Thursday
The local Institute of Noetic Sciences (IONS) Community Group will meet Thursday, Feb. 11, at 7 p.m. at the Bohemian Grange, 125 Blanchard Lake Road, directly west of Montana Coffee Traders. Michelle Skaletski-Boyd, of Soul-Felt Words, Inc., will speak on “Holistic Self-Reflection,” an evening of experiential learning incorporating meditation, relaxation and guided imagery. She’s a recognized authority in the field of conscious awakening. For more information, call 862-9591 or 862-7711 or visit online at www.soul-felt.com/meet.htm.
Friday
The 1970 boys basketball Class A state championship team will gather for their 40th reunion on Friday, Feb. 12, at the Whitefish High School gym before the varsity boys basketball game against Bigfork.
The Whitefish Figure Skating Club will host its third annual Flathead Valley Invitational Skating Competition, “Skate Your Heart Out,” at the Stumptown Ice Den on Friday and Saturday, Feb. 12-13. Along with local competitors, skaters will come from Missoula and surrounding areas. Young Smooth Gliders Skating School skaters will participate in their beginning tests, along with skaters in advancing tests and programs. The event is sanctioned by U.S. Figure Skating. Four skating judges have been invited from Seattle, Spokane and Missoula. The pubic is invited to drop in at the rink free of charge to watch any event Friday or Saturday afternoon or practices in the mornings. The event is a fundraiser for the Whitefish Figure Skating Club. Participant fees helps pay for the costs of airfare and accommodations for the judges.
Glacier Country Pachyderm will meet in Ballroom A or B at the Kalispell Red Lion on Friday, Feb. 12, from noon to 1 p.m. District Court administrator Bonnie Olson and Kalispell police chief Roger Nassett will talk about a pre-release center in the Flathead. For more information, call Tom McElwain at 270-5764.
Saturday
The Alpine Theatre Project will present “My Funny Valentine: An Evening of Song, Dance and Romance,” featuring music that pays tribute to the great song and dance duos of the 1930s and 1940s, at the Whitefish Middle School auditorium on Saturday, Feb. 13, beginning at 7:30 p.m. The one-night show will feature “Two on Tap,” a collaboration of theater veterans Melissa Giattino, a featured member of the Radio City Rockettes, and Ron DeStefano, who performed in ATP’s productions of “The Full Monty” and “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.” Tickets are $35 adults or $60 couples available by calling 862-7469 or visiting online at www.alpinetheatreproject.org.
Stumptown Art Studio, 145 Central Avenue, will hold a fundraising social on Saturday, Feb. 13, from 7 to 10 p.m. with a showing of the film “Roman Holiday,” starring Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn, in celebration of Valentine’s Day. Bruce Guthrie will host the film lecture and screening. Cost is $25 per couple or $15 per person. For reservations, call 862-5929.
The second annual Dawgs, Kats and Schwann’s fundraiser will take place Feb. 13 during the basketball doubleheader between the two schools in the Whitefish High School gym. The hosting school picks the recipient of funds raised. Last year, Columbia Falls chose the family of Craig Finberg to receive the nearly $800 raised. This year, the Whitefish High School Student Council has picked North Valley Food Bank to receive all funds raised. Basketball fans are asked to come out and make a purchase from Schwann’s to support the combined student councils and the food bank.
The 2010 Whitefish High School Hall of Fame induction is slated for Saturday, Feb. 13, when Andy Cripe, Dave Bauer and Bryan Anderson will be honored. The ceremony will take place at the high school gym at 6 p.m. before the varsity boys basketball game against Columbia Falls. A reception with appetizers will be held at the Whitefish Lake Golf Club following the game.
The Humane Society of Northwest Montana will hold a “sock hop dance for the dogs” benefit in Fifties and Sixties dress at the Whitefish Community Center, home of the Golden Agers, 121 Second Street, on Saturday, Feb. 13, from 7 to 10:30 p.m. There will be a silent auction and door prizes. Tickets are $10 available at Tailwaggers. For more information, call 752-7297.
Montanans for Trap-Free Public Lands will host an informational talk for all hunters, fishermen, pet-owners, trappers and recreationists at the Whitefish Public Library’s conference room on Saturday, Feb. 13, at 1:30 p.m. The group will talk about Initiative 160, which would revise trapping regulations on Montana's public lands. For more information, call Philip at 406-880-1414.
The 32nd annual Cabin Fever Days will take place in Martin City, Coram and Hungry Horse on Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 13-14. A $3 button is required for all events. Proceeds benefit the Canyon Kids Christmas Fund and Canyon Quick Response Unit. Food, crafts and music will be available in all three communities. Special activities include sumo wrestling at Packers Roost in Coram, snowshoe softball in Martin City, a kids carnival at the Head Start in Martin City, thumb and arm wrestling at the Stonefly Lounge in Coram, mouse racing at the Southfork in Martin City and deer racing at the Deerlick in Martin City. The main event is the barstool races on Sugar Hill in Martin City, which kicked off Cabin Fever Days more than three decades ago. Spectators can watch the races from downtown. For a complete schedule, visit online at www.packersroost.net. For more information, call the Southfork at 387-9971, the Deerlick at 387-4888 or Packers Roost at 387-9922.
Contra dancing will take place at the Salvation Army gym, 110 Bountiful Drive, in Kalispell, on Saturday, Feb. 13, from 7:30-10:30 p.m. with music by Skippin A Groove, from Missoula, and Bev Young calling. There will also be a silent auction. Fees are $7 teens and adults, $15 families. For more information, call Joe Fisher at 752-7469 or Sherry Johns at 752-8226.
Sunday
The Bigfork Center for the Performing Arts will present Elvis Presley tribute artist Ryan Pelton and The Difference on Valentine’s Day, Sunday, Feb. 14, at 8 p.m.. Pelton has appeared in films and TV commercials and is the only tribute artist booked to perform at Graceland. He recently appeared on American Idol. Tickets are $27.50 available online at www.bigforktheater.org or at tix.com or at Merry Gems, Jug Tree and Artisans in Bigfork.
The Great Northern Seventh-day Adventist Church will offer a Valentine-making workshop and party at their new location, 914 Second Street East, on Sunday, Feb. 14, from 2-4 p.m. Stickers, doilies, papers, lace, buttons, gems, bows are all supplied for free, along with fruit kabobs, vegan cheesecake, blueberry muffins and acai/blueberry juice. For more information, call 471-2803.
Glacier Outdoor Center wil offer free skiing for children under-17 at their cross-country track in West Glacier on Sunday and Monday, Feb. 14-15, during its Family Nordic Days. There will be ski chariots, a bonfire and marshmallow roasting. For more information, call 888-5454 or visit online at www.glacierraftco.com.
Monday
Whitefish Theatre Company will hold auditions for “Willy Wonka Jr.” at the O’Shaughnessy on Monday and Tuesday, Feb. 15 and 16, from 4-6 p.m. Thirty children will be chosen for the musical production. Potential cast and crew members ages 8-18 should come prepared to sing, move and show director April Vogel what they can do. Call backs will be on Thursday, Feb. 18, at 6 p.m. Performance dates are April 30 and May 1, 2, 7, 8 and 9. For more information, call Vogel at 862-5371 ext. 225 or visit online at www.whitefishtheatreco.org.
Local award-winning author Carol Buchanan will speak on the history of Montana’s notorious vigilantes as part of the eighth annual John White Series of lectures at the Museum at Central School, 124 Second Avenue East, in Kalispell, on Monday, Feb. 15, at 2:30 p.m. Her book “God’s Thunderbolt: The Vigilantes of Montana” recently won the 2009 Spur Award for best first novel from the Western Writers of America. Tickets are $7.50 for museum members and $10 for non-members. For more information, call 756-8381 or visit online at http://www.yourmuseum.org.
Tuesday
Jill Evans and Walter Sayre, of the Stumptown Historical Society, will give a free talk on “How the Great Northern Came to Town: A History of the Railroad in Whitefish” at the Whitefish Community Center, 121 East Second Street, on Tuesday, Feb. 16, at 12:30 p.m. For more information, call Jill at 250-3148.
The highly acclaimed string band Crooked Still will perform at the KM Theatre, 20 East Second Street, in Kalispell, on Tuesday, Feb. 16, at 7:30 p.m. The Boston Globe calls them “the most important folk group to emerge from Boston since the early 1960s.” Tickets are $15 available at Colter Coffee House, Reds Wines and Blues and Noice Studio, all in Kalispell. For more information, call 755-5321.
All Saints Episcopal Church of Whitefish and Columbia Falls will hold their annual Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper at the All Saints’ Parish Hall, 2048 Conn Road, on Feb. 16 from 5 to 6:30 p.m. The free meal will include homemade pancakes, syrup, grilled sausages and bacon, assorted juices, coffee and milk will be served. For more information, call 862-2863 or visit online at www.allsaintsmt.org.
The Flathead Valley Chapter Trout Unlimited will present “Fishing the Big Blackfoot River” in the public meeting room of the Fish Wildlife and Parks Building, 490 North Meridian Road, in Kalispell, on Tuesday, Feb. 16, at 7 p.m. The program will be presented by Brandon Boedecker, of PRO outfitters in the Blackfoot Valley, and long-time Blackfoot River guide Dan Paschke. For more information, contact Chris Schustrom at 406-260-1198.
Wednesday
The Flathead Valley Community College Reading Group will meet Wednesday, Feb. 17, at 6:30 p.m. to discuss the novel “The Pilot’s Wife,” by Anita Shreve. The group meets monthly. For more information, call Sharon Randolph at 756-3981.
Glacier National Park botanist Jen Asebrook will present “Siyeh Pass Virtual Wildflower Field Trip” during the Flathead Chapter of the Montana Native Plant Society’s Wednesday, Feb, 17, meeting at the Glacier Discovery Square (the former First Citizens Bank), 504 Nucleus Avenue, in Columbia Falls. A a short slide show on conserving the Transboundary Flathead will follow. For more information, contact Jen Asebrook at 863-9630.