January 2--The third annual Big Sandy American Legion Coyote Derby was to be held on the 4th through the 6th.

January 9--The Agricultural Improvement Act of 2018, a new farm bill, has increased the USDA's Farm Service Agency's abilities for loans and has also increased the direct farm ownership loans to $600,000.

Reggie Jappe retired from Big Sandy's Medical Center. Leah Grubb, CEO of BSMC, says, "She will be missed."

January 16- The Booster Club looks forward to some incredible opportunities. They met January 8th with eight moms attending. They had $13,790.00 for their future projects.

January 23--The 7th Annual Gun and Ammo Show was to be held on January 25th-27th in Big Sandy. It was held at the Jerry Martin Memorial Hall.

January 30--Reinhard Bold won the 2019 Geo-Bee Competition. It was Big Sandy second year in the competitions. We had ten finalists from 4th to 8th grades.

Katherine Bold won the Triangle Telephone Trip to Washington D.C.

February 6--Diane Keane and Vanessa Janssen were holding auditions for a community play coming up. The play will be called "Bedtime Stories (As Told By Our Dad) (Who Messed Them Up)."

February 13--Pioneer Boys were seeded No.4 going into District 9c Basketball Tournament. The girls were rated No. 8.

February 20--Pioneer Boys and Girls Basketball season ends at district 9C Tournaments in Havre. The Girls began by playing against the top-seeded Box Elder Bears and were defeated 67-20. And despite a solid effort, they were defeated Thursday morning, ending their season with a 57-33 setback. The boys began Thursday afternoon as the No.4 seed and started playing against North Star and took a loss 59-55. Friday morning, the boys won against Chester/Joplin-Inverness 54-47. Saturday morning, they faced No.3 and were defeated 90-52. And saw their season come to an end.

February 27--Big Sandy's Elementary School is making progress in reading. For the last five years, FE Miley Elementary Teachers have been working very hard to improve our reading scores. It's been a long process, but we have made huge gains and have some fantastic data and scores.

The American Red Cross was asking people to donate due to a severe shortage of type O Blood.

March 6--Big Sandy's cattle ranchers saw one of the coldest winter calving seasons on record last year. They suffered through many prolonged, severe blizzards.

In other news, Big Sandy High School was on lockdown due to some writing on one of the bathroom stalls. The students used the drill training they were taught throughout the school year.

March 13--Big Sandy Students win honors at the regional Science Fair. Five Big Sandy High School students competed in the Hi-Line Regional Science Fair at MSU Northern on March 5. Hope Gasvoda, Everett Works, Tyler Schwarzbach, Ryan Roth, Clint Darlington, and teacher- Melanie Schwarzbach all attended the science fair, and the kids all presented very well.

Kara Witmar became the new k-12 Special Ed teacher. She moved here recently from Missouri and hopes to stay here for a while.

March 20--The Rotary Club's "Midnight Masquerade" banquet was a huge success. Nona Danreuther won the grand prize of $3,000 this last Saturday. Because of the annual banquet hosted by the rotary club, $650,000 has been returned to the community of Big Sandy.

March 27--Miss Montana visited Big Sandy Schools last week. Last Thursday, Miss Montana, 2018-2019 came to the Big Sandy High School to give a presentation to the students, her name is Laura Haller. She was very excited to speak to the school. She goes around the U.S. to visit several schools and shares informative and inspirational words.

Box Elder's Spanish class will travel to Costa Rica. Connie Reichelt will be taking her Spanish class to Jaco, Costa Rica, on April 9, 2019. The Box Elder High School English Teacher will also be going.

April 3--"Bedtime Stories" will open April 27 at 6 pm. Play practices began in February, and although it has been a lot of hard work, there are many reasons for the excitement in the air. Backdrops found in the storage at the school from a play 25 years ago will be repurposed.

Big Sandy students win awards at the state Science Fair. Tyler Schwarzbach, Hope Gasadova, and Everett Works took their projects to the state. Hope and Everett won silver awards, and Tyler took home the American Meteorological Society Award and The University of Montana Environmental Science Award.

April 10--Hudson Wants to give gifts to Seattle Children Hospital. Big Sandy has sent a member of its children to Seattle's Children's Hospital. Hudson Baumgarm will be leaving to have another open-heart surgery on June 5, going on the 1st. He wants to take with him gifts for the children who are patients at Seattle Children's Hospital.

April 17--Big Sandy brings home awards from State FFA.

April 24-Missoula Children's Theater presents, "Emperor's New Clothes" sponsored by The Rotary Club.

The Sunshine Snippers went through ATV Training. Justin Loch, from Montana Farmers Union, was recently at Big Sandy and gave a presentation to the Sunshine Snippers about ATV safety.

May 1--According to Mayor Shaud, once Big Sandy finishes the water lines, we will have completed all the current projects in our community.

It's time for Hudson Baumgarn to have his third official open-heart surgery. Hudson, one of our children in the community, has had multiple open-heart surgeries due to HLHS. Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome means that the left side of Hudson's heart is severely underdeveloped. There will be three surgeries to repair other parts of the heart so that the blood will redirect throughout the heart.

May 8-- The Big Sandy High School Seniors prove they are superior at the state music festival. The Big Sandy High School Music Program qualified in twenty events for the state music festival held at Helena High on May 3rd and 4th. Under the direction of Susan Walker, the musicians earned 13 superior ratings and seven excellent ratings.

May 15--Big Sandy's Kindergarten through 3rd grade went on a field trip to Fort Benton on May 2. They got to tour and explored the Interpretative Center.

The Pioneer track team brought home District 9C silver, capturing second place at the district track meet on May 8.

May 22--Congratulations to Big Sandy High School Class of 2019. Graduation is always a wonderful time of celebration. Families come from every direction, mothers cry, and memory boots for each graduate surround the walls of the gym.

Four Pioneers tracksters advance to State in Laurel. The Class C Northern Divisional was held on May 16 at the Memorial Stadium in Great Falls. The pioneers advanced four athletes to the state meet to be held on May 24-25 in Laurel.

May 29--Big Sandy pulled out all of the stops while celebrating Memorial Day this weekend. Virgelle Mercantile celebrated 40 years since he first opened the doors. "Don told me he remembers his first customers Ruth and Angus Merrill and myself. He even remembered what we bought."

Elementary School Extravaganza was a fantastic event. Every school year ends on the FE Miley School Extravaganza event. Every class does something special to invite the public in to see what the teacher and the students are doing.

June 5--The Big Sandy Community Pool opens for the season. It opened June 1, and the weather couldn't have been any better for the open swim. There will be ten lifeguards this year.

Memorial Day was celebrated by repeating last year's MURPH Challenge after breakfast at the historical society. The MURPH Challenge is dedicated to a man, Lt. Michael P. Murphy, U.S. Navy Seal, who gave his life for this country.

June 12--Big Sandy held a community garage sale Saturday. Keely Bahnmiller, the coordinator of the Big Sandy garage sale on June 15, says this year they have 33-yard sales with 45 families participating. We had more sites this year than last year. We had 11 families returning from last year and 22 new locations this year.

There have been two car thefts in Big Sandy. Recently as you are all mostly aware, there have been two car thefts in the town of Big Sandy. They are not related, the one pickup was discovered and returned to his owner. They have a couple of suspects, but other than that, because it is an ongoing investigation, Chouteau County Sheriff's Deputy Jeremy Echols will not comment.

June 19--Zane Bendig is Big Sandy's newest medical provider. Zane, his wife Sarah, and five children will be moving to Big Sandy in July. Currently, Zane is traveling back and forth from Great Falls to provide medical care here.

June 26--Critical transportation issues need to be solved in one month. Big Sandy high school needs new bus drivers. One bus driver Don Robertson has retired, and they have found no replacement. They have advertised for the position, and no one has applied for the bus route going toward Box Elder. Bus drivers, even those driving small buses, must have a CDL.

Belize Ecology trip was the experience of a lifetime. All year a group of Big Sandy High School students has been working extremely hard to raise enough money for a trip of a lifetime.

July 3--Big Sandy weathered the storm that hit last week. A massive storm cell hit the town of Big Sandy, bringing wind, rain, small hail, and some green clouds. Power was knocked out for a couple of hours. The community was advised to stay away from windows and doors.

July 4 will be here, but Big Sandy will not be having any fireworks this year. The 4th of July isn't about fireworks anyway. It's about celebrating freedom.

July 10--Big Sandy Gun Club is 40 years old and still shooting.

Pioneer baseball season: small-town success. What defines a small town? Population, number of thriving businesses, or school enrollment? Perhaps a driver passing through would only see the superficial aspect: a town with little more than a Main Street surrounded by agriculture. However, if the driver could see the Pioneer Little League ending their season with a barbecue, they would have been able to see the small-town heart that has genuinely created this team.

July 17--Full concerns were discussed at City Council meeting on July 11, 2019. Leslie Gregory reported the Big Sandy swimming pool inspector showed up for a surprise visit and inspection. Historically the pool was grandfathered in for not meeting the requirements, in the beginning, because of the age of the pool.

July 24--A new owner takes the reins at the Mountaineer. The Mountaineer has opened a new chapter in its history. Last week Lorrie Merrill took over as editor and owner of the 110-year-old Mountaineer. Previous owners, Keith and Keri Hanson, bought it from Linda Rettig in 2009 after Jim's passing.

Community blood drive supports Hudson. Georgia Wortman, the organizer of the last blood drive, said, "The American Red Cross blood drive on July 16 went great! I had two first-timers and one milestone with 32 donors in total."

July 31--Jaycee Worrall Is bitten by a rattlesnake. She is home and doing well after being bitten by a snake. "The girls and I walking at a campsite. We were coming back when I heard them yell "Snake" it was then we heard the rattle. It was cold, so the snake took forever to slither into the grass." she considered this to be a God-given thing because she was able to see the rattlesnake and know how long it was about, 18 inches.

Hay season is in full swing in the area. According to the Montana Agriculture Department, Montana is ranked 11th in the nation for total hay production and ninth for alfalfa hay.

The Big Sandy Barracudas swim team placed 3rd at the western divisional swim meet held in Cut Bank this weekend. Twenty-seven swimmers qualified for the state meet next week in Sydney.

August 7--The pool repairs are a must. Big Sandy received the following letter from the state of Montana public health and sanitary and Stacy Evangeline. "Can you tell me what year the Big Sandy pool was built in? Any years it had major changes? We need to determine what rules applied to it."

The Barracudas complete at State in Sydney.

August 14--County Fair will be taking place Friday, August 16 through Sunday, August 18. The fair's theme, "Make the Fair Great," according to Shirley Embleton Chouteau County Fair office manager. They chose this theme because it's local participation that makes the fair great.

Wells Fargo Bank is closing its Big Sandy branch in November. The Wells Fargo Bank is 108 years old, and the decision to close the bank was because the structural foundation of the bank is unsafe. Customers were also down. Big Sandy only has Wells Fargo Bank, and the closure would leave the town with no bank. The closure will significantly affect customers in Big Sandy, and everyone is concerned about those who are disabled or old.

Big Sandy high school welcomes the TJ Bond as the new music teacher. Timothy bond, who prefers to be called TJ, is from Edwardsburg MI. He plays up to 21 different instruments, but his main instrument is the saxophone. He has a lot of experience in singing and band.

August 21-A full Big Sandy Council voted unanimously to fix the pool according to state requirements. As published in the Mountaineer in late August," Leslie Gregory reported the Big Sandy swimming pool inspector showed up for a surprise visit and inspection. Historically, the pool was grandfathered for not meeting the requirements at the beginning because of the age of the pool. We are required to maintain an 8-hour water exchange. A couple of years ago, we were at an 11-hour rate, which at the time, they gave a warning that we needed to fix it. this time we were at an 18-hour exchange rate, and she said we had to correct the problem."

The Pioneers are among six-man football state title contenders. It should come as no surprise to fans or foes alike to see the purple and the gold rely on heavy doses of standout junior rusher Kade Strutz carrying the ball.

August 28--At the end of the regular Big Sandy School Board meeting, the budget for the year 2020 was approved by the council.

Having just reviewed neck and head injuries, there will always be two EMT personnel at the football games. They have the best seats in the house. They have ten active EMT members Krystyl Kulbeck, Medical Director; Dusty Allderdice, Service Manager; Melanie Schwarzbach; Heather Pleninger; Paula Amsbaugh; Nathan Merrill; Maggie Cline; Tim Bahnmiller; Ken Denning, and Larry Ophus. Dusty Allderdice said, "we also get support from the Big Sandy Firemen. They help us when we need lifting assistance, vehicle accidents, or drivers." She also said that everybody does their part and that they have excellent coverage on all ambulance runs. They have between 8-10 ambulance runs a month.

Big Sandy High School has a new art teacher Monika Winderl. She is looking forward to working with students of different levels of ability. It doesn't mean we don't have potential. The Tomato I draw may look very different from the Tomato you might draw but, that doesn't mean it's not a tomato". These are the kind of beliefs that guide her teaching style. She tries to look for the potential in each of her students as she pushes them to step outside their comfort zones and discover new possibilities.

September 4-The Pioneer Fall Kick-off was the largest one yet. The 2nd annual powder puff football game was a Big Sandy hit. The moms and teachers won, making it back to back wins! The new English teacher speed earned her the nickname "wheels."

September 11--Zoe Merrill wrote a critical article about how Montana has the highest suicide rate in the nation. "it's like living with a dark cloud constantly around you. It's like a storm always heading your direction". World suicide prevention day is September 10. Every 40 seconds, someone loses their life to suicide.

Big Sandy City Council approves a new budget.

September 18--Emily Sparks is an agriculture guest from England. Jim and Marla opened their home to Emily Sparks, an agricultural guest from England for 2 1/2 weeks.

Shalia Wallin is a new English teacher at Big Sandy High.

September 25--Steve Sibra visited Big Sandy and hosted a poetry reading along with his friend Christian at Craig Edwards Gallery.

October 2-Big Sandy Medical Center makes the Conversion to a Critical Access Hospital. It took all of eight weeks just to complete the training. They decertified the Long-term Care and are now solely licensed as a CAH. They will still be able to accept long-term care residents, and those that are with them now will continue to call BSMC home. The care they receive will not change. Senator Tester's staff members with extensive knowledge base and experience with CAH attended the board meeting on October 16.

Montana Farmers Union will partner with Kirby Hancock, founder of Transformative Ecologies LLC and architect at Constructive Solutions Inc. working with collaboration from MSU Engineering facility to develop construction material from Hemp fibers. There is the possibility of farmers having another reason to grow Hemp as a cash crop.

October 9--We saw our first article for Homecoming 2020. Mark your calendars for June 19-21, 2020

October 16 --The Medical Guild reported making $9,579 from this year's successful Medical Guild Rummage and Pie Sale.

There was a large crowd at the annual Chili Feed. All activities were well attended, including the football game against the Heart Butte Warriors. The Pioneers won the game 88-6. Seven senior football players were introduced on parent night and one senior girl cheerleader.

A new business is Rutledge Designs, which fabricates from 4 x 8 sheet metal. He makes signs, fireplaces, walkways, or anything you can imagine.

October 23-Big Sandy School approved a new computer app to go live that will cover many events at the Big Sandy Schools. The application is called Pixellot. You can watch the events on your phones, tablets, or computers.

Big Sandy has a new electrician in town. Contact Patrick Ulano at 406-344-3852.

October 30--Big Sandy Pioneers introduced five seniors on parent's night, at the last home game, of the Pioneers Volleyball team.

November 6--First Bank of Montana has announced it will be coming to Big Sandy taking ownership of the Wells Fargo facility. It has a Community Bank philosophy. Glacier Bank acquires small community banks where they leave the current management in place, allowing the smaller community bank to be personalized but with the full service of a larger institution. They said, "we are going to retain 100% of the employees in their current position at the branch." They will be a full-service bank with a complete loan availability for all agricultural, commercial, consumer, residential, recreational, and vehicle loans.

Mia Dilworth and Amanda Cline won the Adult button designs for the Big Sandy Merry Grinchmas Christmas stroll. Lauri Silvan and Lianna Janssen won the kid's button designs.

The Cinderella girls Pioneers Volleyball Team ride upsets to go to divisional. They were placed in the 5th position at districts but pulled it all together for the first time in seven years to advance.

Pioneer football team continues to play in the playoffs going on to Quarterfinals.

Darrell Sunchild, a 7th grader at Big Sandy High School, traveled to Denver for a Wrestling Tournament with the Have Wrestling Club. He is the first-place Champion in the Heavy Weight for 12-year-olds.

November 13-Rotary hangs, "Welcome to Big Sandy! Home of the Pioneers!" banners on the town down poles.

Wells Fargo is completely gone as all remains are taken down from the bank building.

Pioneer football team beat Roy/Winfred Outlaws and move on to take on Number 2 team Jordon.

Pioneer Volleyball finishes their season at Divisional.

November 20-Veteran's day is honored by Big Sandy students at a program at the high school auditorium.

Big Sandy High School Choir will be performing on PBS television. They were chosen to represent all the small schools. There were also three students, Lily Winderl, Katherine Bold, and Erin Taylor, that attended All-Star Music Program in Missoula.

SN Hunter G. Smoot USCG, the grandson of Don and Rita Robertson, receives honor, He saved three lives and $150,000 in personal property.

A Seussified Christmas Carol a play presented by 39 community members who acted in the play. There were 13 backstage helpers as well. It was successful not only in the presentation of a wonderful play but in the large turnout of the community. It was a perfect beginning of the Christmas season.

Amanda Cline and Lainey Gregory were All-conference selections in volleyball.

December 4-Science Olympians, Reinhard Bold and Lane Demontiney bring home Gold in Water Quality. Hunter Moore and Severin Heimbigner placed 5th in Circuit Lab. They also placed 8th in Mousetrap Vehicle. Jake Darlington and Lane Demontiney placed 10th in crime busters. Abriana Blanton and Jozlyn Baumann took 2nd in Write it do it. Hope Gasvoda and Abriana Blanton won 3rd in Anatomy and Physiology. Amy Gasvoda and Hope Gasvoda placed 7th in Astronomy.

Seanna Demontiney and Lainey Gregory were chosen to participate in NoKaOi Annual volleyball Camp in Honolulu. You have to be invited. They are still trying to raise funds to attend.

December 11-Merry Grinchmas sponsored by the Big Sandy CSI had one of the largest turnout for the Christmas Stroll in recent years. The Christmas Cocktail throw down was won by Diamond 4 U Club with a drink called Jingle Juice. The parade of lights winner was Garret Ophus. The first annual costume was held with every age in a category. Josh Danreuther won the $1,000 grand prize.

The undefeated Pioneer football team lost in the semifinal round to Jordon. Six were chosen as All conference and All State selections for 6-man football: Brady Pleninger and Hunter Jappe All Conference. Receiving All Conference and All State sections were Kade Strutz, Parker Proulx, Brock Proulx and Clint Darlington.

December 18-The Big Sandy Pioneer Jr. High Boys Basketball team took first place in District tournament. It's been many years since Big Sandy took the tournament trophy.

A huge storm cell formed outside of Big Sandy. in June