Community briefs for May 29
Review hosts author
Whitefish Review will host author Antonia Malchik at Casey’s on Friday, May 31 for a reading and discussion of “A Walking Life),” a new book about our freedom, one step at a time.
“Even though humans and its predecessors have been bipedal walkers for at least six million years, we take this seemingly arbitrary motion for granted,” said Malchik. “Walking is essential to our physical health and creativity, to children’s brain development, to mental well-being throughout our lives, and to our understanding of our place in the world. Being able to walk places is fundamental to freedom.”
Malchik’s essays and articles have appeared in The Atlantic, The Washington Post, The Boston Globe, Aeon, BuzzFeed, and many others. Formerly a journalist in Austria and Australia, she lives in Whitefish with her family.
Doors open at 6:30 p.m. with live music from one-man-band, Todd Cowart. Malchik will take the stage at 7:00 p.m. In addition to reading from her book, Whitefish Review founding editor Brian Schott will join Malchik for a lively discussion about writing and walking. A book signing by the author will conclude the evening, in addition to more live music.
For more information, visit Whitefish Review on Facebook or call 261-6190.
Battle of the Burgers
The Battle of the Burgers as part of the Feast Whitefish has been rescheduled for Saturday, June 8 from 2 to 5 p.m. The battle will pit the area’s top restaurants and bars against one another to determine who makes the best burger. Chefs will compete for both the People’s Choice Award and the judge’s award, which officially determines who’ll lay claim to the title Big Sky Burger-Meister! The popular annual event will be held this year at the Pine Lodge and will feature great live music as well as an trio of canned pilsners and ales served-up by the Great Northern Brewing Company.
Already confirmed to take part in the burger cook-off are the crews from Casey’s Bar, Loula’s Café, the Whitefish VFW, Piggyback Barbecue and Logan’s Grill (at the Grouse Mountain Lodge), who’ll be looking to make a “clean sweep” of this year’s Feast award as they’ve already claimed both the People’s Choice and the “Grand Champion” awards for best appetizer at this year’s Distiller’s Fest!
Tickets for the Battle of the Burgers are limited and on-sale now at www.FeastWhitefish.com, Feast Whitefish is sponsored by the Pine Lodge, Flathead Beacon, Great Northern Brewing Company and the Whitefish Chamber. For more information call the Whitefish Chamber at 862-3501.
Audubon weekend
Join Flathead Audubon at the Tally Lake Campground outside Whitefish for an extraordinary weekend of birding and relaxing. The spacious group pavilion campsite at the campground has been reserved for Friday, May 31 and Saturday, June 1. Birding groups will go out early in the morning and focus on bird identification, birding by ear and photography. This is an ideal time of year to find a wide variety of migrant and resident birds. All of the warbler species that can be found in Northwest Montana are found here. Plenty of other activities can be enjoyed at Tally Lake as well. Bring your boats, lawn games and bikes. Optional potluck will begin at 6 p.m. on Saturday. Call Jill or Mike Fanning at 862-8070 for questions.
Whitefish Lake birds
Join local birders Bruce Tannehill and Gail Cleveland on Saturday, June 8 from 8 am until noon when they will visit some of the best songbird areas on Whitefish Lake. The group will car pool to the site at head of the lake. The trip is limited to 15 people. To sign up and get more details contact Bruce at tanneland239@gmail.com.
For more information, visit the Flathead Audubon website: www.flatheadaudubon.org
Trails Day
Whitefish Legacy Partners and Montana Wilderness Association will be leading trail work at Lion Mountain on the Whitefish Trail on June 1 for National Trails Day. No experience is necessary, and kids ages 10 and up are welcome. Work will take place from 9 a.m. to noon. Wear close toed shoes, bring work gloves if you have them, as well as water, and dress for the weather. All tools will be provided. After the work is done, treats will be provided for volunteers by REI Kalispell. For more information about this event and other scheduled outings, visit www.whitefishlegacy.org or call 406-862-3880 or email info@whitefishlegacy.org.
Music
Flathead Valley Community College’s Music Program and Sons of Norway invite the community to “A Nordic Dream,” a celebration of Scandinavian composers and culture on Friday, June 7.
Violinists Wai Mizutani and Lauren Welch will perform original pieces written by Norwegian-American composer and music producer Lance Bendiksen. Bendiksen, along with Natilee Radosevich, will accompany on piano. Additional guest musicians will include vocalist Amy Baker, drummer Rob Spencer, guitarist Nic Hannay and bassist Ron Reeves.
Free and open to the public, the concert will begin at 7 p.m. in the large community room of the Arts and Technology Building on the FVCC campus.
Wolf trapper course
Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks is offering a free wolf trapper education and certification course near Kalispell on Saturday, June 1.
The course will be held outdoors at Pine Grove Pond, 3 miles northeast of Kalispell off Rose Crossing east of Whitefish Stage Road and just west of the Whitefish River. Registration is open online at http://fwp.mt.gov/education/hunter.
The course is open to individuals 11 and older. The morning session, from 9 a.m. to noon, will be a comprehensive education session taught by FWP staff. An additional afternoon session, which is not required for certification but encouraged, will be taught by trappers who have considerable experience trapping wolves. To RSVP for the afternoon session or for more information, contact Tom Fieber at tfieber@bresnan.net.
Prospective wolf trappers must complete a certification class and have a Montana trapping license to trap wolves. Trappers who successfully completed a certification course in Montana or Idaho do not need to retake the course.
Certification topics will include:
- Trapping ethics, regulations, equipment, and proper techniques to avoid trapping non-target species
- History of wolves in Montana
- The current status of wolves in the state
- Wolf management and the role of trapping in conservation
- Reporting and registering one’s harvest
An additional wolf trapper certification course will be held in Kalispell on Dec. 7. The wolf trapping season runs Dec. 15 through Feb. 29, 2020.
For more information, contact Dillon Tabish, FWP Region 1 information and education program manager, at (406) 751-4564 or dillon.tabish@mt.gov.
Edible flowers
Montana State Parks will host a “Can I Eat This?” hike at Lone Pine State Park in Kalispell on Friday, May 31 from 6:30 to 8 p.m.
The world around us is full of amazing edible flowers and shrubs. Join Lone Pine State Park Ranger on a 2-mile hike to answer the simple question, can I eat this? This hike is about finding out what plants around you are edible but is not intended as a survival class.
Wear sturdy shoes, weather-appropriate clothing and bring water; cameras are welcome. Space is limited for this hike so please call 406-755-2706 ext.0 to reserve a spot. Cost is: $4 for hikers 13 and older, 12 and younger are free. For more information call the park visitor center at (406) 755-2706.