The Bob Marshall Music Festival returns this weekend

SEELEY LAKE - The fifth annual Bob Marshall Music Festival returns as planned to Seeley Lake Aug. 6 and 7. Festival organizers are eager to bring an exciting lineup and plentiful activities including family activities on the Festival Grounds. There is also the Seeley Lake Duathlon/Triathlon and Bob Marshall Trail Half Marathon and 10K Saturday morning.

Lewis and Clark Brewing Marketing Director Heidi O'Brien wrote that the festival organizers are going to stick with their original capacity of 1,000 attendees per day as that is a manageable size for their current resources in place. She wrote that 78% of their tickets have been sold and that tickets will be more expensive at the gate.

"If you've been on the fence, buy them now," she wrote.

To mitigate potential wildfire outbreaks, O'Brien wrote that they have been in contact with a water spraying company and with the Seeley Lake Fire Department to prepare for the event. They also hired a 24-hour security staff to enforce all camping regulations including no fires. Despite these preparations, O'Brien wrote attendees should still be ready for any situation.

"If a year of COVID quarantine has taught us anything, it's that we have to be able to adapt quickly," she wrote.

Regarding overnight camping, she recommends bringing the following: flashlights, water, sleeping bags, sunscreen, bug spray, chairs as well as other standard camping equipment. She advises against bringing in outside alcohol and pets to the festival grounds as they are prohibited. The outside alcohol ban does not apply to the camping area. Within the festival grounds, alcohol can only come from the music area's beer tent. Bags and water bottles will be checked by security at the music area entrance.

The food vendors that will be present at the festival include: It's A Wrap/Stageline Pizza from Seeley Lake, Rock Star BBQ from Helena, The Brown Gringo Tacos from Butte and Farm to Table Ice Cream from Kalispell.

In addition to the music, events that will take place on the Festival Grounds include: Yoga Friday and Saturday morning at 10 a.m. at the Stage Area; Fowling, a combination of bowling and football; cornhole and potato sack races. Equipment will be available to attendees for Fowling and Cornhole anytime during the Festival. Sign up for the potato sack races will be at camping check-in and will take place between performances.

For those looking to start their Saturday morning with a family-friendly race they are encouraged to participate in the Youth For Christ Seeley Lake Duathlon/Triathlon starting at 9 a.m. at River Point Campgound. The event offers a duathlon for those allergic to swimming, a long and a short swim triathlon and a kid's triathlon. It can be completed solo or as a team and the entire race is on the flats of Seeley Lake. More information and registration is available at https://www.trisignup.com/Race/MT/SeeleyLake/YFCSeeleyLakeChallenge.

For runners there is also the Bob Marshall Trail Half Marathon and 10K. Both races start from the Seeley Creek Trailhead, one mile off Highway 83 on Morrell Creek Road, at 9 a.m. Saturday morning. Registration ends at 8 a.m. For more information visit https://runsignup.com/Race/Info/MT/SeeleyLake/runseeleylake.

In spite of the adaptations organizers have had to make, O'Brien wrote that they are excited about this year's festival.

"We have now had two years to plan for the festival this year ... at the same time, the amount of work that goes into coordination of the festival is pretty huge with a lot of moving parts and people involved," she wrote. "We were fortunate to secure a lot of great artists for The Bob and can't wait to share great music with everyone."

Tickets and more information can be found on https://www.thebobmusic.com. The Festival grounds are located on Highway 83 south of Cory's Valley Market.

The Festival Lineup (all times are approximate)

Thursday, Aug. 5: "Before the Bob" free concert at The Filling Station

7:30 p.m. - Band of Drifters: A modern American roots group will perform a pre-festival show at The Filling Station. Most of its members are based in Montana or Tennessee. Their set is influenced by country, folk and blues music with an emphasis on original songs.

Friday, Aug. 6: Festival Grounds

3 p.m. - Off in the Woods: Seven member Montana band that has a "rock'n'reggae roll" style with a "funk-flavored soul."

5 p.m. - Jive Mother Mary: A four-piece band that has been "steeped in the Southern Rock tradition" for 12 years and has listeners reminisce about the acts from the past while still feeling new. 

7 p.m. - Laney Lou and the Bird Dogs: A five-piece band that are an energetic Americana-Folk band that infuses four-part harmonies, "engaging songwriting," and rock-n-roll to bring a modern approach to traditional folk music. They are coming off of their debut 2019 album, "Sweet Little Lies."

9:30 p.m. - The SteelDrivers: Nashville bluegrass quintet. Their 2015 album, "The Muscle Shoals Recordings," won a Grammy Award for Best Bluegrass Album. Their latest release, "Bad For You," came out in 2020.

Saturday, Aug. 7 - Festival Grounds 

12 p.m. - Songwriter Showcase: Sean Devine, Chad Okrusch and Tom Catmull will share songs and stories they have collected over their music careers. They have written and performed original songs around Montana and across the U.S. for over 30 years with over a dozen album releases between them.

2 p.m. - Amanda Stewart: An indie and country songwriter currently living in Bozeman. Although she grew up in the Pacific Northwest, southwestern Montana has become her new home. Here she has found inspiration in the countryside landscapes and her fellow local musicians.

3 p.m. - Cruz Contreras: A Tennessee multi-instrumentalist singer-songwriter who has received multiple accolades in the world of Americana music. He is the co-founder of "Robinella and the CC Stringband" as well as the founder and front man of The Black Lillies. 

5 p.m. - El Wencho: A duo that uses "immersive lyrics, catchy melodies and driving rhythms" to express their Montanan lifestyle. They fuse an eclectic assortment of genres including red dirt rock, blues, country, Americana and polyrhythmic Latin percussion.

7 p.m. - Mississippi Heat: A world-class Chicago Blues Band led by harmonica player and songwriter Pierre Lacocque. Their motto is "Traditional Blues With A Unique Sound" reflecting their new presentation of vintage musical ideas.

9:30 p.m. - Reckless Kelly: The festival's closing headliner on Saturday will be this Austin-based Americana band. The Grammy winning group has toured 49 states and has released 10 albums since forming in 1996.