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Did anyone know there was even a Chouteau County Library Foundation? "The Chouteau County Library Foundation is to meet the educational and literary needs of the people of Chouteau County by managing funds, donations, and bequests that will provide ongoing services, programs, and maintenance of the Chouteau County Library." So begins the charter of the Chouteau County Library Foundation. Rich Jesperson is one of the newest members of the Foundation and as the newly elected Chair of the...
The Big Sandy Public Schools K-12 School District #2 has two open Big Sandy Trustee positions. The deadline for filing is March 28, 2024. There will be two seats open for the position of district Trustee; both Kelly Rutledge’s and Anna Bold’s seats are up for election. At the time of printing, the Mountaineer did not know if they would be running again. The Big Sandy School encourages community members to run. All interested community members over 18 years of age, registered voters, and district residents are eligible to run for the Board of...
Taking first is big. The Big Sandy FFA Senior team took 1st place, with Severin Heimbigner taking first individually. Cooper followed up, taking fifth out of several hundred kids. Conner Sibra and Christian Windrel supported him. It was interesting because Severin was chosen as the first tenor in the Honors Choir just a few weeks earlier. I was interested that he had succeeded in two totally different areas so close together. I asked Severin about his first-place win in FFA. "The contest I took...
The Big Sandy Medical Center has introduced a new mental health provider, Cheyenne Feltz, DNP PMHNP-BC, who is a Board Certified (BC) Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP) with a Doctor of Nursing (DNP). Cheyenne said, "I know Ron (Wiens) is really passionate about mental health as well. He’s investing a lot into making sure there's some mental health access here.” Cheyenne was born and raised in Albuquerque, New Mexico, a big city that is very different from here. “But my family's all from Montana. I think it was three days...
There is nothing here to say that hasn't been said. So, there is no new news, but the weather is the topic. Staying home keeps articles at a minimum. Here is a list of the new record lows set on Saturday, January 13, 2024, for the main climate locations within Montana. Record location: Saturday's Low Temp; (Old Record & Year) • Billings: -26° (-22° in 1972 & 1997) • Bozeman: -45° (-32° in 1997) • Butte: -45° (-34° in 1997) • Cut Bank: -41° (-36° in 1972) • Dillon: -41° (-17° in 2007) • Glasgow:...
Everyone has personal heroes; one of mine is Karli Phillips. It isn't just because of her spiritual journey and honest vulnerability and not because she and her husband, Glen, have experienced a real miracle in their daughter, Yancy. Not because they opened their home to adopt their niece and nephews after the death of Glen's mom and dad, but because her heart is so gentle and real. Last October, Karli had a life-changing weekend. She went to a Labeled and Loved Sisters Retreat. Karli wrote, "...
Dora Mahood blessed Big Sandy by distributing $400,000 for various causes throughout the town. Everyone deserves acknowledgment when the Big Sandy Mountaineer runs obituaries, and I don’t know the person I read about them. Dora Frieda Mahood, 94, passed away on October 10, 2023, and we ran her obituary. I now wish I had an opportunity to visit with her. Dora Mahood gave back in a big way to her hometown. She donated $400,000 in total. The Big Sandy School was given $50 K, and you can read about that in a separate article about that donation i...
Both the Big Sandy High School and Lift can help you achieve the goal of getting healthy in 2024. "Big Sandy School District strives to make the building available to the public for community activities and to provide access to the fitness areas; however, we do need to maintain reasonable security in the building to protect the district from liability. Your access to the building is a privilege, and users must agree to follow all security guidelines set forth by the district." Users of the...
A new year is always a time for reflection. During December, I heard the word hope many times and realized I needed to renew my hope. Life is hard, and sometimes depression tells us the future is bleak. Listening to politics never mentions how the future looks bright! I was challenged by an article I read to eavesdrop on conversations around me and see how many of them had hope in the tone of their conversation. And to be honest, that day, there was none. I hope those who read this paper realize that I am a Christian; if not, let me clarify...
It's the perfect article to start the New Year-a true example of doing something special for your friends. I didn't even know Levi would play basketball this year until I saw him play in the game. It was then that I looked at the Pioneer roster and saw we had another senior playing basketball. I asked him when he last played, and he said he played his Freshman year and then quit. So why has he started to play this year? Levi said, "This year, seniors weren't available." He smiled and said, "I'm...
It's always the same. A wonderful celebration of Christmas is the Elementary Christmas Concert. This year was the biggest turnout. The auditorium was almost full. It started with the 4th-grade class playing recorders. They played Good King Wenceslas and Snowfall. The 5th grade band, in their very first concert, played Go Tell Aunt Rhody, A Mozart Melody, and Jingle Bells. Every student in the 5th grade must play in the band, so it's a delightful concert with squeaks and squawks. The 6th-grade...
Christmas 2023 I can’t help but stop my hectic life and think about what I need to do for Christmas. Once again, I didn’t get decorations up, once again, no letters, no Christmas cookies, and I still don’t have all my presents bought. But I have spent more time this year preparing my heart for Christmas’s meaning. Richard Foster is one of my favorite writers. His book Celebration of Discipline remains a compelling book for me. The first sentence says, “ Superficiality is the curse of our age.” My faith affects all my relationships with my fam...
For the past ten years, Mrs. Sheri Moore's third-grade class has taken a break from their social studies textbooks to tackle a different kind of learning. They hop aboard an imaginary airplane to travel around the world to learn about how Christmas is celebrated in other countries. This year, the students will "travel" to 8 different countries, plus the United States, with six countries having special guests present the information. The students learn about each country's foods, traditions,...
Celebrating Christmas is a yearly adventure for Marlys Myers. She has a blast centering her decorations around the 1989 cult comedy National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation movie. She loves the movie and watches it every Christmas. She asked me if I had ever watched it, and I laughed out loud. My children and husband completely memorized that movie. I can't even remember how many times we've watched. So it was a blast walking into a Christmas Vacation celebration. Marlys even told me she has had...
Kindergarten teacher Samantha Weaver wrote, "The holiday time of year is upon us. Our elementary school is again partnering with our local Food Bank to put together Christmas gift boxes. Last year, our elementary school put together 11 Christmas dinner boxes. The boxes consisted of the goodies needed for a holiday dinner. This year our Food Bank is in need of paper products and baby food items for their recipients. We are asking that each grade bring a specific item. Our Christmas gift boxes...
Wreaths across America’s mission is to “Remember the fallen. Honor those who serve. Teach the next generation the value of freedom. Our volunteers are the beating heart of the program and work year-around to share this important mission and inspire others to join.” “Morrill Worcester, owner of Worcester Wreath Company of Harrington, Maine, was a 12-year old paper boy when he won a trip to Washington D.C. It was his first to our nation’s capital and one that would change the trajectory of his life and the lives of millions of others across th...
Shopping will be more challenging this year because everything costs more! Yes, you can get things cheaper at Walmart or by ordering gifts online, but buying local will help the entire community this Christmas. Local storefronts have a lot to offer. Elevating Grains has excellent food and desserts and will do special orders. Both beauty shops, Hair I Am and Blushing Willow Salon, have items for sale. Plus, women love to go to the beauty shops, so that gift certificates would be awesome. Peps, The Mint, and the Club also offer nights out for...
I needed inspiration this year, and Heather Dilworth and her mother, Lori Schiller, gave me just that. I can hear people now; it's not even Thanksgiving! But this year, I need to celebrate early. Heather loves all things Christmas because "Christmas makes you happy!" Heather said, "I'm not normally quite this early, but I feel like as I've gotten older, Christmas is just so quick that four weeks is gone just like fast. I'm turning 40 in December, and my mom said, "I want to come and do...
Wreaths across America’s mission is to “Remember the fallen. Honor those who serve. Teach the next generation the value of freedom. Our volunteers are the beating heart of the program and work year-around to share this important mission and inspire others to join.” “Morrill Worcester, owner of Worcester Wreath Company of Harrington, Maine, was a 12-year old paper boy when he won a trip to Washington D.C. It was his first to our nation’s capital and one that would change the trajectory of his life and the lives of millions of others across th...
The Big Sandy Christmas Stroll will be here on December 2. "Christmas Candy Land" is the theme of the event. It's a lot of work to put on this event, and it's more fun if the community members get involved where they can. There are five winning Stroll button designs. They are incredibly good. Winning artists are: Tori Dixon, Korbyn Jurenka, Astrid Ketchum, Alleyah Eagleman, and Heather Frank. All of the art created by the students of Big Sandy High School will be on display at the community...
Shaud Schwarzbach is tired of being Mayor. He knows town people want the council to act, but “they won’t attend the meetings. I want their input!” Being on the city council is stressful. They need your support by being involved. There are intense discussions and decisions to make. I visited with Shaud for a short time after the recent city council meeting to clarify information given to the city council by KLJ. According to the last testing, Big Sandy has a slightly higher number of readings than they would like in the BOD. Shaud said there...
I have a love/hate relationship with Facebook, and in November, I work on finding articles for the Mountaineer that celebrate giving thanks. I found Michael Wright's Facebook page. Michael Wright moved to Big Sandy with his mother, Suzanne, in 2021, and his Facebook comments this time of year inspire and encourage me. He was born in Vancouver, Washington, but lived most of his life in Eureka, Montana, graduating from Lincoln County High School in 2010. He moved to Kalispell for about seven and a...
I visited with a Veteran this past weekend about what Veterans Day means to him. He shared about his time in service and his experiences, and he also shared a story about his time deployed to another country. "I joined after high school and looked forward to serving my country. I honestly had a tough time transitioning after high school and found that I was making some horrible choices. My dad had suggested to me that maybe I join the military. I agreed and thought it was probably the best...
What’s the use of owning my own newspaper if you can’t write what’s important to me? I just recently spent a weekend with my brother and sisters at the family cabin at The Pines Recreation area on Fort Peck Lake (ok, it’s really a reservoir). It was my brother’s 70th birthday, and the cabin is 50 years old. It was a surprise birthday party for my brother, who lives near Portland. My brother and his wife drove through Big Sandy on Friday. I was supposed to lie and tell him I couldn’t make it. As it was, I had an ear infection and was at the...
November is the month I try to write about what to be thankful for. We have a great little Grocery store that never stops giving, and I wanted to talk to you about it. In most cases, they have what we need, and if they don't have it, Deb Louvar will order it in. Her philosophy is simple, " I just try to do the best I can. Try to meet people's needs as best as you can." The Grocery Store is a big giver to the community. They donate to almost every cause in our community. "Because it's important...
