Sorted by date Results 453 - 477 of 713
When the British first introduced the game of golf to India, after building their first golf course, they discovered a problem with the natural environment. The indigenous monkeys around the course were fascinated by the little white balls. They began to steal the balls, disrupting the games. The British tried all manner of methods to solve the problem of monkeys interfering with play. They built fences, but the monkeys simply climbed over them. They made loud noises, but they eventually learned...
LeaAnn Williams is growing a local business selling homemade organic soap, shampoo, shaving cream, body butter, lip balm, and other self-care products. The soap making project began three years ago when LeaAnn's husband, Gabe, began experiencing reactions to the soap they used in their shop. "So we thought well, it wouldn't be a bad idea to start an alternative for him to wash his hands. So, I started investigating about charcoal. I learned that it was very good because it can't be absorbed by...
The 2020 homecoming, which was postponed to this year due to last year’s Covid lockdowns, has been cancelled entirely. Michelle Danruther, speaking on behalf of the Homecoming Committee explained: “We had planned on it being in the third week in June 2020. But because of Covid, we thought we would send it on a year. Now, we’ve cancelled it.” Michelle explained last year’s decision to postpone the event to this year. “Beginning or middle of March is when you started hearing things were being...
If you turn on a tv, open a web browser, pick up a magazine, or look at any medium that presents you with an advertisement, you’ll encounter all manner of messages and ideas. One of the unifying themes in all advertising is the idea that you should be comfortable and happy all the time. It makes sense that this would be the case because no one is going to buy a product that promises them hardship or to make their lives harder. It’s good advertising and sorta makes sense in other settings. Bei...
While substitute teaching at the Elementary School last week, I was pleasantly surprised to receive a cup of flavored coffee from Kira Witmer. Later, over the weekend, I learned that the coffee was delivered as part of the coffee cart, which gives teachers the opportunity to order coffee and snacks from the Special Education classroom at the High School. The initiative was pioneered by Kira in an effort to teach life skills to her Special Education classes. She hopes to see it grow in coming...
In a surprising upset on Friday, February 12th, Big Sandy's 110 pound Wesley Cox wrestled against and pinned 160 pound Jaxon Coates of Cascade, Montana in the third round of their match, despite giving up nearly 50 pounds and several inches of height. The sight of the two wrestlers stepping out onto the mat was strange to watch as Jaxon towered over Wes, though the pair of athletes are the same age. Wesley later explained that he really didn't expect to win. He attributed his victory to...
Wednesday morning the thermometer dipped below 30 degrees for the first time this winter, and many locals weren’t ready for the chill. My experience of the cold morning started when I walked out into thecold to start my car so it could warm up a bit before I drove the kids to school. When I turned the key, the engine rolled over slowly for a few seconds before giving up entirely. I quickly realized that I hadn’t plugged in the block warmer, so I plugged it in and threw on my battery charger in...
By Erik Sietsema The Big Sandy Public Library has changed its hours of operation, is compiling a community cookbook, and has upgraded some services in order to better serve the community. The new hours began Monday, February 8th. Rachel Baumgarn, who works at the library, explained the change: "It's more consistent. We're open at 10 all week, and we close at 5, except today (Friday). We close at three. We got asked a lot about hours because nobody knew when we were closing or opening. So we...
Jim Taylor Motors in Fort Benton employs the "best diesel mechanic in the state", at least according to Nick Brock, internet manager for the dealership. I visited the dealership to speak with the best mechanic in the state, and met Jason Langer. He was modest in response the suggestion that he was the best diesel mechanic in the state. When I pressed Jason to explain what set him apart as the best, he explained "It's not that I'm better than any other tech. It's knowing where to find the informa...
After retiring and moving to Big Sandy, Ron Baumann opened a small engine repair business, bringing along 44 years of experience to serve our community. "The average farm has 10 to 12 pieces of equipment on it that's related to this. A lot of people don't know how, or don't have the patience or the time to work on them. I love what I do. I treat everything that comes in here like it's mine," Ron explained regarding the local market for 2 and 4 cycle engine repair. Ron brings a lifetime of...
Fans attending the Big Sandy-Chinook basketball game 2 weeks ago were treated to a heart warming display of sportsmanship, courtesy of the Chinook Sugar Beeters and the Big Sandy Pioneers. In the closing minutes of the game, 8th grader Sonny Phillips scored his first basket as a varsity player. After a missed 3 point attempt was rebounded by a Sugar Beeter, the opposing player passed the ball back to Sunny who made a second attempt at the 3 point shot, and again missing. The missed shot was...
I woke up at 2:30 this morning. After tossing and turning for 30 minutes, I finally gave up on trying to get back to sleep and got up. I’ve got to admit that I wasn’t all that happy about getting up many hours before the alarm. After finally giving up on getting back to sleep, I got out of bed, started the coffee maker, and settled in for a long morning. I started the morning reading a novel, followed by studying for the morning sermon, cleaning the kitchen, changing bed sheets, and a few oth...
Big Sandy High School AG students have been blessed for the last three years by the presence of Layne Taylor. Layne brings his interests, experiences, and passions to the classroom to make the AG education experience a benefit to our community's young people. One example (of many) is the newest addition to the shop: a metal forge. Mr Taylor turned his personal interest in metal working into an opportunity to teach. "I built a forge over Christmas break. For 23 years, I've been been curious...
Last Thursday, FE Miley Elementary celebrated its first National Kazoo Day. National Kazoo Day falls on the fourth Thursday of January every year. The festivities began in the afternoon music classes, where Mr. TJ Bond introduced the kids to their kazoos and practiced songs with the students. Afterwards, he lined the students up at the classroom door and practiced playing and marching with the kids around the basketball courts. Finally, he spent some time playing kazoos through various...
Over the weekend, I spent some time thinking about life changing moments. I suspect that there aren’t a whole lot of them for most people. For me, I can identify a handful of experiences that have changed things radically for me. One of those times was a Sunday morning a little over 15 years ago. Our church brought in a guest speaker one Sunday who talked about the ministry done by Bashor Children’s Home. He spoke about the lost and abused kids that came to live there and how the home helped to...
The Big Sandy High School Junior class has completed construction on a shed that is now for sale, with the proceeds going to support FFA. The project originally began as a joint venture with Clay Dixon, who fronted the money for construction costs. At the time, Mr. Dixon was planning on renting out storage sheds to the community as a business venture. After changing his mind about the project, the decision was made to sell the building. Actual construction of the building was started by the...
"Big Sandy as a place of residence becomes better every day. People are pouring into the country... coming right down to the brass tacks, the Big Sandy area offers more opportunities to the man who wants to get ahead... than any other place... The finest agricultural land... Water that's the best and entirely free from soda or alkali; the best shipping facilities... Come to Big Sandy..." This ringing endorsement was printed in the Mountaineer in 1915. After 135 years, our town continues to get...
I have heard that Covid hits everyone differently. For me, it began like a cold. I was working on my car one evening, and I began to feel run down. Every December, I catch a cold, so I wasn’t that surprised when my throat started hurting, a headache set in, and my energy level evaporated. I was prepared with Robitussin, because the same cold hits me every year around Christmastime. The sore throat passed quickly, and then I just felt tired. I also coughed a bit and was congested. It wasn’t tha...
Because my family moved every couple of years, I attended a handful of schools growing up. I think this is the reason I don’t really remember any of my teachers before High School, except for one. I will always remember my second grade teacher: Mrs. Strickland. As an adult, I marvel at how appropriately named she was. I was in her class at Valparaiso Elementary School in Florida. I remember her clearly because that school still utilized corporal punishment for dealing with discipline problems. I...
In her book “The Hiding Place,” Dutch Christian Corrie TenBoom recounts her family’s experiences hiding Jews in Holland during WW2. They were eventually discovered, and the entire family was sent to concentration camps. Corrie alone survived the camps. One of the most remarkable moments in the book happens when she is brought in to be interrogated by an SS officer. TenBoom was terrified of being tortured and prayed for God to save her. The officer came in and began questioning the young girl....
Every morning, starting when I get out of bed, I find myself watching the clock. I have a certain amount of time to drink my first coffee of the day, walk the dog before my wife leaves for work, and get the kids out of bed and off to school. Once I get the kids out the door, I have a certain number of minutes before I have to meet with people, start writing the sermon for the week, do hospital visits, and tend to every other urgent thing that demands my attention now. I have to get it all done...
As the pandemic grinds on and begins to affect Big Sandy more directly, the Big Sandy Pharmacy has begun to offer antibody tests to determine if you have been exposed to the virus and developed antibodies. Dr. Danielle Weaver, PharmD describes the test and what it looks for: “You can come in and get a finger stick. It’s just a blood sample. We can test for two different antibodies. One is IGG, and the other is IGM. IGM indicates that you’ve had more of recent exposure and IGG indicates you’v...
The weekend before Christmas, visitors to Pep's were treated to a special helping of holiday cheer when Nona Danruther spent Friday and Saturday evenings playing Christmas music on the piano. Her performance was prompted by a simple desire to play: "I have all this Christmas music that I've played for 40 years; I've collected for 40 years. They're arrangements that I change, and there's nowhere to play them. I can't play them at the Medical Center, because they are locked down. And there is a...
Visitors to FE Miley Elementary School this Christmas season encounter an unusual Christmas Decoration as they walk in the front entrance. The Mitten Tree placed by the local 4-H group is a different sort of Holiday decoration. The tree itself is decorated with hats and gloves for students in need of warm weather gear. The Mitten Tree service project was the brainchild of Hope Gasvoda, who presented the idea to the club three years ago. Kristie Rutledge, who serves as an organizational leader...
The Big Sandy Education Foundation, has been quietly working to improve our local schools and help students for nearly five years. The less well known foundation has given over $25,000 to classroom projects at the schools and over $8,000 in scholarships in the last five years. Brad Moore, the chairman of the foundation board, explained some of the recent projects the foundation has undertaken: “A couple of our bigger projects that we helped with... we gave $5,000 to the lighting project in t...