The Blaine County Journal News-Opinion - We've Got The County Covered

On Monday, July 15, Heather DePriest, Chinook High School (CHS) All-Class Reunion Administrator, presented the Sweet Park Board with a check for $9,875.00 from the proceeds of the Brewfest held during the 2019 CHS All-Class Reunion.

Organizer of the Brewfest, Kelsey Harry declared the event a success. "I think our brew fest was absolutely a success. Doing it in conjunction with the All-Class Reunion helped us a lot. We had anywhere from 380-400 people there! I couldn't believe the support we had. It was so amazing," she exclaimed.

When Jay Eslick contacted Harry a few days before the event and asked if event organizers would like to have a band for the Brew Fest, Harry and others agreed that a band would lend a party atmosphere but graciously declined in favor of keeping the costs down so that more of the profit could go towards the park. Not to be deterred, Eslick and his wife, Barb, along with Triple Dog Brewing, decided to pay for a band, so they invited The Fermenters to play at the event.

Based out of Wibaux, The Fermenters are comprised of Jim Devine and Casey Malkuch, who are also members of Mighty Big Jim and the Tall Boys, the band that played the street dance at the reunion.

With Devine on vocals and guitar and with Malkuch on vocals, lead guitar, mandolin, harmonica, and keys, The Fermenters brewed up a batch of "good time music," a concoction infused with everything from Prince to Merle Haggard to Hank Williams to Don Williams to Tom Petty to Bruce Springsteen. Consequently, listeners could detect jazzy notes, a choice instrumental aftertaste, and varied flavors of rock and roll and iconic country.

"I'm so glad we had them," Harry said. "The music really added to the atmosphere of the event."

When asked what most surprised her about planning and executing the event, Harry declared: "It was all kind of a surprise! It was definitely a learning experience, but Heather DePriest helped me out so much. She's a pro at event planning, and she really talked me down when I would start to panic. I'm anticipating that the next time we do a brew fest, I'll have a much better handle on what I need to do, so the process will go pretty smoothly."

Breweries represented at the Brew Fest included Busted Knuckle (Glasgow), Vizsla Brewing (Havre), Triple Dog Brewing Company (Havre), Beaver Creek Brewery (Wibaux), Big Spring Brewing (Lewistown), and Jeremiah Johnson Brewing Company (Great Falls). According to Harry, Triple Dog, Vizsla, and Beaver Creek were the only breweries who actually came to the Brew Fest and poured their own beer. Big Spring and Jeremiah Johnson donated kegs of beer but were unable to physically attend the event, so volunteers poured their beer for them. Any other beer varieties available at the event were purchased from a distributor. "We made sure that all the beers at the event were Montana made, though," Harry said.

For the check presentation ceremony, several members of the Sweet Park Board joined Harry, who also serves on the Sweet Park Board. Other Sweet Park Board members include Ben Hall, President; Monica Swank, Secretary; Richard Cronk, Treasurer; Mitch Haider, Chinook City Council Representative; Ken Schubert and Richard Cronk-both Lions Club members; and Linda Haugen, member-at-large, whose service has been long and dedicated. Hall suspected that Haugen has served on the Sweet Park Board the longest. Playground Committee members are Kelsie Harwood, Heather Huravitch, and Jessica Aberg. Hall also assists on the Playground Committee.

"When Lloyd D. Sweet designated funds for a park in Chinook, it was determined that the Lions Club would take care of the park," explained Hall, who is also a member of the Chinook Lions Club.

Hall was pleased to receive the funds generated by the Brew Fest. "The nearly ten thousand dollars raised was deposited in an account we have setup at First Bank for playground equipment," Hall explained.

A concept poster titled "How About a 'SWEET' Playground" is also on display at the bank, located at 337 Indiana Street in Chinook. "The poster illustrates just a vision of what we're thinking about. Nothing has been settled on. As a matter of fact, the Playground Committee has not yet met to discuss a final plan or to establish any kind of timeline," Hall said.

Because of government regulations, the big curly slide will have to be removed, but it will be replaced with something equivalent, according to Hall. The new playground will have essentially the same footprint as the old playground because of space considerations and to ensure that the sprinkling system isn't disturbed.

"The poster shows a concept version of the new playground equipment that will replace the old wooden equipment. In order to be in compliance with government regulations and to get what we want, the old metal curly slide will have to be taken out, but a curly slide that is equivalent to what we have now will be part of the new equipment." Hall stated.

In addition to a swing set, the concept diagram on display foreshadows a Wavy Wedge Wall Walker, a Fossil Bluff Climber, an Arch Bridge, a 360 Typhoon II Slide, a Twister Climber, a Groove II Slide, an L-Slide, and a Pod Hopper for the park's future. All of this equipment meets the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Standards for Accessible Design.

"We are estimating that costs will be around the eighty thousand dollar mark, but we don't have any bids at this time," Hall said. "Several grants are also available that will help offset the expense," he added.

Anyone wishing to donate or to ask questions about the Sweet Park upgrades can call Ben Hall at 357-3277 or contact any one of the other Sweet Park Board members.

"Additional trees will no longer be planted in the park in order to maximize the park space, so people who wish to donate to the park might donate to the playground equipment fund," Hall suggested.