Wednesday, September 09, 2026
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Art festival fills courthouse lawn

KRISTI NIEMEYER | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 3 years AGO
by KRISTI NIEMEYER
Kristi Niemeyer learned her newspaper licks at weekly newspapers, beginning at the Mission Valley News in 1981, then at the helm of the Ronan Pioneer and, eventually, as co-editor of the Lake County Leader until 1993. She launched and co-published Lively Times, a statewide arts and entertainment monthly, before returning to the Leader in 2022, and serving as its editor until July 2026. Reach her at [email protected] | August 17, 2023 12:00 AM

At the Sandpiper Gallery’s 52nd annual Courthouse Art Festival, vendors sold an array of creations Saturday, including jewelry, stained glass, paintings, ceramics and photography. Entertainment and a few treats were also on tap during the event, which coincides with a car show and brewfest on Main Street.

Caroline Antoinette purchased a painting of a stand of bronzed aspens by Andrea Johnson, a St. Ignatius native who now lives near Polson, saying the artwork would complement her new curtains.

Johnson’s granddaughter was helping at the booth, where business was “so-so,” the artist said. “It was very busy this morning and then quieted down after the car show started.”

Lynn Johnson, a Sandpiper gallery member, had a flock of felted birds and objects in her booth, which drew the attention of two well-known Missoulians – former county commissioner and legislator Ann Mary Dussault and former legislator Diane Sands.

Johnson, who also owns a cherry orchard and is a musician as well, says she typically only participates in the courthouse fair and a Christmas show in Kalispell.

Frank Finley, a former art teacher at Salish Kootenai College and proprietor of 32 Cuppa of Java and 32 Pairs of Scissors art studio in Pablo, reported some good sales and a “slow but steady” stream of customers.

This was the second of two outdoor art shows hosted by the gallery. The first, the Flathead Lake Festival of the Arts, was held July 22-23 at Sacajawea Park.

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Frank Finley, a former art teacher at Salish Kootenai College, said sales were "slow and steady" at Saturday's art show in Polson. (Kristi Niemeyer/Leader)

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Andrea Johnson shared her paintings at Saturday's Courthouse Art Festival while her granddaughter, Scarlet, helped out. (Kristi Niemeyer/Leader)

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Ann Marie Dussault, a former county commission and state legislator from Missoula, checks out a felted bird at Lynn Johnson's booth during Saturday's Courthouse Art Festival. (Kristi Niemeyer/Leader)

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