Concert, fireworks, music come to Polson
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POLSON — Right before the Fourth of July, Valley residents are in for a special treat. Festivals on the Flathead is presenting a blues concert featuring Big Daddy and the Blue Notes, the Kevin Van Dort Blues Band, and the Fat Tones.
The concert will be on July 3, and people can stake out their spots at 3 p.m. with the music beginning at 6 p.m. Admission is $20, and festival management asks attendees to bring non-perishable food items for the Polson Loaves and Fish Food Bank, according to Steven Pickel, Festivals on the Flathead committee member.
Along with an evening of great blues with food and beverages available against a backdrop of Flathead Lake and mountains, concert goers will receive a wristband that also allows them free entrance to Family Fourth on the Flathead on July 4 at the Polson Fairgrounds. Along with a great seat for fireworks from the grandstand, families can gather on the northeast side of the fairgrounds for family activities — games with the Boy Scouts and face painting for the kids.
“I want to see every little kid running around with a red, white and blue face,” Pickel said, adding that people should dress in red, white and blue, too.
Food vendors will be located behind the grandstand and a beer garden will be open on that portion of the fairgrounds nearest the Polson Airport. The grounds will open at 3 p.m., and music by Cabin Fever will begin at 6 p.m.
Music both evening will take place on the Anderson Broadcasting mobile stage, and Anderson will simultaneously broadcast patriotic music on the radio.
If folks want to just attend the Family Fourth on the Flathead, the price is $5 per person with children 12 and under free.
Festivals on the Flathead began when Keryl Lozar, a Polson third grade teacher, realized many of her students had never been to a concert, Pickel explained. Many students couldn’t afford to go to Missoula or Kalispell for a concert. Also many local people are music lovers but don’t want to travel, so Lozar set out to bring music to the Flathead. Along the way, she found other people, such as Pickel, who shared her vision.
Family Fourth on the Flathead is a fundraisers for Festivals on the Flathead. Money raised will be used to terrace the hill on Salish Point so it’s easier for people to sit and bring their lawnchairs for concert watching. They would also like to purchase a stage so they can “float it in or fold it away,” Pickel explained.
The committee also will be launching the Make Your Point Campaign to the get the community to take ownership of the Festivals on the Flathead and donate money or time. He foresees high school graduations, plays, political debates and maybe even a concert by Missoula symphony held at Salish Point.
For more information, call Pickel at 885-2377 or go to festivalsontheflathead.org
