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First thing this morning, while letting my dogs out, they found a small skunk in the yard. My very energetic puppy attempted to play with our unwelcome visitor and got a face full of skunk spray for his efforts. This is my second skunk incident in my tenure in Big Sandy. Fortunately, this one was far less severe. Last time around, we had to keep the kids out of school for a week. We also had to air out the house, wash every bit of clothing we own, and throw away all kinds of things that we...
My wife often teases me that I “collect hobbies.” It’s a weird side effect of having raging ADHD. I develop sudden interests in new topics, spend months obsessed with learning to do the new thing, then lose interest and move on to something else. In college, I taught myself to fix cars after buying a $250 Lincoln Continental that broke down more than it drove. After school, I spent a year learning to built computers. I have taught myself video editing, how to play ocarina, the history of classic...
As of last week, The Mountaineer has been purchased and will continue to serve the community of Big Sandy. Danielle Weaver, the paper's new owner, will take over operations in August. Big Sandy residents likely know her as the owner and operator of the Big Sandy Pharmacy. I had the opportunity to visit with her about the purchase of the paper and her plans for The Mountaineer going forward. Danielle explained how the decision to purchase the paper came about: "I had the thought when Lorrie first...
The first pastor I worked for in my ministry career nearly 20 years ago told me a story about his office job before going to seminary. He was explaining to me that every day he would go out and buy lunch with his coworkers on his lunch break. He explained that it was usually a fun outing and a bit of a treat, easy, and not much of an expense. He kept up this habit through his first few years of employment until one day, while eating his lunch, he spent time calculating how much eating out was...
Last week's Big Sandy Mountaineer featured an article announcing Lorrie Merrill's upcoming retirement. Lorrie is the owner and operator of the Mountaineer, which means that the paper will potentially cease publication in September. The story behind Lorrie's tenure at the Mountaineer is a long and winding road. Lorrie initially became a part of the Mountaineer when the previous staff writer, Robbie Lucke went in for cancer treatment effectively limiting his ability to write for the paper. She...
The Belt Performing Arts Center has released the lineup for their summer festival concert, as well as the schedule of concerts for the fall season. Beltstock is a great local outing for locals looking for a family friendly day out. This year’s 5th annual Beltstock festival is Saturday, August 23rd from 5 to 11 PM, featuring a lineup of family friendly music. The event is a fundraiser to support the Beltstock Performing Arts Center music season. I attended and reviewed Beltstock a previous year w...
One of the best gifts my father gave me as I was growing up was challenging my thinking about pretty much every topic. He made me explain my reasons and defend my ideas all the time. Sometimes it was frustrating, and I didn’t win all of the arguments, but I learned how to ask hard questions and evaluate my own ideas. A recurring piece of advice he gave me along the way was “never believe your own propaganda.” The idea was simple: every side presents their own position as stronger, better, might...
The Big Sandy Community Theater put on two showings of the one act play The Big Sandy by Mike Hesford of Boulder, MT. The play tells the story of the Big Sandy Cornfield Bomber from the perspective of a fictional collection of local residents. The Friday and Saturday shows were well attended, in particular drawing two special guest attendees: Gary Foust, the pilot of the F-106, and Mike Hesford, the author of the play. The production was also special for several other reasons. The presence of Ga...
Homecoming 2025 is days away, and with it, the local premier of the Big Sandy, a one stage play about the Big Sandy Cornfield Bomber incident from February 2nd, 1970. The Mountaineer has run several articles on the event over the last year, because it is a unique event. This is the only recorded instance of an airplane landing itself after its pilot ejected. Gary Foust, the young pilot of the plane, graciously sat down for an interview. Last week, we shared some highlights related to the event....
FE Miley's beloved 3rd Grade teacher, Mrs. Sheri Moore, has retired as of the end of the 2024-2025 school year. Sheri has been teaching in Big Sandy for the last 12 years and will be missed. Over the summer, she will be moving to Lewistown, where her husband has been working as superintendent for the last year. Sheri and Brad Moore have closed on a house in Lewistown and are working on selling their home in Big Sandy. When we spoke on the last day of school, Sheri was planning a trip to move...
Big Sandy Theater’s production of The Big Sandy by Mike Hesford will be performed during homecoming weekend, Friday June 20th at 6 PM and Saturday June 21st at 3 PM. The show is a fictional depiction of the on-the-ground events/reactions to the Big Sandy Cornfield Bomber’s arrival in a hay field just south of Box Elder and adjacent to Highway 87. The play describes itself as a story that is “only like 10% true” and provides an opportunity to laugh a little at the famous event from February 2, 19...
In Men’s Bible Study today, the text we discussed was from Romans 8, where Paul talks about the hardships he faces in the work he is doing preaching the gospel all over the world. For context regarding the hardships he is referring to, he elsewhere lists some of those hardships: going without food, clothes, in danger from bandits and enemies, shipwrecked (spending a night and day on the open sea!), and more. On top of that, there were multiple whippings, beatings with rods, other instances of t...
The Big Sandy Swimming Pool is issuing an S.O.S. for the coming summer: Save Our Swim. They are currently facing a critical shortage of applicants to fill the needed lifeguards to run the pool for the season. If they are unable to find the necessary staff, the pool will either remain closed or will be forced to remain open only during a limited number of days and times. This is a particularly concerning development as the community has reached the $1.9 million mark in the quest to build a new...
With the final weeks of the 2024-2025 school year upon us, the annual FE Miley Extravaganza created the opportunity for elementary students to show off their projects, hard work, and share some of what they learned with parents and neighbors. The Elementary Extravaganza took place on the afternoon of Wednesday, the 14th. Each class showed off projects associated with a major area of focus for the school year. Superintendent Dan Schrock summed up the annual event quite well: "For me, personally,...
This summer's Big Sandy Homecoming activities will include some fun options for locals who enjoy athletic activities. Registration is now open for the Color Fun Run and the Bike Ride. Both events will take place on Saturday, June 21st. The Color Run begins at 8 AM, while the Bike Ride begins at 9 AM. A link to register for the Color Fun Run can be found on the Big Sandy Homecoming 2025 Facebook page. Registration for the Bike Ride will happen on the day of the event, though there is a dedicated...
Big Sandy’s up-and-coming young artists will be displaying their talents and artwork for their family, friends, and neighbors this month. The community is invited to the Big Sandy Historical Society (the museum) on May 16th between 5 and 7 PM, to see the work of our talented artists. There will also be a silent auction, treats, and other fun activities for guests of all ages. All proceeds will go towards starting a ceramics program at Big Sandy High School. Jessie Jaramillo, who teaches art a...
I’ve been working in churches for over 25 years, and I’m quite certain that it is the most difficult Sunday of the year to preach. As a preacher, you spend between six and eight weeks building up to Good Friday and resurrection Sunday. They are the two events that define the faith, and I always spend a great deal of time digging into why they are such a big deal and how the entire Bible builds up to that handful of days. They are the fulfillment of God’s plan to overcome sin and death, reest...
Our little town on the Montana Prairie has a history that stretches nearly 150 years. This week, I spent a little time looking at our community and some of the landmark and unusual events that have taken place here. On April 6, 1890 Big Sandy received their first postmaster. T.A. Marlow received an annual salary of $150 to run the local post office. Receiving a postmaster was no small deal for towns at the time. For starters, it meant that the community now had a local communications hub. At...
The Big Sandy High School's Music Program had an exceptional showing at last weekend's District Music Festival in Havre. Our full band and choir scored perfect ratings in all areas of competition for the first time in many years, and a large number of our students will be going on to the state level competition. The Music Festival is the band and choir equivalent of regional competitions for sports teams. Soloists and ensembles perform for the opportunity to move on to the state competitions in...
The Foot of the Cross Christian bookstore in Great Falls has moved to a new location in the Holiday Village Mall and will be celebrating their grand opening all week April 14th through the 19th. The nonprofit store has been operating for 3 years, selling Christian books (both new and used) as well as other Christian products. The new location opens avenues for them to fulfill their mission in new ways. Mark Davis, who started the Foot of the Cross store, explained the recent move: "We were...
3 years ago, while attending a cousin’s wedding in Chicago, I broke my foot playing basketball with the guys in the wedding party. The doctor who treated me pointed to my two broken toes, said that was the problem, put a cast on me, and sent me on my way. 6 weeks later, the doctors at the military hospital in Northern Virginia took one look at the X-rays the Chicago doctor took and blew a gasket. After a series of meetings and a ton of additional X-rays, they let me know that the previous d...
“‘Tarzan of Tetons’ Appears to Have Escaped Trap” shouted the headline on the cover of the Havre Daily News from March 24th, 1939. The story is nearing its 86th anniversary, which is perhaps why Doug Giebel sent the edition to me with a note about the unusual story. ‘Tarzan of the Tetons’ sounds like something that would have appeared on the cover of a tabloid rather than Havre’s city paper. I couldn’t help but dive into the story and research the background. While it’s not a Bigfoot style nar...
A man and a woman are walking down the street towards each other. When they get close to each other, both turn to walk into the same building. The man, realizing they share the same destination, runs ahead and holds the door for the woman. Somewhat offended by the gesture, she asks him: “Are you doing that because I am a woman?” Without missing a beat, he replies simply: “No. I am doing it because I am a gentleman.” The story is simple, but the point is important. The fellow did not choose...
Last week was the beginning of the season of Lent on the church’s calendar. I decided that it would be a good idea to teach my middle school Sunday School Class about Lent and the church calendar. When we started talking about it, the kids were full of questions, which made me think it would be worthwhile to explain a little about Lent, Ash Wednesday, and the church calendar. “Lent” comes from the German word for “Spring.” The observance of the season of Lent isn’t universal in the church, as...
On June 5, 2012, my wife, daughter, and I drove into Big Sandy for the first time. A couple of months later, Robbie Lucke interviewed us for a story on “the new pastor in town.” After our conversation, he asked me to consider writing a weekly column, which I agreed to with a great deal of excitement. After 13 years of pastoring in our little community, writing Patching Cracks, and in the neighborhood of 6 years as a regular reporter for the paper, I am going to indulge myself by sharing a lit...