Lincoln looking forward to full slate of summer events

Lincoln is set to have a banner summer, with events and activities scheduled most weekends through the end of August.

Memorial Day weekend set the tone for the summer, with back-to-back ATV events on Saturday and Sunday. Other organizations and non-profits have their own events scheduled throughout the summer, making up for the string of cancellations that defined last year.

The annual Community Spring Rummage Sale is this weekend, June 19 and 20, with more than 20 sales on the map. Maps will be available at Rusty Relics, D&D and Mountain View Coop starting on June 17.

Sculpture in the Wild has Saturday night music offerings scheduled in the Teepee Burner throughout the summer, with Erik "Fingers" Ray kicking things off with Honky Tonk and blues June 26 at 7 p.m. followed by Missoula musician John Floridis who is booked for July 3 at 7 p.m.

The Independence Day Parade, Rodeo, and 4th of July Fireworks Display are ramping up for a full weekend of activities. The parade is set to take place July 3, beginning at 11 a.m. The parade route will begin on the corner of 1st Ave. and Highway 200 and will travel east through town, before ending at Sucker Creek Rd.

The 69th Annual Lincoln Rodeo, sponsored by the Lincoln Rodeo Club, starts at 1 p.m., July 3 and 4 at the Lincoln Rodeo Grounds west of town.

The annual Independence Day Fireworks Display put on by the Lincoln Valley Chamber of Commerce is slated to finish out the weekend, beginning at dusk July 4. Visitors are welcome to view the show from Hooper Park and set off their own fireworks in the ballfields. Help with cleanup the following morning is also welcome.

The Lincoln Bike Rally, hosted by the Tenacious Dames Riding Club, is on tap the following weekend, July 9-11, with a concert by Hell's Belles set to kick off the rally Friday night at 7 p.m. Tickets for the concert are available online through Eventbrite, and registration for the rally will be held at the Lincoln Community Hall.

The third weekend in July is expected to bring more than 40 vendors to town for the annual Flea Market held in Hooper Park from July 16-18* (corrected date). Social distancing practices will be encouraged, as well as masks for those not vaccinated.

July in Lincoln will finish out strong with the Lincoln Airport Community Open House Fly-In and BBQ Potluck. The open house is scheduled for July 24, from 10 a.m.-3 p.m., with the potluck planned from 11 a.m.-1 p.m.

Three traditional Lincoln events are slated to return to town in August. The Lincoln Art and Music Festival is a free, family-friendly event scheduled for Aug. 14 and 15 at Hooper Park. The festival promises Montana artists, live music, food, beverages and more.

Offered in coordination with the festival is the Lewis and Clark Pass hike, which provides two options: a four-mile out and back hike or an 11-mile loop. Both will begin at the same time at the Alice Creek Trailhead, using Trail #493. Two miles in, at the top of the Lewis and Clark Pass, a presentation on the area's history will be offered, before the hikes resume.

The 38th Annual Bob Purdy Memorial Softball Tournament is scheduled for Aug. 21 and 22. Games start at 8 a.m. both days. The event is organized by the Wheel Inn Tavern to raise money for Lincoln Public School seniors.

This same weekend the Upper Blackfoot Valley Historical Society's Heritage Day returns to Lincoln Aug. 21 with a fashion show and a variety of family-friendly activities.

Sculpture in the Wild wraps up the summer season with the return of their Artist-in-Residence program in September featuring artists Bently Spang and Michael Brolly, and emerging artist Beth Korth as well as a poetry event with Montana Poet Laureates Melissa Kwasny and Mandy Smoker Broaddus.

In addition, there are plenty of weekly events scheduled through the summer, including the Farmers Market, held Fridays from 4-7 p.m. at Vallers Heritage House, as well as storytimes on the Lincoln Library patio on Fridays at 11 a.m.