Join us Tuesday nights in Reeder’s Alley this July, August and September!
4-8PM @ 200 S PARK AVE
LIVE LOCAL MUSIC
CHILL VIBES & FREE
FOOD TRUCKS, BREWS & WINE
LIVING HISTORY, EDUCATION & GAMES
COMMUNITY
Nestled in the grounds of historic Reeder’s Alley, this fun, grassroots-inspired Summer series hosted by community philosophy non-profit Merlin CCC features live local music, a beer & wine garden, food trucks, historic Pioneer Cabin & alley walking tours, living history demonstrations, lawn games, and more.
Dog-friendly and laid-back, this community-oriented event invites you to take in the charm of the alley & history of Helena in only the way that Reeder’s Alley can offer! Bring a picnic blanket or your favorite low-riding lawn chair & grab a spot in Caretaker’s Lawn. Roam the alley, share stories, play games, eat food, sip brews or wine, and take in the tunes. What better way to celebrate Tuesday nights in Helena this Summer?!
MUSIC SCHEDULE
JULY
July 2nd – Cowboy Bob & Wally
July 9th – Gary Frigo
July 16th – Eric Mackenzie
July 23rd – Trevor Murray
July 30th – Pesky Varmints
AUGUST
Aug. 6th – Larry Hirshberg
Aug. 13th – Tom Susanj
Aug. 20th – Sweet Memories
Aug. 27th – Dan Henry
SEPTEMBER
Sept. 3rd – David & Deidre Casey (Moved indoors due to weather — TEN MILE CREEK BREWING CO.)
Sept. 10th – Matt Strachan
Sept. 17th – Tyler John (Moved indoors due to weather — MT. ASCENSION BREWING)
Sept. 24th – Copper & Sage
Games, brews & wine, food trucks & alley stuff start at 4pm. Opening act live music at 4:15pm (occasionally). Headliner act live music from 5pm-8pm (always). Bring a picnic blanket or your favorite low-riding lawn chair & grab a seat in beautiful Caretaker’s Lawn. Chill pooches welcome.
In case of inclement weather, our headliner musicians will still be jammin’ indoors from 5pm-8pm in our back-up location @ Ten Mile Creek Brewery in the walking mall.
Cowboy Bob & Wally
Gary Frigo
Eric Mackenzie
Trevor Murray
Pesky Varmints
Larry Hirshberg
Tom Susanj
Sweet Memories
Dan Henry
David and Deidre Casey
Matt Strachan
Tyler John
Copper & Sage
Cowboy Bob & Wally play Honkytonk, Ragtime, Western Swing, Cowboy Jazz! It is quintessential Western Music, a dynamic, foot stomping style of Country and Western Music that makes you want to get up and dance! Cowboy Bob and Wally form the nucleus of the band Cowboy Bob and Gypsy Dust, who were recently invited to perform live on KGLT Radio in Bozeman.
Gary Frigo has been performing Electric Rock & Roll Dance Music, acoustic Americana & Contemporary, and a mix of Rock n’ Blues…all with a full band sound and some original music!
Eric Mackenzie & The Old Infinium bring a 60s psychedelic vibe to a progressive rock styled groove. With themes in everything spooky and sci-fi, he is eccentric and unique to Helena’s music scene.
Trevor Murray is a 6th generation singer/songwriter out of Helena, MT who attributes much of his love for music to this beautiful state. With a passion for translating his feelings & life experiences through song in a way that people can relate to, he believes that “music is life.”
https://www.reverbnation.com/trevormurray/song/27522382-old-beaten-path-studio-sample
The Pesky Varmints is a two-man band Folk-Americana band featuring the musical stylings of Richie Reinholdt on acoustic guitar & vocals and Aaron Jennings on pedal steel guitar.
A seasoned performer of over 45 years, Tom Susanj is “easy on the ears & fun for the feet.” Adept in the singer songwriter style he brings forth musical memories from simpler times — from the popular hits of the 50’s, 60s and 70’s, to Country favorites & Americana.
Larry Hirshberg is a psychedelic singer/songwriter: Seems like a porch or a living room, but quickly turns atmospheric, lunar, star-bound, and almost always re-organizes on the ground. So – You can call it folk, but that’d be like calling Kurt Vonnegut a humorist.
Sweet Memories specializes in musical tributes from the ’50s, ’60s, and “70s. Engaging and highly entertaining, Sweet Memories is a local, Helena-based duo made up of Terry O’Hare on guitar & vocals and Sarah Pagán on bass and vocals. Together, they bring yesterday’s hits to today’s audience, perhaps even stirring up some “sweet memories” along the way.
Born in the Mountains of Montana, Dan Henry is a multi-instrumentalist performing year-round as a One-Man Band. With a combination of rhythmic guitar playing, bluesy harmonica, thumping stomp box and soulful vocals, Dan bounces from genre to genre playing whichever style suits his musical curiosity. He truly is a not too be missed Montana experience!
https://www.danhenrysharp.com/?fbclid=IwAR1PsMdPAgEZ0iE8L1fcSGQmr_U5uj7ZyZWPoe1dUhgmtuhX-d_iZVcBkLc
David and Deidre Casey are singers/songwriters from Helena, with 10 albums of original material spanning over 25 years of music. Recently they were featured Montana performers at Red Ants Pants music festival. David’s music has been featured on MT PBS’s 11th & Grant, as well as the Festival at Sandpoint as Watercarvers Guild. David has served as an artist-in-residence in Helena’s schools, facilitating songwriting workshops and folk dances.
With roots in alternative rock and country music, Matt Strachan has been a part of music scenes around the country for the last 15 years. His current project, Matt Strachan and the Hoot Owls, brings him back to his hometown of Helena, MT, where he has become well known for his high-energy country-rock performances.
Hailing from the Northeastern states, Tyler John has been traveling through the country with eyes open, taking stock of the lives of the people who inhabit it. Drenched in the tradition of American troubadours, he tells stories that speak to the novelties and banalities of what it means to walk this earth. His clothes and guitar are mostly second-hand; his songs are anything but.
Copper & Sage is a husband and wife duo in Montana. Influenced by country, rock, blues and folk music they combine a raw sound with traditional and modern material. Kaitlin Tucker (Copper) grew up in Anaconda, Montana, once a copper smelting town. Greg Tucker (Sage) is from the “city of lights” in Nevada, the sagebrush state. Greg and Kaitlin’s love of music and family has inspired them to play and sing together amongst other music fanatics.
ALLEY STUFF
LIVING HISTORY
Join local educator & interpretive history performer, Jodi Delaney, from 4pm-6:30pm every Tuesday night as she invites you to experience how pioneers lived back in the days. Fun for all ages.
About Living History
Jodi Delaney is an educator & storyteller who uses living history to help interpret the past. A Fellow at the Montana Historical Society as a Teacher Leader in History, a MT Teacher Leader in the Arts, and the Education Outreach Coordinator for the Montana Council for Social Studies, Jodi leads a motley crew of 4th & 5th graders at Broadwater Elementary School and brings her wide-scope of historical knowledge, enthusiasm and creativity to all that she encounters.
PIONEER CABIN
Explore the exterior & interior of historic Pioneer Cabin & all of its cool artifacts and treasures! Free guided and self-guided tours between 4pm-6:30pm every Tuesday night with local interpretive history performer, Jodi Delaney.
About Pioneer Cabin
The Pioneer Cabin was built when Wilson Butts, a veteran of the California gold rush, arrived at Last Chance Gulch in Helena with the first wave of miners in the summer of 1864 and built a one room cabin, rough-hewn and chinked. His Brother Jonas with wife Louanna and family moved in and expanded the cabin the following spring. When the claim failed to support the family, Louanna’s housekeeping skills provided income with miner’s gladly paying $2.20 a pound for her butter.
Louanna and Jonas built the front portion of the Pioneer Cabin in 1865. It was two separate cabins while the family lived there. The family of 5 lived in the front cabin and the bachelor brother lived in the rear cabin where the family also did their cooking. The two separate cabins were later connected, probably by the Gilpatricks who were the second residents.
The Gilpatricks occupied the cabin next and planted the locust trees seen in front of it. George Mitchell occupied the cabin from 1903-38 and ran a coal and wood business at the rear. It is the oldest documented dwelling in Helena, and the only documented miner’s cabin built during the first months after the Last Chance discovery.
Former Montana First Lady Grace Erickson led the effort in December 1938 of the Last Chance Gulch Restoration Association to purchase the property and restore it as the Pioneer Cabin Museum. The Association owned and maintained the Pioneer and Caretakers Cabins until they gave the property title to the State of Montana in 2005. The Montana Heritage Commission currently manages Reeder’s Alley.
ALLEY WALKS
The Foundation for Montana History will be offering free 30-minute guided alley tours on the last Tuesday night of each month in conjunction with our summer series. Tours will run at 4pm, 4:45pm and 5:30pm.
About the Walks
Led by a member of the Foundation for Montana History team, walk participants can learn about the unique history and stories of Reeder’s Alley, including the infamous canaries, its evolution from miner’s shacks in the late 1870’s to artist colonies in the 1960’s, and the beloved ghosts that wander its grounds.
FOOD TRUCKS, BREWS & WINE
JULY
Mountain Berry Bowl will be in the mix every Tuesday, along with Goloso Soft Serve every 1st & 3rd Tuesday, plus a rotating food truck each week.
July 2nd – SouthPaw Street
July 9th – Eat Greekish
July 16th – SouthPaw Street
July 23rd – Aloha Poke Bowl
July 30th – Habana 406
AUGUST
Mountain Berry Bowl will be in the mix every Tuesday, plus a rotating food truck each week.
Aug. 6th – SouthPaw Street
Aug. 13th – Eat Greekish
Aug. 20th – Heleburger
Aug. 27th – HeleBurger
SEPTEMBER
Mountain Berry Bowl will be in the mix every Tuesday, plus a rotating food truck each week.
Sept. 3rd – SouthPaw Street
Sept. 10th – Eat Greekish
Sept. 17th – Habana 406
Sept. 24th – HeleBurger/Rockstarr
Ten Mile Creek Brewery & Craig Taphouse will be slanging their home-inspired, award-winning microbrews and wine in Caretaker’s Lawn to all those above 21. For those under or who prefer something different, they’ll have some N/A options available, too.
COMMUNITY SPONSORS
PLACES TO STAY
COMMUNITY PARTNER HOTEL
Visiting from out of town, have relatives who need a place to stay, or just want a staycation downtown? Doubletree by Hilton Helena Downtown — located just steps from Reeder’s Alley and in the heart of the downtown walking mall — is offering a $199 rate to all patrons who book a Tuesday stay during the months of July, August, and September. (If you book multiple nights that include a Tuesday night, the special rate will apply to all nights!). Must book using this link to secure your RASS rate!
LODGING ACROSS HELENA
Explore and book a stay at one of Helena’s many outstanding hotels. Whether you want to situate yourself downtown, near the airport, or by the capitol, Helena’s got you covered! Check out our community sponsor VisitHelena‘s website to peruse some lodging options.
Historic Reeder’s Alley
Designated an historic district in the National Register of Historic Places, Reeder’s Alley is located in the southwest corner of downtown Helena at the base of Mount Helena. The alley is the oldest intact piece of early Helena. Learn more about its history here!
Address
200 S. Park Avenue, Helena MT 59601
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Parking
Free parking available in the upper and lower parking lots of Reeder’s Alley. After 5pm, all parking along S. Park is free as well.