Lewis & Clark Conference in Bozeman - 9/27/02
HELENA – With the official kick-off of the Lewis and Clark Bicentennial only months away at President Thomas Jefferson’s celebrated home in Monticello, Virginia, Montanans will be gathering in Bozeman to prepare for commemoration efforts under the Big Sky.
The Fourth Annual Lewis and Clark Bicentennial Conference, this year titled “Enhancing Our Future by Honoring Our Past,” will be Oct. 3rd and 4th at the Bozeman Best Western Gran Tree Inn.
All of Montana will be impacted by the 200th anniversary of the Corps of Discovery, but the Bozeman area and the headwaters of the Missouri will be a major focus for the thousands of tourists anticipated to follow along the trail in the next few years, said Clint Blackwood, executive director of the Montana Lewis and Clark Bicentennial Commission.
“We have something for everyone at this year’s conference. You can immerse yourself in Lewis and Clark Bicentennial planning, or just browse for interesting Lewis and Clark commemorative licensed and endorsed products for yourself or your business,” Blackwood said.
The conference requires registration fees, but Blackwood said the public is invited free to enjoy the exhibition of Lewis and Clark related products, events and other information that will be on display at the Gran Tree Wednesday evening, Oct. 2, from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Advance registration for the conference is $75 before Sept. 25 and $90 up to the day of the event. Registration can be mailed with checks made out to the Montana Historical Society at Lewis and Clark Bicentennial Commission, PO Box 201203, Helena MT 59620-1203. For more information call 406-442-4141.
“Persons who attend the conference can discover ideas that can be incorporated locally and new projects that you can tag onto to take advantage of commemoration events and those who will be following the trail,” Blackwood said.
Conference topics and other fun events includes such things as:
·Providing a ‘User Friendly’ Montana for Lewis and Clark Followers
·State and Regional Commemoration Updates
·Educational tour of Headwaters State Park followed by progressive dinner in Three Forks
·Breakfast with “Captain Clark” portrayed by Ritchie Doyle of Missoula
·Confluence of Cultures Symposium
·Clark on the Yellowstone
·Entertainment by MSU English Professor and humorist Greg Keeler
·Travel Montana’s Lewis and Clark Marketing Campaign
