Corndog Days of Summer Festival Arrives in the Flathead

The story of the Corndog Days of Summer, the Flathead’s only festival celebrating everything related to corn, dogs, and corndogs as it seeks to raise money for the Humane Society of Northwest Montana, begins about three years ago when Sarah Nangle and Sam Bassett were walking their dog in late July after another long Flathead summer day in the service industry.  

The two married chefs’ brains just might have been a little cooked as they meandered about in the Whitefish night with their corgi-keeshond mix named Miso. One of the two remarked that these were the “dog days of summer,” and through the haze of exhaustion the couple started laughing at the turn of phrase.

Eventually, though, as the walk continued, Nangle said they started tossing around the idea of throwing some kind of festival aimed at the local population, particularly service workers and seasonal workers, who she said “for lack of a better term, get used and abused” over the course of the peak summer tourism season. An idea was officially percolating.

Earlier that same day, some hours before that fateful dog walk, Bassett had the stray thought that in all his years as a chef, he had never, ever made a corndog. The inside joke about the dog days of summer and the random realization about the unexplored universe of corndog cooking came together in a moment of absurdity and brilliance that they quickly realized could be the festival’s identity. Forage Catering would serve a variety of corndogs, from plain old regular corn dogs, to international variations, like a northern Thai sai oua sausage-style corndog served with a green chile jam, cilantro and pork rinds. The low-brow high-brow portmanteau Corndog Days of Summer was born, and three weeks later, the festival followed. In the interim, supporters quickly came on board, including Dave Ventura with the cannabis producer Borealis Natural Gardens, and Jesse Miller of Big Mountain Botanicals.

This Saturday the one-day festival will once again grace the grounds of the Stillwater Bar in Olney, with many of the core components still the same three years after its inception. Also helping bring it all together has been Jelena Bailey of the event planning company Wild Sky Designs. Cutthroat Tattoo created the festival’s metal band-style logo, which shows a dog in sunglasses chomping on an ear of corn with a lakeside sunset reflected in its shades, and the Stillwater Bar offset below. Although the September date is a bit later than years past when it’s taken place in August (work, and life, got in the way this year), the spirit of Corndog Days is expected to remain the same.

“It’s like a fun, irreverent bash,” Bassett said. “There’s a lot of stuff to take seriously throughout the year, and this is a time to just let your guard down and have fun throwing bags and eating corndogs.”

Ventura, the owner of the cannabis cultivation business Borealis Natural Gardens, who is both a sponsor and organizer of the festival, said there’s an extra value to the community get-together side of Corndog Days, given that some people head their separate ways with the close of summer, either for other seasonal work, or long-awaited off time. For people who are new to the commuity, he said it’s a good way to meet people. He also noted that as we get further into fall, continued good weather becomes an increasingly risky gamble, meaning this weekend’s favorable forecast is a cause for celebration in and of itself.

Summing it all up, Ventura likened it to “a backyard barbecue at a log cabin bar on the lake with all your friends.”

The first year, about 600 friends showed up, and the festival has grown in the years since. Nangle said they’re planning on having upwards of 700 corndogs on hand to meet the appetites of the crowd they’re expecting.

Nangle characterized their Kalispell-based business, Forage Catering, as striving to create and provide food that is locally sourced, hyper-seasonal, and extremely thoughtful. Which isn’t quite where the corndog typically falls in the great and varied expanse of the American culinary tradition. Nor is Forage’s specialty — often served in multi-course meals in private settings — necessarily the kind of food that’s readily accessible to many of the Flathead’s workers. Corndog Days gives them a chance to cook gourmet food in a casual setting that’s on the more affordable end of the takeout spectrum, with corndogs going for $8 to $11 each.

In addition to the Northern Thai sausage-style corndog, this year’s menu will also include an okonomiyaki dog topped with okonomiyaki sauce, Kewpie Japanese mayo, aunori and bonito flakes. The corndog is inspired by the savory Japanese pancake, okonomiyaki, and Bassett said its savoriness amounts to “basically an umami bomb.” Also on the 2024 corndog menu will be a kimchi and cheese dog, which incorporates its namesake fermented Korean vegetable mix alongside cheddar cheese sauce and scallions. There’s also a carrot corndog on the menu, made with smoked carrot, sumac yogurt and salsa verde.

Classic corndogs, cauliflower and corn chowder, and sesame shortbread cookies will also be available for purchase.

With its mission of celebrating everything related to corn, dogs and corndogs, the festival also includes a tournament for the lawn game cornhole. Past festivals have also had a grilled corn component, but that’s been dropped from the plans this year due to a lack of interest from past attendees.

As for the dog component, the festival doubles as a fundraiser for the Northwest Montana Humane Society.  Beyond just looking to give locals cause to celebrate and kickback after a long summer, Bassett, Nangle, and other organizers realized just how important dogs are to people in the Flathead, especially service workers. Nangle said that Miso is a major source of emotional support, and she knows she’s not alone in the comfort she takes from her pet after a hectic day of work.

“She’s just like an angel sent from heaven that is always so loving and sweet after a long day.”

This year’s festival will have a raffle with over $3,000 worth of prizes, with gifts and gift cards donated from a number of local businesses, including Abruzzo, Herb & Omni, Glacier Restaurant Group, Under The Big Sky, Stumptown Snowboards and Bonsai Brewing. Among the raffle prizes are a Sims snowboard and multi-day Under The Big Sky passes.

There’s also a live music element to the festival, which gives people a chance to hear some local bands that they might miss amid their busy summer schedules. Bassett said there was a bit of punk rock spirit initially, but that the musical offerings have continued to evolve. This weekend the lineup includes Surfbat, Borderline Lucid and 20 Grand. The way the festival is laid out, the bands perform on the deck of the Stillwater Bar, with listeners gathering below.

If people attend, Bassett noted that this year there will be free parking at Stillwater Landing, which is just a short walk away from the bar. The festival is free, although it’s possible that will change in the future. Bassett encouraged people to have a plan to arrive and leave safely, and said it’s important that people be respectful of the property and of each other.

Corndog Days of Summer is this Saturday, Sept. 28 at the Stillwater Bar in Olney, and will go from 2 p.m. until 9:30 p.m. The cornhole tournament goes from 4 p.m. until 6:30 p.m., with a cost of $10 per person or $20 per team. Prizes and trophies are offered for winners, and costumes are encouraged. Registration for the tournament goes from 2 p.m. until 3:30 p.m. The raffle for prizes will be open from 3 p.m. until 6:30 p.m., with winners announced at 6:30 p.m. For more information go to foragecatering406.com.

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