Hal Curtiss says goodbye to a town he loves
The Bigfork Chamber of Commerce honored me as Grand Marshal of the Bigfork 4th of July Parade along with the marvelous Bigfork High School State Championship Basketball team. It was another great day in the life of Bigfork!
I have lived in Bigfork going on 46 years. My first visits to this community were in 1958 and 1959 while I was serving at Malmstrom Air Force Base in Great Falls. My young family and I visited here in the summer of 1968 and then moved here the following spring.
Recently I purchased a farm in northwestern Pennsylvania (near where I grew up) and Pauline and I will be moving there later this summer to be with our children and grandchildren. The “sweet” part is found in living near family. The “bitter” part will be leaving Bigfork…a place I have loved as no other place on earth!
Raising my family here has been a father’s dream come true. All of our children grew up here and we are the better family for it! My love for this community has transitioned … “old” Bigfork (with its dirt streets and wooden board walks) to “new” Bigfork with its classy boutiques, fine dining establishments, and numerous specialty shops. It is different from “back then” but I believe the soul of Bigfork has emerged from this transition and that it is healthy and strong. Community pride and spirit in Bigfork is compelling and extraordinary!
This community has been generous to me and my family and while we have sought ways to serve and give back, we still owe a debt of gratitude to God and to our many dear friends here. Apart from many years of pastoring in Bigfork and the Flathead, the past two years serving as a firefighter (they are merciful because of my age) chaplain, and recent EMT with the Bigfork Volunteer Fire Department, has proven to be two of my most fulfilling and rewarding years of service. Working under the leadership of Chief Wayne Loeffler and Asst. Chief Mic Borges and a wonderful dedicated crew of firefighters and EMS personnel and trainers has brought me the utmost satisfaction. Leaving my brothers and sisters in the BVFD is heart-wrenching. I love them and esteem them as Bigfork’s very best!
What makes a community like Bigfork so great is its internal integrity (soundness of its cultural/social fabric) and Its external integration with local businesses, schools, service organizations, The Bigfork Center for the Performing Arts, and special programs like the ACES after school program for kids and the Christmas Elves decorating our town for the Christmas season. The people who call Bigfork home show their appreciation for this special place by serving, supporting, and giving back in every way possible.
America the Beautiful….yes, because we know liberty and freedom comes through personal responsibility and sacrifice; not by receiving only but through giving and serving.
Thank you Bigfork…no matter where I live, you are always “home” and my family and I are in love with you forever!
Hal Curtiss, Bigfork