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The Pioneer football program has been one of the most dominant in Montana for 6-man football in recent years. The Pioneer teams for the last couple years have all made deep playoff runs, resulting in them being known as one of the best teams in the state. Finally, the fall of 2022, the Pioneers came away with their first state football championship in school history. They went undefeated all season, and in the championship they beat the Broadview-Lavina Pirates 67-27. Unfortunately, this past...
Imagine walking down the aisles filled with fresh produce, a variety of bread, and all the snacks you can think of. It is like a treasure hunt for your taste buds! The local grocery store feels like home. Nestled in the heart of Big Sandy, Montana, the local grocery store isn't just a place to buy food.It's a community hub where the town's heartbeat can be felt in every aisle. From farm-fresh produce that still has the morning dew to the warm smiles greeting you at every turn, this store is a...
Here are five more books you should consider reading: Straight Up by Trent Shelton “Who do you have in your life who’s not afraid to tell you the honest-to-God truth? Who do you have who’s a real source of wisdom when life gets real? With his trademark combination of raw honesty and practical next steps, motivational speaker Trent Shelton shares the missteps he made growing up and the hard-won lessons he learned in short, easy-to read chapters and thought-provoking questions. Throughout, he provides honest advice to help you find a way throu...
“Twas the day before break, when all through the halls, All the students were anxiously climbing the walls; The lockers were open- kids combing their hair, In hopes that some snowflakes would soon fill the air; Kids were excited to sleep late in their beds, While visions of free days danced in their heads: With people in the office and I in my class, We just settled down and let our brains rest at last, When outside the room there arose such a clatter, I sprang from my chair to see what was the matter. It was a wild Davy let loose in the s...
ONE DOLLAR AND eighty-seven cents. That was all. And sixty cents of it was in pennies. Pennies saved one and two at a time by bulldozing the grocer and the vegetable man and the butcher until one’s cheeks burned with the silent imputation of parsimony that such close dealing implied. Three times Della counted it. One dollar and eighty-seven cents. And the next day would be Christmas. There was clearly nothing to do but flop down on the shabby little couch and howl. So Della did it. Which instigates the moral reflection that life is made up of s...
Mary’s Little Lamb Daycare Hi Santa, My name is Luke Terry and I am 4 year old. I have been good thisyear but sometimes a little bit naughty, is that ok? I do help my sister carry heavy rocks and I can fix broken toys. Some other nice things I do are helping my papa get snakes and sharing my toys with him! Papa has been good this year too. For Christmas could you please bring me a toy train and maybea rabbit? I think my mom and dad want a new 4-wheeler and Ty wants a rope so he can rope calves. I will ask my mom to leave you out some c...
The following is a poem written by four Sophomore boys in answer to Nikki Giovanni’s poem “Woman” in which she uses five different pairs of images to describe what the woman wants from her “man.” But he will not be what she is hoping for, no matter how hard she works at the relationship. So, she moves on. Wes Cox, Dolan Sunchild, Ty Terry, and Travis Wilford studied her point of view, and then they collaborated to write their poem from the man's point of view, using the same format with their original pairs of images. Enjoy! Man I am an astrol...
I know that what I'm about to say is an obvious statement, but have you all noticed how expensive things are nowadays? Fuel, groceries, clothes, literally everything. And anytime you want to find something cheaper from back in the day, it is now called "vintage," so it's even more expensive with that word attached. I will start by saying that I do not follow the market; I don't read financial articles and focus on politics and the economy. I will say, though, that just as a fellow American, I have struggled the last few years to make ends...
The second quarter of the school year has launched English students at Big Sandy High School into the wonderful world of poetry. Grades seven through twelve are writing a variety of poems and presenting them to their classmates.The Seniors and Sophomores have already written what is considered the most difficult type of poem: the Sonnet. There are two styles of this genre of poetry: Petrarchan and Shakespearean. They have few differences, but Shakespearean tends to be more favored. These 14-lined poems have a definite rhyme scheme, as well as a...
Get a head start on getting some of the coolest and trendiest gifts for Christmas. We are going to hook you up with some really great ideas to get that someone special the perfect gift! This week we will give you the top 28 gifts, according to Good Housekeeping magazine. These are their opinions on some great gifts, but I’m not going to lie, I’d love a lot of these!! I firmly believe in supporting small businesses and your community, but if for some reason, you want a new and refreshing idea for this Christmas, check out these items. 1 .My...
The Civil War lasted from 1861 to 1865. It is the bloodiest battle that the United States has every fought since both sides fighting in the war were from the United States. Nearly 620,000 people were killed. The most shocking part, however, is the fact that only 150,000 people died from battle wounds. The other 470,000 died from diseases such as malaria, dysentery, and tuberculosis (Milano). In the 1860’s, medical procedures were very limited. Most of the time, being diagnosed with a disease like tuberculosis was akin to being handed a death s...
It was a normal day for the town’s beloved store owner, Jack the Bunny. Jack was an old bunny; he wore rounded glasses on his rounded nose and fluffy sweaters over his rounded belly. He had a long gray beard and a smile that could light up the room. Early one spring morning, he was opening his shop when he realized it had become a disaster. Items were torn off the shelves, and all had fallen to the floor. With all of the vandalism, funny enough, nothing was missing except in one section – almost all the apple juice had been taken. Jack fou...
Recently there was a song running through my mind. I couldn’t place it. So, I delved into youtube to see where the words would lead me. The words that kept repeating in my head were “ Too much monkey business.” I was surprised to find this song was written and performed by Chuck Berry in the fifties. I have never been a particular fan of Chuck Berry’s, but for some reason, this song stuck. I read the words and then had an epiphany. I felt pressure from all sides until I was ready to block all articles, Facebook messages, and ads. Chuck Berry e...
Big Sandy's Main Street Puddle is no more. At least this is what I am told. Officially named the Joe Trepina Memorial Main Street Puddle, "Puddle" was paved over in October 2022. When I learned of this mainstreet paving project, I immediately called a meeting of our clandestine puddle organization "Citizens Recognizing And Promoting Puddle," otherwise known as C.R.A.P.P. We considered several strategies to save Puddle from the pavers. But our pleas to city leaders went unheard. Our attempts to...
November was a busy month at the Big Sandy Library. After school and on Fridays with the kids. Our weekly activities include Power Hour, which is everyday afterschool until 5:00pm. This is when kids can come down and use our computers or just use the wifi for their computers to do their homework. There is always someone to help if they need it. Robotics Club meets every Tuesday at 4pm-5pm, Lego Club is every Friday at 11am- noon and story time for the toddlers every Wednesday at 10:30am. There were also other fun things mixed in. The month of N...
6th Grade “Twas the day before break, when all through the halls, All the students were anxiously climbing the walls; The lockers were open- kids combing their hair, In hopes that some snowflakes would soon fill the air; Kids were excited to sleep late in their beds, While visions of carefree days danced in their heads: With people in the office and I in my class, We just settled down and let our brains rest at last, When outside the room there arose such a clatter, I sprang from my chair to see what was the matter. When I went out in the hall...
Mary’s Little Lambs Daycare Dear Santa, Hi! My name is Asher and I am 2 years old. I live in Big Sandy with my mom, dad and brother, Jaxon. I have been very good this year and would love it if you could please bring me a monkey book, a toy cow and also a soccer ball. I promise to have my mom leave you out milk, bananas and some pretzels to share with your reindeer. Thank you, Asher Kulbeck Dear Santa, I am 3 years old and my name is Eleanor. Because I have been so good this year I would love it if I could please have a Christmas tree with d...
On December 7th, the nation observed Pearl Harbor day. It’s an easy observance to miss in the mix of Christmas shopping and work days. As I was preparing to research Christmases past as covered by the Mountaineer, I found myself thinking about how close the surprise attack lands to the Christmas season. This prompted a thorough dive into the Mountaineer archives from 1941. The first issue of the paper to come out after the attack was on December 11th, giving local editors three to four days to react to the news. At the time, newspaper c...
Editor’s Note: I read this blog on Facebook and reach out to her and asked if I could publish it. She said defiantly. Please follow her, it is absolutely so true and so hilarious. I am going to try to do a little crash course on men’s hand gestures. I know this is something many of us have struggled with, so I hope you find this helpful. First, let’s talk about gestures while horseback. a Gesture: He puts one arm in the air with the pointer finger rotating in a circle. If you are stopped, it means get started. If you are moving, it means move f...
Sleight of Hand is a crime novel by Phillip Margolin. A private eye investigator from Washington D.C. named Dana Cutler is called to investigate a missing scepter in Seattle, Washington, but discovers that it’s a prank. But the case takes a turn when the wife of a millionaire is murdered. Who also was the one who started the prank. A criminal attorney, Charles Benedict is the lawyer for the Seattle millionaire Horace Blair, who is suspected of murdering his wife, Carrie Baire. Dana Cutler becomes involved in the case, trying to figure out w...
Editor’s Note: This story was to go with last week’s article about the Montana Children’s Theater story. We did not have the room last week. Last week, the Montana Children’s Theater came to Big Sandy to work with our kids to put on a musical show depicting the life of Johnny Appleseed. The story included a few elements of truth, but the legend of Johnny Appleseed has grown larger than life. The story of the real man is fascinating. John Chapman was born in Massachusetts in 1776. He left home and the state by the 1790s. He initially settled...
At Risk is a suspense novel by Patricia Cornwell. It is a story about Winston Garano, a detective. He is called out from the National Forensic Academy in Tennessee to go to Massachusetts to help his Defense Attorney boss to solve a 20-year-old unsolved case using the latest DNA technology. But the DA foolishly makes the case public, causing a chain reaction of violence, greed, blackmail, and tensions to flare during the investigation. Winston’s boss is Monique Lamont, a stubborn woman intent on getting things done her way and running for g...
In newspaper parlance, the type of article I write usually is called a “ fluff “ piece. It’s not news or information nor does it provide instruction or commendation of others.It’s just for fun or conveys a feeling about something. I personally have always been a fan of fluff pieces. When you are depressed with the news and financial statements or reading about others who seem to be doing so much better than you, you go to a fluff piece. The following is a double fluff piece. I’m all for second chances for people and animals. I always advocate a...
From Russia, with Love is a spy novel written by Ian Fleming, the original creator of James Bond, Code-name 007. The English spy James Bond is on a mission to retrieve a girl named Tatiana Romanova who has a new decoding machine called Spektor and claims to be in love with him. But unknown to both of them, the Russian Secret Service called SMERSH uses the girl as bait to kill James Bond. SMERSH sends a cold-blooded assassin named Donovan Grant not only to kill 007 but to kill the girl also. So B...
How Big Sandy got its name is a bit of a mystery, but an article from the February 2, 1922 issue of the Mountaineer offers a reasonable answer. Karen Reinertson and Renee Hanson found it last week while researching for the Old Timer’s Column. It’s an interesting story, which explains how Big Sandy Creek, which runs near our little community, was named. The town itself is named after the creek. Here is the account published around a century ago. —Erik HERE IS THE STORY (The original headline!) The following account of the origin of the names Big...
