Late last August the Pine Creek Fire in the Paradise Valley came quite close to charring the Pine Creek Lodge and Café, a favorite location for diners and music lovers alike. A combination of hard work by firefighters and sheer luck left most of the place intact, and business has been brisk this summer season.

“Business has been good,” said Scott Campbell, manager at the Pine Creek Lodge. “Right after the fire, rumors that [the Lodge and Café] had burned to the ground affected our business.” Initial reports were that the Lodge had burned, after the manager at the time, Rose Cashio, heard what she thought were propane tanks exploding at the property after everyone had evacuated from the premises. The property did sustain extensive fire damage, but it was not destroyed: the explosions turned out to be coming from exploding vehicles on an adjacent property. Pine Creek Lodge, built in 1946, lost one cabin [the storied Cabin Number Two], the roof of the espresso bar, and smoke damage in the café and kitchen areas.

“We got to come back two days after the fire began for 30 minutes,” said Cashio shortly after the fire. “We grabbed all the food we had left to donate to Loaves and Fishes [in Livingston]. We did pretty good–it was a freakin’ miracle. I thought for sure it was gone. I’ve been through a fire before, but nothing like this.” With hard work and dedication, staff had the place up and running within weeks of the fire ripping through the little town of Pine Creek.

This season has been good to the Lodge, with live music and barbeque in the pines every weekend, a new chef and many new items on the restaurant menu, and a general sense of relief and pleasure that a favorite hangout in the Paradise Valley survived the Pine Creek Fire. Cabin Number Two is gone, making the gap left when Cabin Number One was hit and destroyed by an errant driver years before even larger. The remaining cabins are still not available for nightly stays, which is a drawback, as Campbell said that he gets calls enquiring about cabin rentals on a daily basis. But Joanne Gardner continues to bring great acts to the picturesque outdoor venue circled by tall pine trees, from local favorites like the Dave Walker Band, the Booze Hounds, and Pinky and the Floyd (who packed the place), to national acts like Jeanne Jolly, the Red Elvises, and the March Fourth Marching Band.

“Our last outdoor barbeque and music event will be on Sept. 21,” said Campbell. “We have the Red Elvises on Sept. 7 and the March Fourth Marching Band on Sept. 13.” One of Bozeman’s favorite bands, Ten Ft. Tall and Eighty Proof, will play Pine Creek on Sept. 5. The restaurant is open Wed-Sun from 5:30-9:00 pm, and brunch is offered on Saturday and Sunday from 9:00 am to 1:00. Treat yourself to some musical or culinary treats at one of southwest Montana’s best little off-the-beaten-path secrets at the Pine Creek Lodge and Café.

For more information on the Pine Creek Lodge and Café, hit the web at pinecreeklodgemontana.com

Pat Hill is a freelance writer and music lover from Bozeman Montana.