July 2025 Editor's Note: Local Vibes

This issue leans into that easy summer spirit, with stories meant to inspire and invite. Mary Kate Teske shares her deeply rooted creative world through photography, film, and music. We’re highlighting some of the best pet-friendly patios around town, so you and your four-legged sidekick can dine al fresco together. And if you’re looking for your next favorite hangout, our patio guide is full of local spots perfect for sipping, snacking, and soaking up the sunshine. Don’t miss Simply Local Night with the Billings Mustangs under the lights at Dehler Park, because nothing says summer quite like baseball and community.

Read the July 2025 digital issue here!

The Story is Everything Mary Kate Teske's Artful Life

Some people tell stories with words. Mary Kate Teske tells them with art. A true storyteller at heart, she weaves together photography, film, illustration, and music to tell the history of rural Monta...

Rising With The Big Sky

That one word, awesome, perfectly captures the feeling that sweeps over Billings each summer morning during the Big Sky Balloon Rally. As the sun begins to rise, the skies fill with bursts of color, s...

Summer Tradition Worth Starting

If you’ve never been to a Billings Mustangs game, consider this your personal invite. There’s something undeniably special about a summer evening at Dehler Park, kids with
ballpark snacks in hand, nei...

FRAE Everyday Goods A New Kind Of Corner Store

If you’ve ever walked through the doors of Frae Everyday Goods, you know the warm and welcoming feeling that accompanies your visit.

Staying Cool In The Summer Heat

When summer’s temps start spiking, finding your chill in and around Billings has never been easier. Whether a day at the pool is high on your list of priorities, or your jam is something more adventur...

Tales of Tails & Tenderness

Nancy Besel Belinak has a heart for those beyond the fold, the belonging-seekers. After dedicating 25 years to teaching Special Education and Gifted students, raising a family of her own, and caring f...

LOVE INC A Catalyst for Hope

Transformation: “A significant or profound change, often involving a shift in self-concept, beliefs, or behaviors, leading to a more positive and fulfilling existence.”

Paws on the Patio Pet Friendly Dining in Billings

Summer in Montana is short, so when patio season arrives, locals, furry friends included, are eager to soak it up. Luckily, many Billings eateries welcome well-behaved, leashed dogs on their patios, m...

From Food Truck to Film House, One Burger at a Time

I am not a burger person. But I know a good one when I taste it, and what Jordan Hodson and his business partner, Hailey Elizabeth, are doing is nothing short of impressive. Their burgers, born of ski...

Bake This: Montmorency Cherry Sponge Cake

Light as a sigh, soft as a memory, this was the cake of my childhood summers, and it is now one of my most beloved family recipes. I can still picture my father whisking the yolks and sugar with a woo...

Cozy Luxury Awaits at Billings Silo Rentals

Set on a working farm just outside Billings, where a rural setting meets contemporary design, a pair of former grain silos have been reimagined into cozy vacation rentals that are anything but ordinar...

Rustic Roots, Refined Finish

The 12-foot-long kitchen island, shiny quartz countertops, and soft-close drawers are all brand new, but the story behind them is anything but. For three decades, homeowners Annette and Alan Milks, lo...