Get ready to rock with Suzy Bogguss

Suzy Bogguss

Add a musical & theatrical weekend to your Yellowstone adventure

WEST YELLOWSTONE — Country Western star, Suzy Bogguss, will give a special performance at the Union Pacific Dining Lodge here Friday night. Bogguss, who has won dozens of awards for her performances, recordings, and other contributions to country music, was a popular performer in West in the 1980’s, when Stan and Betty Colborn booked her at the Stagecoach Inn.

Now, Bogguss is with Black Mountain Productions on a tour across America — Road Trip ‘09. The dining lodge’s doors open at 7 p.m., and the Fish Camp Boys perform at 8 p.m. to warm up the crown for Bogguss.

For more information about Bogguss, visit her Web site and read her road trip blog here.

The evening is a fundraiser for West Yellowstone’s popular "Music in the Park" free outdoor concert summer series. Tickets are $20 (adults) and $15 children 15 & under, and are available at the West Yellowstone Chamber of Commerce Visitor’s Center, Gusher Pizza & Sandwich Shoppe, Wild West Pizzeria, and Yellowstone IMAX Theatre, and in Bozeman at Cactus Records. Or, purchase one at 7 p. m. at the dining lodge. Call 406.646.7701 to reserve your tickets.

On Saturday, as part of the free “Music in the Park” series, Brenn Hill, named Male Vocalist of the Year by the Academy of Western Artists in 2004, will perform 7 to 10 p.m. at the West Yellowstone City Park on Canyon and Firehole. Bring a blanket, lawn chair, picnic, kids and the dogs to this casual outdoor concert.

For those with a theatrical bent, Montana Shakespeare in the Parks, will present Two Gentlemen of Verona on the Union Pacific Dining Lodge lawn. The performance begins at 6 p.m. and is free (donations accepted).

Two Gentlemen of Verona, one of Shakespeare’s early comedies, is a hilarious romp offering a variety of comic devices for which Shakespeare would ultimately become famous; women dressed in men’s clothing, lovers climbing up and down rope ladders and running from outlaws, not to mention a couple of clowns thrown into the mix as we watch two sets of young lovers work their way through the complexities of learning the difference between infatuation and love.

“As far as I’m concerned, the meat lies with the idealism and also the imperfections of young love. That time of life when love is idealized and changeable”, says Director Will Dickerson.

West Yellowstone offers a wide range of evening activities after a day in Yellowstone Park. Visit the kid-friendly Grizzly & Wolf Discovery Center, take in “Yellowstone” at the IMAX Theater, enjoy plays at the Playmill Theater and Pinecone Playhouse. Or, take in some Western cuisine and a casual stroll among unique specialty shops. There’s something for everyone.

For more information, visit http://www.destinationyellowstone.com/calendar/ or call the West Yellowstone Chamber at 406-646-7701.

This is part of the July 16, 2009 online edition of The Island Park News.

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