Yaak to keep Independence Day celebrations going on July 5

The Yaak River Tavern will offer an Old Fashioned Independence Day Celebration on July 5 by the banks of the Yaak River.

Gwen Allen, owner of the Yaak River Tavern, said it is easier to do events on Saturday up in the Yaak and she didn’t want to compete with the Fourth of July celebration in Troy.

“This is a family event,” Allen said. “There are going to be families by the riverbank, kids jumping into the water, a volleyball net setup.”

The event will begin at 11 a.m. with games and prizes for the kids. There will be an old-fashioned burger and bratwurst barbeque starting at 1.p.m., which will also have coleslaw and corn on the cob.

There will also be a horseshoe tournament starting at 1 p.m. Beginning at 3 p.m., there will be live music on their outdoor stage. The Yaaktastics, a local rhythm and blues band, will perform from 3-5 p.m., and Smart Alex, a group out of Kalispell, will play from 8 p.m. until dusk.

The fireworks will begin at dusk and run for about an hour as Smart Alex continues to play.

“It will be a lot of fun,” Allen said. “It will be just (how) your grandparents remember Fourth of July.”

In addition to the Yaak River Tavern Old Fashioned Independence Celebration, there will also be a community arts and crafts fair at the Yaak School. The fair will run from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and the money raised will go towards the school.

There will also be an American quilt raffle, featuring quilts made by the Yaak Women’s Club.