The Blackfoot Valley's News Source Since 1980
The Blackfoot Valley's News Source Since 1980
Sorted by date Results 26 - 50 of 58
I don’t know about you, but my favorite thing about the holidays is the food. It’s something of an understatement to say that I like to eat. In fact, I would say a good portion of my life revolves around food – deciding what to eat, purchasing food, preparing food, planning my next food-centric excursion…you get the picture. Picky eaters are one of my biggest pet peeves – especially adult picky eaters. Granted we all have the odd thing we just can’t stomach (mine is mushrooms), but if you’re a thirty-five-y...
A new public health program that launched in September is aimed at lowering the stigma associated with mental health issues like depression and suicide, and providing a friendly environment for Montana men to address the care of their mental health "the way a man would do it." Lewis & Clark County "Man Therapy" Project Lead Jess Hegstrom visited Lincoln in mid-December to raise awareness for the program, which launched in Montana in September. "We have the highest suicide...
Lincoln is lighting up as businesses and homes get into the holiday spirit. For many, beautifying the town this holiday season is its own reward, but for a few lucky winners, holiday cheer will give back, in the form of a cash prize. Back by popular demand after a year's hiatus, Light up Lincoln is a decorating contest sponsored by the Lincoln Valley Chamber of Commerce that offers cash prizes to first, second, and third place winners in both business and home categories....
Do you have small children who are destroying your life and your perfect tree this holiday season with their clumsily placed homemade ornaments? Do you, too, spend hours after they go to bed rearranging the ornaments on the tree and wondering how many years you’ll have to look at that construction paper wreath, and the snowflake made of glitter dipped popsicle sticks, hanging beside your handmade Murano glass bulbs from Italy? (Can you scrap them after elementary school, do you think, or will you have to wait until the k...
Ovando's annual Old West Christmas Fest wouldn't be complete without "Cowboy Claus" and his trusty horse, St. Nick. St. Nick has become a favorite of kids and families who come from the Ovando area and neighboring communities to browse the wares of the craft bazaar, take part in family-friendly activities, and have their photo taken with Cowboy Claus, Santa's Montana cousin. An appropriately fuzzy and somewhat diminutive blond gelding with a gentle demeanor, St. Nick belongs...
New Lincoln Schools part-time assistant custodian Jim Oly is no stranger to school hallways. A Drummond native, Oly was a janitor at Drummond school for three years before deciding to relocate to Lincoln, where he had lived previously for several years in the 1990's. Known for his quirky sense of humor, Oly can be seen driving around town in his Chevy S-10 pickup, to which he has affixed dozens of tiny toys and action figures. He's also been known to drive his lawnmower...
Every American school kid knows the story of the first Thanksgiving holiday, or at least the version of it referenced on cutesy holiday décor and in our first-grade lesson plans. The reality of the feast that took place in the Plymouth settlement in 1621 and has widely become accepted as the “first Thanksgiving” was probably significantly different than the scenario portrayed in our grade-school Thanksgiving plays. The pilgrims, essentially a group of religious separatists looking to escape England’s volatile politi...
By now, just about everyone in town is aware I am a vintage enthusiast. Most specifically, I have a passion for vintage clothing, but my love for the remnants of days gone by is not limited to fashion - I am also a fan of vintage dishes and kitchen implements, old furniture and home décor, vintage books and classic movies. What I am not a fan of, is vintage attitudes. Let me elaborate. It’s true that I love and often lament the “old fashioned’ manners of bygone eras when people sent thank-you cards, RSVP’d, and didn’t t...
When Lincoln Schools English teacher Philip Reed heard two of his students discussing Pearl Jam drummer Jeff Ament's skatepark project last year, he encouraged them to write in to the foundation, nominating Lincoln for a park. "There's s quite a large at-risk community here in Lincoln for young kids that most small towns in Montana really don't have," Reed said. "I think...trying to provide as much for the kids to keep them active and out of trouble...that's one of the big...
Trails, traffic, tourism and teamwork were all topics of discussion as Lt. Gov. Mike Cooney sat down with Lincoln stakeholders and Main Street Montana Rural Partners Monday, Oct. 22. Administered by the Community Development Division of the Montana Office of Tourism, Main Street Montana helps communities revitalize and preserve their historic downtowns by uniting community ideas and efforts with program organization and resources. Focusing on economic development, urban...
The Lincoln branch of the Lewis & Clark Library hosted a free "interactive" screening of "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" Friday, Oct. 19. The activity was administrated by Lewis & Clark Library Teen Services Librarian Heather Dickerson, who traveled from Helena for the event, and featured free pizza, kool-aid and a bag of "supplies" for each child. Some of the supplies for the interactive experience included a script, a hat, a wand, two "gold" coins and a nerf...
Today I euthanized a chicken. Nothing starts the day like a little mercy killing before breakfast, right? In case you weren’t aware, chickens are by and large conscienceless, carnivorous little jerks who will devour any flesh available to them and have been known, like junior high girls, to turn on their own in the blink of an eye. The lone Banty in our coop was always a bit of an underdog, perhaps due to her smaller size. They don’t call it a “pecking order” for nothing, and in our little brood, she was at the bottom...
A Kawai grand piano purchased by Blackfoot Pathways: Sculpture in the Wild and intended for the use of the community and the park has taken up residence at the Methodist church. BPSW President Becky Garland said the park decided to put rental costs to good use by purchasing a fine instrument that could be used by Lincoln School students as well as by the sculpture park and the community at large. Garland said pianist Phil Aaberg, who was a featured artist in several of this...
We’ve reached the second week in October, and summer is over. Summer, that tantalizingly brief season of Vitamin D and seemingly endless evenings, officially ended at midnight on September 21 in North America. We made it through relatively unscathed by fire or the shaking of the earth this year and have reached that time when grasses are gilded and oftentimes rimed in frost, the leaves drift gently earthward in a palette of warm shades, wood smoke flavors the trailing edges of suddenly sharp gusts and the propane bill spikes....
The Montana Office of Tourism and the University of Montana are collaborating with Blackfoot Pathways: Sculpture in the Wild to gather data about who visits the sculpture park, and BPSW board members and volunteers were on hand during September's residency to distribute questionnaires to park visitors. Funded by the Montana Office of Tourism to gather information on park visitors, the length of their stay, what services they use and where they spend their money, the surveys...
Composer Adele O'Dwyer wrapped up her 2018 stint as Blackfoot Pathways: Sculpture in the Wild Composer in Residence with a final concert Friday, Sept 28. The concert at the Lincoln Community Hall featured original musical compositions by O'Dwyer performed by internationally renowned musicians in front of a backdrop of artwork by local students and was attended by more than 100 community members and BPSW supporters. O'Dwyer said she spent several months in preparation for the...
The ephemeral nature of art and beauty is an important theme of Blackfoot Pathways: Sculpture in the Wild's 2018 education program, according to BPSW Education Officer Hannah Demma. Demma, who guides children from small Montana communities on interactive tours of Sculpture in the Wild, meets school groups at the Lincoln Ranger Station, where rangers begin the program with a presentation. "This year we're doing bear safety. They've been playing a game with them, and it kind of...
Blackfoot Pathways: Sculpture in the Wild welcomed fall with Festival in the Wild 2018, a weekend program of events and music celebrating the sculpture park's fifth anniversary. The festival kicked off with a sold-out café music night and fundraiser art auction at the Lincoln Community Hall. The event featured refreshments in a candlelit café style ambiance accompanied by live music from performing artists Phil Aaberg, Pan Morigan, Marvin Suson, Aoise O'Dwyer and BPSW C...
One buzzword that seems to be getting a lot of airtime these days is “sustainability.” Most often, the word is used to mean the responsible maintenance of the world in which we live, so that the planet’s resources will be able to support many future generations, and the word comes up in discussions on a variety of topics, from the economy to environment to lifestyle. The first thing that comes to my mind when someone mentions sustainable living is the modern “homesteader” movement, in which a growing number of hipsters...
The 2016 20-year anniversary of the capture of the Unabomber, and the recent presence of film crews in Lincoln have prompted a renewed interest and a lot of memories for many of us about that surreal time in our little town's history. Likewise, the resurgence of interest in the case of the serial killer who eluded authorities for more than twenty years, hiding amongst us, has brought up conversation and questions regarding Ted Kaczynski amongst many of my out-of-town friends....
As I scrambled to organize and finalize the details on 70 outfits the night before the second annual Heritage Day Vintage Fashion Show, I couldn't help but wonder why I would ever agree to spearhead such an event. Finding volunteers and working around their schedules for fittings, planning outfits, organizing timing and semantics, obtaining, dating, cleaning and repairing the clothes– nearly none of these tasks can be delegated. As a result, no matter how I try to prepare, i...
Despite temperatures in the 90's and a brief rainstorm on Saturday, Lincoln's second annual Arts Festival seemed to go off without a hitch last weekend. The Arts Festival was born last year when Lincoln's Council for the Arts voted to re-energize the annual Art in the Park by updating the traditional summer art show to a festival atmosphere. In the hands of organizers Sue Tynes and Karyn Good, and with the collaboration of several local organizations and sponsors, the 2017...
What is it about other people's junk that so enthralls us? I was asking myself that question last Friday as my family and I began our second circuit around Lincoln's annual flea market, eagerly seeking treasure. Flea markets crop up all over the world, bazaars made up of a variety of vendors selling cheap and used items, collectibles, antiques, and specialty food and beverages. The decidedly un-glamorous term "flea market" likely comes from the French marché aux puces, a...
Just a few months ago, work on Rick Freeland's dream of a non-profit fitness and recreation center for Lincoln had just begun. Now, Freeland and his wife Patti have converted the dated mid-century building that once housed the First Bank of Lincoln into a sleek and modern gym facility. "I think we started work on March 10th," said Freeland, who opened the doors to the Power House in early June. It's a project he's been dreaming about for 20 years. Assisted by Patti, their...
The Lincoln Community Hall celebrated the historic building's hundredth year as the heart of Lincoln last weekend with entertainment, exhibits and activities that spanned two days and stretched from the Hall to Sculpture in the Wild. The celebration featured an eclectic series of events and activities spread throughout several locations. Classic cars, family friendly and educational booths, exhibits of historic and civic significance, a collection of oral histories from...
