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Big Sandy High School's Covered Wagon got a facelift recently as the first foray into a larger renovation and beautification of the courtyard just north of the school. The upgrades will include direct facility upgrades like replacing damaged sidewalks, leveling a drop between the sidewalk and the north side of the building, as well as a some other landscaping efforts. I visited with Dan Schrock, the school superintendent, while he painted a fresh layer of linseed oil to the exposed wood...
The Big Sandy Farmers Market kicked off its year last Thursday afternoon, attracting a substantial crowd despite threat of thunderstorms at the start. The weather scared several venders away that afternoon, but several stayed the course for the afternoon. The market is entering its second year with some improvements over last summer that should be a treat to locals. Donita Darlington and Paula Amsbaugh worked together to organize the market since its inception. I spoke with Donita at her booth,...
Anyone who knows me, knows I love books. I collect them like a little kid collects baseball cards. Whenever my family travels, I find myself plotting our path based on the bookstores we will be able to visit. A few weeks ago, my wife and I took our daughter to Missoula for a doctor's appointment. While we were there, we visited an independent bookstore, and I found something exciting: the Montana Bookstore Trail. The trail was put together by independent bookstore owners in an effort to promote...
Anyone who knows me, knows I love books. I collect them like a little kid collects baseball cards. Whenever my family travels, I find myself plotting our path based on the bookstores we will be able to visit. A few weeks ago, my wife and I took our daughter to Missoula for a doctor’s appointment. While we were there, we visited an independent bookstore, and I found something exciting: the Montana Bookstore Trail. The trail was put together by independent bookstore owners in an effort to promote independently owned bookstores in Montana. The t...
Gabe Williams recently completed a frame up rebuild of a Big Bud tractor, completing a multiple-year effort in the ultimate rebuild-it-yourself project. Gabe explained that the tractor had well over 10,000 hours of operating time in the field. He also said that, in total, some of the components had far more working time clocked. "I'd say that the axles underneath have 25,000 plus hours on them. We've changed the hour meter in it three times. So, who knows? I don't even know how many owners had i...
Elevated Grains Bakery will be altering its business model next month as a result of challenges in finding employees to help run the business. They will be closing the dining room portion of the business and switching to taking orders for baked goods until a solution to the employment problem presents itself. Emily LePinnet, who opened the bakery in May, explained that "July 1 will be our last day open to the public. Then I'm going to take a week off. When I come back, I'll probably post a small...
For the last several days, I have been studying the ancient Greek idea of citizenship. Like so many foundational ideas in our culture, the Greeks were the first to conjure up the idea of citizenship in our culture. It was a revolutionary idea and was worn as a badge of honor by everyone who achieved it. Citizens were willing to die to maintain that status and considered everything else slavery. The dynamic I was looking for in my study of the topic was elusive. I was hoping to find an ancient writer who explored the willing service aspect of...
The Montana Actor's Theater (MAT) closed out its theater calendar year with three showings of Shakespeare's 12th Night in Beaver Creek State Park over the weekend. This year's Shakespeare production was accompanied by a Renaissance Faire, which had vendors, games, children's activities, and plenty of delicious dining options. The show continued the high standard of quality entertainment patrons have grown to expect from MAT, with great production values, engaging performances, and a level of ent...
In the book of Mark, there is a story about Jesus coming into a town where he is quickly surrounded by huge crowds of people. As He walks through the town, with the crowds pressing in from all sides, he is approached by a woman. This woman had a health problem that resulted in her bleeding for 12 years. Mark records that she had suffered through many treatments from doctors, spending all of her money and only seeing her condition worsen through the process. For first century Jews, this illness would’ve been terrible in the extreme. During a w...
Dan Matthews is retiring from the school bus business after 46 years of transporting students to school in Big Sandy. Dan and Pat Matthews officially gave up their bus routes at the end of the school year and sold their last two buses. The sale of the vehicles was finalized last week. When I caught up with the the newly retired Dan and his wife, they were sitting on their deck overlooking their beautifully manicured lawn and gardens. I asked Dan why he decided to retire now, after so many years...
Many years ago, while I was working as a chaplain for a mental health facility that worked with children, we would take a group of clients on a trip to canoe, camp, and fish in the Boundary Waters Wilderness in Northern Minnesota. One year, on the last day of our week-long trip, we were traveling to the spot where our outfitter was going to pick us up. We were competing with a deadline for pickup, and were traveling a long way. I was sharing my canoe with a young lady from our addictions treatment program. A terrible storm was bearing down on...
FE Miley Elementary bid farewell to three retiring staff members last week. Cinda Pearson, Alma Terry, and Cheryl Ostrom were celebrated at their retirement party on the last day of the 22-23 school year. Laughter and tears abounded as each spoke of their love for the school, its staff, the community, and the students. Alma started the goodbyes with a speech thanking her coworkers. "I have had 27 years of great memories! I want to give a special thank you to my two co-retirees! Cheryl and I...
F.E. Miley Elementary school closed it’s academic year with their traditional Open House/Extravaganza last week. The extravaganza is an opportunity for the community to come into the school and see what the students have been working on during the spring semester. This year’s extravaganza featured some changes over previous years’ offerings. I spoke with Superintendent Dan Schrock about the event. He commented that the year end open house events are common to schools throughout Montana, but “I am biased. I think we do it a little bit better...
The F.E. Miley kitchen has faced several years of change and fluctuation. Staffing changes, challenges that came with Covid, old equipment wearing out, and new regulations have prompted a significant face lift for Big Sandy Schools’ food service. Last year saw the replacement of floors and other upgrades. In recent weeks and in the coming months, the kitchen will receive the next round of upgrades. I spoke with Lianna Heimbigner, the Food Service Director/Head Cook at Big Sandy Schools about r...
in ancient Israel, the Jewish people followed a very strict set of dietary laws. There are a lot of reasons for these laws, most of them having to do with reminding the Jews that they were separate from other nations and holy. In Acts 10, the apostle Peter has a vision in which he is told that the dietary laws are no longer in effect. There are two huge reasons for this taking place. First, because Jesus fulfilled God’s law and filled the need for holiness a spiritual effort rather than a matter of washings and diets. (This is a really s...
The 10th annual Chouteau County Ag Day took place last Thursday in Fort Benton. 4th and 5th grade students from all over the county were taken on a field trip to the Chouteau County fair grounds to participate in Agricultural themed eduction activities. Connor Echols, a 4th grader at F.E. Miley Elementary School, described the activities for the day: “There’s like different rotations” where you go to different learning stations. The stations covered things like “sheep and wool or how to bake bread.” Connor explained that his favorite education...
While visiting the annual flea market sale at the Loma Hall a few weeks ago, my wife and I stopped in to check out the food offerings at the concession stand and the vendors that surrounded that part of the hall. In addition to some old favorites, like the amazing gourmet rice crispy treats sold by Cassie Bahnmiller of Big Sandy, we discovered a new treat. Specifically, we discovered Sweet Treats. Sweet Treats is a local small business based out of Loma. It is run by Lynelle Showalter and her...
Big Sandy Public Library will be celebrating National Library Week April 24th through the 28th. "National Library Week is an annual celebration highlighting the valuable role libraries, librarians, and library workers play in transforming lives and strengthening our communities. In the mid-1950s, research showed that Americans were spending less on books and more on radios, televisions and musical instruments," according to the National Library Association, which puts on the event every year....
Big Sandy High School put on its annual carnival last weekend, complete with the triumphant return of a classic event: the class skits. As always, the evening of fun was well attended. Superintendent Dan Schrock summed up the event well: "I just think it's so great. It's springtime, and our kids can have fun. The community can come out and celebrate our kids. There's a lot of smiles. It's great to see." The return of the skits to the evening came about as a result of English teacher, Marla Ray...
The reopening of the bakery in Big Sandy is fast approaching. Emily LePinnet, who moved to Big Sandy last September with her family, will be opening "Elevated Grains." Right now, the goal is to open the first weekend in May. "I'll do all of the standard bakery fare. I've got a bunch of sourdough offerings, cinnamon rolls, cookies, muffins, and croissants. As soon as I'm able to organize my daily plan to execute it, because I will be most working mostly on my own, I'd like to have a breakfast...
The Big Sandy Public Library looks a little different today than it did at the beginning of the year. When you walk in the door, the first thing you notice is the new hexagonal table with a computer set up on each side. If you happen to walk in after school has let out, you will also notice a crowd of nearly 30 kids surrounding the computers and talking excitedly. Four of the machines are new computers donated to the library by Triangle Communications. Big Sandy librarian, Darlene Cline,...
The Public House in Fort Benton has moved to a new location, For the first few years of the Public House’s life, it shared front space with the Wake Cup, but now it has moved to The Courtyard on River Drive in Fort Benton. In an interesting twist, The Courtyard was the original location of the Wake Cup. Alex Salazar is the BBQ cook and owner of the restaurant. “I just wanted to be my own man. We’ll keep it simple, short, and sweet. I wanted to work for myself. It had been a long time coming, and after Amanda sold the business I found it to be a...
A Boy Named Sue is one of my favorite Johnny Cash songs. Most people are familiar with the tune, but for those who have never encountered Cash’s humorous song, it tells the story of a man whose father was a worthless drunk who abandoned his family. Just before leaving, the drunk cruelly named his son “Sue.” The monicker brought teasing and mockery from an early age, which forced Sue to get tough, fighting anyone who picked on him. Intent on revenge for his unfortunate name, Sue hunts down his father with murder in his heart. Eventually, Sue f...
Craig Edwards, a local artist and farmer, received special recognition at the Montana Western Art Week show in Great Falls 2 weeks ago. Craig has been participating in the art show for years, but for the first time was included in the Charlie Russell Auction, which took place at the CM Russell Museum on March 17th. Craig's inclusion in the silent auction is the first time photographic art was included in the auction. Craig explained the auction itself and the significance of his inclusion: "The...
Over the weekend, my wife and I went to Great Falls to run errands. While we were there, we stopped at Goodwill to look for a few odds and ends. Before we stepped out my wife started looking through the books. She came across 4 volumes of “The Great Books of the Western World.” The Great Books is a little like an encyclopedia, only it includes all of the major books of literature, history, philosophy, and science produced by the western world. What makes the set especially useful is the index books that identify important ideas at dif...
