Sports galore for Festival Days

When one thinks of Havre's annual Festival Days celebration, they often think of parades, marching bands and craft shows. In other words, they think of fun.

Of course, there's a lot to see and do during Festival Days, and, on top of everything the community puts on, there's lots of great sporting events, too.

The 2016 Festival Days celebration will be no different, as the Havre sporting landscape will be very busy.

An important sporting event during Festival Days is one that isn't connected to Havre High, or Montana State University-Northern. But, the popularity of the annual 48-hour Softball Tournament is undeniable.

Tammy Boles, and many others in the Havre adult softball community have been putting on the tournament for years now, and, it's popularity continues to grow. This year's 48-hour tourney will again run from 6 p.m. Friday straight through until Sunday afternoon. The tournament will feature a full bracket of co-ed teams, both local, and from all across the state of Montana, and, of course, it will feature its unique schedule, which is games without stopping. There are games in the evening, in the day, and even in the middle of the night, and the tournament does not stop until the championship game on Sunday is concluded.

Festival Days however, isn't just limited to softball.

MSU-Northern sports will be busy that weekend as well, including the home debut of the Northern volleyball team Friday night. The Skylights open Frontier Conference play that night against defending Frontier champion Rocky Mountain College in the Armory Gymnasium.

The Northern Lights football team will also be back in Blue Pony Stadium that Saturday to take on arch rival Carroll College. The Lights will welcome in the nationally ranked Fighting Saints for a 1 p.m. kickoff, in what should be one of the Lights' most exciting home games of the season.

Hockey is also back, and Festival Days weekend is when the Glacier Nationals begin their third season in Havre. Fans can trek to the Havre Ice Dome to watch the Nationals make their 2016 home debut Saturday night against the Great Falls Americans.

So once again, if you're a sports fan, Festival Days will be a lot of fun, and, there's going to be plenty for you to see and do.