Distinctly Montana Magazine

D I S T I N C T LY M O N TA N A • S U M M E R 2 0 1 8 42 e organizers of the Going to the Sun Rally are dedicated to raising money for charities, and they've made that mission a pillar of the event. Since the rally began, it has raised more than $550,000 for Montana organizations and nonprofits, including Big Brothers/Big Sis- ters, the Clark Fork Coalition, First Descents, Montana Hope Project, Whitefish Legacy Partners, and the Headwaters Trail System. While the routes are different each year, the focus on local communities isn't. "We love to go through different communities," says director Teresa Kessler-Prond. "Before we take off, our directors will go on a pre-rally route to link in with the community and identify needs— things like food banks and educa- tional programs—and figure out how to interface with the community." THE CURRENT STATE OF THE RALLY In 2018, the Rally takes place September 4th through the 9th. Although the Rally commonly starts in the southwestern landscape of Bozeman, they'll be starting in Whitefish this year. From there, it's out to Coeur D'Alene, across the border into Osoyoos and Nelson, BC, and then back down to Whitefish, where rally attendants wrap up the celebrations with a closing banquet. While the Going to the Sun Vintage Car Rally doesn't announce its locations as it rolls along, you've got a pretty good chance of seeing the vintage Porches, Jaguars, and more if you happen to be in or around Whitefish on the September 4th start date. e rally participants gather in Whitefish in the days before the departure date, and it's not uncommon to see the vintage cars touring around the lake or parked downtown. If you do happen to find yourself in White- fish, you may see some of the cars cruising up and down main street or driv- ing back from a day trip to Glacier National Park before the rally kicks off. While you can't count on it, the rally sometimes an- nounces itself to the local community. "Once," says Kessler- Prond, "We were in Crouch, ID. It's a small community, very quaint. We got in touch with the radio station, and they started to make announce- ments about car numbers and participants as we were coming into town. People came out to see the cars, and it got to be a fun sur- prise for the community." is year, the rally is supporting Warriors and Quiet Waters, a Bozeman- based organization that works to provide support for post-9/11 combat veterans with fly fishing trips throughout Montana. While the rally staff has worked for years with this organiza- tion, they're striving to make Warriors and Quiet Waters a more integrated member. In the coming years, they'd like to bring a participating veteran along on the rally with them. In many ways, this effort is right in line with everything else the rally has done in the years since its launch: a group of dedicated people who come together to celebrate beau- tiful cars, beautiful places, and, most of all, to support the communities and organizations they believe in. LEARN MORE ABOUT THE GOING TO THE SUN VINTAGE CAR RALLY, OR SUBMIT YOUR APPLICATION FOR 2019'S RALLY AT www.goingtothesunrally.org/

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