Community news

by Hungry Horse News
| April 11, 2012 7:32 AM

Community choir

The Columbia Falls Community Choir will perform two free spring concerts at the Columbia Falls High School’s Little Theater on Saturday, April 21, at 7 p.m. and Sunday, April 22, at 2 p.m. Directed by Ron Bond and accompanied by Penni Chisholm, the choir has been presenting free concerts for more than 20 years. The choir’s 102 members come from across the Flathead Valley and have been meeting weekly since January with a wide selection of music.

Pancake breakfast

The Columbia Falls Lions Club’s pancake breakfast will take place at the North Valley Seniors Center, on Nucleus Avenue, on Saturday, April 21, from 7 a.m. to noon. Boy Scouts of Troop 41 will assist in serving pancakes, ham, eggs, juice and coffee. Prices are $6 adults, $5 children under-12 and $16 families.

The Lions Club provides eyeglasses for children and sponsors Boy Scout Troop 41, a community Easter egg hunt, scholarships for Columbia Falls High School students, boys and girls baseball teams, the Boys and Girls Club, Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Flathead and the Heart Association. Mark Johnson is the club president. The club meets at The Back Room on the first and third Thursdays at 7 a.m. Guests are welcome to attend.

Eastern Stars

The Eastern Stars club will host a spaghetti dinner fundraiser at the Masonic Temple on Saturday, April 14, from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. Door prizes will be awarded, items from past matrons’ closet will be sold, and there will be a craft sale. Tickets are $8 adults and $5 children 6-12 years old, available in advance or at the door. Sue Marshall is worthy matron of Vista Chapter No. 44, and Gary Sparr is worthy patron.

Bowling league

The Columbia Falls Women’s Bowling Association will hold an open meeting in the basement of Freedom Bank on Tuesday, April 17, at 7:30 p.m., where tournament awards will be handed out. The doors will be locked earlier for a memorial service at 7 p.m.

Swing dance

Timber Creek Village Assisted Living Community will host Spring Swing, the Columbia Falls business after-hours social, on Thursday, April 12, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. with dancing to country swing music. Timber Creek is at 375 Meadow Lake Boulevard. For more information, call 892-3400.

Senior dinner

The North Valley Senior Center will hold a supper fundraiser on Friday, April 13, from 4 to 7 p.m. at the center on Nucleus Avenue with biscuits, sausage gravy, potatoes, cookies, coffee and juice. Cost is $4 one biscuit, $6 two biscuits. For more information, call 892-4087.

Garden talk

Columbia Falls Women’s Connection, affiliated with Stonecroft Ministries, will hold their luncheon at the Teakettle Community Hall, on Nucleus Avenue, on Wednesday, April 18, at 11:30 a.m. Rande Simon, from Bibler Gardens in Kalispell, will talk about the gardens and upcoming events. The featured speaker will be Cathy Benson. Cost $8 per person. Free child care available by reservation. For more information, call Candy at 387-4119 or Janet at 892-3621.

Cancer benefit

“Lisa’s Voice,” an oral cancer awareness benefit, will be held at the Montana Veterans Home, in Columbia Falls, on Saturday, April 21, from noon to 4 p.m. The event is held in memory of Lisa Petersen. There will be oral screenings, a raffle, guest speakers, a chili feed and music.

Fraud film

The Montana Commissioner of Securities and Insurance will sponsor a free dinner and movie, “Gold diggers: Investment fraud in the Treasure State,” at the Teakettle Community Hall, on Nucleus Avenue, on Tuesday, May 1, at 6 p.m. Dinner will be barbecue babyback ribs and chicken from The Back Room. RSVP by calling 1-800-332-6148.

Cancer drivers

The American Cancer Society is seeking volunteer drivers with vehicles in the Flathead who can provide free transportation for patients to and from cancer-related medical appointments at Kalispell Regional Medical Center. The Road to Recovery program currenty has 17 volunteers and provides about 75 rides per year, but the need is growing. The most pressing need is for more drivers from Columbia Falls, Bigfork and Whitefish. A driver orientation will take place in the Lupine Conference Room at KRMC on April 20 from 2-3 p.m. To RSVP or for more information, contact Dolly Vallieres at 756-8017 or e-mail dollyv@bresnan.net.

Women’s health

Kalispell Regional Medical Center will host a free women’s health fair and luncheon called Women’s Works on Saturday, May 5, from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at the Buffalo Hill Conference Center at KRMC. The health fair will present speakers on breast cancer, pregnancy and childbirth, heart disease, diabetes and more. The Summit Medical Fitness Center will provide free body composition screenings, and massage therapists will offer free 15-minute chair massages. The Women’s Center at HealthCenter will offer the convenience of screening mammograms (to make a reservation, call 751-9729). A healthful lunch will be served between lectures. To reserve space at this event, register online at www.krmc.org or call 751-6697.

Women’s health

IONS meet

The local Institute of Noetic Sciences (IONS) community group will meet at the Bohemian Grange, directly west of Montana Coffee Traders on U.S. 93, on Thursday, April 12, at 7 p.m. Poet and teacher Kim Rosen will talk about “Speaking the heart: The awakening power of poetry.” For more information, call 862-7711.

Valleyaires concert

The Flathead Valleyaires will present their spring concert in the Glacier High School auditorium on Saturday, April 28, at 7:30 p.m. The theme of the barbershop-style musical program is “Harmony.” Jeff Houston, the group’s director for the past 31 years, will hand off the baton to Duane Herriges, who will lead this concert. Tickets are $10 in advance and $12 at the door, with children under-12 free. Tickets are available at Glacier Wallflower, in Columbia Falls, or by calling 755-1755.

Homeschool theater

The Homeschool Theater Club will present “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang” at the New Covenant Church, 436 Birch Grove, in Kalispell, on Thursday and Friday, April 12-13, at 7 p.m. and Saturday, April 14, at 4 p.m. Admission is free. A bake sale will offset production costs.

Preschool class

The Columbia Falls High School is looking for children 3-5 years old to participate in the high school’s HERO Preschool class. A “meet the teen” meeting will be held at the high school on April 13 from 1:45 to 2:25 p.m. The classes will take place at the high school from April 16 through May 31 from 1:45 to 2:50 p.m. Cost for parents is $25 per child for the 24-day session. Children will be provided snacks, crafts and games. For more information, call Lynne Thuesen at 892-6500 ext. 233.

Fundraiser dinner

Human Therapy on Horseback will host their ninth annual dinner and auction, “Making Miracles Happen,” at the Hilton Garden Inn, in Kalispell, on Saturday, May 5, with the doors opening at 4:30 p.m. and dinner at 6:30 p.m. There will be live and silent auctions, a raffle, door prizes, a cash bar and music by Roy Wilhelm and the Sundowners. Tickets are $50 per person available by calling 406-881-4192 or online at www.fthflathead.org.

Summer music

The Columbia Falls Lions Club Summer Concert Series begins this year on June 21 Anyone or business interested in being a sponsor can call committee chairman Mark Johnson at 314-0200. The one-hour concerts will be held at the Don Lawrence Amphitheater in Marantette Park, in Columbia Falls, beginning at 7:30 p.m.