Pilot calendar: Project Whitefish Wine and Food Festival

The annual Project Whitefish Wine and Food Festival is set for May 7 at Grouse Mountain Lodge from 6-9 p.m. The annual event raises funds to support kids in the community through sports and the performing arts. All proceeds go to Project Whitefish Kids, the organization that maintains the Smith Fields Sports Complex for several sports teams, and the Whitefish Theatre Company. Seating is limited to 200. Tickets are $60 per person or you can sponsor an entire table for ten for $600. Purchase tickets at The Village Shop, Towne Printer, Imagination Station and the O’Shaughnessy Center. You can also purchase tickets online at www.whitefishtheatreco.org.

The American Red Cross of the Flathead Valley will be hosting a Whitefish community blood drive on May 15 in the gym at The Wave from 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Identification is required and appointments are recommended. To schedule your appointment, call Jean at 862-4332. All Whitefish blood drives for the remainder of this year are scheduled on the third Thursday of odd numbered months at The Wave.

The Whitefish Women of the Moose will be holding a benefit dinner on Wednesday, May 14 from 5-7 p.m. The “Italian splendor” dinner will benefit the community events support by the Women of the Moose. Tickets are $8 per person. Contact Pat Gilbertson at 862-3943.

Great Northern Brewery hosts the most prestigious miniature golf tournament May 13. The course tours Whitefish’s downtown bars. Pre-registration is required. Space is limited to 24 teams. Maximum six people per team, minimum of four people per team. Cost is $20 per person. All golfers are to meet at Great Northern Brewery at 5:45 - 6 p.m. for sign-in, hole assignment and instructions. Shotgun starts at 6:30 p.m. Each participant must provide their own putter and a golf ball. Award ceremony is at the brewery commencing after the tournament is over, and winners must be present to win. This year’s theme is “famous golfers.”

Rosella Mosteller will lead an ongoing Cultural and Art History Club meeting at Stumptown Art Studio from 10 a.m. to noon on Tuesday, May 13. The discussion will be centered on Montana artist Shawna Moore as a beginning point to an exploration of history, the person, medium, etc. The next group of discussions is intended for delving deeper into the history, technique, psychological, mathematical, and social implications of the life and times of American artist Norman Rockwell, European artist Henri Toulouse-Lautrec, and world artist Ai WeiWei. The discussion could be more interesting if one does research prior to the meeting. It is designed to be open to input from all attending. Sign up at Stumptown Art Studio with an annual membership or drop-in for $5 a visit.

Did you know that HALF of the world population doesn’t own a pair of shoes? Most of us have shoes sitting in the closet that we never wear. Donations of gently-used shoes and blankets are being collected until May 30 at the Whitefish Dairy Queen and the Whitefish Assembly at 1549 Karrow Avenue in Whitefish. Place your shoes in a plastic bag or tie them together and take them to one of the drop boxes. Shoes will be delivered to Provision International in Billings to be placed in containers and shipped worldwide. If you would like more information, email adanac@adanacsleds.com or call 406-881-2909. For information about Provision International, Share-A-Pair, go to www.shareapair.org or www.provisioninternational.org.

Flathead National Forest campgrounds start opening in early May and all campgrounds, weather permitting, are scheduled to be open for your enjoyment by the Memorial Day holiday weekend. Holland Lake, Swan Lake and Tally Lake campgrounds will open Friday, May 9. Big Creek campground is scheduled to open May 15. Emery Bay, Murray Bay, Doris Creek, Lost Johnny, Devil Creek, Lid Creek and Riverside Campgrounds and associated boat launches are all scheduled to open Friday, May 23. All openings are dependent on weather conditions.

The Flathead Democratic Party will host a debate for U.S. Senate and Flathead County Commissioner candidates in Kalispell Monday, May 12 at the Gateway Community Center, United Way Conference Room. The commissioner candidate debate at 6 p.m. features Democrats Stacey Schnebel and Jack Garlitz. The U.S. Senate candidate debate at 7 p.m. features former Lt. Gov. John Bohlinger and Dirk Adams. The Flathead Democratic Party Central Committee meeting will be held at 5:15 p.m. For additional information about this event, please contact Dave Fern at 212-0674.

Glacier National Park superintendent Jeff Mow will be the featured guest at Flathead Audubon’s annual meeting on Monday, May 12 at the Whitefish Community Center. “Looking Forward at Glacier National Park” will be the topic of the presentation. Doors open at 5 p.m., potluck at 6 p.m. and meeting at 7 p.m. There will also be a silent auction.

The local Institute of Noetic Sciences (IONS) Community Group meets Thursday evening, May 8, at the Bohemian Grange in Whitefish from 7-9 p.m. Dr. Ardy Sixkiller Clarke will present “Star People: A Native American Perspective.” She has conducted research about encounters with UFO’s and Star People among  indigenous peoples throughout the world. Dr. Clarke will discuss her findings which are detailed in her book “Encounters with Star People: Untold Stories of American Indians.” She will also provide a glimpse into her second book on the subject, “Sky People: Untold Stories of UFO Encounters in Mesoamerica,” which will be released in late 2014. Dr. Clarke brings a new voice to the field - that of the indigenous people - which has heretofore been silent. The meeting is open to all interested persons, with a donation requested to help defray expenses. No one turned away. For further information call Walter at 406-871-9259.

The Humane Society of Northwest Montana is holding a matching donation promotion during the month of May. Because of an anonymous donor, any donation during the month of May will be doubled. Spring is the busiest season for the Humane Society creating more financial demands for treating, spay/neuter, feeding and finding homes for dogs and cats in Flathead County. To donate online visit www.humanesocietypets.com or mail a check to P.O. BOX 221, Kalispell, MT 59903 or call 752-7297.

Joe Coco of Coco Enterprises will offer a free seminar, Live Life Intentionally. Learn how to get more out of life, live life with purpose, and write your own personal mission statement. A time for group discussion and support will follow. Seminar takes place at the Coco Enterprises Conference Center in Whitefish on May 13 from 7 – 8:30 p.m. Space is limited. Call 862-9400 to register or email erika@coco-ent.com.

A Glacier Institute course on Glacier’s Harlequins is set for Saturday, May 17 at 8:30 am. The course will be led by instructor John Ashley. He has worked to conserve harlequin ducks in Montana, Alberta and British Columbia for many years. Register for the course by calling 755-1211 or online at www.glacierinstitute.org. This course is $65 per person. Courses are rated for skill level, the “Glacier’s Harlequins” course is rated “easy.” The group will walk about two to three miles along the Going-to-the-Sun Road and the elevation gain will be less than 100 feet.

The spring membership special for season tickets for Flathead Valley LIVE on Stage ends on May 15. The season features Wai Mizutani on violin, Matt Herskowitz playing the Steinway grand piano, Rob Verdi’s saxsational show, which will include members of local high school bands performing with him, and the fiddle/guitar duo of Alex DePue and Miguel De Hoyos. The special spring pricing is adult, $65, seniors age 62 and over $55, students $35 and families of any size $150. Order tickets from a community worker, online or by mailing a check to FVLOS at PO Box 894, Kalispell, 59903. For questions, call David at 837-1026, Betsy at 752-0605, Bob at 756-7937 or Danlynne at 756-6357.