By BEN WEISS
Festival season is in full swing in Missoula – Brew Fest, Local Fest, Celtic Fest, Total Fest, Roots Fest, Hemp Fest, German Fest, and Testy Fest are just a few of them. A lot of people are asking me “where is the bike fest?” Sure, there were world class mountain bike races at Marshall Mountain a couple weeks ago with what I heard was a good party afterwards.
Yeah, cyclocross season is starting up, and those people really know how to party. But I am pretty sure these people are asking about PEDalFest, which was the celebration of biking and walking that happened at Caras Park in 2008, 2009, and 2010.
PEDalFest was a fun time, with bikes, games, music, and beer. It was a fundraiser for several active transportation groups in town such as BWAM, FreeCycles, and Missoula In Motion. And, it was started after New Belgium took their Tour de Fat to other cities.
Unfortunately, without New Belgium’s promotion (and trucks full of free beer), PEDalFest just wasn’t popular enough to sustain itself in our busy summer, and will not be happening again this year. So, in that sense, there will not be the “Bike Fest” that people have asked me about.
But, Missoulians are crafty, resourceful, and dedicated to improving conditions for biking and walking. Instead of PEDalFest in 2011, we now have the semiannual Sunday Streets Missoula (more about that next time) and New Belgium has returned with the Clips of Faith film festival.
This festival is similar to PEDalFest and Tour de Fat, in that you drink beer, it takes place in Caras Park, you are encouraged to ride your bike there, you drink beer, it supports local organization BWAM, and you drink beer. The difference is, this is an outdoor film festival, showcasing short, amateur movies that primarily have to do with beer, bikes, sustainability, and zaniness.
Clips of Faith will be coming to Caras Park on Friday, August 19. Starting at 7:30pm, this event celebrates biking and walking with movies and beer. One hundred percent of proceeds from the event go to support BWAM, and their efforts to make Missoula better for cyclists and pedestrians. All BWAM has to do is provide volunteers to serve beer. All we have to do as Missoulians, is come down to the park and drink it.
To learn more about Clips of Faith or to volunteer at the film fest, email Ethel McDonald at bike4ethel@gmail.com.
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Ben Weiss has been biking around Missoula for the last decade, on his way to and from work, school, volunteer engagements, board meetings, pot lucks, concerts, and the bars. Previously serving as a Bicycling Ambassador for the City and as a current employee of Missoula In Motion, Ben has spent hundreds of hours talking with Missoulians about how and where they ride their bikes.