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Event at Rebecca Farm boosts local economy

Posted at 7:55 PM, Jul 22, 2018
and last updated 2018-07-22 21:55:36-04

KALISPELL – The annual Event at Rebecca Farm brings upwards of 8,000-to-10,000 spectators to the Flathead Valley.

A study by the University of Montana that In 2016 the Event had a $5.5 million economic impact on the Flathead. We talked with the owner of a local hotel says they bring in more this weekend than any other.

Scott Rieke bought the Best Western Plus Flathead Lake Inn and Suites six years ago. The motel has 60 rooms seven suites located off Highway 93 near Flathead Lake.

The motel boasts views of the Swan Mountain Range. But without a reservation, there is no guarantee that you’ll get a room.

"We’ve been selling out our rooms every night we will sell out all summer. Basically from July 4th  all the way through September usually the hotels are sold out here and so the demand The Event just pushes on top of that."

Rieke says during an already busy week, the Event will push rates up to $300 or more per night — nearly three times higher than off-season rates.

"This Event coupled with the demand for Glacier National Park and Flathead Lake and the Flathead Valley produces a demand that the hotels can’t keep up with," Rieke said.

"So if people don’t have their reservations it can be hard to find on and we have had to turn people away for as far as four hours from here to find rooms," he added.

Visitors to The Event at Rebecca Farm this year came from over 24 states and three Canadian provinces many for the first time. Rieke says that gives the Valley exposure and those guests return.

"These events like the Event at Rebecca Farm help bring people to the community that have never been here before," Rieke told MTN News.