When my wife and I were recently blessed with the arrival of our baby, we witnessed some amazing acts of kindness. The numerous notes and gifts, offers of assistance, thoughtful advice, and amazing home-cooked dishes evoked the saying “It Takes a Village.” This African proverb means that a child’s upbringing is a communal effort involving many different people and groups interacting so those children grow in a safe and healthy environment.
Imagine applying the same principle on a larger scale to our community. What could be achieved with all citizens working together?
The Big Sky community has achieved some exciting milestones in 2023. A new tram was opened, 50 years at the resort was celebrated with robust media coverage, incredible events highlighted by Foo Fighters occurred, an upgraded sewage treatment that now makes snow was developed, a thriving non-profit community grew, local high school students were admitted to prestigious colleges, new businesses opened, and a bustling real estate market continued. Yet, so much more can be accomplished.
My Top Five Wishes for Big Sky in 2024:
- Keep it wild. We make a dominant shift to making “wilderness” a priority and work diligently on projects like clean water, animal migration corridor crossings and protection of the spaces that will not be further developed. Time is of the essence and future generations will thank us. We have an opportunity to create a legacy of preserving nature–the very thing that brought us all here.
- A town for all. We must make sure no one is left behind. In a community with so much wealth, we still have a food bank with long lines and a jarring affordable housing issue. Big Sky must be a community with open doors for all who want to live and work here. With a wide array of families and individuals, we will be so much more than a resort; we will be a community. Along with physical needs, it is vitally important to address mental health and substance abuse issues as well.
- Get involved! Without an organized government, it is imperative that you get involved in helping shape the future of Big Sky. Contribute your time, join a board, share your opinions and ideas, or open your checkbook. All are urgently needed.
- Support local merchants. Labor issues, expensive rents, and inconsistent customer flow all make owning and operating a business in Big Sky difficult. Please encourage the growth of local businesses by your patronage. Our local businesses need to grow and become strong enough to remain open and create dependable services for locals and visitors alike. Fewer Amazon deliveries in exchange for shopping local will help a local operator thrive.
- Determine our DNA. We are blessed to have an incredible mountain in the shadow of Yellowstone Park. But what will be the next layer we curate together? Do events like Big Sky PBR, Wildlands Music Festival, and Music in the Mountains become an incubator for more amazing events? Do races like The Rut and The Big Sky Biggie attract more athletic events? Does our culinary and arts scene take hold and flourish? Does Friday night lights become a bigger tradition at the high school? We must all plan together to create a unique identity for our town.
Twenty-five years ago I was introduced to Big Sky via my dear friend and mentor Warren Miller. Warren was so excited to see a new ski town being born that he encouraged me to move to Montana and share in the experience of Big Sky. Warren was always a fan of the underdog, the ski bum, the entrepreneur, the artist, the musician, the lively lift op and the hard-working bus driver. Warren encouraged me to help find and tell the story of Big Sky, hence this newspaper. Warren would have worked tirelessly to find sustainable solutions to issues like affordable housing and the care of a watershed like the Gallatin. Warren valued the idea of taking care of each other and nature.
As a community, state, and country my strong hope is that we can all embrace the message of “It Takes a Village” and weave it into our daily lives. Imagine a place where the village mentality existed every day, not just saved for welcoming new babies into the world. Helping to create an amazing place to live is not someone else’s responsibility. It is the responsibility of all of us.
Wishing you all a Happy New Year. Thank you for all your support of the Outlaw companies. And cheers to us all acting like “Villagers” more.
Grateful,
Eric Ladd
Publisher and CEO of Outlaw Partners
