Flathead Valley Community College Foundation proudly presents our inaugural “Festival of Flavors 2008” Festivities September 24 – October 4, 2008.  This unrivaled gathering of wine, beer, food and friends provides multiple opportunities to participate.  All proceeds from the event will support scholarships and programs at FVCC.  

“Gallop” into Festival of Flavors at our kick off event September 24 with international culinary consultant Graham Kerr, Master Chef Karl Guggenmos and Chef Vern Liebelt as they combine their talents with FVCC’s culinary arts students. 

Care to pair fine food and wines in a more intimate setting?  Then you will love selecting one or more of our Great Chefs Events.  Chef Doug Day from Café Max, Chef Matt Israel from Blue Canyon, Chef Andy Blanton from Café Kandahar, Chef Marc Guizol from La Provence and Chef Stephen Nogal from McGarry’s Roadhouse provide the sumptuous dinners in the company of wine experts for five different fabulous evenings.  Details of these delectable dinners can be found on the FVCC Events Calendar.

September 30 is your chance to “roll your own” at the “Sake and Sushi Roll Your Own Class.”  Chef Phil Vilar of Wasabi Sushi Bar will be teaching the fine art of rolling sushi while Kevin Marshall highlights sake selections provided by George’s Distributing.

Break out your cowboy boots for our “Microwbrews, Brats, Blazing Saddle Barbeque” at Great Northern Brewing Co. on October 3.  Brewers from the Flathead Brewers Guild: Lang Creek Brewery, Tamarack Brewing Co., Great Northern Brewing Co., Glacier Brewing Co., and Flathead Lake Brewing Co. pair up with top notch barbeque provided by Anna McCabe, The Simple Chef.

Join the FVCC Foundation for a final evening on October 4, the “Grand Wine Tasting Event” at the Hilton Garden Inn.  Samplings of the Valley’s finest foods from local restaurants and caterers including Ali Caterers, Inc., Bullman’s Pizza, Gresko’s, Hellroaring, Blue Canyon Kitchen and Tavern, Invite, KRMC Food Services, Montana Coffee Traders, Piscado Blanco, Shakers, Shamrock Catering, Tupelo Grille, The Boat Club, The Simple Chef, Great Harvest Bread Co., The Grill at Mackinaws, Whitefish Lake Restaurant and Simply Sweet and Edible Art and acclaimed wines selected by event sponsor Fun Beverage from fine wineries including Caymus, Seghesio, Saviah, Stags Leap, Ste. Michelle, Canoe Ridge, Ferrari Carano, Cakebread, Steele and Robert Mondavi culminate this unrivaled gathering of wine, beer, food and friends.  The evening is complimented with extraordinary silent and live auctions, a complimentary collector’s Riedel wine glass and your opportunity to shop for fine wines.

All events are detailed on the FVCC Events Calendar.  For more information and to purchase event tickets visit or call the FVCC Foundation Office at 756-3963.

Acclaimed international folk musician, story teller and autoharp maestro Bryan Bowers will perform in concert in the Black Box Theater at FVCC on Sunday evening, September 28, at 7:00 p.m.  Musicians and audiences who enjoy bluegrass and folk music won’t want to miss this unique community event.  

For nearly four decades, Bryan Bowers has been to the autoharp what Earl Scruggs was to the five-string banjo.  From his rather unglamorous beginning as a street singer, Bowers has become a major artist on the traditional music circuit.   Bryan has a dynamic outgoing personality and an uncanny ability to enchant a crowd in practically any situation.  His towering six foot four inch frame can be wild and zany on stage while playing a song like “Dixie” and five minutes later he can have the same audience singing “Will The Circle Be Unbroken” in quiet reverence and delight.  

Bower’s creativity and talent won him induction into Frets Magazine’s First Gallery placing Bowers among other luminaries such as Chet Atkins, David Grisman, Stephan Grappelli, Itzhak Perlman, Tony Rice, Rob Wasserman and Mark O’Conner.  In 1993, Bryan was the first living member inducted into the Autoharp Hall of Fame to stand only with Maybelle Carter, Kilby Snow, and Sara Carter.  In 2003, Bryan organized and co-produced Autoharp Legacy bringing together 55 autoharp players and creating the definitive three-CD set on autoharp music. In addition, Bryan Bowers’ critically acclaimed recordings on Flying Fish/Rounder Records are: The View From Home; Home; Home On the Road; By Heart; Friend For Life and For You. In 2006 Bryan’s landmark recording, Bristlecone Pine, was released on Seattle Sounds.

The Washington Times wrote, “This man makes more music from an autoharp than you can imagine from a 12-string guitar and a harpsichord combined.  He has more stage presence and charisma than any stage performer in recent memory.”

Tickets for this community event are $20 for general admission and $10 for students and seniors and can be purchased from the FVCC Continuing Education office in the Arts and Technology Building, Room 215, or by calling Connee Greig at 756-3832.