View From The Bridge

VIEW from the BRIDGE
By Muncie
2/10/16

VALENTINE’S DAY
I am so wound up about all the Hallmark movies I have been watching today. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if it was a Hallmark perfect world? It’s all about love your parents, your spouse, your children and your neighbor. May you have a special day with lots of love coming your way?

GOSPEL MUSIC
There is more entertainment in store for you on Sunday, February 20th at 2:00pm at the Sunrise Bluffs. They are inviting you to come for the music, fellowship, food, and fun.

To those of you who are friends with your computer can check out the Salvation Nation Gospel Music Group and listen to some of their songs. It looks to me as if there are four men and one woman in the group. Put this date on your calendar and see you there. There is a free will offering.

MORE ENTERTAINMENT
I hope that all of you readers enjoy Montana PBS. Some of the programs I enjoy are Nature, Nova, American Experience and of course Backroads of Montana.

The music programs are special. Some of us older folks really enjoyed an Irish singer Danny O’Donnell but have not seen any of his programs for a long while. I was asked to call PBS and check it out which I did. I found that he will be featured in March but I do not know the date. I get a monthly booklet with the schedules but the March issue will not arrive until the last week in February.

I also asked the very helpful woman who answered the phone, about the 1908 World Champion Fort Shaw Girls Basketball show. It is not scheduled for a repeat but you can get the whole show on your computer. It is 1 hour and 45 minutes long and so far I have not found the time to sit and watch it. I will sometime when I am not watching some other great program on PBS.

I am especially interested in the Fort Shaw Girls because I met the authors, Peavy and Smith before they wrote the book and I was in touch with them for 3 years before publishing.

The other thing that binds me to the Fort Shaw Girls is that they played a basketball game here in Fort Benton in the second floor of the Benton Pharmacy Building. I am repeating this information because some of you may be new to the story and others of you will be reminded.

I also was able to go to Great Falls when the book was published and the Historical Society had a reception for some of the descendants of the 1908 Basketball Team. I also visited Fort Shaw when I was involved with the Mullen Conference and the bus stopped in Fort Shaw. There is a beautiful monument in honor of the Team. If I could go back in time, one of the first things I would want to see is one of the Fort Shaw Girls Basketball games. (Of course, this brings up a whole new subject as to what I would like to have seen back in time. I probably could fill a whole book if I had an inclination to write one.)

SMALL WORLD STORY
This is a personal small world story that I mentioned last week. It happened at the Elementary School between the 2nd and 3rd Showcases when I did not return to the Ag Center. I remained in my seat chatting with a friend from Helena. After sitting for a long while I decided to walk the halls to stretch a bit. I walked up and down the hallways several times and when I reached the front entrance door a beautiful young woman was coming through the doorway.

As I passed the door the young woman said, “You are Muncie!” She spotted my name tag.  “Yes, I am.  Do I know you?” She said, “No, you don’t but I feel I know you.” She met my daughter, Jennifer, on the plane from Minneapolis on Friday. My daughter was doing a job training class there for her company and was returning to Great Falls.

Julia, the beautiful young woman, was part of the Fritz showcase and was seated next to my daughter on the plane. When Julia said she was headed to Fort Benton for the Consortium, Jennifer told her that I lived in Fort Benton and would be at the event.

So what were the chances that I would meet Julia if I had not been walking the halls and met her at the precise moment she walked in the door. I would say a hundred to one as that was about the count at the event.

The Fritz performed here about 7 or 8 years ago. The Girls were very small then and I remember their act. It included the whole family and the girls did Irish dancing. They also all played the fiddle. Well, they are all grown up now and perhaps they will return to Fort Benton sometime soon. What an inspiring family and what a small, small world.

C.C.P.A.
The next Chouteau County Performing Arts program will not be until Saturday, April 2nd and it will be Pub Night. That is always a big attraction and I’ll see you all there.

SPORTING EVENTS
I appreciate Bethany’s reports on the Basketball Teams. They are very informative to me and she covers everything as well as Skip Ross did with the football games.

I do not mean to ignore the other teams like Volleyball, Soccer, and Wrestling but I am just not able to attend all the sports events. I was not even able to attend the out of town football and basketball games the last couple of years. I really admire the parents and die- hard fans for their ability to attend all games.

I thought that when Fort Benton became Class C, the games would be closer to home. I remember well when we were Class B and we drove to Cut Bank, Shelby, Malta and Chouteau to name a few. We went to Basketball Tournaments in Hamilton. We took turns driving and stayed overnight or weekends in a motel. Gosh, those were fun days, especially when our team won, and we saw some very exciting games. I know that those memories of the “now games” will be talked about for many years. Save your programs and booklets with notes on them and you will be happy you did years from now.

OBSERVATION
A person’s height is determined by their father and their weight by their mother. When I see you about town, let me know if this observation applies to you?

GOD BLESS AMERICA, MONTANA, FORT BENTON, OUR TROOPS, OUR POLICE FORCES, WEAR RED ON FRIDAY, and PUT A GREEN BULB ON YOUR PORCH.