Greetings, Flathead Beacon readers! Maggie Dresser here to rant about my unchecked road rage that’s been spiraling in recent days as orange cones dot the asphalt and vehicles descend on the Flathead Valley as part of the annual summer pilgrimage, blocking passing lanes on every highway. Ever since the Going-to-the-Sun Road opened on Monday, it feels like the traffic is multiplying daily while my patience simultaneously shrinks.

But tourists visiting the park might be disappointed this weekend when valley temperatures drop into the 50s and high elevations will “struggle to escape” the 30s and 40s while those traveling in the backcountry will likely experience “raw” conditions, according to the National Weather Service.  

Thunderstorms, heavy rain and a dusting of high-elevation snow are possible in northwest Montana starting Friday and lasting through Monday, especially along the Continental Divide.

But if you’re looking to escape the elements or drink some free beer in between Kruise Kalispell laps, the staple outdoor adventure retailer Rocky Mountain Outfitter is hosting its 50^th anniversary back-alley block party this Friday at 135 S. Main Street in Kalispell.

Bias Brewing will be slanging brews while Foys to Blacktail Trails affiliates will make an appearance to promote the nonprofit organization’s 25^th anniversary. There will also be live music, trivia, history lessons, raffles and giveaways.

“It’s gonna be a super fun party atmosphere,” owner Jandy Cox said in a social media post announcing the event last month.

Cox said in the post that in the last half century, there have been roughly six different logos, with a new anniversary logo launching soon, and he estimates there have been 85 employees.

“We’re putting together a list, and we really want to honor everybody that has made RMO, RMO,” Cox said.

Known fondly throughout the community as RMO, the gear shop specializing in mountaineering, ski touring and Nordic skiing equipment opened its doors on South Main Street in 1976.

A wiry, 23-year-old Don Scharfe at the time identified the century-plus-old building in downtown Kalispell that had previously housed the Eagle Shoe Store as the perfect community hub for a small specialty outdoor gear shop.

“I need to rent this thing,” he recalled in 2018.

Over the following decades, Don ran the shop downstairs, offered wisdom to shoppers and used an old school register even through modern times while his wife Colleen kept the books in the upstairs office – analog-style with no computer.

In 2018 the Scharfes retired and passed the torch to longtime store manager Jandy Cox, who has carried on the tradition over the better part of the last decade.

RMO’s 50^th anniversary celebration is on Friday, June 26 from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. at 135 S. Main Street in downtown Kalispell. Party pants required.

Here’s the rest of the Daily Roundup.