Polebridge Takes Center Stage This Summer
The secluded business communities tucked along the North Fork Flathead River will feature a full slate of activities this summer, including dozens of live music performances
By Cathy Li
The community of Polebridge lies on the North Fork of the Flathead River, a hidden hub lush with sightseeing and wildlife viewing opportunities. Though the area is entirely off the grid, running on solar power and backup diesel generators for electricity, it maintains a lively calendar of social events.
This summer, a trio of the region’s iconic establishments — the Polebridge Mercantile, Home Ranch Bottoms, and the Northern Lights Saloon — are promoting an impressive lineup of music and live performances. Whether you’re excited about the new menu items at Home Ranch Bottoms or stopping by the Polebridge Mercantile (lovingly dubbed ‘the Merc’) for its extensive slate of 50 Montana artists and vendors, or heading to the Northern Lights Saloon for an outdoor funk band performance, visitors can expect high-caliber experiences this summer.
To close out June, the Northern Lights Saloon is hosting a Bingo Event with the Glacier Queer Alliance, where all proceeds from the game will benefit the organization.
“We want to support the LGBTQ community in Montana. It’s a small but mighty community, and we want to support the Glacier Queer Alliance because they do such amazing work in the valley,” general manager Austin Wallis said.
Heading into July, Home Ranch Bottoms and Northern Lights Saloon have a packed calendar, with musical acts performing nightly from Thursday to Sunday at the Northern Lights Saloon. The saloon is also gearing up for a range of performers who have never played in Polebridge before this summer. Missoula’s five-piece bluegrass band Spruce Alley Sally and local slide guitarist Dan Dubuque are just a few of the many musicians playing in the outdoor beer garden.
Home Ranch Bottoms, famous for its fresh-squeezed huckleberry margaritas and hand-patted smash burgers, also has a beer garden stage with three-level seating for up to 70 people.
“It’s a very relaxed, dynamic situation,” Flannery Freund, the co-owner of Home Ranch Bottoms, said.
New on tap this summer, Home Ranch Bottoms has reopened its campground and will serve fresh baked goods and specialty espresso drinks. Home Ranch Bottoms also has a full event schedule (see below), including the return of “Comedy in the Woods” with award-winning comedian Rich Hall, as well as a performance by Freund’s favorite touring musician, Jeffrey Foucault.
For Freund and Wallis, one event they are excited to cross-promote to the public is the first-ever large-scale puppet show production on July 31. The String and Shadow Puppet Theater event will bring their giant outdoor puppet show from Olympia, Wash., to the Northern Lights Saloon’s backstage. The family-friendly event weaves together various puppetry styles, circus arts, and original score and screenplay. There will be 12 performers at this event.
“I don’t think that anything like it has ever happened on stage here in Polebridge, so I am really excited,” Wallis said. “It feels special to work here at the saloon, with its storied history. We’re stoked to carry on the torch and have this super special place that is very loved by the community.”
Getting to Polebridge:
Polebridge is located along Montana Highway 486, commonly known as the North Fork Road, which can be accessed from Columbia Falls; use caution while driving and plan accordingly because segments of the North Fork Road are unpaved. Visitors with a valid Glacier National Park entrance pass can also access the North Fork Road by driving into the park via the West Glacier entrance and taking advantage of the paved Camas Road, which merges with the North Fork Road about 14 miles from Polebridge.
Home Ranch Bottoms is located south of Polebridge at 8950 North Fork Road; the ‘Merc and the Northern Lights Saloon are both located in Polebridge.
Cabins are available to rent through each of the three businesses’ websites. Visitors will also want to plan ahead, as 30-minute delays are expected due to the construction on Glacier Drive in Polebridge. Construction updates will be posted at the Polebridge Mercantile community board.
Polebridge Summer 2024 Calendar of Events
June 28: Bingo w/GQA at Northern Lights Saloon
June 28, 29: Tin Finely at Home Ranch Bottoms
June 29: Spruce Alley Sally at Northern Lights Saloon
July 4: Sterling Drake at Home Ranch Bottoms
July 4: Dan Dubuque and King Ropes at Northern Lights Saloon
July 5: Toad, Surf Bat and Mother Root at Home Ranch Bottoms
July 5: King Ropes at Northern Lights Saloon
July 6: Tom Catmull at Home Ranch Bottoms
July 6: The Skurfs at Northern Lights Saloon
July 7: Dan Dubuque at Northern Lights Saloon
July 9: Ryan Littleeagle at Northern Lights Saloon
July 10: Reptile Lovechild at Northern Lights Saloon
July 11: Christiane Hinterman at Northern Lights Saloon
July 12: Lucas Yatch at Northern Lights Saloon
July 12, 13: Paul Lee Kupfer at Home Ranch Bottoms
July 13: Luke Dowler at Northern Lights Saloon
July 14: Way Down North at Northern Lights Saloon
July 17: Cruz Contreras & The Black Lillies at Home Ranch Bottoms
July 18: Accordion Bob & Co. at Northern Lights Saloon
July 19: Ross Voorhees Homecoming Howdown at Home Ranch Bottoms
July 19, 20: Grand at Northern Lights Saloon
July 20, 21: Junior the Band at Home Ranch Bottoms
July 22, 23: Johnny Django at Northern Lights Saloon
July 23, 24: Jeffrey Foucault at Home Ranch Bottoms
July 24: Ross Voorhees at Northern Lights Saloon
July 25: Billy Billie at Northern Lights Saloon
July 25: Open Range at Home Ranch Bottoms
July 26, 27: Ian Thomas & the Band of Drifters at Home Ranch Bottoms
July 27: Galen Ballinger at Northern Lights Saloon
July 28: Max Flynn at Northern Lights Saloon
July 31: String & Shadow Puppet Theater at Northern Lights Saloon
July 31: Izaak Opatz and Steven Van Betten at Home Ranch Bottoms
Aug. 2: Comedy in the Woods with Rich Hall at Home Ranch Bottoms
Aug. 2: Ancient Footprints at Northern Lights Saloon
Aug. 3: Sabbath Worship at Home Ranch Bottoms
Aug. 4: Dan Dubuque at Northern Lights Saloon
Aug. 8: Accordion Bob & Co. at Northern Lights Saloon
Aug. 9: Hotdayum! at Northern Lights Saloon
Aug. 9, 10: The Montvales at Home Ranch Bottoms
Aug. 10: Ross Voorhees at Northern Lights Saloon
Aug. 11: Way Down North at Northern Lights Saloon
Aug. 15: Tom Catmull at Home Ranch Bottoms
Aug. 15: Brent Jameson at Northern Lights Saloon
Correction: An earlier version of this story included an incorrect name for Northern Lights Saloon Manager Austin Wallis. The Beacon regrets the error.