Zeppo Montana is Out to Lunch

The trumpet player was present for Missoula's very first Out to Lunch, with the Ed Norton Big Band, and he claims the band members and food vendors outnumbered the Out to Lunchers. His prediction: It would never catch on. Good thing he's a trumpet player and not a fortune teller. These days Out to Lunch is wall to wall people you only see on Wednesdays, eating, drinking, mingling, and dancing. Plan on 20 minutes to a half an hour in line if you're there at noon and want Pad Thai or shaved ice.



(Here's a cool little aside...the saxophone player for the Ed Norton Big Band, Chuck Florence, is the eponymous Man With an Axe by Jon Jackson)



This Wednesday the music was provided by Zeppo Montana, a blues band with attitude...they like to say that between them they have more than 250 years of experience, and it shows. They're pretty hot for a bunch of old guys. Okay, a bunch of old guys and Ruthie.

Missoula Art Wall

The 6 foot wood fence around the back yard of the house at the corner of 3rd St. W and Chestnut evolved in mysterious Missoula fashion into an al fresco gallery for anyone who wanted to display their art. The rules are simple; "To avoid negative karma replace anything you take with an object of equal or lesser value...or leave it be. Thank you."

Fans were anxious a few years ago when the house sold, but the new owners were gracious enough to take on the role of curator with their new home.

And because it's Missoula, even this seemingly benign and groovy phenomenon has not been without controversy. A particularly interesting piece was intended by its creator to travel from owner to owner, with maybe some messages returning to its place of origin. Instead it spent its life in the dorm room of an art afficionada...when she was made aware of the artist's intent, she declared she liked it and she was keeping it.