Spark R&D, the splitboard binding manufacturer based out of Bozeman, MT, is beginning installation of a 50kW solar photovoltaic system on the roof of their 12,000 square foot building. 

“This project has been on my mind and in the works from the moment we bought our building in 2016,” says Becca Ritter, Spark R&D’s co-owner and CFO. “We manufacture everything right here, and with a shop full of CNC machines and various production systems running around the clock, it’s an energy-intensive operation. Capturing and converting the sun’s energy to make power for us just makes sense.”

 “We are adding as many panels as we’re allowed to by the state of Montana,” explains Ritter. “Right now we are bound by the 50kW law, so we cannot exceed that. We are hopeful that someday the rules will change and that we’ll be able to cover the remaining third of our roof with panels. But for now, we are excited to begin producing solar-powered splitboard bindings this summer.”  

The Historic Preservation Board of Gallatin County will host its 7th Annual Historic Tour on Saturday, August 11, 2018 from 10AM -4:30PM.

For 2018, The HPBGC invites people to spend a "Day in the Gallatin Canyon" to view the Forest Service CCC Camp in the north to the Taylor Fork area (lecture on Tie Hacks of the Gallatin) in the South.  

There will be 10 sites for participants to visit and they will provide their own transportation.

Tickets / brochures are $10.00 each with children under 12 free.  Tickets and brochures will be on sale after July 23 at the following places:  The Gallatin History Museum, Lewis and Clark Motel, Belgrade Chamber of Commerce and First Security Bank in Big Sky.   People can also buy tickets at any of the Tour sites on the day of the Tour.

Sites for the Tour will be:  "Shenango" Ranger Station and CCC Camp(squaw creek),  Transportation in the Canyon and its significant Bridges (lecture at the CCC camp site)  Rock Haven Church Camp and Chapel, The Karst Ranch,  Soldiers' Chapel and Cemetery, Lone Mountain Ranch, Ophir School, The Crail Ranch and Forest Service Ranger station at Porcupine Creek, Tie Hackers at Taylor Fork. ( lecture at the Taylor Fork turn off. )

 Lectures given will be by the HPBGC board's anthropologists:  Shane Hope and Elaine Skinner-Hale. All other sites have guides/docents to show people the areas.

The tour is a yearly fundraiser that covers preserved buildings, oral history and preserved heritage in areas of Gallatin County.  Profits from the tour are returned to the residents of Gallatin County in the form of small grants for Historic Preservation purposes.  

When the Grammy-winning band Imagine Dragons plays in Montana State University’s Bobcat Stadium on July 26, the uber-popular act will be making history in a couple of ways. Not only is it the first time that the Las Vegas group has played Bozeman, but it is also the first time in a generation that an MSU venue has hosted a non-student outdoor concert, according to Duane Morris, MSU’s director of event services.


Imagine Dragons is one of two outdoor concerts that MSU has scheduled this summer. MSU is partnering with area organizers to bring the inaugural Wildlands Festival featuring Robert Earl Keen and Lukas Nelson and his band Promise of the Real to the Romney Oval on Aug. 10. It is the first concert in the history of the university to be held in the oval, Morris said. Concert goers are encouraged to bring blankets and low-rise chairs to the festival, which is a fundraiser for Montana’s wild and open spaces.

“We are so excited about this summer,” Morris said. “(Outdoor concerts are) something we have wanted to do for a while, and we’ve worked hard to bring two quality concerts to Bozeman.”
 
The last outdoor concert held at MSU was in the summer of 1980 featuring Ozark Mountain Daredevils, Live Wire Choir and John Colter Band with Willow, Morris said. Plenty of big name acts have performed at Montana State University in the last 38 years – Elton John, Tom Petty and Brad Paisley, just to mention a few – but all performed in the Brick Breeden Fieldhouse. And while the stadium has hosted epic football games, movies and events and has undergone several expansions over those years, concerts have been absent until this summer.

Morris said there are a couple of contributing factors for the expanse of time between concerts. He explained that the Bozeman climate creates a fairly short window for an outdoor concert. An act that appeals to the local demographic and will be touring in the vicinity during that window that wants to perform outdoors is also necessary, he said. Morris thinks Imagine Dragons checks all the boxes.

“Imagine Dragons is a family show that appeals to people from 6 years old to more than 60 years old,” Morris said. “It’s music that crosses every demographic.”
 
The stadium in a concert configuration holds about 20,000, he said, and nearly all of the tickets already sold. Morris said MSU’s proven track record for filling Brick Breeden Fieldhouse for big acts also helped in attracting the band, which is known for such songs as “Believer” and the Grammy-winning single “Radioactive.” Fourteen-year-old Grace Vanderwaal, who won the 11th season of “America’s Got Talent” will open the concert.

A pre-concert event for ticket holders featuring the popular Livingston band “Little Jane and the Pistol Whips” will be held on the plaza east of Bobcat Stadium near Gate 8 beginning at 3:30 p.m. Food, drink and merchandise will be available for purchase.
 
For more information about the Imagine Dragons event, including when doors open, parking and other details go to: http://brickbreeden.com/events/imagine_dragons/.
 
Morris said the Wildlands Festival organizers, who include Big Sky’s Outlaw Partners as well as a number of local businesses and the Gallatin Valley Land Trust, the Montana Land Reliance and Yellowstone Forever, approached MSU about a more informal outdoor concert benefitting open spaces in the area.

“We’d been talking about how we’d like to see Romney Oval more utilized because it’s such a great space, when the Wildland Festival people approached us,” Morris said.
 
Both Keen and Nelson, son of the legend Willie Nelson but fast becoming a star in his own right, are singers and songwriters known for writing and performing music best described as Americana, which Morris said will be a good fit for an informal festival. Nelson’s band Promise of the Real has backed another iconic singer, Neil Young, since 2015. In addition to performing with his father and brother, Micah, Nelson co-produced the music for upcoming remake of “A Star is Born” film writing songs with Lady Gaga, who stars in the movie. Nelson and his band also appear in the film, which will be released in October, as co-star Bradley Cooper's band.

"The team at Outlaw Partners is excited about this opportunity to partner with Montana State University on the inaugural Wildlands Festival,” said EJ Daws of the Outlaw Partners. “The intimate outdoor venue of Romney Oval will be an outstanding place to spend a Montana summer evening, enjoying live music from two iconic artists and celebrating community and the amazing places that make Montana special and inviting."

Morris said local food trucks will be parked at the venue and beer and wine will be sold.
 
“We think it will be just a great way to spend a Bozeman Friday summer evening with dollars going to support local wildlands,” he said.
 
To learn more about the Wildlands festival, including ticket prices, go to http://www.wildlandsfestival.com/.

The longstanding Rainbow Motel has undergone a massive renovation and will reopen Wednesday, July 11, as RSVP Motel, a new boutique motel that will contribute to the ongoing revitalization of North Seventh Avenue in the Midtown section of Bozeman. Last fall, the Folkvord family began work to transform the iconic motor inn.

The 1950s-era Rainbow Motel, previously operated as a budget motel, was sold to the Folkvords in 2016. The renovation has transformed the property and an adjacent building into an independently operated boutique motel with 37 rooms and suites, an onsite café named The Farmer’s Daughters, and an outdoor pool. The most recent addition to the plans for the property is a collaboration with Missoula entrepreneur Nick Checota for a 1,500-seat concert venue. The concert venue is set to open in 2019.

Dean Folkvord, who founded Wheat Montana, has previous experience renovating hotels, including the Sacajawea Hotel in Three Forks and a Super 8 in Dillon. Dean Folkvord’s daughters, Hillary and Haylee Folkvord, have been closely involved with RSVP Motel’s concept, architecture and interior design.
 
“We’re tapping into a bigger movement in the industry around updating old roadside motels and motor inns,” said Hillary Folkvord, who oversees RSVP Motel. “Today’s guests – especially millennials – are less interested in big box hotels. They want authenticity, like original architecture that’s been updated with creative, modern, personal touches. That’s the experience we’re aiming to create with RSVP.”

To realize her vision, Folkvord engaged a team of Bozeman firms: Love|Schack Architecture, Abby Hetherington Interiors, BBG Construction and C&H Engineering. “The style takes inspiration from classic mid-century hotels that you see in places like Palm Springs and Austin,” Hillary said.
 
Local touches will also be present in the onsite café, The Farmer’s Daughters. “We’re going to feature as many local products as we can get our hands on,” Hillary said. “We’ll be serving breakfast and lunch at opening, and then offering dinner once the music venue is up and running. We want the motel to appeal to the local community and not just tourists, so the restaurant and pool will both be open to the public.”

Dean said, “MoFi and the New Markets Tax Credit Program and the folks at Big Sky Western Bank have been key to financing this renovation. The strong relationships we’ve formed have allowed us to expand the scope of our project and really bring something special to Bozeman.”
 
The New Markets Tax Credit Program is a federal program that helps incentivize and finance economic development projects in low-income census tracts around the country. MoFi works with investors to turn the credits into cash, and then uses that cash to fund catalytic development projects in Montana, Idaho and Wyoming.

“Since 2009, we’ve used New Markets Tax Credit financing to catalyze over $445 million in investments across Montana and Idaho,” said Dave Glaser, MoFi President. “The new RSVP Motel will create jobs and further revitalize the North Seventh corridor in Bozeman, one of the city’s most active urban renewal districts.”

U.S. Senators Jon Tester and Steve Daines have been supportive of the NMTC Program for years and would like to see it used more in Montana.
 
“The renovated Rainbow Motel will be a boost for Bozeman’s North Seventh Avenue, helping create good-paying jobs and bolster the local economy,” Tester said. “This is a great use of the New Markets Tax Credit, helping Bozeman attract visitors looking for a place to stay with multiple services.”
 
“The New Markets Tax Credit has created good-paying jobs across our state and today’s announcement of the Rainbow Motel renovation will continue to do that right in my own backyard,” Daines said. “I can’t wait to see the Rainbow Motel reopen as the RSVP.”
 
Additional examples of businesses funded with New Markets financing include the Missoula Food Bank, the Great Falls Rescue Mission’s Cameron Family Center, the Copper King Hotel in Butte, the tribal government building on the Fort Peck Reservation in Poplar, and the Universal Athletic Service headquarters and the Town & Country Foods on South 11th Avenue in Bozeman.

Inside a Montana State University laboratory on the south end of campus, a student lies prone on a table and flexes her calf. Her muscle activity appears as a burst of blue lines on a screen across the room, and her movement is captured via cameras mounted on the wall and thimble-sized sensors placed on her body.

The data transmits to a computer and, along with other information collected, allows researchers in the laboratory to analyze the motion. The information could be helpful in studies seeking to understand more about the mechanics of human motion, as well as in developing a rehabilitation plan for an injured person.  

The new laboratory – called the MSU Neuromuscular Biomechanics Lab – is headed by Jim Becker, an assistant professor in the Department of Health and Human Development in the College of Education, Health and Human Development, and Scott Monfort, assistant professor in the Norm Asbjornson College of Engineering’s Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering. Biomechanics is the science that is concerned with analyzing how and why bodies move in the way that they do.

Becker said the laboratory will enable a new kind of research at MSU.

“This modern, state-of-the-art biomechanics facility opens a lot of doors for things that couldn’t be done on this campus previously,” Becker said.

The facility, located on South Seventh Avenue near Bobcat Stadium, features several different types of equipment for gathering data, including four in-ground force plates that measure force when an individual steps or jumps on the plate, as well as a large treadmill with its own built-in force plates used for analysis of walking and running. Surrounding both the plates and treadmill are motion-capture camera systems that are used to record an individual’s movements.

The researchers plan to conduct studies related to a range of movements, including walking, squatting, running, changing direction and daily activies such as obstacle crossing or sitting-to-standing movements, Monfort said. He added that sports injuries – as well as screening services for local athletic teams – will be another focus.

Monfort, who earned a doctorate in mechanical engineering at Ohio State University, came to MSU in fall 2017. At Ohio State, his research involved understanding how neurological factors influence the way people move. That work ranged from examining impaired balance and walking in cancer patients to musculoskeletal injuries in high-performing athletes.

“That background will provide a nice base here, and we’ll be collecting new data that continue to investigate these relationships,” he said.

Becker’s doctorate, from the University of Oregon, is in human physiology, with a focus in biomechanics. His research focused on sports medicine, particularly for runners and track and field athletes. The work included assessments of who is at risk of injury, how to prevent injuries and how to effectively treat injuries.  In addition to injury prevention and rehabilitation Becker also used these same research tools to help athletes improve their performance.

“Those are a lot of the same questions we intend to pursue here,” Becker said.

More than a dozen undergraduate and graduate students will work with Becker and Monfort in the lab, Monfort said.

“This is an exciting opportunity for (students),” he said. “The students come in with different backgrounds but are all motivated by research questions.”

Dan Miller, head of the Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, praised the researchers and called the lab an exciting addition to MSU.

“The leadership and vision that Drs. Monfort and Becker are providing is outstanding and a model of cross-college collaboration enabling an exciting research area,” he said.   

“Becker’s and Monfort’s collaboration demonstrates that when we work across disciplines, departments and colleges, we can create unique teaching and learning experiences for both health and human performance students and engineering students, while engaging local health care providers in practical scholarship that is of service to their patients and the professional community,” said Alison Harmon, dean of the College of Education, Health and Human Development.   

The researchers have also teamed up with a local physical therapist, Laura Opstedal with Bridger Orthopedic, who helps connect the researchers with clients who would benefit from additional information. In turn, the clients provide useful data for Monfort’s and Becker’s studies.

“Some (research) questions are associated with a certain (condition), so it’s critical to be able to bring in patients and assess them,” Monfort said.

Opstedal said she is “thrilled” to be part of a research collaboration with MSU.

“The opportunity for a clinician to work with researchers is vital for the advancement in medicine,” she said. “Clinicians often have unanswered clinical questions but lack resources to research ideas or fill gaps in medical literature. To be able to work closely with researchers and share ideas is beneficial for students, the university as well as the medical community.”

Becker said he and Monfort hope to develop collaborations with additional local physical therapists.

“Any clinic that is interested and would like to develop a research partnership is invited to refer patients here,” he said, adding that such collaborations are common at most larger research hospitals. “Given the active population we have here in Bozeman, this would be a great resource and a great fit.”

Emerson Center for the Arts & Culture announces the 21st Annual Garden & Home TourFeaturing Bozeman’s downtown neighborhoods & shared community spaces. 
Friday, July 27, 4pm to 8pm & Saturday, July 28, 9am to 4pm 


A long-time favorite, the Emerson’s 21st Annual Garden & Home Tour will take place Friday evening, July 27th and Saturday, July 28th. This year’s Tour takes a deeper look into the some of the neighborhood gardens and shared community spaces of Downtown Bozeman. The Greater Gallatin Watershed Council, Gallatin Valley Farm to School, City of Bozeman Water Conservation Office, and Linda Iverson Designs have come together to share thoughtful and innovative gardening practices happening right here in the Gallatin Valley. Be sure to check the schedule in the ticket book for times and locations of these special lectures and tours.

This year’s poster features Geri Ward’s alcohol ink artwork, Spring Hyacinth. She will be signing Garden & Home posters in the Emerson Lobby during the July 13th Art Walk, 5-8pm.The Garden & Home Tour is a great way to spend the day biking or walking with friends through Bozeman. The Tour promises inspiration for all types of gardening enthusiast, from the experienced gardener, to those just starting out, to observers who simply enjoy the beauty of gardens.

$15 Emerson Members | $20 Non-membersTickets go on sale July 9th and are available at the Emerson Center for the Arts & Culture, Cashman Nursery & Landscaping, Heyday, and both Owenhouse ACE Hardware locations.

For more information about the Garden & Home Tour, please visit www.theemerson.org, email events@theEmerson.org, or call (406)587-9797 ext.106.

Emerson Center for the Arts & Culture in pleased to invite one and all to the newly purchased Emerson Lawn for this year’s Lunch on the Lawn series, starting Wednesday, July 11. Lunch on the Lawn is a free community-oriented event featuring different local musicians, food trucks serving locally sourced and made goods, and fellow organizations. Take a break from the workday, grab a bite to eat, soak up some sunshine, listen to some great tunes, enjoy a good conversation or two, watch the kids dance and play, and share in what makes Bozeman a great community.

Lunch on the Lawn runs seven consecutive Wednesdays, July 11 thru August 22, 11:30am to 1:30pm.

Band Line Up

July 11 – Sharon And the Nomads
July 18 – Milton Menasco
July 25 – The Beautifully Broken

August 1 – John Swendseid Quartet     
August 8 – Kate and the Alley Cats
August 15 – Bridger Trio
August 22 – The Dead Yellers

Food Trucks

• Genuine Ice Cream - locally made ice cream and roasted nuts
• Lotte Dogs - locally sourced hot dogs, chips, and drinks
• Rancho Picante Bison Hut - local bison burgers, tacos, bratwurst, and sides
• Totally Tasty Food Truck - sliders and assorted hot sandwiches organic and locally sourced

Community Partners

• Bookmobile
• Boy Scouts
• Bozeman Fire Department
• Bozeman Makerspace
• Bozeman Police Department
• Children’s Museum of Bozeman
• Fins & Feathers
• Gallatin Art Crossing
• Gallatin History Museum
• Gallatin Valley Farm to School
• Heart of the Valley
• Mountain Air Dance
• Museum of the Rockies
• The Dance Center
• US Forest Service
• Verge Theater 

For more information about Lunch on the Lawn, please visit www.theemerson.org, email events@theEmerson.org, or call (406)587-9797 ext.106.

The 8th annual Summer SLAM Festival is coming to Bozeman’s Bogert Park August 4th & 5th.  Hours of the festival are Saturday 10am-7pm, and Sunday 10am-5pm. This free family friendly event features artists, live performances, demonstrations, food and libations from around our great state, kids activities, a silent auction, a free community yoga class, and much more!  Shop from talented artists from around the state of Montana, and learn about what it takes to create some of their offerings during live artist demonstrations.Bring your appetite for delicious culinary creations, from gourmet mac & cheese to artisanal ice cream and everything in between!

Grab a frosty brew or cocktail from our Montana libations garden, and prepare to be amazed by the stage lineup of music, and live performances all weekend long!  Former member of the Mission Mountain Wood Band, Rob Quist and Great Northern will be performing for the first time in Bozeman in nearly a decade on Sunday afternoon, and it’s sure to be a must-see show!Families can make their own hula-hoop and tie dye a bandana at the family activity zone.

Support Local Artists and Musicians at the Summer SLAM Festival, August 4th & 5th in Bogert Park!  For a full event line-up check out: www.slamfestivals.org

Poised at the convergence of two vastly different regions, the Beartooth Mountains and the Great Plains, Tippet Rise Art Center is home to a unique combination of geologic and paleontologic features. Thanks to the organization’s partnership with the Yellowstone Bighorn Field Association (YBRA)—located south of Red Lodge, Montana—Tippet Rise will offer Geo-Paleo Tours for the second year in a row. These tours allow guests to learn about and explore the art center’s geologic and paleontologic histories through landmarks and features scattered across the art center’s 10,260 acres. These features not only offer clues to the geologic processes that formed this extraordinary region, they also offered inspiration to the artists who created the site-specific sculptures nestled into the canyons and perched atop the hills at Tippet Rise.


The tours will be led by representatives of the YBRA, lecturers with extensive academic knowledge of and many years of field research in the region’s paleontology (the fossil record stretches back for eons in Montana, from small marine life to enormous dinosaur bones and more recent mammals), structural geology (the distribution of rocks and how different strata lay on top of one another), and other topics.

2018’s Geo-Paleo Tours take place on five consecutive Thursdays beginning July 26 and run from 9AM-1PM. Space is limited, and advanced reservations are required. Tours go on sale Monday, July 9. The cost is $10.00 per person and free for anyone 21 and under. Tour details and reservations are available on the Tippet Rise website at tippetrise.org/tours.

Touring the Tippet Rise sculptures
The art center’s third season begins Friday, June 29 with Friday, Saturday and Sunday sculpture tours. Visitors can explore Tippet Rise and its breathtaking sculptures by shuttle van, or via nine miles of hiking and biking trails that meander through the art center’s canyons and hills. Van tours cost $10.00 per person and are free for anyone 21 and under; hiking and bicycling tours are free of charge. Whether touring by foot, bicycle or van, space is limited, and reservations must be made in advance. For more information and to register, visit tippetrise.org/tours.

 
Other news from the art center
The trail system at Tippet Rise continues to expand! Over the winter, a one-mile pathway was built to connect the Cottonwood Campus, where the Olivier Music Barn and other structures stand, with the trails that lead to the art center’s monumental sculptures. The new path begins at Patrick Dougherty’s Daydreams and meanders along a gentle rise through a grassy meadow.