We've Got The County Covered
We've Got The County Covered
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The 2018 edition of the Medieval Feast was sixth grade teacher Janelle Downs third feast celebration-the second time as the teacher in charge, the first time was as a student. Downs said before the event, "The Medieval Feast was one of the highlights of my sixth grade experience. That's one of the reasons I wanted to teach sixth grade, to share my experience with my students." She admitted it was a bit different as the teacher in charge versus as a student a few years ago. But, she's still very...
Three weeks ago Blaine County Commissioners and county Emergency Manager Haley Velk were sharing ideas about the potential for spring flooding. Velk said, "...I don't have a crystal ball to tell if, when and where a flood might occur." A "winter briefing" from the National Weather Service (NWS) showed the worst case scenario for flooding was "rapidly warming temperatures and overnight lows above freezing." About a week ago the worst case scenario happened and so did flooding. Wednesday, April...
National Volunteer Week, always in April, is a time that many charitable groups and organizations recognize and thank their volunteers. Sweet Nursing Home and the Chinook Senior Center thanked their volunteers with special complimentary lunches and kind words of thanks. Without putting too fine a point on how these calculations were made, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and other national groups have compiled some impressive statistics about the number of volunteers in the country and their econ...
Looking for a chance to throw off some of the effects of a hard winter and tough spring? There are several events coming up the weekend of April 27- 29 that might do the trick. It's also a way to support the programs the sponsoring groups provide in the community. The Montana Actors Theatre (MAT) is a Havre-based community theatrical group. Many Blaine Countians have acted in and attended MAT productions at MSU-Northern's stage facility. Now MAT is coming to Chinook with a two night run of...
Thirty-five fifth graders from Meadowlark Elementary hosted their annual wax museum. Each student selects a character from American History which they learn about and represent for the project. This year's theme was "Heroes and Heroines." Fifth grade teachers Lesa MacLeod and Megan Hinebauch said the historical figures were "people who had an impact on the U.S. in politics, sports, entertainment or scientific endeavors." The program has been ongoing at Meadowlark since the fall of 1992. But,...
Two weeks ago a new business opened in downtown Chinook. Located in what was once the Golden Triangle Mental Health facility (236 Indiana), Chinook's Creative Collections is a 'gallery' where local artists can rent individual space to display and sell their creations. On opening day there were 11 artists with their wares on display. Brandon Nissen, who owns the building, believes there is potential for 20 artists to be involved in the new enterprise by June of this year. Purchase of building...
A couple of weeks ago Mary Pyette told me she would be wearing her special lineman's outfit on March 9 to celebrate Lineman Appreciation Day. I planned to take a photo of her but also wanted to know a little about the holiday-not that I don't appreciate linemen, but I was not aware they had a special day. When I did my checking I found the day was officially on April 18 this year. There was even an ad from Big Flat Coop in the "Journal" referring to April 18. I really thought Mary was playing a...
Despite piles of snow in the parking lot and against the building, Chinook’s Creamery opened last week. The Creamery is a seasonal ice cream shop that opens in the spring and closes when the weather turns cold in the fall. The day I stopped by to see how thing were going clerks Kylie Popchoke and Garrett Lowham shared a greeting with me: “It’s never too cold for ice cream.” Kylie even had a long-sleeved T with the phrase emblazoned across the front. Kylie Popchoke is in her fifth season with the shop. She said, “I think we opened later in...
About 30 women attended the American Lutheran Ladies Salad Supper at the Chinook church. Following a salad supper the guests heard Dr. Carley Robertson, MD, speak about an upcoming medical mission to Tanzania that will involve about 20 people from Montana. Dr. Robertson, who is a general practitioner in Havre, has been making the biennial trip since 2011. Robertson is also the Medical Control Officer for all of Blaine County's ambulance crews and is Medical Director at Sweet Nursing Home in...
Congregants of the Alliance Church hosted a reception in honor of Pastor Dennis, Lori and Pat Findorff who are leaving Chinook. Pastor Dennis and Lori have taken a new call to Fortine, near Whitefish in western Montana. Pat Findorff, Dennis' mother, also lived several years in Chinook and will be moving to live near a daughter and family in Cove, Oregon. The event was an informal "drop-in" with an opportunity to greet and share goodbyes with the Pastor and his family. The Findorffs had made...
If I'm tracking correctly this is my fourth time attending the Montana Country Poets and Pickers Western Heritage Roundup. The 2018 edition, and the 24th annual event in the series, met in mid-April in Chinook with venues shared between the CHS auditorium for the nightly, organized performances and the Chinook Inn meeting room for the more informal jam sessions and new poets' readings. The cowboy gathering is also a fundraiser for Chinook High's FFA chapter. The chapter helps promote, organize...
After what seemed like an interminable winter, last Sunday afternoon was lovely with plenty of sunshine and some of the mildest temperatures to date this spring. The Chinook Lions Club and Chef Doug Mitchell were set for 100 guests at the senior center. Club President Richard Cronk said, "After a record turnout last year and a break in this year's weather, we were expecting yet a larger crowd." Someone offered, "People may be home finishing up their tax returns." About 75 guests attended....
Jeff Finley had a golf simulator for several years in a building adjacent to the old "Blaine County Journal" office on Indiana. He and I discussed doing a story about the simulator, but it had some malfunction, then the paper moved and the simulator went off my radar. A couple of weeks ago Finley said, "Hey, as soon as a new part arrives the Chinook golf team will be using the simulator to practice." That got me thinking about the challenges of a long winter and how it affects spring sports for...
The Annual Wildlife Museum Banquet was more than a month later than normally scheduled, but it was still a target of this long lasting winter. Emcee Roger Jorgenson welcomed the guests noting, "It feels like the 95th day of January." Guests arrived at St. Gabriel's parish hall during a cool but dry spring evening. Two hours later when diners left and the prime rib was eaten, the winning raffle tickets were drawn and the auctions were over, it was snowing hard. Organizers have been tweaking the...
Reporter's note: Wacee is a first grader, from Chinook, who has been battling cancer since early February. With Wacee's family still in the throes of dealing with his illness, I was unsure how to get the information to do a story and not intrude further on their lives. I ran into Justin, Wacee's dad, and he said he thought Tomi, wife and mom of the Simenson family, would be glad to help share Wacee's story. Tomi was very gracious and provided a narrative with a lot of information about how the...
A women's retreat was held in early March at the Grand Union Hotel in Fort Benton. While organized by some women from the Chinook Alliance Church, it was open to any who wished to attend. The theme of the retreat was "Broken Beautiful" from a book and video series by Ann Voskamp entitled "The Broken Way." Thirty-seven women from Chinook and surrounding areas attended the two day event. Participants at the retreat heard repeatedly that "the good brokenness of God heals our bad brokenness. Only...
The excitement was palpable as Meadowlark students and staff filed in to the gymnasium for a school assembly. Seven lucky students' names would soon be drawn for their own Kindles (small, hand-held electronic devices for reading downloaded books). The Kindles were provided by members of Chinook Lodge No. 50 AF&AM. The local Masonic Lodge has about 40 members and the reading giveaway was one of several projects for youth supported by the group. To have their names in the drawings, students had...
Eight juniors and seniors at Chinook High (CHS) are taking Education 101, Teaching and Learning, as a dual enrollment course through MSU-Bozeman and Gallatin College. The course, designed for first year college students, is an introduction to the profession of public school teaching. Students who successfully complete the course earn college and high school credit-three semester hours of college credit and half credit for high school. Tammy Edwards, the Librarian for Chinook Schools, is...
Chalk up another local event that succumbed to the hard winter. The annual Easter egg hunt sponsored by the Sweet Memorial Nursing Home (SMNH) had to be held indoors. Jenni Pula, Administrator at the local facility, said, "This is the first time since we've been doing the Easter egg hunt that we moved it inside. Thursday, when I saw the weather forecast for single digit temperatures overnight and possible snow for Saturday, we decided not to expose the kids to those harsh conditions." While...
Will flooding follow this winter with record snowfall? Blaine County officials are trying to prepare for possible flooding. I was invited to the courthouse to visit with Commissioners Plumage and DePriest as well as Emergency Manager Haley Velk and Laurie Huestis in administrative support. The meeting was in conjunction with the National Weather Service's (NWS) Weekly Winter Briefing, Much of the NWS briefing centered on flood potential, monitoring to anticipate flooding and the types of...
Reporter's note: "I know this will sound like an odd question, but..." opened a letter from Stephen Stratton of Astoria, New York. The letter was emailed in early March to the Blaine County librarians in Chinook. After studying the letter a bit, the librarians handed it off to me suggesting, "This might be something that would interest you." It had to do with an event that might have occurred in the summer of 1940 in Chinook. Not necessarily by my own choosing it seems my interest in local histo...
The Chinook Lions Club will host its annual Old-Timers' Dinner on Sunday, April 15 at the Chinook Senior Center. The event, which started sometime in the early 1980's, is open to any self- selected old-timer who would like to attend as a guest. Long time Lion Jack Mattingly said a few years ago, "We've never tried to specifically define what constitutes an old-timer. If you think you might be an old-timer, you qualify." There is no charge. Lions say the old-timers' dinner first began when a...
The Blaine County Public Health Department will host Tough Topics: Talking to Your Teen. The one night program is the second in the Family Education Series the local health department has been hosting. Jana McPherson-Hauer, RN, Health Supervisor for the county public health department, said the evening program will provide tips to parents for talking about several topics of interest and importance to teens. There are four topics that will be covered during the program. Nurse McPherson-Hauer will be talking about reproductive health and sexual...
Rev. Dennis and Lori Findorff will be leaving Chinook in early April. Pastor Dennis will become the pastor at the Fortine Community Church in Fortine, Montana, beginning in May. The Findorffs began their ministry with Chinook Alliance Church in October, 2008. Fortine is a small mountain community about one hour northwest of Kalispell just off U.S. 93. Prior to the couple's coming to Chinook, Dennis was the assistant pastor at an Alliance church in Klamath Falls, Oregon while he completed...
The Iota Chapter of Delta Kappa Gamma hosted a program on human trafficking presented by Blaine County Undersheriff Frank Billmayer. Delta Kappa Gamma Society International is a professional group made up of women educators. Part of the group's recent meeting was dedicated to preparing books to be given to each kindergartner in Blaine County. Presiding officer Colleen Brommer said, "Our project to provide a book to each kindergartner in the county is part of several national events that...
