The Baxter is a community center that hosts more than 100 events each year from weddings and holiday parties to conferences and fundraisers.
Take Back the Night back is one of the many events that The Baxter is proud to collaborate on with local and non-profit organizations in Bozeman, including Montana State University, Students Against Sexual Assault, Not in Our House and the Help Center’s Sexual Assault Counseling Center.
Take Back the Night is a week-long series of events held every year to protest violence, particularly sexual violence, against women. The events provide an opportunity for both men and women to come together to take a stand against violence and provide those who have been impacted with an opportunity to speak out and heal.
Jack, a long-standing staff member of The Baxter, remembers participating in the Take Back the Night march in the spring of 2009 as a student attending MSU.
The evening began with a rally on the steps of the Strand Union Building (SUB) at MSU. Chicks with Sticks, Bozeman’s premier bucket band, lead everyone in the march from the SUB to The Baxter.
Chicks with Sticks celebrate’s life’s diversity in its many forms, and is known in the Bozeman community for being active in supporting gay and lesbian issues, women’s empowerment and other social justice work.
“There was a mass of people, mostly MSU students, marching with the Montana Women’s Chorus and Chicks with Sticks down Main Street,” Jack recalls, “We walked all the way from the SUB to The Baxter where there was a Rock Against Rape Concert in the Ballroom.”
Jack distinctly remembers the concert that night in the Ballroom. “The entire crowd was chanting while people passed out free Rock Against Rape T-shirts.”
Cure for the Common, a local 5-piece funk-rock arsenal played that night. “The lead guitarist, Weston Lewis, was in one of the same classes as me, so it was cool to support him and his band.”
Even though Jack has since worked for The Baxter for four years, he doesn’t recall another night in the Ballroom where there was a crowd dancing so vigorously that the floors were shaking as if there was an earth quake. It was an incredible night for an even better cause.
Jack was originally drawn to Bozeman because of the easy access to any and all outdoor activities, no matter the season. Jack has more than just a few favorite places he often frequents in Bozeman when he is not at The Baxter, and with a bit of prying he was able to share some of them with us.
Q: After a long day, starting with an early morning of setting up event spaces at The Baxter, where do you like to unwind?
A: Lately, after I take my daily post-work nap, I hit up Rose Park and go frisbee golfing. They have a pretty nice course out there behind REI.
Q: There are so many great breweries and restaurants in Bozeman and most locals would argue which is the best. What is your favorite place to get a bite or a brew?
A: I really like Bridger Brewing. Not only do they have a great selection of beer, they have the best pizza too. Come to think of it, I was just there yesterday.
Q: If you had just one tip for anyone visiting Bozeman from out of town, what advice would you give them that they might not already receive from a brochure.
A: I would definitely recommend hiking Sypes Canyon. It’s a relatively short hike close to town with way better views of Bozeman than the M.
-Anna Lau