Caras Park Canopy Replacement and Painting Underway in the Heart of Missoula

CARAS PARK CANOPY REPLACEMENT & PAINTING UNDERWAY IN THE HEART OF MISSOULA

Following a successful capital campaign by the Missoula Downtown Foundation in 2025, the pavilion and the bandstand in Caras Park are both getting new fabric canopies and fresh coats of paint, thanks to the support of Downtown businesses and Missoula-area residents.

Local business Staggs Painting has finished painting the bandstand framework and is currently painting the main pavilion with a new color palette. Fabricon – a local business that designs and installs fabric infrastructure throughout the world – will load-in equipment the week of March 30 and spend the next three weeks removing the old canopy and installing the new canopy.

“We are so grateful for all the individuals and businesses in this community who have supported the Foundation’s campaign and the replacement of the Caras Park Canopy,” said Hailey Kern, President of the MDF Board of Directors. “So much of what we love about Downtown has come to life because of the Missoula Downtown Foundation and its partners. We look forward to celebrating the completion of this project later this summer!”

Caras Park – Missoula’s beloved Town Square – used to be the Clark Fork Riverbed, as the river ran right up against the Wilma until the Army Corps of Engineers built the flood wall and berm to keep the river from flooding Downtown. Events in the park started in the 1980s with the Montana Rep Riverfront Summer Theater and the launch of the Out to Lunch Summer Series in 1986 by the Missoula Downtown Association. Over the years, the MDA used a brown and orange circus tent in the 1980s and a blue and white tent in the 1990s. Both tents had to be lifted by a large group of volunteers every May and removed at the end of the summer.

The permanent Caras Park Pavilion was built in 1997 with significant work and financial contributions provided by the Missoula Redevelopment Agency and the MDA. Since then, the City of Missoula has contracted with MDA to manage and program the park. The canopy on the pavilion was anticipated to last approximately 15 years; however, the canopy has held up for 29 years.

“We have been very fortunate to get nearly 30 years of life out of this canopy, and we can thank Fabricon for doing a great job on the project in 1997 and working with us over the years on inspections and patching,” said Linda McCarthy, Executive Director of the Downtown Missoula Partnership. “More importantly, we are fortunate to have such strong support from our community and the City of Missoula to ensure Caras Park remains a vibrant, beautiful, healthy and joyful destination for everyone!

Last year, the Missoula Downtown Foundation raised nearly $550,000 after Dick Anderson Construction kicked off the campaign with a $75,000 gift at the MDA’s 50^th annual Awards Banquet. Others who made significant contributions to the canopy project include the Missoula Downtown Foundation, the MDA, the Downtown Business Improvement District, Missoula Parks & Recreation, Stockman Bank, the Markovich Family Foundation, First Interstate Bank, First Security Bank, the Missoula Parking Commission, Destination Missoula, and more than 25 businesses and individuals.

“Missoula is such a special community in the way it supports local non-profits, community development, and the underserved,” said Kern. “Places like Caras Park, Fort Missoula, and Marshall Mountain make a big difference in how we connect with each other.”

This year’s Caras Park improvements should be done in early May, hopefully in time to host the 32^nd annual Garden City BrewFest on Saturday, May 2. MDA’s Out to Lunch Summer Series kicks off its 40^th year on Wed., June 2, and the Downtown ToNight Summer Series begins Thurs., June 3.

Other public improvement projects in the riverfront parks that are close to the finish line include the Beartracks Underbridge Playground and the DRAW (Downtown Riverside Art Walls) project around the NorthWestern Energy power substation.

For more information on the Caras Park improvements or upcoming community events and festivals, contact the Downtown Missoula Partnership via phone (406-543-4238) or email ([email protected]).