Summerfest
Annual events staple of Polson summers
Nicole Tavenner
A 1972 Dodge Dart burns rubber at the racetrack.
Nicole Tavenner
Local artist Joanne Simpson visits during the Sandpiper Art Festival.
Nicole Tavenner
Nicole Tavenner
un, relaxes in the 1957 Chevy he has had since high school.
Nicole Tavenner
A vintage plate matches its1935 Ford Coupe.
Nicole Tavenner
Nicole Tavenner
Nicole Tavenner
Nicole Tavenner
Nicole Tavenner
Nicole Tavenner
Nicole Tavenner
Nicole Tavenner
Nicole Tavenner
Nicole Tavenner
Nicole Tavenner
Nicole Tavenner
Nicole Tavenner
Nicole Tavenner
Nicole Tavenner
Nicole Tavenner
Nicole Tavenner
Nicole Tavenner
Nicole Tavenner
Nicole Tavenner
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Nicole Tavenner
Nicole Tavenner
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Nicole Tavenner
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Nicole Tavenner
Nicole Tavenner
Nicole Tavenner
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Polson was a vibrant hub of activity last weekend as Summerfest 2016 took to the streets with the annual car show hosted by Anderson Broadcasting and the Sandpiper Art Festival on the courthouse lawn. Both events are staples for Polson summers.
The Sandpiper Art Festival is celebrating 45 years and the car show, taken over from the Mission Valley Cruisers by Anderson Broadcasting three years ago, has been around for about 15 years.
“It’s always happening in Polson,” said Steve Pickel, who deals with sales and advertising, along with event coordinating, at Anderson Broadcasting.
Both events seek to provide Lake County with a weekend of excitement and entertainment. According to Janna Griffin, a vendor at the Sandpiper Art Festival, this event is her favorite throughout the year.
“I love the entertainment,” Griffin said. “I love the layout. It’s just lovely.”
Complete with live entertainment, dancing, arts and crafts, the Sandpaper Art Festival complements Summerfest in Polson.
A few blocks down, the streets were lined with freshly painted vintage cars. Classic music boomed from speakers located on each side of the Anderson Broadcasting booth and across the street as attendees voted for their favorites. In total, the events draw a few thousand people, and Pickel said so far, this has been the most attended year.
For Mike Isaacs of Missoula, car shows like this are a chance to remember his youth. “I had one just like this in high school, which is why I built this one,” he said, gesturing toward his cherry red 1972 Chevrolet El Camino.
Isaacs is a first-time showman at the Polson car show, but he definitely plans on returning and said he loves the community feeling in Polson.
The car show and Sandpiper Art Festival always fall on the second Saturday of August. Sue Ball, president of the Sandpiper Art Gallery, believes that hosting the events on the same weekend benefit both by drawing more attention and attendance to the area.
“A lot of people come and they are meeting friends and they are visiting here,” Ball said. “It’s a mingling of tourists and locals.”
Ball’s estimation that the attendees are a mix of locals and tourists is spot on. Despite the heat, almost everyone had a smile on their face as they walked from booth to booth or car to car, or sat enjoying the many food outlets.
Bringing in revenue for the community is a big theme of the events. The weekend and other big weekends, such as Hoopfest and the Cherry Festival, bring in enough money for the city to keep stores in business through the quiet months, Pickel said.
The Sandpiper Art Festival is the first of two festivals hosted by Sandpiper Art Gallery. It is the casual counterpart to the Flathead Lake Festival of Art, which is geared towards more high-end, fine arts. The Flathead Lake Festival of Art will take place this weekend Aug. 20- 21 at Sacajawea Park from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday and from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday.
