09 Jun Round Up: News and events from around the Northern Rockies | An Evening at the Arch

For the past year, the Gardiner Gateway Project has been spurring infrastructure improvements in Gardiner, Montana, to improve visitor safety and address traffic issues just north of Yellowstone National Park. “We are a community of 875 people, but in the summer months we have 750,000 tourists using the area,” explains Barbara Shesky, executive director of the Gardiner Chamber of Commerce. “We were experiencing drainage issues, traffic congestion issues — especially around Roosevelt Arch where there was no parking — and we needed improvements around town to make our sidewalks ADA compliant, to create more sidewalks, and more connectivity.”

This year, the results of the project’s first phase will be unveiled during a National Park Service centennial celebration. An Evening at the Arch will take place August 25, 2016, beginning at 7 p.m. (gates open at 5 p.m.) at Arch Park in Gardiner to kick off the second century of the National Park Service, highlight the importance of public/private partnerships, and recognize the completion of the Gardiner Gateway Project Phase One. The show will feature musical guests, including John Prine and Emmylou Harris, as well as local, state, and national dignitaries. Advance tickets, free but limited, are required. For information about event specifics and tickets, check out nps.gov/yell/planyourvisit/evening-arch.htm. Can’t attend in person? You can watch the event online.