First Night a worthy tradition

The fun will be almost nonstop on Monday night.

That night is New Year’s Eve and much of the fun will be offered at First Night Flathead.

First Night is Kalispell’s annual alcohol-free gala that offers a wide range of musical styles as well as activities for all ages.

Family activities kick off the festivities at 1 p.m. at Kalispell Center Mall, with music and dance performances starting at 7 p.m. at several downtown venues.

The culmination of the night will be the musical countdown to midnight at the Red Lion Hotel Kalispell.

There’s enough variety to suit almost any musical taste, and First Night is a grand showcase of the breadth of musical talent here in the Flathead Valley.

The Inter Lake is proud to be the diamond sponsor for this important community event. For a full First Night schedule and map of performances, go to www.firstnightflathead.org.

FIRST NIGHT Flathead has been a success story for downtown Kalispell, but that’s just one night a year. What downtown needs is more businesses, more shopping, and more excitement all year round — and an important piece of that fell into place recently when it was announced that the long vacant Kelly-Main Street building would be reopening in the new year.

Local businessman Paul Roybal bought the building and will bring his carpet and flooring business to the space, which has been vacant since 2004.

This is a huge boost for the downtown, and we encourage everyone to patronize this and other downtown businesses to help keep an important part of the history of Kalispell alive.

IT’S BEEN quite a while since the Flathead Valley has had so many transitions in key county and judicial positions at one time.

The biggest “changing of the guard” is at Flathead District Court, where longtime district judges Kitty Curtis and Stewart Stadler are retiring in just a few days. Curtis’ seat will be taken over by Kalispell attorney Robert Allison and Stadler is being replaced by Kalispell Municipal Judge Heidi Ulbricht. Deputy County Attorney Lori Adams will step into Ulbricht’s position as municipal judge.

The Flathead County Board of Commissioners is in transition, too, with Commissioner Dale Lauman retiring. Longtime West Valley resident Gary Krueger will take his seat. Interim Commissioner Cal Scott won his bid for the remainder of the late Jim Dupont’s term, and will serve for the next two years.

To those who are retiring, we wish you the rest and relaxation you have so deservedly earned. To the newcomers, best of luck as you prepare to fill some pretty big shoes.