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44 | JANUARY 22, 2014
FLATHEADBEACON.COM

COMMUNITY BIGFORK
Travel
Carṕ Diem!
Retirement

First Business

Growing Family
almost sacred responsibility to present
College
By DAVID VALE
their work in the best way possible.”
Mike Michlig was a irst-round draft I look around the gallery and see
Growing financially requires choice in the eyes of Sears, Roebuck, wide ranging arts and crafts. Sculptured
direction, patience and a & Co. And for 20 years, as an executive graphite drawing sticks, etched rocks,
plan — a plan based on Healthy Alternative • Homestyle Cooking there, he fulilled every expectation of relatively high-end jewelry and watch-
wisdom and experience. Fresh Baked Bread • Breakfast & Lunch the iconic retail merchandiser. But then es, signs, prints, and poetry. “We select
Fresh Ingredients from Local Farmers
one day in 1989, he treated himself to a the items we’re passionate about,” ofers
D.A. Davidson & Co. has Soups, Sandwiches, Paninis, Wraps, Salads,
been helping investors Quiches, Cookies, Pastries & Pies, Espresso
movie, “Dead Poets Society” starring Bridget. “Sometimes it’s the item, some-
chart their financial goals Robin Williams. And
for over 75 years. When Grillers, Scratch-Made Pizza
taken with the movie’s
you’re ready to chart your Fresh Wild Huckleberry Pies, Pancakes, theme, “Carṕ diem,”
Wales and Smoothies
Latin for “seize the
course, call us.
day,” Mike did just that.
The very next day, in
LAKESIDE LOCATION NOW OPEN!
the ultimate of symbol-
FULL BREAKFAST MENU
DINNERS (SCRATCH-MADE ARTISAN PIZZA)
ic gestures, Mike liter-
Located in the newly remodeled Lakeside Town Center at
ally burned his suit in
306 Stoner Loop Road, one block west of Sliters Ace Hardware
the Sears parking lot to
406-752-6212 or the sounds of Jim Mor-
Grateful Bread
1-800-955-2208 rison’s “Come on Baby,
200 First Ave. E., K-M Light My Fire,” and im-
306 STONER LOOP LAKSIDE
Bldg., Kalispell, MT mediately left town.
(Lakeside Town Center)
59901 Monday Closed
406-862-2101 or Tues-Thurs 8 am to 7 pm
For the 20 years
1-888-564-3008 Friday 8 am to 9 pm (Game night with special dinner) with Sears, Mike had
14 West Second Street, Sat 8 am – 9 pm (Schnitzel night)
lived a secret life. In his
Whiteish, MT 59937
Sun 8 am – 3 pm
spare time, he made in-
8111 HWY 35 BIGFORK tricate, artistic wooden
(Next to Harvest Foods) animal puzzles. On the
Bigfork is closed until March 31st.
weekends, he sold them
at art festivals, dis-
“ALL our breads are made in-house from scratch.”
Mike and Bridget Michlig. DAVID VALE PHOTO
playing his work at as
times it’s the artist.”
many as 25 festivals a year. But feeling
“Yes,” conirms Mike. “The things
the need for a sense of place when he left
you see in our gallery, they relect our Sears, he elected not to make the road
personalities. And we just hope people his home and instead opened a gallery in
like us.”
Sonoma, Calif., to display his works and
Do they enjoy their work? “I don’t those of others he’d met on the festival
circuit.
think it really qualiies as work,” says
Mike. “For me, every day is fun. Always In 2001 he moved to Bigfork, meeting
has been, in that I’ve always enjoyed Bridget, the woman who was to become
what I do. See that jacket on the wall?” his best friend and wife, on the plane as
He points to a black Jacket hanging on he came here. Bridget, a communica-
EVENTS
the wall, sort of a letterman jacket with tions executive at the time working for
an inscription on it. “I’d been in busi- a California-based real estate strategy
ness about six months in Sonoma when MONTANA’S CHRISTMAS VILLAGE
irm, was also ready for a change. Set-
he Bigfork Playhouse Children’s heater
this fellow walked into my store, col- tling in Bigfork, they opened the Arti-
lar pulled up and hat pulled down. As I THE WILD WILD WILDEST WEST
sans Gallery together.
started to address him and discovered January 24, 25, 26, 31 & February 1
Bridget characterizes the gallery as a
he was Robin Williams, I suddenly found kind of art festival under a roof. “Yeah,
myself speechless. But it turned out he Un-Decorate Bigfork
I think that really captures it,” agrees
was a really nice guy and I explained Mike. “I did the festival circuit for 20
how it was his movie that got me start- Saturday, January 25, 8:00AM • Meet at the Bigfork Inn
years and really liked the feeling and the
ed in the business. ‘So how’s it going,’ AUDITIONS for Cowabunga
friends I met there. But, frankly, it was

he asked, with a degree of trepidation. January 28 & 29 3:30-5:30PM both days at the Bigfork Center for the Performing Arts
a lot of work, a lot of stress to be in a dif-
Oh, ine, I said. He seemed relieved and ferent city every weekend hauling all my
bought a bunch of stuf.”
February Sundowner at Whistling Andy
art there and all my art home. I thought
“But then the next day he came if I could collect all the diferent artists
back,” Mike continued. “And he had this hursday, February 13, 5:00PM
in one shop, that would be the best of
jacket from the movie with ‘Dead Poets Valentine’s Weekend Concert
both worlds.”
Society’ embroidered on it. ‘This is for “We have about 85 artists who dis-
Saturday, February 15 at Bigfork Center for Performing Arts
you,’ he said. I looked at him, gushing, BEFORE AND AFTER CONCERT SPECIALS AVAILABLE
play their work in our shop,” says Bridg-
Oh Mr. Williams, you don’t know what http://www.big forkcenter.org/BeforeandAterSpecials.html
et, “and we try to give advice and coach-
this means to me.”
ing, regarding their work, to each of
Robin Williams, as Mike tells it, re- Annual Bigfork Brewfest
them. These artists form kind of a cot-
sponded simply with a twinkle in his eye NEW DATE: Saturday, March 1st
tage industry doing what they love and
and a slight smile on his lips: “Yes Mike, we feel it’s our job to champion their
I do.”
For times & details, visit or call: the Chamber:
dreams.”
Artisans Gallery is located in Twin Mike echoes the sentiment. “Our
www.bigfork.org • 837-5888
Birch Square in Bigfork Village and has artists have entrusted us with present-
a website at BigforkArt.net.
ing their work to the public. We feel an