Fall Festival 2026 grand marshals

Belgrade News Fall Festival News Article - August 17, 2026

Mark and Tiffany Maierle have proudly called Belgrade home since 2005, but their connection to, and involvement in, the Belgrade community began even before they lived here.

Mark’s introduction to giving back to Belgrade came through his longtime friend, Scott Bell, a dedicated Belgrade community member. Mark spent countless volunteer hours working alongside Scott on projects that helped shape the growing community, including improvements to the softball complex, soccer fields and concession stand, and the Belgrade High School track, to name just a few. Those early experiences gave Mark a firsthand look at what can happen when people are willing to roll up their sleeves and give their time to their community.

When Mark and Tiffany made Belgrade their home, they quickly put down roots. They raised their two daughters in the Belgrade School District - Whitney, who is now attending Montana State University, and Tessa, who is a senior at Belgrade High.

Eleven years ago, Tiffany joined the Belgrade Community Coalition as a board member. Her involvement and passion for the organization continued to grow, and she eventually became the Coalition’s first Director, helping expand its role in bringing people together, creating community traditions, and building pride in Belgrade.

During her years with the Coalition, Tiffany helped create and grow several initiatives that have become an important part of the community. She helped expand the Festival of Lights into a community-wide celebration and played an instrumental role in what would eventually become the Belgrade Holiday Light Park.

The idea had humble beginnings in 2018, when Tiffany talked Mark and a few of his friends into building the first Light Tunnel. It went up in the City parking lot on Main Street for the Festival of Lights night, and came back down the very next day. What started as a one-day addition to the celebration planted the seed for something much bigger.

When 2020 brought social distancing and the need to find new ways for the community to celebrate together, that idea evolved into the month-long Belgrade Holiday Light Park display at the Senior Center Park. Tiffany helped build the enthusiasm and community support needed to bring the vision to life, creating a holiday tradition where families and neighbors could safely come together and one that has continued to grow in the years since.

Tiffany was also an integral part of the team that launched Belgrade Summer Nights, bringing people downtown for live music, food, local businesses, and summer evenings spent with friends and neighbors.

And way back in 2016, Tiffany was one of a handful of BCC members who came up with the name BELGREAT, and she took the lead in creating the first campaign around it. At its heart, BELGREAT is about pride in community. Pride in where we live, the people who call Belgrade home, our local businesses, our schools, and the things that make Belgrade uniquely ours. The campaign was created to celebrate what makes Belgrade special while encouraging those who live, work, and do business here to take an active role in making it even better.

Over the years, BELGREAT has become more than a name or a campaign; it represents a spirit of community pride and involvement and the belief that each of us can make a difference simply by showing up, getting involved, and caring about the place we call home.

Mark has done his fair share supporting the BCC as well and is affectionately known as one of the Belgrade Community Coalition’s best “voluntolds.” Whether it’s building something, hauling something, setting up an event, taking it back down, or tackling whatever unexpected project arises, Tiffany and the Coalition know they can count on Mark to jump in and help. He has quietly been behind the scenes of countless BCC events and programs over the years and has recruited a few friends to join him along the way. 

At the end of this year, after 11 years with the BCC, Tiffany will hang up her hat in a leadership capacity. While it marks the end of an important chapter, it certainly isn't the end of her involvement. She plans to continue volunteering for an organization, and a community, that remain near and dear to her heart.

For Mark and Tiffany, one of the greatest joys of living in Belgrade has been raising their family in a community where getting involved really can make a difference. Belgrade may be one of Montana’s fastest-growing communities, but to them, it has held onto something increasingly special - the feeling of a small town where you still know most of your neighbors, recognize many familiar faces around town, and can see firsthand the difference people can make when they are willing to give a little of their time.

And after all the events, projects, programs, late nights, set-ups and tear-downs, it’s the people and the relationships that have meant the most. Mark and Tiffany are incredibly grateful for the opportunity to serve alongside longtime friends and people who have become friends along the way. Those friendships, shared experiences, and the feeling of working together toward something bigger than themselves are what have made their years of community involvement so meaningful.

From Mark’s early days helping build community facilities to Tiffany’s years helping create events, programs, and traditions through the Coalition, their involvement has been rooted in the same belief: you don’t have to do something extraordinary to make a difference. You simply have to get involved, give some of your time, and care about the place you call home.

After more than two decades of raising their family, building friendships, and volunteering in Belgrade, Mark and Tiffany are grateful to call this community home and proud to have played a small part in helping make Belgrade a little more BELGREAT along the way.