Sorted by date Results 401 - 425 of 713
Throughout the month of August, I will be riding in the Great Cycle Challenge to help raise money to fight children’s cancer. The Great Cycle Challenge (GCC) is a national fundraising effort on behalf of the Children’s Cancer Research Fund (CCRF). It began in 2015 and rapidly grew to one of the biggest cycling events in the United States, raising over $39,000,000 in the process. The goal is to fight kids’ cancer and give each child the bright future they deserve. They believe that each individua...
Big Sandy Library's summer schedule of "Tales and Tails" events continued last week with an educational presentation from local speaker, Bob Nelson. Bob spoke on water, the freshwater habitat, safety, and outdoor recreation. He has a long history of teaching young people about fishing and Montana's lakes and waterways, having done this sort of presentation many times in the past as a representative of Walleye's Unlimited. "I've been fishing my whole life, but about 2000 is when Jim Rettig asked...
During the pandemic lockdowns, I spent part of the summer teaching through the book of Daniel on Zoom. This summer, I am preaching through the book on Sunday mornings because it seems like it speaks directly to some of the fears and anxieties we are facing in our culture today. The book follows the life of Daniel, who was a child of Jewish nobility when the Babylonian empire conquered Judea. The Babylonians took the best and brightest of the population away into captivity and had them serve the...
Big Sandy Church of God held its annual Family Camp from July 14th through the 18th in Beaver Creek State Park. Members gathered at the Lions Campground to camp together and hang out in the outdoors together. Though many chose to stay in tents or RVs for several days, plenty of families and individuals came for an afternoon or just to participate in the outdoor worship service in the park on Sunday Morning. Rebecca Wiehe, who grew up in the Church of God, began organizing the annual camping...
Last Sunday Evening, I was writing my weekly newspaper column, when I started getting notifications about some bad weather coming our way. My wife sent me out to get the laundry off the line before it hit, but otherwise I thought about the scary looking weather map I spotted online. The wind and hail kicked in not long after that. About the time I finished writing my articles for the week, the power went out. My kids and I watched the hail fall while various odds and ends blew past our house and...
Brad Moore, Big Sandy resident and the former Superintendent of our local school system, is taking a position as Assistant Superintendent for Havre Public Schools in the coming academic year. This takes place after he was recognized as superintendent of the year for Central District of the Montana Superintendents' Association. Brad has been recognized as Superintendent of the Year for different districts in the state several times during his career. "There are 9 regions in the state of Montana...
Virgelle's Annual Flea Market took place on Sunday, with area antique shoppers visiting the outdoor event to shop for treasures old and new. My children and I braved the 90 degree heat to make our traditional after-church trek to the Virgelle Mercantile to shop and enjoy lunch on the lawn. As in years past, Chandee Bomgardner's food truck served Indian tacos and sandwiches to visitors. Waiting in line, I listened as visitors to the area received impromptu lessons on fry bread cuisine and the...
In a few weeks, my family will be moving. We have been living in the parsonage that belongs to the Church of God for over 9 years. We are trying our best to get ready to buy a house here in town. Time and again, I have explained to folks who have asked why we are buying a house: “We can’t retire, and live in a parsonage.” My goal is to work here until I retire and then live in Big Sandy. My family and I love this town. With that background information, I will explain the strange exper...
Last week, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) completed their treatment of around 40,000 acres of rangeland southeast of Big Sandy. Their objective was to control grasshopper populations which are projected to reach critical levels in the coming weeks. The weather over the past few years has presented the perfect storm of conditions to produce massive rangeland grasshopper populations. This is particularly the case for the Big Sandy area, which has a high density grasshopper...
8 yeas ago, I started my job at the Children’s Home. For 8 years, I worked with abuse victims, sex offenders, drug addicts, violent clients, and almost any other issue you can think of. I learned more in that job than I have in any other work I have ever done. During my first year, I noticed a handful of people who excelled in their work. They could talk clients through any situation, solve any problem, calm down situations that seemed out of control, and were recognized by everyone around t...
“If you have a kiddo that a teacher says ‘they can’t focus’ or that kind of thing, and you say ‘Yes he can, he plays with his favorite toys or video games for hours. It’s just things he doesn’t like to do that he can’t focus on.‘ That a lot of times is the first clue for me because kids with ADHD can focus if it’s something they are really interested in. It’s the every day things and the non-preferred activities that they have a hard time focusing on,” explains Amy Terry, the special educ...
Terry Jurenka has played host to a pair of Canadian geese for 5 consecutive years. Every year, the visiting couple nest in his yard until their flock of goslings hatches, then they head off until the following year, when they will nest again. Terry explains that their first year of nesting was not so successful: "The first year they came was the year that hail storm came through and took out the airport hangars and stuff. The eggs didn't survive. Every since then, they've come back, and they've...
It was a hot weekend for last weekend's Summer Celebration in Fort Benton, which was a total success after its cancellation last summer due to the Covid lockdowns. This year's theme was Fort Benton's 175th Birthday, commemorating the founding of the town in 1846. Turnout was strong this year, despite last year's cancellation and ongoing concerns about the spread of Covid. I spoke with Dianne Jones, who helps out with the fundraising for park repairs and maintenance at the Pool Repair Committee...
The Biblical book of Daniel opens with a pretty dire set of circumstances. Jerusalem is under siege. The armies of Nebuchadnezzar have conquered every other nation in the area, now they are about to sack the capital of Judah. God’s people are facing a threat to their existence. Then the text says: “And the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand…” That’s a pretty powerful statement when you think about it. God gave his people over to the Babylonian empire. They had been in rebellion...
Big Sandy's own Wyatt Williams went to Boys State from June 6th-11th to learn more about how our state, county, and city governments work. The American Legion Boys State is a program dedicated to educating high school students in the legislative process, bill writing, and the election system. It presents students with a simulation of various government situations so they can learn well-rounded and realistic lessons. Boys state was first organized by the American Legion in 1935, hoping to foster...
The Big Sandy Public Library Summer Reading Program welcomed Scott Hemmer from the Fish Wildlife and Parks department as guest speaker to speak with the children about area wildlife. Mr. Hemmer is a Wildlife Biologist who does educational talks along the Hi-Line and to other communities in the area. The event was an overwhelming success, with 55 Big Sandy students and 11 adults showing up to listen to the talk. One young man who attended explained that his favorite part of the event was when Mr....
Pastor Sean Janssen and his family will be leaving Big Sandy to answer a call to pastor Grace Lutheran Church in Port Townsend, Washington. Sean was called to Big Sandy to pastor Christ Lutheran Church in May 2018, though he was not able to start his work here until the end of the summer. "Because I was in a one-year contract to serve as a chaplain resident at Banner University Medical Center-Phoenix, and that contract would not be finished until August, I did not get ordained until September...
“I meet millions who tell me that they feel demoralized by the decay around us. Where is the hope? The hope that each of us have is not in who governs us, or what laws are passed, or what great things that we do as a nation. Our hope is in the power of God working through the hearts of people, and that’s where our hope is in this country; that’s where our hope is in life.” This quote is from a sermon I heard this weekend by Chuck Colson. It has been more than a decade since I first heard h...
The community pool fundraising project is in motion, which raises the question of what sort of pool will the community be building? Plans for the pool are based on its placement in the lot near the graveyard on the southern end of the lot. The north side will remain an undeveloped field and will continue to belong to the local schools. The deep end of the pool will either be 10 or 7 feet deep. The depth will ultimately be determined by the total capital raised before the groundbreaking. The...
Last week, a young man from the community made the trip to Great Falls to receive treatment for a suspected case of Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever (RMSF). The decision to seek medical help was made after he suffered a handful of symptoms that prompted a trip to the ER and then to the hospital. Fortunately, tests for the condition ultimately came back negative. However, anyone working in grassy or wooded areas can potentially pick up ticks that carry the bacteria responsible for the illness. With...
When I was a kid, my friends and I used to play baseball in the backyard. Along with baseball came tons of talk about how different baseball players swung the bat, made catches, slid into bases, or whatever. Then we would practice to play like them. I remember practicing swinging a bat like Pete Rose and sliding into bases head first during ball games. It seemed like the best way to become a better ball player. When I grew up, I began to do the same thing in my professional life. The first...
Fundraising efforts to build a new community pool have begun and construction plans and cost estimates are being finalized. The committee to raise the estimated $1.75 million dollars is comprised of members of the community and two city council members, whose objective is to fund the project without having to put the costs on the town's taxpayers. So far, the fund raising effort has pulled in a little over $110,000, primarily from Rotary, 2 foundation gifts, and some local donations. Rich...
It is easy to look at other folks and get the sense that they have it all together. I talk to folks often who tell me about how they wish they were more like other people around them. I once talked to two different moms in a week who pointed at each other while claiming they wish they had their lives together like the other one. I have spent years talking to folks who struggle with depression or anxiety lamenting that their lives are not as orderly or happy as their neighbors. This is a...
6 students at FE Miley Elementary received Kindle readers as prizes for their participation in the Bikes For Books/Kindles for Kids program. Every year 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade students participate in the program by reading books and receive tickets to enter a drawing at the end of the year. Mr. Thorton explains the program and how it encourages kids to read more: "The Masons offer their program to encourage the kids to read books. It's nice to have somebody other than the teacher saying that...
On May 20th, F.E. Miley Elementary School put on its annual Open House Extravaganza. Parents and community members were welcomed into the elementary school to see displays and hear presentations put on by students in order to share some of what they have learned during the school year. The Extravaganza was cancelled last year due to the Covid lockdowns, so students, teachers, and parents alike were pleased at the opportunity to resume the tradition. The Kindergarten portion of the open house...