Tiny Talks bring new perspectives, stories from the Valley
Eight unique speakers will share their own stories about “People Connecting with Place” during Flathead Tiny Talks on Saturday in Whitefish.
“Our intent was to really bring a diverse group of people together,” Linda Graf, director of Tiny Talks, said. “It seems like everybody has a special place that they remember or like to go to. Some people remember it through visual memories, another woman remembers places through things she’s eaten. You can remember places with all your senses.”
The event proceeds benefit the Montana Outdoor Legacy Foundation, which is the umbrella organization for conservation in Montana and supports a variety of outdoor experiences, access, wildlife projects and other nonprofit partners.
Speakers have eight minutes to share their talk during the event. They include Cathy Cooney, Troy De Roche, John Ghekiere, Ky Sandelin, Sherry Peterson, Ella Van Vlack, Todd Ware and Kenneth Yarus.
Cooney is the director of donor services at Montana Community Foundation and will give a presentation called “Nature Phobic.”
De Roche is a musician and flute maker and registered with the federal Indian Arts and Crafts Board as an authentic Native Artist. Through his music, De Roche expresses traditional values and the spiritual nature of Native American people.
Ghekiere is an engineer and manager in the semiconductor industry with nearly 20 years of experience. Ghekiere often holds presentations and workshops in the Valley on professional growth and managing adversity in the workplace.
Sandelin manages Great Northern Powder Guides with her husband Jay.
Peterson has worked in education for 25 years and committed herself to producing quality programs to teach people with disability through her nonprofit, Farming for the Future Academy.
A junior on the speech and debate team at Whitefish High School, Van Vlack will give a speech titled “Leaving the Nest.”
Ware is owner and flight instructor at Air Therapy Aviation in Bigfork, which teaches the therapeutic effects of flying by soaring over the Valley.
Yarus studied painting at the Ashland Academy of Art and in New York after developing his craft through several programs in the Valley. Now he’s returned to Montana to continue his education in the land he loves.
Graf said while the presentations will feature one person speaking at a time, she doesn’t want people to keep their ideas to themselves afterward.
“After the presentations, all the presenters will hang out and hopefully people will stick around and share their ideas with everyone else, so it’s not just a one-way conversation,” Graf said.
This is the second Tiny Talks event, the first being in Bigfork in 2012. While that event featured speakers talking about whichever topic they chose, this year’s incorporation of a theme has brought together an unique group of presenters.
The event is sponsored by First American Title, Grouse Mountain Lodge and Sportsman Ski Haus, and ticket proceeds benefit Montana Outdoor Legacy Foundation.
Tickets are $15 each online and $20 at the door. The talks begin at 7 p.m. at Grouse Mountain Lodge on Saturday Nov. 5. For more information visit www.TinyTalks.org.