Flathead Valley Arts & Entertainment: Kalispell, Montana News

As a burgeoning landscape artist, East Glacier’s Roger Rink found the perfect complement to his artistic ambitions: construction work.

For years, Rink worked in the building industry, moving around the country from West Virginia to North Carolina to New York. The often-variable construction schedule, two months of hard labor followed by two months off, allowed plenty of time to immerse himself fully in painting.

I know, I know. Hot dogs are supposed to be the food of choice on Independence Day. Remember the old commercial ditty from the 60s and 70s: “Baseball, hot dogs, apple pie and Chevrolet?”

Don’t get me wrong – I love a good hot dog. There’s nothing like the crispy snap of an all-beef hot dog casing, bathed in mustard, sprinkled with chopped onions and topped with sweet relish.

But I think America and Americans have raised hamburgers to high art. However, I hereby exclude all fast food hamburgers from the aforementioned praise, and here’s why: There isn’t anyone in any fast food establishment who can tell you, me or your brother-in-law where the meat came from and how many different sources of that meat came together to form that patty.

MISSOULA – The first time Arthur Schlesinger Jr. asked former presidential candidate George McGovern to take part in a series of books about American presidents, McGovern said no.

He was simply too busy with a little project — feeding every impoverished child in the world a decent meal each day.

Later, though, Schlesinger called back and asked again. By this time, the program McGovern helped establish with former Sen. Bob Dole, R-Kan., was well under way. Today, 22 million children are being fed by the program.

Some Fourth of July activities are obvious: The classic celebrations like fireworks, community fairs and parades are in abundance in almost every American town, including the Flathead (Find a full listing of these on our “Events” page).

But there are less traditional, and uniquely local, ways to celebrate the Fourth as well. In this section, we aim to highlight some Flathead excursions that we think hold promise for an especially memorable day – whether you’re looking for the valley’s best party spot or family-friendly activities.

The Fourth of July cookout is as much a part of this American holiday as fireworks or parades. Every year, Americans gather with friends and families for backyard barbecues, often indulging in traditional fare like apple pie, burgers and hot dogs. Just how much do we eat? The National Hot Dog and Sausage Council (yes, that’s a real group) expects Americans to consume 150 million hot dogs on the Fourth – one frankfurter for every two people.

The Beacon, however, has some new ideas to spice up your holiday spread. We’ve raided “Kitchen Guy” Jim Gray’s stash of recipes to bring you a selection of dishes sure to please.

Good morning, everyone! Just a quick reminder to check out tonight's first-ever Thursday!Fest in downtown Kalispell.

The Kalispell Business Improvement District (BID) and Downtown Association is blocking off Third Street on either side of Main Street, leaving U.S. Highway 93 open for traffic. The festival will feature activities for children, local farmers selling produce and food, downtown businesses, a beer garden, live music acts and prepared food vendors. It runs from 5 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Local band Smart Alex will provide the tunes tonight.

Kudos to the downtown business owners who put the event together for offering outdoor-food-and-music lovers an awesome opportunity!

The B-17 Flying Fortress was built to be a battleship of the sky. Today, it has put its guns to rest and serves a new purpose. It is a flying museum.

On June 26, one of the only fully restored B-17s in the world landed at Glacier Park International Airport as part of an annual summer tour around the United States. Its name is the Sentimental Journey. It looks and feels like World War II, with all of the original gadgets but none of the firepower. On its side are the painted letters of its name and a large painting of famous WWII pinup girl Betty Grable.

Glacier National Park will offer three “Fee Free” weekends this summer as part of a National Park Service (NPS) program to encourage visits to national parks this summer.

Department of the Interior Secretary Ken Salazar recently announced that the NPS will offer three fee-free weekends this summer, “…to encourage Americans seeking affordable vacations to visit these national treasures.” Glacier National Park, one of 147 NPS sites across the country that charge entry fees, will waive entrance fees during the weekends of June 20-21, July 18-19 and Aug. 15-16. These fee-free weekends will be in addition to other fee-free days on National Public Lands Day, Sept. 26, and Veterans Day, Nov. 11.

Glacier National Park will also offer a separate “Fee Free” day in conjunction with the park’s Centennial Kick-Off Celebration Picnic in the Park on Sunday, Aug. 23 being held at Lake McDonald Lodge and Glacier Park Lodge.

Read on for concessionaire specials throughout the summer.