Happy Friday, Beacon readers! Lauren Frick here, and it’s hard to believe that the summer solstice is on Sunday. Nothing indicates summer being in full swing in the valley better than a day that’s nearly 70% daylight — well maybe other than waiting about 10 minutes to turn left off Wisconsin Avenue in Whitefish (yes, I’m starting to take notice of the summer tourism traffic everyone warned me about).
Now open seven days a week, locals and visitors alike can enjoy high-flying zip line tours above the treetops, a chairlift or gondola ride to the summit of Big Mountain, or a few twisting, turning laps down the alpine slides — just to name a few things.
As a recent first-time bike owner, I’d be remiss if I didn’t also mention the resort’s bike park, which is open from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. throughout the summer season. With more than 23 miles of lift-accessed and cross-country mountain biking trails, the resort’s bike park features a variety of terrain for riders of all skill levels. The park is divided into three areas — the Bad Rock Zone, the B-Side Zone and the Summit Zone — with some trails descending more than 2,300 vertical feet down the face of Big Mountain.
If you had a 2025-26 ski season pass, you get $20 off a bike park pass this summer. And just to put a pause on the sunny, warm vibes for a second, 2026-27 ski season passes are now on sale, with the deadline for the six-payment plan coming up on June 30 (OK, resume regularly scheduled summer Roundup programming).
ICYMI: Throughout summer 2026, Whitefish Mountain Resort and the U.S. Forest Service are undertaking a fuels reduction project across more than 200 acres of Big Mountain terrain. Occurring in phases, this work involves felling trees and clearing vegetation to reduce wildfire risk and protect resort infrastructure. Click here to stay up-to-date on the project’s impacts on Big Mountain.
Once you’ve got your fill of hiking, biking, zipping and everything else in between at Big Mountain, you can check out Thirty Eight in downtown Whitefish, which recently began expanded summer hours that includes new weekly events supporting local artisans and nonprofits.
Located on Central Avenue, Thirty Eight is an outdoor event venue dedicated to bringing live music, local artisans, and community organizations together in a family-friendly environment. The venue features a bar with craft cocktails, beer, and wine, local ice cream, rotating food trucks, and lawn games.
The venue this week began its expanded five-day weekly summer schedule, which runs from Wednesdays through Sundays through late September.
New programming during the extended schedule includes:
Market Wednesdays – Weekly markets featuring a variety of six to eight rotating local artisan booths, giving Flathead Valley creators a new platform to showcase handmade goods and specialty items alongside the venue’s food trucks and bar service.
Giving Thursdays – Fundraising events partnering with a different local nonprofit organization each week, with a portion of the venue’s proceeds donated to the featured charity. Participating organizations include the Montana Kayak Academy, Flathead Avalanche, Land to Hand, Glacier Nordic Club, Whitefish Veterans Support Team and more.
Concert Weekends – Signature programming continues with two live performances daily featuring a variety of regional and touring artists, including Borderline Lucid, Winnie Brave, Brent Jameson, Todd Cowart, Tommy Edwards, and Rylee Mix.
“We’re excited to expand our role as a community gathering place,” said Venue Manager Chad Mercer. “Market Wednesdays and Giving Thursdays allow us to directly support local artisans and nonprofit organizations while providing our guests with even more reasons to visit throughout the week.”
Before I send you into another beautiful weekend in the Flathead, I want to wish y’all a Happy Juneteenth! Now in its fifth year as a federal holiday, Juneteenth commemorates the day when enslaved Texans learned they were free, more than two years after the reading of the Emancipation Proclamation.
While working as a reporter last year in Galveston, Texas — the birthplace of Juneteenth — I had the privilege of covering the city’s 160th anniversary of the holiday at the church where the first-ever celebration occurred following U.S. Major General Gordon Granger’s reading of General Orders No. 3. I’ll never forget the hundreds of people that descended on the small island town to celebrate — ranging from sixth-generation descendants of those present at the first Juneteenth, to others who have traveled from across the country for a piece of the historic moment. Despite the 100 degree Texas-day (I’ve never sweat so much in my life), everyone was all smiles as they commemorated a day of freedom, equality and genuine joy.
I hope you all feel a bit of that joy today — here’s the rest of the Daily Roundup.
Full Length of Going-to-the-Sun Road Set to Open Monday
The opening of the road’s full length marks the start of a summer season that will feature the piloting of a new system to navigate the park, set to take full effect on July 1
Kalispell Public Schools Retaliated Against Father and Son in Wrestling Lawsuit, Jury Finds
Kirk and Clifford Nance filed suit against the school district for adverse action it took against them after they reported the sexual assault of wrestlers to the school district. Their lawyer said they hope the finding in their favor sparks more safeguards for whistleblowers from Kalispell Public Schools.
‘The Montana Plan’ Appears Set to Qualify for November’s Ballot
The ballot initiative, which has been heralded as a novel approach to getting dark money out of elections, announced it has handed over nearly 50,000 signatures. To qualify, it needed 30,121.
Starting over a decade ago playing coffee shops and local restaurants around North Carolina, Watchhouse made up of duo Andrew Marlin & Emily Frantz, is a grassroots success story that’s been driven by Marlin’s poignant songwriting. With sold-out shows at legendary venues like Red Rocks and the Ryman Auditorium, and hundreds of millions of streams, they’ve earned a reputation for creating music that “redefines roots music for a younger generation” (Washington Post). The duo – now with a family of their own – are two singers and musicians with profound chemistry, performing earnest yet masterfully crafted songs that encompass the unknowable mysteries, existential heartbreak, and communal joys of modern life.
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