Community news
Pancake supper
The North Valley Senior Center will hold its annual pancake supper fundraiser at the center, 205 Nucleus Avenue, in Columbia Falls, on Friday, Sept. 13, from 4 to 7 p.m. Supper includes pancakes, sausages, scrambled eggs, juice and coffee — all you can eat for $5. It’s a good time to visit with old and new friends.
Chamber meeting
The Columbia Falls Area Chamber of Commerce will hold their next membership meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 10, from 11:45 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the North Valley Hospital Community Room, 235 Nucleus Avenue. The Montana Department of Revenue will be on hand to discuss Montana’s lodging taxes. They will discuss reporting, where tax revenues go and enforcement. Lunch costs $10 and reservations are not required. For more information, call executive director Carol Pike at 892-2072.
After hours
The Columbia Falls Area Chamber of Commerce’s Business After-hours social will take place at Edward Jones Financial Services, 830 Third Avenue West, in Columbia Falls, on Thursday, Sept. 12, from 3 to 7 p.m., with a barbecue to celebrate Bob Pearce’s retirement.
Book talk
The Bad Rock Book Discussion Group will meet at Bad Rock Books, on Nucleus Avenue in Columbia Falls, on Thursday, Sept. 19, a 7 p.m. to discuss Willa Cather’s book “My Antonia,” a story about pioneers in Nebraska. For more information, call Carol Rocks at 892-0515.
Toastmasters
The Columbia Falls Speaks Toastmasters Group will hold an open house in the Freedom Bank conference room on Tuesday Sept., 10, from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Special guest speaker Colleen Turner will talk about “The Greatness Gap.” The group helps people learn how improving communication skills can enhance workplace effectiveness. Refreshments will be served. For more information, contact Kristi Hatfield at 892-2868.
New officers
New officers installed at the Columbia Falls Masons Lodge No. 89, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, include Roger Halen, worshipful master; Justin Smith, senior warden; Ray Keibler, junior warden; James Ryan, treasurer; Dwight Robbins, secretary; Michael Shepard, senior deacon; Jim Smith, junior deacon; Dave Brotnov, chaplain. The first fall meeting will take place on Sept. 4 at 7 p.m. The district meeting will take place in Hot Springs on Sept. 13.
Masons meet
Vista Chapter No. 44 Order of the Eastern Star will install officers on Monday, Sept. 16, in the Columbia Falls Masonic Temple. Supper will take place at 5 p.m. followed by installation at 6 p.m. New officers will include Eddy Lou Benson, worthy matron, and Gary Sparr, worthy patron.
Fire equipment
The East Glacier Volunteer Fire Department will receive four sets of new state-of-the-art turnout gear donated by Globe in partnership with DuPont and the National Volunteer Fire Council. This is the first award in the 2013 Globe Gear Giveaway program which will provide up to 52 sets of gear to volunteer fire departments in need. This is the second year for the giveaway program. Last year, awards were made to 16 fire departments in the U.S. and Canada.
Annual studio tour
The Hockaday Museum of Art will present its fourth annual Local Color Studio Tour on Sept. 14 and 15 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Artists and artisans working and living in the Flathead Valley will demonstrate their skills for visitors and engage the viewer in the creative process. Admission to studios in Bigfork, Columbia Falls, Kalispell, Lakeside and Whitefish is free. A wide variety of media will be presented, from glass, metal, pottery and buckskin clothing to oil, watercolor, pastel, acrylic and dye on silk. Free maps will be available at the Hockaday Museum, from all participating artists and online at www.HockadayMuseum.org by mid August. For more information, call 755-5268.
IONS meets
The local Institute of Noetic Sciences (IONS) community group will meet at the Bohemian Grange, behind the Montana Coffee Traders on U.S. 93, on Thursday, Sept. 12, from 7 to 9 p.m. Annie Bloom will talk about “Wild Nature and the Human Psyche,” a comprehensive map to discover and explore the depths of where the world soul and individual souls entwine themselves. She is trained with the School of Lost Borders and is a senior guide with the Animas Valley Institute. For more information, call 862-7711 or 862-1035.