Week of June 17, 2026
Week of June 17, 2026
On June 20, Anita Cook will celebrate a remarkable milestone—her 95th birthday. Born and raised in the Big Sandy area, Anita’s life story is woven into the history of the community itself. Through decades of change, she has remained grounded in the values of hard work, family, faith, and service that have long defined rural Montana life. Anita was born at home about 21 miles from Big Sandy to Walter and Elsie Buchholz. The youngest of four daughters, she grew up alongside her sisters Erma,...
By Erik Sietsema The annual Montana Actors Theater (MAT) production in the park and Renaissance Faire is fast approaching. The free faire and production of Shakespeare’s A Comedy of Errors will take place the weekend of June 19–21 at Bear Paw Bowman Campground in Beaver Creek Park. The event will feature vendors, food, a ventriloquist performance, combat games, and other family-friendly activities. Festivities run from 4:30 to 8 p.m. on Friday, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturday, and noon to 4 p.m. on Sunday. The Renaissance faire has been an...
BIG SANDY - Academic achievement, leadership, service, and character were on full display Monday, May 17, as the local chapter of the National Honor Society (NHS) hosted its annual induction ceremony, honoring both its current members and welcoming a new group of future leaders. The ceremony marked a significant passing of the torch for the chapter, celebrating the achievements of five current members while officially inducting six new candidates into the prestigious organization: Elaina Weaver, Bailey Heppner, Korbyn Jurenka, Tommy Sant,...
By Marla Ray, director The first week of June found Grace Lutheran Church filled with sounds of praise as seventeen youngsters from Preschool age through fourth graders met from 9:00 until 11:30 each morning. The whole area was being mightily blessed with rain, but that did not dampen the spirits of these young explorers. Opening and closing each day with great songs set the mood for realizing that Jesus is with us no matter where we "trek." If we get lost, He will seek and find us. Monday's...
May 4-H Meeting By Ella Chauvet The May Sunshine Snippers 4-H meeting started with our annual trash clean up along Highway 236 from Napa to the Warrick Road turn-off. We put on our gloves and bright orange vests and worked hard cleaning up the roadway. All total, we gathered about 9 big, black garbage bags of litter. Thank you to all the members, leaders and parents who helped keep our town clean! After the cleanup we went back to the Catholic Church for our potluck meeting hosted by the...
By Brittany Richard We had an incredible week of volleyball, which included a 3 day camp, followed by a Doubles Tournament. We had 53 kids participate, with over 50 of them being from our little town of Big Sandy. We had 19 in the 1st-5th grade, 19 in the 6th-8th grade and 15 in the 9th-12th grade. This was our biggest camp yet! The day after camp, we held a Big Sandy Doubles Tournament, which included 8 teams. First place went to Lauri Silvan and Ashton Morsette. Second place went to Harley...
The Quiet Aftershocks of Grief A few months ago, I was at my brother’s farm for a quick visit. Rudi, my German Shepherd and I, were enjoying the warm, sunny spring day by going for a long walk. I heard it long before I ever saw it. The unmistakable drone of a helicopter pierced through our quiet solitude. Though I couldn’t be sure of its mission, I assumed it was medical helicopter transporting a patient to a Great Falls hospital. Its sound and visual presence consumed everything else, as if it demanded attention and took precedence over...
New World Screwworm Confirmation: The Bad and the Good News Article was written by Derrell S. Peel, Oklahoma State University Extension Livestock Marketing Specialist. For many months producers and markets have operated under the threat of New World Screwworm (NWS) coming into the U.S. Now that it’s here, we can get on with the reality of dealing with it. The bad news is that NWS will be costly and a management headache for affected producers and those nearby, along with industry and agency folks tasked with controlling and eradicating the...
100 Years ago June 17, 1926 Nearly an inch of rain brought welcome relief to area farmers after weeks of dry conditions. Residents reported renewed optimism as crops received much-needed moisture and summer fallowing began. Kenneth Ray landed a massive sturgeon during a fishing trip on the Missouri River near Spring Coulee. The fish reportedly weighed 12½ pounds and measured 3 feet, 10 inches long. C.O. Larson purchased a new Victrola and enjoyed the latest records with his family. Mrs. James Fowler served as substitute carrier on the...
