Community news
Graduation matters
Columbia Falls was one of 15 Montana communities to share in more than $46,000 in grants from the Graduation Matters Montana Student Assistance Foundation College Readiness Fund. School District 6 received $1,000. For more information, visit online at http://graduationmatters.mt.gov.
Turkey bingo
The Ruder Elementary School PTO will hold their fourth annual Turkey Bingo Night at the school gym on Friday, Nov. 7, from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Admission is free. Cookies, popcorn, coffee and drinks will be provided. Thirty turkeys and various prize baskets will go to the winners. About 400 to 500 people attended last year. For more information, call 892-6570.
Chamber meets
The Columbia Falls Area Chamber of Commerce will hold its monthly meeting in the Teakettle Community Room, 235 Nucleus Avenue, on Tuesday, Nov. 11, from 11:45 a.m. to 1 p.m. North Valley Hospital CEO Jason Spring will speak about the facility they will build near Ruder Elementary School, a future school-based clinic and other services here. Luncheon costs $12. No reservation is required.
Book sale
The Columbia Falls Library Association will hold a bag sale at their store, 39 Sixth Street West, in Columbia Falls, on Friday and Saturday, Nov. 7-8, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. A plastic grocery bag filled with books will cost $3.
Rake Up
The United Way Volunteer Center is looking for both volunteers to do fall yard work and referrals of senior citizens or disabled people who need help with fall projects for its ninth annual Rake Up the Flathead on Saturday, Nov. 8. Volunteers can sign up for a whole day or a half day, whichever fits their schedule. For more information, call 752-7266. Registration deadline for projects is Friday, Oct. 31.
Church bazaar
St. Richard’s Catholic Church, in Columbia Falls, will hold its annual bazaar on Saturday, Nov. 15, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. with craft items, homemade baked goods, religious items and a raffle with a $300 cash top prize. Lunch will be soup, sandwiches and pie.
Art exhibit
The Hockaday Museum of Art, 302 Second Avenue East, in Kalispell, will present its 13th annual Members Salon art exhibit from Nov. 13 through Dec. 27, with more than 100 works created over the past year in glass, sculpture, pottery, textile, photography, jewelry, oil, watercolor, acrylic and dye on silk. A free and public opening reception will be held on Thursday, Nov. 13, from 5 to 7 p.m. Beginning Nov. 13, visitors may vote for their favorite piece in the People’s Choice Awards. For more information, visit online at www.HockadayMuseum.org or call 406-755-5268.
Meals On Wheels
The Flathead County Agency on Aging is seeking volunteers of all ages to deliver Meals On Wheels to seniors who live in Flathead County from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on weekdays. For more information, call 758-5711.
Water quality
The Montana Department of Environmental Quality will hold a public meeting to seek comments for its draft “Flathead-Stillwater Planning Area Nutrient, Sediment and Temperature TMDLs and Water Quality Plan” at the Red Lion Hotel in Kalispell on Thursday, Oct. 30, at 6 p.m. For more information, contact Christina Staten at 406-444-2836 or CStaten@mt.gov.
Election on TV
MontanaPBS will present an in-depth documentary of U.S. House candidates Ryan Zinke, R-Whitefish, and John Lewis, D-Helena, on Saturday, Nov. 1, at 5 p.m. The documentary will explore their past, their characters and their politics. It also will discuss what the candidates hope to accomplish in a gridlocked Congress if Montana voters give them a chance to be the State’s lone representative. MontanaPBS also will present a documentary about U.S. Senate candidates Steve Daines, R-Bozeman, and Amanda Curtis, D-Butte, on Sunday, Oct. 2, at 10:30 a.m. and 6 p.m. The show will follow the two candidates on the campaign trail as they delve into issues they consider important to Montanans.
Chamber meets
The Columbia Falls Area Chamber of Commerce will hold its monthly meeting in the Teakettle Community Room, 235 Nucleus Avenue, on Tuesday, Dec. 9, from 11:45 a.m. to 1 p.m. The annual Christmas luncheon will include music programs presented by Columbia Falls High School students and presenting of the Chamber’s First Buck Awards and Community Pride Awards. Luncheon costs $12. No reservation is required.