Community briefs for July 25
Northwest Montana Fair
Are your tomatoes the talk of the town? Would your needlework make Jane Austen proud? Then plan on entering this year’s Northwest Montana Fair and see how you stack up. With so many departments, divisions and classes to choose from, there is something for every age and inclination.
Entering is free is most categories, but all entries must be complete before the deadline. There are different divisions for Open Competition and 4H and FFA Clubs, but they all share the same deadline: Wednesday, Aug. 1 at 4:30 p.m.
Open competitions departments are Crafts, Dahlias, Gladiolus, Eggs, Honey & Dairy Products, Fine Arts, Floriculture, Home Culinary, Needlework and Photography. Agriculture, Beef Cattle, Dairy Cattle Goats, Horses, Llama/Alpaca, Miniature Horses, Pocket Pals, Poultry, Rabbits and Sheep also take entries for open competitors.
So check online to make sure your class, division and department align with the item you want to enter. Please refer to individual department information as to the dates and times when exhibitors/competitors should bring their items for display.
Check out all of the classes and departments online at www.nwmtfair.com or pick up a Fair Book at ImagineIF Libraries, the Whitefish Community Library, Kalispell, your local Chamber of Commerce or at the NWMT Fair Office.
Online entries are the only way to enter but if you lack Internet access or need registration assistance, please call or visit the fairground office prior to deadline. The fairground office is located at 265 N. Meridian Road in Kalispell, under the south facing portion of the Grandstand Arena.
All About Our Kids
It’s All About Our Kids, a celebration of the eighth annual World Breastfeeding Week, will be Aug. 2 from 11 a.m to 3 p.m. at North Valley Hospital, 1600 Hospital Way, in the north parking lot. The event includes free games and prizes for kids, a breastfeeding bungalow, coloring and face painting, music and entertainment, door prizes and raffles, a photo booth, food vendors and more. For more information, email sbeale@nvhosp.org.
Expedition
Whitefish Legacy partners is holding Expedition Wild, a make believe expedition to explore the wilds of Lion Mountain, on Thursday, July 26 at 10 a.m. Come in your best expedition costume ready to use your imagination. This event is free and suitable for all ages. Come prepared for an easy 2-3 mile hike to the Whitefish Trail learning pavilion.
Fair pases
A limited number of discounted wristbands for the carnival at the 2018 Northwest Montana Fair and Rodeo are on sale now at CHS Convenience Store, 120 W. Idaho in Kalispell, all Whitefish Credit Union branches and the fairgrounds office.
Purchased in advance, the wristbands cost $25 each and allow one person unlimited rides for one day. G-Force and Vertigo require additional tickets to ride. The wristbands can be used any day of the carnival from August 15-19 and are the lowest priced way to experience the rides. Fairgoers can purchase the wristbands until 5:00 p.m. on August 14 or while supplies last. Wristbands are available at all carnival ticket booths during the fair for $35 each.
Admission into the fairgrounds is not included in the price of the carnival wristband. Advance gate admission tickets can be purchased at all Whitefish Credit Union branches for $4 each until 5 p.m. on August 17. Regular gate admission to the fair will be $7 for adults and children ages 13 and up, $4 for senior citizens ages 65 and up, $4 for children ages 6 to 12 and free for children under age 6.
“Make the most of your fair experience by purchasing your tickets early and saving money,” Flathead County Fairgrounds Manager Mark Campbell said.
For more information about the events planned for this year’s Northwest Montana Fair & Rodeo, visit www.nwmtfair.com.
River Management Plan
The Flathead National Forest, in coordination and partnership with Glacier National Park, will hold its third public meeting July 25 as it prepares a Comprehensive River Management Plan for the three forks of the Flathead River.
The meeting will be held at 5:45 p.m. Wednesday, July 25 at the Forest Supervisor’s Office at 650 Wolfpack Way in Kalispell. The main meeting will be from 6 to 8 p.m. and will include presentations on current ethnographic and historical information and some facilitated discussion on how ethnographic and historical resources will be addressed in the CRMP.
An introductory presentation on the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act for those new to the CRMP process will begin at 5:45 p.m. Future meeting topics, links to past meeting materials, and the meeting schedule are posted on the CRMP website.
The Flathead River was designated a Wild and Scenic River Oct. 12, 1976 and is a component of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System. It encompasses the North Fork of the Flathead from the Canadian border to its confluence with the Middle Fork, the entire Middle Fork, and the South Fork from its headwaters to Hungry Horse Reservoir. The North Fork and the lower Middle Fork form the boundaries between the Flathead National Forest and Glacier National Park.
Portions of the Middle and South Forks flow through the Bob Marshall and Great Bear Wilderness Areas. A total of 219 miles of the Flathead River are included in the designation.
More information can be found at: https://www.fs.usda.gov/detailfull/flathead/home/?cid=fseprd573051&width=full.