Summer visitors flock to Libby area
When a family is planning their summer vacation the town of Libby may not be the first destination that comes to mind. However, the town of Libby had a large amount of outside visitors this summer.
“We had somebody here from all 50 states this year,” Pam Peppenger, the executive director of the Libby Chamber said. “That’s a big deal for the city of Libby. The last state we got was Maine.”
Peppenger said the City of Libby also received a number of visitors from outside the continental United States.
“We had 38 people from Australia visit Libby,” she said. “We didn’t have as many Europeans this year as we normally do, but the Australians loved us. We typically have a lot of Europeans visit us in the summer. I’m not sure why that number was down this summer, but that didn’t’ stop us from having a lot of visitors.”
The city of Libby and the surrounding area has a lot to offer for entertainment. There are a number of outdoor recreational activities available. Fishing on the Kootenai River or one of the lakes in the area. Hiking on one of the many trails in the area. The swinging bridge over the Kootenai River is a breathtaking experience. Tourists could visit the Libby Dam or the heritage museum.
The little town of Libby always had some form of weekend entertainment for visitors this summer.
The rodeo, Ignite the Nites, the Kootenai Highland Games, Libby Logger Days, the Riverfront Blues Festival and much more.
“The Libby community is supportive of every event that takes place here,” she said. “We are a busy community. There is always something going on. There was something to do every weekend this summer in Libby. It wasn’t always a big event like Ignite the Nites, or Logger Days. Even if it wasn’t a big event there was something to do and something always going on. Two weekends ago there wasn’t a big event, but the triathlon took place. Events like that are great for the community. The Le Tour de Koocanusa and the Riverfront Blues Festival both drew big crowds for the community. There were a lot of people from outside the community that were here for those events. Nordicfest is the last event of the season and hopefully people saved up enough energy for that event. ”
Peppenger said the family friendly events make Libby a popular destination for families on their summer vacations.
“All the places are family friendly,” she said. “Even the bars and the brewery are family friendly. All of the events in town are family friendly and have something to offer for all age groups.”
The number of visitors in town this summer helped stimulate the local economy.
“We had more people in the chamber in June then we did all of last year,” she said. “If they are stopping in the chamber they are stopping somewhere in Libby and giving a local business some business. Libby is doing well with tourism. The motels and gas stations are doing well.”
The Caboose Motel has noticed in increase in business this summer.
“We’ve been busier than usual this summer,” Kimberly Hoehne, the front desk manager said. “We have been booked every night for the past two weeks. We’ve noticed in increase in people coming through Libby.”
Venture Inn manager, Lydia Mysse said that summer is always busy for the Venture Inn.
“We have seen a greater number in people this summer compared to past summers,” she said. “Summer is always busy for us, but this summer has been particularly busy.”
Mysse said a number of factors have played a role in having more people visiting Libby this summer.
“Because of the fires we’ve been busy with the firefights and the pilots from different areas needing a place to stay,” she said. “Before the fires a number of people were coming from Canada, Oregon, Washington and other areas to visit Libby. We were busy with all the events taking place. Even without the events we had family reunions and other get-togethers. This summer was wonderful. The weather was beautiful, until it got too hot. Because it got too hot we got all the fires and then all the firefighters.”