We've Got The County Covered
We've Got The County Covered
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William "Bill" Taylor did not seek re-election last fall for a third term as mayor of Harlem. Taylor served as mayor for eight years and was on the city council for two years before his stint as mayor. He said, "One part of me said, 'run again' and another part said 'you'll be 81 years old at the end of a third term.'" City council member Kim Hansen filed for the mayor's slot. No one else filed and an election wasn't necessary to fill the mayor's post. Taylor shared a bit of history about how he...
Promoters of the erection of an indoor arena at the Blaine County Fairgrounds are optimistic site work could begin sometime in the spring of 2018. Members of the Blaine County Fair Foundation say they have sufficient designated contributions to begin site work, the first phase of the project. Several years ago Blaine County acquired a new, surplus 100' by 200' foot metal building from Malmstrom Air Force Base. Serious fundraising to erect the building began this year. The Fair Foundation,...
The first Future Farmers of America (FFA) students from Chinook High to receive grants through the Montana FFA Bulls for Blue program attended the Shipwheel Cattle Company's recent bull sale. Bulls for Blue is a program that allows beef producers to earmark 10% of the selling price of Lot 10 from their bull sale to the FFA Foundation. FFA students who are interested in beginning or expanding their own beef program can apply for a one time grant from Bulls for Bule to use for a Supervised...
Reporter's note: Since learning the 2017 U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree would come from the Kootenai Forest in western Montana I've been following the story. When my wife and I lived in Libby I was a seasonal employee in the Kootenai Forest for several summers. I still have friends who work there and I was hoping I could get some nuggets of information about the national tree that might not otherwise be available. Turns out there was huge coverage by the media of the process of harvesting and...
The Blaine County Library, in Chinook, held its Annual Hassle-Free Christmas program recently. It was the 26th year for the event that offers simple to make holiday gift ideas and decorating tips, holiday music and a Christmas-time story. At the end of the event guests are invited to try a variety of treats prepared by the library staff and library trustees. About 80 people attended the program this year. It all started as an adult ed class by the MSU-Extension Library Director Valerie Frank...
Friends of the Harlem Public Library hosted a Wine and Cheese Christmas! last week. According to Library Director Colleen Brommer it was the fifth year for the winter fundraiser. The Friends group provides financial support for library programs, like the very popular summer reading program for kids, and donate items that the library might not otherwise be able to purchase. The winter event offers donors wine and other items. The summer fundraiser's theme varies and has included a pie and ice...
Three long running annual holiday events were held last weekend around the county. Sweet Nursing Home held its annual bazaar on Saturday while Edwards Funeral Home and the Harlem Civic Association held there events on Sunday. Sweet Nursing Home bazaar and beef stew luncheon Activity Manager Jeanne Buffington, who oversees the annual bazaar at the Sweet Nursing Home, said of this year's event, "There were 18 vendors, about the normal number for the bazaar." Buffington added, "The nursing home doe...
The Chinook Sugarbeeters hosted their first mixer of the season this past Friday and were joined on the mats by the Harlem Wildcats and Hays/Lodge Pole Thunderbirds. The Mixer provides each wrestler with the opportunity to wrestle three matches against similar caliber opponents if possible. No teams scores are kept. Saturday the three teams headed to Glasgow for the 22nd Annual Scottie Invitational which would provide our local wrestlers an opportunity to face opponents they may not see again...
The Blaine County Fair Foundation recently received a $1000 challenge grant. Laura Kleinjan, Foundation Secretary/Treasurer, said, "This is a great opportunity for others to double the value of their donation. The anonymous donor will match other gifts up to the $1000." Kleinjan added, "The timing of the challenge grant allows folks to make taxable deductions before the end of the year." The Fair Foundation was incorporated in November, 2016 and has since received certification from the...
The Harlem Library's annual Creative Christmas program is an opportunity for locals to get ideas for Christmas decorations and new holiday dishes. And do some visiting. This year's program to the 27 guests who gathered, was presented by Shannon Van Voast of Turner. A big fan of Pintrest, a social media website that features creative ideas, Van Voast said, "Actually, since I started looking at Pintrest I've not had an original idea." That statement turned out to be not quit accurate as she...
Blaine Countians could chose among several holiday bazaars this past weekend. The local bazaars have their roots in the Christmas bazaars, or "Christ child markets," that began in Germany in the late 1200's. Many of those early European bazaars still operate during Advent (from the first Sunday in December to Christmas Eve) and attract millions of visitors, having become a major draw for tourists. While the bazaars in Blaine County are more modest in size and length, they play a major role in...
Reporter's note: My wife and I just returned from western Washington where we spent the month of October working at Biringer's Black Crow Pumpkins and Corn Maze outside Arlington (50 miles north of Seattle). This pumpkin patch and maze was started six years ago by Gary and Julie Biringer. Gary is the third generation Biringer farmer to be in what is popularly now called agritourism-"...any agriculturally based operation that brings visitors to a farm or ranch." Agritourism is also known by...
Reporter's note: I believe the first time I saw Roy Case, and the line of "unique Montana-style birdhouses" he builds and sells, was at the Seed Show in Harlem last year. Since then I've seen him at other bazaars and community events. He's created a style of birdhouse that is beyond the more traditional with just four walls and a roof. His birdhouses are eye-catching and require some close examination to really see and appreciate their detail and distinctive style. On Roy's business card, after...
For more than a year Bonnie Hellman, of Chinook, has been using her sewing skills to help orphans in Haiti. The retired elementary teacher collects (she taught 27 years in Harlem), cuts and sews cotton t-shirts in to 'diapers' that eventually are used in four orphanages on the Caribbean island. She got interested in the ministry when she met another seamstress who was showing one of the homemade diapers to a group at a senior center in Culbertson, Montana. Since she started making the diapers,...
The East Fork Fire Appreciation Dinner was held last Saturday night at the Commercial Building at the Blaine County Fairgrounds. Soon after the 20,000+ acre fire was controlled in mid-September, Ted Crowley and his family wanted to show their appreciation to all the people who helped the landowners in the south Blaine/Hill County areas. Landowners got together and planned an event that drew 400+ guests. Ted and Barb Crowley's ranch was the site of the Central Fire Command during the fire, the...
Laura Shellman, Family Nurse Practitioner at Sweet Medical Center, addressed the monthly meeting of the local Cancer Support Group. Shellman, who joined the medical center in May, 2016, was trained and worked as a labor and delivery nurse for several years before completing a graduate degree as a Nurse Practitioner from Brigham Young University in 2012. She and her family relocated to the area from Glendive when she joined Sweet Medical Center. Shellman said she understood about cancer from an...
No one is exactly sure what year the first Community Thanksgiving Dinner was held in Chinook, but most agree it was in the 1980's. First held in the Presbyterian Church, the event later moved to the Chinook Senior Center when the present facility was completed. Organizers of the most recent edition of the community dinner say the number of diners has stayed fairly consistent and financial support has remained generous and adequate. It's one of the first community get togethers that kicks off...
There are a number of events scheduled around the county to celebrate the holiday season. In an effort to give readers some 'heads up,' here's a list of upcoming happenings we know about and received information regarding details. The list includes general events open to the public. In most cases there is basic information with a contact for more details. Have a great holiday season...and mark your calendars so you don't miss something that interests you. Wednesday, November 22. Chinook. The Ang...
Amelia Funk was the volunteer director of Chinook's Food Pantry from 2000 until she retired from the position in 2015. Until her retirement she was the only director to serve the Food Pantry since its creation in 1998. In September, 2017, Funk received a letter from AARP Montana (American Association of Retired Persons Montana) notifying her she was a nominee for the 2017 Andrus Award for Community Service based on her years of service to the Food Pantry. The Andrus Award is the Association's...
I’m looking for information about a cattle drive carried out by the Les Sprinkle crew in May and June of 1919. According to a book by Janet Allison about William and Mary Rose Davies, Sprinkle bought 5000 cattle and herded them from Idaho to Chinook, then up the North Fork to a leased summer pasture in Canada. This was after a couple of very bad years of severe winters and drought that practically took Sprinkle out of the sheep business. In the fall of that year the cattle came back south in blizzards. The majority of the cattle went to a c...
The Local Advisory Council on Mental Health in Blaine County invited county students to participate in a coloring contest during Suicide Prevention and Awareness Month (September). The council is made up of mental health professionals and others concerned with the mental well-being of local residents. For the last few years the coloring contest has helped raise awareness among students about suicide, a malaise that claims 40,000 lives in the U.S. each year. The contest gave students an...
Will Robb joined the Chinook Police Department in August as a new Patrolman. The Nebraska native and his wife, Jessica, moved to the Chinook area just over a year ago. Dr. Jessica Robb, DVM, joined the Blaine County Veterinary Service last year as a veterinarian. Will and Jessica have a fifteen month old son, Braxton. They first resided in the Cleveland area and now live in Chinook. Will grew up in Elwood, Nebraska (south, central Nebraska), a town of about 700 people. He said, "Even though I...
The parents of the CHS Class of 2018 kicked off their first fundraiser last Friday night with a spaghetti dinner at the Eagles in Chinook. For the last several years senior class parents have hosted a 'drug-free, alcohol-free' post-graduation event. Michelle Lowham, a senior's mom and one of the volunteers at the spaghetti fundraiser, said, "The After Party is a place where the new grads can come and safely celebrate after graduation. As parents we're raising funds and giveaway items to help...
City elections were set for Tuesday, November 7. With no contested seats for either mayor or council positions in Harlem, there was no need for an election there. Chinook was filling the mayor and three council seats, but only one council seat was contested. In Harlem, incumbent Mayor Bill Taylor decided not to seek reelection. Kim Hansen, who had served on the city council, filed to run for mayor. There were no other candidates who filed for mayor and no contests for council positions. There was no need to hold an election. In Chinook,...
B.J. O'Doherty joined the Blaine County/MSU Extension Service as the new Ag Extension Agent on October 17. His duties will include working with local farmers and ranchers as well as with 4-H, the youth development segment of the extension service. O'Doherty replaces Ben Hauptman who took an agent's job last spring near where he grew up in Granite County. O'Doherty grew up in Stone Mountain, Georgia where he completed high school. Most of his adult life he's lived in the west, having recently mov...
