Great Falls is proud to be home to independent bookstore Cassiopeia Books!  Owner Mille Whalen joins Rebecca and Shannon on this episode to talk about the origin of the store's name, Montana authors, and the newly formed Montana Book Trail! 

Cassiopeia Books:

Open Tuesday - Friday 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Saturday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Closed Sundays and Mondays

https://cassiopeiabooks.com/

July is Paris Gibson Month in Great Falls!  Each year one community member receives the high honor of the Paris Gibson Award, honoring the legacy of the founder of Great Falls, Paris Gibson!  The 14th Paris Gibson Award has been given to outstanding community champion Kathy Van Tighem!  Kathy joins Rebecca and Shannon on the podcast to chat about growing up in Great Falls, living in the "museum district," her favorite places to eat, and so much more.

Read more about Kathy and the Paris Gibson Award: https://greatfallsmt.net/recreation/kathy-van-tighem-winner-14th-annual-paris-gibson-award

Rebecca and Shannon are so excited to chat with two founders (and the first baby guest on the podcast) of the Great Falls Theatre Company!  This newly formed group is gearing up for their first production: Oklahoma!  Learn about live theatre and the deep bench of talent in Great Falls.

Tickets to Oklahoma: https://tickets.shovation.com/eventperformances.asp?evt=891

University of Providence Theater
Thursday, July 13th, 2023 at 7:30 pm
Friday, July 14th, 2023 at 7:30pm
Saturday, July 15th, 2023 at 7:30 pm
Thursday, July 20th, 2023 at 7:30 pm
Friday, July 21st, 2023 at 7:30 pm
Saturday, July 22nd, 2023 at 7:30 pm

Great Falls Theatre Company: https://www.greatfallstheatre.com/

Rebecca and Shannon learn all about a prominent man in Montana history, responsible for starting churches, hospitals, and even a college.  Brother Van expert Suzanne Waring shares all about this beloved man with a fascinating history.

You can visit the Brother Van House Museum at 113 6th Street North in Great Falls for free!  They have guided tours July 5th-August 1st 2023 Tuesday -Friday from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.  Not coming to Great Falls during that time frame?  No problem, just give them a call at 406-453-3114 to make an appointment.

Read Suzanne's blog post about Brother Van here: https://visitgreatfallsmontana.org/2017/07/01/brother-van-best-loved-man-montana/

We just had so much to talk about in the last episode, we're back with part 2 about shopping in Great Falls! 

Learn about great shopping in Great Falls from clothing to souvenirs and much more!  Shopping in Great Falls, Montana: https://visitgreatfallsmontana.org/shopping/

We're talking all this shopping!  We had so much to say about this topic, that we decided to make it a two part series!  Learn about great shopping in Great Falls from clothing to souvenirs and much more! 

Shopping in Great Falls, Montana: https://visitgreatfallsmontana.org/shopping/

Gibson Park is truly the crown jewel of the Great Falls park system.  It offers a pond, play structures, statues, a garden and so much more!  On this episode, Rebecca and Shannon are talking about what they know (and a lot about what they don't know) about this beloved spot. 

More about Gibson Park: https://greatfallsmt.net/recreation/gibson-park-0

Article "Great Falls Park Superintendent has Narrow Escape from Animal:" https://www.greatfallshistorymuseum.org/blog/gibson-park-wildlife

Great Falls is the place to be for live music, craft beer, horse racing, running, baseball, and so much more this summer!  Rebecca and Shannon are chatting about events coming up this June, July, and August and why you should plan your trip to Great Falls to be part of them! 

As always, check out https://visitgreatfallsmontana.org/events/ for a look at upcoming events.

Register for Summer Trails Day here: https://visitgreatfallsmontana.org/event/summer-trails-day/

The amazing Ophelia Easton joins Rebecca and Shannon to chat about the beautiful mural she created inside the visitor center and offices of Great Falls Montana Tourism.  Hear about the process of making this two wall masterpiece a reality, including the choice to include a cow instead of a deer. 

Come see Ophelia's mural in person at 15 Overlook Drive in Great Falls, Montana!

Watch timelapse video of the mural's creation on our YouTube page: https://www.youtube.com/@VisitGreatFalls/videos

P.S. You'll hear us reference Western Art Week in this episode.  We recorded this back in March, but be sure to join us here in March 2024 for another Western Art Week!

We're gearing up for the summer rodeo season with a look at the women behind the rodeo queen crown!  The queen of rodeo queens Jody Rempel joins Rebacca and Shannon to talk about all that goes on behind the crown and boots.