Park visits perk up economy

Glacier National Park lived up to its reputation as the engine that drives the local economy last year, as — in the midst of a national downturn — visits to the park were up 12.4 percent over the previous year.

The park saw visits climb above the 2 million mark for only the third time since 1995. For a region that depends on tourism, that was good news indeed.

Why Glacier did so well is a matter of speculation. You can start with the buildup to the 2010 celebration of the park’s 100th anniversary.

There has also been a concerted effort to capitalize on “geotourism,” a marketing term for tourism that sells the geographical character of a place and promotes the unique opportunities available in a particular location. From that perspective, Glacier Park has few peers.

It’s also probably that there were more local and state visitors than in years past because of cost-conscious decisions to vacation closer to home. Plus, we  should factor in the rebound from the 2008 tourism dip caused by sky-high gas prices that summer.

For those and other reasons, we can expect Glacier Park to do even better this year. That could go a long way toward tempering the effects of the national slowdown, and help local stores, restaurants and hotels to have a good summer.

FOR LIBBY, one of the underpinnings of the late summer season is Nordicfest, a Scandinavian-themed tradition that has been running for 25 years.

Unfortunately, such a large venture is only possible with hundreds of hours of volunteer time donated by community members, and in a small community such as Libby that means a big commitment by a few dedicated individuals.

In order to keep Nordicfest going this year, organizers have sounded the call for more volunteers, and they need them right away. A meeting has been set for tonight at 6 p.m. at the Venture Inn to recruit at least eight more volunteers.

Organizers are looking to fill the positions of vice president and secretary, plus organizers for the craft show, parade, outdoor entertainment, royalty and information booth, souvenirs and fundraising.

Anyone interested has to be at the meeting, and if the spots can’t be filled, Libby may be bidding goodbye to one of its best community traditions.