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When I was a much younger man than I am now, I spent the time leading up to the Fourth of July figuring where to go for the Fourth to have the maximum amount of fun. Often I ended up on Clear Creek, Howard’s Hill, Beaver Creek or somewhere in the Bear Paw Mountains. When spending the time there, I dreamed of spending that holiday somewhere close to Glacier National Park. Well, that time finally came and we had a cabin at Lakeside on Flathead Lake. I dreamed often of spending the Fourth at that cabin and Christmas there as well. You know t...
This is the ninth year former Big Sandy High School graduate Ellaraine Lockie has provided the English students at BSHS the opportunity to participate in the Walter Gerson Poetry Contest. Each year Ellaraine Lockie judges students’ poetry, makes comments about the poems and awards students for their excellent poetry and participation. This year is no exception. There are several cash prizes and several honorable mentions. Two teachers at Big Sandy high school have been involved in the poetry contest. Lauren Clampitt handled the Gerson poems f...
Mulching is a must for lawn and garden landscapes during the hot summer The single most serious problem with ornamental plants in Northern Plains region is not a disease, insect or mite problem; it is environmental stress. Stress affects plant material in direct and indirect ways. It can cause damage directly and weaken the plants to the point where they are vulnerable to insect and disease attack. Stress is a problem in the Plains region because we, in our landscaping efforts, are attempting to grow “alien” species (non-native for the mos...
Kudzu vines are a species of Japanese leafy vines that were imported to the United States in 1876 and planted throughout the southern states in an effort to stem soil erosion. They performed this job very well. The climate in the South is perfect for the plant and it quickly took hold and spread far and wide. Unfortunately, as good as the Kudzu vine is at preventing soil erosion, it is far more effective at wiping out every other species of plant it encounters. The vines grow quickly, climbing and covering everything they encounter....
The Latin name for a grizzly bear is Ursus Horribilis and it gets that name because it is one of the few animals in the world that exhibited not the slightest fear of man in many situations and it was only after the great hunting guns were invented did man have much of a chance against the grizzlies. Montana has always been grizzly bear country but for many people the notion of those great bears out here on the prairie was unbelievable. Grizzlies belong in Yellowstone to a small degree but...
Precautions must be taken to ensure your personal information and finances are secure when banking online. The first important piece to look for is if the bank displays the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) logo to attest to the bank’s insurance status, especially when deciding on a new bank. You may also want to check out the Bank Find website at https://research.fdic.gov/bankfind/ to find additional information about the bank and be sure they are registered. When accessing the bank’s website, verify the web address. Fraudulent web...
This week Vicki has chosen “THE GIRL WITH NO SHADOW” by Joanne Harris. This book is a sequel to “CHOCOLATE HOLY FOODS” and is delightful dark and a far darker chocolate recipe. The wind has always dictated Vianne Rocher’s every move, buffeting her from the French village of Laansquenet-sous-Tannes to the crowded streets of Paris. Cloaked in a new identity, that of widow Yanne Charbonneau, she opens a chocolaterie on a small Montmartre street, determined to still the wind at last and keep her daughters, Anouk and baby Rosette, safe. But the w...
When I am driving to Big Sandy and back these days, I see that the fields are full of folks sowing their crops and hoping for a good harvest and good prices. I think of that famous favorite hymn of the famous Methodist Missionary Brother Van, “Harvest Time” by W. A. Spencer. The hymn is about planting and reaping and tears and singing and mostly about life which is not always pleasant. In addition the hymn is not really about planting and reaping at all but about grace, our souls, good times and bad and how to live life. You don’t have to be...
Four tables of players enjoyed another Sunday in the Mint family room playing 7 rounds of pinochle on May 21st. Many of the regulars were absent and very much missed! Highest round for the day was 1480 played by Roberta Whetham and Nora Grubb. The low score went to Karla Whetham with her 2780 which did get her $5 back! High scorer for the day was Nora Grubb with her 7250 earning $30 for first place finish. 2nd went to Frank Moravec for his 6390 netting $25. 3rd went to Charlene Moravec for her 6160 for $20. Play for June is set for the 4th and...
Last weekend I went to Lake McDonald and Glacier National Park for the first time this season. It was wonderful. I participated in the first log ceremony at Lake McDonald Lodge where on the day the Lodge opens, a crowd gathers and the first fire in the huge fireplace is lit for the season. In addition I answered lots of questions in a question and answer session with new Red Bus Drivers. But best of all I just looked and looked and looked. Oh how I had missed those wonderful mountains that form the top part of Lake McDonald. Just naming them...
Contact the Senior Citizen cooks at 378-2405. All lunches include an entrée, vegetable, potato, salad, dessert and drink and all cost $5.00 unless otherwise noted. Menus for the coming week are as follows: Wednesday, April 19 crispy chicken sandwich, tator tots, salad and dessert. Thursday, April 20 cheesy taco sticks, lettuce, tomato, chips and dessert. Friday, April 21 ham and bean soup, corn bread and dessert Monday, April 24 baked spaghetti, vegetables, garlic bread and dessert for the Lunch of the Week! Tuesday, April 25 chicken and rice c...
April showers bring May flowers, but we had a lovely April meeting with no showers. In fact, one of our members took advantage of the beautiful evening and walked home barefoot! It was my turn to present a choice of book for the April meeting. I picked “Lost Lake”, by Sarah Addison Allen. “Lost Lake” to me, was a whimsical book on one hand and on the other, it had some deep thoughts and complicated situations. After reading it the second time, I became more aware of the layers of meaning to be discovered in this seemingly simplistic book. W...
(WINIFRED, Mont.) – After more than a century of serving the Winifred community, the Winifred Grocery, received recognition of its significance by being listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Bureau of Land Management Lewistown Field Office Archeologist Zane Fulbright presented store manager Eileen Stulc with the certificate recognizing the listing. Being listed in the National Register of Historic Places does not add additional protections, but is an important recognition of a p...
Attention Parents: Are you looking for a summer activity for your child that improves physical and mental fitness, increases self-confidence, and provides a set of skills that will last a lifetime? Consider joining the Big Sandy Barracuda Swim Team. New members are always welcome and are a very important part of the team. In 2016, the Barracudas, coached by Travis Baumann, was comprised of 32 swimmers, 28 of whom qualified for the State meet. Team growth is essential to achieve and maintain a competitive team, and this is something that the...
Today is Ash Wednesday. It is a time when an old, old church tradition takes place in many churches around the world. In our church, Van Orsdel Methodist, in Havre, we save our palm leaves from Palm Sunday, burn them and the ashes of those palm leaves are applied to the foreheads of people participating in Ash Wednesday services in the form of a cross. That signals that Lent has begun and will continue until Easter Sunday which, this year is April 16. Traditionally in many families, Lent is a time to sacrifice like giving up drinking or...
Soil Acidity and Soil Health Workshop in Fort Benton The Chouteau County Conservation District and MSU Extension are teaming up for a soil acidity and soil health workshop at the Community Recreation Center in Fort Benton on March 22, 2017. The Community Center is located at 911 16th Street. Registration will begin at 9:30 a.m., and the workshop will begin at 10:00 a.m. Most agricultural soils in Montana have near-neutral to basic conditions with surface soil pH 6.5 to 8. However, some areas of Montana have developed acidic soil layers near...
Sitting here looking at a blank page of the computer, I realize that I have no meanderings left in me this week. When that happens, sometimes if I just start out, something clicks in me and there is something to write about. I thought about writing about the outrage of daylight savings time but although it is just around the corner, maybe I will save that for a column closer to the dastardly event itself. Then there is wind chill factor. That is always a good topic for winter and sort of fits right in with Montana weather. It is close to fifty...
here were lots of people in Big Sandy the last weekend of January. Not only was there a big annual gun show but the first annual coyote hunt was held as well. Lindsay Boyce and Clete Ophus were in the "Mountaineer" this week to tell us all about it and to thank the community for so much cooperation in the dual activities that went on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Lindsay's husband Stephen Boyce came up with the idea as much as anyone. It is known that there are too many coyotes around this area...
Most everyone knows that an east coast ground hog is the official predictor of whether or not there is going to be six more weeks or winter. If that ground hog sees his shadow on February 2 there is six more weeks of winter and if he doesn't see his shadow, it means that spring is here. We don't have any ground hogs in Montana. Our closest relative is the marmot or whistling marmot and in the Bear Paw Mountains we are fortunate to have one that forecasts the end of winter. His name is Marmaduke...
This column is mostly about western art and dogs. Let’s start with the dogs. I have never counted the number of dogs I have had in my life but it has been plenty. The most I have ever had at one time is three and the least, one. I remember well my first dog. He was a sort of black lab by the name of Jinx. We called him that because he would chase cars on Tenth Street when it was the main highway to Great Falls. He would get hit frequently, go quickly to our Dry Cleaning Plant on Tenth Street and get under the big steam boiler until he was well...
This week Vicki picked “THE WISH” by Beverly Lewis. Leona Speicher got the sister she always dreamed of the day Gloria Gingerich and her family moved to Lancaster County. The Arkansas newcomers seem to be the answer to Leona’s prayers until Gloria’s father is expelled from their Old Order Amish church for reasons no one will discuss. Much to Leona’s dismay the Gingeriches suddenly pack up and disappear. Then after a silence of several years, Gloria unexpectedly contacts Leona who makes up her mind to go after her friend. Yet Leona’s f...
Celebration and status worldwide Valentine's Day customs[which?] developed in early modern England and spread throughout the Anglosphere in the 19th century. In the later 20th and early 21st centuries, these customs spread to other countries, but their effect has been more limited than those of Hallowe'en, or than aspects of Christmas, (such as Santa Claus). Due to a concentrated marketing effort, Valentine's Day is celebrated in some East Asian countries with Chinese and South Koreans spending...
Pearl Jam will be inducted for the 2017 Rock and Roll Hall of fame. Big Sandy native and 1981 Big Sandy graduate Jeff Ament is the bass player and co-founder of the band. Pearl Jam with Big Sandy native Jeff Ament playing the bass for the super group will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on April 7, at Barclay's in Brooklyn New York. This is a great honor bestowed upon the band and an incredible epic journey the band has been on since it was formed in 1990. Ament began finding...
This January 27, 28 and 29 will be the Fifth Annual Gun and Ammo show held in January in Big Sandy, Montana. It will be held at the Jerry Martin Memorial Hall. Cost to get in the gate is five dollars and that is good for all three days. Hours are Friday, January 27 noon until 6pm, Saturday, January 28 nine to 6pm and Sunday, January 29 nine until 3pm. There will be fourteen vendors who will be utilizing fifty tables to sell their wares and lest you think the gun and ammo show is just about guns...
By Vance Butler A little history of how the Big Sandy Gun and Ammo show started in Big Sandy. During the 1990’s the Kidd Brothers of Big Sandy organized a gun show every January in Havre at the MSU Northern Student Union building. Jean Butler, being a Watkins Products Dealer asked them if she could set up in a booth there. They allowed her to set up in the hallway. It was at this time that her young son Kirkley would go along to help but mostly to go and admire all of the guns. Kirkley developed a friendship with an avid hunter and prairie d...