SANDPOINT - A little-known historical side note has to do with Sandpoint's annual invasion of Heron, Mont.

Once each summer, local residents would pile into their vehicles and stake their claim to a piece of land, surrounding and outnumbering Heron's own citizenry.

Voices were raised and angry words exchanged. Lives were lost, swords were crossed and hearts were on the tempest tossed. Luckily, all of this action took place on stage, as the mixed audience of Idahoans and Montanans sat in peaceful co-existence to enjoy another performance of Montana Shakespeare in the Parks.

Those outdoor plays in Heron ended two years ago, as the traveling troupe of actors focused on its busy summer season in other locales.

This summer, the Bard is back and better than ever, as the performances find new life right here in Sandpoint.

"When Montana Shakespeare in the Parks announced they would no longer be coming to Heron, I thought, 'This is a good fit,'" said Christine Holbert, founder and publisher of Lost Horse Press, a nonprofit, independent press that has called Bonner County home since 1999. "Our mission statement is not just about publishing. Because of our (nonprofit) status, I feel compelled to give back to the community."

As a regular at the Heron performances, Holbert recognized that as much as 80 percent of the audience hailed from the Sandpoint-area. And while the Shakespeare troupe continued to offer shows in Trout Creek and Libby, those locations proved to be a long haul home after the plays, she said.

Much like the Festival at Sandpoint, one of the big draws for Montana Shakespeare in the Parks has been the combination of an outdoor setting with an event where the audience can plop down on the lawn with picnic baskets to visit with friends before the show. Holbert began working with Sandpoint Parks and Recreation Director Kim Woodruff to pin down just such a place closer to home.

Because she wanted a venue that offered the option of moving the performance indoors in bad weather, the search led to a closer look at the Bonner County Fairgrounds.

"We needed a space where everything is in one spot," the publisher said. "The fairgrounds were perfect - rain or shine."

Holbert believes the new location lends itself to pulling in a more diverse audience for the plays, partly because of accessibility, but also because so many people are familiar with the facility.

"We wanted to keep it close-close," she said, adding that the fairgrounds are easy to reach by alternative means of transportation such as bicycle and the SPOT bus. "And we thought it might open things up and attract an audience that already attends events at the fairgrounds."

Adding Sandpoint to the list of towns visited by Montana Shakespeare in the Parks - which exists as part of Montana State University's outreach program to serve smaller communities - has been on the college's radar since the Heron performances were discontinued, according to Holbert.

"That door had to close before this door opened," she said. "The new director has always wished they could come to Sandpoint, because the community is so embracing of the arts."

Montana Shakespeare in the Parks got its start in 1973, when a small acting company of MSU students and community members gave 13 performances in seven Montana towns. By the next summer, working with a budget around $13,000, the company mounted two productions using paid, professional actors and managed to double its season, giving 26 performances in 18 cities.

Today, the troupe operates as a year-round touring company with school programs complementing the summer plays, all of it funded by an annual budget close to $700,000. With more than 2,250 shows under its belt and a combined attendance of nearly 750,000 in communities from North Dakota, Wyoming, Washington, Idaho and Montana, the program has been featured on the NBC Nightly News, as well as in the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times.

Holbert intends for the Sandpoint show - which will be "The Taming of the Shrew" - to be a standout for both the performers and the audience. Not content to just put on a play, she now is laying the groundwork for the fairgrounds to be filled with music, merriment and costumed characters who would have been right at home in the late-1500s and early 1600s of Shakespeare's day.

"It's going to be a whole afternoon of fun - medieval fun - before the play even begins," she said.

Borrowing another chapter from the Festival playbook, the event will use a similar seating arrangement, with blankets in front and low chairs and higher chairs staggered behind them for best viewing.

While the play is scheduled for the third Friday in August, Holbert is wasting no time in getting the wheels turning for a successful first outing in Sandpoint. Fundraising already has begun to raise the necessary $2,000 for the actors and the publisher has begun to recruit volunteers to help with everything from home stays for the troupe, to potluck meals, parking, handing out programs and seating the audience before the play.

The Montana Shakespeare in the Parks performance of "The Taming of the Shrew" will take place on Friday, Aug. 21, at the Bonner County Fairgrounds. Gates open at 3 p.m. that day, with the play starting at 6 p.m. Admission will be by donation.

To volunteer as a home stay host or in any other capacity, call (208) 255-4410 or email: losthorsepress@mindspring.com.

For more history and information on Montana Shakespeare in the Parks, visit: www.shakespeareintheparks.org.