August 5, 2008

SAVE THE DATE!

 Judith Gap Centennial Gears Up for Birthday Bash

 Wheat, Wool, and Wind…Central Montana Town Celebrates 100 Years of Change.

Saturday August 16, and Sunday, 17, 2008

 

 Looking for a weekend road trip this month? Judith Gap, population 153, is 100 years old this month and is throwing a birthday party Saturday, August 16, and Sunday, August 17. Former Judith Gap residents, alums, and the public are invited to the celebration.

 

Located on the plains of central Montana between the Belts and the Snowy Mountains, Judith Gap was established by Great Northern Railroad as a fueling, crew change and repair facility, being halfway between Laurel and Great Falls. The agriculture boom that followed then took place when homesteaders came into the area and helped develop the early days of the town. 

 Over the years, Judith Gap weathered wars, depression, droughts, a shrinking population, and the closing of several businesses including the local sawmills. Today, the town is best known for the Judith Gap Energy Center, Montana’s largest wind farm, located seven miles south of town. Since opening in 2005, the wind farm has drawn workers who construct and maintain the turbines, curious tourists, science buffs, and photographers.

 

Community residents make up the Judith Gap Centennial Committee and have been planning the birthday party for nearly a year. They are hoping to draw former residents, Judith Gap School  alums as well as tourists. The plethora of activities includes, among other things, a parade, two street dances, a vintage clothing fashion show, an inflatable carnival for kids, 5k fun race, and a host of old-fashioned country style meals.

 

 In addition to the Centennial activities, the town itself offers some amazing things to experience, such as the wind farm, which is comprised of It is no wonder people are awed. Ninety wind turbines - 260 feet high, capped with rotors that sweep up to 387 feet into the air dominate the horizon along both sides of Highway 191 between Harlowton and Judith Gap.  Ninety wind turbines - 260 feet high, capped with rotors that sweep up to 387 feet into the air dominate the horizon along both sides of Highway 191 between Harlowton and Judith Gap. 90 wind turbines – each 260 feet high capped with rotors that sweep up to 387 feet into the sky.  Each turbine produces enough energy to power 300 homes per year. Two wind farm tours will take place during the weekend celebration.

 

The other “point of interest” in  Judith Gap is a visit to the Judith Gap Mercantile  - one of the town’s original stores from the old Main Street, dating back to 1908. It was moved to its present location on Highway 191 in 1952, and  is chock full of everything one would imagine in an old-fashioned general store…including a display of historical memorabilia and a soda fountain counter complete with antique tractor seats for stools. It is worth the drive to Judith Gap just to sit in one of these tractor seats and sample the Mercantile’s ‘world famous’ hand scooped milkshakes.

 

Don’t miss the Judith Gap Centennial Celebration, August 16-17. The weekend offers various displays, vendors, horseshoes, photo opportunities at the old jail, wind farm tours, and much more. 

 

  Saturday, August 16

  • 8 am-11am – Registration
  • 8 am – 1k and 5k Fun Run  
  • 8 am – Poker Run Start
  • 7 am – 9am – Customer Appreciation Breakfast at Judith Gap Oil
  • 11 am - Main Street Parade  
  • 11am – 3pm -  Customer Appreciation Lunch at Judith Gap Mercantile
  • 12 noon – Shrine Black Horse Patrol at Baseball Field
  • 12 noon - Kids’ Inflatalbe Carnival (displays, vendors, horseshoe contests)
  • 12:30 pm – Wind Farm Tour
  • 1 pm – Viewing old pictures and other displays in School Gym
  • 2;30 pm – Judith Gap Birthday Celebration with Friends, Alums, and Cake at School
  • 3 pm – Vintage Clothes & Ray’s Western Wear Style Show at School
  • 4 pm – Centennial Slide Show & Program at School
  • 5 pm – Fireman’s Dinner at School
  • 7 pm – Mass at Judith Gap Catholic Church
  • 7 pm – Street Dance at Bar 100
  • 8 pm – Street Dance at Hitchin’ Post

 Sunday, August 17

  • 9 am - Non-denominational  Church Service and Park Dedication   
  • 10 am – 11:30 am - American Legion Auxiliary Breakfast  
  • 12 noon – Wind Farm Tour

 For more information, contact Harry Peck, (406) 473-2399, hbpeck@mtintouch.net. Or, visit the Judith Gap website, www.judithgap.net

 July 15, 2008

 

 

 

     Wheat, Wool and Wind…Central Montana Town Celebrates 100 years of Change

Saturday and Sunday, August 16, 17, 2008.            

One hundred years ago, ads promising 160 acres of “prime” farm and ranch land drew people to the plains of central Montana. Two railroads, the Milwaukee and the Great Northern, provided easy access, and soon, homesteads punctuated this agricultural paradise nestled between the Belts and Snowy Mountains. In August 1908, Judith Gap was officially incorporated as a town. 

In its infancy, “The Gap was supported chiefly by the railroad and agriculture. Its function as a midpoint between Billings and Great Falls, coupled with its services for these new families, made it an agricultural boomtown. Just as any other American town, Judith Gap weathered wars, depression, droughts, the closing of several businesses including the town’s sawmill.   

 As the town prepares for the celebration of its 100th birthday, both the locals and newcomers marvel at the changes, the primary one being the 90 gleaming white, over-sized pinwheels that dot the landscape. The “wind farm,” or more properly termed, the Judith Gap Energy Center, has provided another boost for the local economy, bringing in everyone from workers who construct and maintain the towers, to curious tourists, science buffs, and photographers who are eager to tour the park.   

Tours of the Judith Gap Energy Center will be a highlight for visitors to the Centennial Celebration. Since its inception, the facility has been one of the highest producing wind farms in the nation. It was the first large-scale wind project in Montana, and remains the largest of its kind in the state. 

The Judith Gap Centennial Celebration provides an excellent opportunity to tour the Energy Center and visit this charming rural Montana community.