🤠 What's going on in Bozeman & a SHAN giveaway

Howdy, Bozeman!

Congrats to our Café Aurore giveaway winner - Carolyn Williams! 🎉 Just sent you an email with the details.

In today’s newsletter:

— Sam Buenrostro

P.S. For free entry into this week’s giveaway, reply to this email with the word “SHAN”.

And for a BONUS entry, reply with a shoutout to someone who made your week better 🤩 Include their name and what you appreciate about them, and we’ll share some of the top answers in next Monday’s newsletter (your answers will be anonymous!)

Here are some of last week’s replies:

Livingston is hosting its first-ever Restaurant Week from January 19th-25th, and it’s all about eating well and giving back.

The event is produced by Small Plate Hospitality, ran by Lisa Machac, a longtime restaurant operator and hospitality consultant dedicated to strengthening local restaurants and the communities they serve.

Local restaurants will feature a special dish or drink, with a portion of each sale going directly to the Livingston Food Resource Center to help feed neighbors.

As food insecurity continues to rise across Park County, this is a simple, delicious way to show up for our Livingston neighbors while celebrating their food scene.

Celebrate all week long, then wrap it up with a service-industry party at The Attic on Sunday the 25th from 7:00pm-9:00pm, with donations collected at the door for LFRC.

You can learn more about how to participate and enjoy Restaurant Week at Small Plate Hospitality’s website here and her Instagram @smallplatehospitality! 💛

Want to promote your event, business, or project to thousands of locals who read Howdy Bozeman every week?

📚 Take a literary road trip at MSU Library’s Read Across America-themed Open House from 3:00pm-6:00pm. Wander through stories, voices, and landscapes that have shaped American life. Expect regional décor, themed food, live music from Woodsmoke Jazz, and interactive activities throughout the library. A free, welcoming afternoon to explore, connect, and celebrate 250 years of storytelling. Details.

✨ Come party at Crosscut Mountain Sports Center for a Cosmic Night Ski from 4:00pm-8:00pm. Grab glow sticks and glitter at the Nordic Center, then ski the 1-mile lighted loop under party lights. Discounted night skiing and rentals start at 4:00pm, with full cosmic vibes once dusk hits. Pups welcome on Mondays! Details.

🍺 Give back at Map Brewing’s Pint Night supporting Big Brothers Big Sisters from 4:00pm-8:00pm. For every pint poured, a portion supports BBBS of Big Sky Country and their 53-year mission to ignite the power and promise of local youth. Learn how just a few hours a month can make a BIG difference, then raise a glass to the incredible work they’re doing. Details.

🧵 Learn your way around a sewing machine at Sewing 101: The Basics at Studio Wheelhouse from 5:30pm-8:30pm. This beginner-friendly class covers threading your machine, sewing straight lines, hemming, and preventing fraying. You’ll leave with a handmade drawstring bag to show off your new skills. Perfect for first-timers or anyone needing a refresh. Tickets.

🥘 Ring in the new year with a health-forward cooking class with Empress of Ghee and Backcountry Relief at Bridger Kitchens. This class will dive into blood sugar balance and nourishing fats, with a focus on cooking satisfying meals that truly fuel your body. No rules, no restriction. Just good food, good folks, and good learning. 6:00pm-8:00pm. Tickets.

📚 Join the Bozeman Public Library for a thoughtful, virtual conversation with bestselling author and cultural commentator David Brooks from 12:00pm-1:00pm. Drawing from his new book, Brooks explores what it truly means to see others deeply through attention, curiosity, and meaningful conversation, and why that kind of connection matters now more than ever. Free to attend. Registration.

🌀 Ease into the new year with a Sound Bath at Beringia House from 6:00pm-7:00pm. Led by Jane Weisenberger, this grounding evening begins with gentle movement before settling into a restorative sound journey designed to help you release last year and reset your energy. Bring a pillow and blanket, get comfortable, and let the frequencies do the rest. Tickets.

🫕 Level up your home cooking at Bridger Kitchen’s Fondue & Raclette Class. Learn just how easy these classic, cheesy favorites are to make at home and enjoy bubbling fondue with bread, veggies, fruit, and other traditional pairings. Class starts at 6:30pm! Tickets.

🎶 Bring your little ones to a special Bozeman Symphony Storytime at 10:15am at the Bozeman Public Library. Presented by the Bozeman Symphony, this free, interactive program for ages 3-5 pairs a children’s story with live music, featuring Principal Oboe Sandy Stimson and guest reader Mercy Simpson, plus a hands-on oboe demo kids will love. Details.

🥕 Get inspired in the kitchen at Bozeman Public Library from 4:00pm-5:00pm with Amy Ferguson, PharmD for simple, creative strategies to make healthier meals for the people you love. This week’s class will feature a cozy curry vegetable soup and flavorful tofu sausage crumbles. All ages are welcome (kids under 12 with an adult), free to attend. Details.

🎶 Settle in for Bozeman Music Night with the Bridger Creek Boys at Bridger Brewing from 5:30-8:00pm. Grab a pint and a pizza, and enjoy a laid-back evening of live local tunes. Details.

🚲 Help shape Bozeman’s future bike park at upcoming public feedback sessions for the Bikefill Community Bike Park Master Plan. Workshops take place from 6:00pm-8:00pm on Wednesday at the MSU SUB (Rooms 233-235), and 6:00pm-8:00pm at Gallatin High School on Thursday. All ages and abilities welcome. Details.

🌍 Join the conversation at Healthy Earth, Healthy You: Ted Turner & Friends at The Emerson. This free, in-person (and live-streamed) evening highlights Montana conservation stories from the Flying D Ranch, O’Dell Creek Wetlands, and North Bridger Bison Ranch. Come for the storytelling, stay for the bison chili, community, and hope-forward ideas for land stewardship. Reception at 6:00pm, program at 7:00pm. Details.

🌈 Unwind at the Dip & Sip Queer Soak at Norris Hot Springs from 7:00-9:00pm. This private soak, hosted by Queer Bozeman, will feature live music from Chace McNinch, with food and drinks also available for purchase. Tickets.

🎬 Catch the award-winning thriller It Was Just an Accident at The Rialto Theater. Winner of the 2025 Cannes Palme d’Or, this gripping, politically charged film from Iranian director Jafar Panahi follows an auto mechanic whose chance encounter reopens the wounds of past imprisonment. The tense, thought-provoking night of cinema will start at 7:00pm. Tickets.

🎶 Enjoy an evening of rich harmonies with The Radcliffe Pitches, Harvard’s oldest treble-voice a cappella group at Hope Lutheran Church from 7:30pm-8:30pm. Tickets.

😂 Laugh your way through January at Montana’s Funniest Human Person Stand-Up Competition, happening Wednesdays at Last Best Comedy at 8:00pm. Comics from across the state take the mic for five-minute sets, with the funniest humans advancing to the finals to battle it out for the 2026 title. Come cheer, cringe, and help crown Montana’s funniest human. 18+. Tickets.

🧱 Build, create, and collaborate at Bozeman Public Library’s LEGO Club from 3:30pm-5:00pm in the BPL Community Room. Take on the weekly challenge or free build, work solo or team up with friends. Free to attend and open to all budding LEGO architects. Details.

🪡 Travel the world one stitch at a time at Studio Wheelhouse from 5:00pm-7:00pm. This Stitch Around the World class, led by expert seamstress Red, will explore global techniques like Chinese embroidery and English needlework, with a new style featured each week. Tickets.

📚 Swap stories (and books!) at MAP Brewing’s Book Swap, in partnership with the Bozeman Library Friends & Foundation from 5:30pm-7:30pm. This Dry January community night invites you to bring a few books to exchange, browse new reads, and connect with fellow book lovers. NA drinks will be available on tap. Details.

🧗‍♂️ Take a deeper look at one of the West’s most iconic landmarks during A Vertical History of the West: Devils Tower, Bear Lodge, Empire, and the Rise of American Climbing from 5:30pm-7:00pm at the Museum of the Rockies. MSU professor Michael Reidy explores Devils Tower’s layered history, geology, climbing culture, nationalism, and Indigenous dispossession, and what it reveals about the rise of American climbing more broadly. RSVP.

🥐 Learn how to make Bakery-Style Muffins, Scones & More with Pastry Chef Sarah at Bridger Kitchens. This hands-on quick breads class will cover bakery-style muffins, scones, biscotti, and how to bring a little café magic home. Class starts at 6:30pm. Tickets.

🦁 A new documentary - Guardians of Yellowstone: The Yellowstone Cougar Project - premieres at The Waypoint in Big Sky this evening! The film dives into more than 35 years of groundbreaking cougar research in Yellowstone, revealing the hidden lives of these elusive apex predators and the biologists dedicated to protecting them. The evening includes a 6:00pm reception, 7:00pm screening, and an 8:00pm panel + Q&A with the filmmakers and Yellowstone Cougar Project researchers. A must-see for wildlife lovers, conservationists, and anyone fascinated by Yellowstone’s wild ways. Details.

🎿 Settle in for the Arc’teryx Backcountry Skiing Film Festival at the Emerson Crawford Theater. Expect a night of winter backcountry films, gear raffles, and mountain storytelling with all proceeds supporting the Montana Backcountry Alliance and their work to protect human-powered winter recreation across the state. Doors open at 6:00pm, with screenings starting at 7:00pm. Tickets.

Today, we’re highlighting Smokey, a 5-year-old boy looking to be your loyal sidekick forever 🐶

Visit Heart Of The Valley Animal Shelter to meet Smokey any time Tuesday through Sunday, from 12pm-5:30pm.

This week, we’re giving away a $25 gift card to local restaurant SHAN! (On Instagram @eatatshan)

The giveaway runs from today until next Sunday, 1/18, at 11:59pm, and we’ll announce the winner in next Monday’s newsletter.

All you have to do to be entered into this week’s giveaway is be subscribed to this newsletter, and reply to this email with the word “SHAN”!

Thanks for reading! See you on Thursday for our newsletter on what’s going on in Bozeman this weekend 👋

(And follow along on Instagram and TikTok @howdybozeman for regular updates on what’s going on in town!)

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