Lead donors Kristin and Kelly Kern reflect on new community asset
By Jack Reaney SENIOR EDITOR
On Wednesday evening, Oct. 15, the Big Sky Owners Association held a ribbon cutting ceremony for the Huntley-Kern Pond. Years in the making, the project offers community beautification, recreation and environmental benefits.
The pond will be open to the public from May 15 to Oct. 15, meaning Wednesday’s ribbon cutting took place on a symbolic closing evening. Mid-October weather joined in the celebration: a firm and cold rain shower followed by a dramatic breakthrough of sunlight. Attendees huddled under a small tent for a few brief toasts, and enjoyed a stroll around the new community pond.
“I couldn’t be happier,” said Kristin Kern, a lead donor and niece of Big Sky trailblazer Chet Huntley, whom she elected to name the pond after alongside her late husband Frank Kern.
BSOA board members Clay Lorinsky and Stacie Ossorio approached Kern in 2024, offering naming rights in exchange for her “significant” financial contribution that helped BSOA finish the pond’s primary phases.
“I was honored to be asked, and Kelly and I just thought it was so exciting that we could incorporate two wonderful men from our family that we’d like to pass on a little bit of their legacy,” she told EBS.
Attendees huddle under a small tent for acknowledgements from project leaders. 
Attendees took a stroll around the pond. 
The project restores continuous flow of the Middle Fork of the West Fork Gallatin River. 
Kristin Kern offers a toast. 
Left to right: Kelly and Kristin Kern, Stacy and Eric Ossorio. 
Clay Lorinsky congratulates Kelly Kern.
Kristin’s daughter, Kelly Kern, acknowledged how many people have worked to make the project possible, and how rewarding it feels to have a personal connection at the end of it.
“Very exciting, and it truly feels like such an honor to be a part of it,” Kelly told EBS.
Kelly said the project honors her father, Frank, by creating a sense of permanence to recognize his love for the Big Sky community, and the way he nurtured it during his time.
“It is really special to have my dad’s name is on it, because I think my dad loved Big Sky so much… and he absolutely loved the story of Big Sky, and that Chet Huntley lived such a big life, and was such a visionary. [Frank] had so much respect for that.”
BSOA Executive Director Holly Coltea said the project represents the love and care that locals bring to their lives and to the Big Sky community.
“Everyone genuinely cares, and they have just loved doing this as a team. I feel like people in Big Sky are the A-team… To be able to come together as a team and execute this vision, that truly was the founder of Big Sky’s vision … is just beyond gratifying, and so special. It just reaffirms to me, the specialness of Big Sky and how unique it is,” Coltea told EBS after the ribbon cutting.
BSOA is still fundraising as the planned beautification and recreation assets continue to evolve.
“We did a big, big lift to get it to where it is right now,” Coltea said.
In the short term, the pond will feature benches, picnic tables and Adirondack chairs. Users can bring their own paddleboards or kayaks, or use the beach space to gather with friends.
While the status of the pond for swimming was unclear this summer, Coltea encouraged the public to jump in when the pond opens on May 15, 2026.
“We will be doing regular water testing… It will be open and ready to recreate next summer,” Coltea said.
Depending on fundraising, BSOA hopes to eventually construct a second beach and a pavilion—possibly with an observation deck.
“But all that takes money, and right now we are still in the visioning stage,” Coltea said. “If there is anyone out there who continues to want to have a mark on this pond, we will of course be offering named donation spots for those people.”
Community members can email holly@bigskyoa.org for more information.
Having taken a big swing at the project herself, Kristin encouraged the public to consider donating.
Kelly said she’s excited to bring out her paddle board, and recently learned from some “Moosers,” — coworkers at the Hungry Moose Market and Deli — that the pond is perfect for small-scale sailboats. Kern is a manager and co-owner of the Hungry Moose with Kristin.
“And I’m really excited to come over here after the Mooseketeers win their softball games,” Kern said, referencing the Big Sky Community Park right across the street.
Under shelter from cold October rain, photographer Jennifer O’Connor gifted the Kerns a commemorative print of the pond. Kristin found it exciting and heartwarming for the community to gather around a substantially completed project, and emphasized the importance of public gathering spaces on the north side of Montana Highway 64 (Lone Mountain Trail), which Kern pointed out is the original part of Big Sky.
“We’ve got a water feature now, and the other side of town doesn’t,” she told EBS. “… I’m just so glad to have this over here.”
