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Students gathered around a small table, drawing and eating snacks, as librarian Carrie Benton read aloud. It was the first meeting of the new Student Book Club that took place on Dec. 11. The meeting began at 3:45 p.m., just a few minutes after school got out. It started with everyone sharing a book they've read and enjoyed in the last year. Then, the reading began. There were a variety of books laid out for students to choose from. Coraline by Neil Gaiman was chosen unanimously by the attendees...
On Dec. 7 downtown Seeley Lake was bustling with community members gathered for the Second Annual Seeley Lake Tree Lighting presented by the Lions Club. This year's Christmas tree included 1,000 lights that were paid for by the Lions Club and strung by Missoula Electric Cooperative. The theme of this year's lighting was Logger Santa. Logger Santa and Mrs. Claus were in attendance and posed for pictures after the tree was lit. The tree wasn't the only decoration on display. The fence in front of...
It was a Saturday morning in late October and Seeley Lake Senior Center volunteers were gathered for the hunters' breakfast. Many of the volunteers had been there since the breakfast started at 5 a.m., including senior center board member Michelle Wretling. Wretling was talking about the more familiar services the center offers, like weekday lunches and the Meals on Wheels Program, but she brought up something else, a program called Peggy's Pals. The program was created by Michael Richards,...
Freda Rathburn sprayed out the small fire she started while demonstrating one of the fire starters available through Seeley Lake Antler Crafts. She started two fires during the demonstration, showing the ways the fire starter she and Wade Rathburn were selling could be used. Seeley Lake Antler Crafts was just one of the businesses represented at the Fall Frostbite Craft Show that took place at Seeley Lake Elementary School gymnasium on Sunday, Nov. 24. The craft show was planned by the Seeley...
Sally Johnson carries bags of donated food as she walks up to the Seeley Swan Community Food Bank. It's a Wednesday, and even though the food bank is closed, that doesn't stop her from taking time out of her day to bring in donations. Johnson spends a lot of time at the food bank as both the volunteer coordinator and as a volunteer, and started volunteering at the food bank after she retired. Johnson appreciates that she has the opportunity to be so involved in the community, though...
It started with the "Eagle Army" teaching the crowd how to do the wave. Then, Seeley Lake Elementary School students had the chance to compete in a bottle flipping contest with deputies from the Missoula County Sheriff's Office. The contest was followed by a helmet safety presentation during the afternoon assembly at the gym on Nov. 7. The presentation was hosted by the sheriff's office and the Brain Injury Alliance of Montana (BIAMT). BIAMT, a nonprofit organization dedicated to brain injury...
Members of the community gathered at Seeley-Swan High School to celebrate Halloween. Businesses and families were represented at Trunk or Treat as they handed out candy and a carnival put on by the high school drama elective was a change from last year's haunted house. While Trunk or Treat usually takes place in the parking lot of Seeley Lake Elementary School, this year it was hosted at the high school. Seeley-Swan High School drama teacher Katy Pellet said this was so Trunk or Treat could be...
On Saturday, Oct. 26, the senior center hosted a hunters' breakfast to mark the start of hunting season. The senior center has been hosting this breakfast for about 15 years. Last year, they weren't able to host because there weren't enough volunteers for the event. That wasn't a problem this year. Senior center volunteers were supported by the Lions Club, with additional support from the Leos. The event was sponsored by Blackfoot Communications. Members of the Lions Club helped sell raffle...
On Wednesday, Oct. 16 a new Seeley Lake business hosted a pumpkin painting event. While this was the first event hosted at the Seeley Station - including apple cider, hot cocoa and a piece of halloween-themed pottery to paint for $10 - it isn't going to be the last. There will be a Thanksgiving event on Wednesday, Nov. 13 from 5-7 p.m. and a Christmas-themed event in mid-December. The Seeley Station opened on Aug. 5 and since opening the station has made an effort to support locals and other...
The northern lights have been visible in the Seeley-Swan Valley many times this year, including multiple times this month. Meteorologist Dave Noble, who works with the National Weather Service in Missoula, explained why the northern lights occur. "Occasionally we can have these explosions off the sun that are spewing plasma at a million miles an hour towards space, and sometimes they can be directed towards the earth," Noble said. "If it is carrying the right magnetic field with it, or the...
People came from across the country to Seeley Lake for the 2024 Dryland Showdown. The event took place on Sept. 28 through Sept. 29 and was hosted by Bitterroot Dog Powered Sports. This event was significant because it was the first race of the season. Some participants were preparing for the Dryland Dog Dash Continental Championships that will take place in Wisconsin later this month. According to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, dryland racing is a dog-powered sport that can be...
Seeley Lake started off the homecoming weekend in style with a parade requested by student athletes and assembled by the newly re-established Seeley Swan Blackhawk Booster Club. Various official vehicles and floats with the football and volleyball team players drove down local roads for about 30 minutes to help get the town hyped for the football game later in the day on Oct. 4 and the volleyball game the day after. The booster club also sold burgers at the football game. Jamie Wood-Hanson,...
The community of Seeley Lake is no stranger to long power outages. Fortunately, there are many resources available in town for when the power goes out. Cory's Valley Market is located right across from a substation. This location means the business has power as long as the substation has power. It sometimes has power when a lot of Seeley Lake doesn't, which was the case after the long power outage that resulted from the wind storm on Aug. 23. "We try to stay open if we can," says Cory Thompson,...
Over the summer, Seeley Swan residents have experienced multiple power outages. The main electric provider for the area, Missoula Electric Cooperative, is responsible for getting the power back on when it goes out. The Pathfinder spoke with Kelsey Lodge, manager of communications at Missoula Electric Coop, about how MEC responds to power outages. In a coming edition, we'll provide an article that goes more in-depth on what resources are available in the Seeley-Swan area to residents when the pow...
With a new school year underway students at Seeley-Swan High School and Seeley Lake Elementary School will be greeted with many changes. One of the most visible changes at Seeley-Swan High School is the new sign that was built towards the end of the previous school year. History teacher Trace Stone worked with the student government to design and build the sign. Other high school students also helped with the construction. Materials for the project were provided by The Lodges, Peak Fabrication,...
Editor's note: Shortly after this story was published, fire danger was reduced to moderate in Missoula County. Fire danger on the Lolo National Forest was also moved to moderate. Stay up to date on fire danger, restrictions and evacuation notices at mtfireinfo.org. In the last few weeks, Missoula County has seen an increase in precipitation and cooler temperatures. The change in conditions caused fire danger in Missoula County to be moved from extreme to high on Aug. 5. The decreased fire danger...
Pyramid Mountain Lumber is currently in the process of shutting down, leaving some employees uncertain about the future. As a way to help the 99 employees directly impacted by the closure the Missoula Job Service is hosting a job fair in Seeley Lake. In March, Pyramid Mountain Lumber announced their closure due to workforce shortages. The high cost of living in western Montana was cited as one of the main reasons for closure. Pyramid is the largest employer in Seeley Lake and has been...
During the summer, it's important to keep yourself safe on hot days. It's also important to keep your furry friends safe, and there are a lot of ways to do that. The Pathfinder spoke with Holli Hargrove, animal control manager with Missoula County Animal Control to pick her brain on the best ways to take care of man's best friend when it's hot. This conversation has been edited for clarity. Pathfinder: What is the most important thing dog owners should keep in mind about protecting their dogs fr...
The Loon and Fish Festival was back in Seeley Lake over the weekend with music, art and food all in an effort to support local artists and students. Alpine Artisans, a group that encourages the development of the arts in the Seeley-Swan valleys, puts on the festival. Raffle tickets to support its scholarship fund, which provides money to high school students, were on sale from the start of the festival on Friday to a half an hour before it closed on Sunday. Sera Benton was an Alpine Artisans...
For the last two years, the Seeley Lake community has been impacted by the Salmon Lake Construction Project. Until it is scheduled to end this fall, the construction company is making efforts to support the Seeley Lake community. Kiewit has done that in a variety of ways. The company donated to the Seeley Lake Community Foundation the last two years. In 2023, it put money towards the Change Your Pace Fourth of July fireworks fundraiser. This year, it contributed to improvements on the Nordic...
