Page 44 - Flathead Beacon // 9.9.15

EVENTS 46 MOVIE REVIEWS 47 SIDE DISH 50 PAWS & CLAWS 52 Arts&Entertainment
FALL 2015: WHAT SHOULDER SEASON? Autumn offers plenty of popular festivals and events for tourists and locals alike BY MOLLY PRIDDY
Perhaps by now, after the hustle and swing Labor Day brings into our lives, after the thick traffic snarls of summer and the long days spent lakeside or in the alpine regions, and after the rushed hellos and goodbyes of houseguests, perhaps it is time for fall.
A three-day weekend at the begin- ning of September is the perfect hinge on which the seasons swing, ushering in a cooler, calmer autumn. This isn’t to say the fun is over; on the contrary – busi- nesses and locals have worked hard on stretching the summer tourism season into the shoulder seasons, and the work is starting to pay off in the form of increas- ingly popular events and tourism dollars spent.
With that in mind, here are some of the upcoming fall events in the valley. For more, check www.FlatheadEvents.net for daily updates on happenings in the valley.
Whitefish
Hit the field – or the cribbage board, hockey rink, or horse arena – for the ever-popular Whitefish Summer Games, taking place from Sept. 11-13. The specialty event is the soccer tourna- ment, which brings in competitors from around the region, and will run at the Grouse Mountain and Smith Fields soc- cer complexes.
For more information, visit www. wfsummergames.com.
Runners, lace up: the Two Bear half and full marathons come back to town on Sept. 20. Marathon racers start at the Lion Mountain Trailhead and wind their way 26.2 miles back to the finish line at The
Racers paddle during last year’s Montana Dragon Boat Festival. BEACON FILE PHOTO
longer,” Gartland said.
For reference, the world record is 20
minutes, 13 seconds.
For more information on Oktoberfest,
visit www.whitefishoktoberfest.com. “We’re looking forward to getting it all
back together again,” Gartland said.
Kalispell
On the first Friday of each month, head to downtown Kalispell as businesses celebrate First Fridays with sales, dis- counts, snacks, beverages, live music, and more. It’s a great way to find new trea- sures, meet up with friends, and stroll through the autumnal weather, bundled in sweaters and fortified by warm drinks.
On Sept. 19, hike up your kilt, grab the family crest, and head out to Herron park for the inaugural Flathead Celtic Fes- tival, an event that will share music of Celtic origin, Highland Games like ham- mer throw and stone put, bag piping, his- torical society presentations on Celtic background of the valley, and more.
For more information, visit www.flat- headcelticfestival.com.
Bigfork
Fall weather is the best for a sweat-free stroll, and on Sept. 19-20, wanderers will be treated to a show of chalky propor- tions at the annual Chalk n’ Rock Fes- tival in downtown Bigfork.
Artists take to the street armed with buckets of chalk and their imaginations, turning the pavement into temporary works of art. It’s truly a remarkable sight, appreciated by all – last year’s Guest Art- ist, Bill Spiess, was the first registrant for
Wave. Join in, or cheer on these brave run- ners as they cross this race off their list.
For more info, visit www.twobearma- rathon.org.
And no autumnal list would be com- plete without the Great Northwest Oktoberfest, the main event in White- fish in the fall. Put on each year by the Whitefish Chamber of Commerce, this year’s Oktoberfest runs on Sept. 24-26 and Oct. 1-3 in Depot Park.
Chamber president Kevin Gart- land said the beer, brats, and Bavarian music will be back in full force, with an extra bonus in this year’s games: the stein-holding contest is now a qualifying round for the international Beer Stein
Holding Contest, or Masskrugstemmen, taking place in Munich, Germany.
The renowned Hofbräu Haus in Munich heard about the Whitefish Okto- berfest through some of the musicians who play both events, Gartland said, and the haus reached out to the chamber to include it in the contest.
The winner at the Whitefish competi- tion will receive bragging rights, as well as a trip to the next level of the competi- tion. If they win that level, they move on to the national finals in New York City, and a win there takes them to Munich.
“Rather than doing it just for fun and laughs, this year the big guys will have more of a reason to hold that stein out
Lunch & Dinner
www.406barandgrill.com • 139 1st Avenue West • Kalispell • 755-4441
Monday Happy Hour all Night Long
Wine Wednesdays 1/2 off Select Bottles of Wine New fall menu coming soon!
f
Duck Ravioli, Elk Wontons and much much mor•
e!
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SEPTEMBER 9, 2015 // FLATHEADBEACON.COM