If you thought July was busy, wait until you see August! It's that last dash of summer and we can sleep during the dark season.

Spend your August learning how to make pickles, join in on a sip and stich, get out the watercolors and paint along, tie a fly and drink a beer, take your kidlet to the pool for story time, celebrate the harvest with a tomato festival, learn how to make a bench with hand tools, or try not to get lost during the inaugural Blacktail Balderdash.

So very many options and you can find them all on the Daily Inter Lake events calendar at dailyinterlake.com/events.

Whew, I already need a nap and we're just about to get to the good stuff.

August hosts two of the Flathead Valley's most iconic events – ok, so did last month, but those boots have already walked on, let's live in the now friends.

The Northwest Montana Fair & Rodeo shows the Flathead County Fairgrounds what it was made for from August 12th to 16th. Hang out with 80,000 of your best friends, enjoy the rides, the livestock, the exhibits, the food, and take part in this iconic and dusty week.

County-music phenom Walker Hayes gets the festivities twanging on Wednesday, August 12th with his country-pop ballads, infectious melodies and authentic storytelling. Charles Edgar Walker Hayes is sure to rock the grandstands.

Yee-haw for three nights of rodeo! Rodeo Montana returns to the fair with several of the sport's top competitors in tow. Tie-down roping, steer wrestling, barrel racing ... yes please. I love to see the cowgirls and boys all-dressed up and I love the energy of the rodeo.

And I guess, if we can't have a demolition derby, The Malicious Monster Truck Tour will satisfy my need for loud engines and cool vehicles. Each 90-minute show features non-stop monster truck action including high-flying jumps and crushing obstacles. Get there early to meet the drivers and wrap your head around those enormous tires.

Check out the Fair Parade on Friday, August 14th at 10:00 am on Kalispell's Main Street.

The Northwest Montana Fair & Rodeo is also a great place to remember just how talented your neighbors are. Check out the quilt display, the photo competition, the dahlias and the bunnies ... oh, they are so cute.

The Hucks are ready – but don't ask me where my favorite spot is – and that means it's time for the annual Huckleberry Days Art Festival. Celebrating their 37th year, the beloved Huckleberry Days Art Festival takes over Whitefish's Depot Park August 7th to 9th . The traditional summer festival celebrating the delicious huckleberry includes fine arts and crafts from local vendors and those from afar. This family-friendly event offers free admission and a host of tasty treats provided by local food trucks. Join in on a community art project sponsored by Stumptown Art Studio or be the art with the facepainting booth.

The whole town gets into it! Glacier Bank is serving up free Huckleberry ice cream at both of their Whitefish locations starting at 11:00 am until the last scoop is served.

Saturday, August 8th, the Wave hosts Swim the Fish where all the fish in Whitefish can complete a ½ mile, 1 mile or 5K swim in lovely Whitefish Lake. Or skip the swim and head to the Whitefish Moose Lodge for their annual Huckleberry Pancake breakfast – we're talking real, fresh huckleberries folks picked by Boy Scouts Troop #1936 (you can spot them by their purple fingers).

The Whitefish Chamber of Commerce goes all out again this year supporting the fun and creative community event. Don't miss out on the Huckleberry Days Art Festival starting at 10:00 am Friday, August 7th at Depot Park in Whitefish.

Also big news this month is the 80th Birthday celebration for the Hungry Horse News. This beloved and iconic newspaper has served the Columbia Falls and West Glacier area for eight decades now – more than half the time Montana has been a state of this great nation. Stop by the Hungry Horse News office in Columbia Falls on Thursday, August 6th from 5:00 to 7:00 pm. Share cake, light appetizers and bevvys and reminisce about how the Hungry Horse News has supported this community for almost its entire history. Share an atta-boy with longtime editor Chris Peterson who has now been with the Horse longer than Pulitzer Prize winner Mel Ruder. Hooray for local news and Happy Birthday Hungry Horse News!

But, wait, there's more!

Cure your Under the Big Sky hangover with more music from Outriders Present. You'll have to make a hard choice on Saturday, August 1st. Mosey over to the Majestic Arena for Nick Shoulders and Riddy Arman for an all-ages outdoor show. Or belly up to the bar at The Remington in Whitefish for Jake Worthington and Tim Helnore. Friday, August 7th The Remington hosts Daniel Donato's Cosmic Country.

Raise a glass with the White Raven Vineyard in Columbia Falls on Saturday, August 1st at 2:00 pm for the Montana Wine, Beer and Spirits Festival – cocktails, not ghosts. Once again the beloved summer celebration brings together the state's finest wineries, cideries, breweries and distilleries for an afternoon of tastings, great food and live music by Nick Spear.

Kalispell's Immanuel Living gets into the swing of things with their Summer Concert Series. Free live music in the Terraces Courtyard on Wednesdays from 7:00 to 8:00 pm .. fun! August 5th catch (the busy) Nick Spear and on August 19th enjoy the Rylee Mix Duo. Save the date for Mike Murray on September 2nd and the Grand Finale with Halladay Quist Trio on Saturday, September 5th.

I love living here! There is so much talent and fun everywhere you look!

Which leads me into Saturday, August 8th when both Kalispell Rotary Clubs combine forces to host the Great Bear Festival. From 3:00 to 8:00 pm spread out at the O'Shaughnessy Outdoor Amphitheatre at the Wachholz College Center for beer, cider and wine sampling as well as family fun events like a kids free-throw contest and lawn games. Settle in for a sunset concert with Tommy Edwards and Man & The Box. Beer and wine tastings from Flathead and Montana's best and a host of food trucks to fill your belly.

Come back to the Wachholz Outdoor Amphitheatre for the August 14th presentation of Much Ado About Nothing with Montana Shakespeare in the Parks. This event is free to all with no ticket required! But soft, what light through yonder mountain breaks. It is Wachholz and the community is the sun.

I told you August was busy friends! Save the date for Friday, August 21st as Whitefish rips and rails for the Whitefish Trail Hootenanny. Yes, friends, it's back! Celebrate our local trails and show up to keep them going from 5:00 to 9:30 in Whitefish Depot Park. Kid activities, local beer and food trucks and live music from New Wave Time Tripper and HotDayum! Take your chance with a raffle ticket and maybe win a season pass to the resort formerly known as Big Mountain, or two roundtrip tickets with Alaska Airlines, a mountain bike from Glacier Cyclery, or so many other great prizes. Either you are a local or you want to be so get your fat tires to the Whitefish Trail Hootenanny on August 21st.

Ooooh Barracuda ... and I'm not talking about the servers at the Whitefish Lake Restaurant. The Music of Heart is the next installment of the Whitefish Summer Concert Series with shows August 14th to 16th . Merie Production and the Whitefish Theatre Co. Team up to share soaring vocals, blistering guitars and unforgettable melodies celebrating the iconic sound of sisters Ann and Nancy Wilson aka Heart.

As if you need a reason to taste more local beer! The new and improved Harbor Grille in Lakeside is hosting the 2nd annual Knot Just a Beer Festival on Saturday, August 22nd at 2:00 pm. Enjoy the view and the good company.

Friends, if you're bored in August, I don't know what to tell you.

While we wile away these August days fitting in all the good stuff summer has to offer, don't forget September is often glorious. Save those chores for later and get out there and enjoy grandeur.

It's me, Melissa Wells, signing off with purple fingers and a bunch of wildflowers in my hand. 

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