The beautifully restored “woodys” lined up for the Big Sky Antique and Classic Boat Society’s show in Lakeside are always a crowd-pleaser, but this year organizers are taking the event a step further by bringing spectators inside the new Boat Building Center for a close-up look at traditional boat building.

The show hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday behind Docks restaurant on Flathead Lake. A parade of classic boats at 3:30 p.m. on Sunday will move from south to north along the west shore of the lake.

Close to three dozen classic and antique boats will be on display, including models made by Chris Craft, StanCraft, Curly Craft, Switzer Craft and others. Hand-crafted canoes, kayaks and other small boats made by local craftsmen also will be showcased.

Tours of the Montana Wooden Boat Foundation’s Boat Building Center at 100 Bierney Creek Road are  highlights of this year’s event. The recently opened center is the only traditional wooden boat-building school open to the public in Montana, according to show Chairman Alex Berry.

One of the current projects is the restoration of a 1953 17-foot sailboat. A wide variety of classes and nautical skills workshops will be offered. Topics will include how to make oars, how to build kayaks and cedar strip canoes, varnishing/painting wooden boats, caulking for beginners and various aspects of woodworking.

Berry said the Boat Building Center is modeled after a similar program run by the Alexandria Seaport Foundation in Virginia.

“There’s a wonderful resurgence in boat building going on,” he said.

The Lakeside project began with the idea of teaching at-risk youth the practical skills of boat-building, but it soon expanded into an after-school program and now is open to anyone wanting to learn more about the craft of building boats.

The all-volunteer, nonprofit foundation taps into the expertise of 16 boat builders, many of whom have professional experience in building and restoring classic wooden boats in the Flathead Valley.

A 12-foot rowing skiff called the Mustang, built last winter by Somers Middle School students, will be raffled off at the boat show, and money raised will benefit the Lakeside-Somers PTA.

“Not only did these students build a boat, they’re also becoming good citizens by giving the money to the PTA,” Berry said.

Raffle tickets for the Mustang will be on sale at the Montana Wooden Boat Foundation tent at the Docks restaurant parking lot.

Another feature of this year’s show will be demonstrations of a mini-landsailer prototype built by John Eisenlohr of Lakeside. The 8-foot craft meets the international standard for the growing sport of land sailing.

“These little things are only 8 feet, so they’re perfect for kids to learn on,” Berry said.

The mini-sailer weighs 50 pounds, fits on a vehicle roof and can be converted for ice sailing across small lakes.

Children attending the show can make a model sailboat and take it home.

Kayakers will give safety demonstrations in the water at the Docks Marina, and there will be several displays, including a history of boating by Central School Museum and zebra mussel display by Flathead Lakers.

For more information about the Lakeside show or the Montana Wooden Boat Foundation, contact Berry at 471-2293 or email alex.b@montanawoodenboatfoundation.org.

Features editor Lynnette Hintze may be reached at 758-4421 or by email at lhintze@dailyinterlake.com.