Kalispell chamber pursues moving race to Lakeside

The Montana Dragon Boat Festival may be held in a new location on Flathead Lake next year. 

The Kalispell Convention and Visitors Bureau has asked the Flathead County Planning and Zoning Office for an administrative conditional-use permit to hold the festival in Lakeside to cut down on costs and parking problems. 

For the past three years, the Dragon Boat Festival has been staged at Flathead Lake Lodge in Bigfork. 

”Bigfork has been a great host and the Flathead Lake Lodge is an incredible venue, but we do need to break even,” said Diane Medler, director of the Kalispell Convention and Visitors Bureau. 

According to Medler, the event cost is too expensive, and organizers have been forced to shuttle participants to the festival location due to a lack of on-site parking, which adds an extra expense. 

Instead, the bureau hopes to move the two-day event to Volunteer Park and Lakeside Boulevard in Lakeside, which will allow for more parking. 

However, the final decision could lie in the hands of Lakeside residents. The bureau has sent surveys to Lakeside residents who live near the park, asking for feedback on the move. 

“We’re looking for any public comment or questions they may have,” Medler said. “We’ll respond to anything we get back to try to ease their minds about the process.” 

A 30-day public response period is underway, during which Lakeside residents can present questions or concerns to the Visitors Bureau. 

The administrative conditional-use permit application notes the group’s plans, areas they hope to use and local impact, which will also determine whether the festival can move to Lakeside.

The bureau hopes to make a final decision at the end of February. 

“The people in Lakeside have been very supportive of this move, and it will certainly benefit the businesses there,” Medler said. “It sounds like they’ll really enjoy having it there.”