View From The Bridge 6/2/10

“VIEW from the BRIDGE”
By Muncie
6-2-10

COTTONWOODS
One project near completion was the planting of five male cottonwood trees on the Levee. There were bare places on the Levee where cottonwoods had to be replaced. Thanks to the generosity of five organizations and one individual, my mind can be put to rest that we may not have cottonwoods on the Levee.

The next time you are downtown, walk across Front Street and you will see three new trees between the Grand Union and the Old Firehouse. The trees are standing so majestically reaching for the sky. They are supported with stakes to keep them straight and tall.

If you would like to see a picture of that area on the Levee from 100 years ago, make a stop at the Visitors Information Center. I have a copy of the “Park” as it was called back then (between the Grand Union and the Old Fire Hall.) Jack Lepley found it stored away in the Ag Museum and I had a copy made before I professionally framed the original with rag mats. (You did not know I was a picture framer for 10 years back in Michigan years and years ago, did you?)

You will be amazed at the number of trees there were there then, the white picket fence surrounding them and the gazebo in the center. I just finished counting the trees on the picture and as close as I can get the number is 27. Today there are only a few left.

Did you know that there were concerts held every Thursday evening during the summer months and they were two hours long? I believe that the City Band began sometime in the 20’s and they are still playing today. I don’t think there is a single person left from the original group. I will do some checking at the Overholser Research Center to see what I can find in the archives.

FISHING DERBY
I saw Tommy Willson and Marie on Saturday evening and we chatted about “was it a baby beaver or was it a baby muskrat?” A couple of anglers had said to me that a fish could not have possibly swallowed a baby beaver and it must have been a muskrat inside the fish that was caught at the Derby. Did you question that when you read the River Press last week?

Tommy said that it was definitely a baby beaver because it had a paddle tail and not the long narrow rat’s tail of a muskrat. He has pictures to prove it. Therefore, that settles that question and it was not so earth shattering after all. Everyone seems to agree now and of the fact that the Derby was really a great event for Fort Benton.

RECYCLING
In the next week, a date will be set for a Recycling Meeting. A group is already being formed as a “starter group” and I have had two phones calls from persons who are excited about recycling and say it is long overdue. If you want to come to the “Starter Group” meeting, please call me at 622-3217 after 2:00 p.m. There will be people there who already recycle and people who have moved here from places that did recycling. They have some great ideas and are willing to pass them to others. I think we will have many people who could be nominated for the “Make a Difference” award.

I have been shredding junk mail letters and their envelopes this past week. I am also taking the labels off and crushing metal cans. This is in addition to saving aluminum cans, newspapers, and magazines in containers, which I have been doing all along. I only had one bag of trash to put in our trash container this evening to be picked up tomorrow morning. I was amazed at the results when just shredding the junk mail and I emptied the shredder four times into a large bag. One day we received eleven pieces of mail and eight of those were junk. I am so sure that all of you have the same stories. The Post Office will give you the address to send a letter asking that you not get junk mail. Make it a resolution this week to do that one small thing to save millions of trees. I see a conflict here because the Post Office then loses business. We have to decide (and I do not think it is much of s decision) if we want to lose our earth.

If you do not agree, I would like to hear from you. There are always two sides to every story and I would like to hear the other side. We could have some editorials here and make life in Fort Benton more interesting. You could speak your mind (so to speak.) Perhaps we could start a Yes and No telephone line. Yes, I want recycling and No, I do not want recycling. I could put the answers in this article. (I suppose I have nothing better to do.)

EVENTS
I have not been hearing about most “Events” until they are over. I would like to let everyone know what is going on but I cannot do that unless I know what is going on. Please…Organizations…if you have an event being planned…let me know. If it is a Fund Raiser, you must first have put an ad in the River Press. Sometimes it will get people there who otherwise would not know about it. I love to hear, “I read about it in the View first.”

SO LONG FOR NOW
June is going to be a wonderful fun month. There are many weddings, graduations, and parties happening. Enjoy all of them. Don’t stress. It just isn’t worth the price.

GOD BLESS AMERICA