Can you believe it's almost been three years since Missoula completely lost its mind during the pandemic? From howling to hoarding, let's take a look back.

Our great city was like most when the pandemic hit. Confusion, fear, and uncertainty were just a few of the feelings we all felt. Then there was the shutdown, and we all knew this thing was real. So many businesses had to close leaving us with few options on where to get food, supplies, and basic human conveniences. So how did we handle it all? For the most part, just like everywhere else, but with a few positive Missoula twists.

Remember when we all went outside and howled our lungs out?

As we all sheltered in place a great idea was created to get outside for a bit and show support for our healthcare workers. A Facebook group was created to get the word out, and for a week, thousands of Missoulians would open their windows, or walk outside and Howl out loud. Our sister station wrote a great article back in 2020 about the event. Check out the video below. It's crazy to hear thousands of people stepping out to howl, honk, whistle, or scream at the top of their lungs. It really was cool to see everyone come together during such a stressful time.

 

Cocktails To-Go and Open Container Rules

Let's be real. Missoula has always been a drinking town with a football problem. When the city health department shut down bars from sitting inside and drinking, Missoula got creative. Bars were allowed to sell drinks to go, and you were able to take a walk, enjoy the park, and get on the river with a cocktail or beer without being cited. Now, to-go drinks are still legal in Missoula, but the open container is not (I know, that doesn't make much sense). Your drinks have to go home with you.

We Hoarded Everything

Now, this wasn't just a Missoula thing, but wow. We really went overboard. Things like food, medicine, and beer I can totally see. But why did Missoula, and the whole world hoard things like toilet paper and nails/screws? If you could find a grocery store that was open, finding toilet paper was nearly impossible. For the life of me, I still can't remember why this was the one big ticket item we lost our minds over.

Outdoor Live Streamed Concerts 

Well, there was no way in Hellgate we were ever going to be granted a shoulder-to-shoulder outdoor concert in the middle of the pandemic. The number of cases was skyrocketing and it was just impossible to do safely. So, once again Missoulians got creative and took advantage of our local bitterroot drive-in theatre so rockers could watch a live Metallica show. It was so rad! Every small group parked a few feet from each other, brought out the grill and cooler, and had a drive-in concert. I honestly think we should keep this idea.

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