Wednesday, June 21, 2006

Community Calendar

Stevi town pool open

The Stevensville Town Pool at Lewis and Clark Park is now open for the season. Pool managers this year are Elizabeth Daley and Jonna Davis. Pari LeCoure is the pool advisor. Other pool employees are Dallas Fadely, Kyla Wasser, Ishia Pepprock, Ryan Mickelson, Karen Kester, Logan Bloom, Connor Cassidy, Colin McLean, Rachel Ludington, Jesse Potter and Amy Koepplin.

This year's schedule is as follows:

Swimming Lessons:
9 a.m. to 12 noon, Levels 1- 6 (higher levels earlier times)
5- 6 p.m. Levels 1- 4
6- 7 p.m. Private and Semi-Private lessons

Sessions will be as follows: June 19-30; July 3-14; July 17-28; July 31-Aug 11; August 14-25. Lesson rates for people who live within town limits are $25; out of town rates are $30. Private lessons are $45; semi-private lessons are $40.

Aerobic Swim:
4- 5 p.m. Monday - Friday

Open Swim:
1- 4 p.m. Monday - Saturday
7 - 9:30 p.m. Monday - Friday

Aerobic Swim is $3.00 per lesson or $50.00 per session. Open Swim is $1.00 per child, $3.00 per adult. Season Passes are $90.00

The pool phone number is 777-5827.

Great Freedom Open Meetings will be held June 28 and July 26 at the Hamilton Bitterroot Public Library in the downstairs meeting room from 7:30 to 8:45 p.m. Discover a training that awakens our experience of timeless freedom through recognizing our natural, innate qualities. The meetings are free and open to the public. Call Mia for details, 360-2750.

Yoga in the Root

Yoga in the Root summer schedule is Hatha yoga on Wednesdays, 12 noon to 1 p.m. at Active Care Chiropractic in Stevensville and vigorous Ashtanga yoga on Wednesdays, 5:30 to 7 p.m. at The Carriage House in Hamilton. Call Jill for details, 777-1605.

MNHC's 15th Birthday Party

Share a piece of birthday cake with the Montana Natural History Center on Saturday, July 15 from noon to 4 p.m. to help celebrate 15 years of natural history education. No birthday celebration would be complete without cake, balloons and the wild animals of the Montana Natural History Center. There will also be a special unveiling of the winning art for this year's RiverFest! contest. Admission is free and there will be children's activities. Learn more at www.MontanaNaturalist.org.

The Montana Natural History Center promotes and cultivates the appreciation, understanding and stewardship of nature through education. The Montana Natural History Center is a non-profit organization founded in 1991 by a group of educators who had the vision to create a natural history center as a resource for schools and the public. The Montana Natural History Center is your base camp for discovery at the edge of McCormick Park in the heart of Missoula.

A unique opportunity to catch a glimpse of two renowned collections of Lewis and Clark artifacts will be offered in July at the University of Montana.

"Artifacts of the Lewis and Clark Expedition" will be presented by renowned Lewis and Clark researchers Castle McLaughlin and Carolyn Gilman at 7 p.m. Friday, July 7, in the Montana Theatre, located in UM's Performing Arts and Radio/Television Center. The event is free and open to the public.

McLaughlin is associate curator of North American Ethnography at Harvard University's Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnography and author of "Arts of Diplomacy: Lewis and Clark's Indian Collection." Gilman is special projects historian at the Missouri Historical Society and curator of "Lewis and Clark: The National Bicentennial Expedition." The two researchers will present slides and discuss the significance of the highlights of their collections.

In 1997, McLaughlin undertook groundbreaking research into the Peabody Museum's collection of Lewis and Clark artifacts, separating objects that actually came from the expedition from those that were simply from the general period. She concluded that these ethnographic items represented diplomatic gifts.

"These are gestures, not just objects," McLaughlin said. "The items that Indian people selected to give the expedition tell the stories of nations, clans, societies and individuals."

The items were sent to Jefferson, she said, so that he would remember their people and treat them with equal generosity - nation to nation. McLaughlin's research overlapped with Gilman's efforts to pull together an inventory of all the artifacts that accompanied Lewis and Clark. Gilman set out in 1997 to identify and document all the existing expedition-related artifacts. The search took her across the country, and she was able to conclusively identify 50 artifacts, including 12 from the Missouri Historical Society.

Gilman's research led to "Lewis and Clark: The National Bicentennial Exhibition" and the accompanying catalog, "Lewis and Clark: Across the Divide." In the final chapter of the catalog, Gilman explains why authenticating objects has been so difficult: "The captains were more careful with their scientific specimens and Native American souvenirs, sending them to the leading museums of the day for research. But over time, the institutions folded, merged, went up in flames; the artifacts were lost, mislabeled, sold."

The July 7 event is sponsored by the Montana Museum of Art and Culture in partnership with the Great Falls Portage Chapter and the Rockies Bicentennial Festival and is held in conjunction with the museum's current exhibition, "Landscapes along the Lewis and Clark Trail," which will be displayed through Saturday, Aug. 19.

The exhibition features paintings from the museum's Permanent Collection and includes works by E.S. Paxson, Ralph DeCamp, Joseph Henry Sharp, William Standing and many more artists. The museum, which is located in the PAR/TV Center, will be open from 6 to 9 p.m. on July 7. Museum regular summer hours are 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday. For more information about the presentation or the Montana Museum of Art and Culture exhibition, call 243-2019, e-mail museum@umontana.edu or visit www.umt.edu/montanamuseum.

Library summer reading program

Children of all ages are invited to join "Paws, Claws, Scales and Tales" at the North Valley Public Library. The 2006 Summer Reading Program is open to young people, preschool through young adult, with programs, prize drawings, story hours, a reading club and more. Families are invited to join the Read-to-Me portion of the program.

The program kick-off will be Saturday, June 24, from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Regular programs will be held every Thursday from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. with the schedule as follows:

June 29 - Fins, Furs, Feathers; Dog Tricks
July 6 - Fins, Furs, Feathers; Guest Guinea Pig
July 13 - Wild, Tame & In-Between; Farm Friends
July 20 - Horse Stories Galore
July 27 - Wiley Wolves
August 3 - Imagine That; A Pet Like That
August 10 - More Pets Like That; Scaly Tales
August 17 - A Perfect Pet for Me - Ideas
August 24 - Pet Parade

The end of program party will be held Saturday, August 26 from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Registration for the Summer Library Program begins on June 24 from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The library welcomes children of all abilities. All programs are free of charge. For more information, call the library at 777-5061. The library is located at 208 Main Street, Stevensville.

'The Jungle Book' comes to town

Girl Scouts of Big Sky Council is sponsoring with Missoula Children's Theatre a week of exposure in acting and drama production to girls who are between 7 years to 17 years. The event will be held in Missoula from July 10-14.

Since 1970 Missoula Children's Theatre has produced dozens of classic fairy tales and children's stories such as "Cinderella," "Alice in Wonderland," "Wiz," and "Rumpelstiltskin." "The Jungle Book" is a musical adaptation of the classic tale by Rudyard Kipling. "The Jungle Book" is the story of Mowgli, the man-cub who is abandoned in the jungle, adopted by wolves, taught by a bear, befriended by a panther and chased by a tiger. "The Jungle Book" is about what it means to be human.

All week long girls will practice their script and then on Friday, last day, present to the community their talents by live performance of "The Jungle Book." Approximately 50 to 60 girls will be cast. In addition, a few assistant directors will be chosen. These assistant directors will help teach and direct the show early in the week and take on technical responsibilities at performance time. There are roles in the show designed for older students as well.

This event is open to both Girl Scouts and non-Girl Scouts. The cost to attend is $20 for Girl Scouts and $30 for non-registered Girl Scouts (the additional $10 fee provides insurance when attending any Girl Scouts events through September 30, 2006). Registration is required. Site information will be given out at the time of registration. For more information call Lynnette Robbins at 1-800-823-4475 or visit www.bigskygirlscouts.org.

Chantilly Children's Theatre Workshop

Characters wanted... on the Chantilly stage for the summer Children's Theatre Workshop. Come join the mirth and merriment as Chantilly produces "Snow White and the Little Men" (loosely based upon the tale by the Brothers Grimm) as adapted by Bill Springer. The director this year is Doreen Roos who has 35 plus years of acting, film, directing and teaching "the arts." Assisting directors for this season are Kori DePauw and Rebecca Gerber. Both young ladies are seasoned veterans of the stage and have proven their ability to delegate, direct and treat children with respect.

Chantilly Theatre staff is excited by the opportunity to give your child a well-rounded theatrical experience. On the agenda are basic to more advanced acting techniques, set design, prop management, theatre etiquette, costume design and how to be nice to the lighting tech if you want to have lights on opening night!

The workshop starts July 24 and ends August 4. Hours will be 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. with a 7 p.m. performance on August 4 and a 2 p.m. performance on August 5. The classes are limited to 25 students, age 6 to 15. Tuition is $125 per child, which includes drinks and treats. Children should bring a sack lunch for refueling at noon! A few scholarships are available so call if you need assistance. Enroll by calling the Chantilly Theatre, 777-2722, or Doreen Roos, 273-3019. For more information contact Doreen Roos, 273-3019.

BEAR summer camps

BEAR, a non-profit agency providing outdoor education since 1993, announces its day and overnights camps for 2006. Camps are open to any participant 12-18 years of age and no experience is required or expected.

July 3-7 - Rope, River and Rock Challenge Day Camp: Challenge yourself with a ropes course, climb your way up rock walls and paddle a kayak down a river during this rock and river day camp. Cost is $175.

July 10-15 - Bitterroot Backpacking: Strap a pack on with some new friends and explore the mountains in your backyard during this week-long camping and hiking adventure. Cost is $175.

July 30-August 4 - Glacier National Park Teen Adventures: Hop in the van and head north to explore one of Montana's natural treasures for a week. Enjoy hiking, swimming, waterfalls, wildlife, activities with Glacier Institute and more. Cost is $225.

August 21-25 - Horsemanship Camp: Don't miss one of last year's favorite camps! Learn how to care for, bridle, and ride a horse with Wildlife Adventures during this overnight camp. Cost is $250.

Call BEAR at 375-9110 or email bear_outdoor@yahoo.com with questions or to register.

First Baptist Church Family Reunion

Current and former members of First Baptist Church, 354 Cooper Lane in Hamilton, are invited to join members on Sunday, July 2 for a First Baptist Church family reunion. Regular Sunday morning services will be at 11 a.m. A dinner in the shade of a tent will be served at 2 p.m, with horseshoes, yard games and good fellowship with old friends and neighbors following. Special music will feature Joe Baer, country singer, one of the church's first members, now living in Arizona. Former pastors will be guest speakers. The afternoon program will be inside an air-conditioned auditorium. Come join the fun. For more information call 363-3735.

'Parenting the Second Time Around'

Kids First and Child and Family Services are offering informational sessions for those who are parenting their relative's children (grandchildren, nieces, nephews). On Thursday, June 29 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. there will be a question and answer session. Pizza will be served. These free sessions are held at Westview Center, 103 S. 9th in Hamilton. Registration for free childcare is required. For more information and to register, call Brenda at 363-1513.