Festivals on the Flathead

POLSON — Not long ago, “this used to be just garbage and broken glass” said Keryl Lozar, surveying the grassy hillside overlooking the lake at Salish Point.

An eyesore no more, Salish Point is enjoying an ongoing transformation into marquee lakefront real estate. Lozar, president and founder of the grassroots organization Festivals on the Flathead, hopes that the Point will continue its renaissance and become a centerpiece for the community.

POLSON — Not long ago, “this used to be just garbage and broken glass” said Keryl Lozar, surveying the grassy hillside overlooking the lake at Salish Point.

An eyesore no more, Salish Point is enjoying an ongoing transformation into marquee lakefront real estate. Lozar, president and founder of the grassroots organization Festivals on the Flathead, hopes that the Point will continue its renaissance and become a centerpiece for the community.

With that vision in mind, on July 3 the beautified public space will play host to the second annual Salish Point Blues Festival. Lozar’s organization will also run the Family 4th on the Flathead at the Polson Fairgrounds the next night. Proceeds from admission and donated items from both events will go to Polson’s Loaves and Fish Food Pantry.

“We’re not here to make money. We’re here to give back to the community,” said Steve Pickel, treasurer for Festivals on the Flathead.

“We’re community-based, so the money stays here. This is a service we’re trying to provide,” Lozar added.

“This is what we want in Polson. To see this incredible lake, and this incredible music.”

Before last year’s inaugural festival, it had come to Lozar’s attention that some local kids had never experienced live music. Now they, and the rest of the community, will have that opportunity, when a lineup of preeminent Blues artists headline next week’s festival.

Montana favorites such as Steve “Big Daddy” Kelley & The Blue Notes and Kevin Van Dort will take the stage, as will a Seattle-based group named the Fat Tones. Fat Tones member Bobby Patterson is the reigning Inland Empire Blues Society’s Guitarist of the Year.

While a night of great Blues is in store for music fans, the broader goal is to make Polson into more than just a pit stop between Missoula and Kalispell, and into a destination of its own.

“People joke and call this place ‘Kalamazoo’, because it’s half-way to Kalispell and half-way to Missoula,” Pickel said. He believes that if the community fully commits to revitalizing Salish Point and taking advantage of Polson’s best asset- the lakeshore- that, “now there is a reason to vacation in Polson.”

Though great progress has been made thanks to the efforts of the Salish Point Committee and generous monetary contributions from the Tribes and the city, the landmark’s facelift is not yet complete. As the next phase in the area’s development, Pickel and Lozar would like to see the sloping hillside terraced to better accommodate audiences.

Depending on affordability and environmental appropriateness for the area, a removable stage for future shows and performances is also on their wish-list.

Patrons of the festival will be entitled to free admission at the next day’s Independence Day celebration at the Polson Fairgrounds, where “a full day of fun, food, festivities, and fireworks” awaits, says Pickel. Live music will be provided by the group Cabin Fever, who plays “all-American music, and everything for everyone,” according to Pickel.

Other family-oriented activities will abound, and patrons are urged to break out their most patriotic garb to show their support for America.

In Polson, tickets can be purchased at Mission Mountain Natural Foods, Ricciardi’s on Main, The Lake Bar, and Total Screen Design. Tickets are also available at the Flower Mill in Ronan as well as in other locations in Kalispell, Missoula and Whitefish. For more information about either event, those interested can visit the Festivals on the Flathead website.

Lozar and Pickel are excited to share a highly entertaining and affordable weekend with those in the community. The community should be excited too; not just by the events themselves, but by the big-picture prospect of having a revitalized waterfront to anchor municipal commerce, culture and recreation.