Rudyard’s Main Street is getting a new heartbeat, a community center built by the people who call the town home. The project replaces the old Sandvig building, once a hardware store with decades of history, and incorporates parts of the original structure, including beams and countertops, preserving a piece of the town’s past.
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The project began when a local resident offered $500,000 toward building a community center to help revitalize Main Street.
Volunteers quickly rallied, holding public meetings to gain community support. All labor has been donated, with materials paid for through fundraising efforts and locally-sourced.
Lila Redding, one of the volunteers helping bring the center to life says, “It’s kind of like an old-fashioned barn raiser. We’re a close-knit community, we always work together.” She recalled late-night work sessions where neighbors would drop in to help wherever they could, saying, “I came home one night about 10:30 at night, and I stopped here. And there's about six gentlemen in here putting tile up in the bathroom. So you never know when everybody has a free moment, they just come over here and do whatever they think needs to be done.”
The center is intended to serve not just Rudyard but the entire Hi-Line region, hosting weddings, family gatherings, business meetings, and community events. A local beauty salon will also be moving into the space, and organizers hope a coffee shop will follow, bringing new energy to Main Street.
Community members have also helped fund the project in unique ways. One resident donated his 2011 Corvette, which will be raffled to raise money for the final stretch of construction.
Redding explains, “We’re selling a thousand tickets at $50 each, once we have a thousand somebody will be a lucky winner.”
To buy raffle tickets, contact Gary Hadford at 406-390-5312. Tickets are also available in Rudyard at Farmers Union, C&H Tire, and Country Dame.
While organizers are still about $100,000 short of their fundraising goal, the center is expected to open within the next few months. With volunteer labor, donated materials, and community support, it represents a true labor of love.
(JUNE 20, 2025) The town of Rudyard is building a brand new community center on Main Street. From Kremlin to Chester and each small Hi-Line community in-between, the center will support gatherings of all kinds.
Rudyard is an unincorporated community and all projects are secured through community funding. This one had unanimous support.
The project’s chief benefactor is Craig Langel, a graduate of Rudyard High School.
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He’s got deep familial ties to the community: “There's just something about just giving something life and, giving back."
Langel says its been sad to see he businesses move away from the town and hopes this center can act as a rebirth, bringing lively interest back.
“It was always kind of sad, I think, for the community to see that deterioration, if you will, and the schools, combined and consolidated over time,” he adds.
The Rudyard Historical Society identified a fundraising goal of $1 million dollars.
Langel said he’d match the communities donations’ up to $500,000.
In a recently addressed letter to fellow citizens, Langel announced the community had raised a total of $350,000 matched by himself.
He says only $150,000 remains to be raised before the goal is met.
The last remaining funds will be used to finance flooring, a kitchen, and accessories around the space. The space will be able to host all kinds of events.
“We can do everything from a baby shower to a wedding reception,” says Lila Redding, a primary facilitator of the project. She also adds she hopes to host proms for Hi-Line schools.
The GoFundMe page states:
The community center will support intergenerational programming, events and local businesses. The design of the new community center includes a commercial kitchen, handicapped restrooms, an event space and two additional suites to be rented for local businesses. The new center will also have an honorary wall, to celebrate the families and rich history that has made Rudyard what it is today.
If you are interested in donating, click here for the GoFundMe page.
For more information, click here to visit the Facebook page.
