How a women’s pants manufacturer promotes other women and rural communities.
Sarah Calhoun manufactures women’s work pants in the US state of Montana called Red Ants Pants. But it’s not just the pants brand that’s famous: Every year at the end of July, the Red Ants Pants Music Festival, also founded by Calhoun, attracts thousands of visitors. Proceeds go to support projects for women’s leadership and rural family farms.
When Sarah Calhoun moved to White Sulphur Springs in rural Montana in 2005, the county was considered the poorest in the United States. A town of 900 people, mainly ranchers and farmers, hundreds of miles from the nearest major town. In some of the house walls, you can still see holes from rifle shots from the days of the Wild West.
Calhoun, who had grown up in the country herself, had always been bothered by the fact that the normal work pants tailored for men pinched all over her. At some point, she came up with a business idea. When she arrived in White Sulphur Springs, she founded a company that made work pants for women: Red Ants Pants. The name because in red ants the females do all the work, while the males die after mating.
All Red Ants Pants are made in the USA. The company thrived, but Calhoun was looking for a bright PR idea for even more reach. What could be more natural in Montana than a music festival on the vast prairie! In 2011, the women’s pants manufacturer organized an outdoor music festival – and 6,000 people showed up. Now more than 15,000 visitors come every year, many with children. The music ranges from country&western to folk, blues, gospel, rock and soul. The festival includes demonstrations of traditional crafts, like horseshoeing, horse & wagon driving, hayrides, tree sawing as well as an artists’ corner, a wooden dance floor and events for children.
The event is a production of the Red Ants Pants Foundation, also founded by Sarah Calhoun. The non-profit is dedicated to women’s leadership, working family farms and ranches, and rural communities. Festival proceeds fund community grants and a Girl’s Leadership Program. Sarah Calhoun has won multiple awards as a businesswoman and founder and has been invited to the White House by Barack Obama. In addition, stores and businesses in and around White Sulphur Springs now make millions in sales during the festival time. The county has long since ceased to be one of the poorest in the country.
Addendum dated July 30, 2023
Last but not least, I made it to this year’s RAP Festival! And can only confirm: a peaceful festival with a variety of music and happy people. Well organized, with ample bins and toilets. You can even tap drinking water for free. A shuttle service guarantees that you can get back to town safely even after a few beers – without risking your driver’s license. And while the beer flows plentifully, the festival goes by without any bawling, aggressive drunks. Here some impressions:
