Boat society to give back

Boat enthusiasts are gearing up for the fifth annual Antique and Classic Boat Show this weekend in Lakeside, but this year's event also marks the beginning of a new endeavor for the boat society that hosts the event.

The Big Sky Chapter of the Antique and Classic Boat Society, with the help of volunteers and other organizations throughout the Valley, is starting the Montana Wooden Boat Foundation, a non-profit organization that is directed at helping at-risk youth through mentoring and educational programs.

The foundation just became incorporated and an application is in progress now for its 501(c)3 non-profit status.

The idea to start the foundation has been a point of discussion for two years, but it's finally getting its feet on the ground.

"There became a time where we asked the question that we ought to be doing something more than once a year," said Alex Berry, president of the society. "The boat show is fun, but that's when we started talking."

Berry brought up the Alexandria Seaport Foundation, which does similar work with kids in Alexandria, Va. The idea and plan blossomed from there.

"I said, 'There's no reason we can't do it here,'" he said. "Certainly there's a need to help kids. Why don't we take it from here and see what we can do?"

Organizers describe the program as a 'school without walls." The program's main target is students who have dropped out of high school but is also open to students on the margins as well as those who just have an interest in building boats.

It will accept students between the ages of 15 and 19 who live within the boundaries of Flathead Valley school districts. With some work still to do, the first class of the program likely won't be until the first of the year, Berry said.

The foundation is connected with Asta Bowen, who is an English teacher at Flathead High School. She will work with the foundation to help vet and identify students for the program, Berry said.

The program, with the help of so far eight local boat builders who have volunteered their time, has two levels — an entry and a second level.

In the entry level, students spent most of their time learning small wooden boat building at the foundation's shop, learning the tools and how to use them, boat architecture and seamanship as well as basic math and physics.

The program includes field trips to commercial boat building companies to expose students to potential career paths. It also includes basic lake and stream science with trips to the Flathead Lake Biological Station in Yellow Bay.

A trip to the Central School Museum will allow students to learn the history of boat building to the Flathead Lake region.

By the time they reach the second level, students gain experience with more complex projects and work closely with skilled builders to learn advanced skills and tools.

The goal is to have students display their finished projects and boating skills at both levels each year at the boat show.

Funds raised through the boat show can now help support the program. These funds come from corporate sponsors as well as merchandise sales, Berry said.

This year the boat show runs 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday.

Attendees will be able to look at more than 40 antique and classic boats in the water as well as hand-crafted wood boats on display at the two host venues, Lakeside Marina/Docks Restaurant and the Waterside Resort.

"It's a fun family event," Berry said. "It's a must for aficionados who love old boats and have a love of history."

This year's show will include a boat Berry says is timely based on national events — a restored fishing boat from the bayou in Louisiana.

The show also includes historical displays and boat building demonstrations. Those include the Central School Museum's display of early photos of Glacier National Park's historic wooden tour boats.

As usual, the culminating event of the show is Sunday's boat parade.

This year, the Far West Boat will be leading the charge along the West Shore from Conrad Point starting at 3:30 p.m.

"This way people who attend the show but do not have a boat can still be in the parade," Berry said.

Also at the event, local artists will be painting the line-up of boats and their work will be raffled off at the end of the show.

Herb McAllister, who designed the collectible boat show poster, again will be around to sign posters.

For more information about the show or the foundation, contact Berry at 844-3522.