Independently owned since 1905
Independently owned since 1905
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The Clark Fork Valley Elks Lodge celebrated the beginning of Fall with its first annual Oktoberfest celebration last Saturday. There was plenty of fun for the whole family, with a kids' craft tent, food and beverages, a drug-awareness activity tent and games to enjoy. Elks member and host of the festival Debbie Wilson drew her inspiration for the event being a first-generation American and growing up in a house filled with the German language, food, culture and holiday traditions which she...
The game of golf is a popular pastime and the River's Bend Golf Course in Thompson Falls offers a scenic 9-hole course for a relaxing game. David Tallant and Rees Woolford are two friends that have been meeting up to play on the course for almost nine years. The friends met in 1985 while they were both working in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, as bank examiners for the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. Before he and his wife Laura bought a summer home in Thompson Falls in 2007, Tallant had been...
Competition was fierce at the National Senior Bowling Championships in Cincinnati August 6-9. A total of seven bowlers qualified from Rimrock Lanes and four others from throughout Montana. There were six divisions of women's bowlers and six divisions of mixed bowlers in the Senior Championship, with each division based on an age range. Taking home first place in the 65-69 division and earning a National Senior Bowling Championship title was Susan Sweatman of Trout Creek. Sweatman qualified to...
by Callie Jacobson Trout Creek was overrun with huckleberries last weekend as the 40th Annual Huckleberry Festival provided entertainment, a parade, crafts and wares and of course, all things huckleberry. Friday evening events included stage performances by D&D Music, Dance Xplostion!, Rolling Bones and the annual Miss Huckleberry and Mr. Huck Finn talent contest. The Trout Creek Rural Fire Department served hundreds of patrons huckleberry pancakes, ham and eggs both Saturday and Sunday. On...
Some people walk to exercise and some people take a walk to enjoy the fresh air Glenn Koster, Sr. walks to raise awareness for foster care and adoption. Starting in Miami Beach, Florida on February 1, 2018, Koster’s journey cuts through 16 states for a total of 4,467 miles. At the age of 6, Koster entered the foster system and moved around until he was adopted at age 10. He knows firsthand just how difficult the process can be on a child or teen and how it can impact the rest of your life. In 2011 Koster decided to make a healthy life change t...
The Plains Town Council held their monthly meeting Monday, discussing proposed increases of the sewer rates. The council discussed how to approach an increase that would be most appropriate for all residents affected. The discussion included whether to increase the base rate, currently $26.86. The council said the addtional revenue will go toward moving the wastewater plant to a new location. The plant currently is near a stretch of the Clark Fork River where the bank has been eroding. The move has been discussed in the past but recently...
The Thompson Falls Beautification Committee honored three properties with a Thumbs Up Award for keeping Thompson Falls looking beautiful last week. Each year the awards are given out to a residence, a community property and a business. The awards recognize the efforts of residents, businesses and institutions in keeping their properties attractive in Thompson Falls. The residential Thumbs Up Award went to Bud and Judy Leufkens for their home on Maiden Lane. They were nominated for their...
The fish were biting for the fishers at The Bass Federation (TBF) Tri-State Open Buddy Tournament in Trout Creek July 27 and 28. The fishing began bright and early at 6 a.m. and didn’t slow down until 3 p.m. A total of 41 boats entered the competition, each with a two-person team. Each bass was transported to the weighing and measuring station for the official scores. Live bags were used as well holding pools with oxygen to keep the fish alive while they were being measured. There was a limit of five fish per boat and a dead fish penalty t...
Students at Dixon Elementary had the opportunity to express their creativity and exercise their brains at the "Nature Art 'n' Writing" summer camp July 15-18. The camp focused on exploring nature through activities and using their imagination in writing exercises. The students searched through nature magazines to find a scene that was interesting to them and wrote a haiku with the scene in mind. A haiku is a Japanese-style poem that contains a total of 17 syllables. Haikus traditionally involve...
The weather was perfect for three days of festivities that the Coyote Days at the Wild Coyote Saloon hosts annually. According to owner Karen Ferguson, there were around 700 people coming and going last Friday through Sunday who were entertained by the lawnmower races, duck races, horseshoe pit, plenty of vendors and an almost constant flow of live music. The vendors were set up behind the Wild Coyote and there was plenty of benches and tables set up to relax and just enjoy the evening. "Each...
Fine dining, friends and wolverines were the themes at the Elks Lodge in Thompson Falls on June 12. The Cube Iron-Cataract Coalition (CICC) hosted a banquet with a catered meal from the Dog Hill Bistro. Admission was $10, which included a plate of chicken, potato salad and baked beans. There was also an extensive display of silent auction items and a 50/50 raffle. The CICC is a local group of people with the mission of "working to build awareness and support for the existing backcountry of the C...
What do you get when you mix lawn mowers revving, ducks racing, and horseshoes flying? The Coyote Days at the Wild Coyote Saloon in Thompson Falls. The fun starts on Friday, July 26 and doesn’t slow down until Sunday. There will be live music from The Wayne Brothers, Dave and Deb Oliver, and The Good, Bad and Ugly band. Friday night will kick off the Coyote Days with a 9 p.m. performance from The Wayne Brothers. Friday will also be the day for vendor set up. Saturdays is packed full of entertainment with the lawnmower races starting at 2 p.m. D...
This year will mark 10 years for the Big Sky Blues Festival. The festival will be held in at Pilgrim Creek Park in Noxon next weekend, August 2-4. The festival highlights the blues style of music and all that makes the genre so loved. This year, the vendors will include several newcomers, great food, fun and lots of opportunities for arts and crafts. The festival will hit the ground running Friday night with a hamburger and hot dog barbecue and live music. The barbecue is free to those who buy a weekend pass, or you can purchase individual day...
Dale Peters was named Trust Lands Forester of the Year for 2018 in the state of Montana. Peters has been serving as Forest Management Supervisor on the Plains Unit since 2014. Peters earned this honor by supervising Plains Unit Foresters and the sale of almost 15 million board feet of salvage lumber that was affected by insects or fire damage. This lumber was divided into 12 different sales. Peters also serves the fire program as an engine boss and as a heavy equipment boss. He shares a passion...
Crew members from the Youth Conservation Corps (YCC) and the Montana Conservation Corps (MCC) worked hard to improve the access points and trails surrounding Big Hole Lookout. These trails provide close connections to the communities of Thompson Falls, Plains and Snider. The trail lengths vary from a couple hundred feet off Highway 200 to several Forest Service roads. The trail project is a Recreational Trails Program (RTP) funded project designed to enhance visitor enjoyment and access to Big...
Members of the Sanders County Human Rights (SCHR) group gathered on the grass in front of the courthouse last Friday for a candlelight vigil to open discussion about the current situation on the U.S. southern border. The meeting was open to the public and offered a platform to voice a wide variety of opinions for those in attendance. The theme of the July 12 meeting was the immigrant detention centers and the conditions that they are in. The large influx of migrants seeking asylum and the...
It was a smooth evening for the Thompson Falls City Council, with every action item on the agenda gaining approval to move forward. Those items included a Memorandum of Understanding that the City Council will oversee and take care of the development on the Veterans Memorial at Ainsworth Park, which includes laying brick and other updates. Another agenda item was beginning submission for grants to move forward with future wastewater projects. Applications are due by May 2020 and take about a year for an approval meeting. This timetable pushes...
July 3 marked 20 years since Justin Knutson fell about 150 feet while climbing near Noxon. Knutson was climbing with friends, Rob Buchan and Matthew Larkin, who went to get help after the fall. Matthew's father, Colin Larkin, scaled up the shale cliffside to get to Knutson where he laid, unresponsive. Larkin scooped Knutson up in his arms and began to pray. The first sign of life came when Knutson leaned over and threw up while in Larkin's arms. By this time, around 20 people had gathered at...
The Thompson Falls Elementary School offers breakfast and lunch during their two sessions of summer school. The first session was Monday through Thursday, June 17-20 and June 24-27 and the second session is coming up July 15-18 and 22-25. In past years, the summer food program was set up at the Thompson Falls pool and saw good numbers, being convenient for those just finishing swim lessons, according to elementary secretary Diane Hedahl. This year, because of the pool’s closure for repairs, the food program is being held in the elementary cafet...
The Christian Men’s Prayer Breakfast group will once again host the Chicken Jamboree at Thompson Falls Power Park on July 20. Originally set up by nine men in Big Timber 35 years ago, the Chicken Jamboree started when those men were brainstorming how to bring the community together. The men put their money together to buy chicken and the grills to cook it on. Word started to spread, and more and more people started to help making baked beans and potato salad for sides and organizing live music for entertainment. The first Chicken Jamboree w...
The Thompson Falls Airport will be receiving almost $150,000 to reconstruct the runways, taxiways, and aprons. The money that is being given is part of the effort to connect Montana. Senator John Tester announced that more than $8 million dollars will be put toward upgrading 13 airports across Montana. Thompson Falls Airport will receive funds of $147,136.The other airports that will be receiving money are Baker, Big Timber, Bert Mooney Airport (Butte), Choteau, Conrad, Dillon, Helena Regional, Lincoln, Ronan, Stanford, Three Forks, and...
Dozens of dogs took to the park in Thompson Falls for the Canine Carnival, hosted by the Sanders County Dog Training Club (SCDTC). There were plenty of activities to keep dogs occupied, whether it be running through the agility course, trying their paws at the rally course, or just making new friends. The SCDTC had numerous people at the event that offered advice and training tips. The SCDTC was founded in 2009 as the Huckleberry Hounds Agility Club of Sanders County. Since its founding, the...
The faculty of Montana State University embarked on their eighth annual bus tour of different parts of Montana. This year the team headed northwest to engage with the different communities. The crew was made up of faculty, staff and student leaders, including President Waded Cruzado. The group traveled 1,000 miles over three days. This year’s tour theme was “Follow the Mountain and Valley Economies” and included the towns of Missoula, Hamilton, Corvallis, St. Regis, Trout Creek, Kootenai Falls, Libby, Kalispell and Ronan. MSU leaders met with r...
The Paradise Center has gone through quite a few improvements recently. Behind the effort to replace aged and broken window and louver units in the center's bell tower is Rudi Boukal of Thompson Falls. Boukal, who was born and raised in Germany, has been a member of the Sanders County Arts Council (SCAC) since 2013 and has donated his time and skills for various jobs. He built a whole set of painters' easels for the art classroom, audience risers for the auditorium and a table for the model trai...
A bull trout has made its way through the fish ladder at the Thompson Falls Dam last week, bringing to 16 the total number of bull trout that have used the fish ladder since its installation in 2011. When they enter the ladder, each bull trout is tagged with a PIT tag, or Passive Integrated Transponder, and then they can continue their journey over the dam. The ladder is checked daily during the months of March through October. There are antennas positioned in the fish ladder that can send out...
