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Like I Was Saying

Countdown to Fall

The record-breaking tourism season had started off on the wrong foot and would only get bumpier from there

By Kellyn Brown

September, a new school year, Labor Day and the unofficial start of autumn is just around the corner. And, for the first time in recent memory, I can’t wait. This summer has lasted long enough and a shoulder season, even if it is a bit busier than before, is a welcome respite from a challenging few months. 

Last spring optimism permeated the valley. As life returned to normal, huge economic development projects started in near unison. Work began on the Kalispell Parkline Trail. The bypass was expanding with additional lanes and an overpass. In just about every corner of the valley infrastructure projects were underway. 

A little more than a year after the pandemic had shut down the country’s economy, the Flathead Valley was emerging from the recession stronger than ever with plenty of jobs available. But there was a problem. There were not nearly enough people to fill them. Whether it was lack of childcare, enhanced jobless benefits or employees still concerned about catching COVID, a severe worker shortage spread across the region and hasn’t subsided. 

Some of our favorite restaurants either closed or scaled back their respective operations. Hotels stopped booking some rooms because they couldn’t find anyone to clean them. Construction projects were halted or delayed because of lack of help and the increasing cost of goods. Those who did show up to work had to plea with locals and visitors alike to have patience. They didn’t always comply. And everyone seemed a little irritable. 

The record-breaking tourism season had started off on the wrong foot and would only get bumpier from there. Glacier Park International Airport was drawing its most ever traffic. Three new airlines announced new seasonal flights and antsy Americans were ready to travel, at least domestically. 

They arrived to the Flathead in droves. But there were no rental cars to be had because of nationwide shortage. And if they hadn’t purchased a ticket in advance to access the famed Going-to-the-Sun Road in Glacier National Park, they would be turned away disappointed. This drove hordes of ill-equipped visitors to more remote segments of the region, which strained resources and irked residents accustomed to more solitude. 

Along with tourists, the local population swelled with newcomers escaping more expensive urban areas.  The “great migration” spiked housing costs, pricing out longtime service industry employees who began to look at out-of-state plates with disdain. Already irritable, now some of us were mad. 

Meanwhile, sweltering heat and drought gripped the state. Fires arrived and torched dozens of homes. The smoke settled into the valley for weeks and made this place, already crowded, feel even more claustrophobic. 

Just as the rain arrived to clean the air, a COVID-19 outbreak began infecting hundreds of residents, the vast majority of whom are unable or unwilling to get vaccinated. Last week, Flathead County reported its highest single-day count of active COVID-19 hospitalizations at 42. That spring optimism has faded and parents are now divided over whether their kids should have to wear masks at schools as coronavirus cases continue to rise.   

We’re past the dog days of summer, but the season continues to linger. I’m confident we’ll come out the other side more resilient than before. That doesn’t mean we can’t count down the days to fall.