Happy Friday, Missoula. You know the drill – grab your coffee (or whatever you sip in the morning), kick back, and let Missoula Brief serve up everything you need to know for the weekend ahead.

📰 In the news

Local happenings: Study finds city covers millions in permit shortfalls, Midtown readies side running rapid transit, and flower farm hosts summer you pick events — catch up here.

State-level stories: Anglers slapped with curfews on parched rivers, solitary schoolhouses dwindling amid teacher shortages, and artisan potters showcasing their work across Montana — see what else is brewing.

National headlines: 24/7 social security access, dogs detect Parkinson’s, and a new method or reclaiming 98 percent of battery metals — peruse the best of the rest.

Highlights this week

• Join car show supporting families battling cancer
• Join Mansfield Library’s summer reading challenge
• Tour MCAT’s studios and media resources
• Experience interactive sensory story time
• Join infant-toddler playgroup for summer fun
• iTustCapital offers $0/mo crypto IRA accounts

🫶 We got your back

Drink: If you’re craving barrel-aged beauties that make you slow down and savor, or crisp IPAs that high-five your taste buds, Missoula has breweries pouring personality by the pint. Check out our favorites here.

Money: Ready to break up with big banks? Credit unions offer personalized service, better rates, and easy access to neighborly humans who can help with whatever you need. Here are some of our favorites.

Food: Sure, you could grab a salad, but sometimes you need food that’s good for the soul, AKA a burger that lives up to the hype. These burger joints serve up the kind of indulgent perfection that makes you forget you ever cared about counting anything.

Family: Want screen-free ways to keep the littles entertained? This guide covers some of the coolest summer outdoor toys and activities for on-the-go kiddos.

👀 Why just read it when you could be in it?

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📆 Around town this weekend

All events are subject to change without notice. This is entirey outside our control. Please check official event pages and social media for the most up to date information.

Today

🎤 Karaoke@ The Jack Saloon | Friday (7/18) at 7:00pm – Nothing bonds friends like off-key renditions of “Sweet Caroline” at the Jack Saloon, where the mic is forgiving and the beer is predictably cold. Bring your best shower-singing chops, a sense of humor, and your bravest buddy who thinks they can nail “Bohemian Rhapsody.”

🎸 Hammerhead Jack w/ Hope MacGregor & Daniel Kosel @ Zootown Arts Community Center / ZACC | Friday (7/18) at 7:30pm – Kick off your weekend with a triple-threat blues night, featuring our rowdy local six-string heroes, Hammerhead Jack, followed by Army-vet storyteller Hope MacGregor, and seasoned road warrior Daniel Kosel. Expect smooth riffs, candid lyrics, and just enough banter to make your in-laws jealous.

This weekend

🔍 Unseen Missoula: Basements & Back Alleys @ Basements & Back Alleys Meeting Spot | Saturday (7/19) at 10:00am – If you’ve ever wondered what Missoula looked like before craft breweries, food trucks, and murals, our two-hour basement and back-alley tour will let you crawl through century-old secrets hidden beneath downtown’s polished facade. Wear sturdy shoes, pack a water bottle, and mind the low ceilings.

🗺️ Scavenger Hunt @ Clark Fork Market | Saturday (7/19) at 10:00am – Feel like your morning coffee needs a side of adventure? Swing by the Info Booth at 10 AM for a scavenger hunt that turns familiar streets into a grown-up playground. First 10 finishers snag a retro CFRM 20th Anniversary fanny pack, bragging rights included.

🍺 PaddleHeads Brewfest @ Ogren Park Allegiance Field | Saturday (7/19) at 7:00pm – There’s nothing more summer in town than cold pints under the cottonwoods, live tunes drifting off the water, and that one friend who insists he’s a beer judge. PaddleHeads Brewfest returns July 19. Tickets hit April 6, so set your alarm.

👸 Annual Fairytale & Superhero Festival@ Dragon Hollow Playground | Sunday (7/20) at 10:00am – Ever feel like rescuing a princess and fending off dragons before lunch? Dragon Hollow Playground turns into a cape-and-crown free-for-all at the Annual Fairytale & Superhero Festival, where villain photo-ops are encouraged, and cotton candy moonlights as a sidekick.

😈 Unseen Missoula: Carnal Enterprises @ The Wilma | Sunday (7/20) at 5:00pm – Think you’ve seen all Missoula has to offer? Lace up your comfiest shoes for a 90-minute stroll from the Wilma to uncover the history of our old red light district, where sex, race, class, and occupation rewrote this town’s story, no high heels required.

Next week

🎤 Jenny Haniver @ Zootown Arts Community Center / ZACC | Monday (7/21) at 7:30pm – Weeknight rituals rarely involve existential dread, but these dark drones, post-rock swells, and doom-laden melodies will fix that. Jenny Haniver, Perfect Blue, and Tephra pair ambient art-rock finesse, genre-blurring heft, and crushing atmospheres, sorry, adult conversation can wait.

🐞 Insect Exploration @ Native Plant Garden at Fort Missoula | Tuesday (7/22) at 9:00am – Think you can handle icky crawlies? Swing by the Native Plant Garden, net in hand, to catch butterflies, bees, and that one mystery bug everyone giggles about. Geek out over magnifying lenses, charming pollinators, and enough trivia to sound like a full-time entomologist.

🍲 Interactive Food Tasting and Cooking @ Missoula Public Library Demonstration Kitchen | Tuesday (7/22) at 6:00pm – Whether you’re a market regular who greets tomatoes like old friends or you still think basil comes in a jar, join Basal for an interactive tasting and cooking workshop. Chop, chat, and plate up fresh Clark Fork fare together.

Wanna see more? Browse our full events calendar →

🎶 Live music & entertainment

• 7/18 Karaoke @ The Jack Saloon – 7 pm
• 7/18 Hammerhead Jack and more @ Zootown Arts – 7:30 pm
• 7/19 Families United Against Cancer @ Caras Park – 3 pm
• 7/19 Summer Social @ 40740 MT-200 – 4 pm
• 7/19 Dan Dubuque @ Draught Works – 7 pm
• 7/19 Pop Lock and Drop Drag Show @ Zootown Arts – 9:30 pm
• 7/21 Jenny Haniver and more @ Zootown Arts Community Center – 7:30 pm
• 7/22 Flummox @ Monk’s Bar – 7 pm

Price is right – Missoula edition

How it works: We’re going to give you some facts about a home for sale, including a picture of the outside, the kitchen, and one additional room. Your job? Guess how much it’s listed for (preferably before you click to find out).

*This 👇 could be your listing. Hit us up if you’ve got a home (or 12) to sell.

Listed by: Dawn Maddux (Engel & Völkers Western Frontier – Missoula)

Mountain views, golf course panoramas, and a concrete deck big enough for your entire pickleball team—this 5-bed, 4-bath Ranch Club stunner is all about the details. The kitchen’s got a butler’s pantry for your secret snack stash, a gas range, and handcrafted tile work, while the living spaces flex with a wet bar, custom handrail, and engineered hardwood that laughs in the face of muddy boots.

A Murphy bed hides out for surprise guests or spontaneous yoga sessions, and the oversized 3-car garage is ready for all the gear you can throw at it. With access to pools, a fitness center, and a championship golf course, this corner-lot home sits at the intersection of modern Montana style and a dash of history.

Make your guess, then (and only then)… see how much it costs →