Emergency Fund
Florence Civic Club’s Community Emergency Fund is here to help! The fund has money available to help victims of the Roaring Lion Fire. All funds will be dispersed according to need, deadline for request is January 15, 2017. To submit a request: email Kimmaclay@lambrosers.com or call Ann at 403-6491. For immediate help call Pantry Partners in Stevensville.
AARP Taxaide volunteers needed
AARP Taxaide, the largest volunteer income tax assistance and preparation service, is seeking volunteers in the Stevensville and Hamilton areas. This program provides free income tax assistance to seniors and low/moderate income individuals. Volunteers of all ages and backgrounds are welcome. You do not need to be a member of AARP to participate in this program. Volunteers will receive free training with emphasis on electronic filing. Upon completion of training volunteer will become IRS certified counselors. Training for these positions will be held in Hamilton, at the Council on Aging sometime in January. For further information call Franz at 248-3855, or Jim Humphreys 375-5478.
Wednesday, January 11
Zen Buddhism
A class on Zen Buddhism will be held Wednesday, January 11 (ongoing on 2nd and 4th Wednesdays) from6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at The Center for Spiritual Living, 1720 N. First Street, Suite C in Selway Commons, north of Sears in Hamilton. Over the past year, this group has studied the basic sutras of the Buddha as translated by Thich Nhat Hanh, and now will listen to talks by various Buddhist teachers, starting with Anam Thubten, author of “No Self, No Problem” and “The Magic of Awareness”. Listen, discuss, and then sit in meditation for a time. Discussion is led by Jill Davies (642-3601). By donation. For more information visit CSLBitterroot.org.
Thursday, January 12
Lone Rock park board
The Lone Rock division of the Ravalli County Park Board will meet Thursday, January 12 at 7 a.m. at the Three Mile Fire Hall. The public is welcome.
Women Newcomers Club
Are you new to the Bitterroot Valley? Have you been here for a while and would just like to meet new people? If so, the Bitterroot Women’s Newcomers Club welcomes you to its next meeting, Thursday, January 12 from 10 a.m. until 12 noon at the First Christian Church, 328 Fairgrounds Road in Hamilton. Guest speaker will be a fitness expert. After the meeting there will be a no host luncheon at The Edge. For more information call Deb Tennant at 503-871-9249.
Healthy Weight Matters class
Join April Weinberger, MD of Corvallis Family Medicine on Thursday, January 12 from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. for the Healthy Weight Matters class at Marcus Daly Memorial Hospital in conference rooms Blodgett and Canyon View. This class is sure to help you start the New Year off with clean and health eating habits. You will learn ways to manage your weight and diabetes with tips on meal planning, savory and smart recipes and curbing the cravings. In addition, you will leave with a few new recipes! Learn new ways to enhance your eating habits and take control of your health. For information about upcoming classes visit mdmh.org/hes or call 363-2211.
Selway-Pintler Wilderness BCH
Selway-Pintler Wilderness Back Country Horsemen will meet Thursday, January 12 at 6:30 p.m. at the Bitterroot National Forest building, 1801 N. 1st (use west entrance), Hamilton. Members will be talking about trails and dreams of warmer weather and summer projects. Coffee, snacks and camaraderie provided. Call Mike at 777-4383 for more information.
Stevensville Town Council
The Stevensville Town Council will meet Thursday, January 12 at the Town Hall, 206 Buck. Agenda items include discussion/decision on Park Board recommendation regarding Roy Capp’s proposed River Park land swap, Council consent to Mayor’s appointment of Town Finance/Human Resource Officer, as well as board appointments, among other things.
Fellowship Club
The Bitterroot Public Library’s Fellowship Club will be meeting on Thursday, January 12 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. to discuss the book “Treat Yourself to Life” by Dr. Raymond Charles Barker.
This inspiring book is an acknowledged classic in the field of using one’s own natural resources for health, prosperity, happy relationships and creative expression of talents.
It teaches how to improve conditions in these and all other areas of living by means of a technique known as Mind Treatment. Mind Treatment is easily practiced by oneself, and with immediate, often startling results. As such it is a magnet for all the good things in life. Barker defines treatment as the use of your conscious mind to select what you want, and next directing your subconscious mind to bring this into objective experience. Treat Yourself to Life has been adopted by individuals and groups for over forty years as a sure guide to saner, happier, richer living.
Dr. Raymond Charles Barker (1911-1988) is the author of many books that have become classics of motivation and powerful living, the most noted perhaps being The Science of Successful Living. Well known throughout the New Thought movement for his writings and lectures, Dr. Barker has spoken in major cities in the US, Europe and South Africa.
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.
Hamilton Masons
Hamilton Masonic Ionic Lodge #38 will hold the monthly Stated Communications Meeting on Thursday, January 12 at the Lodge, 115 S 3rd Street, Hamilton, for the discussion of business that regularly comes before the Lodge. The Stated Communications will be opened on the Master Mason’s Degree, Entered Apprentice Degree or Fellow Craft Degree if a Brother(s) of these Degrees are present. A light meal will be served in the Lodge dining hall at 6:30 p.m. with the Stated Communications meeting to begin promptly at 7:30 p.m. Sojourners (visiting Brothers) will be provided assistance if their Masonic work is a little rusty. For further information contact Rick Laible, (406) 531-4456, ricklaible@aol.com.
Cross Country Ski Club
Barb and Bob Schumaker will present a slide show on their cross country ski trip to a Yurt camp in Yellowstone in winter on Thursday, January 12 at 7 p.m. at the First Presbyterian Churh, 1220 W. Main Street, Hamilton. The Yurt Camp (elevation 8,000 feet) is located in a small meadow surrounded by a pine forest, only one-half mile from the Grand Canyon and Falls of the Yellowstone River. The Yellowstone Skier’s Yurt Camp is accessed by a 40-mile snow coach shuttle from West Yellowstone. Come and enjoy the beauty of Yellowstone National Park in the winter. The public is welcome.
Friday, January 13
Bitterroot Baroque
Bitterroot Baroque will be performing in concert on Friday, January 13 at 7:30 p.m. at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Hamilton.
San Francisco’s Musica Pacifica, now in its 25th year, is touring with a special program of Baroque Italian music from Naples, featuring rarely performed chamber concertos for recorder, two violins and continuo. Tickets available at Chapter One and at the door.
Bitterroot Baroque plans to continue the season with another grand presentation of a major Bach work, his “Passion According to St. John,” again with period instruments and musicians from all over the country, in Missoula’s St. Francis Xavier Church on March 31 at 7:30 p.m. For more information call (314) 852-5099 or visit www.bitterrootbaroque.org.
Saturday, January 14
Pancake breakfast
The Florence Fire Department will hold a Free Pancake Breakfast on Saturday, January 14 from 8 a.m. to 12 noon at the Florence Fire Station on Holloway Lane (behind Town Pump). Fresh pancakes, eggs, bacon and sausage will be served. All are welcome.
Sled Dog Races
The Montana Mountain Mushers and Bitterroot Mushers will hold the 10th Annual Darby Dog Derby Sled Dog Race January 14-15 at Lost Trail Pass/Gibbons Pass Road (#1260). Skijor races begin at 9:30 a.m. and dog teams at 10:30 a.m. both days. Races include 8-dog, 6-dog, 4-dog and 2-dog junior and senior categories. A peewee race will be held Saturday for children 4-10 following the conclusion of the races (about 2 p.m.). $5/child, dogs and sled provided for the first 10 entrants, pre-register to ensure your child gets to race. For more information visit www.bitterrootmushers.org or email: bitterrootmushers@hotmail.com.
‘Beeginner’ beekeeping class
Are you fascinated by the honey bee and its role in our environment? Have you considered providing a safe, stable home for these amazing creatures so they might pollinate plants in your neighborhood? If you’re lucky and your bees survive and thrive and produce more than enough honey to survive the long winter, would you like to harvest some of the excess honey to share with family and friends? If you honestly answered “yes” to any of those questions, plan to attend a class presented by Beekeepers of the Bitterroot on Saturday, January 14 from 8:45 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at the Hamilton Assembly of God Church, 601 W. Main, Hamilton for an overview of the fascinating and complex world of bees and beekeeping. Topics include: the fascinating biology of the bee, ordering bees, recognizing and treating bee diseases, feeding bees, purchasing the required equipment, and performing hive inspections. The course includes morning lectures and an afternoon of mini-sessions and hands-on activities.
Cost is $15 and includes lunch. Space is limited to the first 50 people to register. Reservations are required. Register at
www.beekeepersofthebitterroot.org or call 406-529-9174 to reserve your spot by Thursday Jan. 12th.
Approximately how much does it cost to get started??
- $55 per family (smoker, hive tool, bee brush)
- $100 per protected person (full suit, gloves)
- $175 per hive (4@ unassembled boxes with frames, foundation, etc.)
- $130 per hive (1@ queen and 2-3 lbs. live worker bees)
- $25 per year (Bee club membership for advice, equip.)
- Total: $485
Salish Story Telling
Tony Incashola, Director, Salish-Pend d’Oreille Culture Committee, will tell Salish Winter Stories on Saturday, January 14 at 1:30 p.m. Expect to be entertained and enlightened about the very long cultural history of the Bitterroot Salish in the valley before the Jesuits and settlers arrived. These stories may only be told in winter when the weather keeps us inside. The stories are passed down from generation to generation in an oral history. Stories may include how local landmarks (such as Sleeping Child Hot Springs) got their names, coyote trickster and Salish creation stories.
The talk will be held at River Street Dance Theater, on the corner of River Street and North Second Street in Hamilton, and is free to all. Each year the event has had a larger audience, with 150 people attending in 2016. Salish Story Telling is sponsored by the local non-profit group, Sleeping Child Hot Springs for All, with a grant from Humanities Montana. Free tea, coffee and juice will be offered.
For more information visit the Facebook page: Sleeping Child Hot Springs for all, email schsfa@gmail.com or call Dorinda Troutman at 363-1806.
Square Dance Club
Boots & Calico Square Dance Club is having Ray Dunbar calling a dance on Saturday, January 14. Don Scheline will be providing the Round Dance music. The evening starts with a half hour of Plus level dancing at 7 p.m., followed by a Mainstream dance until 9:30 p.m. The dance will be at the Golden Age Center, 5th & Main Streets in Hamilton. Spectators always welcome!
Sunday, January 15
Center for Spiritual Living
“Higher Intentions With Higher Values” will be presented by Jon Bradbury, a CSL Licensed Spiritual Practitioner and charter member of CSL Bitterroot. He will invite you to move forward with your best intentions and core values in the new year on Sunday, January 15 at 10 a.m. at the Center for Spiritual Living, 1720 N. 1st Street, Suite C in Selway Commons, north of Sears in Hamilton. Meditation is at 9:30 a.m. Refreshments and meaningful conversation follow at 11:15 a.m. For further information call Dave 381-2355 or visit CSLbitterroot.org.
Monday, January 16
Stevi school menu
Monday: Breakfast – Pancakes or yogurt, fruit, toast, milk; Lunch – Beef Steaks, mashed potatoes & gravy, peaches, bread & butter, milk
Tuesday: Breakfast – Cinnamon Rolls or yogurt, fruit, toast, milk; Lunch – Chicken Fajitas with lettuce & salsa, Spanish rice, apples, bread & butter, milk
Wednesday: Breakfast – Cereal or yogurt, fruit, toast, milk; Lunch – Pulled Pork Sandwich, taters, applesauce, bread & butter, milk
Thursday: Breakfast – French Toast or yogurt, fruit, toast, milk; Lunch – Chili with crackers, fresh carrots & ranch dressing, bananas, bread & butter, milk
Friday: Breakfast – Egg Wraps or yogurt, fruit, toast, milk; Lunch – Corn Dogs, baked beans, Mandarin oranges, bread & butter, milk.
Rotary Club
Hamilton Rotary Club meetings in January will focus on historical events in the Bitterroot. Thomas Heuther, Rotary Club member and local Boy Scout Executive, will be speaking on, Monday, January 16. Thomas will discuss the Montana Reenactment Group and their work to promote history throughout Montana and the Bitterroot. The Club meets Mondays at noon at BJ’s Restaurant, 900 N. 1st Street, Hamilton. The meeting is open to the public. For further Rotary Club information, call 363-2960.
Stevi Playhouse auditions
Stevensville Playhouse will hold auditions for “All I Really Need To Know I Learned In Kindergarten” on Monday, January 16 at 7 p.m. The show has parts for five adults.
Wednesday, January 18
Farm Business Workshops
A winter workshop series in Corvallis is designed for beginning farmers and ranchers interested in starting a new business or adding a new enterprise. Planning For On-Farm Success offers expert presenters from the Montana University System, and panels of experienced producers and ag professionals to help participants understand and develop the tools they need to launch a successful new enterprise.
The workshops, hosted by MSU Extension in partnership with the Community Food & Agriculture Coalition, will be offered Wednesdays, January 18 through March 1, from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. on the following topics:
Jan. 18: Farm Strategic Planning
Jan. 25: Researching Your Market
Feb. 1: Farm Marketing & Promotion
Feb. 8: Managing Your Financials
Feb. 15: Financial Decision-Making
Feb. 22: Financing Your Farm
Mar. 1: Managing On-Farm Risks
Participants will learn about local resources, network with local producers and service providers and get hands-on support working on their own business plans. Workshops cost $15 each or $75 for the full seven-part series. Full series registration includes a copy of the Planning for On-Farm Success workbook. Workshops will be held at the Western Agricultural Research Center at 580 Quast Lane, Corvallis. For more information and to register, visit www.farmlinkmontana.org or contact Dr. Zach Miller at zachariah.miller@exchange.montana.edu or 406-961-3025.