Ravalli
Ravalli, MT · Lifestyle
Bigfork Eagle
New wellness destination comes to life in Bigfork
The Fort has been a dream seven years in the making, since Kaci Calaway and Joe and Michelle Sikkema sat around Calaway's father Timothy's table and talked about his dream for transforming the fields he owned into a community center. Shortly after they started to develop the land, though, Calaway's father died unexpectedly of a heart attack. He wouldn't get to see the ribbon flutter to the ground at the grand opening of the space he had envisioned for so long, but Calaway and the Sikkemas know that The Fort would never have been possible without him. "Dad had everything ready, and he was supposed to break ground in 2022 when he passed away suddenly," Calaway said. "We were left with the development — well, the beginnings of a development. It was really just dirt." "We decided to keep the legacy going, and that's why this entire thing is called The Fort," Joe said to the people crowded into the building's entrance to watch the ribbon cutting. "We designed this space to be for everyone in the Bigfork community, for the valley, as a one-stop-shop for your health and wellness. We try to put everything under one roof." If Timothy
Lake County Leader
Photos: St. Ignatius, Charlo and Ronan celebrate homecoming weekend
Around the valley, multiple schools held a festive homecoming weekend with big floats and tons of school spirit. Mission’s homecoming court included Kieran Incashola, Anna Cronk, Madison Incashola, Avia Lee, Vincent Shepard, Macklen McDonald, Kai O’Brien and Sage Asinaboine. (Christa Umphrey photo) Mission high schoolers ride on a fire truck through town during the homecoming parade. (Christa Umphrey photo) Mission homecoming royalty Sage Assiniboine and Madison Incashola ride on a classic car through the parade. (Christa Umphrey photo) Two young Chiefs fans warm up to run down some candy at the homecoming parade. (Berl Tiskus/Leader) Ronan queen Kailyn Marengo and king Matiya Nenenmay pose for a photo during Ronan’s homecoming game against Loyola-Sacred Heart. (Susan Lake photo) Charlo’s 2026 homecoming court poses for a picture on Charlo’s football field. The royalty includes Anthony Lopez, Maizey McDonald, Olivia Carnell, Laila Stinson, G.G. Hawk, Colter Roylance and Ryden Eichwald. (Emily Messer/Leader) Colter Roylance and Laila Stinson were crowned Charlo’s 2026 king and queen. (Emily Messer/Leader)
Hungry Horse News
City passes emergency bear ordinance
The Columbia Falls City Council Monday night passed an emergency bear ordinance that requires people to secure garbage and other attractants from bears roaming into town. The vote was unanimously in favor. Like 2022, when the city first passed such an ordinance, it’s been a bad berry year and bruins have been frequenting the city limits in the past few weeks as they look to fatten up before winter hibernation. The bulk of reports have come from the city’s east side, where the neighborhoods are closer to the mountains. But bears can easily show up anywhere, as they follow the Flathead River downstream. The emergency ordinance would require that garbage not be placed out on the curb before 4 a.m. the day of pickup. It also requires that “All garbage, recycling containing food residue, food waste, and other attractants stored outdoors shall be maintained in a bear-resistant container, within a secured structure, or within a secured enclosure,” such as a garage or a secured and locked shed. It also prohibits leaving out pet feed from a secured enclosure, has provisions for securing garbage from commercial establishments and makes it illegal to purposely feed bears. “Garbage, recycling containing food residue, food
KPAX
Wildlife officials urge residents to remain bear aware after grizzly sightings in Polson
Whitefish Pilot
New trails and blazing fall fun at annual Whitefish trail race
The Whitefish Legacy Center and a new trail section near Whitefish Mountain Resort will be showcased during the 16th annual Whitefish Trail Blazer races on Oct. 3 and 4. The Whitefish Trail Blazer is a fundraiser for Whitefish Legacy Partners -- the nonprofit behind the Whitefish Trail development -- with distances ranging from a 2-mile family run up to the mountain 50k. The 50K on Saturday, Oct. 3 will start and end at Whitefish Mountain Resort’s village. The course will summit Big Mountain and run down the Whitefish Trail to the Reservoir Trailhead and back up. The course will feature newly built sections of Whitefish Trail that stretch from the top of Chair 3 down to the Big Mountain Trailhead area. The approximately 3-mile section is part of a partnership between Whitefish Legacy Partners and the resort. It will eventually connect with trails in Haskill and Hellroaring basins. A grand opening for the trail section and further details are expected later this month. The ultra-distance race offers a fun spectator experience at the village, where 50K runners will pass through the start/finish area in front of the Hellroaring Saloon four times. There will be live music by Todd Cowart and
Montana Outdoor Radio Show
Helena Area Reservoirs Fishing Report 9.21.26
Canyon Ferry has slow fishing with walleye and rainbows moving to shallow waters. Best spots include mid-reservoir and areas around Snaggy Bay. Hauser offers good rainbow catches below the dam, while Holter sees excellent trout fishing, though walleye activity is low. The Kokanee Salmon snagging season is currently open.
unearththevoyage.com
This Whitefish, Montana, Restaurant Mixes Modern Style With Mountain-Town Flavor
There is a restaurant tucked into downtown Whitefish, Montana, that has people rearranging their travel plans just to get a table. It sits inside a beautifully restored 1903 brick building, and from the outside, you might not guess that what waits inside is one of the most talked-about dining experiences in the entire Northern Rockies.
Flathead Beacon
Whitefish Native Selected as Finalist in Nationwide Songwriter Festival Contest
As a Whitefish native and nearly lifelong musician and songwriter, Tim Torgerson hoped to one day take part in the Whitefish Songwriter Festival, but the opportunity had never seemed to open up, he said. Then Cari Klepper, the festival’s cofounder, walked through the doors of downtown Whitefish’s Slow Burn Records,...
Whitefish Pilot
WTC presents high-energy comedy, stunt show
The Whitefish Theatre Company welcomes comedian and five-time Guinness World Record Holder Matt Baker to Whitefish for “Matt Baker: Comedy & Stunt Show.” Blending stand-up comedy, audience participation and unbelievable stunts, Baker will take the WTC stage for one night only on Friday, Oct. 2 at 7:30 p.m. Seattle-based Baker is an award-winning comedian whose unique show blends a combination of stand-up comedy with amazing stunts. His hip, high-energy, one-man show is action-packed with audience participation and blends funny stories and observations with jaw dropping stunts like catching a bowling ball on his head, spearing vegetables in mid-air, and juggling with his mouth. A five-time Guinness World Record Holder, Matt has appeared on “The Late Show with James Cordon,” “Last Comic Standing,” “Comedy Central,” the NBC hit show “America’s Got Talent” – and now on the WTC stage! Baker has built a career around turning seemingly impossible feats into comedy, combining the timing and observational humor of a stand-up comedian with the skill and unpredictability of a stunt performer. His performances have taken him around the world and onto national television, but audience interaction remains at the heart of his live shows. Rather than simply moving from stunt to stunt,
missoulaunderground.com
Weekend PICKS: Thursday, September 17th thru Sunday, September 20th
Welcome to the last weekend of summer – it’s that sweet spot that already feels like fall (the nice version). We’re into the last stretch for our area Farmers Markets. We have the Renaissance Festival, Wildlife Art Expo, Kids Rodeo, a MTB fundraiser, Fun Runs, Blues Festivals, Griz vs Cats Volleyball, Sunday Streets, live and local music each day & night, Chili Cook-Off, Brewfest, Wiener Dog Races, a Moonlight Market, and so much more…The MUG is here with all the mid-September Weekend PICKS for Missoula and Western Montana!
fineartconnoisseur.com
Carol Guzman & Clyde Aspevig: “Land Snorkeling” Painters
Perhaps the most artistic residents of the Gallatin Valley in south-central Montana are the married couple Carol Guzman and Clyde Aspevig. Both of these gifted painters are passionate about preserving undeveloped expanses of Western landscape, and it was Guzman who first memorably described their zeal for attentive nature walks as “land snorkeling.” Today the couple maintains a website (landsnorkel.com) that encourages browsers to help preserve the environment, in part because it can, in Guzman’s words, “awaken our senses to the wonderful mysteries that await the curious mind.”
Char-Koosta News
Reservation’s Latest Skatepark Opens in Hot Springs
HOT SPRINGS — A new skatepark built through Pearl Jam bassist Jeff Ament’s Montana Pool Service foundation drew roughly 50 residents in Hot Springs for its debut, giving local kids a new place to ride and gather. Boards of Missoula, a nonprofit that helps build skateparks across the...
Whitefish Pilot
Family parks food truck to open Whitefish Eatery
Patrick and Reem Mata opened the Whitefish Eatery in early July after operating a series of restaurants and a successful food truck in the valley. The couple operated a restaurant called Big Fork near Skyles Lake west of Whitefish for about one year before the Covid-19 pandemic caused it to close. They also owned a restaurant in Bigfork called Fork Fusion, before building the Fork Fusion mobile food trailer and working several large events in the region.
Lake County Leader
This week 72 years ago: "Timberjack” filmed in Polson, Pettit wins rodeo trophy, laundromat hosts grand opening
The Flathead Courier, September 16, 1954 "Timberjack” scenes taken around Polson The cast and company of the Republic Pictures Corporation arrived in Polson from Missoula Monday morning and immediately started filming scenes for the motion picture "Timberjack," which the company is producing in Western Montana. Equipment and personnel arrived here in 20 units of trucks and buses, besides the private cars used by the staff. Many townspeople turned out to watch the shooting of the scenes, attracted by the numerous amount of equipment used in the settings. Scenes were shot at the Polson Lumber Company plant Monday morning in the interior of the mill and the scene of the running team leaving the mill. The afternoon shots were made at the John Cline home, showing Sterling Hayden's arrival as the picture hero, who comes home after being notified his father had met with a serious accident while alone in the woods. Vera Ralston, star of the film, with Hayden, plays the part of beautiful, talented Lynne Tilton, owner of the Vermillion Belle saloon, who was in the scene to greet Tim Chipman (Hayden) home. David Brian as the timber baron, Croft Brunner; Adolph Menjou, as Lynne's father, Swiftwater Tilton; and
NBCMontana
Clyde Aspevig landscape exhibition opens Sept. 22 in Kalispell
MISSOULA, Mont. — The Wanda Hollensteiner Art Gallery at the Wachholz College Center will showcase the work of Montana landscape painter Clyde Aspevig beginning Sept. 22. “Paintings of Clyde Aspevig” features work from the Montana native known for his depictions of the landscapes of Montana and Wyoming. Aspevig...
Whitefish Pilot
FWP bear specialist: High activity, do your part
It has not been what we would consider a good natural food year. Bear activity has been high throughout the summer, which means this fall you may see conflicts and bear activity significantly increase. So far this spring and summer, we have had 271 black bear conflict calls in the northern part of FWP Region 1, with a majority of those coming from Whitefish. Most of those conflicts are bears in unsecured garbage and birdfeeders. Over the last few years, the bear resistant containers have significantly helped lower conflicts in the Whitefish area, but time and time again we see they do not hold up against bears due to human error, including having a broken latch, not shutting the can property, and overfilling the can. The cans are working. We have also received many videos and reports of the cans working well. Where the bears are really getting into issues is the outskirts of Whitefish where people have not implemented bear resistant containers. The bears are already starting to come back down from feeding on berries in the mountains, and at this point, their hyperphagia really kicks in. Bears are extremely opportunistic and looking for any food source to pack
Lake County Leader
Correction: Polson murals are projects of Sandpiper Gallery’s Art4Polson
A story that appeared on page B3 of last week’s Leader, titled “A colorful touch: Six murals completed by nonprofit Art in Polson” inaccurately credits the community mural-making project to the wrong organization, due to erroneous information received by the newspaper. Sue Arneson, president of the board of directors for Sandpiper Art Gallery and Gifts, informed the newspaper that all six murals are projects of Art4Polson, a Polson public art program owned and operated by Sandpiper Art Gallery & Gifts, not the newly founded Art in Polson, as the story reported. “The projects were developed, designs voted on by the board of directors and carried out under the Sandpiper's nonprofit organization,” writes Arneson. “Grants and donations supporting the projects were awarded to, received by, and administered through Sandpiper; Sandpiper provided the applicable organizational insurance; and each participating property owner entered into an agreement with Sandpiper for placement of the mural on their building.” She also noted that Art in Polson is a separate nonprofit organization recently formed by Natalie Raffield that has no affiliation with the Sandpiper, and nor was it responsible for any of the murals that now adorn downtown businesses. Art4Polson remains an ongoing program of Sandpiper Art
businessdailynetwork.com
Kalispell Farmers Market on October 3, 2026
The Kalispell Farmers Market offers the freshest produce grown in the Flathead Valley and an array of locally made goods. Every Saturday during the summer and fall from 9 am to 12:30 pm, local farmers sell everything from meat and eggs, fruits and vegetables, to baked goods, native plants and trees. Shop for handmade jewelry, pottery, soaps, paintings, and many more creations by the region’s talented artisans.