Habitat for Humanity
Ravalli County Habitat for Humanity is seeking volunteers for the following committees:
Building Committee, meets ad hoc, contact Rick at 207-0285; Family Selection/Support Committee, Meets ad hoc, contact Jess at 544-3250; Public Relations & Fundraising Committee, meets at 6 p.m. on third Tuesday of month, Marcus Daly Hospital (Hamilton), Conference Room D; Volunteer Relations/Church Relations Committee, meets ad hoc – contact Ruth at 375-5106. For more information: Website: http://www.ravallihabitat.org/; phone: 375-1926.
Ernst Peterson Photo Contest
The Annual Ernst Peterson “Photograph Montana” contest, set up to improve the conservation of the Ernst Peterson Photograph Collection – housed at the Ravalli County Museum, is back! The contest (in its 19th year) invites photographers from all over Montana, amateur and professional alike, to showcase the “Best of Montana” photographs. During the contest, a portion of the vast Peterson collection is on display and interpreted, along with the contestants work. A modest entry fee is collected and set aside for the ongoing preservation of the collection. The deadline to get your photos in is January 28. The exhibit will be on display from February 2 through March 31. The judging and awards ceremony will take place on March 1 at 6 p.m. For more information or to download a form, go to www.brvhsmuseum.org or on Facebook at Ravalli County Museum or drop on in to the Museum at 205 Bedford, Hamilton, 363-3338.
Monday, January 2
Stevi school menu
Jan. 2-6
Monday – Breakfast: Cereal, fruit, milk; Lunch – Hot Pockets, green beans, mixed fruit, bread & butter, milk
Tuesday – Breakfast: Pancakes, fruit, milk; Lunch – Mac & cheese, glazed carrots, apples, bread & butter, chocolate or regular milk
Wednesday – Breakfast: Bagel and cream cheese, fruit, milk; Lunch – chicken fajitas, lettuce, salsa, peaches, bread & butter, milk
Thursday – Breakfast: Fruit bar, fruit, milk; Lunch: Hamburgers, taters, kiwi, bread & butter, milk;
Friday – Breakfast: Cereal, fruit, milk; Lunch: Chicken Tenders, baked beans, Mandarin oranges, bread & butter, chocolate or regular milk.
Tuesday, January 3
Sons of Norway
Bitterrootdalen Lodge, Sons of Norway will hold a meeting on Tuesday, January 3 at 5 p.m. at Grace Lutheran Church in Hamilton. The church can be reached on Hattie Lane from Kurtz Lane or Daly Avenue off Eastside Highway. There will be a potluck supper, followed by installation of officers for 2012. Card games and a language lesson and other activities will follow. The Lodge provides a main dish, drinks and service, with members and visitors invited to bring side dishes.
Wednesday, January 4
BRVHS annual meeting
The 2012 Bitter Root Valley Historical Society board takes office at the Annual Board Meeting held Wednesday, January 4 at 10 a.m. at the Ravalli County Museum. This meeting is open to the public and members are invited. For more information, contact the Museum at 363-3338 or stop in at 205 Bedford, Hamilton.
Stevensville Playhouse auditions
Auditions for “Finian’s Rainbow” will be held Wednesday and Thursday, January 4 and 5, from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Stevensville Playhouse. Parts to fill include Finian (male 35-50, Baritone), Woody (male 20-23, Baritone), OG (male mid-teen to 25, Irish brogue), Sharon (female 18-30, Soprano), Senator (male 40-50), Buzz (male 30-40), Sheriff (male any age), Shears (male tall and lean), Robust (male), Chorus parts for men, women and children 8-13 years old. Cold reading from script. Prepared song not required, everyone will sing selections from the score. For info call 777-2722.
Economist to speak
Economist Loretta Napoleoni will speak at Chapter One Book Store in Hamilton on Wednesday, January 4 at 7 p.m. Napoleoni will be talking about her most recent book, “Maonomics: Why Chinese Communists Make Better Capitalists Than We Do,” published by Seven Stories Press.
Napoleoni probes the Chinese “economic miracle,” contrasting China’s focus on economic opportunity and the fair distribution of wealth with the West’s emphasis on democratic principles and voting. She asserts that classical Marxism isn’t so much an attack on capitalism as a critique, and that the Chinese have embraced his view of the profit motive as something that can be harnessed for the benefit of the people.
Napoleoni is the author of the bestselling book “Rogue Economics: Capitalism’s New Reality” (a Publisher’s Weekly “Best Book” of 2008), and “Terror Incorporated: Tracing the money behind global terrorism.” She has worked as a correspondent and columnist for La Stampa, La Repubblica, El País, and Le Monde, and spoke on the economics of terrorism for Google UK and TEDTalks. She teaches economics at the Judge Business School in Cambridge, England.
Her presentation is free, and open to the public. Chapter One is located at 252 Main Street in Hamilton. For more information, contact Chapter One Book Store at 363-5220, or books@chapter1bookstore.com.
Friday, January 6
Candidate Hill to speak
Former Congressman Rick Hill (R-Helena) will be taking his campaign for governor to Hamilton and Stevensville on Friday, January 6. At 9:30 a.m., Rick will be speaking with the Ravalli County Commissioners. At noon he will be in Stevensville speaking at the North Valley Pachyderm meeting.
MAM art auction exhibition
The Missoula Art Museum (MAM) will present MAM’s 40th Benefit Art Auction featuring the works of 95 artists from across the state and country. The exhibition will open on Friday, January 6 with a reception from 5 to 8 p.m. to honor the participating artists. The auction event – cocktail hour with art preview, seated dinner and live auction – will again be held at the Holiday Inn Downtown at the Park in Missoula on February 4.
For the 40th anniversary of this important annual fundraising event, MAM will celebrate the scores of generous auction artists that have participated throughout the years. In addition, Montana artist Bill Ohrmann, who donated art to MAM’s very first Benefit Art Auction in 1972, and has continued to donate ever since will be specially honored.
The theme of this year’s event, “It Was 40 Years Ago Today,” will take us back in time to the decade of the original MAM Auction. Co-Chairs Pat and Jeff Aresty have led a dedicated and creative committee of eighteen volunteers to make this exhibition and auction even more enjoyable.
Tickets are $80 for members, $100 for non-members, $100 at the door, and $800 for a table of 10 by Jan. 27.
Visit www.missoulaartmuseum.org or call 728-0447 to purchase tickets, a MAMbership, or a table by January 27, 5 p.m.
Saturday, January 7
Lost Trail ski bus
The bus to Lost Trail Ski Area will begin running Saturday, January 7 and will run every Saturday through February 18. Cost is $5 per person. Ride the bus and receive discounted lift ticket prices: under 13 – $15.00; 13 and older – $20.00; adult – $20.00. The bus loads at 8 a.m. at Westview Center in Hamilton and leaves the ski area at 4 p.m. sharp, returning to Westview by 5 p.m. Riders must have exact money for riding and skiing; no checks. All skis and boards must be in a bag and will be carried in an escort pickup. Boots and lunch bags will be carried on the bus. If rental is needed a signed rental slip must accompany the rider (sponsors cannot sign slips). Rental forms are available at the bus. Rental fees are paid at lodge when getting equipment. The ski bus is sponsored by Hamilton Lions Club and The Greater Ravalli Foundation.
Snowmobile safety course
A free snowmobile safety course, sponsored by the Bitterroot Ridgerunners Snowmobile Club, will be conducted by FWP certified instructors in Hamilton on Saturday, January 7. Classes will include first aid, snowmobile safety, survival, maintenance, Montana snowmobile laws, maps and compass and safety guide. Montana snowmobile safety education certified patches and certificates will be issued upon completion of the class. For more information and to register, call Lee at 370-0849.
Good-Time Jamboree
The January Bitterroot Valley Good-Time Jamboree on Saturday, January 7, opens with the always enjoyable music of The Bitterroot Range: Jay Calkins, Marcus Swafford, and Greg Bartlett. Next will be the blended voices of The Turner Family singers. Dominic Farrenkopf will be there as cowboy comic and poet Dusty Trail, with his trick pony Thunder. Students from Dance-EFX will do dance demonstrations. Singer-guitarist Charla Bauman brings us her own “Classic to Casual” songs. Roy Stricklan will close the show with a taste of ‘50s rock and roll. The concert will run from 7 to 9:30 p.m. at The Rocky Mountain Grange Hall, 1436 S. 1st Street (93 Highway South), just south of the Valley Pet Clinic, Hamilton. For more information call Clem, 961-4949.
Sunday, January 8
Acoustic jam session
Everyone is invited to the music jam sessions at the Rocky Mountain Grange Hall south of Hamilton. The jams will resume normal schedule on January 8, meeting each Sunday from 2 to 4 p.m. Players of all levels are invited to bring their guitars, mandolins, harmonicas, fiddles, banjos, dobros, or other acoustic instruments. Music includes old-time country, swing, cowboy, folk, old standards, etc. There is no charge for admission. Folks who just want to listen are encouraged to come – it’s always more fun with an audience. And don’t forget the monthly concert: The Bitterroot Valley Good-Time Jamboree. It’s the first Saturday of each month from 7 to 9:30 p.m., also at The Grange which is located about a mile south of town at 1436 S. 1st Street (93 highway), just south of the Valley Pet Clinic. For more information call Clem, 961-4949.
Monday, January 9
SAFE book club
SAFE (Supporters of Abuse Environments) is hosting a book club discussion on Monday, January 9, at 7 p.m. at Chapter One Book Store. Come join in the discussion of Sena Jeter Naslund’s “Ahab’s Wife.” For more information, contact Sonya at 363-2793.
Tuesday, January 10
Veterans affairs clinics
Roxanne Blanche, Service Officer for the Montana Veterans Affairs Division in Missoula, will be available to veterans and their dependents that have questions or need to file a claim with the Department of Veterans Affairs on Tuesday, January 10 from 10 to 11:30 a.m. at the Stevensville Town Council Chambers and from 12:30 to 3:30 p.m. at the Job Service Office in Hamilton. For more information call 542-2501.
Parenting classes
“Parenting With Love & Logic” classes for parents and other caregivers will be held Tuesday and Thursday evenings at the North Valley Family Center starting January 10 and running through January 26 from 6 until 8 p.m. Classes are free; call to register 273-0142 or e-mail tkutzleb@wordinc.org. Childcare is available, but limited. The North Valley Family Center is located at 5501 Hwy 93 N, Suite 3, Florence Business Center.
‘Terrific Tuesday’ Family Nights
Terrific Tuesday Family Nights are continuing at South Valley Child and Family Center. The Bitterroot Cares for Kids Network invites you and your family for this free event on Tuesday, January 10 from 6 to 9 p.m. Supper is served up at 6 p.m. featuring great family-style meals followed by a wonderful family film, winter craft projects and games. SVCFC is located at 515 Madison in Hamilton. Call 532-9149 for more information and come celebrate family!
Wednesday, January 11
Young Ag Couples Conference
Young farm and ranch couples from throughout Montana are invited to the 32nd annual Young Ag Couples Conference scheduled January 11-14 at the Best Western Helena Great Northern Hotel in Helena.
Couples will learn communication skills, successful agriculture practices, estate planning, and other aspects of leadership. Ron Hanson, an agriculture economist and agribusiness professor at the University of Nebraska, is among the featured speakers. Hanson will deliver a presentation about the need for communications in family farm operations.
The conference is sponsored by the Montana Department of Agriculture in cooperation with Montana’s agricultural organizations.
To qualify, couples must be actively engaged in agriculture or agribusiness. Participants usually are nominated by Montana agricultural organizations. However, couples who are interested in attending or learning more about the conference can contact Walt Anseth at (406) 444-2402 or by email at agr@mt.gov.
Thursday, January 12
BPL 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 “Becoming Like God: Kabbalah and Our Ultimate Destiny” by Michael Berg.
In his continuing work to demystify and teach the ancient, esoteric texts of Kabbalah, Berg suggests that the time is right for people to break free of “ego nature” and achieve total joy and immortality; in other words to “become like God.”
Advising ruthless honesty about human life – its pain, suffering, and death – and then providing an escape plan based on those truths, Berg uses the tools of Kabbalah – such as the Zohar, the key text of the discipline – as well as the collective energy of all the individuals sharing this path to help form that critical mass that will allow everyone to realize their true, joyous nature. This book gives readers the methodology to be applied at every moment to destroy ego, begin transformative sharing, and create a path to their true, godlike nature.
Michael Berg is son of eminent Kabbalist Philip Berg, director of the Kabbalah Center in New York. At age 28 Berg edited the first complete English translation of the Zohar, a 23-volume compendium in Aramaic of virtually all knowledge pertaining to the universe. He also authored several books on Kabbalah, including ‘The Secret: Unlocking the Source of Joy and Fulfillment’, and national bestsellers ‘The Way’; ‘Well of Life’; ‘What God Meant’; and ‘Days of Connection.’
The Fellowship Club meets every second Thursday of the month 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.
Cross Country Ski Club
Keep up with the latest in cross/country ski gear and equipment by coming to Bitterroot X/C Ski Club Meeting on January 12 at 7 p.m. The owners of the Valley Bicycle and Ski Shop, Randy, Kerri, Tony, and Annie, will present demonstrations and recommendations on range of new gear that is available and will answer your all questions. They will also have some ideas on warm-up exercises and waxing as well as information on some bicycle equipment. As always, treats will be served. All are welcome. The meeting is held at the First Presbyterian Church, 1220 W. Main St. in Hamilton.