Bigfork ready for biggest bash of the year

The Bigfork Festival of the Arts is often referred to with superlatives. The best in the Valley. One of the finest in the West. And this year — without a doubt — the biggest festival ever.

Organizer Donna Lawson said this year's Festival of the Arts on August 1 and 2 will feature 160 booths, the most Electric Avenue has ever held.

In fact, Lawson said, it's more than Electric Avenue can hold, and this year's festival will stretch from the Grand Hotel building, down Electric and all the way to Bigfork Anglers Fly Shop on Bridge Street.

"They're going to be packed in," Lawson said of this year's participants.

Any artist or craftsman has to apply for a coveted spot in Bigfork's arts festival early in the year so that the festival committee can jury the entries and pick the best. Lawson said about 30 percent of the participating merchants in the festival are brand new.

This year applications were due in early May and by the start of June 216 applications — the most ever received — were winnowed down to 160.

"It was the most we'd ever had," Lawson said. "This is going to be a good year."

It should be good for those in attendance too, as parking issues created by Bigfork Elementary School's renovation last summer have been cleared up and organizers have traffic control and shuttle service down to an art.

Since downtown is effectively closed to cars for the weekend, attendees will park at the school's parking lot, Potozny Park and Bethany Lutheran Church, all of which will have shuttle service running every few minutes.

"This year we're starting the shuttle even earlier, at 8 a.m. for participants," Lawson said.

Local developer Arthur Lieberman has again donated the parking lot at the old bowling alley for those hosting booths to park their vehicles in.

Lawson said handicap spaces would be available on Bridge Street just Northeast of the one lane bridge.

Electric Avenue will be closed from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday and Lawson said all cars must be off the street by 6 a.m. both days or they will be towed away.

Other improvements for 2009 include the purchase of recycling containers for plastic and glass that the festival committee purchased for the event. Even better, Lawson said the containers would be available if business owners wanted to place one outside their shops for the rest of the year.

"We bought them for the community," Lawson said. "They're for plastic and glass and even the bags for them are biodegradable."

Funds from the Festival of the Arts are put in a special account with the Bigfork Chamber of Commerce to use for advertising Bigfork to draw more people in. Last year the festival generated $15,000 for that cause in application and booth fees.

Volunteers are still needed to help with certain aspects of the festival, most notably parking. To get more information or to volunteer, contact Diane Kautzman at 837-1400, Susan Williams at 837-5980 or Lawson at 261-0234.