Independently owned since 1905
Independently owned since 1905
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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...
Come and get a good laugh at the Rex Community Theater as they host their first live stand-up comedy night. Kaiser Leib, Thomas Blake and Aaron Woodall with 302Comedy will be bringing big laughs to the small town of Thompson Falls Saturday, October 9, at 7:30 p.m. When 302Comedy approached the Rex Theater to bring their live performance to rural parts of Montana, it was perfect timing because the theater has been wanting to test the waters with a stand-up comedy night. “Ticket sales have been steady and will be available at the door as w...
Doug Padden, Thompson Falls Junior High science teacher, spent last Thursday with his classes outsidemaking fresh apple juice with a rebuilt apple press. "We've got apple pickers, loaders and pressers," Padden said. "Everyone has a job." Students used a combination of Macintosh and Red Delicious apples to press Thursday afternoon and were able to enjoy the fruits of their labor after the job was done....
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...
4 YEARS AGO SEPTEMBER 17, 1981 COMPUTERS INTRODUCED IN HIGH SCHOOL The three R’s, readin’, riting and ‘rithmetic are still important at Thompson Falls High School, but a class has been added this year that teaches the R’s of another basic educational system. The random access, readout and restore signals of computer programming. Thompson Falls has invested $5,100 into the Apple II Plus micro computer system which features two keyboards that can adequately serve a class of nine students. Math instructor MaryJo McCoy is advising and organiz...
Claire Lakko, Plains - “I would want a Chick-Fil-A here because that’s my favorite fast food restaurant, and it’s the best place ever.” Kim Lakko, Plains - “I wish we had a small YMCA for families to have more activities and sports to participate in the evenings.” Taylor Huntsman, Thompson Falls - “Eye care is a big one, and either a Wal-Mart or a store that gets more product in that is not being limited by distributors.” Leah Vega, Thompson Falls - “I would like to see ENT (ear, nose and throat) specialists and vision would be excellent.” Li...
Every year, National 4-H Week sees millions of youth, parents, volunteers and alumni come together to celebrate the many positive youth development opportunities offered by 4-H. The theme for this year’s National 4-H Week, FindYourSpark, is a campaign that was created by National 4-H Council to rally support for 4-H and identify solutions to eliminate the opportunity gap that affects 55 million kids across America. Sanders County 4-H will observe National 4-H Week this year by highlighting some of the inspirational 4-H youth in our community w...
As bears and other wildlife move closer into town and hunting season gears up, encounters with dangerous animals are going to become more commonplace. Just recently a mountain lion was killed outside of Thompson Falls and a family of bears was seen ambling through town. It is important to stay “bear aware” and to know how to protect oneself from these animals in an environment like that of northwestern Montana. Right now, bears are preparing for winter hibernation and need to put on as many cal...
The wilderness of Sanders County is transitioning with the colors of the change in seasons. A hike to Mount Bushnell near Thompson Falls of fall foliage and big skies. At the top is the base of the old lookout, which was destroyed in 1958 (below left). Plants from huckleberry bushes to pinedrops (below right) present brilliant shades of reds, yellows and greens against the sprawling landscape....
If you are looking for a meal crafted with fresh, locally sourced ingredients giving that highly sought-after farm-to-table quality; look no further than The Foxhole Eatery. Located in Hot Springs, the new business opened in June of this year and hit the ground running. Staying true to her values, owner Heather Piper opened her business with the goal of finding ingredients for her dishes close to home. "We source our products as local as possible," Piper said. "We start with what we can get in...
DIARY OF BESSIE FULLER REEDER Unedited excerpt from her diary regarding the trip from Hamilton, Montana to Whitepine By the spring of 1901 the folks decided they did not care to stay in Hamilton. Uncle Mark and family had gone on to Whitepine and had written to the folks and told them there was a lot of vacant land around Whitepine. My dad decided to go down there and look around. The land was covered with timber from which they could make a living. About the fourth of July we loaded up our things and started for Whitepine, cow, calf, an old...
ROBBI GASCON, Thompson Falls - “Quinn’s Hot Springs Resort because they have amazing food!” NATE NORRIS, Columbus, Ohio - “The Butcher’s Nook. I like their burgers and I like their breakfast sandwiches. High quality food.” WALKER MOREFIELD, Thompson Falls - “The Wayside Bar. They have really good burgers and fries and just a lot of good food.” TYREL WORTLEY, Trout Creek - “The Lakeside restaurant there in Trout Creek and the Farmhouse Cafe in Plains. The one I like in Trout Creek is mainly because the huckleberry shakes, and the one in Plains...
Belle Cooper and Caleb LeForce were married July 4, 2021, at Belknap, Montana, on the bride's family's ranch. The ceremony was officiated by Doug Shear. Belle is the daughter of Curt and Lindy Cooper and the granddaughter of Doug and Janet Shear and Doug and Lori Cooper. Caleb is the son of Clint and Julie LeForce and the grandson of Jimmy and Carol LeForce and Linda and Scott Butler. The newlyweds plan to stay in Thompson Falls....
An unsuspecting bee fly heading for pollen gets grabbed by what appears to be a jagged ambush bug or possibly a leaf-footed bug, according to Lauren Kerzicnik, a Montana State University extension specialist, with an M.S. and a Ph.D. in entomology. The bee was about to land at a flower when the predator insect nabbed it, pulled it in, then turned it upside down for the kill....
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...
LOOKING BACK By Orin P. Kendall I am sure that there is no record as to who made the first trip through Sanders County by automobile but I can imagine that the person who made it didn’t forget it for a long time. What is now Highway 200 was at one time Montana 3 and later Alternate 10 but for many years it was just a series of roads connecting the towns. The highway roughly parallels the old Kootenai Trail used by the Salish Indians and the early trappers and traders for many years. There is very little of old Montana 3 that is a part of 200 t...
KATHLEEN BLAIR, Thompson Falls - “I think they won’t remember. It is easy to forget, especially if there are no consequences. Since 9/11 happened 20 years ago, the next generation wasn’t even born. Unless something personal happened then I think they won’t remember.” TANA STOPS-RYDER, Trout Creek - “I believe they will remember because of history books, documentaries and the stories that we tell our children.” CHUCK LOUCKS, Plains - “It depends on how our kids are taught regarding the 9/11 incident. Are they going to be taught the truth about...
The Thompson Falls Woman’s Club is gearing up for their annual Pinochle Marathon, which raises funds to support the group’s scholarship program. In the 2020-2021 marathon, which ended in June, 22 players competed on 14 teams, with June Smith and Kay Shanley’s total score of 34,220 taking the top prize. Jo Moore and Letty Marich finished in second with 33,520 points. “Although the funds generated from this year’s marathon were low,” said Lorri Renard with the Woman’s Club, “due to the generosity and response from members of the community, thre...
It's unknown how many people attended the Sanders County Fair last week because there is no general entry fee, but fair manager Melissa Cady estimated that around 20,000 people walked the grounds over the four days - and that could be a record. "We had a great turnout, lots of people. Vendors said they've sold more this year than the last three years. It's been an excellent year. We will see everyone in 2022," she said. The Sanders County Concessions Group, a nonprofit organization, had only thr...
Montana archery season opened Saturday and will run through October 17. After that, the general season will open on Oct. 23 and last until Nov. 28. With that early window for archery, many hunters will try to take advantage of the lower trafficked hunting areas and a time when the animals are less spooked. One such person is Chad Sivertsen of Thompson Falls, who has been hunting with a bow for over 50 years and doing so in a primitive style for half that time. Sivertsen makes his own equipment...
16 YEARS AGO • 1924 THOMPSON FALLS BOASTS OF MODERN SCHOOL, NEW BUILDINGS Keeping abreast of modern school procedure, the people of Thompson Falls and vicinity under the leadership of trustees A.S. Ainsworth, J.W. Frisbie and Dr. A.W. Rew have enlarged their school plant and have enriched their school program. We have today one of the largest and best public school dormitories in the state, erected in the summer of 1922 at a cost of over $50,000 for building and equipment. The buildings of t...
LADONNA CULBERT, Kalispell - “Getting in for free. It’s a very relaxing setting and they provide plenty of shade and good food.” RACHEL OWENS, Kalispell - “The different kinds of people. People watching is my favorite.” MIKE OWENS, Kalispell - “Getting together with friends.” VANESSA HORNER, Noxon - “My favorite part is doing all the interviews and showing my rabbits.” BRIANNA HORNER, Noxon - “Coming back this year and being able to talk and meet more people.” MELODIE COOK, Plains - “Coming back and working on the projects this year....
The Sanders County Fair bull riding competition drew loud cheers as the mighty beasts tossed their temporary riders like dolls, but this year the crowd's cheers weren't just for the professionals. A group of amateurs decided to take part in one of the most perilous sports in America. And perhaps the loudest ovations were for the three Plains men who thought they could possibly hang on for more than just a few seconds. Tanner Ovitt, Austin Stafford and Bryce Henning paid the $50 entry fee to...
Auctioneer Kevin Hill likes to keep it light and joke with the youth at the Sanders County 4-H Market Stock Sale, but the tide was turned when Hot Springs Wrangler Aubrey Tulloch entered the arena with her angus and told a joke about an auctioneer losing his marbles. The 16-year-old Tulloch has been a 4-H member for six years, including one with the South Side Sparks. She said she looked up auctioneer jokes on the internet before the sale. Her joke drew a big applause from the nearly 200...
Crowds gathered Sunday night at the Sanders County Fairgrounds in Plains as the demolition derby returned after last year's cancellation due to COVID-19. Drivers from Montana, Idaho, North Dakota and Washington put on a show for the sold-out event over Labor Day Weekend. Fair Manager Melissa Cady said out of 65 drivers who signed up to compete, 34 showed up to participate in Sunday evening's event. While the derby has proven to be a favorite every year, this year, the event sold out at 3,929...
