Country music start to rock the Big Sky Bash

The Big Sky Bash will commence again this weekend with award winning musicians for entertainment.

The Center for Asbestos Related Diseases, CARD, will put on the sixth annual the Big Sky Bash on Saturday at 6 p.m. to midnight at J. Neils Park. The concert will feature headliner John Michael Montgomery and The Devon Wade Band as the opening and closing act. All the proceeds from the event go to the CARD Foundation.

The Devon Wade Band will open the show at 6 p.m., with John Michael Montgomery following at 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. Devon Wade will then close from 10 p.m. to midnight.

Montgomery’s career has garnered 36 hit singles, two Billboard “Country Singles of the Year” and 15 No. 1 hits. In 1992 his debut single “Life’s A Dance” went double-platinum and turned him into an international star.

“I got to thinking that it seems like yesterday that ‘Life’s A Dance’ was out.” Montgomery said in a prepared statement.

“People were asking me, ‘Where would you like to be in 10 or 15 years?’ ‘Still here!’ was my answer and, thankfully, I am still here. Longevity was more important to me than anything else, and to still be able to do something I love so much is wonderful,” he said.

Nicknamed the “romantic balladeer,” Montgomery found a stride in love songs with songs such as, “I Swear,” “I Love the Way You Love Me,” “Be My Baby Tonight” and “I Can Love You Like That.” His other songs include: “Rope The Moon,” “If You’ve Got Love,” “No Man’s Land,” “Cowboy Love,” “As Long As I Live,” “Friends” and “How Was I To Know.”

“While it’s not the biggest fundraiser that Libby has, it’s the biggest concert,” CARD Foundation board member Zach McNew said. “We get bands from all over that would not play up in Western Montana otherwise.”

“Foods and drinks will be available through vendors, as well as a beer garden,” Patricia Ryan, booking agent for the event, said.

The vendors include Wild Wolf Kettle Corn, Cabinet Peaks Auxiliary, Knights of Columbus, Candy Clark with hamburgers and Simple Simon’s. The entertainment will also have merchandise set out in from of the stage

According to McNew, the concert averages 1,500 to 2,500 people. Those proceeds will go to fund the CARD foundation’s current project to revamp the parking area for the clinic. In the past, the Big Sky Bash money has gone towards office remodels.

Attendees are welcome to bring lawn chairs and blankets.

The gates will open at 5 p.m. People of all ages are welcome. Tickets are $30 in advance and $35 at the gate. Children under the age of eight get in for free. All of the proceeds go to the card foundation.

To purchase tickets in advance, visit ticketriver.com.