Caras Park canopy replacement moves ahead in Missoula

MISSOULA, Mont. — A Downtown Missoula Partnership press release said work was underway on an update at Caras Park, with the pavilion and bandstand getting new fabric canopies and fresh paint after a 2025 fundraising campaign.

The release said local business Staggs Painting had finished painting the bandstand framework and was painting the main pavilion with a new color palette. It said Fabricon was expected to bring in equipment the week of March 30 and spend the next three weeks taking down the old canopy and putting up the new one.

“We are so grateful for all the individuals and businesses in this community who have supported the Foundation’s campaign and the replacement of the Caras Park Canopy,” Hailey Kern, president of the MDF Board of Directors, said. “So much of what we love about Downtown has come to life because of the Missoula Downtown Foundation and its partners. We look forward to celebrating the completion of this project later this summer!”

The press release said Caras Park events dated back to the 1980s, including the Montana Rep Riverfront Summer Theater and the start of the Out to Lunch Summer Series in 1986 by the Missoula Downtown Association. Before the permanent pavilion was built in 1997, the park used seasonal tents that volunteers raised each May and removed at the end of summer.

The release said the permanent Caras Park Pavilion was built in 1997 with major work and financial help from the Missoula Redevelopment Agency and the MDA. It said the canopy was expected to last about 15 years but remained in place for 29 years.

“We have been very fortunate to get nearly 30 years of life out of this canopy and we can thank Fabricon for doing a great job on the project in 1997 and working with us over the years on inspections and patching,” Linda McCarthy, executive director of the Downtown Missoula Partnership, said. “More importantly, we are fortunate to have such strong support from our community and the City of Missoula to ensure Caras Park remains a vibrant, beautiful, healthy and joyful destination for everyone!”

According to the release, the Missoula Downtown Foundation raised nearly $550,000 for the project last year. It said Dick Anderson Construction opened the campaign with a $75,000 gift at the MDA’s 50th annual Awards Banquet, with support also coming from local groups, banks, agencies and more than 25 businesses and individuals.

“Missoula is such a special community in the way it supports local non-profits, community development and the underserved,” Kern said. “Places like Caras Park, Fort Missoula and Marshall Mountain make a big difference in how we connect with each other.”

The release said the Caras Park work should wrap up in early May, with organizers hoping it was finished in time for the 32nd annual Garden City BrewFest on Saturday, May 2. It also said the Out to Lunch Summer Series was set to begin its 40th year on Wed., June 2 and Downtown ToNight was set to start Thurs., June 3.

The press release also said other riverfront park projects nearing completion included the Beartracks Underbridge Playground and the DRAW project around the NorthWestern Energy power substation.