Uptown Butte

Well, the big weekend is finally here. The Montana Folk Festival has arrived, and we can expect three days of incredible music from all over the globe, unique cuisine, one-of-a-kind crafts and thousands of people converging on the Mining City. With several stages spread across the eastern perimeter of Uptown Butte and several street closures going into effect, parking will again be a challenge this year.

A legendary country and bluegrass singer/songwriter with over 50 years of performing under his belt will be coming to Butte's Mother Lode Theater this September.

I was not even a full year in my career with this Butte group of radio stations when the panic button was firmly pressed in our GM's office. It was 2003 and the group in charge of funding the annual 3rd of July Fireworks Show was out of money. There were not funds to cover that summer's upcoming fireworks show on the 3rd of July. It was that day, I believe, that we went on-air and started collecting donations from listeners. Soon local businesses joined in and started challenges with other local businesses in their respective fields. Donations and momentum continued to grow until the final day of the donation drive where we teamed up with our radio friends down the street from the Butte Broadcasting Group and did a citywide bucket drive on the corner of Harrison and Dewey live on all of Butte's local commercial radio stations and wound up getting enough donations to fund the fireworks show for not only that year but for the next three years. After that, Brooks Hanna Ford picked up the bill for a few years. And since then, Town Pump has been the sole sponsor of the annual 3rd of July Fireworks Show

One of Butte's most popular summer events, Lunch in the Park, returns to Emma Park this Wednesday from 11:30am until 1:30pm. Lunch in the Park is a family friendly gathering of families, community members and folks on their lunch break who want some sunshine in their afternoon along with a song or two and maybe something from the food trucks that are on hand.

Butte has proven itself as a destination city. The Butte Tourism Improvement District wants to not only support these big events that are already happening but to possible assist with funding for events that may be still in the planning stages. Are you part of an event or business that brings people to town and puts guests in hotel rooms? There may be money available for you. They are accepting grant applications right now but the deadline to apply is this Friday, June 28th at 5pm. Find out more here or call (406) 723-3177.

If you haven't made it to the Uptown Farmers Market yet this summer, you're missing out. Especially when the sun is out, the birds are chirping, and the music is playing. It's a great event just to take in and if you're looking for fresh produce, local artisan crafts and artwork or even information on community events, this is your place.

With just a few weeks until the first notes of the 2024 Montana Folk Festival, more specific needs for volunteers are becoming clear. Festival organizers are inviting new volunteers for the 2024 Festival on July 12, 13 and 14 and updating their database for returning volunteers, too.

There really is no place in America that celebrates Independence Day the way that Butte, Montana does. Find another place that gets things rocking and rolling around lunchtime. On the 3rd of July. Butte has been doing that for years and with the opening of the Original Mineyard as a public recreation and concert area things are only getting bigger and better Uptown on the third as another major Country artist has been booked for a pre-fireworks concert. A few years back we got Lanco. This year, Bill Fisher and Railway Productions are proud to announce an even bigger pre-4th headliner and it's Rodney Atkins.

Organizers have announced the second wave of performers coming to the Montana Folk Festival in Butte, Montana this July 12-14. “It’s shaping up to be a strong lineup for this July's Montana Folk Festival packed with master musicians and dancers” says Festival Director George Everett. "You can expect to find plenty that's familiar but also to be amazed at the variety and diversity of the event."

Uptown Hoops is an exciting 3-on-3 basketball tournament with divisions for everyone from 1st and 2nd-graders up to adults. The event has grown to include a slam dunk contest, a three-point shootout and a lightning contest and with the backing of some inpressive local sponsors like Leskovar Motors, Town Pump, McDonald's and TDS it is clear that this will be a big event not only this year but for many summers to come. This year, Uptown Hoops will be taking place in the Original Mineyard which will only add to it's identity and there is still time to be a part of the event either as a player a worker or just a fan.