A ribbon cutting to celebrate the reopening of the Bridge Street Bridge in downtown Bigfork is slated for June 25. The event will include an auctioned-off first ride across the new bridge.  

Bigfork Area Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Rebekah King said they wanted to create an event that honored the work that went into the bridge before construction began, like the community input advocated for by members of the Community Foundation for a Better Bigfork, or CFBB, back in 2017, when the bridge design was just a conversation.  

"It kind of helped ensure that the new bridge aligned with Bigfork's identity,” King said.  

Though the bridge was closed last year for many of the events that are hosted in downtown Bigfork, it will be open again for one of its biggest of the summer, the Fourth of July parade. Before the full closure last year, the bridge had a three-ton weight limit for several years, which can make parade routes difficult.   

“We are beyond excited. Normally, we have to kind of Jenga the large floats on Osborne Avenue and that gets really tricky. So, this year we'll be able to send everyone out over the bridge, and then they can go out over Bridge Street, either on Montana 35 or Montana 209, so we think it'll help with traffic,” King said.  

She said the opening is a result of extraordinary collaboration between the Montana Department of Transportation, Flathead County, the CFBB and Battle Ridge Builders.  

The ribbon cutting ceremony kicks off at 11:45, with comments from community leaders and project partners. Then, the auction winner will drive the first ceremonial vehicle across the bridge, breaking the ribbon on the other side.  

Uncle Bud, Bigfork’s own centenarian, will follow in a 1925 Model T, “honoring a century of Bigfork’s history.” As attendees walk across the bridge, they will be led by a lantern parade hosted by the Flathead County Library.  

The event concludes with a celebration at the River View Bar, with refreshments and music by the Bad Larry’s.  

Bridge Street will be closed to vehicles from National Parks Realty to Bigfork Angler during the event, starting at 10 a.m. 

Bidding for the chance to be the first to drive across the bridge at the ribbon cutting ceremony is live at betterbigfork.org/.