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8 years ago this week, Big Sandy residents witnessed a shoot out when two well respected locals got into an argument. One appeared to have gone for his gun, prompting the other to draw and fire. The paper described the injury as “mortal.” The article was written the day of the shooting and the paper went to press shortly thereafter, which resulted in a fairly vague retelling. The crazy thing about the story is that there was no proper follow up. Very little explanation about the shooting appeared in the paper afterward. To make the story eve...
The Big Sandy Theater will be stretching itself this year by putting on a musical comedy. Nonsense in the Northwoods will be showing March 15th and 16th. The production is the story of a run-down lodge on the backside of Moose Lake, and it accidentally draws a zany cross section of guests on the heels of a fake Bigfoot sighting and a newspaper feeding frenzy looking for the worst member of congress who is hiding out in the hotel. One director pointed out that the Saturday showing is before the...
This year, I have been preaching through the book of Genesis’ accounts of the lives of the Patriarchs of the Jewish faith. Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph are considered to be the founders of the Jewish faith and the starting point for God dealing with humanity in the Bible. All of those men had something in common: they were all sojourners. Sojourners are people who live in a land that isn’t theirs amongst people who are not their own people. In the ancient world, sojourners had no rights or legal protections. In addition, they were lim...
A couple weeks ago, I received an email from a good friend in Big Sandy asking me for an urgent favor. The letter explained a series of unfortunate events involving a last minute gift, an illness, laryngitis (which made it so I couldn’t call for confirmation of the story), and a cancer patient who needed $400 in Apple gift cards from her. The favor involved me purchasing the cards and sending the information on to facilitate the gift giving process. Despite having come from my friend’s email address, it didn’t read like it had been writt...
The recent cold weather pushed local thermometers deep into negative territory, bringing with it cars that wouldn't start, plumbing headaches, and strains on heating systems. The impact was particularly severe for two of Big Sandy's larger organizations. The High School and Big Sandy Activities experienced major issues during -40 lows in recent weeks. In both instances, frozen pipes burst, resulting in flooding and affecting daily operations. Superintendent Dan Schrock explained the flooding at...
The Big Sandy Gun Show took place last weekend, drawing increased traffic to the community and providing its usual shot in the arm to local small businesses. Keith Hanson, who organized the show, explained that the event has continued to draw new vendors as well as crowds of local shoppers. "We ended up with 17 vendors and 53 tables. We added three new vendors to the gun show this year." He also noted that one of the vendors added a clothing line to their display this year. Regarding the...
Kierkegaard once wrote: “Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forward.” To be more accurate, this is a summary of a journal entry he wrote. The idea is quite simple. We can only really understand our lives by looking back at what happened. Events, challenges, choices, difficulties, losses, and everything else must be experienced day to day. The challenge is that in the moment, we lack the proper context to find meaning in our experiences or to make sense of them. The challenge is that we can only live moving forward. This...
Parents of Big Sandy students started the morning last Wednesday, January 17th, with a potentially alarming text message announcement from the school. It read: “Last night Big Sandy School District and numerous schools across Montana received an emailed bomb threat stating that bombs had been placed in schools. We believe at least 75 school districts are affected. We have consulted law enforcement and, although we do not see this as a credible threat, Chouteau County Sheriff’s Deputy Jeremy Echols and I searched both campuses thoroughly and...
Many years ago, not long after I first got married to my wife, I worked in a retail electronics store for about 6 months while looking for work as a youth pastor. That included several months of Christmas retail sales. It was pretty genuinely terrible. I was often shocked at how angry and nasty the customers were as they were supposed to be preparing themselves for the joyous Christmas holiday seasons. I remember one guy, who had waited a long time to make his purchase because the store was really busy. When I finally rang him up, he was...
A few years ago, I participated in the Master Gardener class that was offered at the Big Sandy Library. Learning about plants, soil, landscaping, and other topics was quite informative, but I think the best part of the class for me was learning about how plants live/operate. In more than a few occasions, I spotted tidbits of information that helped me understand the teachings of Jesus in a clearer light. I also caught a few life alessons. One that has hung with me and comes to mind often relates to the rings trees develop as they age. Most peop...
Big Sandy Schools is relaunching its adult education opportunities for the community. As 2023 drew to a close, the school stepped away from Covid era policies that limited facility usage for the community, which has opened the door for resuming the program. Some classes are already being offered and more are sure to be available as 2024 gets under way. I spoke with Dan Schrock, the school superintendent, about the changes: “We have an adult education levy that we run annually in support of adult education. With that levy there’s an obl...
In the closing weeks of 2023, Big Sandy Public Schools received notice that they were the recipient of a generous donation on behalf of Dora Mahood. Dora, whose maiden name was Goecks, graduated from Big Sandy High School in 1947. She passed away October 10, 2023 at the age of 94. Superintendent Dan Schrock explained that in late December, he was approached by Dustin Kulbeck who passed on a letter from Penny McLean, Dora's niece and the executor of the estate, informing him of the donation....
The biblical book of Genesis in the Old Testament tells the story of Joseph. Joseph was Abraham’s great-grandson. He had 11 brothers but was favored above the others by his father. His father’s open favoritism toward one son and early signs that Joseph would be favored by God over his brothers kindled jealousy amongst the siblings. Eventually, the other brothers hatched a plot to get rid of Joseph altogether. From that point forward, Joseph’s life is a series of successes and setbacks. It’s noteworthy because the setbacks are pretty univers...
The Big Sandy Food Bank closed out its calendar year with a generous gift from students at Big Sandy Schools and First Bank of Montana. The gift helped augment the food bank's stores in a time where inflation has made keeping the shelves stocked increasingly difficult. In addition, changes in donations for this year's food drive have expanded the products offered in the near future. For several years, the Elementary School has done a food drive to assemble Thanksgiving and Christmas food boxes...
I have been writing columns for the Mountaineer for around 11 years. At different times, these articles have dealt with marriage, family, spirituality, depression, other mental health issues, and a plethora of other topics. Every year over New Year’s, I find myself reflecting on what to write that will help folks who are making resolutions. I’ve talked about S.M.A.R.T. goals, given tips for consistency, and other bits of advice to help readers of the Mountaineer with simple, life change advice. This year, while reflecting on the topic, I had...
No Christmas season would be complete in Big Sandy without the school Christmas concerts, which took place the week preceding the start of the winter break. The elementary performed for a packed house in the evening of Thursday the 14th, while the High School band and choir entertained an equally crowded auditorium the evening of Tuesday the 19th. Mr. Bond, the music teacher for Big Sandy Schools, described the concerts in glowing terms with plenty of comments regarding the quality of...
Big Sandy Medical Services Foundation’s annual fundraising drive for 2023 is nearing a close having raised $7,955 as of December 16th. The Medical Foundation would like to thank the community for their ongoing generous support in their mission to support Big Sandy Medical Center and to offer scholarships to local students pursuing careers in the medical field. With a little over 2 weeks remaining in the calendar year, the Foundation would also like to remind the community that days are running out for 2023 tax-deductible donations to local n...
Christian author, Jeanette Lockerbie once shared an anecdote about her daughter: “Four-year-old Martha, hugging a doll in each of her pudgy little arms, looked wistfully up at her mother and said, “Mamma, I love them and love them and love them, but they never love me back.” I came across this passage while preparing for Advent sermons this year. It stood out to me because little Martha’s love for her dolls demonstrates something powerful for us about God’s incredible love for us at Christmas. Our natural bent toward sin and ignoring God outri...
The 7th annual Big Sandy American Legion American Legion Coyote Derby is approaching. Early registration is now open for the derby, which will take place January 5-7. The event was initially intended as a fundraiser for the Legion, but was so successful, it rapidly enabled them to take on other local service opportunities. The entry fee is $40. Competitors can enter to compete in teams, which can include up to four people. The competition is divided into 2 categories: calling and open classes, with prizes awarded for both classes as well as...
Over the weekend, my wife and I took the kids along on a run to Great Falls for Christmas shopping. I generally enjoy taking the kids along for grocery runs or out for meals in town. However, there’s something about the Christmas season that turns the energy level in kids to 11 on a scale of ten. That spike in energy is accompanied by similar increases in noise, crowds, traffic, expense, and general stress. By the end of our outing, my wife and I were thoroughly frazzled and exhausted. Peace on Earth was the furthest thing from our hearts as w...
The 2023 Big Sandy Christmas Stroll took place last weekend drawing long time Big Sandy residents, newly arrived neighbors, and visitors from neighboring towns. Some vendors reported slower traffic than normal, while others expressed excitement over the amount of business they had. Regardless, they all agreed that the feel of community as well as the Christmas spirit pervaded every aspect of the day. The morning kicked off with breakfast with Santa at the senior center. They served scrambled...
My younger brother runs marathons. He intensely trains for them in the months, weeks, and days leading up to race day. Sometimes those races involve particularly difficult obstacles, like running up a mountain or in Death Valley where the heat coming off the asphalt can melt your shoes while you run. He trains accordingly: running up and down hills, lifting weights, or even working out in the sauna to increase his heat resistance. In training season, he eats a certain way to fuel and prepare his body. Paul draws a comparison between running in...
December is almost upon us. In my home, the days immediately preceding the final month of the year prompt a barrage of questions from my kids about when we will be handing out the Advent calendars for this year. When I was young, I did the same thing. My mother was a German immigrant and always got the special calendars in the mail from her family in Europe. Every day had a different chocolate treat hidden behind a little door. As a child, I never wondered what Advent was. I always focused on the annual traditions, never digging any deeper....
Every year, Americans fail to spend $23 billion dollars in gift cards. That’s an average of $187 per person in gift certificates, Amazon cards, Starbucks bucks, and other monetary gifts they’ve received and left in a drawer somewhere doing nothing. 47% of American adults have unused gift cards at home. What’s particularly interesting is the higher the household income of the person in question, the more unspent money they are likely to have stashed away and forgotten. I’ll confess that I have more than a few gift cards for businesses that ha...
Editor’s Note: I recently had a terrible time with skunk spray that my dog brought into the house. I don’t know anyone who knows more about how to clean and get rid of the odor like Erik. This is an article that should be clipped and kept. It’s easy to spot the signs of fall in Big Sandy. The leaves are turning, daylight savings time has the sun setting in the middle of the afternoon, and Main Street is lit at night with strings of Christmas lights. Another sign that the season is changing in our little community is unmistakable smell of skunk...
