GREAT FALLS — Dozens of residents gathered at the Gibson Park bandshell on Monday, September 1, 2025, to raise their voices, share their concerns, and celebrate Labor Day at Great Falls Rising’s ‘Have Your Say’ event.
The non-partisan grassroots organization invited community members to spend their Labor Day afternoon listening to short soapbox speeches from residents who spoke about issues close to their hearts, from workers’ rights to environmental concerns, education, healthcare, and more.
Brianna Juneau reports - watch the video:
“People need to have a voice,” said Paul Jefferson, a Great Falls Rising board member. “It’s an exciting event; there are going to be a lot of speeches.”
The event began at 1:30 pm and ran until 5 pm, with each speaker given three minutes to make their case.
Attendees brought lawn chairs and picnics, applauding and cheering after nearly every speech to show their support.
Great Falls Rising president Gerri Jennings noted, “I have been feeling great ever since we started planning it because I know how important it is to people and so that's what that's why we have it on Labor Day.”
There was plenty of passion, with each speaker calling attention to the challenges they see in the community.
Up on the stage with them was a podium made of stacked soapboxes, crafted by Jefferson and his wife just for this event as a nod to soapbox speeches and adding to the themes of the event and the holiday.
Jefferson said, “The significance of the soapbox is that was your chance to say your spiel in the public square and so we're using Gibson Park as our public square to be able to, to express viewpoints.”
The group hasn’t done an event like this in seven years and hopes that it will inspire ongoing community engagement beyond Labor Day.
“I hope people go away from this realizing the importance and the severity of what's going on today,” Jennings added.
The organization plans to host more community-driven events in the coming months to keep the momentum going.
