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Wednesday, Mar. 18th, 2020
Red Ants Pants Music Festival Announces 2020 Side Stage Lineup
For the first time in its ten-year run, the Red Ants Pants Music Festival is announcing its side stage lineup ahead of its main stage lineup in an effort to highlight the depth and talent of these up-and-coming performers.
The 2020 Side Stage lineup for the 10th Red Ants Pants Music Festival features artists from across America, Ireland, and some Montana favorites. The side stage bands are competing for festival attendee votes to become the 2020 Emerging Artist of the Year. The winner of this competition gets a set on our Main Stage in 2021.
2020 Red Ants Pants Music Festival side stage competitors:
- Counting Coup
- Few Miles South
- Greg in Good Company
- Kalyn Beasley
- Kenan Flannery
- Mandy Rowden
- Sara Keden
- Sara Milonovich & Daisycutter
- The Backwoods Dreamers
- The Federales
- The Jensen Sisters
- Wes Urbaniak and the Mountain Folk
Also featured on the side stage:
Side Stage Ambassador Larry Kiff
8th Annual Beard & Moustache Competition
3rd Annual Yodeling Contest
Cowboy Church
With 16 sides stage acts and along with a full main stage lineup, which will be released on April 4th, 2020, you won’t want to miss the 10th Red Ants Pants Music Festival! Save the date: July 23 – 26, 2020 at the Jackson Ranch, White Sulphur Springs, Montana!
As always, the festival will feature Montana-made food, crafts, beer, and wine. Agricultural and traditional skills demonstrations, kids activity tent and so much more!! The mission behind the Red Ants Pants Music Festival sets it apart. A portion of the proceeds from the Festival goes to our Foundation – in support of women’s leadership, working family farms and ranches, and rural communities. Check out their great work here.
A message from the Red Ants Pants Music Festival about COVID-19
As a locally-managed and community-supported event, we have always put the health and safety of our festivalgoers, artists, vendors, community, and staff first…heck, there’s no hiding from our wonderful Sheriff in a town of 900 people! Our dedication continues now, as we want to ensure that all of you, and our vulnerable friends and neighbors, to remain safe. We are carefully monitoring the COVID-19 situation and following guidance from the CDC and Montana State Health Department while assessing the situation daily. Based on that guidance, we feel it is our responsibility to make our April 4, 2020 lineup release in White Sulphur Springs an online-only event. No matter what, we will have a live stream available to you to join in on the fun, even if we’re all stuck in self-quarantine.
A word about supporting our artists
One of the many ripple effects of COVID-19 is that gigs are being canceled for many of the musicians we’re grateful to welcome to the cow pasture. It’s a time for us to reflect on the fact that many traveling musicians are gone so often from their hometowns that we have an opportunity to be their “virtual hometown.” As a locally-run festival, we encourage all of our fans to consider reaching out to the musicians in your life to check in on them, purchase their merchandise, and share their music far and wide to help them build a greater fan base for when the need for social distancing simmers down.
As Corb says, “Take care and stay safe out there until the dust settles.”
Tuesday, Mar. 17th, 2020
Spire Climbing Center Temporarily Closed
After much thought and consideration, we have made the difficult decision to temporarily close our doors in an effort to comply with the guidelines described by the Center for Disease Control. We have tried to balance the benefits of staying open for our community, but at this point, we feel we have a greater responsibility to the safety and well-being of our greater community. Because our number one commitment is the health of our members, guests, and staff, it is vital that we take the necessary steps to help contain the spread and flatten the curve of COVID-19.
Suspending Operations
We will be closing our doors effective immediately and hope to reopen March 30th. The impact of the outbreak on our community is changing daily, and we will provide you with updates regarding reopening as soon as possible.
Community and Staff
Our community and over 50 staff members mean the world to us and are what make Spire the great place that it is. Without all of you, we would not be who we are! We are committed to our amazing staff and plan to financially support them the best we can during this unpredictable time.
Youth Programs and Climbing Team
All participants will receive a prorated credit for the closure period, which will be applied to future dues. For classes that need to be refunded or rescheduled, we will reach out to you soon.
Support and Patience
We are confident that our community will get through this, and we are already looking forward to seeing you back in the gym. Please hang in there with us, support our community any way you can, and remember to wash hands and practice social distancing. We believe in the long run this will only bring our community closer together.
If you do need to contact us, please do so by emailing us at info@spireclimbingcenter.com We anticipate a high volume of requests and questions at this time, and we will respond as quickly as we can.
Thank you for your patience, and from the bottom of our hearts, we thank you for being part of our community!
Sincerely,
Meg, Jeff, and the Spire management team
Bozeman Hot Springs is closed though Sunday, March 29th
Above all, the Bozeman Hot Springs is committed to the health and safety of guests, employees and the community. With the recent concerns of COVID-19 and the potential impacts, Bozeman Hot Springs has decided to temporarily close until March 29th. This will go in effect at 11pm March 16th.
Regal theatres will remain closed until further notice
Starting Tuesday, March 17, 2020, all Regal theatres will remain closed until further notice as a precaution amid the current circumstances.
It’s our goal to provide a safe and healthy environment for our employees and guests. We value your patronage and have no doubt we will be serving you again as soon as possible with a full slate of Hollywood blockbusters.
We will continue to update the status of all theatres on our mobile app and online at REGmovies.com. We will contact you with reopening details once available.
We sincerely wish good health for you and your families during these uncertain times.
The Regal Team
Museum of the Rockies will be closed to the public March 17 through March 31
COVID-19 UPDATE in Downtown Bozeman
The Downtown Bozeman Partnership is continuously monitoring COVID-19 and want to respond and react accordingly and be a resource for our community partners and businesses.
First, in an effort to do our part to minimize person-to-person interaction, we are implementing some changes to our operating procedures that will take place until further notice:
• The Downtown Bozeman Partnership office will be closed to the public. You may still reach us at 406-586-4008 and leave a message, or email info@downtownbozeman.org.
We are reviewing our programming, meeting and event schedules daily. The safety of our businesses and our community are our top priorities. Review the following updates for Downtown Bozeman Partnership Events or Meetings:
• Business Improvement District Board Meeting on Wednesday, March 18 at 12pm – CANCELLED
• The Bridal Walk on April on Saturday, April 4 from 11am to 3pm - POSTPONED. We will keep in touch with all vendors about the potential of rescheduling or modifying this event. Stay tuned to our website and social media for current announcements and updates...
• Bobcat Fest on Main on Friday, May 1 from 5 to 7pm – CANCELLED
Finally, as we locally face new challenges with the progression of COVID-19, we are in a place of information overload and want to, at minimum, help you filter some of that information. We have compiled some resources we have found to be valuable. Please reach out to us as well as your neighbors with any additional information you have found helpful in this situation.
• DBA Member Chat Space – CLOSED Facebook Group. Please share your COVID-19 business plan or resources with your neighboring businesses. Your information and willingness to share it is invaluable.
• NEW ANNOUNCEMENT: Order Closure of Bars and Restaurants in Gallatin County. “An order issued Monday by Gallatin City-County Health Officer Matt Kelley imposes restrictions on bars, brew pubs, wineries, casinos, and restaurants in order to help reduce spread of covid19 and slow down the current pandemic."
• SBA Guidance for Businesses and Employers. "The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) offers the most up-to-date information on COVID-19. This interim guidance is based on what is currently known about the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)."
• National Restaurant Association Recommendations. "The National Restaurant Association continues to engage with local, state, and federal officials to help our employers and employees address this public health emergency."
• OSHA Guidance on Preparing Workplaces. "To reduce the impact of COVID-19 outbreak conditions on businesses, workers, customers, and the public, it is important for all employers to plan now for COVID-19."
• NY Times: Here’s What’s in Congress’s Emergency Coronavirus Bill. “The package includes free coronavirus testing for all, but its two weeks of paid sick don’t apply to many workers. The Senate is expected to take up the measure early next week."
We know COVID-19 announcements and details are changing daily, sometimes hourly, please check in to our website at www.downtownbozeman.org and our Instagram and Facebook @downtownbozeman.
Stay Healthy,
Ellie Staley
Downtown Bozeman Partnership
Monday, Mar. 16th, 2020
Curbing Coronavirus and Dissapointment about Event Cancellations in Bozeman
At Bozeman Magazine we have curiously and carefully followed updates and news pertaining to the Coronavirus and the COVID-19 pandemic with confirmed cases reaching Montana last Friday.
It has not been easy to keep calm and carry on when shelves are bare, events are being canceled and the future is uncertain. We understand that families, students, and individuals are being negatively impacted by the virus, no one will be unaffected by the Coronavirus.
As events and gatherings continue to be canceled or rescheduled we will do our best to update our online calendar to reflect those cancelations. Because this is a day-to-day or hour-to-hour situation we will not always have the correct information when you are looking for it. We suggest that you view our events calendar online, but also contact any venue you are considering visiting to be certain that they are still hosting the event, or are open to the public.
Venues across the nation and the state of Montana are losing ticket revenue and seeing record cancellations. Some of our greatest advertising partners have canceled events and will be closed for an unknown amount of time, even more disruption is likely on its way. Bozeman Magazine will be able to continue for an issue or two, but the effects are very real and the future for both us and our advertising partners at this time are very uncertain.
What can the Bozeman community do?
We know that our community is strong and comes to the rescue of neighbors often, we believe this will continue as COVID-19 continues. Many local businesses will be struggling to keep their doors open, if they are able to, owners and employees already struggling to make ends meet will be most affected. Here are some actionable steps you can take to help our community cope in this uncertain time (gleaned from a variety of resources):
• Don't ask for a refund. If you have tickets to a canceled event consider your purchase as a donation to the venue, artist, event promoter if you are able.
• Instead of going out to your favorite (busy) restaurant, brewery, bar, etc. purchase a gift certificate/card remotely (phone/internet) to continue to support the business, but also flattening the curve of infection by not going out.
• Use takeout, drive-up or delivery services to continue to support the restaurants you usually enjoy and don't forget to tip the delivery driver!
• Check on neighbors you know that may be having a hard time getting the things they need to self-quarantine, ie. elderly, those with young children, etc.
• Like, share and comment on social media posts from your favorite places, retailers, venues, restaurants, and performers to increase their exposure and show your support.
• Keep checking our site and others you trust for up to date local information. We will be updating our NEWS posts with streaming events, online options for "attending" events, virtual learning opportunities (museum tours) and more.
• If you are not feeling well absolutely stay home, call your healthcare provider if you think you need to be seen.
Bozeman is a very special place, we don't want to see anyone in our community compromised or put out of business due to this pandemic. We will continue to provide the best information about what is transpiring locally to keep our community safe and as entertained as possible. Take care!
Angie Ripple, co-publisher Bozeman Magazine
Montana Science Center will suspend all onsite programming and operations

After careful consideration of the quickly changing circumstances around COVID-19, Montana Science Center will suspend all onsite programming and operations on Monday, March 16. As always, our top priority is the health and wellbeing of our guests, team members, and community, and this is undoubtedly the right decision given the current situation.
We sincerely apologize to all guests currently in Bozeman, or planning to come for a day trip. Please look for more emails, social media posts and more for virtual science education and fun that we hope to provide during this time.
We will evaluate reopening around March 30th, depending on the situation in our community, and look forward to welcoming guests back to the Montana Science Center as soon as conditions permit.
Warmly,
Montana Science Center Team
Bridger Bowl closed beginning Sunday, March 15, 2020 at noon

Bridger Bowl will close for the season beginning today Sunday, March 15, 2020 at noon. Although there have not been any confirmed cases of COVID-19 at Bridger Bowl, we are closing in order to do our part in limiting the spread of the virus. After careful consideration, we have concluded that closing for the season is the way we can help to protect the health of our guests and employees.
We at Bridger Bowl are skiers and snowboarders at heart, we are members of our vibrant community and we understand how this impacts our staff, and our community and visitors from afar. This decision was not made lightly, our commitment to safety is of utmost importance.
Uphill travel has been closed until sunrise March 16, 2020.
Given the extenuating circumstances related to COVID-19, we have relaxed our cancellation policies. We anticipate heavy call volume over the next several days and appreciate your patience as we work hard to respond to all inquiries.


News Comments
Definitely not the quality it used to be. Mint cholate chip just has big chunks of chips stuck together not throughout the nearly mint flavored ice cream. Sorry you’ve lost me
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