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Residents and visitors enjoyed a rainy, sunny, and fun summer afternoon and evening at an amazing venue with great food and drink, and activities for all. With sponsorship support from local businesses and private donors, the Rotary Great Bear Festival raised funds for local and global charitable projects. Your Flathead Valley Rotary Clubs were excited to present the 8th annual festival at our new outdoor venue, the Wachholz Center at Flathead Valley Community College on August 16th. This new venue allowed us to grow the event in a beautiful setting and provide ample, easy access parking. We re-imagined the Great Bear Festival together with our community and grew it to new heights, making it more family-friendly and affordable! This incredible opportunity focused on celebrating local culture, music, food, drink, and fun. It brought our community together with interactive activities for all ages.The Flathead business community is known for its generosity to local causes. Rotary’s mission is Service Above Self. Together, we make a difference! To inquire about sponsorship opportunities for 2026, email kalispellnoonrotary@gmail.com.
Raise a glass to raise a community
Thank you to our Title Sponsor, TOYOTA, for their continued support
And many thanks to all our sponsors who made this event a success and are giving back so much to our community:
The Red Lion - Grizzly Bear Sponsor 
Brown Bear Sponsors Equipment Share Flathead Beacon Insty-Prints Whitefish Credit Union  |  Black Bear Sponsors Edward Jones Envoy Mortgage Flathead Electric Cooperative Glacier Bank Glacier Investment Management Harmon Crane HEGY CFO Services House of S&M Hungry Horse Liquor Store Jim Oliverson Lucy Smith Signs Now Sportsman Ski Haus Three Rivers Bank of Montana VMarie Payment Solutions Whitefish Financial Services | Cub Sponsors Crowley Fleck Attorneys First Montana Bank Ice Chest Express LC Staffing Norm's News Princess & Buck Timberline Wood Floors Watkins Distributing  |  Gummi Bear Sponsors Glacier Insurance Strategies Insured Titles Valley Bank Honorable Mention Richard Ramos |
"Greetings from 221 girls who walked as many as 12 miles each way in 104° on Saturday to attend our workshop . Every day has been full and very productive! Sarah and I are so grateful to District 5390 for supporting our outreach!" - Lucy
he Rotary Club of Kalispell and Partners formed the Sustainable Global Coalition which is currently working on the La Vega Water Project. We built strong partnerships with the community of La Vega, Guatemala, the Rotary Club of Mazatenango, Fundazucar and Engineers without Borders. The goal is to secure a safe and reliable water source for 1,340 adults and children. This project was funded through Rotary Global Grants, donors, and in-kind contributions from the communities in the form of local labor, local funding, and local leadership. Most of the shallow wells currently in use are contaminated. By providing clean and accessible water, this project will assist this community to grow and sustain a healthy environment. Together, we can change lives for the better.
WHAT IS A Tippy Tap? A light-hearted name for simple devices that significantly reduce the spread of deadly diseases. It’s a simple hands-free device for handwashing in areas without running water. A container up to 5 liters fitted with a plastic syringe to “tap” a small flow of water. Soap is hung from the water container, and dirty water is captured for disposal in a basin below. A group of concerned Guatemalan citizens “Los Buenos Vecinos” (The Good Neighbors) are improving the health of their communities by making and installing Tippy Taps - practical, affordable, sustainable handwash stations - and teaching WASH (water, sanitation, hygiene) protocols.
Service Above Self
Kalispell, MT 59901
United States of America