Come for the River: Stay for the Stories
August 15-16, 2026
SCHEDULE
Image: Jerry O’Connell
Celebrate 50 years of A River Runs Through It with a weekend inspired by the wild beauty, lasting stories, and extraordinary conservation legacy of the Blackfoot Valley. Join the Norman Maclean Literary Festival on August 15–16 for tours of the Blackfoot Valley, Norman’s favorite fishing holes, and Norman’s neighborhood in Seeley Lake—then cap it all off with a Sunday conservation celebration at Kettlehouse Brewery in Bonner at 1 p.m.
Honoring the Legacy of Conservation in the Blackfoot Valley
1 PM, Sunday, August 16, 2026
Kettlehouse Brewery in Bonner
Free event
Speakers:
Juanita Vero, Manager, E Bar L Guest Ranch
Annick Smith, co-producer of A River Runs Through It
Kim Briggeman, Bonner Historical Society
Steve Kloetzel, The Nature Conservancy
Speaker, Montana Environmental Information Center
Music: Raised by Wolves
Food: Blackfoot Picnic Basket
Artwork by Claire Emery
Maclean Festival Summer Tours
All tours take place August 15–16, 2026. Pre‑registration required
Blackfoot Valley Conservation Tour
1 to 4 PM, Saturday, August 15, 2026
Remarkable! The Blackfoot Valley is now 88% conserved through decades of grassroots commitment. Join Jack Wright, co‑author of Saving the Big Sky, for a guided bus tour of landmark sites beginning at Kettlehouse Brewery. Stops include the Case Ranch, the E Bar L Guest Ranch, and additional conservation landmarks.
Meet: Bus departs from Kettlehouse Brewery in Bonner
Tickets: $20 per person, payable at the bus.
Pre‑registration required.
Norman’s Favorite Fishing Holes Tour
1 PM, Saturday, August 15, 2026
Join Jerry O’Connell, the Big Blackfoot Riverkeeper, for a three‑hour tour of the Blackfoot River’s most iconic literary and film locations. The tour visits three memorable sites from A River Runs Through It:
The “Sunburn” Scene – the gravel island where Neal fell asleep with Old Rawhide.
The Old Clearwater Bridge – where Paul shadow‑casts from a midstream boulder, the image used for the film poster.
The Bluff Overlooking the Blackfoot – the setting of Norman, Paul and their father’s final day fishing together.
At each stop, your guide will read the passages describing these scenes.
Meet: Bus departs from Kettlehouse Brewery in Bonner
Tickets: $20 per person, payable at the bus.
Pre‑registration required.
Norman’s Neighborhood Tour
10 AM, Sunday, August 16, 2026
Step into the landscape that shaped a literary classic. More than 50 years ago, Norman Maclean wrote A River Runs Through It on the porch of his family cabin overlooking Seeley Lake.
This self‑driving tour begins at the Seeley Lake Historical Museum and continues to the Maclean family cabin and other places where Norman found beauty, memory, and inspiration.
Meet: Seeley Lake Historical Museum, 2920 MT Hwy 83
Donations accepted.