Brookies Cookies becomes one of the Village's live music venues

Bigfork is known for its year-round art scene, but it is the summertime when its music scene really comes alive.

There are a variety of places to watch local and national musical artists perform in the Bigfork area, and this year a new one has been added to the list.

Last summer Brookies Cookies began a transformation to become more than just a bakery. Owner Greg Edwards added the Kickin' Chicken Bar and Grill, obtained a liquor license to serve beer, wine and liquor, and a few bands put on shows in the establishment's backyard area.

However, this year Edwards and his staff are turning it up a notch.

"My whole vision is that this is the last green space in downtown Bigfork that the public can come and hang out at," Edwards said. "If they spend $1 or $100, it doesn't matter. We just want everyone to enjoy this park-like atmosphere."

In preparation for the summer, the interior of the Brookies building was repainted and redecorated to give it a more rustic look, the deck was added to, more picnic tables were installed and an outdoor bar was built.

Much of the work was done by Edwards and his friends, including local Jake Steck who constructed the bar.

"Parents can enjoy some cocktails while their kids are playing 'lava rock' in our yard," Edwards said. "Sometimes I get out there and play 'lava rock' with them. It's just a fun family-friendly place."

The remodeling took two-and-a-half months, but for Edwards and his patrons it was worth it. Dinner is now grilled on the back deck, which overlooks the Swan River, and patrons can choose to sit at tables on the deck and grass or find a spot adjacent to the nearly always lit camp fire.

One of the new draws at Brookies is the bands that play every Wednesday during the downtown Village Market. The market runs from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. and music usually starts around 7 p.m. at Brookies.

"I tried to push it last year, but it just didn't work out," Edwards said of the market and accompanying musical entertainment.

Brookies also hosts music a few other nights each week with varying start times. Closing time is mostly crowd dependent, and may extend as late as 1 a.m.

His other project from last year, the Kickin' Chicken Grill, lives on this season in a slightly smaller form. The grill will be open Wednesdays through Saturdays for dinner with a somewhat more limited menu than last year. He intends for the grill to offer items like burgers, hot dogs and chili as well as daily specials.

Patrons can also stop by in the mornings and pick up breakfast on the go. Options include different types of breakfast burritos and a quiche-like breakfast bar.

Despite the grill's name, Edwards said that they rarely offer chicken on their menu.

"It will be like going to one of your buddy's backyard barbecues," Edwards said. "Burgers, beers and bands. It is such a good place and a good venue. We wanted to offer people an opportunity to enjoy some food and some drinks in the later part of the day while being entertained by some good music."

Edwards has a lengthy history of working in the bar industry and that also happens to be the place where he came up with some of the ideas for his current business.

In the 90s, he owned a bar in Wisconsin called Eddie's Winchester Inn. One day a man ordered a shot of Wild Turkey from Edwards, who replied, "Oh, you're looking for the kickin' chicken.'" Edwards' comment got big laugh from everyone in the bar and it inspired him to begin keeping a notebook full of ideas that he would like to one day incorporate into a bar he owned in the future.

"You'll see some of them play out here this summer," Edwards said. "Luckily, I have my own saw mill so it doesn't cost me too much to do this stuff."

Edwards, who is a 1982 graduate of Bigfork High School, has been back in the Bigfork area since 1995. After high school, Edwards bounced between Florida, Ohio and Wisconsin, but he knew he wanted to eventually return home.

"Even when I didn't live here, I always came up here just because this is as good as it gets," Edwards said. "I've traveled all over and I've never found anywhere that I liked as much as here."

Edwards then business partner Mike Peterson purchased Brookies Cookies in March of 2007, which at the time had been around for nearly two decades.

"We had to become bakers, but we were both like, 'We've cooked frozen pizzas, but that's the extent of our experience,'" Edwards said. "We had no choice but to bake because we had all of the equipment and we didn't have the money to do anything else."

The new bakery owners embraced their roles and then decided they wanted to do more with the establishment.

"We wanted to do cocktails, but we weren't sure how we were going to do that," Edwards said. "The cookie business used to be a huge money making business and it still is to an extent, but the alcohol is just an addition now."

Edwards and Peterson obtained their liquor license last spring and Brookies started to take a new shape.

In the fall, Peterson sold his share of the business to Edwards, who has continued to evolve the business into a place that everyone in the community can enjoy in their own way.

"We have a good vibe here," Edwards said. "It's a positive atmosphere and that's exactly what we were looking to achieve. We want good eggs only. That's the name of the game here. Our motto is, 'No bad attitudes.'"

OTHER VENUES

Bigfork boasts numerous other venues in addition to Brookies' spot on the edge of the river.

At the north end of town is Grizzly Jack's (14 Swan Landing), a saloon-style bar which also offers a full lunch and dinner menu as well as gambling.

The bar often has karaoke and DJs providing entertainment and from time to time has live music as well.

Grizzly Jack's has an outdoor bar and stage that is used during the summer months in addition to the indoor space. The bar was purchased by local Steve Kenyon late last year, who has been working on making the best use of the space possible for entertaining his patrons.

The Los Caporales Mexican restaurant (7515 Montana Highway 35) in Bigfork also has a bar and casino attached to it, as well as a large stage with accompanying dance floor. The bar also often hosts karaoke nights throughout the year.

The Bigfork Inn (604 Electric Ave., Bigfork) in the Village is one of the fancier restaurants in Bigfork to enjoy a nice dinner out at, but on Friday and Saturday evenings during the summer it is also the place to dance to big band music.

The Swan River Inn (360 Grand Ave.), which is across the street from the Bigfork Inn, also occasionally has live music either indoors or on the outdoor roof-top patio.

La Provence (408 Bridge Street) has been touted as an elegant place to enjoy a French meal for more than 10 years.

However, this summer it has also become host to acoustic guitarists every Wednesday night who play for diners and those enjoying an evening martini.

The Garden Bar (451 Electric Ave.) is one of the best known watering holes in the Valley because of its lively atmosphere and central location.

The bar hosts bands all year long indoors and during the summer months those performing often take to the large raised outdoor stage in the bar's backyard that has a dance floor on the ground level.

The Rocky Mountain Roadhouse (intersection of Montana highways 209 and 83) in Ferndale hosts a variety of different types of musical entertainment throughout the year on its indoor stage and dance floor and during the summer bands will sometimes play in the grassy backyard area that includes a fire pit and picnic tables.

In Woods Bay, patrons can find a trifecta of entertainment.

The Raven (15321 Montana Highway 35, Bigfork), which celebrated its 15 anniversary last weekend, throws a myriad of different themed parties throughout the year, which nearly always include live music.

During the summer, the bar is known for hosting the weekly Margarita Monday parties as well as being a favorite spot to end the weekend with Sunday Fundays.

Live music is also almost always scheduled for Fridays and Saturdays during the summer as well. The Raven has indoor seating as well as a covered upper deck and uncovered lake-side deck with additional seating.

The Sitting Duck (26031 East Shore Route) typically has live music on Friday and Saturday nights and Sunday afternoons during the summer.

Bands play inside during cold or rainy nights, but otherwise they set up on the covered lower deck that overlooks the edge of Flathead Lake. The Duck also has an upper deck that is uncovered.

The Flathead Lake Brewing Company (26014 East Shore Route) was reopened this spring after being closed for several months while ownership changed hands.

The brewery is still carrying on previous traditions of hosting live music on the open deck adjacent to the building during the summer.