Independently owned since 1905
Independently owned since 1905
Sorted by date Results 576 - 600 of 1023
The Plains Lions Club put up their Christmas decorations along Main Street a week early, not to spread holiday cheer earlier, but to make sure everything was working. After putting them up the lights in 2020, the club found several that weren't working and couldn't get them all fixed until they were well into the season. Nevertheless, Steve Spurr, club president of the Plains Lions Club and member of six years, hopes to make the town more festive and putting out the decorations puts him in an...
When Sir Isaac Newton formulated his law of gravity over 350 years ago after seeing an apple fall from a tree, he probably didn't envision raw eggs being tossed from a roof to validate his findings. Nevertheless, for the last three decades at Plains High School, raw eggs have been sent to their doom in the name of science. The students of Carl Benson's physics class are learning Newton's Principia Mathematical Philosophiae Naturalis not with apples, but with their annual Egg Drop Project. One...
by Ed Moreth It was a cold and snowy morning, but that didn't stop the members of VFW Post 3596 from paying tribute to military veterans, past and present, in a ceremony at Plains Cemetery on Thursday, Veterans Day. "We gather here today at the 11th hour on the 11th day of the 11th month of the year 2021 to place this wreath in remembrance of those who have served this great nation before us, to honor those who now serve this great nation, and to salute those who stand by them in times of peace...
The Sanders County Sewer District at Paradise had its first meeting with its newest members and immediately voted for new board officers. Terry Caldwell was voted as chairman, along with Janice Barber as vice chairperson, Janie McFadgen as secretary and Dewey Arnold as treasurer. Each vote was unanimous. Retired school teacher Don Stamm was first nominated as treasurer, but declined. The hour and a half long meeting was held once again at the Paradise water pump house. One of the main purposes...
Military veterans got a special treat with a bag of goodies and a chance to listen to the high school students put on a patriotic concert. Nichole Cockrell's Family and Consumer Sciences class made goodie bags for the veterans in attendance of the Veterans Day celebrations at the school last Wednesday. The celebration was held a day before the actual holiday in the school gymnasium, where 14 veterans gathered for the special assembly. "Veterans Day is our holiday that we celebrate and honor...
The Paradise Center has a new club that will hopefully encourage more participation in working on one of the center's main displays. The Paradise Center Railroad Club, which presently has a handful of "members" to work on the railroad display located on the main floor. Dave Colyer of Paradise and Mac Hall of Plains have been heading the project, which started in 2017. Colyer said the COVID pandemic has stifled progress, but he feels the group has come a long way. They've had workshops and a few...
The Montana Mavericks Square Dance Club had its first lesson in two years Friday night at the Plains Paradise Senior Center. It had synchronized moves and some good musical beats, but more than the occasional stepping on toes. On Saturday at the club's November dance, there were no students, fewer toe mishaps, and the gathering was done in a more colorful setting as the participants donned their square dance apparel. It'll be about three months before the nine students of Friday's class will be...
An organization that specializes in tourism met with Sanders County residents on a fact-finding mission in an effort to help the nonprofit group decide on an effective tourism plan, but making sure the people's concerns are heard. Sixteen people showed up at the meeting Wednesday morning at the Paradise Center to participate in the Glacier Country Regional Tourism Commission Town Hall research probe. Racene Friede, the organization's CEO, said tourism is important, but it's also imperative to...
There's no snow yet, but it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas at the Sanders County Fairgrounds. Fair staff members and volunteers spent four days last week positioning Christmas decorations throughout the grounds. "I am happy that everyone enjoys the lights and hope it brings joy to many," said Fair Manager Melissa Cady, who worked with Administrative Assistant Hailey Coe and volunteer Marcia Bulich, while Caretaker Kim McNeil and his wife, Margaret, set up the Nativity and hooked up...
Fred Young Park had a lot of spooky celebrities – monsters, zombies, werewolves, dinosaurs, and vampires, and plenty of hot dogs, compliments of the Plains Lions Club, which has put on their Halloween Weenie Roast for more than 60 years. Lions member Marvin Tanner guessed there were more than 150 people at the annual event, which included roasting hot dogs over an open fire and costume contests for kids and adults. Some banded together for a group theme, such as the Rehbein family, who d...
'Tis the season to be spooked and what better place for it to happen than at a funeral home, including a skeleton hearse driver. For the last 12 years, the owners of Sunset Hills Funeral Home and Crematory in Plains have opened up their business to provide residents a chance to get out of the cold and have some treats. "It was a great night full of fun and interesting costumes and smiling faces. It was great to see so many families come in together and parents enjoying it as much as the kids,"...
The Sanders County Sewer District at Paradise is back in action with three new board members and with a big bundle of new money from the state. The county commissioners recently selected three people to replace those who were ousted or resigned, which now gives the sewer board enough for a legal quorum. Don Stamm replaced Sunny Chase. Dewey Arnold was appointed to fill Gary Kelly’s position and Janie McFadgen will take Rick McCollum’s spot. And last week, the county received word from Governor Greg Gianforte that an American Rescue Plan Act...
Dan Rowan is pleased with what he's accomplished over the last four years, but he said he'd like to continue to build on the progress and improvements he's made during his first term. "I don't believe that my opponent will continue that trend, judging by his past performance," said Rowan, one of two people vying for the job of mayor, along with Michael E. Brinson, who had served as mayor from 2006 to 2013. "My record over the last four years reflects positive, proven leadership. My opponent in...
The Paradise Center is a place of education and history, but last weekend it was the site of thievery, bribery and even murder. Throw in a ghost and the vivid imagination of a writer, and people had the chance to see the latest play of the Paradise Players. It’s been two years since the Paradise Players have had the chance to take to the stage and the first time for Kathleen Hubka to direct the troupe with a rendition of “Seven Keys to Baldpate Inn.” “They were pretty amazing. They were very re...
The Cancer Network of Sanders County (CNSC) might have canceled its annual fundraiser, but the need to help cancer victims goes on, which is why the nonprofit organization is going ahead with another means of raising money. Board members decided about three weeks ago to cancel the banquet, which was to take place at the fairgrounds pavilion on October 23, and instead raffle a custom bolt action Remington Model 700 rifle chambered in a 340 Weatherby magnum with a muzzle break and scope, along with two boxes of ammunition. Tickets cost $25...
The Clark Fork Alliance Soccer Club U15 coed team nabbed its second victory of the season with a triumph against the Hamilton Christian Academy Lion 6-2 last Tuesday at Amundson Sports Complex at Plains. "We play well together - we have good chemistry," said Jeremiah Allen, the Clark Fork Alliance Soccer Club's head coach. Nick Lawyer, coach for the girls Clark Fork Alliance Soccer Club, helped with Tuesday's coed team because Allen couldn't make it on time. The Lions had only one loss prior to...
A banded Argiope spider quickly wraps up a western conifer seed bug – also known as a "stink bug" – in a large web in a juniper shrub. The spider captures its prey for food. "They often wrap their prey first, depending on how quickly they move, and then they will inject venom to immobilize the prey. After that, they release a digestive enzyme onto the prey, which dissolves the prey into a liquid," said Lauren Kerzicnik, an extension specialist of urban entomology at Montana State University in...
While professional baseball is winding down, the American Legion youth baseball coach in Sanders County is looking to get a jump on next season by holding tryouts at Amundson Sports Complex. A dozen boys recently showed up for the tryouts, which ran for a little over two hours. The session went well and the coaches selected members for the 2022 season, said Jon Zigler, head coach for the Clark Fork Valley Riverdogs American Legion youth baseball team. The players ranged from age 13-18 and came...
The folks at the Clark Fork Valley Hospital Long Term Care will be getting a one-of-a-kind tree that is self watering and never drops its leaves, compliments of a local nonprofit organization. It took volunteers of Joint Operation Mariposa (JOM) just over a year to make the nearly nine-foot tall copper willow tree, complete with a 300-gallon tank just below the surface that will resemble a pond. "I like it. It's different," said JOM member Ed Foste, who had a good idea how to build the tree...
The Paradise sewer project is at a standstill, partially due to the opposition’s role in eliminating two board members in a recall petition, and because another board member resigned. With only two board members remaining — Terry Caldwell and Janice Barber — there aren’t enough for the three-person minimum to have a legal quorum, according to Sanders County Commissioner Carol Brooker. Sunny Chase, the board president, and Rick McCollum were recalled by a slim margin in August, a result of a petition filed in February by Cody Lampman, a Paradis...
The fall soccer season is showing some promise for two local clubs, each claiming victories at the Amundson Sports Complex Thursday evening. Joshua Allday's Clark Fork Soccer Alliance 17-member coed team shutout the Stillwater Christian Cougars 7-0 in the first game of the day. The Cougar high school junior varsity team - all boys - had a 4-1 record prior to their encounter with Allday's team at Plains. Claire Wrobleski and Chesney Lowe, the only two girls on Allday's team, also played on the...
Charles W. Bickenheuser hasn’t lived in Plains long, but that hasn’t stopped him from jumping right into issues he feels should be important to anyone who lives here. With only 2.5 years as a resident under his belt, he decided two weeks ago to address the town council at its September meeting and “shake things up a bit,” as he said. “This is a great place to live, but I think it can be better for everyone here,” said the 74-year-old Bickenheuser, a retired teacher and a former Special Forces veteran of the Vietnam War. Bickenheuse...
Patients and staff members of Clark Fork Valley Hospital now have some new scenery in the building's main hallway with a new exhibit. It took Joy Nelson and Ilene Paulsen of the Paradise Center only one and a half hours to hang the 29 pieces of the newest Art on the Wall artistry last Thursday morning. Nineteen of the pieces are photographs, said Nelson, who headed the Sanders County Arts Council before it recently merged with the Paradise Center. The rest are oil, watercolor, high flo, and...
A Plains resident announced to the town council at last Tuesday’s monthly meeting that a group of locals would like to construct a dog park and although the majority of the work would be done with volunteers and donations, they might need the town’s help with insurance and lease of the property from the railroad. “There’s no hoping, we’re going to put in a dog park; it’s going to happen,” said Sandy Thompson, who asked council about leasing a 26,500-square foot area next to Fred Young Park from Montana Rail Link. Thompson is a member of the...
The Town of Plains had its own exciting ride during the fair, but it was a one-time jaunt that lasted only about two minutes. In the end, the man got another free ride to Thompson Falls. A Plains police officer attempted to make a traffic stop of a man on a motorcycle near the intersection of Railroad and Willis streets around 1:30 a.m. on Friday, September 3, but the cyclist refused to stop, prompting the officer to go after him. “The traffic stop turned into a pursuit as the motorcycle attempted to flee at a high rate of speed. The m...
