Huckleberry Festival welcomes new leader

Elizabeth Haagenson is no stranger to volunteering in the Trout Creek community. She spent over two years serving as president of the Trout Creek Community Improvement Association, five years as Huckleberry Festival Jams and Jellies Chair, and has now been appointed by Huckleberry, Inc. to perform as Huckleberry Festival Chairperson. Without Haagenson, the festival celebrating the tart, yet sweet little purple berry was in jeopardy of concluding.

"I just love the event as a whole," shared Haagenson. "It is a great event for the community." She expressed that the festival has been a staple in Trout Creek for 40 years and would be a shame to end because no one stepped up to the plate.

"My mom (Sarah Dramstad) said something about stepping in. I considered it, pondered it for a while," admitted Haagenson, who is fully aware of the amount of time and effort it takes to organize the Huckleberry Festival. Dramstad, a former festival chair, will be Haagenson's right-hand lady and together they plan to get the job done.

"I'm really looking forward to the challenge and working with the community," Haagenson said. "We have a lot of really great people here." She will be relying on current volunteers, is hoping to bring back former volunteers and looking to bring on some rookies to collaborate in organizing the event. "The more people we have the easier it is on everyone. It spreads the work around."

Reflecting back, Haagenson said that former chair Liz Citrino "did an amazing job before her passing by outlining the duties of each job." In addition to Jams and Jellies, someone needs to take the reins in managing the food booths, competitions, acquiring huckleberries, entertainment, pageant, parade, vendors and media. With so many different parts, it is more than helpful that each component has a well laid out list of responsibilities.

Haagenson said, "If it's not broken, don't fix it." This being said, the Huckleberry Festival mainstay will continue as it has for the last four decades. There will be one change this year; the Homesteader Pentathlon will not take place. Haagenson is looking at adding some other events in its place and making contacts to bring fun, fresh activities to the festival.

Volunteers are needed to serve as parade chair, secretary/treasurer and can fill in anywhere as multiple people are needed to pull off a successful Huckleberry Festival. Haagenson can be contacted at (406) 827-7117 for further information on volunteering or to answer any questions about the event.

With the intermittent closure of Highway 200 in Trout Creek this summer, Haagenson believes local businesses will look to the second weekend in August, Huckleberry Festival weekend, to help boost profits that may be affected by the bridge construction.