Plenty of ideas for Glacier's 100th birthday

By CHRIS PETERSON / Hungry Horse News

It may have been a fairly thin crowd, but a dozen or so people can come up with ideas for a birthday party in a hurry, and by the time all was said and done, pages and pages of ideas were put on paper.

So went the first "listening sessions" for Glacier Park's Centennial Celebration. Glacier will turn 100 on May 11, 2010.

That may seem like a long way off, but a 99th birthday celebration is also planned — a precursor to the larger event and Glacier will turn 99 next year. In short, there's a lot of planning and preparation and fundraising to do.

A big birthday bash isn't cheap. They can run into the hundreds of thousands — Mesa Verde National Park spent about $450,000 on its birthday party — most of which was spent on people — interpreters and the like to enrich the Park experience the year of the celebration.

Through centennial logo licensing and private donations, Glacier also has a funding plan in place.

Already a book is completed celebrating the Park's century mark and a portion of the proceeds will help the centennial effort.

But right now, Glacier is just trying to get ideas. Listening sessions are planned through the end of the month in the Park and then in September and October in neighboring communities.

The ideas will all be posted on the centennial web site and then by mid December, plans should be finalized for a 99th celebration, Hardy said.

Ideas ranged far and wide, but almost all of them focused on one thing: Glacier is special place, and people want to keep it that way.

Here's a sampling of the ideas and wish lists.

? Fix the roads up the North Fork so they're more drivable than they are now. There's a growing frustration that the Inside North Fork Road isn't open and the roads to Kintla and Bowman Lake are in rough shape.

? Convert the Transit Center into a Visitor Center. The argument being the space in the Transit Center is wasted space and just computer animations. "It's a beautiful latrine," one person commented.

? Replace the Apgar amphitheater, which burned down a few years ago. Also, there's interest in restoring the ailing Heaven's Peak lookout and rebuilding the trail to it. The lookout has some of the finest masonry in the Park.

? Have a "living history" with actors in period dress. Also there was talk about a symphony series, art appreciation, photo displays, fireworks (outside the Park), and a photo contest.

? Have free bus and shuttle rides to the Park from gateway communities. There are plenty of people who live close to Glacier that never visit, said deputy Superintendent Stephanie DuBois.

? Get Amtrak involved with special train rides. The Great Northern Railroad was instrumental in creating the Park.

? Vintage jammer rides.

? Programs for children, like how to camp in Glacier, field trips and the like. There was also a thrust to simply have more "Nature with a Naturalist" hikes, where Park rangers lead hikes.

? Attract Hollywood. Suggestions ranged from an appearance by the Jonas Brothers to having chef Duff Goldman of "Ace of Cakes," do a birthday cake for Glacier.

? Recognize Peace. Have a peace day in conjunction with Waterton. Also, invite dignitaries from Mongolia, as Glacier has a sister Park in that country. Introduce an integrated fee system, so that you pay just one fee to enter Glacier and Waterton Lakes Park.

? Recognize the Civilian Conservation Corps camps and the history of the CCC in the Park. Also reunions of Park staffers and other employees were suggested.

? A speaker series featuring historians, researchers, biologists and the like.

? A visual timeline of the disappearing glaciers in the Park, from 1910 to the present.

? A film series of the movies shot in Glacier. Many were horrible. But some were very good. About 5 seconds of Forrest Gump was shot in Glacier.

? Do a complete biological inventory of the Park. Similar projects have been done in other parks, including Great Smoky National Park.

More listening sessions are on tap for the next few days. They include:

? Aug. 21 — Many Glacier Hotel Lucerne Room, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.; St. Mary Visitor Center, 4 to 7 p.m.

? Aug. 22 — East Glacier Park Lodge, 4 to 7 p.m.

? Aug. 26 — Polebridge fire house, 4 to 7 p.m.

The September and October sessions will be announced at a later date, Hardy said. You can check out the centennial Web site at: www.glaciercentennial.org