Events showcase Village life in off-season

In the month of February, residents set out to prove that Bigfork is still a happening place in the winter and they did so with unexpected success.

Ryan Pelton's Elvis Live in Concert on Valentine's Day brought nearly a thousand people to Bigfork, with two sold-out shows in the 435-seat Bigfork Center for the Performing Arts.

That was followed by Brewfest two weeks later, which brought another 500 people to the area.

Both events were held for the first time with a goal of bringing people to the Village during the slow season.

"Bigfork is alive and well in the winter months," Chamber president Diane Kautzman wrote in the recent chamber newsletter after the two events.

Brewfest brought in a much larger crowd than organizers were expecting, along with more than $4,000 for the Community Foundation for a Better Bigfork to help the community.

Hilary Shepard, who helped spearhead the event, said she anticipated more like 250 people and that the event wouldn't pick up until 5 p.m. But, the crowds were already forming at 2:45 p.m., 15 minutes before it was scheduled to begin.

"It was a great response," Shepard said. "[The breweries' were just blown away and said, 'Make sure to sign us up for next year.'"

Plans are already in the works for year two. The event will again be held the last Saturday of February, rain, snow or shine, she said.

Part of the idea of building up Bigfork's winter season came from an emerging effort by the Bigfork Center for the Performing Arts Foundation to make use of its nearly year-old lobby remodel and renovation.

Since the new lobby and renovations at the center last year were funded partly through donations from businesses, the foundation has been looking at ways to give back by bringing people to the area.

"So many Bigfork businesses gave donations," foundation secretary Mary Jo Naive said. "Some of it was done in a spirit of investment in a revived spirit in Bigfork."

Which is why they are out marketing.

"People need to see that it can be successful, and we did something very successful in the off-season," Naive said, referencing the Pelton concert, which turned out to be a smash-hit since both shows sold-out far in advance of the performances.

The Pelton concert was the first time the foundation has been involved in sponsoring in a long time, Naive said.

"Elvis was very successful," Naive said. "It was a wonderful type of response for the off season."

While the main role of the foundation is to operate the building, members are beginning to market to try to bring different acts in as well.

Surveys were sent out this winter and included in programs at the Pelton concert to gauge what people want to see at the center. Overwhelmingly, people requested movies, Naive said.

To respond to that, the center is hosting one of the films from the Glacier National Park Centennial Film Festival. "Before there were parks' will be shown at 7 p.m. April 8. This will give the foundation a good idea of how the center's film equipment works, Naive said.

The majority of people also requested a series spread out throughout the winter, she said.

The foundation is currently looking for someone who would be interested in managing a movie series.

Even though the work is done on the center, the costs still are not all accounted for. The center still needs to raise $170,000 to pay off the $1.1 million project.

Donations and continuing to bring a variety of entertainment to Bigfork is what will help make up that amount, Naive said.

Whether these events have any real impact on Bigfork businesses, only time will tell.

The two efforts downtown – both Valentine's Day and Brewfest – definitely gave a needed boost to La Provence's business, owner Marc Guizol said. Guizol has been here 10 years now, and business is a little worse than normal. This means fewer jobs, he said.

"Last year was drastic, but it's still lower now," Guizol said. "It's the worst it's ever been since I've been here."

But, he's optimistic, especially with the efforts he's seen put in by fellow community members.

He's also hoping the center renovations will bring more business to the area.

"The renovation really gives [the community] a chance to come up with other things," Guizol said.

Guizol said he was impressed with the "amazing" work that went into Valentine's Day in Bigfork, which was reliant on local effort and local people.

"It was a really good first time for both events," he said. "For the first time, the community put them on together. They weren't organized by the same people, but in both cases, I think it was a very big success."

While the two events didn't directly impact Naive's business at Merry Gems, she says it will provide assistance long term.

"Anything exciting in Bigfork draws attention to Bigfork," Naive said. "I think we just have to get people down here. I think the effect on businesses will be long term for any kind of activity."

Naive said business has been slower for her this year, but not as dramatic as last year was.