Valier Homesteader Days

Ropes at the stockyards

The 2026 Homesteader Days opened on Friday, June 19, at the Valier Stockyards. Registration for the Poker Ride began at 5 p.m., with concessions for sale, and the ride itself started at 6. A new event followed the ride: a dummy roping competition paying first and second place. Children, billed as Little Buckaroos, could toss a rope for a special prize.

Valier stands at 3,809 feet in Pondera County, a town of 559 on the shore of Lake Frances, with plains to the east and the Rocky Mountain Front to the west. The Valier Area Development Corporation hosts the weekend. The corporation calls itself “an organization devoted to making Valier a better place to live and visit.” Its members met at the library on June 4, 2026, to plan Homesteader Days alongside the Lake Frances Triple P kayak triathlon. Linda Kuka took the questions.

The 2026 theme was “Salute America!”, marking the country’s 250 years of independence. Writing in the Cut Bank Pioneer Press, Carol Green said: “Just like our country, some things have changed and some have remained the same. The overall schedule familiar to most locals will continue with a few additions.”

Saturday in H.S. Miller Park

Saturday, June 20, began with vendors in H.S. Miller Park from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Food and goods were for sale, and the park also held free activities. There was a petting zoo, and kids’ games started at 1 p.m. Dave Kemp, the bear specialist for Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks, gave a demonstration with bear spray. “This is a great opportunity to practice using that defensive spray you pack around all year,” Green wrote. A cornhole tournament also ran during the day.

The parade stepped off at 11 a.m., and the floats were judged. Green’s instructions to entrants were “Think patriotic. Think red, white, and blue. Think of freedom.”

In the park, Nick Kuka played family-friendly music and ran karaoke. He grew up in Valier and now lives in Wisconsin. The Pioneer Press gave his hours as 11:30 a.m. to about 2 p.m., while the corporation’s notice listed his set at noon.

American Legion Post 36 added a duck race in 2026. Ducks sold for $10 at Devoe’s Builders Service, the Cenex One Stop, and Ben Taylor’s Farm Store. Half of each entry fee went toward restoring Froggies Bar & Grill, and the rest paid out to first, second, and third places. Racers gathered at Ben Taylor’s store at 2 p.m.

A dance at the Fireman’s Pavilion

That evening Kuka returned to play with the Rocky Mountain Regulators. A photograph in the Pioneer Press shows the band as Evan Powers and Kuka. They played a concert and dance at the Lake Frances Fireman’s Pavilion from 7 to 11 p.m., with no admission charge. The Branding Iron, from Conrad, parked a food truck on site and sold dinner and drinks through the show.

Jungles, softball, and a 5K for the pantry

The pages do not say when Homesteader Days began or who started it. The record they do keep goes back to 2023. That year’s celebration ran June 23–25, with a Poker Run on Friday evening and the Homesteader Hustle Fun Run, the parade, and vendors through the weekend.

The Hustle is a 5K run and walk held in June during Homesteader Days, and it benefits the Valier Food Pantry. The corporation’s notice reads: “Run, walk, stroll, or crawl!”

The 2025 edition, June 20–22, took the theme “It’s a Jungle Out There!” On Friday the Poker Ride food was served at 5:30 p.m. and softball games opened at 6. Softball resumed Saturday at 9 a.m., and the parade went down Main Street at 11. At 1 p.m. there was an arm wrestling competition at the lake and a cornhole tournament at the pavilion. An outdoor concert at the lake began at 6.

An undated notice on the corporation’s site lists the activities for one June 26. It gives the fun run at 8:00 a.m. and “Cruise the Drag” at 11:00 a.m.