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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...
Vic’s Pics This week Vicki chose a novel by Nicholas Sparks called “TWO BY TWO”. We will all make it through, two by two. At thirty-two Russell Green has it all, a stunning wife, a lovable six year old daughter, a successful career as an advertising executive and an expensive home in Charlotte. He is living the dream and his marriage to the bewitching Vivian is the center of that dream. But underneath the shiny surface of this perfect existence fault lines are beginning to appear and no one is more surprised than Russ when he finds every aspec...
Come listen to an unforgettable concert Tuesday, January 31st, when Chouteau County Performing Arts, in partnership with the Grand Union Hotel, present Too Marvelous for Words, a Nat King Cole tribute show. This concert starts at 7 PM at the Fort Benton Elementary School auditorium. Created by Rob Perkins and Peter Smith, "Too Marvelous For Words" is a fun and swingin' journey into the early days of Nat King Cole. Before "The Christmas Song" and "Mona Lisa" that we know from the crooner standing...
Four tables of enthusiastic players enjoyed another Sunday of fun in the Mint family room playing 7 rounds of pinochle on January 22nd. (Well most of the sixteen were enthusiastic most of the time!) Always depends a lot on the cards, luck, partners, and attitudes! Highest rounds for the day were played by Lil Foussard and Charlene Moravec with a 2150 followed two rounds later by Wilma Welty and Rebecca Weihe with a 2140! Nice hands ladies! Have to say probably the most interesting round “win” of the day went to Karla Whetham and Sheila Duncan w...
Sixteen eager folks gathered at the Mint Family Room for an afternoon of food, fun, and fellowship as we played pinochle. The big winner who took home $25.00 was a newcomer to the group, Larry Bitz, with a score for seven rounds or twenty-eight hands of 7420. Second place and $20.00 was earned by Rebecca (Bitz) Wiehe for her score of 6940. Third place and a $ 15.00 payout went to John Cline who had a total score of 6900 points, Charlene Moravec was the fourth place finisher and her score of 6860 netted her $10.00.Fifth and Sixth place winners...
Vic’s Pics This week Vicki has chosen a huge thriller by Harlan Coben called “HOME” if I read the literature right in describing this book. A decade ago kidnappers grabbed two boys from wealthy families and demanded ransom, then went silent. No trace of the boys ever surfaced. For ten years their families have been left with nothing but painful memories and a quiet desperation for the day that has finally miraculously arrived. Myron Bolitar and his friend Win believe they have located one of the boys, now a teenager. Where has he been for t...
It is again that time of the year for all of you to get busy and get those quilt projects finished. The dates for our annual Quilt Show at the Montana Seed Show is March10 and 11,2017. The quilts and entry forms must be returned by 5 p.m. on March 3,2017 to the Richman Insurance office in Harlem. No late entries will be accepted. Forms may be picked up at various places in Harlem and Havre. A list will be printed in about 2 weeks in this paper. If you have any questions, you can contact Carla...
This week Vicki chose a James Patterson large print novel called “BULLSEYE”. It is a detective Michael Bennett thriller. Snow blankets the avenues of Manhattan’s exclusive upper west side. The storm is the perfect cover for a fashionable, highly trained team of lethal assassins as they prowl the street hunting their prey. But their first hit is simply target practice. Their next mission may very well turn the cold war red hot once again. Stepping directly into the line of fire, the president of the United States is in New York for a summit at t...
After seven rousing rounds of play, Rebecca (Bitz) came out with the high score of 7900 points for which she earned $25.00. Second place with a score of 7570 was Joe Landinger and for that he took home $20.00; Third place was awarded to Lil Foussard for her 7500 point score and she took home $15.00. The fourth place finisher and the loudest WHINER and CURSER of the afternoon and evening was Shawn Webster who earned $10.00 for his score of 7150 points. Both the 5th and 6th place finishers, Roberta Whetham and Elaine Courtnage took home their...
“On Thursday 7 July 2005 a series of four bomb attacks struck London’s public transport system. . . 56 people killed, 700 injured.” --Wikipedia By my annual October trip to London I have buried the exploded British bodies under Katrina’s casualties But still can’t take the bus two kilometers from Euston Station to St. Margaret’s Hotel Suitcases too heavy to lift into a bus I tell myself Losing my first private battle against terrorism As I pull two suitcases and herd the third down Upper Woburn Place All the while awarding myself a walking ovat...
I must have written a story and in it mentioned the name of Ella Ling Anderson because I got a letter back from Jerry Halter who had a lot to say about Ella. Here is what I know. Ella’s mother was a Gros Ventre and a charter member of the Van Orsdel Methodist Church. She married a Ling and they had quite an early life as they were picking up and moving from one place to another. Finally Mr. Ling became the weatherman here in Havre. Ella ran the sheet music department at Buttrey’s Department Store and also played the piano or organ for the sil...
One thing we at the "Mountaineer" have always marveled about is that if we ask about a story of most any kind from the Big Sandy School System we have it sooner rather than later, And we get it in spades! The school gives us lots of computer stories and staff gives us lot of great hunting stories but none measure up with Letters from Santa from the Elementary School and the Christmas stories that came from the sixth grade and Mrs. Fasteson. All were wonderful and we are so honored to be able to...
Mary’s Little Lambs Daycare Dear Santa, This year for Christmas I really, really want a nut cracker toy. Love, Thea Merrill Dear Santa, This year for Christmas I would like a Batman mobile car! Love, James Calvao Dear Santa, This year for Christmas I want a tractor and a green combine. Love, Liam Simpson Dear Santa, This year for Christmas I want Santa and a puppy. Love, Georgia Silvan Dear Santa, This year for Christmas I want magnetic blocks. Love, Levon Myers Dear Santa, This year for Christmas I want a guitar and a Barbie dream house. L...
When Leslie Gregory suggested that we do a story about Christmas cookies, I cringed. I cannot bake. No exactness about what I cook. But that is exactly what Leslie can do is stick to the directions and come out with some great cookies. And, yet I knew there is a world of cookies out there to explore, to sample and to bake and that is not to mention the wonderful Christmas candy that seems to float around the community this time of year. So you will not only hear about Christmas cookies but some...
It’s easy to get the entire house ready for the holiday this season and celebrate one of the most wonderful times of the year without spending a fortune. From simple decorating ideas to affordable party planning inspiration, getting into the holiday spirit has never been so easy with these tips from the discount experts at Dollar General. Holiday Decorating Decorate in style, but affordably, by purchasing inexpensive holiday table runners, ornaments and holiday pillows. Local Dollar General stores have these items, as well as ornaments a...
I have written a lot about when I was a small boy in Havre, Montana. It was the late 1940’s and early 1950’s and children in my neighborhood of Second Avenue played outside winter and summer. Not only that but we walked everywhere. We walked to school and back home again. We walked to the movies on Saturday night or to the Havre High Gym to go to a basketball game. Not only were my friends and I walkers, but the streets were full of kids walking home from many events that had happened around the town. I remember there were four basketball pla...
Lisa Sipler has celebrated Thanksgiving with her three children and husband the same for the past few years. A turkey dinner and saying what you are thankful for is the occasional Thanksgiving day at the Sipler house, but when Lisa Sipler was growing up it was a whole different story. Growing up in Colorado, Lisa lived with her grandma, aunts, uncles, and cousins. Every year on Thanksgiving, the aunts would decide who would hold the Thanksgiving get together and make the turkey. The rest of the...
I have always associated my early Thanksgiving dinners and such with working at the Lou Lucke Company. For those four short weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas the Lou Lucke Company was decked out in live Christmas trees, bells, mica display racks and front display windows that looked like they were here direct from the North Pole. I think it all started when my Grandfather and his brother Bob loved to decorate for Christmas. It was only fitting that their store, the Lou Lucke Company,...