The Main Street to the Mountains trail system is welcoming improved recreation options with a ribbon-cutting event on August 25. The new quarter-mile Homestead Connector Trail provides an additional north-south looped access for public use and encourages users to recreate only on dedicated trails, reinforcing no trespassing restrictions around the historic homestead to support the preservation of the site. This addition connects into the 6.1 miles of trails within the Bozeman Health-owned lands known locally as Highland Glen for the thousands of trail users who enjoy public access to this privately owned property each year.

“The Highland Glen trail system is a community gem,” notes GVLT CEO Chet Work. “Even though it is right in town, the natural feeling of the glen transports users into a true outdoor recreation experience. The Homestead Connector Trail is yet another connection to make the trails more user-friendly and convenient for the most amount of people. We’re grateful for the support and partnership of Bozeman Health in expanding these trails for our community.”

“Walking outside, especially on beautiful green trails, can improve both mental and physical health.  Exercising and recreating outside is known to decrease risk for heart disease and type 2 diabetes, as well as strengthen bones and muscles; time outside helps to reduce stress and benefits mental and emotional health as well,” said Dr. Kathryn Bertany, Bozeman Health CEO. “Bozeman Health is grateful to our community partners who help us to provide accessible outdoor spaces for physical activity for all.”

“Highland Glen is beloved by many in our community, so to see this new quarter-mile path open up is truly exciting,” Bozeman Deputy Mayor Cunningham stated. “This additional segment adds variety to the trail use options for walkers, runners and snowshoers, while allowing them to enjoy more of this beautiful property. I've run this trail segment many times, and it's a blast.”

This new connector trail will offer walkers, runners, hikers, and bikers a new way to loop from the southern to the northern end of the property without backtracking and creates a more direct path to the Glen’s eastern trails from the Haggerty entrance. It also provides dedicated, maintained trail access for users that have desired a shorter route to the eastern trails. Some users have been trespassing through the homestead in order to reach the rim trail. Bozeman Health is grateful to GVLT for coming up with this innovative approach to maintain and increase the recreation experience while also reducing unauthorized use around the homestead’s historic structures and fences.

Ten years of partnership are also being celebrated today. Bozeman Health generously partnered with GVLT and the City of Bozeman in 2013 to allow for public access on their 450-acre property. With the help of volunteers, GVLT designed and constructed the 4.5 miles of trails that exist today and connect in with the larger Main Street to the Mountains trail system. The Bridger Ski Foundation grooms the trails in Highland Glen in the winter. The trails provide a welcome natural respite from the bustling Bozeman core. While the single-track trails are great for bike rides, trail runs and quiet walks, the community is encouraged to respect the existing agricultural use on the property and extensive wildlife by leashing their dogs, cleaning up dog waste, and being courteous to other users.

The Homestead Connector Trail cost approximately $9,000 to create. Funding for this project was provided by GVLT through a grant from Athletic Brewing.

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About Gallatin Valley Land Trust

Gallatin Valley Land Trust connects people, communities, and open lands through conservation of working farms and ranches, healthy rivers, and wildlife habitat, and the creation of trails in the Montana headwaters of the Missouri and Upper Yellowstone Rivers. For more information, visit www.gvlt.org.

About Bozeman Health

Bozeman Health is an integrated healthcare delivery system serving an eight-county region in Southwest Montana. As a nonprofit organization, governed by a volunteer community board of directors, we are the largest private employer in Gallatin County, with more than 2,400 employees, including 250 medical providers representing 40 clinical specialties. It is our privilege to deliver expert, compassionate health and wellness services across the care continuum, designed to meet the diverse healthcare needs of the communities we serve. Learn more about Bozeman Health at BozemanHealth.org.

 
BOZEMAN – Family Promise of Gallatin Valley received $1 million from the state’s ARPA Health Advisory Commission to expand its early learning childcare center services. Rising Stars Early Learning Center is now open Monday – Thursday from 5:30 pm – 8:00 pm and Saturday from 9:00am – 4:00 pm. In total, Rising Stars provides high quality, licensed, STEM based childcare to over 100 children, ages 4 weeks to 5 years.

According to the Director of Rising Stars ELC, Holly Smedley, “We are proud to pilot an innovative and inclusive program offering affordable early learning opportunities to Bozeman’s workforce. Providing flexible, reliable, and stable childcare will allow families to have a sense of security within their careers and their households. Expanding our services allows us to support families in a holistic manner, regardless of income or work schedules.”

 
Rising Stars Early Learning Center is focused on offering a Safe, Trusting, Accepting, Respectful, and Secure learning environment for all children and their families. All children are taught with the Creative Curriculum, focusing on being innovative, responsive, supportive, comprehensive, and developmentally appropriate. Each student is provided two nutritious meals and snacks. All necessities are provided by the center such as diapers, wipes, formula, and more.

 
According to the Montana Department of Labor & Industry, licensed childcare capacity meets only 56% of the potential demand, which leaves many families with illegal or unsafe options for childcare, or no options at all. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, childcare is considered to be affordable when it costs no more than 7% of a household’s income. In Montana, the average cost of infant and childcare is between $8,365 per child to $9,518 per child. According to the Child Care and the Community 2021 Gallatin County report, a typical family spends over 25% of their income on childcare for one infant and one toddler—a percentage that is over three times higher than what is considered affordable.  

 
To apply or learn more about Family Promise’s Rising Stars ELC, visit familypromisegv.org.

The Arts Council of Big Sky is adding one more event to this summer’s Music in the Mountains free summer concert series. This one, however, will have a different—and louder—flavor than the rest of the music presented so far.


On Thursday, September 14, the Arts Council will present Metal in the Mountains, a free end-of-summer festival featuring three local heavy metal bands. The event includes Big Sky’s Scavenger as the headliner, with support from Belgrade’s Liquid Gnar and Big Sky’s own Stoneman’s Way, and will take place in Len Hill Park.

“We’ve been planning this for a few months and are super excited to announce this lineup to our Music in the Mountains series,” said Brian Hurlbut, the Arts Council’s Executive Director. “It will be great to showcase the area’s burgeoning heavy metal scene to a Big Sky audience.”

This year marks Scavenger’s 10-year anniversary since their first show at the Broken Spoke Bar in Big Sky. The riff-heavy metal band has played more than 150 shows since then at venues around Montana and beyond, showcasing their original material. Their first album, Cliff Manor, was released in 2018, and the quartet will release its second album later this year. The band members—which include Timmy Bowers on drums/vocals, Ben Blodgett on bass/vocals, Joey Mathis on guitar, and Brent Philippi on guitar/vocals—have been part of the Big Sky community for decades.

“We’ve seen many shows in the park and it’s very validating to us all to get to showcase our music on that same platform,” said Philippi. “We are aware people look at metal music differently, but we’re committed to staying true to ourselves artistically while at the same time changing a few minds when it comes to heavy metal music.”

Liquid Gnar is based out of Belgrade and recently won the Belgrade High School Battle of the Bands competition, which included groups from all over Gallatin Valley. The band is also performing at this year’s Rockin’ the Rivers Festival in Three Forks on August 12. The group’s latest single is Eye of the Sun.

Stoneman’s Way is a punk-influenced rock band based in Big Sky and Bozeman that released their debut album, Get It Right, earlier this year. The band frequently plays at venues around the area.

The park will open at 5 p.m., with Stoneman’s Way kicking things off at 5:30. Liquid Gnar will take the stage at 6:30, and Scavenger will start at 8 p.m. Like all Music in the Mountains concerts, the event is free, family friendly and there will be food and beverage trucks available. This event is presented by the Arts Council and the Rocks Tasting Room and Liquor Store with additional support from Big Sky Build, Herbaceous, and Liquid Death.

THREE FORKS – A small portion of the Jefferson River will be closed to all recreation while construction of a new bridge on Meridian Road continues.

The closure will extend from Drouillard Fishing Access Site up to Sappington Bridge Fishing Access Site beginning Tuesday, Aug. 22. The closure will be lifted Saturday, Aug. 26.

For updated information on restrictions and closures of waterbodies and lands managed by Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks, visit fwp.mt.gov/news/current-closures-restrictions.

HELENA – Ever get in a traffic jam at a boat ramp? How about arriving at a boat campsite after a long float and discovering trash left behind by the previous campers?

Many of us river recreators, both resident and nonresident, have experienced behaviors we wished we hadn’t. With this in mind, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks, along with several conservation partners, created a series of videos demonstrating mindful behaviors while recreating on Montana’s rivers.

Partners for the river recreation videos include the Flathead National Forest, Bureau of Land Management, Flathead Rivers Alliance, the River Management Society and Montana PBS.

These videos are the first step of a larger more inclusive effort to encourage better behavior while recreating on all Montana public lands. The effort is called Montana Mindset.

Montana Mindset messaging will address outdoor recreation ethics and etiquette with the intention of providing a better outdoor experience for everyone. It will also address public safety and environmental impacts on outdoor landscapes.

“With more people appreciating Montana’s outdoor opportunities, we all need to do our part to ensure a pleasant experience for everyone,” said FWP Director Dustin Temple. “Montana Mindset will provide tips and examples of sharing the resource sensibly.”

In addition to encouraging a Montana Mindset while recreating, FWP will share messaging on the “how-tos” of participating in outdoor activities for those who are looking to expand their adventures.

Outdoor recreationists can look for Montana Mindset information throughout the year on the FWP website and social media channels, as well as those of our partners.

The Downtown Bozeman Association and Cancer Support Community Montana along with our gracious Sponsors hosted the 23rd Annual “Cruisin’ on Main” Car Show on Sunday, August 20th. The show ran from 9 AM – 2 PM and was located on Main Street between Willson and Rouse Avenues in Downtown Bozeman.
 
Despite the rain, we had over 220 entries this year and awards in 15 categories as well as 1st, 2nd, and 3rd in People’s Choice and Best in Show. Without further ado… the 2023 winners are:
 
1st Place by Class:
 
Ford – 1969 Ford Bronco; Doug & Jenny Watson (#2050)
Chevy – 1956 Chevy Bel Air; Barry Farre (#3005)
Mopar – 1969 Plymouth Sports Suburban, Fury III; Mary Anderson (#1003)
GM Product – 1966 Pontiac GTO; Jeff Farve (#3012)
Original/Survivor – 1950 GMC FC152; James Martin (#1079)
Antique (pre-1940’s) – 1914 Willies/Knight/Overland Town Car Convertible; Valerie Otto (#1092)
Street Rod/Custom – 1958 Cadillac Coupe; Jason Clevland (#3045)
Muscle Car & Resto Mod – 1966 Chavy Chevelle SS; Nathan Hammom (#3032)
Best Hot Rod & Rat Rod – 1931 Ford Model A; Brent Mach (#4025)
Truck – 1941 Ford Pick-Up; Jared Kaplan (#1065)
Special Interest – 1955 Beetle Raptor; Wendy Stocte (#3026)
Import – 1964 Porsche 356SC; Dennis Guentzel (#1048)
2000 to Current – 2020 Ford Mustang GT350 Heritage; Marc Lorenz (#1074)
Motorcycle – 1999 Harley Davidson; Ryan Trenton (#3019)
Adventure Vehicle – 1983 Jeep Wagoneer; Matt Miller (#3010)
 
Peoples Choice:
 
              1st Place – 1966 Volkswagen Microbio; Tripp Frandesn (#1044)
              2nd Place – 1957 Chevy Bel Air; Amy Rowan (#2002)
              3rd Place – 1967 Pontiac Grand Prix; Max Martin (#1080)
 
Best in Show:
 
              1st Place – 1983 Jeep Wagoneer; Matt Miller (#3010)
 
For more information about the “Cruisin’ on Main” Car Show, please visit www.downtownbozeman.org/carshow or contact Downtown Bozeman Association at 406-586-4008 and Cancer Support Community at 406-582-1600.

Bozeman — Warriors & Quiet Waters Foundation will host its annual Warrior Taste Fest fundraiser — an event that will raise over $600,000 to support post-9/11 combat veterans.
 
Warrior Taste Fest, which will take place at Haynes Pavilion at the Gallatin County Fairgrounds, plans to host up to 1000 people on Friday, September 8 for tastings of food, beer, and cocktails from over 30 of Montana’s best restaurants, breweries, and distilleries. While guests eat and drink, they can enjoy the work of 12 renowned artists as they quick-finish paintings and sculptures that will be up for bid during the live auction.

Artists Matt McKenna, Whitney Hall, Jennifer Johnson, Rob Akey, Amber Blazina, Todd Connor, David Graham, Joe Kronenberg, Steve Lillegard, Amanda Markel, Greg Scheibel, and Shirle Wempner will all be quick finishing their art for the live auction.
 
“Recent data from the VA indicates that our veterans face a suicide rate 1.5 times higher than the general populace, with suicide being their second leading cause of death. Though combat is behind them, the battles veterans face persist – in some cases for their lifetime,” said Brian Gilman, CEO of Warriors & Quiet Waters. “By attending Warrior Taste Fest, you champion our mission to enable veterans to thrive. Together, we can fortify America with thriving veterans. Your active support goes beyond mere gratitude – it’s essential.”

The event will start at 5:30 p.m. for Early Entry ticket holders to meet the artists, hear live music, and more.  Doors open for General Admission ticket holders at 6 p.m. The live auction and programming will run until 9:45 p.m.
 
Tickets for Warrior Taste Fest are on sale now and more information can be found on Warriors & Quiet Waters’ website, wqwf.org. All proceeds will support post-9/11 combat veterans.
 

BOZEMAN – The Bozeman City Commission voted unanimously on two actions to support 155 units of workforce housing in Bozeman. The Lumberyard project combines 155 units of workforce housing with 285 units of market-rate rentals in a mixed-income project. The workforce units will be restricted for at least 50 years at rents deemed affordable for households making 60% of the area median income (AMI) or $1,420 a month for a two-bedroom unit at today’s AMI.

The Bozeman City Commission voted to provide up to $7.5 million in reimbursement for eligible costs of public infrastructure using tax increment financing (TIF). With TIF, a developer finances all the cost of new public infrastructure that is necessary for a project and is reimbursed with new tax revenue generated by the project. The assistance makes projects feasible that would not be feasible but for TIF assistance – like workforce housing projects.

Bozeman’s City Commission also provided a $1 million grant to the newly created Gallatin Community Housing Impact Fund managed by NeighborWorks Montana (NWMT). The Fund will provide gap financing that makes workforce housing projects feasible throughout Gallatin County. The grant agreement requires that at least $1 million from the Fund must be invested in projects within the Bozeman city limits. NWMT provided a commitment letter to Reuter Walton Development for $2.5 million contingent on closing City and investor dollars into the fund. The gap financing from the Fund, combined with the commitment of TIF funds from the City will make the 155-unit workforce housing project feasible.

Bozeman-based Virga Capital is the developer of The Lumberyard project and is financing the public infrastructure and constructing the market-rate housing. “We are thrilled to be partnering with the City of Bozeman and Reuter Walton Development on delivering desperately needed workforce housing,” said Rob Lateiner, CEO of Virga Capital. “Without the City of Bozeman’s leadership in providing tax increment financing assistance, this project would not be possible.”

Reuter Walton Development is building the 155 units of rent-restricted workforce housing utilizing low-income housing tax credits (LIHTC). “The Gallatin Community Housing Impact Fund is making our 155-unit affordable housing project feasible,” said Nick Walton, founder, and CEO of Reuter Walton Development. “LIHTC is an underutilized source of funds in the Bozeman market because projects are often infeasible due to high construction costs. With the City’s seed investment in the Fund, we can pair federal and local resources to provide essential affordable housing for the Community.”

NeighborWorks Montana is managing the Gallatin Community Housing Impact Fund. Other committed investors in the Fund include First Security Bank, Stockman Bank, Opportunity Bank, American Bank, Bank of Bozeman, and Clearwater Credit Union.

Those seeking more information on the project can reach out to David Fine at dfine@bozeman.net.