9th Annual Red Lodge Songwriter Festival
As John Denver put it while writing Rhymes and Reasons (what he had said was one of his best-written songs while he was still with us), there’s nothing “like the music of the mountains and the colors of the rainbow.” For nearly the last decade in Red Lodge, this is a statement known well by both the community and songwriters who flock to the area during a June weekend, stringed instrument in-hand. From Thursday, June 19 through Saturday, June 21, the 9th annual Red Lodge Songwriter Festival turns the town into a gathering place for musicians and their own, personal works. Songwriters (26 different artists, to be specific) from Montana, Tennessee, and across the country will take up their various stages throughout at least seven different venues, taking part in more than 40 different performances. The festival also goes a long way in supporting local music education, donating more than $150,000 since it all started in 2016. This is where a lot of songwriters both get their start and also come back to showcase their best works from over the years, often leaving the city to come back to the mountains. How did John Denver put that, as well? “There was something in the city that he said he couldn’t breathe, there was something in the country that he said he couldn’t leave.”
1st Annual Pollinator Fair
We are staying “environmental” in-theme with the next of many different events taking place across our area this weekend, with this one fit to be a buzzingly good time (I had to.) From 9am to 12pm on Friday, June 20, the first-ever Pollinator Fair is coming to the Metra 4H Building over at the fairgrounds, sponsored by Pheasants Forever and the Yellowstone Conservation District. From here on out, organizers say they are aiming to make this an annual event, making it a fun, educational celebration of pollinators and their roles in our ecosystem. There will be bee-themed family fun, not forgetting other pollinators out there (because butterflies work hard, too.) There will be many giveaways, informative booth vendors, and organizers say there will also be a keynote speaker. With as many partners as will be involved, including the National Resources Conservation Service, MSU Extension, Billings Parks and Recreation, Xerxes Society for Invertebrate Conservation and others, the future of pollinating looks bright.
Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library Anniversary Celebration
How many books have you read in a year? 10 years? 30 years? It’s a number that I’m sure most of us don’t keep track of consistently across the board, but it’s safe to say “probably a lot,” whether some of us wanted to or not (hopefully, wanted to.) Books and reading serve countless positive purposes, from escapes into fiction to history and education. Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library has been an active effort for decades now, bringing books to the hands of kids who otherwise might not have had access to them. From 10am to 12pm on Saturday, June 21, the Billings Public Library is celebrating the Imagination Library’s 30th anniversary in true Dolly Parton fashion. There’ll be activities all themed after the country music legend, from Dolly-oke (exactly what it sounds like), a Dolly Parton costume contest, prizes, photo ops, and cake. You will also have the opportunity to sign up for the book-gifting program.
