Wednesday, May 13

Red Cross blood drives
Florence
5/13/2015: 3 p.m. – 6:30 p.m., Florence-Carlton High School, Florence-Carlton HS, 56902 Old Highway 93
Hamilton
5/21/2015: 11 a.m. – 4:45 p.m., Marcus Daly Hospital, 1200 Westwood Drive
5/26/2015: 11 a.m. – 2:45 p.m., Walgreens Hamilton, 901 North 1st
Victor
5/19/2015: 10:30 a.m. – 3:45 p.m., Victor High School, Victor High School, 425 4th Avenue
Darby
5/27/2015: 2 p.m. – 6:15 p.m., Darby Community Clubhouse, 106 North Main
To donate blood, simply download the American Red Cross Blood Donor App, visit redcrossblood.org or call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767) to make an appointment or for more information. All blood types are needed to ensure a reliable supply for patients. A blood donor card or driver’s license or two other forms of identification are required at check-in. Individuals who are 17 years of age (16 with parental consent in some states), weigh at least 110 pounds and are in generally good health may be eligible to donate blood. High school students and other donors 18 years of age and younger also have to meet certain height and weight requirements.

Stevensville Garden Club
The Stevensville Garden club will hold installation of officers for 2015-2017 on Wednesday, May 13 at 1 p.m. at Community Baptist Church, 409 Buck Street. There will also be a potluck. Bring a dish and join the fun. For info or questions call Linda at 777-4777.

York Rite Masons
The Commandery of the York Rite Masons will have its last meeting of this program year on Wednesday, May 13 at 7:30 p.m. in the Masonic Hall, 115 S. Third, Hamilton. All members and sojourning members are invited and encouraged to attend. Prior to the meeting, at 6:30 p.m. enjoy a pot-luck supper with the ladies. Business for the evening will include the election of 2015-2016 officers and planning for the ladies “thank-you dinner” and, along with families, the observance of Ascension Sunday at the Corvallis United Methodist Church on May 17 at the 10 a.m. service. Grand Sessions to close this program year will be held in Lewistown on June 4-6 at the Yogo Inn.

Thursday, May 14

Women Newcomers Club
If you live in the Bitterroot Valley you have no excuse to be lonely or bored! Check out the Bitterroot Women Newcomers Club and enjoy some of the varied activities that members organize. The club meets the second Thursday of each month at 10 a.m. at the First Christian Church, 328 Fairgrounds Road in Hamilton. The next meeting is Thursday, May 14. Don’t be misled by the name, the club welcomes all residents of the valley, both new and longstanding. Call Valerie Dannels at 360-0770 for more information.

ReSale Center anniversary
Habitat for Humanity of Ravalli County at the ReSale Center, 131 Old Corvallis Road, Hamilton, for the 3rd Anniversary Celebration May 14-15-16 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. There will be special offers, refreshments and more. 100% of the proceeds from the ReSale Center supports Habitat of Humanity of Ravalli county – building houses, building hope.

Adventure talk
There is magic every time you wander off into the natural world: A budding leaf, a falling snowflake. But every once in a while, maybe only once a decade, something extra special occurs. Join Jon Turk on Thursday, May 14 at 7 p.m. at the Bitterroot River Inn, 139 Bitterroot Plaza Drive in Hamilton, in a journey of exploration into those extra special moments and how, together, they frame a wondrous view of the world distilled from his many expeditions all over the world from the tropical Solomon Islands to the Polar Regions of Ellesmere.
Turk received his Ph.D. in chemistry in 1971, and wrote the first environmental science textbook in North America. But he dropped out of academia to kayak around Cape Horn and across the North Pacific, make first ski descents in central Asia, circumnavigate Ellesmere Island, bicycle across the northern Gobi of Mongolia, and climb big walls in the Canadian Arctic. He chronicles his physical and spiritual adventures in three books: “Cold Oceans,” “In the Wake of the Jomon,” and “The Raven’s Gift.”
Co-Sponsored by Bitterroot Cross-Country Ski Club, Bitterroot National Forest (USFS), Bitterroot Public Library, Chapter One Bookstore, Valley Bike and Ski, Friends of the Bitterroot, and Bitterroot Audubon Society, the event is free and open to the public.

Fellowship Club
The Bitterroot Public Library’s Fellowship Club will be meeting on Thursday, May 14 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. to discuss “The Mastery of Love: A Practical Guide to the Art of Relationship” by Don Miguel Ruiz.
This book focuses on the teachings of three Toltec Masteries that are Awareness, Transformation, and Love.
This celebrated author highlights the several misconceptions that are associated with love and the ensuing relationships. He talks about the unreasonable demands and expectations that people associate with love and how it eventually leads them to nothing but pain and suffering. Ruiz argues that happiness can only be found within one’s self. It does not come from the outside. In explaining the foundations of ‘Love’ in the context of the Toltec teachings and traditions, the author shares with us his ideas about the issues that cause disruptions in relationships and how these issues can be resolved.
Elaborating on the dynamics of love, the author argues that, from the Toltec perspective, everything is made of love. Love is Life itself. When we master love, we align with the Spirit of Life passing through us. We are no longer the body or the mind, or the soul; we are Love. Then every action we take is an expression of love that can only produce happiness.
Don Miguel Ruiz is a master of the Toltec mystery school tradition. He is a nagual from the Eagle Knight lineage, dedicated to sharing his knowledge of the teachings of the ancient Toltec. For more than two decades, he has worked with a small group of students and apprentices, guiding them toward their personal freedom.
The Fellowship Club meets every second Thursday of the month in the West Meeting Room of the Bitterroot Public Library and is free and open to anyone seeking to promote individual and collective well being. Call 363-1670, or email jacostant@gmail.com for more information.

Back Country Horsemen
Spring is here and it’s time to hit the trails! Want to ride and make a difference by volunteering to help keep our trails open? If so, come join the SPWBCH. The Selway-Pintler Wilderness Back Country Horsemen’s next meeting will be held on Thursday, May 14 at 6:30 p.m. in the Hamilton Forest Service Building located at 1801 N. 1st St. Entry is in the rear. The SPWBCH is a friendly, hardworking group of volunteers dedicated to preserving the common sense use of horses in the backcountry. Discussions will include summer trail work, scouting rides, pack support and other stock related events. We will also have a guest speaker who will provide information and maps on the Bitterroot National Forest Travel Plan. Guests are always welcome for coffee, cookies and lots of “trail talk.” For more information call Kathy at 821-0921.

Adventure talk
There is magic every time you wander off into the natural world: A budding leaf, a falling snowflake. But every once in a while, maybe only once a decade, something extra special occurs. Join Jon Turk on Thursday, May 14 at 7 p.m. at the Bitterroot River Inn, 139 Bitterroot Plaza Drive in Hamilton, in a journey of exploration into those extra special moments and how, together, they frame a wondrous view of the world distilled from his many expeditions all over the world from the tropical Solomon Islands to the Polar Regions of Ellesmere.
Turk received his Ph.D. in chemistry in 1971, and wrote the first environmental science textbook in North America. But he dropped out of academia to kayak around Cape Horn and across the North Pacific, make first ski descents in central Asia, circumnavigate Ellesmere Island, bicycle across the northern Gobi of Mongolia, and climb big walls in the Canadian Arctic. He chronicles his physical and spiritual adventures in three books: “Cold Oceans,” “In the Wake of the Jomon,” and “The Raven’s Gift.”
Co-Sponsored by Bitterroot Cross-Country Ski Club, Bitterroot National Forest (USFS), Bitterroot Public Library, Chapter One Bookstore, Valley Bike and Ski, Friends of the Bitterroot, and Bitterroot Audubon Society, the event is free and open to the public.

Stevensville Town Council
The Stevensville Town Council will meet Thursday, May 14 at 7 p.m. at the town hall, 206 Buck. Agenda items include possible decision on Resolution No. 311B, Setting Fees for the Stevensville Municipal Pool, possible decision on Stevensville School District Pool Passes, possible decision on Resolution No. 372, A Resolution Relating To Sewer System Revenue Bonds, to name a few.

Lone Rock park board
The Lone Rock Division of the Ravalli County Park Board will meet on Thursday, May 14 at 7 p.m. at the Three Mile Fire House. The public is welcome.

Friday, May 15

North Valley Pachyderm Club
The North Valley Pachyderm Club will meet Friday, May 15 at 12 noon at the Frontier Café, Hwy 93 in Stevensville. Guest speaker will be State Representative Theresa Manzella. The North Valley Pachyderm Club meets the first and third Friday of each month from noon to 1 p.m. and is an educational arm of the Republican Party. All are welcome.

Saturday, May 16

Pull Weeds for Wildlife
Join us for a community weed pull to benefit wildlife. On Saturday, May 16, come out to Lee Metcalf National Wildlife Refuge, just north of Stevensville off the Eastside Hwy, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. to help improve wildlife habitat. This 11th annual free event offers a free lunch and door prizes for participating. Bring water, gloves and be ready for rain or shine. Call by May 14th to register for your free lunch, 777-5552.

Community Baby Shower
A Community Baby Shower for soon-to-be and new moms of kids up to age 3 will be held Saturday, May 16 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at First Baptist Church, 354 Cooper Lane, Hamilton. There will be educational speakers and booths, food, and prizes. This is free to all. For information contact Deena at 406-370-9372 or Lisa at 406-855-0326.

Kids to Parks Day
Montana State Parks (stateparks.mt.gov) is celebrating National Kids to Parks Day with Creepy Crawly Critters, a Trekker Kids program focusing on insects at Travelers’ Rest State Park, 6717 Highway 12 West, Lolo on Saturday, May 16 at 11 a.m. If you’ve ever found an ant crawling on your leg after sitting on the ground, or maybe had a beetle land on your sandwich, you might have thought they were icky or scary. But did you know that most insects are completely harmless and are an important part of our world? Join us for Creepy Crawlies and collect insects in the park, learn how to identify them, and why these crawly critters aren’t so creepy. This event is in celebration of the National Park Trust’s (NPT) National Kids to Parks Day, a nationwide, grassroots movement to help kids discover American’s parks through play. Help a kid you know enjoy the outdoors by taking them to a public park! Suggested donation of $2 per participant per program, or $20 for unlimited series participation. For more information, call Loren Flynn or Kelly Byard at 273-4253.

MAPS Media Festival
The annual MAPS Media festival will be held Saturday, May 16 at the Pharaohplex Theater in Hamilton. Doors open at 11:30 a.m. and the show will start promptly at 12 noon so come early. As always, the show is family friendly and free-of-charge. Among the productions to be screened are design class portfolios, music class videos, the film class’s major movie and two Emmy nominated short documentaries, “Darby Logger Days” and “Darby Rodeo.”

Pest management talk
Integrated Pest Management of Common Garden Pests will be presented on Saturday, May 16 from 10 a.m. to 12 noon at the Western Agriculture Research Center, 580 Quast Lane, Corvallis. MSU Entomologist Laurie Kerzicnik and Missoula County Plant Diagnostician Sandy Perrin will discuss the basics of IPM to manage common garden insect pests including codling moth and aphids. In addition they will discuss how to identify and encourage beneficial insects in your garden. Class is $5, paid at the door. RSVP with the Ravalli County Extension Office at 375-6611.

Public dance
The Rocky Mountain Grange, south of Hamilton on Highway 93, is holding a Summer Kickoff Fundraising Dance on Saturday, May 16 starting at 6:30 p.m. The band is the D’Fenders from Salmon and Cowboy Troy’s will be providing the barbecued pork dinner. Tickets are $13 for a single person and $25 per couple in advance and $15 single and $30 per couple at the door and include dinner. There will be door prizes and a 50-50 drawing. This is a fundraiser to keep the historic Rocky Mountain Grange Hall open and available for events. Tickets can be purchased at the Paper Clip, Gypsy Rose and the Bitterroot Chamber of Commerce office in Hamilton, or call 544-8586.

Public dance
Bitterroot Dancers, Inc. will hold a public dance on Saturday, May 16 from 7 to 11 p.m. at the Bedford Building, with music by “The Revelators.” Admission is $8 per person. A no host bar is available.

Sunday, May 17

Center for Spiritual Living
The Center for Spiritual Living hosts Lynne McCormick presenting “The Art Of Allowing” on Sunday, May 17 at 10 a.m. Lynne is active with inclusive spiritual communities in Bozeman. Special music with Lynne McCormick and LeGrande Harvey. Refreshments and lively conversation follow at 11:15. Come early for Meditation at 9:30 a.m. The Center for Spiritual Living is located at 1720 N. First Street, Suite C in Selway Commons, north of Sears in Hamilton. For further information call Dave at 381-2355 or visit CSLbitterroot.org.

Golden Age dinner/dance
On Sunday, May 17, Hamilton Golden Age Club volunteers will serve a meatloaf dinner with potatoes, gravy, vegetable, salad, rolls, pie for dessert and coffee. Dinner will be served at 1 p.m. Dancing will follow dinner at about 2 p.m. and continue until 4 p.m. Dance music will be by The Jammers, a group of volunteer musicians. Admission for the dinner-dance is $6.00 per person. Reservations are helpful for food preparation. Call Bob at 363-0142 to be assured of a dinner. Proceeds from these activities will help repair the leaky roof on the hall. The Golden Age Club hall, the old Jefferson School Gymnasium, is located at 727 South 5th Street in Hamilton. Make plans now to attend the Sunday dinner and dance for good food, good dance music and good fun.

Monday, May 18

Stevi school menu
Monday: Breakfast – Pancakes or yogurt, fruit, toast, milk; Lunch- Pizza, peas & carrots, pineapple, bread & butter, milk
Tuesday: Breakfast – Muffins or yogurt, fruit, toast, milk; Lunch – Taco salad, chips & salsa, oranges, bread & butter, milk
Wednesday: Breakfast – Cereal or yogurt, fruit, toast, milk; Lunch – Tuna Salad sandwich, taters, strawberry cups, bread & butter, milk
Thursday: Breakfast – French toast or yogurt, fruit, toast, milk; Lunch – Spaghetti, tossed salad, grapes, bread & butter, milk
Friday: Breakfast – Scrambled eggs or yogurt, fruit, toast, milk; Lunch – Chicken tenders, corn, mixed fruit, bread & butter, milk

Rotary Club
Chris Bryant of the Nature Conservancy will be the speaker for the next meeting of the Hamilton Rotary Club on Monday May 18 at 12 noon at BJ’s Restaurant, 900 N. 1st Street, Hamilton. The meeting is open to the public. For further information call 363-2960.

Native Bee Pollinator Workshops
Two workshops on gardening for pollinators will be held Monday, May 18 at the visitors center at Lee Metcalf National Wildlife Refuge in Stevensville. A workshop for homeschoolers and 4H kids will be held from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. and another will be held from 7 to 9 p.m. for adults. Presenter Leah Grunzke will give a slide show of flowers and native bee pollinators and talk about the basics of pollinator gardening and habitat requirements (what types of flowers attract different native pollinators, planting suggestions), the life cycle of native bees and how they differ from honeybees (in terms of biology, nesting, pollination, beekeeping, etc), and the specifics of building a variety of native bee nesting houses with handouts and a variety of bee hotels on display. Grunzke will also bring some mounted bees and some field microscopes to let people get a really good look at some of our common species. There will be free booklets on bee identification available. The workshops are sponsored by Sustainable Living Systems in partnership with the Bitterroot Audubon Society. For information call Jill at 642-3601.

Audubon
Bitterroot Audubon in partnership with Sustainable Living Systems invites you to their May meeting to learn from botanist Leah Grunzke about some of the hundreds of native bee species in our area and discuss what we can do to help their populations thrive. Leah will guide participants through a close examination of some of western Montana’s major native bee species. Learn how to cultivate healthy pollinator habitat in our own backyards, including garden plant selection and options for building nesting sites. There will be a variety of native bee houses on display, as well as mounted insect collections to help hone our identification skills. Come join Bitterroot Audubon and Sustainable Living Systems on Monday, May 18 at 7 p.m. at the Visitors’ Center at Lee Metcalf National Wildlife Refuge on Wildfowl Lane north of Stevensville. The public is invited. Contact Kay Fulton, 642-3794, for more information.

Tuesday, May 19

RCEDA
Ravalli County Economic Development Authority will hold its regular monthly Finance Committee meeting on Tuesday, May 19 from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. and the regular monthly meeting of the Board of Commissioners on Wednesday, May 20 from 3 to 5 p.m. Both meetings will be held at the RCEDA office, 274 Old Corvallis Road, Hamilton. The meetings are open to the public.