South of the Border:A tradition of community gatherings continues in the Sweet Grass Hills

Columnist's note: In the past three weeks two community gatherings were held at Liberty Hall in Whitlash. The Hall is a 103-year old community meeting place, the first building completed when more than a century ago the old town site was abandoned and moved to the current location. The hall was built before a permanent church building, though a congregation was already functioning. Early settlers recognized the need for community-wide gatherings and built a suitable place for them to happen.

Through the years get-togethers included traveling and local musical/dramatic presentations, funerals, weddings, family reunions, school functions ranging from physical education classes to basketball games and graduations. Saturday night dances, attracting participants from both sides of the border, were regularly held until a few years ago. At Liberty Hall during the year my wife and I have lived in Whitlash, there's been a funeral for a matriarch who was a member of the local church (the event anticipated to be beyond the capacity of the church facility) and a government meeting to share results of grazing research with American and Canadian ranchers.

Recently the annual church Bazaar, a fundraiser to help support the Whitlash Church and the Fall Festival, an event after worship described as a "fun time for families," were held. The latter was once a community mainstay staged the end of October. Not held for several years, the Fall Festival was reinstated this past October and well received. Here's a bit of history and information about these two events that continue to help the community stay connected.

Whitlash's newly resurrected Fall Festival and the decades-long running church Bazaar

The Fall Festival was for many years a family event staged around Halloween. The Whitlash Ladies Club, an MSU Extension home demonstration group, sponsored and staged the gathering. Helen Stratton, who lives on a ranch just south of Whitlash, said, "Our ladies club used to do the party for the community every year. We had a potluck meal, then lots of games and treats for the kids. Most everyone, even the adults, came in costumes." Helen said as best she could recall there had not been a Fall Festival for "at least 20 years."

Bringing back the Fall Festival was the idea of Brittani Thompson, a ranch wife near Whitlash and nurse in Cut Bank. She has two pre-school kids and described her motivation as "wanting to do something for the country kids that didn't involve making a trip to town." Brittani grew up in Cut Bank but said she and her husband, Jeff, often described the Family Festival and how much fun it was. Brittani, with help from Jeff and others in the community, organized the event and promoted it all around the Sweet Grass Hills region through churches and other organizations. Despite a nasty turn in the weather, about 30 people showed up for the festival, many in costume. Brittani estimated that "about 60 people would likely have come if the weather had been more cooperative."

This year's Fall Festival was held in Liberty Hall after worship at the church. Congregants and other community visitors enjoyed a BBQ/hot dog lunch, then moved to the 'gym part' of Liberty Hall for games geared for children (pin the spider on the web, ring toss, etc.) to bean bag tosses for the adults. The kids and adults all participated in the cupcake walk. Parents and kids could also visit the craft table and make decorations to take home.

The recent church Bazaar was the 74th year for the annual fundraiser. According to the written history of the Whitlash Presbyterian Church, the Bazaar grew out of a church dinner put together in 1945 by the Young Peoples Group (young adults). The young adults didn't like using Liberty Hall for worship on Sunday morning after the Saturday night dances.

In the 1940's seminary students came each summer to pastor the church. In 1945 John McDowell came from Princeton Seminary. The dinner and resulting Bazaar and livestock program that followed, likely came from McDowell's familiarity with the Lord's Acre Plan (the Plan) that many cash-strapped rural churches had adopted to raise financial support. The Plan provided various means for congregants to pledge proceeds from their farms, ranches and talents to support their local church. Though The Plan waned across the country in the 1970's, many church bazaars, festivals and fundraisers (including the Bazaar at Whitlash) began as part of The Plan.

The Bazaar begins with worship in Liberty Hall, followed by lunch, an auction and opportunity to browse around tables laden with homemade decorative and edible items. During the auction the kids moved up to the stage, behind the curtain, to make holiday decorations to take home.

This year's fundraising suffered a bit because of snow and difficult travel. Still, there was a good turnout of guests from both sides of the border. Organizers said there was about two-thirds of the average number of guests who attended and about half the average funds were raised. In addition to the bad weather, church treasurer Diana Thompson, said, "This year we lost some of our senior church members. They routinely donated major items for the auction and made added donations."

Despite the slight bump in attendance numbers this year, organizers for both events are already making notes for next year. Bazaar organizers are thinking about special ways to celebrate the Diamond Anniversary of the church Bazaar. Brittani Thompson, asked if she was planning a Fall Festival for next year said, "Oh yes, we want to make it an ongoing event again." The need and desire for community gatherings is still alive and well in the Sweet Grass Hills.