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For four years, the First Bank has served our small community. This year to celebrate their appreciation, First Bank asked Marie Jappe, owner of the Mint, to serve lunch on the bank's grass. Numerous tents were set up so customers could eat in the shade. Marie served barbeque shredded pork, coleslaw, macaroni and cheese, cold drinks, and dessert. When First Bank first came to Big Sandy, I asked them to give us information about who they were. First Bank became a division of Glacier Bank in...
Since I was short on articles this week, I thought, why not find out why August 6 is a special day? I was born on August 6, 1952. But what I found out about August 6 that brought me much joy was it is also International Forgiveness Day. On August 6, 1912 --Theodore Roosevelt announced his 1912 platform at the Chicago convention of the Progressive Party. On August 6, 1939, Poland celebrated the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Polish Legions' entry into the World War. On August 6, 1942 (Thursday), German forces on the Eastern Front captured Tikho...
Finding Joy Recently I fell in love with a book called Laughing Through the Ugly Cry by Dawin Barton. I loved it because she could express clearly what I believe. Finding joy in my life and finding the blessing that surrounds me every day is something I strive to do. I want "She Found Joy" to be placed on my tombstone when I die. I guess that is why I listen to others and hope to find their joy. It's the reason I get so frustrated with complainers. We must have a lot of stories in our community...
It’s so interesting to listen to people talk about where they live. Sometimes they mention their neighbors or friends as the reason they love it here. Sometimes it’s the weather that makes them smile. People who have lived in larger populated areas say they love the slower pace of life. People are more nice. They smile and say hello. Our town pulls together when one of our own is hurt. It’s understood that we are in this together. Everybody seems to know everybody’s business, but we’re glad when the chips are down. When something affects one of...
Darlene Cline has been a librarian for six years, and in those six years, she has continued to create an atmosphere at the library that makes children want to come. When I asked her why she wanted to be a librarian, she said, "Oh Lorrie, my head is so fried!" Okay, so let's start easy, do you like to read books? "I love to read." I asked her, "What's one of your favorite books you've ever read?" "I think I have too many of those! I wanted to become a librarian for the kids and the community and...
Demra Brown, Big Sandy First Bank branch manager reported that the bank partnered with Rotary to give away school supplies. They will be handing out backpacks full of needed school supplies for FE Miley K-6th grade students on July 26 & 27 between 2:00-4:00. They got the number of students from last year's enrollment. The decision to hand them out in July was so that whatever else they may need may be purchased by their parent before school starts. For example, on the list of school supplies is...
Juliet MacDonald, an artist from Box Elder schools, has created a banner and entered the Paint the State/Meth contest. You will find her artwork online at Paint the State (paintthestate.org), or it's on the fence at the Box Elder School. It's worth the drive to see it in person. It's a huge banner. It is well worth voting for and well worth it for this Box Elder Senior. If she gets the most votes in the county, she can win $3,000; if she wins the statewide competition, she can win $10,000....
The Chouteau County Library system recently recognized one of our own, Dee Pribyl. Dee recently visited with me about the imagination library, and we hadn't got together yet. However, seeing her being honored by the First Lady of Montana was a wonderful surprise. First Lady Susan Gianforte has made it possible for every child ages 0-5 in Montana to register for the Dolly Parton Imagination Library. Visit: https://imaginationlibrary.com and click on "check availability," and fill in your zip...
The Big Sandy High School Ad Education received a grant from Montana Farmers Union for a $33,000 subterranean geothermal greenhouse. The greenhouse’s placement site is undecided, but Layne Taylor, ag teacher, will work with Dan Schrock to find a place to place it. They are considering putting it somewhere by the football field. The upgrades to the wagon project are scheduled to start in two weeks. Superintendent Schrock reported he is advertising the Mountaineer. No one has stepped up to drive buses. They will continue to have the bus i...
So what’s going on with the Mountaineer? The Havre Daily’s “motherboard,” which they use to make the pages in the paper, is down. Havre is sending their paper to Cheyenne, Wyoming. We learned about it on Monday, July 10th, right before the Mountaineer was due at the printers. The problem was Cheyenne won’t print a six-page paper, and we couldn’t make an eight-page paper that quickly, let alone we didn’t have enough ads to cover the cost. So many newspapers have closed their doors in Montana, and there aren’t a lot of places to get the paper p...
Cooper Jenkins was in a critical freak accident. He was working on his water well when a pocket of natural gas exploded. Cooper drove himself to the Big Sandy hospital, was taken to Benefis, and then was put on a jet and flown to Salt Lake Burn Center. He has burns on his face, ears, neck, and hands. According to recent news, he has started his acid treatment to remove dead skin. It's a very painful process. Cooper's wife, Maddie, and her son, Haze, were in Melrose with her father. The rest of...
Braydon Cline, Kody Strutz, and Rusty Gasvoda represented the United States in the XXV Canam Bowl played on July 8th in Hanna, Alberta, Canada. The USA team comprised the three Big Sandy boys and kids from Texas, Colorado, Wyoming, and Nebraska. The USA won the game 84-16. According to Tracy Schuster, who sent me the information, someone from Big Sandy was always on the field for every play. Braydon was quarterback, and Kody and Rusty played defense. The first CanAm Bowl began in July of 1997...
I always wondered why a Big Sandy, Montana prairie boy, would choose the Nation Coast Guard. "I think it was mostly because our family would always vacation out in Oregon. I knew I wanted to have a job working on the ocean. I was originally looking at the Navy and was about to sign up for the Navy before I saw a pamphlet for the Coast Guard. The closest recruiter was in Boise, Idaho, so in my Senior year, they had to fly me down to Boise. I remember four times because I spent the whole summer...
The Omoksee is always a family activity. It's interesting to watch. I had to ask why some horses ran faster, and others ran slower. I was told it really isn't a race. It's working to the horse's ability and the rider's ability. Sometimes the smaller children ride the horse while someone in front of the horse reins the horse. Even one of the horses with an adult male was led into the arena. I was told it's because the horse is nervous in the waiting area, but the horse does his job in the arena....
Tina Rodewald recommended an article about the Big Sandy Historical Society Museum during Memorial Day Breakfast. I wanted to follow up because I highly respect Tina. Her service to our community is incredible. As always, she talked about the museum and praised the board for all their commitment. The museum is full of history; even if you have visited it before, there is no way you got every story there. When I went over to interview, I noticed a story about Harry Green, Lawrence Green's...
Although winter is usually the season when seniors fear falling and getting injured the most, mainly because of ice and snow, but summer has its own issues and concerns for falls and injuries. I researched the most reasons for falls in the summer. Dehydration can lead to dizziness which can, in turn, make someone lose their balance and fall. Drinking water is essential. Wet surfaces can be pretty slippery. Rain and watering outside can cause wet surfaces, whether going to a pool for a swim or gardening and watering your yard. It would be best...
This was the largest Big Sandy Skate Jam celebration. Driving into town I was surprised by the size of the tent city. Yes, there were still skaters from all over the United States, and some other countries here in Big Sandy. There were more younger kids participating this year, some incredible talented skaters. It was fun to see former Big Sandy residents coming home too. I learned something watching this time around. When a skater did something everyone thought should be celebrated. They used t...
The plans for the new Pioneer wagon area are completed and will be completed by next school year. It will include a table to sit at outdoors. Principal Wolery’s contract was clarified, a 1st-grade teacher, Renee Leader, from Big Sandy, will be offered a contract, as well as a 5th-grade teacher Trinity Leeds, who is from Havre. Para interviews have been completed, and two will be offered positions Twyla Grant and Rachel Baumgarn. The Secondary Special Education and K-12 Physical Education positions were discussed, and future decisions will o...
Although winter is usually the season when seniors fear falling and getting injured the most, mainly because of ice and snow, but summer has its own issues and concerns for falls and injuries. I researched the most reasons for falls in the summer. Dehydration can lead to dizziness which can, in turn, make someone lose their balance and fall. Drinking water is essential. Wet surfaces can be pretty slippery. Rain and watering outside can cause wet surfaces, whether going to a pool for a swim or gardening and watering your yard. It would be best...
As always, there is an opportunity for citizens to bring an issue before the council. This time at the city council meeting, information about July 4 was presented. There will be no July 4th celebration in town this summer. Currently, the town must buy $3,000 worth of fireworks from its supplier. The budget of the city is $2,000 for fireworks. Last year an individual added $1,000, and the extra $1,000 was not raised last year to defray the cost for this year. If anyone is willing to step up,...
It starts at the Big Sandy Museum, with breakfast served by the Big Sandy Historical Society. However, it's more than breakfast. Sitting around drinking coffee and catching up with friends is the real draw. Breakfast is cooked outside in a tent, brought in, and served by the door. If you didn't have an opportunity to eat, you also didn't have an opportunity to donate to the Historical Society. They need your support to keep the museum open. If you didn't eat there, you probably aren't aware of...
The Big Sandy Library’s summer reading program is called Camp Kindness. The summer schedule includes Monday’s Community Day. Dianna Keane did a team-building exercise at 1:00 on June 5th to start the summer. Dianna Keane said, “I’m doing it the first day to kick off the library summer reading program, and we’re doing a bunch of activities and team building exercises that talk about kindness and how we work together and how we communicate and how do we use our words for good and how long you talk?” On Monday, they will learn about places in o...
While the paper was getting sent to the press Monday, Memorial Day was happening. What is Memorial Day? You always hear things like, "It's a 3-day weekend" or "We are gonna grill, camp, go to the lake, and have fun." Yes, it is those things, but what is the true reason we celebrate Memorial Day and its significant history? Memorial Day officially became a "federal holiday" in 1971. It is an American holiday observed on the last Monday of May, honoring the men and women who died while serving in...
In the Keep Montana Green Art Contest, Heather Sherburn takes 2nd with a beautiful picture of nature. She said, "I was trying to just make a poster about how green and how beautiful it is. The words drown, stir, and feel were required to be used in the project. "I kind of put the words where it matches, like drown is in the river, And then feel was supposed to be like beyond the page because it's going forward." According to their website, "Keep Montana Green is dedicated to the prevention of...
On Sunday, May 21, 2023, the graduation ceremony was held in the Big Sandy Gym, and it was packed. The Class of 2023 walked in slowly, at first, to the band playing Pom and Circumstance. Superintendent Dan Schrock gave a heartfelt welcome before he introduced the parents of the Salutatorian Lance Rutledge. After Lance's speech, Dan Schrock introduced the parents of the Valedictorian, Angela Sant. Marla Ray was chosen as this year's speaker by the class. The following is taken from her speech....
