RONAN — Many people think of Ronan as one of those places you either drive through or stop to get gas at, but one local brewery — and the rest of the town — created an event to show Ronan has much more to offer.
In its second year, Ronan’s Summer Solstice Festival brought hundreds of people from across Western Montana to enjoy local breweries and live music.
Katie Elliott with the Ronan Chamber of Commerce says this event helps introduce the town to Montana residents.
“Our whole goal and Mission is to help our businesses survive and thrive,” Elliott said. “Getting people from outside the community to come into our community and spend dollars here and come off the highway is really big for us.”
One of the businesses that made this Brewfest possible was the Ronan Brewery Co-Op which was created to make downtown Ronan a desirable location.
Brewery general manager Jim Myers says the long-term goal of both the brewery and the festival is to leave a lasting impact on the town.
“It wasn’t so much with the intention of being entirely profitable just sustainable so as a parent and a community member with kids, you want to see that sort of long-term sustainability and longevity through your actions and through your initiatives,” Myers said.
“This Brewfest is just a really nice way to do that and showcase some local food and some local beers and some great music," Myers continued.
Ronan’s next big event will be the Lake County Fair which begins on Friday, June 28.
