First Wounded Warrior Weekend in Libby is Memorial Day

Memorial Day weekend in Libby will be something truly special this year. Kootenai Country Montana, in cooperation with the Montana National Guard and the Montana Wounded Warriors, will host the first Kootenai Country Montana Wounded Warrior Weekend, a three-day thank you to the men and women who have served in America’s armed forces.

The weekend activities will include a kickoff pancake breakfast, followed by a 47-mile off-road rally around Swede Mountain on Saturday, May 27. Sunday will feature a March of Honor for veterans, ending at the VFW Club for food and live music.

The weekend will conclude Monday morning at Riverfront park, with all participants being invited to attend the annual remembrance ceremony at the Libby Veterans Memorial.

“Dan Ackerman came to me a couple of month ago with this idea,” Kootenai Country Montana’s Bob Henline said.

“He wanted to see all of Libby decorated with American flags, completely decked out in red, white and blue, with thank you messages hanging from every building. He wanted to bring people to Libby to see real patriotism and respect for our military men and women, and he wanted to show them all the beauty of our location with an off-road rally, Henline said. “Memorial Day is about remembering those who’ve sacrificed for all of us, so putting this event together for Memorial Day and making it a fundraiser for the Montana Wounded Warriors was an easy decision to make.”

The event will include a number of contests, for which Kootenai Country Montana is currently recruiting sponsors. We hope to be able to award prizes for the most patriotically decorated building or vehicle, the most interesting vehicle decoration and more. There will also be awards for the participants who complete the route in the time closest to average, and for other games and events planned for the rally.

“We want this to be both fun and meaningful,” Henline said. “We want our veterans and wounded warriors and the general public to have a great weekend, but also to remember what Memorial Day is all about. We want to show those who’ve served how much we value them and their service. And we want to remember those who are no longer with us and honor their sacrifice. We can show the rest of the nation just how much Libby appreciates our veterans.”