Community news
Garage sale
The Columbia Falls Area Chamber of Commerce will hold its 15th annual garage sale at Angie’s Greenhouse on the U.S. 2 strip on Friday, Sept. 28, from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and on Saturday, Sept. 29, from 8 a.m. to noon. Donated items can be dropped off on Wednesday and Thursday from noon to 6 p.m. Money raised will go to the Children’s Holiday Village display at Marantette Park, new banners and other community pride projects. For more information, call Carol Pike at 892-2072 or e-mail cpike@centurytel.net.
Art classes
Local artist Kathy Martin will lead a watercolor workshop at the Whistle Stop Cafe, on Nucleus Avenue, in Columbia Falls, on Tuesdays through April from 6 to 8 p.m. beginning Oct. 2. The sessions are intended to be casual and for painters of all abilities. Cost is $5 per session. This is the fourth year workshops have been offered at the cafe. For more information, contact Martin at 892-2292 or stop by the cafe.
Tourist workshop
The Crown of the Continent Research Learning Center and the National Parks Conservation Association will host a free sustainable business workshop at Glacier National Park’s Community Building in the Park Headquarters area on Wednesday, Oct. 10, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Lunch will be provided. Pre-register by calling Dylan Boyle at 406.599.7929 or e-mailing dylan@geotravelconsulting.com. For more information, visit online at http://glacierbusinessworkshop.eventbrite.com.
Metals class
Rod Cogliati will teach a 10-week adult class on “Introduction to Metal Working” on Friday evenings from Oct. 5 through Dec. 21. The class will cover safety, oxyacetylene brazing, cutting and welding, with some aluminum foundry. Classes will be held at the Columbia Falls High School metal shop from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. Cost is $100. For more information, call Robin White at 892-6500.
Free dinners
Take a break from cooking and join the Columbia Falls Community Kitchen for free meals in the basement of St. Richard’s Catholic Church, in Columbia Falls, on Thursday through Sunday, Sept. 27-30, at 6 p.m. Everyone is welcome.
Walking talk
The Shepherd’s Hand Clinic will sponsor a free talk by Robert Sweetgall, the walking expert, on Monday, Oct. 1, at Christ Lutheran Church, in Whitefish. Sweetgall has walked across America four times (11,208 miles in one year alone) and has presented Walking Wellness programs to over 250,000 teachers, students and corporate employees since 1982. The event, called “Motivation to Move,” will begin with the Shepherd’s Hand free community meal at 5 p.m. followed Sweetgall at 6 p.m.
Reading vols
Literacy Volunteers of Flathead County is looking for people to tutor basic literacy and English as a second language for the hundreds of people in the Flathead who can’t read their children’s report card, a prescription label or a basic map. Interested volunteers can attend an open house in the Gateway Community Mall in Kalispell on Wednesday, Oct. 3, from 5:30 – 6:30 p.m. Tutors must attend a training course before they can be assigned a learner, but volunteers can start right away. Formal training will start Saturday, Oct. 13, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. for all interested tutors. For more information, call 257-7323.
PSA screenings
The Summit Medical Fitness Center in Kalispell will offer free prostate cancer screenings for men at the Columbia Falls Clinic on the U.S. 2 strip in Columbia Falls on Saturday, Sept. 29, from 9 a.m. to noon. Men who are over 50 or men who are over 45 with a family history of prostate cancer should be screened. Call 751-4500 for an appointment.
Free GED prep
Flathead Valley Community College will provide a free adult basic education and GED preparatory class at Canyon Elementary School, in Hungry Horse, on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3 to 5 p.m. starting Tuesday, Oct. 16. Childcare will be available on site at reduced rates. For more information or to sign up, call 756-3884.
Catholic program
St. Richard’s Parish in Columbia Falls will offer a free program to introduce or re-introduce the Catholic faith to interested adults of all ages on the first and third Wednesdays of each month. The program will begin Oct. 3 at 6:30 p.m. in the St. Richard Rectory, at U.S. 2 and 13th Street West. Reverend John Miller, Pastor of St. Richard’s, calls the program “down to earth and practical.” For more information, call 892-5142 between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m.
Chamber function
The Columbia Falls Area Chamber of Commerce will hold a nine-hole scramble and after-hours social at Meadow Lake Resort on Thursday, Oct. 11. The scramble will begin at 3 p.m. with a shotgun start. Cost is $20 with a cart. To RSVP, all 892-8729. The social will be hosted by ERA Lambros at Meadow Lake, National Parks Realty and Meadow Lake Homeowners Association at the Truby’s restaurant from 5 to 7 p.m. with appetizers and beverages.