WHITEFISH — Depot Park came alive Friday night with music, laughter, and community pride as Whitefish celebrated the annual Whitefish Trail Hootenanny.
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The event served as both a community celebration and a fundraiser for Whitefish Legacy Partners, the organization responsible for maintaining nearly 50 miles of trails surrounding Whitefish and Whitefish Lake.
Nathan Tuebner, Whitefish Legacy Partners program manager, said the trail system is a point of pride for the entire community.
"We have almost 50 miles of trail surrounding Whitefish and Whitefish Lake. It's free, it's accessible to the entire public and it's just a great outlet for everybody and it's right in our backyard."
Every dollar raised at the Hootenanny goes directly toward keeping those trails open and accessible.
"All the funds that come in directly pay for the maintenance and operations of the Whitefish Trail. Keeping our bathrooms clean to keeping the parking lots accessible," Tuebner said.
The celebration featured live music, craft beer, food, and a variety of activities, including a kids bike obstacle course put on by Flathead Area Mountain Bikers. Ron Brandt, the organization's executive director, said a shared love of the outdoors is what brings the community together.
"I experience so much outside that makes me love being here. We all have jobs that we do but all of us have one thing in common and that's that we love doing stuff outside here," Brandt said.
For longtime trail user Gretchen Boyer, the event was an easy choice.
"Having the ability to recreate on our public lands so close to where we live is really important. We are so lucky that Whitefish Legacy Partners does such an amazing job of being a steward of those lands," Boyer said.
For Whitefish Legacy Partners, the night was more than a fundraiser, it was a reaffirmation of the community's connection to the land.
"It just reaffirms that we are doing good things and the public really enjoys our local trail system," Tuebner said.
