Sun Road celebration relocated

A prolonged winter at Logan Pass has prompted Glacier National Park officials to relocate the June 27 celebration of the 75th anniversary of the Going-to-the-Sun Road.

The dedication has been moved to Lake McDonald Lodge; the date has not changed.

The event had long been scheduled for June 27 at the pass, the same location as the 1933 dedication ceremony that attracted about 4,000 people.

Amy Vanderbilt, Glacier's communications director, announced the decision Thursday.

"We are doing that because of the continued snowy weather, the new snow accumulations and the prospect that the Logan Pass area will still be under snow and it will not be ready for traffic yet," Vanderbilt said.

Before this week's snowstorm, which dumped up to two feet of snow on some stretches of Sun Road, park plows were working in the Rimrock area west of the pass and in the Siyeh Bend area east of the pass.

"We regret that we had to make a change, but under the circumstances we felt we needed to make a decision," she added.

Getting guests to Lake McDonald Lodge may be logistically easier than getting them to Logan Pass, "but it takes away from the historical value of the original venue," Vanderbilt said.

There are still plans to shuttle guests to the event aboard the park's new buses.

"We knew that Logan Pass cannot accommodate hundreds of cars, and neither can Lake McDonald Lodge," Vanderbilt said.

Park officials have long identified the Lake McDonald Lodge auditorium as the "rainy day" backup, Vanderbilt said, and if there is bad weather, that's where the event will be held. Otherwise, it will be held outdoors at the lodge.

The park has received about 300 RSVP's for the event, which will feature several speakers, including Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer.

Event times and other details are still being worked out and will be announced next week, Vanderbilt said.

Reporter Jim Mann may be reached at 758-4407 or by e-mail at jmann@dailyinterlake.com