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Christmas is a wonderful time to give, but sometimes the gifts we give are more than a purchased item. Sometimes as LeRita McKeever said, "We need to have something to give back to the community. They were made with a lot of love and prayers." Six women have sewn together every Monday for many years. This year they made 13 large lap quilts for individuals at the Big Sandy Medical Center Nursing Home. The six ladies call themselves, "Sew on and Sew Forth." They are Ann Quinn, Reggie Jappe, Gwen...
Exciting news for Big Sandy! The old Napa building will be the home of a new business for Big Sandy. Chauncy and Amber Terry will be opening Central Machine and Ag Repair, LLC in April. Chauncy was born and raised in Big Sandy. Glen and Alma Terry are his parents. He graduated from Big Sandy High School in 2001. Chauncy graduated in Welding and Machinery at Helena Vo-Tech in Helena, Montana. He bought all the equipment from Central Machine and Welding in Havre, Montana. The new business in Big S...
I attended the School Board meeting on the internet, which is available to anyone who would like to participate in the meeting and not attend. This is a great option. Thankfully I was reminded by Darin Genereux to turn off my microphone. Guests can only make a brief statement before the agenda items, after which we can only watch and listen to the board. First on the agenda is Parker Proulx, the representative from the student council. He told the board that the student council was having a small fundraiser, selling Christmas Candy Canes with...
The year 2020 was a "no good very bad year." But I'm a half-full kind of girl, so I choose to look at the year differently. I ponder thoughts like what can we learn from the year? How can I change to make any other year better? There are things I've learned, like it doesn't take much for neighbors and friends to be frustrated with one another, people I never thought would raise their voice. It has taught me how to love and support those who totally disagree with me. I have learned to study...
Two guests that were present made a public comment on the numerous places in the town of Big Sandy that need to be cleaned up. After they commented, Rich Jespersen shared with them about the progress the Council is making in this area. He has talked to the Chouteau County Attorney and the county's Safety Inspector about the areas of concern around town. The city council will be looking at Montana's codes under nuisance codes that deal with areas around towns and about abandoned vehicles left...
Two weeks ago, Thomas and Heather Dilworth purchased the Big Sandy Organics, a local business, from Bob and Ann Quinn. Heather said, "The Kamut is an awesome product. We hope to bring on some other healthy snacks, a different variety of snacks, and expand in the lentils, chickpeas, and add a couple of flavors." In the meantime, they have added a whole second lever in the shop, doubling their space. In their future, they hope to add a little retail front to the shop. They are working towards and...
Editor’s note: This article is usually not attempted for fear of not getting everybody in home-based businesses based in Big Sandy listed; however, it is too important not to proceed. If I did not get your business listed, please let me know, and I will run a correction listing your business in the next Big Sandy Mountaineer. This year with the struggles that COVID-19 has affected our economy, it is important that we support our local businesses during our Christmas shopping. It is true we don’t have shopping available like Great Falls, or Hav...
Jimmy Griffin grew up in Simpsonville, South Carolina (Upstate, Foothills, Piedmont region). "I was born when my parents were living in a trailer house that was parked on the college campus, where my dad was a student." After graduating from that same university in December of 1986, Jimmy traveled out to Montana for the spring and summer. "Curiosity and opportunity landed me in a spare bedroom at my Aunt and Uncle's home in Havre. I quickly made friends of their friends, rented some canoes in...
Thanksgiving in 2020 will be unique in its own way. After eight months of COVID-19 and ugly political rhetoric, we find ourselves celebrating a holiday where we are supposed to give thanks. As usual, if you go around the table, as is the tradition in many homes, saying what we are thankful for. We often give thanks for the same thing we said last year; family, food, health, or our home. Frustrations, even anger, have taken their toll this year, and although we still have those things to be thankful for, it doesn’t feel like enough. I asked a f...
Although here in Big Sandy, the general rule remains controversial is to wash your hands frequently, don't touch your face, stay six feet away from other people, and wear a mask when you are indoors. COVID continues to rise in Chouteau County, and we now have our first fatality. But, there is a more in-depth discussion that needs to be held. We fight these kinds of bugs better if we are healthier. The task before us isn't anything we don't already know. How do we build a stronger immune system?...
One of my favorite school activities is the Veterans Programs that were held these last few years. The afternoon started with a free meal for the Veterans at Senior Citizens. Afterward, you would go over to the FE Miley school for a Veteran's Program put on by the elementary students. I loved it because everyone would be wearing red, white and blue and the children would sing all kinds of patriotic songs. A small talk is given at the high school before every vet stood to their arm forces anthem...
Upon researching Covid-19 on the CDC website, I found 8,911 results. If I just searched masks, I found 6,112 results on masks. The first travel-related case of COVID-19 in the United States was on January 21, 2020. The first Person-to Person spread of Covid-19 was on January 30, 2020. We now have almost 10 million. Initially, about 200 test kits were distributed, testing up to 800 individuals per kit. If a Laboratory ordered a test kit, they would be sent one. One of the other problems was data originating from all 50 states and all tribal...
The 2020 Primary Elections had higher than normal turnout. Statewide there are 696, 262 Registered Voters; of that 382,072 voted making it a 54.87% turnout. Chouteau County has 3,490 registered voters; 2,244 voted for a 64% turnout. Voting is a privilege. I have a friend that lives in Australia. She just recently reminded me that voting is mandatory in Australia. If you don’t vote you receive a “hefty” fine. About 8-10% just scribble on the ballot, but it stills means that 90-92% of the voters make the decisions of the direction of the count...
During public comment, the problem with car congestion by school pickup areas was brought forward and discussed. Big Sandy Booster club was present and talked to the school board members about the Pioneer logo the booster club uses. There is no trademark or copyright connected with it. They also discussed replacing the padding behind the basketball hoops in the main gym. The design will be done at Universal Athletics. Currently, the Booster Club is thinking about purchasing only one wall; however, there is a lot to do before a design is agreed...
The City Council met in the City Hall’s big room, with appropriate spacing, even though some still attended the meeting by Zoom, including this reporter. There were three city employees and two guests present. The meeting started as usual with the pledge of alliance and the reading of the minutes. No Sherriff’s deputy was in attendance. KLJ Engineers presented the Water Certification Survey with the request to purchase ½ an acre for building a building for the new water system. The new building will be for a meter and treatment. They have sugg...
Layne Taylor Ag Ed and FFA advisor has no idea how many FFA contests have been held since 1935. It takes a considerable amount of work to put on an FFA Livestock and Range contest. He was frustrated that all the events were being canceled because of Covid-19. The problem was they didn't want all the kids from all the schools mingling together, so he decided to have the schools come at different times and complete the Livestock and Range competition relatively separate from each other. Ten...
Going down to the Missouri River in the fall is always an incredible road trip. The county road was busy and dusty as we made our way to the entrance of the ranch. It was my first visit to the Pearson Pumpkin Patch. We went first to the pumpkin patch to pick up our pumpkins first, and even though it was Sunday, supposedly the last day, there were still many hundreds of orange pumpkins lying on the ground to be picked up. I kept hearing as I was sitting on the picnic table eating my hamburger, "w...
This time of year, Loma is beautiful to visit. The Loma valley is full of beautiful fall foliage. This year the Republican party held a supper at the Loma Community Hall. Besides the candidates speaking at the event, it was made more special as Maria Bouchard, owner of Ma's Loma Café, was celebrating that she was a new citizen of the United States and was going to be voting for the first time. Senator Daines brought her a flag that had been flown over the capital, and Representative presented...
I first saw Tana Rai Faltrino's art when her cousin Gay Pearson showed me a picture of her granddaughter with a horse that she had. I thought it captured the moment wonderfully. She lives in Havre. Tana grew up on a farm and ranch south of Havre. She was encouraged by her mother and the nuns at St. Judes School to continue to draw and paint. Tana studied painting and Art History at NMC. Another cousin Donna Jenkins, of Big Sandy and Tana, coauthored together a cookbook, Montana Legacy of Love...
Yes, it has been more interesting to meet, but Rotary continues to meet weekly now that fall is here. They wanted everyone to know they are still alive and well! Big Sandy Rotary has remained active even during these uncertain times. They have met every two weeks during the summer and before starting meeting weekly again after Labor Day. They continue to support our community in a variety of projects. The cemetery gazebo project is nearly complete! The directory was placed three weeks ago and...
One thing about a small town, you know almost everyone driving down the street. I was walking down the street when Shane and Gwen Ophus, from Ophus Auction Company, pulled up by the side walk. Shane said he had an Idea he wanted to run past me. It was about recognizing all the good stuff that happens in our community. He wanted to have some pictures in the paper so that everyone could see for themselves what is occurring and bring more pride back to our town. I was intrigued, because I was...
The monthly meeting of the Big Sandy Booster Club was held on September 8th. During this time, when so many activities have been canceled, the Booster Club is trying to maintain a positive approach n supporting the activities of the Big Sandy Schools. It has sent out it’s a letter to the Corporate Sponsors and are making plans how best to support the schools. The Big Sandy Booster Club has seen many changes over the past five years. The booster club values the community’s traditions, and they hold them dear, to their heart while knowing tha...
I was able to talk to Jason Gardiner, CEO of Kart Kleen Technologies, last week about the development of a mobile disinfecting unit that would allow students to clean their personal belongings before they entered the school. Along with company operations director, Jason Gardiner, Joe O’Bresley had their unit scientifically tested by Bill Holbein, a microbiology professor at the University of Montana. Ultraviolet rays at a specific wavelength, not found in sunlight, kills microorganisms, viruses, and bacteria at a 99.9% kill rate. Jason said, ...
Lana Claassen, Chouteau County Clerk, from the Chouteau County Clerk and Reporters office, whose primary job is to ensure we have a fair and reliable voting process, is 99.99% sure voting is fair. Every person who is registered to vote has a statewide registered number. If you have requested a mail-in ballot, there is a name and number on the outside envelope, requiring your signature. It contains your inside envelope with your ballet. She said, “we double-check every single day, making sure that what the computers say is accurate. There are s...
Rutledges are not just my neighbor. Both Lance and Andrea Rutledge had impressive accomplishments in the Red Angus beef industry. Lance Rutledge was one of the 24 Nile Merit Heifer Program participants in the class of 2020. He'll be showing his heifer in October of this year. I visited with Lance about his selection, and although I asked him to brag a little about himself, he played down his accomplishment. His application clearly showed his work in 4-H and FFA. It also required he had three...
