Volume XX, Number 14

Wednesday, November 3, 2004

National Adoption Day

Join the nation in celebrating families that adopt and learn more about how you can make a difference in the life of a child through adoption. On Wednesday, November 17, from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., adoptive families and people considering adoption are invited to attend a special adoption celebration at St. Paul's Lutheran Church, 202 Brooks St., Missoula.

The Stevensville Community Foundation will hold the 10th Annual Festival of Trees and Dinner Gala, "Christmas Wrapped In Red," on Friday, December 3 and Saturday, December 4 at St. Mary's Family Center in Stevensville.

On Friday, the Senior Social will take place from 1 to 3 p.m. with refreshments and entertainment provided by participating youth of the Stevensville community. The community Open House begins at 4:30 p.m. and Family Night commences at 7:30 p.m. with the arrival of Santa Claus. The community is invited to enjoy refreshments, a program of entertainment and to purchase tickets for a variety of raffle items. There will also be the traditional visits with Santa with photos taken by Stevensville Feed & Farm, and will include games and other children's activities as well. Attendees will be able to view the trees, wreaths and many other fine objects to be auctioned at the Saturday Gala Dinner.

On Saturday, the Dinner Gala, "Christmas Wrapped In Red," and auction will be catered by Food Fetish of Stevensville and will begin at 5:30 p.m. with a champagne and hors d'oeuvre reception. Guests will be invited to view the items to be auctioned later in the evening while at the same time they will be able to bid on an extensive array of choice articles offered for the silent auction. The background setting for these items will be a traditional "Winter Wonderland" with snow-covered trees and background with contrasting accents in red, depicting the enduring spirit of Christmas.

Dinner will be served at 7 p.m., immediately followed by the finalization of the bids for the silent auction and the beginning of the live auction. Tickets are $75 per person and reservations may be made by sending name, number of people attending and a check to the Stevensville Community Foundation, P.O. Box 413, Stevensville MT 59870 no later than November 27. Vegetarian meals are available upon request. The dinner sells out early so immediate reservations are recommended.

The Stevensville Community Foundation is a nonprofit corporation organized and chartered for the purpose of enhancing the quality of life for the greater Stevensville area. The Foundation raises funds to provide grants for community programs and projects that make the Stevensville community a better place to live. Now that the Foundation has secured and paid for the site of a new Community Center/Performing Arts Building, the process of staffing a new corporation to complete design, construct and staff this project is underway.

'Best of Northwest' film screening

The Missoula Art Museum is proud to host The Best of the 30th Northwest Film & Video Festival on Thursday, November 11 at 7 p.m. in the Governor's Room in the Florence building (111 N. Higgins Ave.). Tickets to the show are $6.00 general admission, and $5.00 for MAM members. Call 728-0447 to reserve tickets.

The 12 films are plucked from Northwest Film & Video Festival, held annually in November in Portland, Oregon. The festival is produced by the Northwest Film Center and the Northwest Museum of Art & Culture. The lineup is particularly impressive this year, with three of the included films having gone on to Park City, Utah; two at the Sundance Film Festival and one at the Slamdance Film Festival.

The Missoula Art Museum, formerly the Art Museum of Missoula, recently changed its name as it embarks on a major campaign to restore and expand the Carnegie library building. MAM's Temporary Contemporary museum in the historic Florence (111 N. Higgins) is open Tuesday through Fridays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Admission is free; donations are welcome. For more information call 728-0447.

UM drama production

The University of Montana Department of Drama/Dance is proud to present three unique and exciting one-act plays as its fall Directors' Festival of the 2004-2005 season: Harold Pinter's menacingly dark "The Collection," Moliere's classic French farce "The Flying Doctor," and Lawrence Ferlinghetti's apocalyptic "The Soldiers of No Country" run in the Masquer Theatre of the Performing Arts/Radio Television Center on campus November 9-13 and 16-20 at 7:30 p.m. See all three shows for the price of a single ticket! For reservations or additional information call the Drama/Dance Box Office at 243-4581, Monday-Friday, 11:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Volunteers needed

Did you know that there are now over 98 million Americans who volunteer their time and talents to nonprofit organizations? Catch the spirit of volunteerism by joining ASSE International Student Exchange Programs as an Area Representative.

ASSE is a high school student exchange organization looking for volunteers to promote and assist in administering its program. By interviewing families interested in hosting and acting as a counselor for exchange students from all over the world, you will meet some of the most interesting and wonderful people in your life. In addition, ASSE will provide training, materials, and a reimbursement for your time and expenses (a minimum of $450 per student).

If you are energetic, positive, and love interacting with people of all ages, call Cathy Hintz at 1-800-733-2773 or (406) 488-8325.

Crop-pest school in Bozeman

Crop and pest management and soil-borne disease research with an international theme will be the focus of a Jan. 4-6 program at Montana State University.

The program should be useful not just for those who want to know who to call about problems, but also for agricultural professionals such as certified crop advisors and consultants, says MSU's William Lanier, school organizer.

In particular, this year's Crop and Pest Management School will look at new and proven agricultural techniques and emphasize sustainable management systems. After this meeting, participants should be able to more effectively monitor and identify weeds, diseases and insects. They will better understand interactions within crop systems, alternate management methods and understand economic thresholds and environmental issues in making crop management choices.

Recently the school has caught the interest of producers, Canadian and Mongolian, involved with a conservation cropping project. The similarities and differences of North American and Mongolian agriculture will help illustrate current issues.

Speakers will include Rob Dunn of Alberta Agriculture, who coordinates the Conservation Cropping project in Mongolia, and MSU weed ecologist Bruce Maxwell and cropping specialist Perry Miller on Cropping System Mysteries. On Jan. 4, these and others will discuss their experiences. In addition, the new soil-borne disease specialist, Alan Dyer, will share the direction of his research. On Jan. 5, Dave Sands and Mike King will share information about increasing returns with biotech and production ag. Also, Fabian Menalled, Ed Davis and Jim Jacobs will discuss weed communities.

Other program speakers include MSU's Sue Blodgett and Cecil Tharp on cropland insects. There will be a tour of MSU's Ag Bio Science labs and an introduction to the Great Plains Diagnostic Network and first detector program.

Participants are eligible to receive 20 certified-crop-advisor credits as well as four pesticide-applicator recertification credits. Request a brochure by calling (406) 994-3860 or go to http://scarab.msu.montana.edu/cpms.

Participants should register by Dec 15 to receive the $195 registration fee. After Dec 15, registration is $225. The fee includes a certificate of completion, Crop Sequencing Calculator software, a subscription to the electronic AgAlerts, other publications and refreshments. For more information contact the school registrar at (406) 994-3860.

Genealogical Society

The November meeting of the Bitterroot Genealogical Society will be held Tuesday, November 9 at 1 p.m. at the Corvallis LDS Church, Eastside Highway. The program will be on understanding state and federal land surveys. Guests are always welcome. For more information call Alan Cosper at 961-4879.

Library storytime

The Fall/Winter Storytime Series at the Bitterroot Public Library in Hamilton continues Wednesday, November 10 when Kristen Weese presents "Frogs & Toads." The storytimes are held in the downstairs west meeting room at 10:30 a.m. and last for approximately 30-45 minutes and are geared toward preschool ages. For more information call the library at 363-1670.

Florence-Carlton Church bazaar

Florence-Carlton Community Church will hold its annual bazaar on Saturday, November 13 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Items for sale include handsewn niceties, woodwork, antiques, Christmas decorations, toys, tools, childrenšs clothes, white elephants and baked goods. There will be a silent auction of special items including a doll, stained glass, memory album and wood bench. Lunch of homemade soup, sandwiches and pie will be available. There will be live Christmas music, and pony rides from 10 a.m. to noon, weather permitting. Door prize drawings will be held. The church is located about 3 miles north of Florence at 20075 Old Hwy 93, just north of Carlton Creek Road.

Stroke/Head Injury Support Group

The Stroke/Head Injury Support Group will meet Wednesday, November 10 at 7 p.m. at First Presbyterian Church, 1120 W. Main in Hamilton. For more information contact Frank Braceful at 821-3891 or Dolores Meuchel at 363-1850.

Free acupuncture clinic

In recognition of the Great American Smoke Out on Thursday, November 18, Dr. Hillery Daily is offering free acupuncture treatment to teens and adults interested in quitting tobacco. This free clinic will be open every Monday, Wednesday and Friday in November from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m at Kids First in Hamilton. For more information call Kids First, 375-9585.

AARP meeting

AARP has a new meeting schedule. Starting this month there will be bimonthly meetings at the Hamilton Senior Center, 820 N. 4th. The next meeting will be Thursday, November 11 at 12 noon. Rosemary Quast of Missoula will present new information on Medicare and the Medicare prescription card. Following will be a potluck with turkey dressing, potatoes and gravy furnished. Bring a salad or dessert and your own place setting. All members are encouraged to attend and bring a friend. For more information call 375-8255.

Museum winter schedule

The Ravalli County Museum in open Thursday, Friday and Monday from 10 a.m.to 4 p.m., Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and Sunday from 1 to 4 p.m. with a program of cultural or historical significance beginning at 2 p.m. The new Veterans Exhibit is now open. If you have items you wish to be displayed, or for more information, call the Museum at 363-3338.

Gingerbread House Contest

The Fourth Annual Gingerbread House Contest will be held to benefit the Ronald McDonald House Missoula. The deadline to enter the contest is Monday, November 15. The gingerbread houses will be delivered to Southgate Mall on Friday, November 19 and will be judged that evening. Prizes will be awarded in all divisions: Individual/Family; Business; Chef/Expert; School Class/Youth Group; and Preschool. To enter the contest, participants must purchase a lot on which their house will be displayed in the gingerbread town. Registration forms can be picked up at the information desk at Southgate Mall. The houses will be on display throughout the holiday season. For more information call Kathy Crist at 273-6415.

Puberty program

"Girls Need to Know: A Mother/Daughter Class on Puberty and Sex," a 2-part class, will be held Mondays, Nov. 15 and Nov. 22 with Betsy Grimley, M.D. at Families First, 6:30 to 8 p.m. Herešs a chance for girls (ages 10-12) to learn about the physical and emotional changes of puberty, and an opportunity for mothers to share their experiences with their daughters. This class will be a multi-media, open, honest, informative, fun event that will be sensitive to differing family values. The goal is to help mothers and daughters communicate about issues of peer pressure, puberty, sexuality, and self esteem. Participants will also discuss how to keep the lines of communication open. Fee is $30. Call 721-7690 to preregister. Childcare available on donation basis.

Hamilton Players open house

Have you always wondered what goes on backstage at The Hamilton Playhouse? Have you ever wanted to become involved with your community theater and want to learn more about opportunities with The Hamilton Players? Now is your chance to get these questions answered. The Hamilton Players cordially invite the public to an Open House at The Hamilton Playhouse, 100 Ricketts Road, on Saturday, November 13 from 10 a.m. to 12 noon. Tours and demonstrations will be begin at 10 a.m. and will be offered every half hour. Hamilton Players will conduct demonstrations and discussions in acting, auditioning, set construction, costume construction, lighting, makeup, lobby, box office and more. See what it takes to "put on a show" and learn how you can become involved. Everyone is welcome and encouraged to attend. For more information, call 375-9050.

Operation Christmas Child

Hope in a shoe box. It happens only one week each year. Families across the state enthusiastically fill colorfully wrapped shoe boxes with Christmas gifts for millions of needy children around the world.

November 15-21 will be the annual Collection Week for Operation Christmas Child, the world's largest Christmas project for kids. During that week, more than 22 cities and towns across Montana will have drop off locations at local businesses, churches, and homes to collect the growing number of shoe boxes filled by Montanans.

The Bitterroot Christian Bookstore located at 204 West Main, Hamilton, will be the Collection Center for the numerous churches, nursing homes, 4-H clubs, youth groups and schools in the Bitterroot Valley who will be participating in the project this year. Last year nearly 1,500 shoe boxes were collected from the generous people of the Bitterroot Valley. Nationwide the goal for 2004 is 7 million shoe boxes to be hand delivered to 95 countries suffering from war, terrorism, disease, poverty, famine and natural disaster.

Empty shoe boxes are turned into unique, personalized gifts for needy children by filling them with school supplies, toys, necessity items, candy, and for the personal touch, a picture and letter of encouragement to complete a wonderful gift. This may be the only gift that child may receive.

Each year a private donor supplies selected locations with preprinted Operation Christmas Child boxes. Montana is fortunate enough to be a selected location and in Hamilton, Papa Murphy's Pizza is the local distributor and has a limited supply of OCC shoe boxes on hand.

If you would like to participate in the Bitterroot Valley or have questions, you may call Paula Wofford at 961-3227 or Peanut Fleenor at 363-4472. The Bitterroot Christian Bookstore hours for collection will be Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. For statewide information, you may call 1-800-788-6964.

Stevi Senior Center activities

The following activities are scheduled at the Stevensville Senior Center, 100 Mission:
- Mondays - Bridge, 1 p.m.
- Mondays & Saturdays - Pinochle, 7 p.m.
- Tuesdays &Thursdays - Exercise: low impact floor aerobics, 10 a.m.
- Fridays - Exercise: seated aerobics, 10 a.m.
- Wednesdays - Bingo, 7 p.m.
- Every other Wednesday - Fiddler Jam Session, 12 noon
- 3rd Wednesday of month - Special birthday dinner
- 1st Tuesday of month - Senior Citizens regular meeting
- Monday-Friday - Lunches served. Call-ins required the day before lunches. Menus available at desk.
- Facility rental available.
For more information about any of these activities call 777-5707 or 777-5681.