Experience 16 miles of breathtaking scenery from your front row seat in a Missouri River Raft with Craig Madsen's Montana River Outfitters. Enjoy an exhilirating float from Morony Dam to Carter Ferry; see historic lower portage camp; take a 1/4 mile hike to the healing waters of Sulphur Spring; and soak up the sun and saga with local historian Don Peterson. Your trip includes a riverside picnic lunch. Return to Great Falls by 5:30pm.

Advanced registration required by June 18; thereafter based on availability.

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 per session, so register early-because every child deserves an adventure! Register by calling the Lewis & Clark Intepretive Association (406) 452-5661.

Registration required by June 18, thereafter based on availability.

12:00noon: 21st Annual Festival Opening Ceremony (Free) Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center

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

7:00pm: Mission Mountain Wood Band Concert Revival Outdoors at the Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center

$20 in advance; $25 day of concert; tickets available from Lewis & Clark Interpretive Association 406-452-5661.

Re-live the high-energy and harmonies of the Mission Mountain Wood Band at an ourdoor concert against a breathtaking Missouri River backdrop. Whether reliving Aber Day Kegger memories or making new ones, this evening is sure to entertain. 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 appropriately.

Gates open at 5pm. Concessions available from 5:00pm-9:00pm (Beer and wine available with ID) No coolers or outside beverages permitted. All proceeds benefit the Lewis & Clark Intepretive Center programming.

5:00pm-9:00pm: Captain's Mess (Prices vary with your palate) Interpretive Center

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

5:00pm-9:00pm: Native Foods sponsored by the Great Falls Indian Education Parent Advisory Committee (price varies with your palate) Interpretive Center

Plan lunch or an afternoon snack while visiting the Festival! Traditional foods, fry bread, and Indian Tacos are a speciality; and all proceeds go to the Children's Health and Wellness Powwow.

Saturday, June 26th

6:30am-8:30am: Birding with the Best (Free) Meet at Giant Springs State Park

Rise and shine with the birds for a guided walk with Missouri River Audubon members, Arla Eckert and Nora Gray. See both neo-tropical migrating birds, as well as year-round birds of the Missouri River corridor and prairie. Learn the nesting and roosting habits of these stunning creatures. Remember, the early bird DOES get the worm. Wear comfortable shoes and bring your binoculars. Limited binoculars provided.

8:00am start time: Festival Fun Run Upper Heritage Park

$12/person in advance; $14/person the morning of the event; $10/person for family of four or more

Start your day with a brisk walk or fun run along the River's Edge Trail and Lewis & Clark Nature Walk. Registration by calling (406) 590-1094 or on the morning of the race. Participants receive t-shirt. Proceeds benefit Reacreation Trails Inc., the Great Falls High School Cross Country team and the Great Falls Food Bank.

8:00am-1:00pm: Missouri River Canyon Float ($64) Depart from Interpretive Center

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.

Advanced registration required by June 18; thereafter based on availability.

10:00am-5:00pm: Lewis & Clark Encampment (Free) Interpretive Center

Roll up your sleeves; you're in the army now! Join the Lewis & 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!

Flag raising with Black Powder Salute at 10:00am

Retiring of the Colors with Black Powder Salute at 5:00pm

11:00am-8:00pm: Captain's Mess (Prices vary with your palate) Interpretive Center

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

11:00am-8:00pm: Native Foods sponsored by the Great Falls Indian Education Parent Advisory Committee (price varies with your palate) Interpretive Center

Plan lunch or an afternoon snack while visiting the Festival! Traditional foods, fry bread, and Indian Tacos are a speciality; and all proceeds go to the Children's Health and Wellness Powwow.

10:00am-9:00pm: Master Crafters Marketplace (Free admission) Interpretive Center

Learn techniques from a master! Watch crafters at work as they demonstrate quilt making, spinning and weaving, blacksmithing, woodworking, and much more. Take home a handcrafted memento of the Festival.

10:00am-9:00pm: Native American Art Show and Sale (Free admission) Interpretive Center lobby

Add to your fine art collectionwith 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.

11:00am-3:00pm: Orienteering Adventure Course (Free) Start from the Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center

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.

Noon & 4:00pm: Snakes Alive! (Free) Interpretive Center

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?

2:00pm & 8:00pm: Two Medicine Lake Singers and Dancers (Free) Interpretive Center

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!

7:00pm-11:00pm: River's Edge Trail Luminaria Walk (Free) River's Edge Trail

The Luminaria 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 including Smokey Bear! Plan dinner at the Interpretive Center where Indian Tacos and Pulled Pork will be on the menu. Swap stories with the Lewis & Clark Honor Guard from 6:00pm until 8:00pm as they eat dinner around their campfire. At 8:00pm enjoy the Two Medicine Lake Singers and Dancers performing in the outdoor amphitheater. Take a close-up look at our evening skies with the Central Montana Astronomy Society telescopes. Let nature illuminate the way with a little help from a candle!

 

Sunday, June 28th