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Heritage Arts Exhibit

Opening Reception

Bigfork 125 Celebration

Theme: “”Bigfork 125: Rooted in History, Thriving in Community””

Date: Sunday, May 17, 2026

Location: Downtown Bigfork, MT

History: Celebrating 125 Years Since the Platting of Bigfork by the Sliter Family (1901–2026)

 

GOALS

  • Celebrate the Sliter family’s role in founding Bigfork
  • Acknowledge Indigenous and settler history with respect and collaboration
  • Engage the entire community through art, storytelling, food, and music
  • Highlight local businesses and historic buildings
  • Launch a long-term interactive Bigfork history exhibit or digital archive
  •  

EVENT SCHEDULE (DRAFT)

 

Morning: “Bigfork Back Then”

  • 9:00 AM - Fun Run @ Bigfork Inn Courtyard- Chamber -run
    • Welcome by CHAMBER... time capsul at Lake Baked?
    • Land acknowledgment with CSKT representation
    • Proclamation by local leaders declaring Bigfork 125th Anniversary Day
    •  
  • 11:00 AM - Historical Walking Tour (Hosted by BACC + Students)
    • Stops include: Bigfork Inn (former Sliter Hotel), Bridge Street, original dock site, old post office, and early homesteads
    • Printed guide with oral history recordings @ BACC.
    •  

 “Community Heritage Picnic”

  • NOON  - Community Picnic & Live Music @ River View Place (next to Lake Baked)
    •            Vintage games (sack races, tug of war)
    •            Music
    •  
    • “Art, Memory & Marketplace”

    • 12:30–3:00 PM - Historical Artisan Market @ Electric Avenue Businesses & Open house at BACC

      • Youth "Time Travelers" Art Show @ BACC Makerspace: Imagining Bigfork Then & Now
      • Oral history booth: locals record 5-minute “My Bigfork Story” segments
    •  
    • TBA - early evening- Ticketed event - Preserve River View Place fundraiser and ticketed open houseat the Bigfork Inn
      • Hosted by the Brooks, the purpose of this wonderful event is to share the newly and beautifully renovated Bigfork INN as well as support the efforts to fund the purchase of River View PROPERTY"
      •  
    • 7:00pm Rick Trembeth at the Methodist Church Wildfire in the NW

    •  

      Key Partners

    • Bigfork Inn / Michael & Kelly Brooks – Host location & historic preservation partner
    • Bigfork Art & Cultural Center – Lead historical content, oral history recordings, art show
    • CSKT Tribal Historic Preservation Office – Land acknowledgment and cultural inclusion
    • Sliters Hardware and Lumberyard-Nikki, Everitt, Andrea, Andrew, Bill
    • Lake Baked LLC
Heritage Arts Exhibit

Bigfork Art / Cultural Center

We are an creative and educational hub in Bigfork that inspires people of all ages through a wide variety of workshops, lectures, and learning opportunities. BACC shares cultures through art and story stewardship. This is BACC’s way of bridging the connection between our past and the future we wish for our children, ourselves, and our world. As determined by the Internal Revenue Service Code, Bigfork Art and Cultural Center is a 501(c)3 organization, exempt from federal income tax. Bigfork Art and Cultural Center's tax identification number is 366212000. 

525 Electric Avenue
Bigfork, Montana

406.837.6927

MNA Candid MAGDA MEMBER
Bigfork Art \ Cultural Center