View From The Bridge 6/16/10

“VIEW from the BRIDGE”
by Muncie
6/16/10

RECYCLE MEETING
If you are interested in a Recycling Program in Fort Benton, please attend a meeting on Thursday evening the 17th, at 7:00 p.m., at the Longhorn Plumbing office on Main Street. This will be a very important core group meeting to exchange ideas and to set up a Town Hall Meeting to make the community aware of the ins and outs of such a program. I would like input from every organization, business, and private individuals. I have been in contact with representatives from the hospital and the First State Bank. One of the restaurants is very interested and the food businesses are very important recyclers. We need reps from all businesses, the City Council, the Commissioners, the Library, the Schools, and the Court House. Businesses that deal with office paper and cardboard are important to this project. Please come to the meeting and let us make a difference in Fort Benton.

More recycling information: Do not put cardboard boxes such as cereal, cracker, cookie (you get the gist,) in recycling bins. They want corrugated cardboard only, and the boxes broken down. That is very important because the person operating the baler does not have the time to break them down.

ADOPT-A-PLOT
I had two plots adopted recently by the newly formed Garden Club but now I have another one up for adoption. The only thing that needs to be done on the orphan is weeding. It already has perennials in place and it would not be too much work. With Summer Celebration almost upon us, it would be wonderful to have the Levee Trail looking spectacular. Many of the plots could use a little weeding and now that we are having some days without rain, it could be accomplished. The Levee Trail has really become an attraction in Fort Benton. More and more people are walking these days, will walk from the Visitors Center to the BLM Visitors Center, and to the Old Fort.

I also need someone who likes to paint to offer a helping hand. My plot, which is under the New Bridge, needs a new coat of paint underneath. I have the paint and the rollers if you have the time and energy. I wish it could be finished before Summer Celebration and needs to be finished before some landscaping work begins.

MYSTERY CAT WITH 9 LIVES
On Friday the 11th, the Morger girls were walking the Levee Trail toward the Lewis & Clark Statue. When they reached the corner of 17th St. and Front St., they heard a strange noise coming from the top of Tom Hayden’s building. They saw a cluster of bricks falling, with a cat riding them two stories down to the street. The mysterious cat scampered away and the bricks scattered half way across Front St. The girls phoned Mimi and Tom and they immediately came to clear the street.

Apparently, the cat was into a bird’s nest in that corner of the building and in the struggle, the bricks gave way. Now, the question is…how did the cat get to the top of the building and how many of its’ lives has it used? To whom does the cat belong, and will the mystery cat return to the scene of the crime for another try at the birds? Have the birds departed for a safer spot? Only the Shadow knows. (I have to explain that only The Greatest Generation knows about the Shadow. A radio program always said that the Shadow character was the only one who knew how to solve the mysteries.)

Another twist to the story is that just 15 seconds before the bricks fell, Greg Bonilla (the older Greg) rode his bicycle under the exact spot where the bricks fell. I think that you were saved from having a terrible headache Greg.

WHAT ARE THE ODDS
On Sunday afternoon at the Signal Point Golf Course, Gerald Miller on Hole #7 made another HOLE-IN-ONE. Do you remember two years ago, 2008, when Gerald got a Hole-in-one on #4 while participating in the Bobcat Scramble? He won a truck but opted to take the cash to use for his college education. He will be back in Fort Benton from Missoula for Summer Celebration, so will we see a three-peat? What are the odds? Go, Gerald.

SUMMER CELEBRATION
You will receive this paper on the 16th and a week from the Friday the 18th will be Summer Celebration. Are we ready for some great fun and some great weather? Take a break and enjoy all the wonderful events planned for you, your children, and your family. Schedules are available all around town. The Art in the Park is booked to capacity, the entertainment lined up, and the parade is in place so now it is your turn to whoop-it-up. Call all your family and friends to come to Fort Benton for the greatest so far, Summer Celebration.

VISITORS INFORMATION CENTER
Two weeks ago, Ruth Carlstrom’s mother passed away. Ruth is the Co-coordinator of the Visitors Center and a dear friend to every one of the volunteers. Our condolences to Ruth.

A week ago one of our volunteers passed on. It was Yvonne Sheppard and it happened very quickly. It makes one think seriously, about what we put off in our lives. Make that phone call that you have put off, today, and go visit that friend that you have put off, today. You may not have another chance.

ANOTHER FAREWELL
We bid farewell to another long time resident of Fort Benton. Kenny Morrow was born and raised in Fort Benton. He graduated in 1941, married in 1948, and worked on the family ranch where they raised four children. Many of you know his daughter, Bonnie Cook, who resides in Fort Benton. His wife passed away in 2000 and later on, he married Bonnie, his musical partner. We will miss his playing at the Bluffs for their dancing and sing along sessions. His classmates of the Class of ‘41 thought that he would be the last of the Class to go. He did not look 87 years old and he was full of vitality. So long, Kenny, we will miss you.

BEAR WITH THE BEARS
Are you following the bear stories in our area? I love to cut the articles out, photocopy, and send them to my hunting friend (Lucky Leslie) in Michigan. If I just told people about the bears, they would not believe me. I have to send the proof.

It reminds me of the time when this same friend and his wife, came to visit us for a few days a few years ago. We took them on what I call the Loop Ride through Shonkin, to Geraldine and on to Square Butte. We took a side trip ride to the quarry near Mary Tanner’s place and in that three-mile stretch; we must have seen 300 deer. My hunter friend said that he could hardly wait to get back home to tell his hunting friends about all the deer he saw. We have been back on that same ride at least a dozen times or more since and we have never seen a deer again. So what else is new?

VOLUNTEER
Have kind of forgotten about this item the last couple of weeks but as it is right in front of me at my computer table, I find these quotes so inspiring. “Show me a person whose car is garaged with the grille facing out, and I’ll show you a volunteer.” The only problem with this one is that most of us do not have a garage but I will bet if we did, the grille would be facing out.

SO LONG FOR NOW
As the weeks fly by, it seems as though there is more and more work to be done. Gardens are still in the planting stage and the weeds are growing so fast, you cannot keep up with them. We had a nice, warm day today (Sunday the 13th) and most of us are trying to thaw out. Summer will be along next week so let us be patient.

GOD BLESS AMERICA