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Local Look Back: Patrick McCauley recalls bygone costume parties
Published
6 years agoon
Posted By
Outlaw PartnersBy Patrick McCauley As told to EBS staff writer Doug Hare
I moved to Big Sky from Indianapolis in 1999 thinking I would be here for a season. And here we are 20 years later. Back then Town Center east of the fire department was mostly sagebrush and tumbleweeds. There were no Firelights, no Moonlight Lodge, not much really.
In the early 2000s, I was working at the Black Bear Bar & Grill and as a concierge for the resort. There was one sheriff that patrolled the entire county: Frank Calvin. If we had a problem in the bar or a melee in the parking lot, he’d usually tell me that he was down in West Yellowstone or Bozeman and it’d be “an hour or two.” We were kind of on our own for quite a few years.
I miss the legendary costume parties of that era. It gave a chance to locals to dress up, let loose and get weird. You could get away with a lot more back then. Everything has kind of grown up. Before “Big Sky” started having kids, we were living more frivolously and carefree. You could always find a way home or a couch to crash on. We still have Snobar, Bluegrass Fest, and dirtbag festivities, but those seem more watered-down now.
I remember the “Heaven and Hell” parties in the Mountain Mall with Dante’s, now Montana Jack’s, being white and angelic with astral rave music from above and then a treacherous spiral staircase descent into Lolo’s downstairs, demonic music emanating from the depths. Just hanging out in the hallway sitting on the benches, aka “Purgatory,” seeing the sinners and saints voyage back and forth was hilarious people-watching.
The nights when even the most conservative girls dressed in fishnets in the middle of winter might have been my favorite. Anyone could dress up in a fur coat, gold chains, a cane with a dragon head for a handle and be someone completely else for a few hours. These were in the days before people could sit around and look at a cellphone. We weren’t as plugged into the outside world, so we got creative.
During superhero parties at the Black Bear, you’d see all kinds of costumes: Marvel characters, people making up their own superhero, or Keith Kuhns who now owns Scissorbills as Duffman from the Simpsons—everyone was dressed up, even the bartenders, even the respectable individuals, who were in management roles and ran the town, participated in the dressing up and a little debauchery. We all knew how to get loose.
The community being so tight-knit is what probably kept me here. I made a solid friend base. Those parties went on for years until the locals started growing up and having kids. Things seem more controlled now. We leveled out our lifestyles and don’t get after it like we used to. And the atmosphere of the places in those days is gone, probably for good. Everybody used to be in pretty much the same boat.
A lot of people have soured on the resort for their price structures and corporate mindset. You didn’t feel like you were being watched back then. The business owners used to be part of the party, now people are more concerned about their image. They didn’t used to think that way around here.
Patrick McCauley is a longtime bartender in the Big Sky area who plays a good game of golf and still cheers for his favorite Cleveland sports teams.
The Outlaw Partners is a creative marketing, media and events company based in Big Sky, Montana.
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We all are familiar with using a limited palette, but do you use one? Do you know how to use a
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We all are familiar with using a limited palette, but do you use one? Do you know how to use a limited palette to create different color combinations? Are you tired of carrying around 15-20 different tubes when you paint plein air? Have you ever wanted to create a certain “mood” in a painting but failed? Do you create a lot of mud? Do you struggle to achieve color harmony? All these problems are addressed in John’s workbook in clear and concise language!
Based on the bestselling “Limited Palatte, Unlimited Color” workbook written by John Pototschnik, the workshop is run by Maggie Shane and Annie McCoy, accomplished landscape (acrylic) and plein air (oil) artists,exhibitors at the Big Sky Artists’ Studio & Gallery and members of the Big Sky Artists Collective.
Each student will receive a copy of “Limited Palette, Unlimited Color” to keep and take home to continue your limited palette journey. We will show you how to use the color wheel and mix your own clean mixtures to successfully create a mood for your paintings.
Each day, we will create a different limited palette color chart and paint a version of a simple landscape using John’s directives. You will then be able to go home and paint more schemes using the book for guidance.
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Come join us at Cowboy Coffee as we celebrate a fun night of drinks, games, and meeting others within the community. This event is from 6-8 and all are welcome
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Come join us at Cowboy Coffee as we celebrate a fun night of drinks, games, and meeting others within the community. This event is from 6-8 and all are welcome to come, if you don’t know who to bring come alone this is a great mixer event! This is an event hosted by Big Sky OUT as we work to provide queer safe spaces throughout the community.
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(Sunday) 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
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Cowboy Coffee
25 Town Center Ave. Big Sky, MT 59716