As we quickly approach the end of the season we cant help but to reminisce about all the fun we had throughout the summer.
We started our summer off with the annual Spartan Race. Joe DeSena the founder of Spartan Race came out to make sure the course was harder than ever. As we watched the racers finish the 100yds of barbwire crawl and cross the finish line you could tell that Joe succeeded in his mission to not only make the course more physically challenging, but also mentally. The race brought in over 4,206 racers and 2500 spectators making the Montana Spartan Race one of the top events in the country. The 2015 Spartan Race will be a 2-day event starting with a 13 mile Beast on Saturday and a 5k Sprint on Sunday.
The month of May and beginning of June flew by hosting numerous corporate groups and retreats. June 15th was the start of our family season! As much as we love hosting big events and corporate meetings, we have a special place in our hearts for family season. Making life long memories with families is something we have always prided ourselves on. There is something magical when you see a family bonding over s’mores, horseback riding, waterskiing, barn dancing or other lodge activities that makes the Lodge what it is today.
This summer we celebrated one of those magical moments with the Black Family, who have been coming for 20 consecutive years. Sierra, the youngest daughter has celebrated her birthday with us every year and this year surrounded by life long friends and family we all celebrated her 21st birthday. She even got her very own Saddle Sore Saloon bar stool!
July is always a special time for us with celebrating Independence Day. Every Fourth of July the village of Bigfork hosts a parade. We decorate all our fire engines, load up the lodge guests and bring up the end of the parade with a bang, supplying the crowd with more candy and laughs than you can imagine. That night we finish the evening off with lots of singing, story telling and a grand fireworks display over the lake.
Of course family season wouldn’t be the same without our weekly activities of beach fire with s’mores, team roping, steak fry, barn dance, team penning and staff vs. guest volleyball!
The end of August we hosted the Annual Crown of the Continent Guitar Workshop and Festival. The week consisted of workshops and nightly concerts with the concerts bringing in close to a l,000 people a night. Amongst all of the extremely talented students and teachers, John Oates was one of our favorites rockin’ out with some all time classic Hall and Oates songs!
As September quickly approached we all began to prepare for Laine Averill and Nikki Bascom’s wedding extravaganza! Friends and family flew in from all over the states on Wednesday, September 3rd and kicked off the fun with a beach fire, the Singing Sons of Beaches and a s’more bar to die for! Thursday evening guests boarded the Far West for a cocktail cruise and ended the night with an intense mouse race and a boot scootin’ boogie barn dance. Friends and family enjoyed their Saturday morning with horseback riding and water sports. That evening they all loaded up on the fire trucks and headed to the ceremony site up on the hill at hidden overlook. As the sun peeped through the birch trees Laine and Nikki exchanged their “I do’s.” Everyone enjoyed cocktail hour in the Main Lodge, while sipping on his or her signature drink of either a specialty whiskey or a huckleberry lemonade. Dinner and Dancing were held under the Montana sky in a tent between the main lodge and south lodge. Everyone had a wonderful time…
On September 11th Bill Thomas and Doug Averill along with many attendees honored U.S. Ambassador Christopher Stevens, State Department employee Sean Smith, and CIA contractors and retired Navy Seals Glen Doherty and Tyrone Woods.
The “To Honor the Four” Benghazi memorial was held in our elk preserve and will forever be remembered by the eagle statue soaring through the sky.
The weekend of September 13th we hosted the Annual Montana Dragon Boat Races. There were 74 teams that raced representing businesses and foundations from all over the state. The race was yet again a huge success bringing over 6,500 racers and spectators to the Lodge.
We would like to thank all of our guests, friends, family and staff that have made this such a memorable season!
