A grand party is planned for Thursday, June 23, at the Crown of the Continent Guitar Foundation’s Crown Affaire, a casually elegant event raising money to support guitar education and scholarships for the local Flathead Valley community.

The Crown Affaire begins at 6 p.m. at the recently opened Venue at Montana 45, five miles north of Bigfork. The evening’s musical entertainment will begin with performances by 2015 Crown Scholarship recipients Mike Murray and Kate McLaughlin and 2016 winner Julie Tiehan.

“The relationship between our communities and the scholarship recipients is so powerful and heartwarming,” said Diane Kautzman, Crown’s director of development. “We see the growth and development of these musicians and it is obvious that we are making a difference in their lives, and I hear over and over again how appreciative they are for the opportunities these scholarships create.”

Opening the main show will be Carl Dixon, Canadian rock legend and lead guitarist/singer of The Guess Who.

The featured performer of the event will be one of country music’s rising stars, Jessica Lynn, who will perform with her nine-piece band. Lynn currently has two PBS concert television specials airing nationwide and has shared stages with major country acts that include Keith Urban, Brad Paisley, Montgomery Gentry, Hank Williams Jr., Jo Dee Messina, Phil Vassar and others.

This summer, Lynn and her band will be opening for Shenandoah and the legendary Loretta Lynn. This summer marks her third national U.S. tour. Her debut self-titled EP is set to be released June 21.

For more information, visit www.jessicalynnmusic.org.

WHITE ATTIRE is encouraged during this evening of musical inspiration, libations, hors d’oeuvres, and boutique shopping. Several Bigfork businesses are donating to support the event. Lisa Cloutier from The Raven in Wood’s Bay is the sponsor for all of the food, Whistling Andy Distillery is sponsoring the cocktails and Flathead Lake Brewing Co. is the beer sponsor. The Venue at Montana 45 has provided a generous discount, making this a true fund-generating event.

Tickets for the event are $150 per person with 75 percent of the ticket proceeds a tax-deductible contribution. Advance tickets are available at The Jug Tree in Bigfork, Wheeler’s Jewelry in Kalispell and the Crown office at 104 Crestview Drive, Suite 105, in Bigfork. Tickets can also be purchased online at www.thecrownaffaire.com.

The Crown of the Continent Guitar Foundation strives to build an outstanding education and mentoring program for dozens of recipients each year, making a critical difference in advancing their artistic and music career development. For more information about the Crown Affaire and its scholarship and education programs, contact Kautzman at 406-270-1559 or dkautzman@crownguitar.org.

THE CROWN of the Continent Foundation has announced this year’s 13 scholarship-winning guitarists, who will spend a week honing their musical chops this August at the Crown Guitar Workshop from Aug. 28 through Sept. 4, at Flathead Lake Lodge. These guitarists, ranging from aspiring teenagers to polished performers to veteran instructors, come from across the Flathead Valley and Missoula areas.

The Crown of the Continent Guitar Foundation is offering the awards for its seventh annual workshop and festival this year. Over the past six years, 129 scholarships have been awarded.

Karl Ross, a 2014 scholarship winner from Whitefish says the experience was life-changing.

“I can thank the Crown of the Continent Guitar Foundation for helping my dream of being a musician come to fruition,” Ross said.

The 2016 Crown Guitar Workshop Scholarship Winners are:

• Port Nugent, 15, a junior at Whitefish High School. He started playing at age 9 and now focuses on electric guitar. He plays in the Jazz Band at Whitefish High School.
• Joseph Torgerson, 13, Whitefish, studied jazz at the Crown Workshop in 2015. He performs jazz and rock and with his family’s band, Creation Highway.
• Michelle Lynn Tribble, a Eureka teacher, performs regularly around Montana playing country, folk, bluegrass and fingerstyle guitar. She will release her first solo album in June.
• Chauncey Allison, a performer in Kalispell, is a singer/songwriter who has performed with Rob and Halladay Quist.
• Julie Tiehen, a singer/songwriter performer from Bigfork, began teaching herself 18 years ago and has been writing and performing for 13 years.
• Dan Dubuque, of Polson, has spent eight years performing on the Weissenborn (slide) guitar and has studied with Greg Boyd in Missoula.
• Tommy Edwards, a Lakeside singer/songwriter and performer for 10 years, taught himself using online guitar lessons. He enjoys pop and rock styles.
• Emily Freudenberger, 16, a Whitefish High School junior, began playing guitar at age 12. She is a country singer/songwriter and has performed at Craggy Range and Whitefish Golf Course.
• Randi Tunnell, a teacher at Bigfork High School, started the BHS “Guitar Fundamentals” course three years ago.
• Annika Gordon, 18, a senior at Whitefish High School, is a singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist who recently recorded her first album.
• James Wallace, a teacher of rock, blues, jazz, folk, pop, and classical guitar at Morgenroth Music Center in Missoula.
• Ian Velikoff, a Missoula perfomer who has studied guitar, jazz, rock and blues, and acoustic at the University of Montana. He is a composer, performer, and teacher.
• Sean Baress, of Missoula, has been performing fingerstyle and jazz guitar for 11 years with Missoula bands Mezosoic Mafia, Red Onion Purple and Off in the Woods.

Founded in 2009, the nonprofit Crown of the Continent Guitar Foundation celebrates the love of the guitar and the magical splendor of Montana. The Foundation provides scholarships and collaborates with other non-profit organizations in the Flathead Valley. The workshop is a perfect opportunity for drawing inspiration, perfecting technique and deepening one’s passion for the guitar and music.

For more information, call 855-855-5900 or visit www.crownguitarfest.org.