Advantage Butte held its September meeting last week in the Butte Plaza Mall.
Discussion included the following.
Bill Melvin, manager of the Butte Civic Center, reported the facility has been granted the 2025 State Class C high school basketball tournament. So, it joins three other basketball tournaments on the docket, with the others set for 2024: the Western A Divisional, the Western AA Divisional and the State A.
Other sports events planned for the Civic Center, Melvin said, include a Roller Derby match on October 7, Butte Central’s Blocktoberfest volleyball tournament (with courts in the Maroon Activities Center and the Montana Tech HPER Complex to also be used) October 13-14, a fight card on October 28, the Western AA Divisional volleyball tournament November 2-4, the Hypoxia Throwdown cross-fit competition December 2, the Class A Duals high school wrestling tournament January 19-20 and the state USGF gymnastics meet March 22-24 along with numerous Butte High basketball games in the winter months.
Cody West of the Butte Wrestling Club added another to the Civic Center schedule as the organization will help Butte High with the host role of The Mining City Duals high school wrestling tournament, December 8-9. An expanded field may be sought. West said the club will be requesting hospitality room funding help from Advantage Butte.
Krystal Carlson, also representing the Civic Center, said comped booths for non-profit causes are available for use at the Hillcrest Bazaar to be held this fall in the Civic Center. Contact the Civic Center for information.
Stephanie Sorini of the Butte-Silver Bow Chamber of Commerce said fund-raising needs to be tackled for Advantage Butte so that money can be raised to put on the hospitality rooms for the events attracted to Butte by the procurement organization. Those raised by the Advantage Butte Southwestern Montana Hoops Classic basketball games last March have been exhausted.
Advantage Butte executive board president Rody Holman said finance projects are in the works for the group and its commitments and event targets.
Maria Pochervina, also of the Chamber, said a wildlife conference is set for October 13 at the Copper King Hotel and Convention Center. The 2023 Montana Outdoor Recreation Summit is being co-hosted by the University of Montana’s Institute for Tourism and Receation Research, W.A. Franke College of Forestry and Conservation and the Montana Access Project, according to the Website. The site also said the event “is dedicated to exploring the conservation, economic and social aspects of outdoor recreation in Montana.” Live panels, guest speakers, workshops, field tours, a film festival and other activities are said to be offered.
The next Advantage Butte meeting is planned for October 17 at the Butte Plaza Inn.
— Bruce Sayler
