Sorted by date Results 151 - 175 of 192
POTOMAC - More than 90 volunteers came together to "bring back the scenic beauty of the Blackfoot River," said Project Managers Janelle Schiller and Lynn Gontarek-Garberson. Both thought the clean up went very well again this year. This was the 13th year of cleaning the river since the Blackfoot Home and Community Club (BHCC) began the river clean up in 2003. Eight divers along with 10 rafts and watercrafts and volunteers walking the shore of the Blackfoot spent the day July 30 picking up...
POTOMAC - More than 10 Potomac Valley 4-H club members competed in various spring and early summer competitions for their dog and horse projects. The Western Montana Fair starts earlier than the traditional fair week. 4-H members in the dog project compete before "fair week" Aug. 8-13. 4-H horse members in the Trail Ride are judged anytime after the snow melts and before the fair while Ranch Horse projects sort cows and rope in early July. Traditionally the 4-H horseshow and dog shows were the...
POTOMAC - Jeff Deckard and his horse LilMan, a 12-year-old AQHA Palomino stallion brought the Word of God through his Cowboy Up for Christ presentation in Potomac July 12. Deckard set up a round pen and spoke to the crowd of more than 15 in the meadows beyond Potomac School. Cowboy Up for Christ is family run, with wife Paula, 18 year-old daughter Casey and nine year old son Payton. Home for the Deckards is in Clinton, Ark., where they have seven horses and three ponies. They breed horses as a...
Goal: Lois' Salon owner Lois Grant of Potomac hopes to have all her customers leave with a smile on their faces. Grant enjoys helping people look their best and seeing them leave happy with the results. History: Originally Grant wanted to go to business college but after receiving a cosmetology scholarship she fell in love with the idea of having a salon. Grant then completed 1,600 hours in a qualified beauty school and passed state board exams for California and Montana to become a licensed...
POTOMAC - An old burn pile on private property in Potomac caused a fire that burned three tenths of an acre July 2. While the pile was cold to the touch above ground, the fire still burned underground in roots and organic material. The Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation (DNRC) is still investigating and it is unknown if citations will be issued. Greenough/Potomac Volunteer Fire Department (GPVFD) Chief Ryan Hall said residents called 911 and began fighting the fire with a skidder to knock down the spread of the fire. Nine...
POTOMAC - Nancy Linnell always wanted to be a teacher. Throughout her childhood whenever she was asked about what she wanted to be when she grew up her answer remained the same, to be a teacher. She did so for 24 years including 21 years at Potomac School before retiring. Nancy was born on a farm in North Dakota, seventh out of 13 children. During the 1950s her family moved to Missoula because her father was looking for different work opportunities. When Nancy was in eighth grade she was...
OVANDO - The Blackfoot Valley CattleWomen (BVC) hosted an event at the Ender Ranch in Ovando June 6 to promote beef as a healthy, practical food. The BVC are a group of local beef producers who believe in the beef industry, its importance in the Montana economy and how beef is essential in every balanced diet, according to member, producer and Potomac resident Jody Wills. The BVC wants "to do all in our power to instill in the coming generations the love of the land and of life," a part of the...
POTOMAC - The Ten Mile Drivers Club (TMD) from Helena arrived in Potomac May 27. With a recreational permit from the Montana Department of Natural Resources (DNRC), they explored the local forests and roads using horse and mule drawn wagons, carts and mounted riders. They stayed with Potomac residents Ray and Brenda Woodside. The TMD hosts monthly driving events and clinics around the state. The Memorial Day weekend in Potomac was the first pleasure get-together drive of 2016 for the club. More...
MISSOULA - The top five athletes from the Missoula County Public Schools and schools from the Copper League competed against each other at the Meet of Champions, May 19 at Big Sky Stadium. Potomac School sent 11 athletes. Three athletes from Swan Valley School (SVE) and one thrower from Salmon Prairie School joined with Seeley Lake Elementary's (SLE) 24 individual athletes and relay teams for the meet to end their season. Potomac Pioneers Potomac head coach Amy Vann is very proud of the track...
POTOMAC - More than 60 years ago Missoulian and 4-H supporter Tony Rollin created the first "Drama Festival" where Missoula County 4-H clubs produced plays and skits using 4-H members as the talent. Potomac Valley, Blue Mountain, Lolo Peak, Bearcreek Buckaroos and the Mullen Trail Mustangs 4-H Clubs brought acting competition to the Potomac/Greenough Community Center (PGCC) Sunday May 15. Festival judges Hannah Fradkin and Amy Kalil are volunteers from the Missoula Children's Theatre. Potomac...
GREENOUGH - The evening of May 6 the reception barn at The Paws Up Resort in Greenough was decked out with paintings, drawings and art auction items plus 3-D faces and collaborative murals. The student artists from Ovando and Sunset schools hosted an exhibit of their art at the local ranch. More than 40 people attended including families and friends of the 12 students. Guided by art teacher Ashley Mitchell of Missoula, the students at both schools have the opportunity for a regular art program....
POTOMAC - There are more than 100 individual Canada geese (Branta canadensis) and 250 individual greater sandhill cranes (Grus canadensis) nesting and hatching their eggs near Potomac waterways. Surveys are not conducted in Potomac for Canada geese numbers but they are completed for sandhill cranes. "In the Blackfoot-Ovando area, sandhill crane numbers have been increasing over the last 15 years, as indicated by an aerial survey that is done each year in September," said Central Flyway...
POTOMAC - More than 45 people attended the Potomac Gardening Party the evening of April 15 at the Potomac/Greenough Community Center (PGCC). The event was part of the community center board "Family Night" functions held throughout the year. The garden party was about getting to know neighbors, learning gardening techniques for the Potomac area and creating a neighbor network, said event organizer and gardener Aimee Miklovic. "This could be a great resource for a significant portion of the...
In Spring many animals have their young. Female chickens, called hens, hatch their young (chicks) from eggs. Whether newly hatched by a hen, in an incubator or purchased from a feed store or hatchery, chicks need care. Hens will protect their chicks until the chicks have matured enough to imitate chicken behavior. If the chicks come from another source and do not have a hen, people become the mother hen for them, talking to the chicks, keeping them protected and warm by using a brooder box....
Goal: Potomac residents and owners of Blackfoot Native Plants Kathy and Michael Settevendemie promote the use of native plants through landscaping. "If we grow native plants in our landscapes we can look like Montana and have a sense of beauty and of place that is Montana," Kathy said. The Settevendemies try to capture Montana through their native plants. History: Blackfoot Native Plants began as a small business 15 years ago in Potomac. It started when Kathy was implementing weed management on...
POTOMAC - Potomac School first and second grade classes organized a drive to donate 100 cans of food to the Potomac/Greenough (P/G) Food Bank to celebrate 100 days of school. Their 100th day was March 14. People can keep sharing by donating, according to first-graders Lily Dunn and David O'Hara. First and second grade teacher Terri Klein had a class goal to get the students thinking about giving back to their community. "This community gives so much to our school," Klein said. Klein incorporated...
POTOMAC - Potomac resident Pam Town mushes her trio of dogs for fun and recreation. She explores winter trails in Seeley Lake, Ovando and Potomac by dogsled with Rex, Balto and Comet. Town started seven years ago working with her first team of Alaskan Malamutes. She worked with them for four years before dog Luna died from bone cancer. Luna had run with his brother Sitka, who refused to mush after Luna's death. Seeking another avenue, Town switched to skijoring with Rex, her long-haired German...
Goal: Kochel Guitars focuses on reusing and repurposing materials into something tangible. Owner Sean Kochel takes great pride in his goal of preserving American folk tradition in the guitars he makes. History: Potomac resident Kochel is a luthier. He specializes in making stringed instruments like Roots Blues guitars. He has made guitars for the last 10 years. Kochel began making cigar box guitars. With encouragement from his mother Arlene he persevered and soon built a customer base as his...
POTOMAC - The 13th Annual Bingo Night and fundraiser kicks off March 12 starting at 6 p.m. at the Potomac/Greenough Community Center (PGCC). This year monies raised will go towards bringing the PGCC kitchen up to code, bringing fine arts programs to Potomac School for the 2016/17 school year and creating a long jump pit at the Potomac School track. The Potomac Parent/Teacher Club (PTC), a non-profit, school-focused organization comprised of a core group of teachers, parents and community members...
POTOMAC - Kennecott Exploration Company (KEC) of Rio Tinto will not return to Potomac for copper drilling this year. "The bar is set high for Kennecott and mining. There is no compelling reason to go forward at this time," said KEC Regional Communities Manager Matt Jeschke at a public meeting in Potomac Feb. 22. The drill sites at Copper Cliff and Ashby Creek are reclaimed and vacant. The core-cutting shed and warehouse on Morrison Lane will continue to be used by KEC for core storage. After an...
Successful trappers in the Blackfoot Watershed rely upon the ability to read animal signs and study behavioral patterns within habitats. Within the watershed, there are animals that can be trapped year-round as well as those with a defined season and area. There is a limit as to how many and which animals can be trapped within each season per regulations. "Just because a trapper can trap animals year-round does not mean it is the right thing to do," said semi-professional trapper Bob Sheppard...
POTOMAC - The Potomac Pioneers girls' basketball team of seven has begun the season with two wins on their home court. They beat the DeSmet Padres by 28 points Feb. 9 followed by a five point win against the Clinton Cougars Feb. 11. The Potomac team is comprised of fifth through eighth-graders: Lillie Leathers and Ashbeigh Hall represent the fifth grade; Hailey Oien and Tamra Andell are sixth-graders; Shaianne Barnes is a seventh-grader; and Michaela Ailport along with Jennifer Kimmel are the...
