Sorted by date Results 151 - 175 of 2089
SEELEY LAKE – Saturday, Jan. 22 new and long-time residents of Seeley Lake gathered for the 25th annual Christmas Tree Bonfire in The Filling Station parking lot. Hosted by Filling Station owners Kris Martin and George Welch, attendees visited with their neighbors, met new people and the children loved playing on the huge snow bank as the blaze of the fire kept them warm. The Seeley Lake Chamber of Commerce dubbed the Christmas Tree Bonfire as the "kick-off event for Winterfest" in the 1998 P...
MISSOULA – At their Jan. 20 meeting, the Missoula County Commissioners approved a letter addressed to Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks that encouraged FWP to prioritize the repair and reopening of the Clearwater Junction RV Dump Station. Also at the meeting, the Commissioners appointed Swan Valley resident Dr. Helene Michael to the Open Lands Committee. The Seeley Lake Community Council’s letter to FWP requesting the Clearwater Junction RV Dump Station was discussed and approved by the Commissioners at the Nov. 18 meeting. The Commissioners als...
SEELEY LAKE – After purchasing Crescent Mountain Builders in late 2021, Jeremiah Covert looks forward to continuing founder and owner Jason Ayers' legacy of honesty and quality construction in the Seeley Lake area under the Refined Matters LLC umbrella. With a larger team than Crescent Mountain Builders, Covert said Seeley Lake and the surrounding area can expect an increased presence, better final construction execution and an expeditious construction schedule while offering customers the b...
SEELEY LAKE – With no old or new business listed on the agenda for their Jan. 18 meeting, the Seeley Lake Fire Board heard public comment asking about the status of the mill levy, hiring and community discussions regarding the vision for the department. They also received updates from Fire Chief Dave Lane regarding call volume, membership and the paramedic/EMT positions. During public comment, Seeley Lake resident Kristy Pohlman asked the board about the status of hiring a firm to come in and help with mill levy communications. She said the boa...
SEELEY LAKE & SWAN VALLEY – In its fourth year raising funds for art supplies for local schools, the Alpine Artisans, Inc. (AAI) Giving Tree raised $295 total for Seeley Lake schools and around $230 for Swan Valley School. The $295 will be split between Seeley Lake Elementary and the Seeley-Swan High School. In the past three years, the AAI Giving Tree has raised more than $2,600 for both SLE and Swan Valley Elementary Schools. "We will be exploring other avenues for timing to raise more money,"...
SEELEY LAKE – The Seeley Lake Nordic Team hosted their largest turnout for their 10th annual SLE Outside Skiesta Jan. 22. Ninety-two skiers from around the area registered for the 20K, 10K, 5K, 3K and 1K races topping their previous record of 83 skiers set in 2018. Seeley Lake Nordic Team Head Coach and Race Director Bridget Laird was excited about the race and said the Nordic Team is working hard and having a lot of fun this year. Skiesta History The first Skiesta was held in 2013, the same y...
There are several Missoula County governing board positions up for election May 3 in Potomac, Seeley Lake and the Swan Valley. Candidates can file their Oath of Candidacy form through the Missoula County Elections office for Special District elections until Feb. 7 at 5 p.m. The deadline for filing for School District elections is March 24 at 5 p.m. The Oath of Candidacy must be signed before a notary and mailed or delivered to the Missoula County Elections Office, 140 North Russell Street, Missoula, MT 59801 prior to the deadline. There are als...
SWAN VALLEY – More than 75 Swan Valley residents listened to presentations from area law enforcement Tuesday, Jan. 11 at the Swan Valley Neighborhood Watch meeting. Neighborhood Watch Chairman Steve Card moderated the meeting as representatives from the Missoula County and Lake County Sheriff's Offices, Montana Highway Patrol, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks and the US Forest Service shared about their organizations and how residents can keep themselves safe as well as follow the laws when p...
SEELEY LAKE – Friday, Jan. 14 more than 50 Seeley Lake Elementary students took the stage for the Missoula Children's Theatre production of "Alice and Wonderland," an original adaptation based on Lewis Carroll's "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" and "Through the Looking Glass." Alice, played by Brittney Kelley, Lili Young and Addison Ott, was filled with never-ending curiosity. Her curiosity grows as she follows a White Rabbit (MCT Tour Actor/Director Julia Walsh) into a land of wonder and a...
SEELEY LAKE – During their annual food drive from mid-November through their Customer Appreciation Day, Dec. 9, Citizens Alliance Bank in Seeley Lake collected around 150 pounds of non-perishable food and $803.52 in cash from customers to donate to the Seeley-Swan Community Food Bank. As they have done for the past several years, CAB headquarters matched the monetary donations dollar for dollar raised by their branches up to $1,000. The Food Bank received a total of $1,607.04. Food Bank V...
SWAN VALLEY – At their meeting Jan. 11, the Swan Valley School Board discussed various projects and needs that could be funded through the use of their Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) and building reserve funds. Principal Aaron Morgenstern will be sending out a survey to solicit public input to help direct the board on how they should allocate the ESSER funding. The board discussed a list of projects and needs suggested by the teachers and staff. Many of these projects fell under physical improvements to the school incl...
MISSOULA – In their second year, the Seeley-Swan High School Business Professional of America Chapter again saw great success at the Region 2 Leadership Conference Jan. 10 in Missoula. Club Advisor SSHS Business Teacher Michele Holmes looks forward to taking the BPA students to the State Leadership Conference in March. The Blackhawks' BPA Chapter was created in the fall of 2020. According to Holmes, the purpose of the group is to provide personal growth opportunities through education, c...
SEELEY LAKE – "It's hard! It takes a lot of effort if you want to run a business," said Seeley-Swan High School student Aaron Jungers during the recap of the Blackhawk BIZ Market Day. "At the beginning of this, I just thought it was going to design a business and then sell [the product]. There is a lot more to it." The students in the SSHS Entrepreneur Class discussed what they learned and the challenges they overcame starting their own business on Jan. 5. While everyone determined their b...
MISSOULA - Recent guidance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) indicate the Omicron COVID-19 variant is three times more contagious than the Delta variant and masks with better filtration will provide better protection. Infectious disease experts recommend citizens should use a N95 or KN95 if they have the option to with Omicron on the rise. Missoula County Health Officer D’Shane Barnett concurs adding the public should use all the tools to stop the spread including masking, social distancing, avoiding large groups a...
SEELEY LAKE – While most people call it the "Dog Days of Summer," the dogs of winter were out enjoying the new snow this past weekend. Montana Mountain Mushers hosted their annual Winter Fun Days Jan. 8 and Jan. 9 at the Morrell Creek snowmobile/musher parking lot. Experienced Seeley Lake mushers Roy Etnire and Rob Loveman answered questions and shared their expertise with members of the public and other mushers. Yuri, a two-year-old Russian Siberian Husky owned by Bob and Lerma Stine of S...
SEELEY LAKE – Seasoned skiers of the area are calling the skiing in Seeley Lake "the best starts in recent memory." Since early December, the trails have received regular, moderate amounts of snow that the dedicated group of volunteers has been able to keep packed and groomed. The Nordic Club has also added a PistenBully 100 to the trail grooming management thanks to owner/operator Doug Edgerton who has more than four decades of grooming experience. The Nordic Club currently has three ginzus, tw...
SEELEY LAKE – When Cole Henrekin graduated from Seeley-Swan High School in 2014, he went to Montana Technological University for mechanical engineering. After three semesters he realized he did not want to be an engineer. He switched from a bachelors degree to an associates degree in metal fabrication and welding, something he had always wanted to learn, and graduated in 2018. "It was probably the best decision I made in school," Henrekin said. He opened Peak Fabrication LLC in Seeley Lake in J...
WHITEFISH, MONTANA – Tree skiers from the Seeley Lake Nordic Team and their coach Darren Zellman took to the racecourse during the annual Glacier Glide Jan. 9 in Whitefish, Montana. "I was proud of the kids who competed in the Glacier Glide," said Head Coach Bridget Laird. "They haven't skied much yet this winter but they still competed well." Loryn Neudecker, 9, finished first in the 8-9 age group in the girl's 1K freestyle. She finished in 4:30.62 and placed fifth overall. In the 3.5K s...
OVANDO – When Certified Public Accountant (CPA) Terry Sheppard opened her office in Ovando in 1981 she was known as "the CPA on horseback." Her first tax season she spent April 15 knitting socks until 5 p.m. "just in case someone had a last minute return. Then I increased my clientele." After 40 years of serving local, national and international clients, Sheppard announced her retirement Oct. 15. She will continue to assist local non-profits for the next couple of years. Sheppard loved w...
MISSOULA – "Now this is what I'm talking about," said one of the staff members smiling as donations of snowmobile suits, winter boots, clothing and blankets from Seeley Lake were unloaded at the Johnson Street Shelter in Missoula Jan. 1. Seeley Lake residents Wendy and Jim Leetch along with their daughter Amber, Wendy's parents Gwen and Larry Busby and friend Jodi Stierwalt brought an enclosed trailer and vehicle loaded with donations and served hot chili to more than 80 homeless individuals a...
SEELEY LAKE – "Are you open for rec now?" asked an excited customer walking into Fat Hippie this weekend. Budtender Heather Kues shared the customer's enthusiasm when she replied, "Yes!" After 15 years of working towards this day, Fat Hippie made its first recreational sale of marijuana Jan. 1 just after 9 a.m. It was the first time the store in Seeley Lake has ever had customers waiting for the doors to open. After the initial 10-15 customers made their purchase, Owner Terry Lucke said the r...
SEELEY LAKE – In addition to all the events this year allowing families to shop and pick up gifts, three groups operated behind the scenes with help from the community to bring gifts and a holiday meal to community members. Mountain Lakes Church continued their Giving Tree at Cory's Valley Market, the Seeley Lake Fire Foundation offered their Angel Tree and the Seeley Lake Lions Club delivered Holiday Food Baskets to families who could use a hand up this Christmas. The Giving Tree went up at C...
SEELEY LAKE – "Do you hear the helicopter?" Seeley Lake Elementary Superintendent Josh Gibbs told the students. "Santa is coming this way." The students at Seeley Lake Elementary school watched and cheered as a Minuteman Jet Ranger helicopter landed carrying Santa and gifts in the south football field at SLE the afternoon of Dec. 21. The classes took turns visiting with Santa, receiving a candy cane and picking out a small toy or stuffed animal. Seeley Lake was among 24 stops in Montana and I...
SWAN VALLEY – Swan Valley School students lit up the stage Dec. 21 as they welcomed the community to "Christmas at the O.K. Corral." Attendees were treated to singing and dancing by the preschool, welcomed into the planning for the Christmas celebration at the O.K. Corral and listened to a piano solo from pianist Lilly Boyd and music from the Jr. High Band. The O.K Corral opened with plans to decorate for the Christmas celebration. However, Bubble Gum Bart (Collin Skinner) rolled into Snowy G...
SWAN VALLEY – Swan Valley resident Jenny Kauffman was visiting the Swan Valley Community Library weekly before becoming a substitute librarian for Librarian Colleen Kesterson. When Kesterson decided to retire this fall, Kauffman was hired as the new librarian Nov. 14. She looks forward to sharing her love of reading with patrons, sharing her knowledge of technology and encouraging valley residents to utilize all the services the library can offer. Kauffman has always loved to read. She reads a...
