I’m reminded of why I love being in Missoula pretty regularly, and the premier of Sunday Streets Missoula this Fall (September 12, 2010) was just one of those times. The first event of its kind in downtown Missoula, this 5 hour (9AM – 2PM) hiatus from automobile traffic on Higgins Ave. was a truly unique sight. Kids, moms, dads, teens, UM students, visitors, dogs, bikers, skateboarders, roller skaters, jugglers, and everything/everyone in between came down to hang out & cruise around.

One of Missoula’s main North/South connectors, the Higgins Ave. Bridge, became the city’s largest canvas for chalk art. The block between 5th and 6th became an impromptu skatepark and nearly every street corner to the north end of Higgins offered some type of entertainment, vending and/or absolutely stunning people-watching.

Kudos to the organizers…I really hope we see more events like this next year.

Keep an eye on the Sunday Streets Missoula website for future events like this one and if you’re thinking of a time to visit Missoula, consider joining us during a future Sunday Streets event. Your perspective on all the activity from the Wilma Condo will certainly be one-of-a-kind.

Summer is in the air and Missoulians are ready for some warmer weather. If there’s one thing that bookends winter in Western Montana, it is the start of Missoula’s various Farmer’s Markets. The bulk of the action takes place at the very North end of Higgins Avenue near the “XXX’s” (a local piece of artwork – that plays homage to the railroad that resides just to the north). But…the Clark Fork River Market is found just under the Higgins Street Bridge, right on the Clark Fork River and the Carousel Market is found just to the west of this location near the Carousel For Missoula (the hottest spot for kids and parents alike).

Since there are more choices than ever this year, it seemed like there was a need for a rundown of specifics:

Missoula Farmers Market
http://www.missoulafarmersmarket.com/

8:30 am – 12:00 noon, Each Saturday, May 1nd to October 23th
5:45 pm to 7:15 pm Tuesday evenings, July 7th – August 25th.

This is the original…and mostly consists of foods and local produce/flowers. You can complete all of your weekly shopping every Saturday morning and feel great about supporting local farmers and agriculture. Ride your bike or walk and you’ll feel much better about yourself…plus you won’t have to find a place to park. Downtown Missoula is a zoo on Saturday mornings in the summer.

Missoula Saturday Market
http://www.missoulasaturdaymarket.org/

9 am – 1 pm, Each Saturday, May 1 to October 23rd.

Sometimes called the “People’s Market”, this gathering of arts/crafts/goods/foods is jam packed with eye-candy. Browse around the multitude of many hand-made works from local artists. Maybe you’ve even got something you create that could be packaged up and sold?

Clark Fork River Market
http://www.clarkforkrivermarket.com/

9 am – 1pm, Each Saturday, May 1st through October 23rd

Still relatively new, this market is a mixture of foods, produce, flowers, goods, coffee, treats and some absolutely amazing breakfast sandwiches. Well, that was the case in 2009, fingers crossed for 2010.

A Carousel For Missoula – Sunday Market
http://www.carrousel.com/carousel-sunday-market-and-fes/

1 pm – 5 pm, Each Sunday, May 9th through October 17th, 2010

Missoula’s newest addition to the Market family making it possible to stretch out your weekend mingling all the way into Sunday…all summer long!

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With all of this activity going on downtown, you’re going to need a place to kick back and relax! Why not consider staying here at the Wilma Condo? That way you’ll only have to cart your groceries a block or so and you can gaze out the top-floor window at all of the action happening below! Bring on the sun…it’s almost summer!

April is a beautiful time of year in the Missoula Valley and sports perfect weather for outdoor activities. The YMCA’s 38th annual River Bank Run is coming up April 24th in Missoula, Montana. More than 300 participants take part in the race, which is claimed to be the largest foot race in Missoula. This event received high ratings in Runner’s World magazine and is fun for the whole family.

Sign up soon for either the 1-Mile Fun Run, 5K, 10K, or the Trifecta. Make race day easy by staying at the Wilma Condo located in the historic Wilma Theater nestled in the heart of Missoula. Staying here puts you three blocks from the start of the race. This cozy 8th floor suite will be waiting for you when you cross the finish line and need a place to pick your feet up and relax.

More information about the River Bank Run »

Register Online for the River Bank Run »

Make plans to relax and listen to spectacular music by the Missoula Symphony Orchestra conducted by Darko Butorac. Concerts are held one weekend a month on Saturday night and Sunday afternoon at 3:30. Take a musical journey with the symphony as they powerfully perform at the University Theater.

Then, enjoy a delectable glass of wine with dinner at Scotty’s Table, one of Missoula’s deliciously quaint restaurants located below The Wilma Theater. Catch a flick at the theater, if you are up to it, (movie times can be found at their website) and when you are ready, retreat back to the Wilma Condo to enjoy the gorgeous views of Missoula from this 8th floor suite.

Wow! A full week of great documentary films just wrapped up here in Missoula at the Wilma Theater. Amazing stuff. For many of us that own & rent units as vacation rentals here in the Wilma building, we had the opportunity to accommodate some of the visiting filmmakers and press. These are some incredibly talented folks and I know that I feel very lucky to have been included in this very unique, and very “Missoula” event.

At one of the reception parties that happen alongside these film screenings, I was approached by a filmmaker who was here in town to show her recently completed film “A Circle and Three Lines” . She was so inspired by Missoula and a story she’d heard about our infamous “Peace Sign” that she’s planning to do another film on the story behind this piece of Missoula history. I’ll leave most the storytelling to her, but this sign was a piece of radio relay equipment located on Missoula’s north side, up on the hill. People would regularly, and illegally, climb up this large structure and paint a peace sign on it. It would get cleaned up, then repainted, then cleaned off, then repainted by a reclusive group of Missoulians who were proud to climb the structure and broadcast their message with the peace icon. FInally, Qwest, the owner of the structure no longer had a need for it and decided to have it torn down. By this time, the famous symbol on the hill had become a big part of Missoula’s “personality”, in many ways. Some Missoulian’s cheered at its removal, others sobbed. Many of the key players in this cat-and-mouse game with Qwest actually ended up with the pieces and it looks like this whole story will now become the basis for a future film. One that will certainly be shown in an upcoming screening some year at the Big Sky Documentary Film Festival (BSDFF).

If you’re ever find yourself in Missoula, in early February, be sure to stop in and check out the BSDFF, it is a well organized smorgasbord of films about any and everything where “reality plays itself”.

Getting married at Caras Park? St. Francis Xavier Church? Or, maybe your reception is downtown at the Florence Building? Whatever the case may be, the Wilma Condo makes for the perfect location to get ready and to wind down.

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More and more people are choosing custom lodging options over hotels when they travel. These savvy travelers are finding that Vacation & Short Term Rental options offer way more for the same price (and are sometimes much cheaper!). Missoula Vacation Rentals and Short Term Rentals are quickly becoming the only way that many couples and familes choose to travel to Western Montana.

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Each year thousands of people descend upon Missoula for activities related to the University of Montana’s Homecoming Weekend. Its a great time to be in Missoula and an even better time to be staying downtown. Imagine sitting in front of any of the 3 large windows and looking out at the Parade from 8 stories above! Plus, you can still enjoy the Farmer’s Market, grab a bite to eat and then stroll along the river to the BIG GAME in Washington/Grizzly Stadium later that day.

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