Here’s a quick guide to some arts events happening around Missoula in the weeks ahead.
Missoula Renaissance Festival
(Saturday-Sunday, Sept. 20-21)
The fair’s over, but ren faire season has just begun at the Missoula County Fairgrounds with this weekend’s first-ever Missoula Renaissance Festival.
According to Missoularenfest.com, the offerings include the foam combat spectacle of Sunz of Odin, a Billings troupe; a comedic magic show called “Horned and Hilarious” by Jenevy the Tiefling; horseback jousting by Order of Epona of Fort Collins, Colorado, plus ventriloquists, belly dancers and all kind of vendors of both food, drinks and crafts.
Details: Missoula County Fairgrounds. Saturday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m., Sunday 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Go to missoularenfest.com for more information. Tickets are $18 Saturday in advance and $17 on Sunday. Parking is extra.
Mini-golf for art’s sake
(Sunday, Sept. 21)
In a city that’s home to many nonprofits and many fundraisers, standing out can be tricky. And yet, it’s not entirely likely that you’d played nine rounds of mini golf on courses custom-designed by artists.
That’s the plan for the “Open AIR Open” at Fort Missoula, a fundraiser for a local artist residency program. The nonprofit pairs artists with sites and organizations around western Montana, where they have time and resources to develop new projects and ideas. The hosts include the University of Montana’s Flathead Lake Biological Station, Home ReSource and more.
Another recent example is the Clark Fork Coalition’s property outside Warm Springs, where ceramic sculptor Lane Chapman and painter Eric Jensen made work addressing the environmental fallout of the area’s mining history.
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The artists include Amanda Krolczyk of Plaid Beaver Co., who makes mountain “paintings” from reused wood; Casey Schachner, a UM MFA graduate who has a piece in Blackfoot Pathways; Sculpture in the Wild; a collaboration between Lauren Norby and Caitlin Hofmeister, who work in film, video and other media.
Besides the golfing, there will be a silent auction including services and gift packages from local businesses, food trucks, live music, and children’s activities such as a kids’ course, bounce house and face painting.
Details: 10 a.m.-8 p.m., Iris Garden at Fort Missoula. Go to openairmt.org/golfartists to sign up for a tee time. It’s free.
Get lost a corn maze at fall fest
(Sept. 19-Oct. 26)
A property just outside out of town, Grass Valley Farms, has been converted into full autumn mode for the Missoula Fall Festival. The attractions include a 10-acre corn maze, plus a haybale maze, a giant slide, hayrides, a pumpkin patch, kids’ zone and more.
The site will also be the new home to Missoula Haunted House, which runs from Oct. 3-Oct. 25. It was previously based at the Missoula County Fairgrounds.
The whole event is put on by Roothead Studios.
Details: Grass Valley Farms, 5280 Deschamps Lane. Fridays 5 p.m.-10 p.m., Saturdays 12 p.m.-10 p.m., and Sundays 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Tickets vary by the attraction, head to missoulafallfest.com.
In brief
Lost Canyons at the Top Hat: The Bozeman act, who work on the more laid-back side of indie guitar rock, won a “battle of the bands” contest for a local slot at the first Zootown Music Festival last year. You can hear their self-titled debut album at lostcanyons.bandcamp.com. They’re stopping back through town for a free concert on Friday, Sept. 19, at 10:15 p.m., 21 and up.
Prehistoric hip-hop: If “Jurassic Park” can continue producing sequels, why not a reunion from Mesozoic Mafia, a dinosaur-themed hip-hop group? They’ll play their first show since 2017 at Free Cycles on Saturday, Sept. 20. Doors at 6:30 p.m., special guests at 7 p.m. and the reptilian funk commences from 8-10 p.m. All ages, $10 at the door.
A public lands documentary: “Out There: A National Parks Story,” a new documentary about a 10,000-mile road trip through America’s open spaces, is on a screening tour of its own. Director Brendan Hall and special guest Jack Gladstone will be on hand for a showing at 7 p.m. Monday, Sept. 22, in the Roxy Theater. If you’re booked up that night, it’s also playing on Tuesday, Sept. 23, at 7 p.m. at Xplorer Maps, with a Q&A with Hall and guest Jack Gladstone. For tickets to that one, go to cartographycomesalive.com. They run $10 for adults, $9 for students/military and $7 for kids.
Cory Walsh is the arts and entertainment reporter for the Missoulian.
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Cory Walsh
Arts and Entertainment Reporter
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