be performing an evening of music on the grounds of the Daly Mansion. After your picnic dinner, purchase strawberry shortcake from the band for dessert. The concert begins 6:30 p.m. There will be an admission fee of $5 for the concert. For more information, call 363-6004 ext. 3#.

• Saturday, July 25 – Daly Days at The Daly Mansion Fun for the whole family! Visit The Daly Mansion as the community celebrates Daly Days in honor of Hamilton’s heritage on Saturday, July 25. The Georgian Revival version of the Daly Mansion was

completed in 1910. The Daly Mansion Preservation Trust invites you to step back in time as life during 1910 is re-created in the mansion and on the grounds. Festivities will include re-enactors, demonstrations, antique farm equipment and cars, carriage rides, pony rides, Daly family home movies, self-guided tours, popcorn and cotton candy, a bake sale, old-time photos, music by the Bitterroot Ragtime Society, a food booth, and more. They will also be hosting the Murray Grandchildren. They were family friends of the Daly Family and spent summers here as children and will be sharing wonderful stories about life at the mansion. Admission to the grounds and grounds activities are free. Daly Days reduced entrance fees to the mansion will be $5 for adults and children 12 and under will be admitted free. For more information, call 363-6004 ext. 3#.

• Friday, Aug. 7 – Roundup at Riverside The Daly Mansion presents Round Up at Riverside Fund Raiser on Friday, Aug. 7. Attire is Bitterroot black tie. There will be a silent auction and cocktails

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beginning at 5:30 p.m. followed by a barbecue dinner at 6:30 p.m. A live auction will begin at 7:45 p.m. and will include such items as gourmet dinners in private homes, original and collectible works of art, guided fishing and hunting trips, cooking classes and many other fabulous items. Tickets will be are $100 per person and includes cocktails, wine and dinner. This is the Daly Mansion Preservation Trust’s premier fundraising event supporting a large portion of the Daly Mansion’s operating expenses.

• Saturday, Aug. 8 – Kids In The Garden Join Kids In The Garden for this fun family day.

This event is free and children and their grown-ups are invited and encouraged to attend. Enjoy a walk through the beautiful vegetable and flower garden and participate in music, crafts, activities and displays. For more information, call Carla at 961-0107.

• Sunday, Aug. 23 – Riverside Lawn Game Tournament and Montana Shakespeare In The Parks Let the games begin! The Daly Mansion will be hosting their first Lawn Game Tournament on the

grounds of the Daly Mansion. With approximately 25 groomed green acres and 400 breathtaking shade trees, the grounds are a prime location for a summer day of play. The community is invited to participate in a variety of lawn games. The games will begin at noon and will go until 4 p,m.

Individuals and teams can register for croquet, horseshoes, volley ball, boche ball, tennis and badmitten. Registration fees vary depending on the team or individual. Sign ups begin July 1. Silly or turn-of-the-century costumes are encouraged but not required. Prizes and food vendors will also be part of the day. After the tournament, relax in your favorite lawn chair and stay on the grounds or come back for a fantastic outdoor theater experience.

Back again under the great mansion shade trees, Montana Shakespeare In The Parks will be performing Shakespeare’s comedy, The Two Gentlemen of Verona. Performance time is 6 p.m. Early arrival is strongly encouraged for this well attended annual event. Bring a blanket and/or a lawn chair, pack a picnic dinner and enjoy an evening of high quality professional live theater. The performance is free.

For more information, call 363-6004 ext. 3#.

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Fort Owen State Park PERRY BACKUS Ravalli Republic Editor

When Maj. John Owen decided back in 1850 to set up a trading post smack in the middle of the Bitterroot Valley, his options were limited.

He could either build one or buy the mission that Jesuits had constructed nine years earlier. Owen didn’t want to wait, so he dug deep into his pocketbook and bought the original St. Mary Mission.

For the next 20 years, Owen traded with the Bitterroot Salish and others who ventured through the beautiful valley from what became known as Fort Owen. Today, visitors can take a step back in time with a visit to Fort Owen State Park near the town of Stevensville. Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks has owned and managed the 2.2-acre site since the 1950s, which is filled with the original barracks, cabins and other artifacts.

“This time of the year is a little too early for many of our recreation based parks,” said Vernon Carroll, an FWP interpretive specialist. “It’s the perfect time to explore our cultural kind of parks like Fort Owen.”

In about 30 minutes, visitors can browse through a small museum housed in preserved and partially reconstructed structures on the site. Period furnish-

ings and artifacts are on display in the restored rooms of the east barracks. There are also a number of interpretive signs scattered about the park. Some of the original adobe walls of the fort also have been restored.

“The use of adobe was very unique to fort construction along rivers during this time period,” Carroll said. “We’ve attempted to reconstruct some of those walls to give people a better idea of how the fort looked ... it really did cover a good sized area.”

Owen certainly must have seen it as the perfect fit for his new commercial enterprise back in 1850.

A sutler by trade (a person who follows an army to sell food and supplies), Owen first showed up along the documented historical trail in the 1840s around Fort Hall. He found his way into the Bitterroot a decade later. Fortunately for historians, Owen kept a detailed journal for the next 20 years.

“Because of that journal, we know a lot about Owen and his trading post,” Carroll said. “He was a unique character ... there were about 500 copies of his journal printed years ago. Many of those can still be found in local libraries.” The historical site is a popular place to hang out for local residents, especially in July when the fort comes alive with people dressed in period garb.

“The one issue that we have there is sometimes people have a hard time finding it,” Carroll said. “It sometimes looks like we’re right in the middle of a local ranch for those visiting the fort the first time ... anyone intent on finding it, will. “Everyone tells us that they enjoy visiting it,” he said. “We hope more people will.”

The park is located just outside of Stevensville.

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Being at the lookout

Vista – Ravalli Republic, Summer 2009 – page 47 PERRY BACKUS Ravalli Republic Editor

SULA - Almost 70 years ago this summer, some savvy mule packers loaded up a whole series of finely balanced crates and headed up the trail at the base of a nameless point in the East Fork of the Bitterroot.

It was 1939 and the Forest Service was in the midst of building boom of sorts.

For something close to a decade, the agency had been strategically adding to a series of lookout towers it used to detect the first wisps of smoke of a new wildfire.

At the end of this trail, some hardened men waited to help construct the newest tower on the Bitterroot National Forest. They called it McCart.

Today, it’s a quiet stroll on an uphill trail through dense and cool groves of lodgepole pine and Douglas fir to reach the historic lookout.

With a little imagination, you can almost hear the hollow knock of wooden crates bouncing off trees as the mule train slowly ambled its way up the winding trail so many years ago. Look close enough upon arrival and you can still see the shipping label sten-

cils etched on the outside of the crates that were a trademark of the L-4 Lookout design.

Designed by Forest Service Engineer Clyde Fickes, the lookout towers were manufactured in Spokane, Wash. and shipped out in crates balanced perfectly to fit on the back of mule. They arrived at the nearest shipping depot with a ticket demanding payment on delivery.

Once delivered via mule train to the site of a new lookout tower, workers used everything inside and the crates themselves to build the structures that often tower over the landscape on sturdy stilts.

For decades following its construction, men and women manned McCart Lookout through lonely summers watching the seemingly endless horizon hoping to catch that first glimpse of smoke.

These days, the lookout is filled with a different breed.

People from all over the country now sign up for a chance to spend a night or two at the McCart Lookout. The lookout is one of four lookouts and four cabins available for rent through the Bitterroot National Forest’s cabin and lookout rental program.

Forest Service crews fully restored the McCart Lookout in the early 1990s and opened it the public

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in 1992.

There’s a narrow set of steps to navigate in order to access the tower. Once inside, the scene has changed little since the days when the lookout was operational.

The center of the window ringed room is filled with the Osborne Fire Finder which helped lookouts track the location of a new fire. An old phone is still attached the pedestal. There’s a little wood stove for warmth and cooking and a small bed and table on the other side. And everywhere you turn, there’s a

view that seems to go on forever.

“These lookouts really allow the general public to have an opportunity to experience the life of a lookout,” said Bitterroot National Forest Historian Mary Williams. “They have a chance to learn about the fire prevention mission and how we went about it in the old days.”

The McCart Lookout was the first facility the Bitterroot National Forest placed on its rental program. Almost 20 years later, it’s still adding to the list.

Williams said the rental program has saved many of the agency’s historical structures for future generations. All of the money raised through the program goes right back into the maintenance and restoration of the cabins and lookouts.

“There’s no question that this program has helped us preserve some of these lookouts,” Williams said. “As lookouts became less critical to the Forest Service’s mission of fire prevention, they tended to get mothballed or abandoned.”

Some of them simply fell away from the lack of use.

“It’s healthier for a building to use it rather than have it closed up,” Williams said. “A building that’s not being used will deteriorate over time.

There will be problems with rodents. A regularly used building will stay in better shape.”

The cabin and lookout rental program has been growing in both numbers of buildings and public popularity all across the Forest Service’s Northern Region. The cost for renting one ranges somewhere between $25 and $60 a night.

The most popular are booked solid six months in advance.

There are more than 100 lookouts and cabins available to rent in Montana and Northern Idaho, said Margaret Gorski, a recreation staff member of the agency’s Northern Region.

“Most of the cabins and lookouts reflect the early history of the Forest Service,” Gorski said.

“Our jobs have changed. All of our lives have changed as well. We’ve moved most of our operations into town. Most of these buildings are found in isolated places that we no longer use.”

That doesn’t mean they are no longer important.

“There are a lot of people with ownership in these facilities,” Gorski said. “People worked there. Others brought their families and stayed there for a time. They are important to a lot of people.

“There’s just a lot of history wrapped up there,” she said.

Interested in reserving a backcountry cabin or lookout rental? Reservations can be made either by calling 1-877-444-6777 or online at www.

Recreation.gov Editor Perry Backus can be reached at 3633300 or editor@ravallirepublic.com

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Ravalli County Fair

Vista – Ravalli Republic, Summer 2009 – page 53

Just like every year, dogs will open the Ravalli County Fair and a demolition derby will close it.

In between, there will be all kinds of opportunities to feast on fair food, watch farm kids put their critters through the paces, scream your lungs out on a carnival ride or enjoy a warm afternoon watching a rodeo.

The Ravalli County Fair is one of the last best county fairs in Montana. It offers something for everyone.

This year’s fair opens with the 4-H Dog Show on Saturday, Aug. 22. The next Saturday, it will be the equestrian’s turn at the annual 4-H, FFA Horse Show that begins at 9 a.m. sharp on Saturday, Aug. 29.

Open exhibits begin to arrive on Sunday, Aug. 30 and the cows, sheep and pigs arrive the following Tuesday.

With that all in place, the fun really gets started Wednesday, Sept. 2 when youngsters begin to parade their livestock projects before the judges all morning long. There’s a fair parade that day too, as well as the opening of the carnival and a Christian concert in the grandstand that night.

On Thursday, the animals keep coming with youngsters showing their goats, sheep and market swine. Rodeo action kicks off in the afternoon at 1 p.m. and that night there’s a Bull-A-Rama to watch in the grandstand.

Friday follows with lots more rodeo by both adults and youngster too. The Little People’s Rodeo starts at 1 p.m. and the big people’s affair gets going at 7 p.m. In between there’s lots of opportunity to watch kids show off their animal showmanship skills in three different round robin competitions.

Breakfast begins Saturday morning with a feast hosted by the 4-H and FFA at 6:30 a.m. As soon as you’re done eating, mosey on over to the Hornung Arena for the annual livestock auction and a chance to buy a hog, cow or sheep. And when that ends, some more rodeo begins just across the way at the grandstand.

And just when you think there can’t be any more as the last of the livestock and other entries are carted off Sunday, there’s a church service in the morning and demolition derby that night. It looks to be another great year at the fair.

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Calendar of events

JUNE 2009 From Wilderness to Rails; Montana Looks Back at the Northern Pacific Railroad.

May 1 - July 31. A Ravalli County Museum exhibit presented by Wm. Whitfield, Mike McEachern and the Bitterroot Valley Historical Society. Exhibit retraces the development of the Northern Pacific through unique documents, lithographs, stereo photographs original stock certificates, diaries and artifacts.

Railroad enthusiasts, history buffs and artists alike will enjoy this presentation at the museum at 205 Bedford St. in Hamilton. Hours are Tuesday to Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., closed Sunday and Monday.

Artists Along The Bitterroot

June 5-6-7, Spring Studio Tour. Artist reception Friday, June 5 from 5 - 9 p.m. at the Bitterroot Star office in Stevensville. Saturday studios open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Contact Barbara Michelman or Arthur H. Norby at 777-2954 and (406) 381-5337 or through e-mail at Barbara@michelmanphoto.com or art@arthurnorby. com A complete map can be found at www.arthurnorby.com under News & Reviews.

Remembering Our Heroes

June 6 in commemoration of D-Day there will be a presentation and exhibit. The event starts at 2 p.m. at the Ravalli County Museum. Music, food and beverages will be available. The event begins with a flag presentation. There will be a USO Club program at 3:30 p.m., to be followed by music and dancing hosted by Cadillac DJ. At 5:30 p.m. a ser-

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vice of light dinner will be offered.

Tickets are $20 for an individual and $30 for a couple. Volunteers and sponsors needed. Call Zana at 546-9344.

State Volunteer Firemen’s Convention in Hamilton.

June 11,12,13. Call George Mason at 375-9575 for more information.

Montana Professional Artists Association Show and Sale

June 12-13-14 at the Bitterroot River Inn in Hamilton. Call Mari Bolen 961-3887.

Chief Victor Days in Victor.

June 12-13. The event features scavenger hunts, spaghetti feeds, live music, a parade, a run and all of it topped off by with pow wow honoring the Bitterroot Salish.

For more information, call Angie

Dobberstein 642-3924 or go to www.victormt.com.

Montana Mule Days at Ravalli County Fairgrounds.

June 12,13,14. Mule Days is coming back to Hamilton for its second year. Come watch mule skinners put their teams through the paces in this exciting event.

The event includes the wild Packer’s Scramble where folks compete for a $1,500 purse.

There are also driving classes, a gymkhana and showmanship events. It all takes place at the Ravalli County Fairgrounds. Call 777-2331 or www.montanamuledays.com.

Big Sky Fiber Art Festival

June 13, 14 at Ravalli County Fairgrounds. Call Joyce at 6423119.

Circus

June 15. The Circus comes to Stevensville at the corner of Middle Burnt Fork and Park roads.

There will be two shows. One at 5 p.m. and one at 7:30 p.m. Call 777-3773.

Church Carnival

June 20 sponsored by Solid Rock Baptist Church. Free to the public from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Ravalli County Fairgrounds.

Call Pastor Nathan Saunders at 360-9392.

30th Annual Bitterroot Day

June 20, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Don’t miss this museum classic showcasing our native flower the Bitterroot. Expanded Farmers Market, crafts, food booths, art, jewelry, wood works, produce, kids games, free horse drawn hay rides, and live music. Vendor

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registration still available. Contact 363-3338 or download at brvhsmuseum.org or e-mail lorihrcm@ qwestoffice.net

Audrey Ebel Memorial Golf Tourney

June 20. Call 777-3773 for more information

Fathers Day Potluck

dance and live band the first night and a parade, arts and crafts show, antique car/truck/tractor show, cow pie bingo, dutch oven cook-off, tours, living history, black powder demonstrations, music, beer garden, street dance and a barbecue. Call 777-3773 for more information.

Hangar Dance

June 21. West Fork Mountain Crafts at 4955 Sawmill Lane, Conner invites you to a Pot Luck on Fathers Day. There will be live music from noon to 6 p.m. Call 821-2007 for more information.

June 27. The Hamilton Airport is having a Hangar Dance. Festivities begin with a pancake breakfast, sky diving, old aircraft, model planes and ends with a dance. Call 363-3338.

Bitterroot Dusters Antique Car Show and Swap Meet

Relay for Life

June 25-26. The car show will be held at the Ravalli County Fairgrounds.

Western Heritage Days

June 26-27 in Stevensville featuring a youth

June 27-28. The annual Relay for Life event in support of the American Cancer Society will be held at Hamilton’s Haynes Field. Starting at 6 p.m. on June 27 and ending at 8 a.m. on the 28th. Call 3604373 for more information.

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Quilt Show

June 27-28. The Bitterroot Quilters Guild is sponsoring a Quilt Show at the RC Fairgrounds.

Theme “Gems of the Bitterroot.” Admission is $4.

Hours are Saturday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Contact Fran Jackson 363-0768.

JULY 2009 Fourth of July Parade

July 4. The annual parade winds through downtown Hamilton starting at 10 a.m. Call 363-2400 for more information.

Concert

July 11 Bitterroot Therapeutic presents a concert July 11 at the First Interstate Center at the Ravalli County Fairgrounds. Doors open for silent auction at 6:30 p.m., performances by Dave Stamey and Cowboy Poet Shad. Call 961-2999.

Rocky Knob Motorcycle & Car Rally

July 11. The rally benefits Bitterroot Valley Children’s Christmas Fund. Lots of events all day long beginning at 10 a.m. 6065 Highway 93 S. Conner. Call 821-3520.

Darby Logger Days

July 17-18. The annual event will be held at the south end of Darby on U.S. Highway 93. This year’s event includes a Bull-A-Rama. See the story inside VISTA to learn more or call Calvin Ruark 544-5536.

Darby Strawberry Festival

July 18. An old fashioned ice cream social happens in downtown Darby. Call 381-5114 for more information.

Daly Days

July 24-25. A fun filled event in Hamilton with GoldWing motorcycles, a car show, the Bop-A-Dips, vendors, food, music and lots of fun for the whole family! Call 363-2400.

Hard Times Bluegrass Festival

July 24-26. Three days of bluegrass music and fun at the Thomas Ranch, South of Hamilton.

Call Conroy 821-3777 or www.mtbluegrass.com

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Bitterroot Valley Chamber’s Annual Microbrew Festival

July 25 in Hamilton. 3 to 10 p.m. at Second and Bedford. 363-2400.

Gold Wing Road Riders Assoc. Convention in Hamilton.

July 24,25,26. Call Russ Parpart Dist. Director 406628-8115 or 860-0206.

Art In The Park

Legion Park in Hamilton. Saturday, July 25-26 from 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Sunday 11 a.m.-3 p.m.

Call Mary Lockwood 821-4678.

AUGUST 2009 Call of the Wild Art Exhibit

Aug. 5 through Nov. 5 at the Ravalli County Museum in Hamilton. Exhibit features artists Ed and Marilyn Wolff

Creamery Picnic

August 7-8. The annual event will be held in Lewis and Clark State Park in Stevensville. The picnic started in 1911 after a fire destroyed the famous dairy creamery in town. The manager of the creamery told the citizens of Stevensville that if they rebuilt the creamery in 30 days, he would throw a big celebration for the town. They did and he followed up on his word. The event features the Montana State Barbecue Championship, a brewfest, parade, street

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dance and live music. Call 777-3773 for more information.

Tour of Homes

Aug. 21-23 – Brought to you by Bitter Root Valley Board of Realtors.

Call 363-2945 for information.

SEPTEMBER 2009 Ravalli County Fair

Sept. 2-5. See the story about the fair elsewhere in VISTA. Call 363-3411.

Baked Goods Pie Auction

Sept. 2 at the Ravalli County Fair under the Big Top. Come and bid on the many delicacies prepared by the best bakers in the valley. All funds go toward the Ravalli County Museum educational programs.

Bitterroot River Cleanup

Sept. 12. Call 363-3146 for more information.

North West Honey Fest

Sept. 12. The first annual “North West Honey Fest.” is a celebration of the importance of honey to our culture and our economy. In celebration of National Honey Month, the one day event will be

held from noon to 7 p.m. at the Lewis and Clark Park, in historic Stevensville.

Honey Food Gala Tasting, bee product vendors, food and drink booths (for purchase – must be honey based), Bee Art show and entertainment.

Able Days

Sept. 26-27. Community donation auction. Lots of demonstrations and activities for the whole family.

The event will be held at the First Interstate Center at the Ravalli County Fairgrounds. Call Theresa 3632898

FARMERS MARKETS Totem Peak Farmer’s Market in Victor

Beginning Friday, May 3 through September from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Call Laura Craig 961-0004.

Valley Farmers Market in Hamilton

Every Saturday, beginning May 2 from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Call 961-0004.

Stevensville Farmers Market

Every Saturday beginning in May from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Call 777-3626 or 777-2473.