Ronan Harvest Fest ready to celebrate season
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RONAN — Montanans know how to embrace the welcome burst of spring color, the sunshine of a short summer, and golden glow of fall before the arduous winter settles in for the long haul.
So, with the smell of autumn in the air, there’s one more chance for an outdoor gathering before bundling up for the freeze — the Ronan Harvest Fest.
Harvest Fest will be held Saturday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. outside the Ronan Chamber of Commerce Visitor’s Center on the east side of Highway 93.
Now in its sixth year, the festival unites the community with clever hay bale sculptures, children’s activities, homegrown vegetables for sale at the final farmers market, and tempting comfort food.
“It’s a family, fun-filled event,” said Ronna Walchuk, one of the event organizers. “The kids love the pumpkin bowling.”
In addition to using the orange gourds to knock pins to the ground, children can ride the blue-barrel train, visit animals in the petting zoo and enjoy the balloon artist’s handiwork.
And who knows chili better than locals, who can sample and vote for the tastiest concoction from a bevy of cooks.
New this year will be a menu of foods — including fry bread, tri-tip, curly spuds and deep fried Oreos — offered by the Ronan Beautification Committee to raise funds in an effort to improve the corner of Main and Third Avenue.
The property once was home to Moody’s Husky gas station, but was purchased by Don Bilile in the late 1980s and willed to the City of Ronan.The corner currently boasts one lone tree and the first house ever built in Ronan, according to Walchuk.
With the blessing of the city council, the committee has plans to level the deteriorating building, exposing the side of the brick building to the east that will serve as a canvas for a painted mural.
Eventually there will be grass, shade trees and picnic tables to provide a welcoming haven for relaxation in the summer and improve the ambiance of Main Street.
The beautification committee works year-round to make Main Street enticing with summertime wooden barrels and hanging flower baskets, and Christmas trees and sparkling lights in winter.
Now, just in time for the Harvest Fest, the committee will be tying Bob Bell’s 14-foot cornstalks around light poles throughout downtown, where some of the 27 straw bale decorations reside. The rest of the round bales can be found mostly along Highway 93. There are also three scarecrow entries.
Voting ballots will be available at the Harvest Fest.
“There’s no theme at all,” Walchuk said. “We just want your creative ideas to shine.”
The contest has started to entice Missoula and Kalispell folks, too, according to Walchuk.
“I’m just hoping this community comes out in droves,” Walchuk said. “We need one more big community effort because I think we are just going into another six months of winter.”
