Articles written by zoe merrill


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  • Let's talk. Let's Walk

    Zoe Merrill|Mar 20, 2024

    I know I should walk and am inspired by those who do. I just had a physical, and she assured me I was healthy enough to walk. I thought doing my research and revising the value of walking would help me become motivated. I hope it will help motivate you. Let’s face it: walking has numerous health benefits for people of every age. It can help with current health concerns and prevent others. It’s easy to do, and the weather is cooperating. 1. We all know walking burns calories, and many need to lose weight to get healthier. 2. Walking 30 minutes d...

  • Congratulations Bears!

    Zoe Merrill|Mar 13, 2024

    Big Sandy wants to support our nearby small town and its efforts at bringing home a state championship! Congratulations to the Box Elder Bears and their boys' basketball team on going undefeated this season with a very impressive record of 26-0! After visiting with other people who know more about basketball than I do, I was even more impressed by the Bears. After leaving that discussion, I listened to them about what they noticed watching the Bears basketball team, specifically their coach,...

  • History that is still alive

    Zoe Merrill|Mar 13, 2024

    Two Big Sandy residents celebrated their 98th birthday recently. They both still live in their homes. Glen Cook and his wife Anita have moved to town to make life a little easier. Ruth Merrill still lives on the land she was born on and lived her entire life. I just wanted to visit with them both for a couple of minutes, especially after I compiled a list of what happened in their lifetime: World War II, Women had just gained the right to vote, the dropping of the first atomic bomb on...

  • Big Sandy Highschool music department granted Kettle Drums

    Zoe Merrill|Mar 13, 2024

    A Montana Masonic Foundation Grant was awarded to Big Sandy High school's Music Program. The grant funded was $4,952.00 for the purchase of two Kettle Drums. TJ Bond wrote, "These drums are a foundational sound in many band setting and ours have been extremely past due to be replaced. With these new drums, our bank will perform with a much fuller sound which will help concerts here as well as it competition. It is a huge honor to receive money for these drums, they are very expensive!" Their...

  • The resiliency of these girls is the one word

    Zoe Merrill|Mar 13, 2024

    Whenever we play a sport, the goal is to win. And it feels great to win; it hurts when we lose. I am a devoted fan of Pioneers sports; I am proud of the winning, but I also know that winning isn't the lesson the girls will take with them into adulthood. Ok, they'll remember the glory days, but more importantly, who they have become in the process. After all, those profound lessons learned during the hard work, the resiliency to never give up, the effort, and the ability to work as a team will...

  • Vegas is here; the Rotary Club banque

    Zoe Merrill|Mar 6, 2024

    The Big Sandy Rotary Club hopes you would be interested in contributing to their 39th Annual Benefit Banquet. It started 40 years ago, but there wasn’t one during COVID. They scheduled it for March 16, 2024, and it has been held since 1984. Banquet proceeds support a long list of recipients: Volunteer Fire Department & EMTs, Food Bank, Senior Center, Rotary Youth Leadership Center (RYLA), the Library, The Swim Pool Project, Big Sandy Activities, Medical Center, Historical Society, Big Sandy Cemetery, the annual East Egg Hunt; upkeep of the l...

  • It's Not about winning; it's about supporting community

    Zoe Merrill|Feb 28, 2024

    It isn't about the sport. It's about supporting the kids, friends, and community. There was a fundraiser/dinner- a Divisional Tournament Pep Rally with a Spaghetti Dinner, a 3-Point shoot, a pop shot, and Little Pioneer Basketball games on Tuesday, the 20th. On February 29th, there will be a Dodgeball Tournament at 7:30 pm following the junior high Wrestling. If you had attended the Pep Rally, it would have been obvious to see our support for each other. Ella Jurenka told me they fed 150 people...

  • Dana Darlington has an important story to tell

    Zoe Merrill|Feb 21, 2024

    Dana Darlington, a neighbor of mine, sent a press release saying he is running for House District 26. "It consists of all of Chouteau County and about a third, maybe a little more of Cascade County. It's a whole new district." I'm interested in why he decided to run for office. I asked him who was going to be doing his calving for him. Dana said, "My lovely bride!" The event started all this-"for the past 25 years, ever since President Clinton signed the National Monument that moved right throug...

  • Chouteau County Library Foundation supports local branch

    Zoe Merrill|Feb 14, 2024

    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...

  • Two school board members are up for re-election

    Zoe Merrill|Feb 7, 2024

    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...

  • Severin Heimbigner is a well-rounded winner

    Zoe Merrill|Feb 7, 2024

    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...

  • Mental Health Help is here

    Zoe Merrill|Feb 7, 2024

    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...

  • Record Lows across the State

    Zoe Merrill|Jan 17, 2024

    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:...

  • The world will label, we will love

    Zoe Merrill|Jan 17, 2024

    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 Generous Gift to Big Sandy

    Zoe Merrill|Jan 10, 2024

    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...

  • New Year Goals: Get in Shape

    Zoe Merrill|Jan 3, 2024

    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...

  • Thoughts with Zoe

    Zoe Merrill|Jan 3, 2024

    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...

  • Eli Dixon: an Example of True Sportsmanship

    Zoe Merrill|Jan 3, 2024

    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...

  • Music filled the night-Elementary Concert

    Zoe Merrill|Dec 20, 2023

    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...

  • Thoughts with Zoe

    Zoe Merrill|Dec 20, 2023

    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...

  • Christmas in different nations

    Zoe Merrill|Dec 13, 2023

    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 with Marlys Myers

    Zoe Merrill|Dec 13, 2023

    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...

  • Food Bank receives community support through FE Miley Elementary and First Bank of Montana

    Zoe Merrill|Nov 29, 2023

    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...

  • Christmas Stroll: Shop local this Christmas

    Zoe Merrill|Nov 22, 2023

    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...

  • Finding the inspiration for Chirstmas

    Zoe Merrill|Nov 22, 2023

    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...

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