Radio host a Winter Carnival regular

From the studio attached to his home on the east side of Whitefish, Ross Strauser has been covering community events in the Flathead Valley for years.

But this time of year, the radio becomes second to Strauser’s winter devotion: Whitefish Winter Carnival.

“Winter to me is Winter Carnival,” Strauser said. “It’s a lot of work but the fun of winter for me has been Winter Carnival for several years now.”

Outside of carnival activities, Strauser is best known as the host of Big Valley Radio. After working for a local broadcasting station since 1989, Strauser started his venture in January 2007 as Whitefish Radio. Strauser knew Internet radio was going to be a big thing and he wanted to get in on the ground floor.

Five years ago, he changed the name to Big Valley Radio to encompass the entire Flathead Valley community.

“The valley is growing rapidly,” Strauser said. “There’s never a lack of things to cover and there’s so much talent here. Whitefish is becoming an art mecca in the state.”

Strauser’s relationship with Winter Carnival started with announcing the parade and helping promote the carnival. After a few years of dedicated work, Strauser was named the 50th prime minister of Whitefish Winter Carnival in 2009.

“It was a great honor,” he said. “That 50th year was pretty special.”

Strauser said carnival royalty does a lot more than people realize, such as promoting the carnival and the town of Whitefish. Strauser later was appointed as president of the Winter Carnival’s board of directors, a position that lasted three years.

One of his most prized accomplishments in his time as board president included directing the event organization toward becoming a nonprofit 501(c)3. Paul Johannsen, the current board president, completed the process, opening the doors for corporate sponsorships and larger donations.

“We grew the board and it became a little more professional,” Strauser said. “It was run very well before, but it just didn’t have what we needed.”

National Geographic named Whitefish Winter Carnival one the top 10 winter carnivals around the world in 2012. Strauser said the recognition has helped grow the monthlong event.

“It’s a great thing for the valley,” he said. “It’s been great, when you have been one of the top ten, it can only help other areas of the Flathead.”

Strauser said when people from outside the valley think of Winter Carnival, they tend to think about the last weekend that includes the parade and the Penguin Plunge. It helps make the entire month, he said, a hyper-local event, from the Merry Maker to skijoring.

The carnival began back in the 1960s when the first organizers were looking for a way to pull folks out of the doldrums of winter. Strauser said according to the loose history of Carnival, things used to be a little more wild, such as skijoring on Central Avenue.

“Just getting to know people of past royalty, I just really respect those people that found a way to keep it going through the years when it almost didn’t,” he said.

At the Merry Maker, Strauser operates all the audio equipment and plays fake commercials in between jests made by carnival royalty. This year, royalty made a few light jabs at the new City Hall development coming in over budget and the legal issues surrounding the Jesus statue on Big Mountain.

Strauser said he thinks this year’s Winter Carnival has been well conducted. He loves the theme, football, as something everyone can get behind. But the most special Carnival year he remembers might always 2009 when the event reached the 50-year milestone.

“Whenever you hit that decade mark, it’s pretty special,” he said. “Imagine anything like this lasting 50 years. The success can’t be denied.”

Strauser hopes to see other Flathead Valley communities become more involved in the carnival as the event approaches its 60th year. While Flathead Valley residents and travelers alike enjoy the lures that bring them to Whitefish for the Carnival, Strauser and the folks behind the scenes plan to make each year better than the last.

“To me, it’s that group and the shoulders I stand on that help keep this going,” Strauser said. “It’s still going on and it’ll pull you out of the doom and gloom of winter.”