BIG SKY—On April 19, the community of Big Sky celebrated the
originally scheduled Big Sky Resort closing day in a creative way. The annual staple
event, pond skim, did not occur, nor were there spring turns on the sunny south
face of Lone Mountain—but a party was had, nonetheless.
A brigade of colorfully decorated cars—a rough count
estimated upwards of 200—filled with people clothed in their finest costumes snaked
through Town Center and up the mountain in a vibrant show of resilience and
community spirit. Aptly dubbed the Big Sky CAREavan, the event was a heartfelt
hour of connection.
From dirtbag royalty regalia to fuzzy animal families, CAREavan participants showed up decked out in their best closing day outfits.
The parade moved to a playlist, curated by Arts Council of
Big Sky Executive Director Brian Hurlbut and broadcasted in each vehicle via
The Eagle 104.7 FM radio station. Between jovial songs like the Beastie Boys’
“(You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (To Party!),” familiar local voices came
across the radio waves to address the community on behalf of businesses and
organizations, encouraging people to donate to Big Sky Relief. A Big Sky Relief
fundraising goal has been set in accordance with the Big Sky CAREavan of
$11,166, symbolic of the elevation of Lone Mountain.
The Big Sky CAREavan paraded from Town Center to Big Sky Resort while playing a broadcast of local voices and lively music.
As families and friends followed one another up the winding
road, spectators watched from pullouts, waving and blowing kisses. The parade
made a detour through the parking lot of the Bozeman Health Big Sky Medical
Center, where an eruption of cheers and honking serenaded health care workers
standing in the parking lot.
Up at Big Sky Resort, cars filtered through a makeshift
photo booth, where photographer Kirby Grubaugh captured sweet and silly
moments. A donation of $25 is suggested to obtain Grubaugh’s photos from the
Big Sky Relief website.
“It blew my mind how much energy people put into decorating
their cars and getting dressed up,” said Tallie Lancey, the event’s organizer. “I
was completely overwhelmed with positivity at the beginning of the parade
watching so many smiling families listening to the radio.”
The parade was a line of cars, trucks, fire engines and less conventional vehicles.
Lancey is now hoping other community members will work on
bringing creative community celebrations to fruition. “All it takes is a little
bit of vision and a lot of gumption,” she remarked.
To cap off the excitement, participants were encouraged to
return to their homes and tune into local musician Brian Stumpf’s weekly live
show “Stumpy Sundays.” Despite the economic and cultural disappointment of Big
Sky Resort’s early closure, the Big Sky CAREavan unified a community in
celebration. It was a display of fight—the fight for the right to party.