Articles written by erik sietsema
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Belt High School Encourages the development of target shooting teams
Belt High School is looking to expand its high school clay shooting team this academic school year. The unusual High School sport opportunity is entering its second year and coaches are hoping to...
Patching Cracks
In the Bible’s account of Israel’s journey to the promised land from slavery in Egypt, the people reached the bank of the Jordan River and prepared to enter and conquer their new home. Before entering, they sent in a dozen spies to check things out...
New Teacher Spotlight: Bonnie Bauer Takes Over Second Grade
F.E. Miley Elementary school has a new 2nd grade teacher for the 23-24 school year. Bonnie Bauer came to Big Sandy from Great Falls with 9 years of classroom experience under her belt, including...
3rd Annual Beltstock Showcased Both Local And National Talent
The Belt Performing Arts Center held its 3rd Annual “Beltstock” concert over the past weekend. The family friendly concert ran from 4 to 10 PM and featured three highly entertaining musical acts. The event is a fundraiser for the Belt Performing Art...
Patching Cracks
Early Sunday morning, I went for a 3 mile run. I typically run with my dog, who is nine years old and has learned our running route and routine completely through thousands of repetitions. For a change of pace, I decided to take my daughter’s p...
Elevating Grains Bakery back Open for business
The Elevating Grains Bakery will be opening for business Monday, August 28th. Going forward they will be open Monday to Friday at 6:30 AM. Their operating hours will be subject to daily traffic patterns and experimentation to see what works best....
Linda Finke Takes Over BSHS Special Ed
With the start of the 2023-2024 school year, several new faces will be visible at Big Sandy Schools. One new face will be familiar to locals. Linda Finke will be taking on special education at the...
Big Sandy's Stray Dog Gets A New Home
For a couple of weeks in April, an abandoned dog, likely a German Shepherd/Yellow Labrador mix, caught the attention of the Big Sandy community. The puppy spent his days walking up and down the...
What I was Toad about Amphibians
Over the past few months, The Mountaineer has heard reports of unusually large numbers of toads turning up on farms in the prairie west of town. Those who have shared information with us have joked...
Patching Cracks
Over the past month, I have been researching and preaching on Jesus’ temptation in the desert in Matthew 4. The story takes place right after Jesus is baptized, and God proclaims that Jesus is His son. From the baptism, the Holy Spirit led Jesus i...
MAT to hold Company Auditions this season
Montana Actor’s Theater (MAT) is trying something new with their 2023-2024 productions. On Saturday, August 26th from noon to 5 pm MAT will be holding company auditions for the first half of the coming theater season. This is an opportunity for poten...
Want to help your student memorize for school? Try this book
In the coming days, parents will engaging in the annual tradition known as school shopping. The school typically puts out lists to guide them in their efforts. This year, my daughter is leaving the...
Patching Cracks
When I moved to Big Sandy a little over a decade ago, I understood little to nothing about farming. When friends and neighbors discussed harvest, I didn’t properly grasp all of the implications of that part of the work year. On a few occasions, I’ve...
Cooper Jenkins' Fundraiser raised $67,000
The July 29th fundraiser to support Cooper Jenkins was a huge success, raising $67,000 to help defray medical costs for the Jenkins family. That total includes only the money raised through the...
The BSHS Pioneer Wagon has a Unique History of Its Own
By Erik Sietsema With discussion of the impending upgrades to the north side of the High School, I found myself wondering where the Big Sandy Pioneers wagon came from and when it was initially...
Patching Cracks
I moved to Chicago when I was 19 to attend college. I spent the next several years living in the suburbs, going to school, and working various jobs. One of the necessities for my college survival was the purchase of a car. I didn’t know anything a...
Big Sandy COG Holds 5th Annual Family Camp
Big Sandy Church of God held its annual family camp in Beaver Creek over the weekend. This was the fifth consecutive year the church has held family camp, after a hiatus of several decades. The...
Improvements are Happening on the North Side of BSHS
Big Sandy High School's Covered Wagon got a facelift recently as the first foray into a larger renovation and beautification of the courtyard just north of the school. The upgrades will include...
Big Sandy Farmers Market Returns
The Big Sandy Farmers Market kicked off its year last Thursday afternoon, attracting a substantial crowd despite threat of thunderstorms at the start. The weather scared several venders away that...
Need a new & exciting adventure? Explore the Montana Book Trail
Anyone who knows me, knows I love books. I collect them like a little kid collects baseball cards. Whenever my family travels, I find myself plotting our path based on the bookstores we will be able...
Need a new & exciting adventure? Explore the Montana Book Trail
Anyone who knows me, knows I love books. I collect them like a little kid collects baseball cards. Whenever my family travels, I find myself plotting our path based on the bookstores we will be able to visit. A few weeks ago, my wife and I took our...
Gabe Williams' Big Bud 440 Gets A Series of Upgrades
Gabe Williams recently completed a frame up rebuild of a Big Bud tractor, completing a multiple-year effort in the ultimate rebuild-it-yourself project. Gabe explained that the tractor had well over 1...
Elevated Grains Bakery is Closing July 1
Elevated Grains Bakery will be altering its business model next month as a result of challenges in finding employees to help run the business. They will be closing the dining room portion of the busin...
Patching Cracks
For the last several days, I have been studying the ancient Greek idea of citizenship. Like so many foundational ideas in our culture, the Greeks were the first to conjure up the idea of citizenship in our culture. It was a revolutionary idea and...
MAT Brings Shakespeare's Twelfth Night to Beaver Creek Park
The Montana Actor's Theater (MAT) closed out its theater calendar year with three showings of Shakespeare's 12th Night in Beaver Creek State Park over the weekend. This year's Shakespeare production w...
