The Whitefish Trail group is celebrating recent gains with its annual Whitefish Trail Hootenanny on Friday, Aug. 22, in Depot Park in downtown Whitefish from 5 to 9 p.m.  

The gates will open at 4:30 p.m. and participants are encouraged to walk or ride their bikes to the event.

The Lil’ Smokies, The New Wave Time Trippers (1985) and Moonshine Mountain will perform live. Kids activities will include a bike rodeo and obstacle course, climbing rock wall, hula-hooping, art station and more. A community thumbprint tree project and raffle are also planned, with food and beverages available for purchase. 

Tickets are $10 in advance and $12 at the gate, kids 10 and under free. 

Tickets can be purchased at the Great Northern Brewery and Glacier Cyclery & Nordic.

The system has completed over 25 miles of trail and the Beaver Lake conservation easement. There are plans to open new trails at Spencer Mountain as well as a new Learning Pavilion at Lion Mountain.

The Whitefish Trail is the anchor project of Whitefish Legacy Partners, a non-profit organization dedicated to providing public access and recreation while protecting clean water, thriving forests and prime wildlife habitat on open lands surrounding Whitefish. All proceeds from the Whitefish Trail Hootenanny will go towards this $400,000 fundraising goal.

 For more information, call 862-3880 or visit www.whitefishlegacy.org. 

Moonshine Mountain is a six-piece band hailing from Northwest Montana that plays many different genres including rock, country, bluegrass, funk, punk, and reggae. In three years, the group has played more than 250 shows all around Montana and parts of Idaho, Washington, Oregon, and California.  Moonshine Mountain has opened for Trampled by Turtles, The Kyle Hollingsworth Band, Keller Williams, Fruition, Pure Mountain Prairie League, Poco, Christian Johnson, The Outlaws, The Dust Settlers, and many others.  Their high-energy sound and stage presence is helping them establish a reputation for keeping dance floors packed.  

 The New Wave Time Trippers are a unique musical experience, playing songs from the 1980s New Wave of music. They focus on beloved New Wave and alternative gems that  spoke for Generation X, and influenced the generations that have followed. 

 The Lil’ Smokies of Missoula exploded into the bluegrass/stringband scene back in the winter of 2009 and haven’t shown any signs of fatigue since. The Lil’ Smokies have shared the stage with bands such as The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Keller Williams, Greensky Bluegrass, The Emmit-Nershi Band and dozens of others. The Lil’ Smokies also won the 2013 Northwest String Summit Band Competition.

With a unique blend of traditional bluegrass, newgrass, unique original compositions, and sheer raw energy, The six-piece Lil’ Smokies weave seamlessly through genres. Their latest release, “The Lil’ Smokies — Live New Year’s Eve 2013,” captures the raw energy of their Top Hat shows in Missoula, while showcasing new, original tunes, a few from the first album, and a few boisterous covers.