Film crew, ‘overlook’ project coming to downtown Polson

Downtown Polson is in line for a pair of beautification projects in coming weeks, one seasonal and one more permanent.

City staff have approved the filming of a movie along Main Street later this month, so employees and volunteers are set to give about four blocks of the street a good scrubbing and sprucing.

Members of Polson P.E.O. Chapters CA and BY have already volunteered several hours a month maintaining the vegetation in the bump-outs on the downtown corners.

The crew will film parts of “Mistletoe in Montana” at various sites over about 10 days in late July. The film is a Hallmark production based on the novel of the same name by Pamela M. Kelley. It is part of Kelley’s Montana Sweet Western Contemporary Romance series.

It’s unclear whether the Polson scenes will be set during the winter and how that might be accomplished.

In preparation for the film crew, workers will be planting several trees, cleaning up garbage containers and benches, and repainting center lines and crosswalks, according to Community Development Director Juan Escano Jr.

Closer to the lake, a larger, more permanent project is in the planning stages.

The city intends to create a “signature overlook” area at Salish Point by erecting a short stone wall, flowers and shrubs, and several coin-operated viewers for a closer look at Flathead Lake and the Mission Mountains.

An automated irrigation system would help keep the vegetation watered, and the local P.E.O chapters have expressed an interest in maintaining the plants.

The wall would be built away from the beach at the southern edge of Salish Point between the two parking lots.

Escano said more details will be announced as the project progresses, and information will soon be available on the city’s website, cityofpolson.com.