We've Got The County Covered
We've Got The County Covered
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Last Sunday the Bike and Build cyclists riding the cross-country bike route that follows along the Canadian border, arrived in Chinook. The group left Malta around 7:30 am and with a helpful tailwind were in Chinook shortly after noon. One tall, lanky rider said, "I clocked myself at 40mph, with the level terrain and tailwind that was a record speed for me." The 36 twenty-somethings are 61 days and 3000 miles into their 81-day trip that raises money and awareness for affordable housing. They...
It's been more than a quarter of a century since the Blaine County Museum created a single post card picturing downtown Chinook. Blaine County Museum Director Jude Sheppard said, "The post card was so dated that I was embarrassed that one old card was all I had to offer visitors who were looking for post cards of the town." She got Steve Helmbrecht, of Helmbrecht Studios in Havre, to take five new shots of recognizable points around Chinook. The photo on the prior post card was taken downtown,...
Reporter's note: I've heard people around Chinook talk about "the turkey vultures on the new water tower." I've even noticed the black specks perched on the railing along the catwalk around the tank. A couple of weeks ago Kelsey Harry, the Assistant Librarian at the Blaine County Library said, "Have you ever thought about writing a story about the turkey vultures? I've recently gotten interested in them and they are fascinating birds." That reminded me that I did want to learn more about the...
The story of Harlem native Bob Ragsdale's career as a professional rodeo cowboy was covered in the June 28th issue of the "Blaine County Journal." Ragsdale had just been nominated for induction in to the Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame in Colorado Springs. Last week the official induction ceremony was completed. One of his daughters, Cathy Watkins, shared some photos from the ceremony. She wrote in a note with the photos, "It was an amazing induction ceremony. There was a lot of family that drove and...
Just before last summer’s county fair began, the Blaine County Fair Board rolled out a new idea to create some greenspace at the fairgrounds. Speaking generally about the new Memory Lane, board member Dale Williams said, “The idea is to have a way for folks to plant a tree in honor or memory of a loved one.” During the 2017 fair a map of the fairgrounds was posted showing proposed locations for the trees. Debbie Ramberg has worked in the open exhibits for several years at the fair and was the Fair Manager’s Assistant this year. She got interes...
A rangeland monitoring workshop and electric fence demonstration was recently held at the Kleinjan Ranch west of Chinook. The focus was on techniques for monitoring the results of managed intensive grazing (MIG). MIG describes grazing techniques that utilize repeat periods of grazing and rest among multiple paddocks or pastures. The program was sponsored by the Blaine County Conservation District. Rancher Dennis Kleinjan has been using intensive grazing for about six years, but admitted,...
Loaves and Fishes, the summer program in Chinook for feeding local children, hosted the Chinook Chamber's monthly Business After Hours last Thursday evening at Wallner Hall. It was a time to celebrate a successful summer, enjoy some fellowship and food and learn a bit about how Loaves and Fishes ministers to local children. This was the seventh summer for the ecumenical program supported with volunteer help and donations of food and cash for the meal provided four days a week. Program...
Each year, usually sometime during the summer months, the First Bank of Montana in Chinook hosts a community event to thank existing customers and invite new accounts. This year the First Bank division, which includes Glacier Bank's facilities in Chinook and Lewistown, held a 'brand celebration.' Per Craig Lowham, Chinook Branch Manager, "The brand celebration was a chance for the community to display and showcase their brands while we shared First Bank's brand of banking." Lowham said, "At our...
Reporter's note: My wife and I moved to Chinook about four years ago and ever since on most weekdays I've shared early morning coffee with Art Kleinjan, and others, at the Chinook Senior Center. Art is an active member of St. Gabriel's Catholic Church, having served on the church council over the years. About a month ago Art told me, "You might be surprised to know I was first baptized a Presbyterian." He went on to tell about a Presbyterian minister, from Stanford, who came a couple of summers...
Montana's sole U.S. Representative, Greg Gianforte, made a stop in Chinook last week as part of his listening tour of the Treasure State. He was fulfilling the campaign promise he made during the special election in May to tour the state and listen to constituents' concerns. During his time in north central Montana he visited several locations along the Hi-line. Gianforte was accompanied by Evan Wilson, the congressman's Western Regional Director located in Great Falls, and Misty Kuhl, the...
Reporter's note: Like most readers, I seldom have taken time to visit the sites connected to the Missouri River in and around Great Falls. A trip to the Electric City usually is hurried with rushing to make an appointment or meeting, then another dash to run a few errands in the city and, finally, head for home. Recently my wife and I spent a couple of days in Great Falls. During our stay, and particularly after the medical appointments were completed, we forced ourselves to take some time to se...
Chinook Chapter Number 8 of Ikebana International held a 60th anniversary celebration commemorating the chapters organizing in 1957. For readers not familiar with Ikebana, it's a form of flower arranging that first appeared in Japan in the 6th century when Buddhism came to the country. The Chinook chapter, which also includes members from other towns along the Hi-Line, is of the Sogetsu School of Ikebana, a less restrictive form of plant and flower arranging that advocates enjoying Ikebana arran...
Reporter's note: A couple of weeks ago, while reporting on sports camps sponsored by Montana Indian Ministries, I learned about the Ministry's Rodeo Bible Camp. The camp, also a day camp, is held at Wasay Wakpa Arena in Lodge Pole. I called Montana Indian Ministries' founder and president, Pastor Bruce Plummer, and asked if I could visit the rodeo camp and learn about its purpose and how it works. He invited me to come for a visit. I learned that Pastor Plummer, and his wife Sande, have been doi...
Lynn Phillips became the new director of the Chinook Food Pantry in mid-July. Phillips, a relative newcomer to the area, takes over from Jeanne Dalton who served as director from January, 2016 to June of this year. Dalton moved back to California to live near her daughter. Phillips becomes the third director of the Pantry. Amelia Funk served as the first and only director from 2000 until the end of 2015, when Dalton took over. In 1998 the Chinook Ministerial Association, a group made up of the...
Reporter's note: Readers would have been hard pressed to miss the coverage of the recent July Fire that burned 11,000+ in the Little Rockies near Zortman and Landusky. The fire was discovered on Monday, July 3 and by the evening of July 4 it was estimated to have burned 1700 acres. Various fire fighting agencies began a major attack to control and contain the fire. Finally, on Saturday, July 15, the Western Montana Type II Interagency Incident Management Team (IMT) declared the fire "90% contain...
Reporter's note: Late June my wife and I drove to Washington state for our twin grandkids' high school graduation. We stayed with friends who live in Warm Beach, a residential community north of Seattle along Port Susan. Port Susan is a bay connecting, eventually, to Puget Sound and the Pacific Ocean. Warm Beach was a great area to walk, especially in the early summer, with lots of giant evergreens, blooming flowers of every sort, spectacular views of the bay and some challenging hills to get...
During the past two weeks, with unusually prolonged, hot temperatures, there have been a couple of infrastructure failures that caused water woes in Blaine County. The St. Mary Diversion is part of a system that moves water that ultimately ends up in the Milk River. About two weeks ago a small leak was discovered in one of two siphons in that system. Bureau of Reclamation officials are monitoring the leak and are hopeful repairs can be postponed until later in the year. Last week, a break in an...
Reporter's note: Readers would have to be totally oblivious to their surroundings on Highway 2 this time of year not to notice a number of people on bicycles loaded with camping and travel gear. Most are heading east along a route that takes riders through this part of the upper Midwest-often called the "northern tier route." It's not unusual, in these summer months, to see a couple of cyclists eating ice cream outside a local shop, buying groceries or other items at the store or quick stop and...
In late June the Montana Department of Transportation (MDT) issued a notice describing its plans to “repair/replace up to 37 culverts spanning about 24 miles of U.S Highway 2 east of Chinook in Blaine County.” The area of roadway involved begins at mile marker 404.0, just east of Chinook, and extends for 23.9 miles to marker 427.9, near the Milk River Bridge north of Fort Belknap. Greg Jergeson, a commissioner on the Montana Transportation Commission representing District 3 (an area from Phillips to Glacier County and south, including Gre...
The 2017 Blaine County Fair is history. In many ways weather was the 'fair story' with hotter than normal temps, a couple of days of serious wind, a "crash bang" storm with very little rain as a result, then one more relatively cooler day with a mild breeze, but still with temperatures in the mid-90's. Don Richman, Fair Board Chairman, described this year's edition of the fair as "the best ever!" It was a year of several new features, a return of many old favorites and some expressions of new...
A typical warm and somewhat breezy July 4th made for good conditions for several local celebrations around Blaine County. There were family gatherings as well as more organized community-based events. In Chinook at mid-morning of the 4th, the 71st edition of the July 4th Races, put on by the VFW, did not disappoint. There was a good turnout as youngsters, and oldsters, battled for prize money and bragging rights. Local VFW Commander Ray Reid said he was pleased with the turnout and the weather....
A week before the Blaine County Fair kicked off, two 12 by 24 feet electronic sign boards were delivered and set up at each end of Chinook on Highway 2 (believe me, they are hard to miss). The signs are provided through support from the two Diamond level businesses that support the fair-Triple T Sales and Shipwheel Cattle Company. John Skoyen, Fair Board member who first floated the idea of using the signs, said, "This year we'll be using the signs to recognize the businesses and individuals who...
The 2017 edition of the Blaine County Fair opens today and runs this Wednesday through Sunday (July 16). The Kids' Rodeo kicks thing off, literally, at 5 pm at the grandstand arena at the fairgrounds. Other events fill virtually every day and evening until the final hurrah at 5 pm, on Sunday, with the Pig Wrestling event in front of the grandstand. Don Richman, Chairman of the Fair Board, said he believes, "This will be the biggest and best fair in several years." Citing the return of Cale...
The first weekend in July Fr. Felix Nayak celebrated mass with three congregations he served after first arriving in Montana from Orissa, India in June, 2012. He conducted mass at St. Gabriel's in Chinook, St. Thomas the Apostle in Harlem and St. Thomas Aquinas in Hogeland. They were his second good-bye masses as he had said his good-byes last September when he moved to Malta to take on new responsibilities at St. Paul's in Hays, St. Thomas in Lodge Pole and Sacred Heart at the Agency. In...
Reporter's note. During the Fourth of July parade in Harlem I saw several folks handing out candy that I had never seen before. One of them, offering my wife a piece of candy, said something about a sports camp for kids. With no kids still camper age, we didn't really connect to what she was telling us. After the parade we ran into the same lady at the Harlem Senior Center. We began talking and we learned she was with a group of people doing soccer camps in Harlem, Hays and at the Agency. There...
