Letters to the editor
May 28
More love from the valley
Let us count the reasons we are blessed to live in the Mission Valley. For our family, our list got even longer this last Wednesday. We were invited to share a potluck supper with the members of the Leon Club. They graciously welcomed us and our children and we were able to share our personal story. Their interest in our son’s autism, his treatment program and our political victory was great. We felt honored to share our testimony, struggles and successes with such a receptive group. A few faces were familiar and by the end of the evening we were speaking to a room full of friends. After we left that evening the Leon Club continued with their regularly scheduled business meeting, where they made the decision to fund our son’s autism treatment for an entire month! The news was delivered to us that evening over the telephone and our hearts were warmed and our eyes full of tears. If ever we are asked why we live here, it isn’t the rugged mountains, the majestic lake, nor is it the slow-paced rural life. . . It is the people! This community is exceptional! Thank you, Leon Club, for loving our son! You have been a blessing to our family. Until our son has the ability to say it himself, you’ll have to settle for hearing it from us, thank you!
Will, Charlie, Carter, Decker and Timber Cote
A safety reminder
We’re entering that season that I think of as “Late Spring Frenzy.” This is one of the busiest times of year in the Polson High School guidance office. We’ve been running around the building like Santa’s elves letting our college-bound seniors know about the scholarships they’ve earned. We’re constantly checking the seniors’ grades to make sure they’re meeting graduation requirements. We’re making lists of the colleges our students are heading off to so we can send their final transcripts. It feels a lot like those frantic weeks, or days for the procrastinators among us, preceding a major holiday or celebration.
We remember how exciting, and kind of scary, it was to find ourselves on the cusp of adulthood. We can also remember some of the not-so-intelligent things that we did. We were happy to be leaving high school behind, we were making plans for college, and we partied. This is a time to party. For those of us who remember our own youth, these celebrations can be the cause for anxiety and concern. We remember classmates who made the choice to drink and drive at spring parties. It seemed like there was at least one motor vehicle accident every spring. Reliving those kinds of experiences is not something that we want to do.
We enjoy sharing in our seniors’ happiness right now. While these aren’t our biological children, they still feel like “our kids.” We’re proud of them and their accomplishments. We’ll miss them. What we don’t look forward to—what we dread—is that someday there will be an empty chair at commencement. We can’t even imagine how sad that empty chair will be and what a damper it will put on the celebration.
As high schools throughout the county get ready to host their graduation ceremonies over the next couple of weeks, we just want to remind students to continue to make good, healthy decisions, and to avoid the urge to do something stupid like getting drunk, or worse, getting behind the wheel after you’ve been drinking. You’ve made it this far in life, and we want to be able to watch you continue to grow and develop as you enter the next phase of your life. Your life as you know it is just beginning. Make sure you enjoy every single bit of it by making positive choices for yourself. We all want the best for you, and to see you succeed.
Emily Peck, PHS Guidance Counselor
Jesse Yarbrough, PHS Guidance Counselor
Kim Leibenguth, District No. 23 School Resource Officer
Ronan library thank you
The Friends of the Ronan City Library would like to thank the community for their support during our Montana Author’s Month. The turnouts were wonderful, and our many authors also appreciated seeing so many faces. In fact, it was so well received that it will become an annual event. We are gearing up for our summer reading program and will be planning many fun and exciting ideas for that. Our next meeting will be at 3 p.m. on Friday, June 5 at the Ronan City Library. Our meetings are open to the public, and we’d love to have you there. For further information, please contact either Ann Violette 883-5535 or Andi Hurtig 675 3977.
Library tenants
Yellow Bay festival thank you
The Yellow Bay Community Club and Yellow Bay Women’s Auxiliary would like to thank all of the local businesses for their continued support to the annual Flathead Cherry Blossom Festival with their donation of items used for raffles and door prizes. This year’s event was the best ever due to the contributions, the Old Time Fiddlers and all the hard work put in by the Women’s Auxiliary. Thank you to the entire community for your support as well by joining us. The clouds separated to give us a beautiful day of sunshine and the cherry blossoms were in full bloom, making it a wonderful day for all.
Maureen Gleason, president, Yellow Bay Women’s Auxiliary
First pitch was an honor
My thanks for giving me the honor of throwing out the first pitch for the Mother’s Day Game (thanks to Tim for catching my “ground” ball). I think the sign was for a strike! I’ve been watching baseball since Jami was in T-ball, little league, Babe Ruth, Legion, through college and now when he’s coaching. I love to see the games, learn to love all the boys and after legion many go off to play in college. It’s fun to hear about their accomplishments. A big thank you goes to the coaching staff, the association and sponors. Without you, baseball programs from T-ball up, kids wouldn’t have an opportunity to play.
Marge Hanson, Polson
Doll show dazzled
For the first time in decades the Big Arm historic school opened its doors this past Saturday to the general public. Doll enthusiasts from Great Falls, Missoula, and many other locations far and near came to view the magnificent doll show. The show highlighted Trish Friez’s collection of more than 500 dolls and Barbara Wamsley’s collection of doll houses and Santas.
The Big Arm Association sends our very special thanks and appreciation to Trish Friez as she worked so hard for days preparing her dolls and furniture. She then spent hours setting up a terrific display and then many more hours packing everything away. Trish, you and your dolls were amazing thank you so much!
A special thank you to Barbara Wamsley and her helpers for sharing her magnificent collection of doll houses with us. We would like to thank everyone who helped prepare the school by tearing down the 1970s entrance and building the new stairs. A big thank you to those who did electrical work, stripped paint, mowed and cleaned and also a big thank you to those who hosted, baked goodies, prepared sandwiches and parked cars. Thank you to Super One for donating to the tea and goodies, to the UPS Store for helping out with brochures and the Miracle of America Museum, which donated an antique school desk. Thank you to the merchants and businesses that posted our signs. And another special thank you to Polson District No. 23 School Board for their support.
We thank everyone who attended and helped in any way as your support will help with the restoration of the historic school.
Big Arm’s next event will be The Big Arm Fire Company’s 30th Anniversary Celebration, which will be held on June 27. The firefighters will be cooking their famous gourmet burgers with all of the trimmings. Please contact BAVFC President Ron Friez for tickets and information 849-5323. The Big Arm Association will be helping out by holding a kids’ carnival and the famous water wars run by our very own Despot Dictator Paulus Maurerus.
Alison Meslin, on behalf of the Big Arm Association