Tuesday, June 6, 2017

View From The Bridge 6/7/17

VIEW from the BRIDGE
By Muncie
6/7/17

SUMMER CELEBRATION
Have you ordered your Shep t-shirts yet? Please call Connie Jenkins at 750-2918 a.s.a.p. She can put
aside the color and size that you want from the order when it comes in. I have seen the colors and they are beautiful. It will be a keeper shirt of our beloved famous dog. You will wear it proudly.

BENTON PHARMACY
Do you remember the Charm Trail that started a few years ago? You can find Charms at businesses and the Visitors Information Center. Stop by the Center for a brochure.

Benton Pharmacy sells the Shep Charms. My suggestion is to have earrings made from the Charms. If you purchase the Charms for that reason, you can take them to the Info Center to have them made into earrings. If Ruth is not there, you can take them to the Prairie Rose and Nancy will accommodate you. (It seems strange to refer to downtown in Fort Benton.)

I have had Fort Benton and American Flag earrings made from the charms and wear them more than any of my others. I have another suggestion. If any of the Charms are of special meaning to you, have earrings made. Perhaps you may work in one of the historic buildings. There are all sorts of possibilities. Be creative and let us see what you can come up with. Let me know.

HOME TOUR
On Monday June 5th, the Shonkin Woman’s Club visited Fort Benton and the home of Terry Baker on Front Street. Terry has completely remodeled the old River Press building that she purchased in 2008. One side of the two part building is her home and the other side is her Framing Shop and Antique Shop.

I was invited to join the Shonkin women and jumped at the chance to visit with friends and see what Terry had accomplished. She had invited me several times but I was not able to follow through.

Terry is very creative and has found a career that she enjoys and loves. I am very proud of her as she also serves as a Councilwoman. Her committee is Streets and Alleys and she aids on several others. She is also a gracious hostess and is a great addition to Fort Benton.

The Shonkin Woman’s Club has approximately 20 members and is very active in Shonkin as is Fort Benton’s General Federation of Woman’s Clubs. Thank goodness for our very active organizations.  Where would we be without them? They do not blow their own horn so we could not possibly know everything they do. Just the scholarships and food baskets during the holidays would be enough but there is much more. Thank you Clubs for your efforts.

MEMORIAL DAY
I worked on the Memorial Day View from the Bridge last week with a lot of doubt. It was about how upset I was and how to write about it. I know that I was harsh with my criticism. I expected that I would hear about it from somewhere but it did not happen. I did have several readers thank me for telling it as it was.

One reader said that she wrote a letter to the editor a few years ago because she was upset that parade goers did not stand up and put their hand on their hearts when the Color Guard went by at the Summer Celebration Parade. Remember that at the end of this month when we watch the Summer Celebration Parade.

Please sing whenever you hear the National Anthem, God Bless America, and Montana. You do not sing well?  It is o.k., because neither do I but I feel in my heart that I need to sing it out loud.

SO LONG MRS. SCHULER
Margie is retiring after 33 years of teaching. She was teaching the children of children she taught in Kindergarten.  That is amazing. I could not tell you what I was doing 33 years ago but Margie can. She loved her students very much and they loved her. They will always remember her as I can remember the name of my Kindergarten teacher and that was like 100 years ago or so it seems.

If you have no way to say so long to her, send her a card. She would treasure those as you will the memories you or your kiddos have of her.

JIMMY BUFFETT DAY
On Thursday June 8th, Chris Halko will have a celebration of Jimmy Buffett days at the Pharmacy. It is such a fun time with lots of humor. It begins at 11:00 a.m.

Chris has, in past years, had the celebration right after Income Tax day. Because of a heavy work load involved in the purchase of the Governor’s Keep, he had to postpone Jimmy Buffett day.

It was a good thing because with all events and meetings having ended last month, there is not much going on socially. So come on down to the Pharmacy and enjoy a snacks and cake. Dress Hawaiian if you can. See you there. Thanks Chris and Teri.

THURSDAY
The Central Montana Tourism Board will be in Fort Benton on Thursday. They will have a meeting around noon. They will then tour town and the businesses. What fun will be had by all. If you see them on the street or in a business, give them your well known Fort Benton welcome.

YES, IT’S TRUE
Connie Jenkins came to my apartment last Thursday to do some computer work. When leaving, she somehow managed to fall on the driveway. Of course I could not pick her up and she did not want me to call 911.

She managed to call Craig Ferris and he was here in 1 minute with of all people, an EMT, David Hasler, who took such good care of Connie. He convinced her into going to the ER. An x-ray found that she had broken a bone in her shoulder. She went home with pain pills and her arm in a sling.

As of today, Sunday, she is out and about as usual. I am trying to think of a way to tie her down so that she gets some much needed rest. That will be difficult because this is her busiest time of year with the upcoming Summer Celebration.
Send her a card with your sentiments on it and although she is cheery as the morning sun or a full moon, it will let her know how much she is loved.

LIONS CLUB NEWS
A heads up notice for the October Garage Sale fund raiser for the Lions Club. They skipped a year and plans are now in progress to schedule it at the Fair Ground. It will be held in one of the buildings.

The reason for this early notice is that when you are doing some house cleaning, you can put aside the useable items suitable for a garage sale. More details after the Chouteau County Fair.

SENIOR NEWS
There will be no more Pie Days or Tuesday night dinners until next September. I am happy that the members are taking a break from baking and cooking during the hot summer months. They will be missed.

Pie Day is one of my favorite activities. There are a few others who share my love of homemade pie and visiting with friends that I do not see often. Perhaps Summer Celebration and the Chouteau County Fair will help take the place of senior events. It will not be long before we are enjoying the hustle and bustle of Summer Celebration and the Fair. See you there.

GOD BLESS AMERICA, OUR TROOPS, THOSE WHO PROTECT US and WEAR RED ON FRIDAYS.