The theme for the Montana Folk Festival focuses on attributes and qualities of life in Montana. These qualities have aptly been labeled folklife, where the land and the people of Montana are showcased for your enjoyment.
By Rayelynn Brandl Montana’s iconic landscapes are shaped by the waterways that course through her mountains, valleys, and plains. Water has determined where the people live, the movement of goods and resources, and has provided for all human needs including food, shelter, clothing, and eventually commerce. Beginning with our Native …
Did you know that there are many different types of creatures living in our local rivers? At this booth, you will learn about aquatic macroinvertebrates. Macroinvertebrates are organisms large enough to be seen without a microscope and that do not have backbones. Macroinvertebrates are part of the Animal Kingdom too! …
Tom Mocilac is a genuine old fart, retired from state service, and has worked as a National Park Ranger in Yellowstone National Park. He started fly fishing in 1969 and started tying flies in 1973. He is a member of Trout Unlimited and Fly Fishers International. He ties about 2-3 …
Wetland ecosystems are some of the most diverse ecosystems in the world. They support native plants and animals and provide services such as flood control and water purification. Unfortunately, wetlands are also some of the most threatened ecosystems. Born from a love of Montana’s natural spaces, Montana Wetlands, and Waterfowl …
Our mission is to ensure the future of elk, other wildlife, their habitat, and our hunting heritage. We provide funding for Permanent Land Protection and Land Conservation, Habitat Stewardship, and Enhancement, Research for wildlife management, and Hunting Heritage Projects. Our Vision is to be the best membership-based conservation organization and …
The Resilient Butte Project and Families for a Livable Climate bring personal stories about climate change to the forefront. All Montana families need a livable climate and thriving environment to ensure a bright and secure future. We also need good jobs, healthcare, and equitable access to education and other opportunities. …
The mission of the Clark Fork Watershed Education Program is to expand environmental literacy and stewardship through field-based science and research experiences. We exist because the planet needs sustainable communities that value resilient ecosystems. Through our work in the nation’s largest Superfund site, we have served thousands of students, educating …
The Science Mine began in the 1990s as a gleam or a dream in the eyes of a few individuals in Butte, Montana, where children could interactively play with and experience the wonders and sometimes counterintuitive nature of the world around them. At the risk of omitting some of these …
Dalit Guscio of the Clark Fork Watershed Education Program and the Montana Osprey Program have been working with Osprey in the Clark Fork for over ten years. She will walk through the process of banding osprey, our current understanding of food-chain effects from metals, and discuss the awesome evolutionary adaptations …
Joan Martin, owner of Martin’s Masks. Joan started Martin’s Masks in 2017 after the company she was working for as a laboratory technician closed its doors. She has always been an artistic person, if you asked the 5-year-old Joan what she wanted to be when she grew up, the answer …
Linda Morley, owner of Marley’s Paint & Party. Linda dreamed of a place for kids to express their creativity and have a lot of fun doing so. She also dreamed of a place where adults could learn the therapeutic and relaxing benefits of creating art. This dream became “Marley’s Paint …
During the Montana Folk Festival, special attention is given to providing engaging and educational performances and hands-on activities for children and youth. Stay tuned for announcements and updates right here.
The Contributions of Immigrants to the Heritage and Traditions of Montana and the West By Aubrey Jaap, Director, Butte-Silver Bow Public Archives From the anonymous saying: “If you are more fortunate than others, it is better to build a longer table than a taller fence.” Long before the first Euro-American …
Ed Ronningen, Coeur d’Alene, Idaho Chip Carving is an international tradition, although Scandinavia has the preponderance of carvings. It is a centuries-old craft, used by many peoples worldwide to decorate wooden objects—spoons, bowls, boards, doorways, boats, paddles, and more. Chip carving uses special knives to remove small chips of wood …
The Tiernan Irish Dancers were founded in 2001 when a local céilí club was adopted by the Trinity Irish Dancers of Chicago. Trinity arrived to perform at AnRiRa, Montana‘s annual Irish festival. Founder Mark Howard was fascinated by Butte’s heritage and history. He soon formulated a plan to adopt Montana Irish dancers and send Trinity instructors to …
Pysanka is a Ukrainian Easter egg, decorated with traditional folk designs using a wax-resist method. The word pysanka comes from the verb pysaty, “to write” or “to inscribe,” as the designs are written (inscribed) with beeswax, not painted. The designs are written on the egg using melted beeswax and a stylus, the egg is dipped in colored dye, and the …
The Big Sky Lace Guild was started in the fall of 2014 and is the only lace guild currently in Montana. The last lace guild in Montana existed in the early 1900s. Although based in Butte, the Big Sky Lace Guild is open to lace-makers statewide. The Guild became a …
The Montana International Folk Dancers join together from communities around the state to share an appreciation of the music, dance, dress, and language of traditional world cultures. Since the 1960s, their activities have always included recreational dancing, but at times have expanded to exhibition dance and musical performance. Dancers come …
LuWaana Marjamaa Johnson and Norma Pylypuw | Butte, Montana The tradition of weaving rag rugs was brought to Butte in the early 1900s by the Finnish miner families who settled in the east Butte neighborhood called “Finn Town.” Large floor looms were easily constructed, and being very frugal, the …
The Celtic Quintet brings Gaelic musical cultures from both Ireland and Scotland together with strong Iberian and Nordic influences. They play in Bozeman and the surrounding Gallatin Valley delivering ‘live’ music and a jig or two! They strive to bring community and culture together. The Celtic Quintet was organically formed …
Women’s Work Making Montana By Mary Murphy, Professor of History, Montana State University Montana women are nothing if not resourceful. Since the first encounters between indigenous peoples and white settlers, women’s work has shaped this place we call Montana. For the most part, we think of the Treasure State as …
Montana Folklife Presenter | Author, Radio Producer | Missoula, MT Beth Judy grew up in Chicago, graduated from Harvard College in 1983, and moved from Atlanta to Missoula in 1992, where she earned an MFA in Creative Writing at the University of Montana. Researching and writing her book Bold Women in Montana …
Montana Folklife Demonstrator Montana Mad Hatters | Twin Bridges, MT The story of Montana Mad Hatters began with Kirkpatrick Custom Hatters in the small town of Wisdom Montana. Sheila Kirkpatrick opened the doors in 1983, shortly after her daughter Ericka was born. That didn’t slow Sheila down one bit. She …
Montana Folklife Demonstrator Indigikitchens | Kalispell, MT Mariah Gladstone (Blackfeet, Cherokee) grew up in Northwest Montana. She graduated from Columbia University with a degree in Environmental Engineering and returned home where she developed Indigikitchen, an online cooking show dedicated to re-indigenizing diets using digital media. Indigikitchen is a portmanteau of …
Montana Folklife Demonstrator Backcountry Blacksmith Inc. | Driggs, ID Born in the Rocky Mountains and raised in the backcountry of Alaska, Alexandra Paliwoda expresses her love of the great outdoors with her hand-forged ironwork. True to its name, the Backcountry Blacksmith was forged in the remote wilds of the Wrangell-St. Elias …
