Downtown Missoula is kicking it up a notch this holiday season by offering free holiday gift wrapping the first three weekends in December. Folks can bring their gifts to the MSO Hub at 140 North Higgins on Fridays from 4-7 p.m .and 11 a.m.-4 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. Wrapping, bows and tags are free, and tips will be donated to three Missoula-area nonprofit organizations:

• Ronald MacDonald House Nov. 30-Dec. 2
• Ride For Tanner Dec. 7-9
• The Parenting Place Dec. 14-16

Sponsored by the Missoula Downtown Association and the Downtown Business Improvement District, the free gift wrapping services will be staffed by volunteers supporting the efforts to improve the quality of life in our community and beyond.
“This is a great service that shoppers really enjoy, and it provides a fun and community-oriented way of supporting Missoula-area nonprofits,” said Todd Frank, owner of the Trail Head and Vice President of Advocacy for the Missoula Downtown Association. “I love that our downtown business owners are getting creative about the quality customer service you find downtown.”
Located at the corner of Higgins and Main, the MSO Hub is just across the street from the Central Park Parking Structure, where parking is always available and the first hour is always free. Additional parking is expected to be available in the new parking structure – Park Place – at the corner of Front and Pattee and will be free throughout the holiday shopping season. Additionally, all parking downtown is free evenings and weekends!
In addition to free parking and gift wrapping, downtown Missoula is hosting the Festival of Trees, Santa’s Arrival and the Parade of Lights, in addition to MCT’s “Miracle on 34th Street” and the Missoula Symphony’s holiday Pops Concert the weekend of
Nov. 29-Dec. 2.
The following weekend features downtown Missoula’s Holiday version of First Friday Gallery Night on December 7, which always offers exceptional shopping, dining and entertainment options throughout the evening. One of the highlights will take place at the MSO Hub where Glacier Country Montana will introduce “Flow State,” Warren Miller Entertainment’s 63rd release, and will host an autograph session with two of the film’s professional skiers. This ski film features a tour of the world’s most striking mountains, including those in Norway and Switzerland, and opens at the Wilma Theater Friday night at 8p.m..
That Holiday Shopping Weekend – December 7-9 – also features the incrediblypopular Missoula MADE  Fair, held at the Holiday Inn-Downtown at the Park on Sunday from 11a.m.-6p.m.. Zootown Arts Community Center (ZACC) will offer gift wrapping there for a small donation. That evening at 8:30p.m. Sufjan Stevens, a talented singer-songwriter from Michigan, will perform at the Wilma Theater.
The third weekend of the month – December 14-16 – will showcase exceptional entertainment with “The Nutcracker“ performing at the Montana Theater on campus and “Pinocchio” at the Wilma Theater.
As you can see, Downtown Missoula is the hub for shopping, entertainment, dining and more this holiday season. Downtown Missoula is locally-owned, incredibly creative and unique with exemplary customer service, and lots of made-in-Montana products. These are things that will make this holiday season better than ever!

Downtown Calendar of Events

MCT’s Miracle on 34th Street
Nov. 30, Dec. 1-2, 5-9

First Friday Gallery Night
Friday, Dec. 7

Warren Miller’s Flow State
Friday, Dec. 7

Holiday Shopping Weekend    
December 7-9

Missoula-MADE Fair
Sunday, Dec. 9

Sufian Stevens in Concert
Sunday, Dec. 9

Garden City Ballet’s The Nutcracker    
December 14-16

Pinocchio
Sunday, Dec. 16

Downtown Missoula Connecting Our Community!

For more information, call the Missoula Downtown Association (543-4238) or the MSO Hub (543-3300).

Santa is coming to Downtown Missoula for the 10th annual Parade of Lights on Saturday, Dec. 1, 2012.  Santa will arrive at 1 pm and spend the day at the Florence Hotel (111 N. Higgins) taking Christmas wishes and photos with children. The afternoon will feature holiday shopping and a dozen family activities throughout Downtown.
The Missoula Downtown Association and its members welcomes the Festival of the Trees back to Downtown this year.  The festival will be held at the Holiday Inn-Downtown at the Park from November 29-December 1.  The Children’s Teddy Bear Tea will be held at 9 & 11am and the public is invited to enjoy tours of trees from 12-3pm.    
The Parade of Lights will commence at 6 pm at 4th & Higgins and travel north to the Crossings Public Art (Red XXXXs) for the bonfire and the annual lighting of Missoula’s Christmas Tree, which will take place promptly at 6:30 pm.  Free coffee, cocoa and cookies will be available for everyone, and the Christian Life Center (CLC) Choir will perform its annual holiday concert for the community.

“This event is a gift to the community from the Missoula Downtown Association and its members,” said Linda McCarthy, Executive Director of the MDA. “It’s a long-standing tradition in our community and our way of saying ‘thank you Missoula’ for supporting Downtown.”
Those interested in participating in the Parade of Lights can download a parade entry form from the MDA’s website (www.missouladowntown.com) and send it, along with the $25 fee, to the Missoula Downtown Association; the deadline for entry is Thursday, Nov. 29.
The staging for parade floats and other entries will begin at 5 pm on Fourth Avenue East. Awards will be given to the best floats/entries in these categories: Best Commercial Entry, Best K-8 Entry, Best Religious Entry and Best Civic/Non Profit Entry. Last year there were nearly 30 entries in the parade.

In addition to parade awards, the Missoula Downtown Association sponsors the Downtown Window Decorating Contest, which showcases the most beautifully-decorated window displays seen all year long.  Judging will take place Thursday, Nov. 29, and awards will be distributed the following day. Awards will be given in the following categories: Most Creative, Best Small Space, Most Festive, Most Innovative, Children’s Choice and Best Overall.
“Our Downtown retailers are some of the most creative artists and decorators we have in Missoula,” McCarthy said. “Their talents really come through in the Holiday Window Decorating Contest.”

• Nov. 29-Dec. 1
Festival of Trees

• Thursday, Nov. 29
Entry deadline for Parade of Lights.
Judging for the Downtown Window Decorating Contest.

• Sat., December 1
1 pm  Santa arrives.
6 pm Parade of Lights. 6:30 pm Lighting of Missoula’s tree.

For more information on this and other activities and events in Downtown, please visit www.missouladowntown.com or contact the Missoula Downtown Association via phone (543-4238) or email ( This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. ).

‘Not Your Typical Camelot’: MCT Artistic Director Joe Martinez gives new slant to an old classic

by BRIAN D’AMBROSIO

MCT Artistic Director Joseph Martinez comes with a robust résumé. During his career, Martinez has directed more than 100 productions, including The Drowsy Chaperone, It’s a Wonderful Life, Anything Goes, How to Succeed..., Kiss Me Kate, Little Shop of Horrors, Man of La Mancha, A Christmas Carol, Miss Saigon, Forever Plaid and Footloose. His credits at MCT include Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, Blood Brothers, and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.
Martinez’s previous experience also includes his working with community theatre groups at US Air Force bases in Korea and Japan. In October, he gets his first crack at directing Camelot. Bringing the 1,000-year-old legend of King Arthur to the Missoula Community Theatre provides Martinez with a fresh set of creative circumstances.    
“I was involved in a production of Camelot 25 years ago,” says Martinez. “I remember my wig and one scene from the show – not much else. I’ve never approached Camelot as a director, so this is a thrill for me.”
While there are countless variations of Camelot, the basic narrative is the same: love, mystery, magic, conspiracy, and vengeance.  The musically- lush classic evokes enough swashbuckling excitement to keep one engrossed. For lovers of romance, Camelot has it all: a fine-looking English princess swept off her feet by a bashful, yet passionate bachelor king; a zealous French knight, torn between devotion to his feudal cause and a reciprocated desire for the king’s wife.
MCT staff chose the production because they wanted to produce something familiar and popular, a title people would easily recognize. “We haven’t done Camelot at MCT since 1986,” says Martinez. “We are looking forward to putting our own personality into it.”
Many people have a preconceived idea of Camelot or envision the movie when they hear the name. Martinez hopes to distance MCT’s production from some of those fixed sentiments.
“When people hear Camelot,” says Martinez, “they think of King Arthur’s striving for beauty and equality. Our Camelot is much more about the ideals of those pursuits. We want to make them more real. There are so many elements within that make it real and not fairy tale. I’d like to push Camelot into the realm of more reality.”
One of the common misperceptions about Camelot is that it is all swords and serious subject matter. While obviously not a cheery fairy tale, the tale’s heavy, dour themes are a bit overstated.
“Camelot is actually quite humorous,” says Martinez. “I’d like to bring some of that humor out.”
Ultimately, under the direction of Martinez, MCT’s Camelot intends to draw out the story’s humanistic sides and prompt people to think about and recognize subjects generally not associated with the epic. That is not to suggest that its gritty mien will in anyway be altered. “Medieval times weren’t pretty,” says Martinez. “In fact, I told the women at the first rehearsal that they couldn’t wear makeup during the performance. Those times weren’t about looking pretty. They were about surviving.”
“Community theatre is a huge time commitment,” says Martinez. “Generally, there is an 8-week rehearsal commitment and a 2-week performance commitment. Essentially, 10 weeks of one’s life are spent volunteering to be part of a production. Part of my job is to figure out what shows people want to be involved in and come to. Audiences will quickly realize that they are not seeing their father’s Camelot. We have a new, clever spin ready.”

Opens Friday, Oct. 19
The Missoula Community Theatre
For tickets & information, call  the MCT Box Office at (406) 728-7529.

Brian D’Ambrosio is Media Relations Coordinator at MCT

by ANDREW BROWN

Brantley Gilbert is coming to the Adams Center in Missoula on Thursday, Oct. 4. For those of you who don’t know of Gilbert, he is a critically acclaimed country rock musician who has had multiple gold albums as well as being ranked on the U.S. Country charts at No. 1.
Gilbert was born Jan. 20, 1985, in Jefferson, Ga. He is an American country rock music singer-songwriter and has released two albums, both on the Average Joe’s Entertainment label. Gilbert’s songs have also been recorded by Colt Ford and country music star Jason Aldean.
In December 2010, he left Average Joe’s to join Valory, where he charted “Country Must Be Country Wide.”  A deluxe edition of “Halfway to Heaven” was released on Sept. 13, 2011, two months before “Country Must Be Country Wide” reached No. 1 on the Hot Country Songs chart. In July 2012 his follow-up, “You Don’t Know Her Like I Do,” also hit No. 1.
His first album, “Modern Day Prodigal Son,” was originally set to be released in 2006. After signing with Average Joe’s Entertainment in mid-2009, he finally released the album “Halfway to Heaven,” followed in 2010. In February 2011, he signed with Big Machine Records’ Valory Music Group division. He then re-released “Halfway to Heaven” as a deluxe edition with additional tracks.
Gilbert decided to become a singer after an almost fatal car accident when he was 19.  The songs “Dirt Road Anthem” (co-written and originally recorded by Colt Ford) and “My Kinda Party” were released as major hits for Aldean from his 2010 album My Kinda Party; they were both recorded by Gilbert himself on his first album “Modern Day Prodigal Son” and revisited on his second album “Halfway to Heaven.” Aldean also cut Brantley Gilbert’s “The Best of Me,” which is available on the Walmart exclusive and iTunes release of his 2009 album “Wide Open.”
The tickets for Gilbert’s Missoula concert range from $40 for a floor seat to $25 for an upper deck seat. There are tickets available at the MSO Hub Box Office located at 140 N. Higgins, the corner of Higgins and Main in downtown Missoula. For more information, call the Box Office at 543-3300.

Thursday, Oct. 4
Adams Center at the University of Montana
Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Show starts at 7:30 p.m

July 20 | Ogren Park Allegiance Field

You may remember him from his hit movies, such as “Cheaper by the Dozen 2” or possibly “Bowfinger” ... or then again, maybe not.
It’s more likely you know him from his iconic comedic roles in “Father of the Bride” or “Three Amigos.” In Missoula, he will not be performing on the silver screen, but will bringing his new amigos from the Steep Canyon Rangers to play a little grass for all of us – bluegrass to be exact.
Steve Martin is bringing his talents to Missoula on Friday, July 20 at Ogren Park Allegiance Field, the home of the Missoula Osprey.
Many don’t know this, but Steve Martin is quite the banjo player. In 2001, he won a Grammy for Best Country Instrumental Performance for his work on Earl Scruggs’ remake of “Foggy Mountain Breakdown.” In 2009, Martin released a solo critically acclaimed record called “The Crow: New Songs for the 5-String Banjo,” which Martin wrote himself. The Crow featured such artists as Dolly Parton, Vince Gill, and Earl Scruggs. In 2010, The Crow won a Grammy Award for the Best Bluegrass Album, and even peaked at No. 93 on the Billboard Top 100 Albums Chart. Martin’s banjo skills create an amazing experience; his hilarious lyrics and “terrible poetry” have quickly translated into rapid success.
Martin has been selling out shows, with true bluegrass fans lining up to hear him play based on his reputation for creating an unforgettable experience.
Most recently, Martin has joined forces with the talented Steep Canyon Rangers, from his home state of North Carolina, and they will be accompanying him for the Missoula show.
Martin jokes that the Steep Canyon Rangers have gained significant success since “the band began to tolerate him.” In the fall of 2009, and spring of 2010, Martin and the Steep Canyon Rangers went on a tour, bringing their sound to the Hardly Strict Bluegrass Festival in San Francisco, Carnegie Hall in New York, Benaroua Hall in Seattle, the New Orleans Jazz Festival, and even the Royal Festival Hall in London.  Recently, they played on late night shows - Conan, The Colbert Report, and David Letterman, and you can’t forget their performance at The White House.
With their smooth vocals, inspiring songwriting, incredible instrumentals, inspiring harmony, and Martin’s signature banjo, the group is bringing bluegrass to music lovers around the world, including Missoula.
The Steep Canyon Rangers are nothing but impressive. Their undeniable grace and a tempo create one to instantly love their sound and band. This is not your average actor/musician/funnyman/comic turned musician. Martin goes beyond the actor stereotype that America has come to know and love, and shows his true innate talent. In 2011, Martin and the Steep Canyon Rangers were even named Entertainers of the Year at the International Bluegrass Music Association Awards in Nashville.
Come see Steve Martin, one of the greatest comedic actors of our generation, play the banjo, along with the exceptional acoustic sound of the Steep Canyon Rangers. They will make you laugh, cry, and even slap your knee a little bit.  It’s a night you don’t want to miss.
Tickets are available at the MSO HUB Box Office, are limited and going fast. For more information, call the MSO Hub Box Office at (406) 543-3300.