Join in the fun at the 21st Annual Lewis & Clark Festival!  What better way to entertain the kids this summer.  This weekend long celebration features fun and interesting events and activities designed to keep the whole family happy!

The Lewis & Clark Festival is one of the most anticipated yearly events in Great Falls.  This annual commemoration of the Lewis and Clark Expedition features a number of different activities, many of which are FREE!

Of course, the Festival features Fun, FREE, Lewis & Clark Historical Events and activities, but there is so much more than that!  There is a kids daycamp, botanical walks, music, Native American dancing and foods, an Indian Art Exhitit and sale, as well as a traditional arts and crafts show and sale!  

Looking for something more exciting?  Consider a Missouri River Adventure Float, the Orienteering Adventure Course, Snakes Alive! or the Festival Fun Run.  Details for all these events are listed below.  

This is a great opportunity for you and your family to relive the adventure Lewis and Clark found here in Great Falls in 1806.  The Festival will be located at various venues in Great Falls, including the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center and Giant Springs State

FREE Lewis & Clark Encampment and historical Demonstrations: 

Each day of the festival starts with a BANG!  The smells of a black powder salute and the echos across the Missouri
River canyon as the Lewis and Clark Honor Guard gets the day off with a cannon salute!

Then, the story unfolds through the words of Lewis and Clark themselves as we journey through the pages of their daily journals.  History comes alive as reenactors in historic dress give insight into daily life in a recreation Lewis and Clark encampment.  This is a HANDS ON EXHIBIT, perfect for sparking interest in Lewis and Clark History.  Kids are recruited to join the "Lewis and Clark Honor Guard".  They'll work on their pioneer camping skills like trying to start fire with flint and steel, write with a quill pen,  hand roll candy,  make and bake a dough dumpling, touch and feel the hides of local fauna... so much interactive history, your child won't realize how much they're learning!  With the campfire smoke in the air, and the taste the foods the Expedition ate still on their tounge, they'll really get a sense of "being there"  Have your child bring a trade good and hone your bartering skills with a seasoned trader. Discover if you have what it takes to be an explorer. 

And don't miss our celebration of our Native American heritage!  You'll find authentic dancing by the Two Medicine Lake Singers and Dancers, an Indian Art Exhitit and sale, and delicious traditional foods

Entertainment and Events:

In addition to the Fun, Free, Lewis and Clark Demonstrations and Activities, there are a number of other Exciting weekend Events that you won't want to miss.

• Missouri River Adventure Float - Enjoy an exhilarating float from Morony Dam to Carter’s Ferry; see historic lower portage camp (Details for Full Day and Half Day Excursion are below)
• Make sure you plan to attend the fantastic outdoor concert on the banks of the Missouri River! The Mission Mountain Wood Band is performing for the first time here in Great Falls, Friday, June 25th at the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center.  This promises to be a wonderful evening and is expected to sell out.   Tickets cost $20 in advance and $25 at the door. The concert gates open at 5:00 p.m. and concert begins at 7:00 p.m. (More details Listed Below)
• The Outdoor Art Gala will feature Local Artists painting along the banks of the Missouri River.  The Outdoor Art Gala also will feature a sumptuous dinner, live and silent auctions and a lively Quick Draw.

Schedule of Daily Events - FREE Events in GREEN

Friday, June 25

Missouri River Adventure Float
Departing from the Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center  8:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.

16 miles of breathtaking scenery from your front row seat in a Missouri River Raft with Craig Madsen’s Montana River Outfitters. Enjoy an exhilarating full day float from Morony Dam to Carter’s Ferry; see historic lower portage camp; take a ¼ mile hike to the healing waters of Sulphur Spring; and soak up the sun and saga with local historian Don Peterson. Your trip . Return to Great Falls by 5:30 p.m.

Cost of the Adventure is $105 per person and includes a riverside picnic lunch.  Advanced registration required by June 18; thereafter based on availability.

Children’s Discovery Camp

Send your child on their own adventure to explore nature’s prairie and the Missouri River shoreline. Turn your child onto the beauty and technology of the natural world. Campers will explore nature through their own lens, create crafts, run footraces, and map their small world. Camp T-shirt, beverage/snack provided.

Camps are limited to 30 campers, so register early - because every child deserves an adventure!

• Session 1 – 9:00 a.m.–12 noon……….....Grades 1 - 3
• Session 2 – 1:00 p.m.– 4:00 p.m.………..Grades 4 - 6

The cost of the program is $20.00 per child (some scholarships available) and takes place at the Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center

Register by calling the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Association (406) 452-5661. Registration required by June 18, 2010, thereafter based on availability.

Festival Opening Ceremony

Savor the sounds and smells of a black powder salute reverberating across the Missouri River canyon. Join the Lewis and Clark Honor Guard and the Great Falls City Mayor in a short ceremony above the mighty Missouri River and open the 21st annual Lewis and Clark Festival with a BANG!

12:00 noon at the Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center Outdoor Amphitheater - FREE

Mission Mountain Wood Band Concert Revival

High-energy and harmonies are the hallmarks of the Mission Mountain Wood Band.  Enjoy their first concert in Grat Falls at an outdoor concert against a breathtaking Missouri River backdrop.  Bring a lawn chair and come early to take your place outdoors under a Montana Big Sky sunset. Show goes on rain or shine, so dress for the weather!

Concessions available from 5:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. (Beer and wine available with ID).  No coolers or outside beverages permitted.

Tickets are $20 in advance; $25 day of event  All proceeds benefit the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center operations.  The concert will take place outside the Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center - 7:00 p.m., gates open at 5:00 p.m.

Saturday, June 26

Birding with the Best

Rise and shine with the birds for a guided walk with Missouri River Audubon members.  See both neo-tropical migrating birds, as well as yearround birds of the Missouri River corridor and prairie. Learn the nesting and roosting habits of these stunning creatures.  Wear comfortable shoes and bring your binoculars. Limited binoculars provided.

Meet at Giant Springs State Park at 6:30 a.m. - FREE

Festival Fun Run (8 km and 1 mile)

The run starts at 8:00 a.m. at the bridge in Upper Heritage Park.  Run along the River’s Edge Trail and Lewis and
Clark Nature Walk. Registration by calling 590-1094 or on the morning of the race. Participants receive t-shirt. Proceeds benefit Recreation Trails Inc., the Great Falls High School Cross Country team and the Great Falls Food Bank.

$12.00/person in advance and $14.00 the morning of the event
$10.00/person for family of four or more

Departing from the Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center  8:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.

Experience the ultimate half-day float trip along 8 miles of tranquil, picturesque Missouri River. Enjoy historian Don Peterson’s account of the local history while traveling to the launch site and while floating the waters from Mid Canon to Prewitt Creek. Keep your eyes open for deer, muskrat, mink, and otters along the riverbank. Beverage, equipment and transportation provided by Craig Madsen’s Montana River Outfitters. Return to Great Falls in time to catch a late lunch.

The cost of the 1/2 day Adventure is $64 -  Advanced registration required by June 18; thereafter based on availability.

Lewis & Clark Authentic Encampment

Roll up your sleeves; you’re in the army now! Join the Lewis and Clark Honor Guard and start fire with flint and steel; write with a quill pen; roll a candy "cartridge;” make and bake a dough dumpling; touch and feel the hides of local fauna; try your hand at sign language. Learn how the canvas tipi changed a way of life on the plains or what a barber and a doctor have in common. Bring a trade good and hone your bartering skills with a seasoned trader. Discover if you have what it takes to be an explorer. Careful, you might get drafted!

From the Flag raising and black powder salute at 10:00 a.m. to the Retiring the Colors with black powder salute at 5:00 p.m. FREE at the Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center

10:00 a.m. – 9:00 p.m. in Booths in the Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center - FREE

Native American Art Show and Sale

Add to your fine art collection with a piece created by an enrolled member of a western Indian tribe. Browse the array of booths for that perfect painting, sculpture, jewelry item, or traditional regalia apparel to take home. This show is sponsored in partnership with the Great Falls Native American Art Association.

10:00 a.m. – 9:00 p.m. in Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center lobby - Free Admission

Orienteering Adventure Course

This is one of the MOST FUN EVENTS of the entire weekend!  Bring your compass or GPS and navigate your way to several historic sites along the Missouri River. This un-timed fun event will cover approximately 3 miles in length. Test your navigational skills and learn something along the way! Maps provided.

11:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.  Starting from the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center - FREE

Snakes Alive!

Do snakes make your skin crawl? Get over it by learning about these elusive reptiles
and their habits. Experienced snake handler-owner, Jeff Monheim provides an
opportunity for visitors to learn about harmless garter snakes and those not-so harmless.
See snakes in the flesh…or is that your flesh crawling?

Noon and 4:00 p.m. at the Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center theater - FREE

Two Medicine Lake Singers and Dancers

Experience traditional dancing and drumming with award-winning performers and narrated by members of the Blackfeet Tribe. Learn the fancy dance, grass dance, chicken dance, jingle dance, and traditional dance. Be part of the final dance – share in the culture, all join hands for the circle dance!

2:00 p.m. & repeated at 8:00 p.m. at the Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center -  FREE

Native Foods

Plan lunch or an afternoon snack - fry bread, and Indian Tacos are a specialty; and all proceeds go to the GFPS Children’s Health and Wellness Powwow. Sponsored by the GFPS Indian Education Program Parent Advisory Committee.

11:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m. Priced by the meal Outside the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center

Captain’s Mess

Plan lunch or just refresh yourself with a cold drink. Oh, what the Expedition would have given for a mid-day snack!

11:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m. - Prices vary with your palate!  At the Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center

River’s Edge Trail Luminary Walk

The Luminary Walk has returned! Load up the strollers and children and follow the luminaries along the River’s Edge Trail for an evening of sunsets and entertainment. 

• At the Interpretive Center, swap stories with the Lewis and Clark Honor Guard from 6:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. as they eat dinner around their campfire.
• At 8:00 p.m. enjoy the Two Medicine Lake Singers and Dancers performing in the outdoor amphitheater.

Let nature illuminate the way with a little help from a candle!

6:00 p.m. – 11:00 p.m. ath the River’s Edge Trail - FREE

Sunday, June 27

Add to your fine art collection with a piece created by an enrolled member of a western Indian tribe. Browse the array of booths for that perfect painting, sculpture, jewelry item, or traditional regalia apparel to take home. This show is sponsored in partnership with the Great Falls Native American Art Association.

10:00 a.m. – 9:00 p.m. in Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center lobby - Free Admission

Master Crafters Marketplace

Learn techniques from a master! Watch Montana’s Master Crafters at work as they demonstrate quilt making, spinning and weaving, blacksmithing, woodworking, and much more. Take home a handcrafted memento of the Festival made by one of the Governor’s chosen elite, a Montana Master Crafter.
10:00 a.m. – 9:00 p.m. in Booths in the Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center - FREE

Lewis & Clark Festival will be located at various venues in Great Falls, including the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center and Giant Springs State

For additional information about the 2010 Lewis and Clark Festival, please call the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center at 406-727-8733 or 406-452-5661 Or by email at: exec@lewisclarkia.com

The 21st Annual Lewis & Clark Festival
Friday, June 25, 2010 - Sunday, June 27, 2010
Great Falls, Montana