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.
Free 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.
Health care reform talk
A plain language explanation of the recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling on the federal healthcare act, and how it could impact businesses, will be hosted by Western States Insurance, Blue Cross Blue Shield, and the Associated Chambers of Commerce at the Flathead Valley Community College’s Arts and Technology Building, Room 139, on Thursday, Sept. 20, beginning at 3 p.m. Advanced registration is required by visiting online at www.wsi-insurance.com/flatheadhcr.
City court
On May 25, the Columbia Falls City Council passed a resolution establishing the city court as a court of record. Starting Oct. 15, the court will be known as the Columbia Falls City Court of Record, as defined and governed by Title 3, Chapter 11, Part 1 of Montana Code Annotated.
Book prize
Montana author Rick Bass will serve as the judge for Whitefish Review’s first fiction prize, the Rick Bass/Montana Prize for Fiction. First-place winner of the fiction prize will receive a $1,000 and be published in the Whitefish Review on Dec. 8. Deadline for submissions is Oct. 15. There is a $15 fee for fiction. Submissions may be sent online to www.WhitefishReview.org.
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 Monday, Sept. 24, from 5:30 – 6:30 p.m. and 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.
Marijuana movie
The ACLU of Montana will host two free showings of the documentary film “Code of the West.” The film, which is on a national tour, documents the 2011 Montana Legislature as it debated marijuana regulation and repeal of the Medical Marijuana Initiative Montana voters passed in 2004 and follows key figures on each side of the debate. The film will be shown at Flathead County Library, in Kalispell, on Wednesday, Sept. 19, at 7 p.m. and at the Whitefish Community Library, in Whitefish, on Thursday, Sept. 20, at 7 p.m.
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.