Looking Back for March 22

A look back at past Pilot articles by Julie Engler.

50 Years Ago

March 22, 1973

“Slope and snow conditions have held up so well, that in spite of a late start and a light snowpack, skiing operations on The Big Mountain are expected to continue through April 22,” said Big Mountain General Manager Ed Schenck. Visitors on the Big Mountain that year included a great number of skiers from Washington, Alberta and Minnesota, with more than 120 cars per day during the week having been counted in the parking lot at the resort.

40 Years Ago

March 24, 1983

The planned opening of the Whitefish Lake Golf Course on Saturday, March 26, was surely a record, according to Mike Dowaliby, PGA club pro. He said he looked back through 20 years of records and has not found anything close to it. Two years prior, the course opened on March 31, but had to close again two days later. Memberships were available at a reduced rate until April 1 when a single membership was $110.

30 Years Ago

March 25, 1993

Eleven Whitefish businesses faced citations and fines after being caught selling alcohol to minors during a county-wide sting operation. In all, 47 Flathead Valley bars, supermarkets and convenience stores were targeted during the operation, which was conducted by law enforcement personnel from Whitefish, Kalispell, the Flathead County Sheriff’s Office and the Montana Department of Revenue’s liquor control division. Violations were noted at 25 of the establishments, including 11 of 18 businesses checked in Whitefish.

20 Years Ago

March 20, 2003

Whitefish’s Reid Sabin would defend his world championship classic title at The Big Mountain in the World Telemark Championship races held March 20-24. The Federation of International Skiing sanctioned the races and organizers were expecting up to 100 athletes and 20 coaches from a dozen countries including Sweden, Norway, Finland, Switzerland, France, Italy, Japan and Canada. Sabin went on to defend his all-terrain classic title from the 2001 World Championships in Valthorens, France. He was the first American to win a world championship telemark race.

10 Years Ago

March 20, 2013

An anonymous donation was made to the Whitefish Schools' music department through the Whitefish Community Foundation. “This most recent donation will benefit literally hundreds of students in the next 20-plus years who will play these instruments,” Mark McCrady, the school’s band director said. “Some will discover a lifelong love for playing music, which cannot happen without proper equipment.” The donor specified that the money be split into $20,000 for the band program, $9,000 for the orchestra and choir robes and $1,000 for sheet music.