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The youth group trick-or-treat food drive that took place last weekend was a smashing success, with over 800 items collected. Terry Grant, who ran the food bank side of the event, remarked: "I had no idea this food drive was going to gather the quantity of food it did. The youth group leaders and youth of the two churches did a fantastic job in making this happen, especially at this time of the year. It's community support like this that makes it possible to continue providing food to our...
While watching my oldest play on the Jr High School Basketball team this year, I noticed the young man who was coaching the team. At first, I thought he was one of the High School students who was coaching as a learning experience. I caught up with Rhett Simonton, who is not in high school, but says he is often asked if he is. The 21-year old young man has been coaching in Big Sandy for two years. Rhett explained how he arrived in our community: "I graduated from Malta in 2018. And pretty much,...
James Garfield, who was the 20th president of the United States, is only remembered for one thing. He was shot by an assassin in July of 1881. In an interesting twist, he did not die until two and a half months later. The length of time between his being shot and actually dying is due largely to the efforts of Doctor Willard Bliss. Dr. Bliss was a disgraced physician, who became something of an expert in ballistic trauma as a result of his service as a surgeon during the Civil War. He was...
Tables are now available to vendors for the Craft Show at the 2022 Christmas Stroll. Information on reserving tables is available at the AgriPrairie office in Big Sandy or by contacting Cassie Bahnmiller. Table reservations opened last week after the organizers of the committee met to finalize details. Tables have quickly begun to fill up, with demand heightened primarily due to the fact that the sale has not taken place since 2019. The 2020 & 2021 strolls were cancelled due to Covid. Cassie...
Last week, Big Sandy Schools let out midday on Wednesday and did not have classes on Thursday. The school calendar identified these as MEA Teachers’ Conference days, though at other times throughout the school year, they are labeled “In-Service” days. I am sure I’m not alone in wondering what in-service days are and why schools shut down for the MEA Teachers’ Conference. I spoke with Big Sandy Superintendent Dan Schrock about the scheduled days. “The state says you have to have a certain num...
The Medical Guild Rummage Sale took place last weekend (October 6th and 7th) with record-breaking results. The fundraiser helps the Medical Guild purchase supplies, equipment, and necessities for the Big Sandy Medical Center. Lisa Sipler, who helps organize the sale for the guild, explained that “this year was the biggest year as far as stuff (donations) because of COVID and not having the rummage sale for two years. I think everybody, including myself, stored stuff away and then brought it a...
The Angel Basket program is now accepting applications from families looking to receive support with their Thanksgiving and Christmas celebrations. Angel Tree baskets are for families in need during the holiday season. They include food items for Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners. In addition, the Christmas basket includes gifts for the children of recipient families. The form is available online, which is the preferred method of submission. Terry Grant indicated that for those who cannot fill...
Erik Siestsma is the pastor of the Big Sandy Community Church of God, which has been going on for 11 years. They have had a regular live stream on the Church of God Facebook page on Sunday mornings for many years. He also has patchingcracks.com, a blog where he writes. You can also google him on Youtube, although he isn't as constant there. He has started a deep dive facebook teaching session on Wednesdays for 30-60 minutes. He loves to research, and much of what he finds ends up on the cutting...
The Big Sandy Youth Group Halloween trick-or-treat food drive will be taking place on Wednesday, October 26th between 7 and 8 PM. The food drive is a long/running tradition for youth groups in our community. Jeramie Erie, who runs the Youth Program at Big Sandy Church of God, explained the event to me: “Every year, we put together a Halloween Food Bank drive where youth in the town go door to door trick or treating for Food Bank donations, including canned goods and dry items.” Two youth pro...
On October 3rd, the Big Sandy CSI, the committee that organizes the Christmas Stroll, met to discuss the planning of the 2022 stroll. There was some concern in the air as the day approached, because new volunteers and helpers were needed to pull off the mammoth event. Previously, The Mountaineer published an S.O.S. (Save Our Stroll) article dealing with the potential for the decades-long town tradition may be in danger of coming to an end. The meeting drew 14 attendees, quite an increase over...
The school staff in Big Sandy featured a lot of new faces for the 2022 school year. One new face is actually returning to us after several years away. Jessie Jaramillo, who is teaching art at the high school this year, taught in Big Sandy from 2016 to 2018. She moved back to Helena, where her family lives, and tried to land a teaching job in their school districts. She has been substitute teaching for the last few years, before returning to our little community. Jessie is very close with her...
John Donne, the English poet-scholar, wrote: “No man is an island entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main…” The poem goes on to explain that every man lives a life dependent on those around him. He needs others to thrive and survive from day to day. At the face of it, this is a true statement. We need each other for various aspects of our lives. On every level of our lives, we require some connection to those around us for food, supply, support, encou...
Big Sandy's Chili Feed/Homecoming took place last Friday, September 30th, though Big Sandy Schools began a week early with their traditional Spirit Week activities. Spirit Week typically includes various days for the students to wear costumes or themed outfits to school. At FE Miley Elementary School, this year saw the return of a newer tradition: the building of class floats for the parade across town. This is the second year of float building, and it is quickly becoming a favorite amongst the...
Nearly 20 years ago, I started working at a children’s home in Indiana. It was an impatient mental health facility for kids. One of the people I met in new staff orientation was a fellow named Mark. He had been working at the home for over 30 years and was spectacular at his job. The day I met him, I decided I wanted to learn to work with kids as well as he did. He was a behavior specialist at the on-campus school and did all sorts of campus support work in the evenings. At every opportunity, I...
The Big Sandy division of Santa's Helpers is sending out an S.O.S. this year: Save Our Stroll. After decades of spreading Christmas cheer, the Big Sandy Christmas Stroll organizers are looking for help putting on the event and keeping the tradition alive. They will be holding a meeting on October 3rd to discuss the organization of this year's stroll. Leslie Gregory, who has been involved in the stroll for nearly 5 years explained: "It's a lot for all of us to do, because we all have full time...
On Sunday, September 25th, Big Sandy Church of God held its 11th Annual Brisket Cook-Off. This year's event featured 14 cooks, including 2 Big Sandy High School students. The event was well attended, with around 175 people coming out to eat lunch and vote on the people's choice. There was also a pie baking contest as a part of the cook-off. Cooks had the opportunity to win in both the Judge's and People's Choice categories. The strongest showing of the day was Chase Hoffman, who has competed in...
In the days right before Jesus entered Jerusalem, he was sitting at a meal with his disciples and some people he had encountered in his ministry. During the meal, a woman came in with a bottle of expensive perfume. Based on the description in the text, it was probably over 300 days wages (or about $54,500 in today’s money). The woman approached Jesus and poured the entire bottle over his head. It would have filled his hair and run down his beard. This was a sort of luxurious personal care t...
The Big Sandy Library kicked off Library Card Sign-Up Month with the first of a series of live musical performances when Michelle Danreuther played piano for library patrons the afternoon of Tuesday, September 13th. The national La-La-La-Library Card Sign-Up campaign features musicians performing in libraries to raise awareness. The Cascades by Scott Joplin, The Waterfall by Jon Schmidt, and Doctor Gradus Ad Parnassum by Claude Debussy were the three pieces Michelle chose to play for library...
The gospel of Matthew includes an account where a group of Pharisees approach Jesus in an effort to trap him by posing a no-win question. They asked: “Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar?” Today this seems like a pretty innocuous question. We might disagree regarding taxes and complain about them, but very few people question the morality of paying taxes. However, in ancient Israel, it was a bit of a hornets nest topic. You see, if Jesus said it was immoral to pay taxes, then he could be acc...
"It's been awesome," explained Sydnie Stellpflug, the new Second Grade teacher, when I asked her about her experience at F.E. Miley Elementary School. "As a first year teacher, I was super nervous. I feel like I have every question in the world. But everyone's been super helpful. They jump right in and answer. They're checking on me throughout the day. 'Hey, is everything okay?' 'Do you need anything?'" Sydney was born and raised on a ranch in Wyoming. She graduated from the University of...
Big Sandy Church of God will be hosting its 11th annual Brisket Cook-Off September 25th. The barbecue will be served up to guests at 1 PM. Everyone is invited and the meal is free. Come out and join us for fun, fellowship, and the opportunity to vote in the people's choice competition for the best local brisket cook. We are also looking for competitors. We can currently accommodate 12 cooks in the competition. The first cook-off, over a decade ago, started out as a bit of a joke between Brook...
Throughout the summer, and for two more weeks, the Havre Chamber of Commerce has hosted a farmers market. The market itself happens right in the town square on the Hi-Line, on the edge of the downtown area. My wife and I decided to check it out this past Saturday as a day out together. The Market itself featured a couple dozen vendors and live music. You can find anything from jewelry to art to fresh produce there, making browsing the various booths an enjoyable experience on its own. The real...
The Montana Actor's Theater production of Macbeth ran for three showings in Beaver Creek State Park over the weekend of August 25th through the 28th. The choice of venue and scale of the production made the show a sensational experience for both the audience and the actors. It was clear this show was going to be something special during the opening scenes, which recreated the battle that sets the tragic tale of Macbeth in motion. Sword fighting and horses galloping back and forth across the...
Incoming Big Sandy High School senior, Jaycee Worrall, excelled in this year's County Fair FFA competitions and her 4H leadership project entry. This year, she entered a steer named Gerald and a pig named Fred. Both her steer and pig entries received reserve senior showman. In addition, her steer got a callback, which means that it was in the running for the best position in the competition. Jaycee has been entering animals into competitions for 9 years, and enjoys the experience and learning th...
One of the most common debates surrounding Jesus and his ministry revolved around the sabbath. The sabbath refers to the Jewish practice of not working on the last day of the week. It is important enough that it is actually mentioned in the 10 Commandments. “Remember the sabbath day and keep it holy.” The idea is simple: Don’t work on the sabbath. In the first century, the Jewish people took the laws of God very seriously and sabbath obedience had reached a point where it was a paralyzing practi...