LOLO — Built in the 1970s by loggers for loggers, the Lumberjack Saloon has had decades of memories made since then.
Now, a new set of owners looks to keep the charm of the old wooden bar the same while bringing in some fun live events.
"Picturesque Montana place is what I thought from the very get-go about it. It just captures you from the time that you come in up the side of the road here," owner Kyle Demmitt said.
Hear from the new owners of the Lumberjack Saloon:
When the Jack popped on the market, Colville, Washington, couple, Stephanie and Kyle Demmitt, jumped at the chance to own a piece of history.
"We were headed up to Kalispell and I said we're gonna take a detour. I'm gonna show you something we're gonna buy," Stephanie Demmitt told MTN.
While Kyle had never been to the Jack before, the saloon has been part of Stephanie's family for years.
"My dad had come here originally in the late 70s after elk hunting in the mountains with his buddies and he'd always talked about it. Then, my cousin graduated from U of M in the early 2000s and her graduation party was here," Stephanie detailed.
Since the 1970s, the cedar bar has held stories of everyone from the lumberjacks who traversed the Lolo area to families and friends coming together for Friday night karaoke.
"Come see the history, the animals, the logs, you know this is one solid tree right here, this whole bar, these logs came from right her,e you know the people that built this did all this from right here within the county," Stephanie explained.
A successful re-opening weekend had the bar full, wall to wall, inside.
"We went through eight cases of burgers in two and a half days," Kyle said.
The Demmitts are hoping to bring more gatherings to Graves Creek Road in the coming months.
"We wanna do more weddings. We want to extend and utilize the outdoor stage more, try to get some like mini festivals going — three or four bands in a night," Kyle noted.
"We'd really love to bring back logger days. They've done the diesel truck pulls. We would really love to do a skijoring event. We have tons of ideas," Stephanie added.
Kyle and Stephanie are thankful for the warm welcome they've already received from the community.
Click here to learn more about the new owners of Lumberjack Saloon.
