View From The Bridge 9/30/09

“VIEW from the BRIDGE”
by Muncie Morger
9/30/09

VISITORS INFORMATION CENTER
By the time you read this, the Visitors Information Center will be closed for the season. There will be some Training Programs in the spring and Visitor numbers are being counted. Those will be forthcoming as well as figures from the Museums and the B.L.M. The success of the Center is totally dependant on the faithful Volunteers who really enjoy being there. They all have interesting stories to tell about the Visitors. There is nothing that makes a Volunteer feel better than when they are told that the visitor enjoyed Fort Benton and had a great time while they were here.

VOLUNTEER OUTING
Ruth Carlstrom has planned another outing for the Visitor Center Volunteers on Friday, October 2nd. The community bus will leave Fort Benton at 9:00 a.m. and proceed on to the Great Falls Information Center where they will embark on a Trolley for a two-hour Historical Tour. When they return at noon, they will visit the Center, meet other volunteers, and see the set-up that Great Falls has for their information. Their Center is located at the top of the hill behind the very large American Flag that is so beautiful to see waving when coming into Great Falls from the south.

At 12:30 they will have lunch, provided by Wake Cup Coffee Shoppe, at the Fish, Wildlife, and Parks Conference Room. After lunch, they will visit the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center and leave from there at promptly at 2pm to return to Fort Benton.

It is important, if you did not receive a phone call or post-card, that you contact Ruth at 622-3638 or 799-3638 a.s.a.p. to let her know if you will attend.

B.L.M. INTERPRETIVE CENTER AND MUSEUM'S
In a conversation with Connie Jacobs, Director of Missouri Breaks Interpretive Center, I gave some wrong information last week about the hours they were open. I said that during the winter months they were open by appointment, which is not the case. The correct schedule is Monday thru Friday from 8am to 5pm from October 1st until Memorial Day of 2010.

The Ag Museum, the Village, the Museum of the Upper Missouri, and the Old Fort can be seen by appointment from now until Memorial Day. The Schwinden Library/Joel Overholser Research Center is open on Tuesdays only, although the business office is staffed from 8am to noon Monday through Friday.

This announcement should be noted by anyone referring to the Bureau of Land Management and especially those Volunteers who are at the Visitors Information Center at the Old Fire Hall. We have been referring to the B.L.M. Visitors Interpretive Center, which was confusing with the Chamber of Commerce Visitors Information Center at the Old Fire Hall. We are now to refer to the B.L.M. as “The Missouri Breaks Interpretive Center.” That should clear up the confusion between the wordings of both locations.

LONGHORNS
We did not quite know what we were to expect at last Friday’s football game with Harlowton as they are not in our conference. We have not kept a good track on them. The good thing about the game was that the whole team had an opportunity to play and that the J.V. and the Freshmen teams played the whole second half of the game.
It was a proud moment when Harlowton executed an excellent play that resulted in a touchdown. The proud for Fort Benton was when the home team spectators applauded that touchdown. Great public relations in that action.

The Lady Longhorn Volleybally team is having a fine season and are so much fun to watch. You are a great team and your efforts are appreciated. Go Lady Longhorns!

ARTIST
A chance meeting with Howard Terpning, which I wrote about last week, introduced me to “The Wonderful World of Art.” I discovered that Bob Doerk has been a fan of Terpning’s for years. On Tuesday, at the Research Center, Bob brought in four art books for me to read and look at. One of them was a notebook with every picture/article (in plastic covers) that Bob had ever found in art magazines about Terpning’s work. The other three books were awesomely illustrated books of his paintings. I spent my entire day at the Center going through those books.

If you would like to see some of his work, just put his name into your computer and I know that you will be as thrilled as I was. One of the things I neglected to tell you about his illustrations (before his painting career) was that he did the “Gone With the Wind” and the “Doctor Zivhago” posters for the movies. Those were just two of many but probably the ones that are best known.

COWBOY POETRY
This coming weekend will be most likely the busiest one that Fort Benton will ever have as far as “goings on.” The Grand Union Gathering of western poets and pickers, singers and storytellers will begin on Friday, October 2nd at 7pm for a fee. On Saturday, October 3rd at 10am are more shows and admission is a free will offering. That evening at 7pm will be another show for a fee and Sunday morning at 10am will be Cowboy Church.

SIGNAL POINT GOLF CLUB
A member’s Year-End Party and 40th Anniversary is taking place on Saturday, October 3rd at the Signal Point Clubhouse at 6pm. This is a special event and I have heard that there are golfers coming back to Fort Benton just for this event. I do not play golf but most everyone in the family is addicted to the game. They tell me that Signal Point is the best golf course in the area and if you want an 18-hole just go around twice.

DUCKS UNLIMITED
On Saturday afternoon, October 3rd at 4pm the doors at the Ag Museum will open for the annual local Ducks Unlimited chapter fundraiser. They tell me that this event gets bigger and bigger each year. We should have many people in town this weekend.

ROCK-A-THON
A fundraiser for the Sunrise Bluffs will have the place rockin’ and rollin’ on Saturday, October 3 from 8am to 8pm. If you think that, you are tired, just drop in at the Bluffs, and watch a while. Friends and residents of the Bluffs will be rocking back and forth for hours. Perhaps you could rock to soothing music and you would be refreshed. Whatever you do, sponsor one of the rockers and remember their Gift Basket Raffle is on display at the Benton Pharmacy.

CANDIDATE FORUM
I am reporting this FORUM information in this weeks River Press because the forum will take place on Wednesday, October 7th and you will not have received your Press by then. The General Federation of Women’s Club is sponsoring a forum for the candidates who are running for mayor and council members at 7pm in the Elementary auditorium. Make an effort to attend to get to know your candidates better and to ask those questions that you have always wanted to ask. Mark it on your calendar right now. It is important.

SO LONG
It seems as though that is all I am saying lately is so long. The weeks are flying by. Perhaps winter will slow everyone down a little but whatever…enjoy every minute of every day. Time is so precious and isn’t it funny how time slips away. God bless America.

View From The Bridge 9/23/09

“VIEW from the BRIDGE”
by Muncie Morger
9/23/09

WINNERS AGAIN
The Lady Longhorns did it again. They won their games against Highwood. How great it was…especially for the Homecoming game. Fort Benton is so proud of you and this may be the magic year for your team. It is all in that teamwork that you have exhibited and “Go Lady Longhorns.” We also enjoyed your cheering at the football game. We are sure that did a lot toward pepping up Longhorns on the field and actually, everyone in the stands too.

The Longhorns certainly have been giving the fans a lot to cheer about. I was asked, on my way to the stands Friday night, what I thought about the outcome of the game. My answer was “No doubt about it. We are going to win.” I never dreamed however that it would be big-time. Thanks Horns for an exciting evening.

ARTIST IN TOWN
Had the privilege of meeting Howard Terpning a week ago who is the best living painter of Plains Indians. I received a phone call from Mary Zanto telling me that Mr. Terpning was at the Grand Union Hotel. I phoned immediately, left a message, and when he called the next morning, we arranged to meet a.s.a.p. He was on his way out of town with his wife, Marlies, and his agent for thirty-five years, Stewart Johnson, and his wife.

Howard and Marlies live in Tucson, AZ, and they had never been to Fort Benton before. His interest in this area was the Old Fort and he was disappointed because it has not been completed. He was also interested in researching the Nez Perce Native Americans since he is a painter of the Nez Perce and all Plains Indians.

He was an illustrator for twenty-five years for motion pictures, magazines, and newspaper editorials. He began painting in 1974 and has painted over five hundred and fifty (550) paintings of all tribes of Native Americans. He has traveled all over the United States and Europe including Russia.

I directed him and his party to the B.L.M. Visitors Center to see Chief Joseph’s surrender rifle. He said there is another place that is claiming that they have Chief Joseph’s rifle. I checked with my source, Bob Doerk, and found that Chief Joseph had many rifles but the one in the B.L.B. Visitors Center is documented as the surrender rifle.

The painting of Howard’s that hangs next to the surrender rifle is “Chief Joseph’s Ride to Surrender.” Check it out the next time you visit the B.L.M. Center. If you have not been there yet, make it a priority this week although the B.L.M. Center is open during the winter months by appointment. Call them for their hours.

OLD FORT TOUR
You only have a few days left before the Museums close and the Old Fort Tours will be over for this year. It is so interesting historically what has been done to those buildings as far as displays. It is everything you would want to know about the Fort’s early days and more.

Did you ever see the huge log within a frame in front of the Fort? Did you wonder what it is? It took very knowledgeable, skilled men to build and operate a buffalo hide press machine. They pressed the hides into small packages for shipping. Amazing! Did you ever wonder why the Blockhouse is still standing and is the oldest building in Montana? Did you ever wonder why there was a certain door that Native Americans used at the Fort? Did you ever wonder where the trade beads came from? Did you ever want to see some of the items that were found during the archeological digs a few years ago?

Enough “did you ever” and if you have ever wondered, make your way over to the Fort at 10:30 a.m. or 1:30 p.m. this week and check it out. It will be a real treat.

HERITAGE DAY
On Thursday of this week, your schoolchildren will be coming home with stories about the Fort and other related subjects. Adults are welcome to be at the Fort to share with your children what activities take place that day. The 4th, 5th, and 6th graders will have the morning session and the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd graders will be there in the afternoon. Make an effort to be there.

FARMERS MARKET
This Thursday will not be the last Farmers Market of the season depending on the weather. We certainly have enjoyed many treats since the market began. There have been two great months and really does not seem long enough.

This event does bring back a related story and I know that some if you will remember. Mickey Allen, (who is now 105 years old,) used to have the best corn we have ever eaten. His house was on Franklin Street and he had an extra lot next door on which he raised his garden. We would pester him each summer to find out when his corn would be ready. Sure wish we could have a few cobs of his right now. We cannot understand why he does not have a garden just because he lives at the Bluffs. He sure can dance the night away so what is so different from raising corn in a garden. (Just joshing you, Mickey.)

CHIP SEALING
Front Street and Main Street look very good after the chip-sealing process. It was finished so quickly that it was not an inconvenience at all. When Skip came to my door with a handout reminder about the dates and times, I told him that I would have lemonade, iced tea and lemon bars for the guys on Friday when they did Main Street. I baked on Thursday and when I was ready to move around about 9:00 a.m. on Friday, they were finished by our house and out of sight. Well, I thought that after my 11:30 appointment I would chase them down. On my way to the appointment, they were at 21st Street but when I was finished about a half an hour later, they were gone. They were nowhere to be found and I had to eat all those lemon bars by myself.

HEALTH FAIR
Remember Wednesday the 23rd, Thursday the 24th, and Friday the 25th is the Chouteau County Health Fair and Blood Chemistry Screens. They are being held at the Fort Benton Elementary School from 6:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. There is a charge for these tests but it is less expensive having them done during the Health Fair. You have to fast for at least 12 hours prior to the blood drawing except for water with your prescribed medications. Your results will be due on October 15th at the Ag Center from 12:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. Take advantage of this time saving opportunity.

SO LONG FOR NOW
By the time you read this article, it will be fall. It began at 3:18 p.m. on Tuesday and speculation runs high as to what will the weather be like this winter. It looks as though we have having summer weather this week but the cool temperature and rain on Sunday were mighty welcome. No matter what, we will just have to hang in there and takes what comes along. That is what we love about Montana.