Bob Marshall Music Festival set for August

SEELEY LAKE - After taking a break in 2020 due to COVID-19, The Bob Marshall Music Festival is back with an entirely new set of dates. Instead of taking place in June, the festival is scheduled for Aug. 6 and Aug. 7 and will continue to take place during the first weekend of August moving forward. Early bird tickets will go on sale at 5 p.m. Wednesday, April 14.

Max Pigman, festival organizer and Lewis & Clark Brewing Company owner, said they decided to push it back this year to allow time for COVID-19 restrictions to be eased. Organizers chose to keep it at this date moving forward so they can avoid "dicey" weather conditions. He believes this date change will benefit them because there will likely be less COVID-19 restrictions in place as well as less events to compete with later in the summer.

"I really believe that by the time that we get to the festival, that we're going to be in a much better spot from a COVID perspective," he said. "And I think one of the biggest, exciting things for us ... is there's going to be less going on. A lot of the big events, they've already canceled this year ... because they just take too much to plan and we're a pretty small event in the overall scope of things."

Organizers will follow whatever guidelines Missoula City-County Health Department is enforcing at that time. If heavy restrictions are still in place 30 days prior to the event taking place, then they would postpone it to next year. Guests will not be required to present a vaccination card.

The festival's two headliners will be Grammy Award winners The SteelDrivers and Reckless Kelly. The SteelDrivers' supporting act will be Laney Lou and the Bird Dog while Mississippi Heat will open for Reckless Kelly.

Pigman said they will be announcing the other bands consistently as the weeks progress. In total he estimates that there will be anywhere from 10 to 12 acts performing. The festival performers will be from a variety of genres including Americana, bluegrass and country rock.

Gates will open at noon each day and acts will begin no later than 3 p.m. Shows will end around 11 p.m. or midnight. Aside from music, the festival will also offer activities like cornhole and yoga.

Pigman expects that their greatest challenge will be getting the word out about the date change to their regular attendees.

"I've already seen some of the comments like, 'Oh wow, I already had the second week of June marked out so let me see if I can shift things around,'" he said.

Attendance is limited to 1,000 people but that capacity may be flexible depending on regulations.

Pigman believes that the early bird portion will likely not last more than a week. Weekend tickets will cost $55. Regular tickets will cost $40 for a single day or $70 for the weekend. The event will also offer a VIP package for $99 and will provide guests with their own shade tent, drinking water and porta toilet.

Day parking is free. While people can camp in their cars, those will be charged as if they are overnight spots.

Priority will be given to those who purchased tickets last year and wish to redeem them. Pigman estimates that around 75% of the people who purchased pre-sale tickets last year have rolled over those tickets to this year. Those who bought tickets last year but are unable to make the date this year are eligible for a refund.

Pigman anticipates the festival selling out this year.

"There's a lot of pent-up demand," he said.

The festival will take place in the same location as previous years, the 20-acre field south of the Wilderness Gateway Inn on Highway 83.

Pigman said around 200 campsites will be available and in total the festival will be able to host 400-500 campers. All sites sold out at the previous festival and he expects them to do the same this year. Guests will be able to reserve their spot ahead of time on https://www.eventbrite.com. Regular sites will cost $20 per person for the weekend while larger sites will range in price from $40 to $125.

RV camping will also be available but there will be no hookups or services.

Shows will run rain or shine. There will be pop up tents available to shield guests from the elements. They encourage guests to bring their own chairs and umbrellas should conditions worsen.

No outside alcohol will be allowed in the area. They will provide complimentary water in bulk jugs. They will also sell water bottles at a "reasonable price."

Regarding food vendors Heidi OBrien, Lewis and Clark Brewing marketing director, said they will prioritize local vendors rather than bring merchants from outside the area. They also will have non-food vendors available.

Those who would like to volunteer for the festival can do so through https://www.signupgenius.com beginning this week. Volunteers will receive a $25 discount on their tickets. Shifts last about four hours.

Pigman has officially run the festival since 2019. Last year would have been The Bob's fifth anniversary. However due to last year's cancelation, they will celebrate it this year.

OBrien said that the organizers would like to have open communication with Seeley Lake residents and will gladly attend or speak at any community gatherings if they are invited.

"Without the Seeley Lake community, we really can't make this festival happen," OBrien said. "Everyone, [here's] really been super supportive."

To reach out to organizers or to find out more information visit thebobmusic.com or visit The Bob Marshall Music Festival Facebook page.