How to participate and FAQs: No need to RSVP! Simply meet the researchers at the banding station at either 7:30am or 9:00am on any of the scheduled days. It's also possible to visit later in the morning, but birds are at their most active early in the day. Please note that bird banding days are weather-dependent, and may be cancelled due to inclement weather. Participants should wear clothing and footwear appropriate for the weather and the area's woodland riparian corridor. Participants are encouraged to bring binoculars, a camera, water, lunch/snacks, sunscreen, and bug repellant (there can be quite a few mosquitos!). **For the safety of the birds, dogs are not allowed during banding sessions.** For more information, check out the UM Bird Ecology Lab's banding webpage. For current conditions or immediate questions, contact Boo Curry with the UM Bird Ecology Lab at 406-546-9052 or laurelann.curry@mso.umt.edu. Directions to banding station: From Missoula, drive east on I-90 for 20 miles. Take Rock Creek exit 126 and turn right to cross the river. Directly across the river, turn left on Lazy Water Way. The east side Confluence trailhead parking lot will be to your left, down the hill. (View map of East Side Trailhead) Park in the trailhead parking lot and walk through the gate. The banding station is an easy 15 minute walk along the old road and beside Clark Fork River (approximately a half-mile). You will cross through another gate, which will be opened before reaching the banding station. ‍

Outdoor art festival, two days, Friday 10-7pm, Saturday 10-4. Open to the public, no admission. Local fine arts, handcrafted quality gifts. 10th Annual event, at Sacajawea Park, across the bridge in Polson.

Kid Rodeo Calcutta Rodeo

Experience the thrill of competition, celebrate Chineses culture and take part in this 2000-year old sport. Unite your corporate team, competitive friends/family and join us to experience thrilling races, and a vibrant cultural celebration. Strengthen bonds and create unforgettable memories together! Open to any and all! Experienced or new to the sport, we have something for everyone! **Vendors/volunteers welcome, see registration on website Details: Friday, July 18. Team practices Saturday, Sunday, July 19-20th race days Saturday evening: Musical event, TBD, at Polson Fairgrounds. Open to public. Cost: $1100/team Categories include women, men, mixed, ACS (all cancer survivor), BCS (breast cancer survivor), youth (20 person teams) and corporate cup challenge Interested in being a participant, volunteer, vendor or sponsor? Visit silverliningmontana.org for details! Your involvement helps support breast cancer survivorship in Montana! We can’t wait to see you there!

Welcome to the most difficult mountain bike race in the country: The Butte 100. The Butte 100 race weekend consists of three individual races, a 100 mile, 50 mile and the Sorini 25, taking place atop the Continental Divide just outside of Butte, Montana. The race has grown from a small group of dedicated locals on a gravel road, to world-class athletes competing on world-class trails. With outstanding partnerships with the USFS, BLM, community of Butte, our generous sponsors, and the “neon army” of volunteers, the Butte 100 races continue to provide the best mountain bike racing experience possible. Thanks for visiting. Please visit our Facebook page for updates and announcements.

Mark your calendars and prepare for an evening of local food and drinks, amazing music, and a stunning fireworks show. Symphony Under the Stars is a Helena tradition that began in 2004. Each summer, the Helena Symphony (founded in 1955) comes together to put on a magnificent show on the hill at Carroll College. Each year, the event draws nearly 20,000 people to enjoy an evening of music and fireworks under Montana's iconic Big Sky. The music may not begin until sundown, but spectators make a full day out of the event! Beginning mid-morning, attendees will bring their blankets to the venue, staking out their seats for the evening, creating a large patchwork quilt that spans the hillside. People will then start grilling, pulling out the drinks, and catching up with old friends. If the blankets are being left for the day, organizers ask that they be held down with canned food donations for Helena Food Share! In the past, these donations have reached over 17,000 pounds. It is one of the largest single donation days for the organization. Each year, the organizing team, artistic director, and conductor, come together to put on a show that will not only satisfy the audience, but engage them. They work tirelessly to put together an unforgettable program and continue to outdo themselves year after year. Grab your blankets, canned food and friends, and enjoy an incredible evening at The Symphony Under the Stars.

Our annual PaddleHeads Brewfest returns on July 19th presented by Bitter Root Brewing. Pre-sale tickets for this date go on sale March 22nd-28th. You must be registered to receive access. Plus when you register you're automatically entered to win FREE Zootown festival passes.

PaddleHeads vs Great Falls Voyagers

Set in the Renaissance, Something Rotten! follows brothers Nick and Nigel Bottom as they struggle to compete with the success of their contemporary, William Shakespeare. In their desperation, the brothers consult a soothsayer who predicts the next big thing in theatre: musicals! As they hilariously attempt to create the world's first musical, chaos ensues, leading to mistaken identities, outrageous production numbers, and laugh-out-loud moments. Get ready for a side-splitting comedy packed with clever references, energetic dance routines and catchy tunes that will leave you laughing all the way home! Songs include: "Welcome to the Renaissance", "God, I Hate Shakespeare", "A Musical", "Right Hand Man", "To Thine Ownself" and more!

The Townsend Rod and Gun Club Walleye tournament is an annual walleye fishing tournament fund raiser for the Townsend Road and Gun Club. The tournament will be at the Canyon Ferry Silos Recreation Area. Canyon Ferry is a premiere walleye fishing venue in Montana. 8:30 am-2:30 pm Maximum 90 2-person teams Forms can be found at www.broadwaterrodandgun.com Official Rules can also be found on the website.

Held the third full weekend in July, Bannack Days is a celebration of pioneer life. For a nominal fee, breakfast will be served in the Hotel Meade beginning at 7:00 am both days. A variety of lunch options will be available in the food court as well as other delicious treats like ice cream, kettle corn, and fresh lemonade. From 9am to 5pm on Saturday and from 9 am to 4:30 pm on Sunday folks will be demonstrating many of the pioneer skills. Come watch the quilters craft a quilt and skilled demonstrators make lace. Up Hangman's Gulch you can learn about the infantry and experience an 1860s gold camp. Then try your luck at gold panning. Pose for an old-time family photo or catch a ride on a horse drawn wagon throughout the day. And on Sunday morning, experience an old-time church service. Be sure to watch your step, Bannack has been known to have a few ruffians about. It is not uncommon for a gunfight to break out on Main Street. Throughout both days there will be music in the air – Angel Band, Gilmore City Council, and the Junior Fiddlers to name a few. Speaking of watching your step, swing by the Meade Hotel with your partner and try dancing with the Old Time Dances. Throughout the weekend the visitor center will be open and guided tours of the Masonic Lodge and the Mill will be available. We do ask that you please leave your pets at home during this busy weekend. “Bannack Days” is the signature event for the Montana State Park system. We are taking steps to make the event more self-sustaining to ensure that Bannack Days is able to continue for years to come and to showcase Americas Best Historic Ghost town.” “Special Event” admission to Bannack Days will be $5 per person, however for those who are 5 years of age or under the event is free. There is limited parking, so carpooling is encouraged. Bannack State Park is located 25 miles southwest of Dillon, Montana just off of Highway 278. For information call 406-834-3413

Montana’s Destination Fiber Festival Gearing up for its Ninth year! “Fiber Arts….getting back to its roots.” Come experience a weekend of fiber fun in the countryside with classes, vendors, demonstrations and a gathering area to spin, weave, knit, and crochet or to just sit and visit. On July 19-20, 2025, the 9th annual Copper K Fiber Festival will be held in Whitehall at the Copper K Barn located at 786 Point of Rocks Road, sponsored by Kami Noyes of Ranching Tradition Fiber. Over 35 fiber artists and fiber producers will offer wares for sale in the marketplace. The fiber festival marketplace will be open and free to the public on Saturday July 19 9:00-5:00 and Sunday July 20 9:00 -3:00. Food options will be on location. For more information about the 9th annual Copper K Festival classes, instructors, sponsorship, vendors and best directions, please visit our website.

Unseen Missoula, a program of Heritage Missoula from the Downtown Missoula Partnership, offers education-based, guided walking tours to showcase Missoula’s unique history. The program aims to connect Missoulians and guests to our community, foster cultural identity, and promote heritage experiences for all. Thousands of people have enjoyed the guided tours and connected to the program through social media since its inception. The season begins in April and continues through October. Experience Missoula’s heritage through these unique and exciting guided walking tours! Public Tours Available April – October Private Tours Available Year Round Check website for dates and times. Basements & Back Alleys April – September A holistic look at downtown life during Missoula’s transition from a marginal frontier town to a major local economic and cultural center from 1880 to 1920. The tour starts at Caras Park and lasts approximately 90 minutes. This tour is not ADA accessible and includes going up and down 5+ flights if stairs and elevators are not available in most buildings. Please refrain from bringing strollers. These less-accessible spaces remain hidden the majority of the year, so catch them while you can… Carnal Enterprises April – September While most in Missoula are familiar with the name Mary Gleim or the brief history of Front Street, many of the district’s stories remain untold including Gleim’s and her businesses. Since its existence along the historic Mullan Road, Front Street has been dubbed with the title of Missoula’s ‘red light district’ implicating that district remained a place of vice, sin, and corruption influenced by the radical reformist religious movements of the late 19th century. However, violence and addiction found throughout the entirety of the American West remain only a sliver of the true story. From 1889-1917, West Front and Main Streets became home to a vibrant ‘restricted’ community of working women, Chinese laborers, African American soldiers, and immigrants who built the environment we as Missoulians have come to love today. This tour discusses the district through the historical lenses of sex, race, class, and occupation in order to create a broader social understanding against the backdrop of the remaining built environment. This 1-hour tour leaves from the front of The Wilma. It covers about 5 city blocks. ADA accessible. Hotels & Hooligans April – September Daily life and culture in Missoula during the city’s railroad boom—the Hotels and Hooligans tour looks at how the average Missoulian (whether long-time or just passing through) lived and recreated. Scandals and other sketchiness from the Courthouse to the seedy underbelly of Missoula’s railroad hotel district will also be revealed! Lower Rattlesnake & Greenough Park April – September Come along on this tour to explore the story of Greenough Park, from the Greenough family (and their massive mansion) who donated the land, to the controversies over park management, including the park’s infamous “bear cage.” From Greenough, we’ll travel to the sites of Native American encampments, and old streetcar crossings, then explore the historic Lower Rattlesnake neighborhood before ending at the old Missoula cemetery and Chinese burial grounds. This walking tour takes about two hours and is entirely outdoors. Bring appropriate clothing and water. The tour route is about 1.2 miles long. Meet at the Greenough Park LOWER PARKING LOT lot at 1011 Monroe St. The tour ends at the Mount Jumbo trailhead at the end of Cherry St. Screams & Spirits October/dusk Join us for some frights on this limited fright-time tour… if you dare! Enjoy a chilling exploration into Missoula’s haunted history, Spirits delves into the history defined by forgotten cemeteries, abandoned buildings, and even murder.. This walking tour starts in front of First Interstate Bank and takes approximately 90 minutes. As this is a Halloween tour, it’s recommended to dress warmly for the cool evening weather (costumes are optional but always welcome!), with comfortable walking shoes as this tour covers about 5 city blocks. This tour is recommended for 12 years and older.