Independently owned since 1905
Independently owned since 1905
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It’s been a cold spring. While I welcome the rain, the sudden and random temperature drops make for a long season. My perennials are loving this weather. They are green and lush and possess all the qualities one would hope for this time of year. However, the seedlings in the garage are another story. Even with heat mats and grow lights, they long for the real thing. It’s been another year of dragging trays and pots out of the garage in the morning and back in at night. As of lately, with the cold temperatures, on top of the heavy rain, on top...
The Trout Creek Farmers Market will return this year to Trout Creek Community Park, beginning July 7. The market will continue to run 4-6 p.m. every Wednesday until the first black frost. Kathy Regier, the market’s new manager, invites all residents interested in selling their fresh garden produce, baked goods and hand-crafted items to apply for a vendor space. “Last year was actually my first year as market manager, but we didn’t have a market because of COVID-19,” Regier said. “I’ve always supported the farmer’s market and since the pre...
After a year of being shut down due to COVID-19, the Hot Springs Senior Center is opening its doors to the public once again. When the center first opened back in 1976, it was the place to be, according to board president Lyn Sheldon. “It was always bustling with people,” Sheldon said. “This place was full of dancing, music and potlucks. Now we have a hard time getting people involved.” When the center reopened March 17, Sheldon saw a considerable drop in people they served. “Before COVID-19, we were serving around 30 people a week; now we wi...
Sanders County students were honored last week for being among the best in the state for the SkillsUSA competition. Mary Heller, director of SkillsUSA in Montana, traveled to Thompson Falls and Plains last week to present awards to students. She noted that the 2020 competition was canceled due to the pandemic, and this year the competition looked a little different. Students competed in the shops at their schools, monitored by their advisors. In Thompson Falls, junior Tyler Battles won silver fo...
The River Roadhouse, located along Highway 200 between Thompson Falls and Trout Creek, officially opened Memorial Day weekend. Owner Machelle Brossman opened last weekend in time for the holiday. “This will be an opportunity to meet the owner and the staff,” Brossman said last week. The kick-off weekend also served as a first run for the restaurant. “It’s a brand new business, and we’re all new to each other and getting to know one another,” Brossman said. She is looking forward to meeting the community and hearing their feedback. During the...
The Clark Fork Valley Elks (CFVE) have donated funding they received from a grant to senior centers around Sanders County. Every year CFVE members apply for different grants that will help lend aid to the local community. The Gratitude Grant from Elks National Foundation (ENF) and according to grant coordinator Christine Munday, is used to support local charitable activities. “We felt that the senior centers are such an important part of the community,” Munday said of the reason why they cho...
Noxon family and friends gathered on the football field Sunday afternoon to celebrate the graduating class of 2021. The rainy weather didn't dampen spirits as last-minute arrangements were made for each family to take cover under their own individual tent. Seniors donned their black and white robes as they lined the bleachers, each taking shelter under an umbrella to keep dry from the rain. Superintendent Jon Martin welcomed family and the class of 2021, offering a few words of advice as the...
A fire destroyed the main greenhouse at Trout Creek Gardens and Nursery in the early hours of Wednesday, May 18. No one was injured, and while the owners don't have a final total in damages, a significant amount of inventory was lost. "The fire took the whole structure of the main 100-foot greenhouse," owner Don Carsella said. "We lost 400 hanging baskets and around 30,000 annuals and veggies. We lost plant tags, tools, fans and our generator." Carsella believes the cause of the fire was the...
Thompson Falls Main Street hosted their annual spring Jamboree Friday at Clark Fork Valley Elks (CFVE). A handful of community members attended the event and enjoyed a catered meal, live music and had the chance to bid on a number of items in the live and silent auction. Karissa Lowe, Thompson Falls Main Street secretary, organized the event for the first time this year. While the crowd was smaller, Lowe believes the event was still a success. “The turnout wasn’t what we wanted, but with other events going on, sports and the nice weather, it...
Rain or shine, the county will be hosting its annual E-waste recycling event at the Sanders County transfer site in Thompson Falls June 5 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Interested participants can drop off old computers, printers, phones and any other unwanted electronics on this day. Since 2014, the county has worked diligently to keep used electronic waste out of the landfill. Each year as popularity of the event increases, accumulation of electronic waste in the county decreases. Kathy Conlin, organizer of the event, said last year they were able to...
Thompson Falls Senior Center is facing the possibility of losing funding for their nutrition program if they can’t find a cook for the facility. Sanders County Council on Aging (COA) in Hot Springs funds services that provide nearly 50 seniors a meal twice a week. A stipulation for continued funding is the senior center must find a cook to keep on staff. For the last year, the center has been without a cook and all cooking has been done on a volunteer basis. The facility is not only looking for a head cook, they are also looking to hire an a...
Lower Clark Fork Watershed Group (LCFWG) has been working to increase awareness and community knowledge of work they do to implement on-the-ground projects that benefit local streams and rivers as well as the many fish and wildlife species that depend on them. “Wherever you are, you are in a watershed,” Brita Olson, LCFWG Coordinator, said in a press release. LCFWG has teamed up with local conservation partners on several projects to achieve this goal, including the Sanders County Pollinator Initiative, a joint effort with landowners in the...
Dave Williams with Joint Operation Mariposa, partnered with the U.S. Army to deliver a painting to third and fourth grade students at Trout Creek Elementary School last month. Students gathered outside for the unveiling done by Williams and U.S. Army Sgt. First Class Bill Nicholson. Unlike paintings Williams has previously done, the piece he presented to students was of a mule, the Army's mascot, Williams says. For this unveiling, the painting was left unsigned. "The painting will be with the...
The Cancer Network of Sanders County (CNSC) kicked off their 2021 season with a special Mother’s Day event titled, "Music for Moms," Friday at the Rex Community Theater in Thompson Falls. According to Kathy Miller, CNSC treasurer, the inaugural event of the season was a success. “It’s our first year back after the coronavirus,” Miller said. “I think people are still a little concerned, but this is a good turnout.” Miller says for the last six years, a Mother’s Day concert has been the kickoff event. “People are out and we want them to enjoy t...
It was a productive weekend, not only for myself, but for my honey bees as well. While I currently have two broody chickens and a broody duck on my hands; my bees are by far the most complex creatures I have encountered. It’s been three long months since tragedy struck on this little homestead. I have waited and waited for the weather to warm up in order to get into the hive that was struck down by a fallen tree. It’s always a guessing game with a Montana spring. In the morning it will be snowing, by afternoon the sun will be shining and com...
The Small Business Association (SBA) has opened the application portal for a new grant program targeted to provide emergency assistance for eligible restaurants and bars affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Established under the American Rescue Plan Act, the Restaurant Revitalization Fund (RRF) will provide $28.6 billion in grants to small businesses to help keep their doors open. The program provides restaurants with funding equal to their pandemic-related revenue loss up to $10 million per business and no more than $5 million per physical...
Maurita Crew has worked diligently toward expanding the integration of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education into her student's curriculum at Trout Creek Seventh Day Adventist School (TCAS). In Crew's third year at the school, she has created a learning environment which allows students a hands-on approach to investigating and engineering solutions that cater to a student's academic needs. In that continuation, this year students are learning about space - the main...
Mission West Community Development Partners (MWCDP) hosted a bi-annual meeting with partnering counties last week in Plains. It is the first meeting MCDWP has held under their new and expanded name change. The meeting served as an opportunity to provide regional updates and discuss new funding resources. Jim Thaden, MWCDP Executive Director, told the regional partners that abundant resources are available. “Funding has really opened up because of COVID-19,” Thaden said. “There’s new money coming available to help rural communities.” He said t...
Alongside any artist's work, a unique story of how each piece was crafted, closely follows. The same runs true for a new installation at the Sunflower Art Gallery in Thompson Falls. The birdhouses, as some may have seen sitting on the railing outside the gallery, are made by Ted Lockwood. A native Montanan who grew up in Polson, Lockwood is now a retired Seeley Lake resident. His passion for woodworking has led to the creation of the birdhouses. Each one taking on its only individuality and...
As part of their Armed Forces Initiative, the nonprofit organization Backcountry Hunters & Anglers (BHA) will be hosting a Spring Turkey Dual Skills Camp in Thompson Falls. BHA has partnered with Patrol Base Abbate, a nonprofit organization whose physical patrol base is located in Thompson Falls. The camp will run April 29 to May 2 and according to Morgan Mason, Armed Forces Initiative Coordinator for BHA, he will be bringing 20 veterans from across the country to take part in the skills camp. Mason says he has spent the last three months...
Devanie Mango, Thompson Falls - “Hiking, mountain biking and fishing.” Glenda Morgan, Thompson Falls - “Be outside more and be able to visit more people.” Joy Toelke, Ronan - “Go to the fair.” Kim Toelke, Ronan - “See my grandkids in Walla Walla, that was something I couldn’t do last year.” Irene Borden, Thompson Falls - “We don’t usually do too much in the spring. We’re going to stay in and only go out when we have to.” James Borden, Thompson Falls - “I want to get out and walk more than I did last year....
The question of support continues for Big Sky Passenger Rail Authority (BSPRA) as the consortium of 12 counties pursue restoring passenger rail service across the “Southern Montana Route.” BSPRA convened for their April board meeting to deliberate several items of business which included a discussion amongst board members and rail enthusiasts who were deterred with a recently-released Amtrak study plan. Along with county representatives for the Rail Authority and public, representatives from the offices of Sen. Steve Daines and Sen. John Tester...
A new bookkeeping company has opened in Thompson Falls catering to small businesses, with a focus on nonprofit organizations. Owner Kayla Mosher officially launched Elk Ridge Bookkeeping Services the first of the year. Utilizing QuickBooks Online to handle financial aspects of her client's small businesses and nonprofits, Mosher says the versatility of being able to work online allows her to help anyone, anytime. "Pretty much everyone needs some form of bookkeeping," Mosher said. "For smaller...
Sanders County Commissioners met last week with members of the public and community organizations for a public hearing to assess community needs. The meeting included representatives from Mission West Community Development Partners (MWCDP), Sanders County Community Development Corporation (SCCDC) and Sanders County Community Housing Organization (SCCHO). The public hearing served as an opportunity for MWCDP, the regional lead, to inform the community on the status of funding for programs and projects related to community and economic developmen...
When historical winter storms pummeled Texas in February, the shocking aftermath was felt all-around the country. While Texas is normally known for its heat, the state struggled with handling the storms because of widespread power outages. The state's electricity infrastructure became overwhelmed because of subfreezing temperatures, creating a domino effect causing power failures in every type of power source. When Thompson River Animal Care Shelter (TRACS) operations manager Wanda Thorpe saw...
