Sorted by date Results 1 - 25 of 635
Fifth graders at FE Miley Elementary School were greeted by a new face on the first day of school this year. Connie Reichelt, a long time Big Sandy resident, stepped in to teach this year. She was born and raised in Columbus, Montana, but has called our town home for many years. Connie has 14 years of classroom experience, having started her teaching career in Havre at the alternative school. After one year there, she moved to Box Elder schools, where she worked for the next 13 years. Connie...
When I was in Junior High, I watched the movie Glory. The 1989 war epic tells the story of the Massachusetts 54th Infantry regiment, one of the first black regiments to fight for the Union army in the Civil War. The story follows Col. Robert Gould Shaw, played by Matthew Broderick, as he raises and leads the regiment. It is one of my favorite films. I’ve lost count of how many times I have watched it. I’ve also worn out several cassette copies of the soundtrack. The closing credits of the movie run over photos of a bas relief sculpture dep...
Locals and Big Sandy Alumni are eager to get together once again after a 10-year interval between celebrations due to the cancellation of the 2020 Homecoming due to the pandemic. In anticipation of the event, invitations for Homecoming 2025 have been sent, and you can register either by mail or online, an option that is intended to make the process easier and more convenient for all. The attached QR Code will bring you to the registration page. The homecoming committee is eager to hear from attendees and has a full slate of activities planned...
In the age of wooden sailing ships, navigation was a matter of life and death. A small navigational error that put a ship off by a fraction of a degree would compound over the miles, days, weeks, and months, resulting in a vessel missing its target altogether. The problem with ocean travel is that the ocean is big and flat with no landmarks to use for directions. Early sailors used the stars, in particular the North Star. In fact, sailors from cultures all over the world throughout history have used the North Star as an anchor point for navigat...
Every summer, I take part in the Great Cycle Challenge, the largest cycling event in the country to raise money to fight Children's Cancer. Many in the community have seen me peddling out on Kenilworth Road, Judith Landing, on the highway or around town to tick off miles toward my distance goals. Your generosity has helped me raise over $3,000 for the Children's Cancer Research Fund. This year, I am asking my friends, neighbors, family, and community to help me raise more than ever before. In th...
2,627 weekly newspapers in America shuttered their doors between 2004 and 2023. The rise of internet news sources, increased costs of doing business, and other factors have decimated the print media industry. It's not unusual for new technologies to push older ones out of the marketplace. However, the slow disappearance of local newspapers isn't quite the same as the disappearance of the horse drawn buggy industry when the automobile industry drove them from the market. Small town newspapers...
The 2024-2025 school year will be kicking off in a couple of weeks. The new year will be bringing new faces to Big Sandy Schools. Big Sandy only needed to fill two teacher openings this year, which is fewer than previous years. Specifically, the fourth and fifth grade teaching positions have been filled. The fourth grade teacher for the coming school year will be Brittany Barnett. Superintendent Dan Schrock explained that Barnett, "was the student Educator of the Year at U M. Western a few...
Legendary professional golfer, Arnold Palmer, shared a story about the 1961 Masters tournament. He reached the final hole with a one stroke lead. After a good tee shot, he was becoming quite confident of his win. Approaching his ball on the faraway, Palmer spotted a friend of his on the edge of the crowd. He detoured to shake hands and visit. Palmer explained that “as I did, I knew I had lost my focus.” His next two shots were unimpressive and were followed by a missed put that cost him the tournament. He remarked that, “You don’t forget...
The Saint Margaret Mary Catholic Church Youth Ministry's raffle to raise money for a pilgrimage to Rome is complete and the results are in. The effort was a smashing success, raising around $19,000. The drawing was streamed on Facebook Live on July 5th. Judy Yirsa, who runs the youth program, shared the results of the drawing: "Our first prize winner was Katrina Benjamin from Fort Benton. Later, when she picked up the Can Am from my house, she said she only bought one ticket. She bought it at...
The Great Falls Farmers Market offers an interesting outdoor shopping and dining options. The Market is held on Saturdays from 8:30 AM to 1 PM through the end of September. The city blocks off Park Drive from the corner of Park and Central Ave to the intersection on First Street for the market, which extends into the parks on either side of the road. The Market draws large crowds most weekends from all over the area and Canada. A visitor to last Saturday’s Market would have encountered food on Park Street ranging from Hawaiian food and Poké Bo...
Most people know the Biblical book of Daniel from the stories of Daniel and the Lions Den, Daniel’s dream interpretations, or maybe the account of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego being cast in the furnace for refusing to worship Nebuchadnezzar’s idol. Some folks know Daniel from the Apocalyptic prophecies contained in the text. During the pandemic and lockdowns, I taught through the book on Zoom. The book itself has a much bigger message to convey. It is actually about how God is in control, even when it seems as though he isn’t. After more...
While walking down the Main drag in Fort Benton, waiting for the annual parade to get roiling, I caught sight of a young man running up to a table in front of the Fort Benton Hardware carrying a good-sized carp. Instantly curious, I approached the table moments after the young fisherman headed back to the river after having his fish measured and recorded. A handful of conversations with the staff and bystanders revealed that the hardware store was hosting their annual fishing contest, with prizes for the largest fish caught on Saturday morning...
Steve Jobs, the late co-founder of Apple, used a particular illustration many times to explain the potential of the personal computer for the betterment of humanity. He would begin by explaining a study that was done with animals to measure the efficiency of their modes of travel over a distance of 1 kilometer. The study placed condors at the top of the list since they need the least energy to travel the given distance. Humans, on the other hand, appeared about a third of the way down. We are not well adapted to efficient transportation. In an...
The annual Summer Celebration parade in Fort Benton experienced a brief misadventure when the Texas Longhorn steer that was walking in the Saturday procession was spooked. Several spectators were injured, one requiring a mercy flight to Great Falls. Ultimately, none of the injuries proved serious. According to a Facebook post from the River Press, the incident took place "near the Front Street Roundabout by The Freeze." The Texas Longhorn steer, which is a regular feature in Fort Benton...
I officiated my first funeral as a pastor somewhere around 15 years ago. From the very start, I have made it a point to sit down and talk with the families of the deceased as long as possible in order to “get to know” the person I will be eulogizing at the service. As the years have passed, I’ve discovered a secondary benefit to these conversations. I inevitably discover something special that I try to take on as a habit. One conversation of this sort prompted my habit of writing letters to my wife, kids, family members, and friends. I don’t...
An arrogant young man once approached Socrates, the ancient Greek philosopher. The man proudly announced: “O great Socrates, I come to you for knowledge.” Socrates, who immediately recognized the man’s self obsession, led him through the city to the port and finally into the sea until they were both chest deep in water. Then he asked the man: “What do you want?” “Knowledge, O wise Socrates,” replied the man. Socrates seized the man and held him underwater for 30 seconds. When the shocked, would-be student was released, Socrates asked agin “W...
On Thursday, June 6th, I ordered the 500,000th burger at the Roadhouse Diner in Great Falls. For being the customer who ordered the landmark sandwich, I received a trophy commemorating the occasion, free meals for a year, and a "Half-A-Million Burgs and Counting" tote full of Roadhouse merchandise. The event was covered by KRTV and a segment appeared on the evening news that day. I am genuinely humbled that I got to be a part of the milestone day for the Roadhouse. A lot of people have...
Big Sandy Activity Center has received a new van three years after starting the grant application with the Montana Department of Transportation. The delivery of the van was delayed by various issues related to the pandemic and supply chain problems. The agency has also acquired a new van for running clients to appointments. The newly arrived vehicles are a much needed addition to the Activity Center transportation fleet. Heather Pleninger, who is the director of the agency, explained why the agency needed the new vehicles: "There were times...
Several decades ago, officials at Kruger National Park in South Africa encountered a problem. Their efforts to bring their elephant population back from the brink of extinction had been so successful that they began to experience problems with overpopulation. Their solution was simple: they relocated elephants from their herds to other preserves. The transplanted pachyderms were primarily young males and adult females, due to the fact that the adult male bull elephants were simply too large to transport easily. However, rangers in the reserves...
The Montana Army National Guard performed drills in the Big Sandy area over the last week and into the weekend. Their presence in the fields on the edge of the Big Sandy Airport is part of their annual field exercises, which typically account for 5 or 6 days of their two weeks of total trainings every year. Locals couldn't help but notice the camp set up on Judith Landing Road or hear the helicopter flying in the area throughout the day and into the night. Captain Kyle Sampson. who I spoke with...
The Montana 6-Man All-Star Football Game took place Friday, May 31st in Custer, Montana. The annual game draws together 18 standout athletes from across the state. This year, Big Sandy High School Senior Samuel Cox represented our community in the competition. Cox was all conference this year, and was invited to play along with Cooper Taylor, who was unable to play due to an ACL injury that he is recovering from. Samuel described his experience at the game: "It was tons of fun. I had never met...
Eighteen residents of the Big Sandy and Box Elder communities participated in a “Crosswalk” prayer event on Saturday, May 18th. The group carried a large cross and walked the ten mile stretch of highway between the Big Sandy Rest Area to Box Elder, stopping at each mile marker to pray for the Box Elder/Rocky Boy Community. The prayer meeting was organized by Rich Jesperson, who has felt a calling to organize a prayer meeting for some time. “Several years ago, I was having my daily devotions and just started to get a very strong picture in my...
Long time FE Miley teacher, Demrece Keller, will be retiring at the end of this school year after 20 years in the Big Sandy classroom and many additional years as a title one employee at the beginning of her career. Several parents have asked Mrs. Keller to stay a few more years so their kids will have her as their teacher, but she explained that the time for retirement has come. She explained that she didn’t start teaching as a 22-year old. She started at FE Miley in her 40s. Talking about her 23 years at FE Miley, Demrece shared that she has...
Two weeks ago, I got a message from a high school friend, who I occasionally interact with on Facebook: “Hi Erik. Steve Kille passed. I’m not sure when you last talked to him, but I thought I’d let you know.” I was shocked and continue to be saddened whenever I think about my friend. Though we haven’t spoken or seen each other in nearly 30 years, apart from trading a few emails once I managed to hunt down my friend through the band he played for and some interviews in rock magazines, it seems odd that his passing would loom so heavy in my hea...
F.E. Miley Elementary School's kindergarten and 1st grade class were treated to an educational ride on the commuter train on Thursday, April 18. The outing was part of a longer unit on transportation, which the students had been covering in class. Twenty-seven students and six chaperones from Big Sandy boarded the Amtrak commuter train in Shelby for their journey to the station in Havre. Mrs. Weaver, who teaches the kindergarten class, explained that the trip itself was the brainchild of Mrs....
