The sidewalks are heating up in downtown Livingston, Montana as folk roll into town to celebrate the three-day party for the 4th.

The art walks this year will fall on the 3rd Friday of each month. June 17th kicked off the first walk of the season. At Wheatgrass Saloon Gallery the art work of Angelina Froke and Carol Liljedahl still can be seen. Their earthy and folkloric show, Norwegian Woods and Other Tales, incorporates Norse, Scandinavian and Germanic legends and myths as well as original works of fantasy through paintings and soft sculpture art dolls. Raised by Wolves Studios is a mother – daughter collaboration between Carol and Angelina. They bring together a shared love of faerie tales, primitive art, dolls, antiques and oddities in a way that is distinctive and unique and create original hand-made soft sculpture art dolls and fine art pieces. The show will remain up until the second week of July.

You also will be able to find the works of Angelina and Carol at the Festival of the Arts July 2, 3, 4. The Festival is held in the Depot Rotary Park that runs along the railroad  tracks and is adjacent to the Livingston Depot.

Also in June, Wheatgrass Saloon was delighted to host a reading by author Jasmin Singer  from her book  Always Too Much and Never Enough.  Jasmin is an exceptionally fun and engaging speaker.  If you missed her dynamic talk about having  “been betrayed by a food industry that relied on (her) willful ignorance and by a society that relied on (her) undiscerning willingness to buy into its arbitrary notions of self-worth and beauty,” come get your signed copy here at Wheatgrass Saloon. And, once my tech-savvy kicks in, I will post the video of her talk as well.

Throughout the week preceding the 4th of July celebrations, Wheatgrass Saloon Eco-Boutique will have a blowout summer sale with new categories of items on sale each day:

Monday, June 27th – all T-shirts 50% off

Tuesday, June 28th- all skirts 50% off

Wednesday, June 29th – all body care items 50% off

Thursday, June 30th – all incense 50% off

Friday, July 1st – all non-consignment scarves 50% off

Saturday, July 2nd – all non-consignment jewelry 50% off

Throughout the summer, raffle tickets will be available for purchase at Wheatgrass Saloon to benefit Livingston’s Sister Cities Program.

On July 2nd, during  Livingston’s Roundup Rodeo Parade, the kick-off to 72 hours of Independence Day celebratory shenanigans, the horses in the parade will determine the winner(s) of the Roundup Road Apples raffle.

Wheatgrass Saloon will close at 2pm on the day of the Parade. Otherwise, our summer hours are 10am -5pm Monday through Saturday, with the exception of Wednesdays when we close at 4pm in order to get to the Farmers Market.

The July Art Walk is just around the bend. On July 15th, we will have the pleasure of hosting a reception from 5pm – 8pm for John Zumpano. With “Colors of Crow Fair,”  John returns with a follow-up to last year’s popular art walk exhibit, “Pow Wow” with a show of new work.

“Colors of Crow Fair” celebrates the vibrancy of Native American regalia, the power of dance and the richness of Native traditions.  It’s no coincidence that color can mean hue, tint, tone but also vitality, excitement and zest. The multi-tribal gatherings at a pow wow exemplify both of these ideas. John’s large, gallery-wrapped canvases capture the resplendent patterns, eye-popping color and passion of the dancers.
Come and experience the power of pow wow and the spirit and pride of Native American culture.

We have recently updated our menu. Check it out, and then come try the new, raw vegan Thai Noodle Bowl to nourish your way through the parties of summertime and the Paint it Black to detox from the beer floats on the river. Both have been a big hit.

Upcoming 4th Thursdays are July 28th and August 25th. In July, 10% of net sales will be donated to Livingston’s Sister Cities Program.

In August 10% will go to the  Park County Environmental Council, (PCEC).

PCEC works tirelessly to serve its mission “to protect and enrich the quality of life in Park County by preserving and restoring our rivers, wildlife and landscapes.”

The big issues currently being addressed jeopardize our lifestyle and economy in Park County and include:

• Two industrial-scale gold mines in the Paradise Valley
  • Lucky Mineral’s exploratory drilling in Emigrant Gulch
  • Crevice Mining Group’s proposals for road permits and mining operations near Gardiner
• Supporting efforts to designate the Yellowstone River as Wild and Scenic
• Grizzly bear protection
• A gravel pit and asphalt plant on Hwy 89
• BNSF rail yard cleanup

Please come support PCEC’s efforts on August 25th from 10am – 5pm and learn more about the issues.

In the Boutique, we are pleased to introduce, Think Body works by local designer,  Deborah Amlincoln Monaghan. Silk scarves and cotton bandanas inspired by the anatomy of the head of the horse are a beautiful addition to our shelves.

Enjoy the sunshine, light breeze and stay hydrated through these fleeting, dog days of summer.