Good morning from Roscoe!

Our contractor, Rob, has been making steady progress on the renovation since the last update, and our second event ~ a Friday morning poetry share ~ was a sweet success for the few of us who gathered (watch the recap here). Seeing the cabin in use and full of people is so encouraging.

In the last month this little cabin has seen it all ~ warm, sunny days, dense and bone-chilling fog, snow coming fast and furious…it’s amazing to think of how much this space has witnessed in the 130 years it’s been standing. We feel an immense honor to have access to this beautiful property and the responsibility of bringing it back to life.

The next steps will be building out the bookshelves in the bookstore, getting countertops and fixtures fitted in the community room and bathroom, installing lighting, and staining the trim. We (read: Rob) will then attack the final space, the study/work room, which has been used to stage and store supplies and many, many boxes of books ☺️

We have raised just over $20,000 of the $30,000 we need to complete the renovation phase of River Arts & Books. This is truly tremendous. The support we have received from those in the immediate community has validated our efforts, and we are grateful.

We are in the process of applying for two local grants from the Absarokee Community Foundation and the Red Lodge Area Community Foundation. These could potentially amount to up to $5,000. If you are able to donate financially, we appreciate every dollar immensely! We are hoping to raise this final $10,000 by springtime in order to complete the renovation for a summer opening.

Lastly, we are so excited to be hosting our first live music in just two weeks. Ethan Ryan and Jeannie Larmon are coming in from Missoula just to play for us here in Roscoe. Details are below ~ we hope you can join! Of course, please extend the invite to any and everyone.

With gratitude, Caroline & Melissa