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May 2019 Family Fun Freebies

May 1, 2019 | b davis

Less than a month of school is left before summer break. For some, that means lots of family vacations, summer camps for the kids, hiking, camping and fishing. For those looking to get a head start on the fun, check out this list of free events coming up this month! 

BILLINGS PUBLIC LIBRARY

  • Wednesday/Friday Fun at the Library– Play games and build LEGOS from 3-4:45pm, every Wednesday and Friday at Billings Public Library in the Craft Corner! 
  • READ to a Dog – Saturday, May 4, 11am-12pm. Each reading child will sign up for one 15 minute time with a dog of their choice. Sign up happens on the day of the program. READ to a Dog program is a chance for children to read to a dog one on one. Sometimes, children may have a difficult time reading, and reading to a dog can bring a feeling of non-judgment, which makes reading a more relaxing and fun experience. With bringing the Intermountain Therapy dogs here, it creates that relaxed feeling in a safe and comfortable environment.
  • May the 4th Be With You Kick off to Summer Reading – Saturday, May 4 10:30am-1pm. Join BPL for a special Star Wars Saturday, celebrating May the Fourth AND the beginning of Summer Reading sign-ups! Event kicks off with story time, presented by our very own Jedi Master, immediately followed by a screening of Solo: A Star Wars Story. Enjoy snacks and galactic crafts! Register yourself or your family for the library's Summer Reading Program for a chance to win one of the Star Wars door prizes. Attend the program in your choice of Star Wars costume for bonus entries to win a door prize. See you on Star Wars Saturday, and May the Fourth (and the Force) Be With You!
  • Make and Take Spring Craft - Monday, May 13 3-4:45pm. Celebrate Spring with a Make and Take Craft. No registration is necessary.
  • Friday Night Fun: National Montana Day – Friday, May 3 6:30-8pm. Celebrate the nation-wide National Montana Day, also known as 406 day, with Montana history, trivia, weird laws, and other Montana goodness.
  • Friday Night Fun: Wizard of Oz Sing Along – Friday, May 10 6:30-8pm. Represent, Lollipop Guild! Come join BPL for an all-ages sing-along experience. Follow the Yellow Brick Road to the Merry Old Land of Oz..um, the Library. If I Were King of the Forest, I'd be there! Just drop out of the sky - no tickets needed. Join the fun in the Community Room on Friday, May 10 at 6:30 pm, and we'll be Off to See the Wizard!
  • Friday Night Fun: Karaoke– Friday, May 17 6:30-8pm. Friday Night Fun Family Karaoke jam.
  • Friday Night Fun: Camp Out! – Friday, May 24 6:30-8pm. Get ready for summer! BPL's last Friday night before beginning summer hours (which means closing at 6pm on Fridays through Summer) we will bring the camping to you. Come join us for a night of pre-summer camping fun! Join us in the Community room.

MONTANA AUDUBON CENTER

  • Open House– First and third Saturdays, May 4 & 18, 11am-3pm. Open House at the Montana Audubon Center is a great time to explore the great outdoors and ask a naturalist any questions you might have.

DOWNTOWN BILLINGS

  • Wise Wonders: First Free Friday Night – Friday, May 3 6-8pm. Visit Wise Wonders every first Friday of the month for free from 6pm to 8pm!
  • This House of Books Game Night – Every Thursday night from 5-8pm for Tabletop gaming. We have a large library of games to demo, or feel free to bring your own. While here enjoy a variety of drinks and snacks!
  • This House of Books: Author Event Children’s Book Week – Saturday, May 4 1-2pm. You won't want to miss the laughs, the silliness, the sheer fun happening at the bookstore on Saturday, May 4, starting at 1 o'clock. Meet Sheila Ruble and Rod Gottula live in the bookstore and enjoy fun activities. Featuring two great children's books that deal with the theme of kindness toward others. You'll enjoy listening to the authors read from and talk about their books. Rod Gottula's book, Double! Not Half contains a beautifully simple message of inclusion that fosters an appreciation for the value and potential that lies within every human being. Sheila Ruble's brand-new book, Don't Park on a Pig, combines whimsical illustrations and a simple rhyming text to deal with a serious subject, the importance of being kind and respecting the feelings of others. Following the readings, we will have a couple of fun activities and juice for the children, expertly organized by volunteer Daphne.
  • Yellowstone Art Museum YAM Free Days – Saturday, May 18 10am-5pm. Five days of the year the YAM offers FREE DAYS. Come visit the museum free of charge.
  • Billings First Fridays – Friday, May 3 5-8pm. Invite your friends, family, colleagues, neighbors and more to spend each and every First Friday in the heart of our community. Billings First Friday's celebrates and highlights what our local shops, restaurants, cultural venues, and nightlife hotspots have to offer from 5:00pm - 8:00 pm the first Friday of every month. Participating shops and businesses will host special events, offer refreshments & promotions, and sponsor live entertainment. Everyone is welcome to attend! First Friday is coordinated and promoted by the Downtown Billings Alliance. Monthly themes offer a variety of experiences for our whole community to enjoy will be updated annually. A full list of participating businesses and their First Friday offerings are listed monthly in the Gazette's 'Enjoy' publication.
  • YVGives2019 Community Block Party – Thursday, May 2 11am-8pm. 1333 N 27th St, Billings, MT
  • We’ll be celebrating the generosity of the Yellowstone Valley ALL DAY with balloons, live music, food trucks, prizes, and 115 of your favorite nonprofit organizations!
  • Firefly Outdoor Movie Company: The Incredibles 2 – Friday, May 31 7-11pm @ Pioneer Park. School's out for summer! Let's kick off the summer with our super powers! Food and fun start at 7 and movie starts at sunset. Bring your blankets and chairs, friends and family. *If weather does not cooperate we will reschedule for Saturday evening, same place, same time. Check FB for details. 

HOME DEPOT

  • Kids’ Workshop: Blooming Art – Saturday, May 4 9-12pm. Make Mom’s day with a handmade blooming art piece. In this hands-on workshop you and your child can discuss the art of patience as you build a blooming work of art to gift or put on display. Once it is built, your child can decorate it with paint. All Kids Workshop attendees must be accompanied by a parent or adult at all times. All kids get to keep their craft, receive a FREE certificate of achievement, a Workshop Apron, and a commemorative pin while supplies last. Children must be present at the store to participate in the workshop and receive the kit, apron and pin.

BARNES & NOBLE

  • LEGO Star Wars Event – Saturday, May 4 2pm. Star Wars fans can storm troop into stores for an afternoon of collaborative LEGO play and imagining a galaxy far, far away. Take a photo with a cool standee, and get an exclusive collectible poster, while supplies last. 
  • Kids’ Book Hangout – Saturday, May 18 2-5pm. Join us for our Kids' Book Hangout and discover your next favorite book. Enjoy games, activities, and giveaways, and save 20% on featured books from 2PM-5PM. Plus, receive a coupon for a $1 Blondie Bar. (Cafe stores only) 

RIMROCK MALL

  • JcPenny Kids Zone – Saturday, May 11 11-12pm.  Decorate a JoJo Siwa or Rise of the TMNT Mother’s Day Card. In addition, they will get their FREE JCPenney Kids Zone lanyard & ID badge!
  • Summer Jam at Rimrock Mall – Friday, May 31 6-10pm. Come have some Summer Fun at Rimrock Mall! Tell your friends that you'll see them at Summer Jam. Summer Jam at Rimrock Mall is a FREE, fun, family-friendly event space. Summer Jam will give the West End of Billings a chance to enjoy the summer weekends in a fun outdoor area! Admission the concert is FREE and there will alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages available for purchase. See you this Summer at Summer Jam! This week, enjoy the sounds of 7th Avenue Band.

ZOOMONTANA

  • Movies Under the Stars: Spider Man Into the Spider Verse – Friday, May 24 1-11pm. The Billings Kiwanis will be holding their first Movies Under the Stars on Friday, May 24. The gates will open at 7pm and the movie will begin at dusk. Free admission! Awesome concessions! The movie will be Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and concession sales will benefit Big Sky Science Education Enhancement. Billings Kiwanis mission is to help the children of our city, state, nation and the world. This is a non-profit event that looks to enhance family entertainment in the Billings community.

BIG HORN RESORT

  • Special Needs Day & Resource Fair – Sunday, May 5 1-4pm. We're bringing organizations from around the community together for a fun and educational day for families with children with special needs. The event is a partnership between Billings Clinic St. Vincent Healthcare - Billings, Montana, RiverStone Health, Children's Clinic, MT Children's Special Health Services, and Early Childhood Intervention.

The event includes:

  • Health screening opportunity including evaluating vaccine status, insurance status, special needs, and early intervention.
  • Exhibitors from organizations serving children with special health care needs.
  • Family photos.
  • Limited free tickets to swim at the Reef Water Park.
  • Family fun and time to socialize.
  • Gas cards available for qualifying families travelling from out of town.

For more information, call Michelle Kautz, RN with the Billings Clinic Complex Care program at 238-5097.

YELLOWSTONE VALLEY FOOD HUB

  • Pop-Up Petting Zoo - Saturday, May 11, 11am-2pm. Welcome spring with baby animals, seed starting, face painting, farmers' market booths and more at 8333 Story Road! Sponsored by Yellowstone Valley Food Hub and Yellowstone Valley Citizens Council. 

CASTLE ROCK PARK

  • Billings Kiwanis Bike Rodeo – Saturday, May 18 10am-12pm @ Castle rock Park. Billings Kiwanis Bike Rodeo is Saturday, May 18 at Castlerock Park. FREE to all Kids K-3rd grade may come pick out a refurbish bike (while they last), trade in your gently used bikes or have your bike tuned up by bike techs from The Bike. Shop and The Spoke Shop. Free Bike Helmets sized and fitted by St Vincent Healthcare. All participants must register online at www.BillingsKiwanis.org Gently used bikes may be donated to Billings Kiwanis by dropping them off at any local bike shop - The Bike Shop on Grand, The Spoke Shop on Broadwater or Collins Bike Shop in the Alpine Village.

PILGRIM CONGRESSIONAL CHURCH

  • Saturday Night Arm Wrestling and Games – Every Saturday Night 6:30-8pm. Learn a new sport, make new friends, play air hockey, foosball, and more. Free dinner, all are welcome.