Community news
Senior awards
The Columbia Falls High School Awards Ceremony will take place in the Little Theater on Wednesday, May 20, at 7 p.m. Seniors will receive scholarships and recognition for their hard work over the past 13 years. Parents and students are invited to attend. For more information, contact Linda Kaps or Brian Crandell at 892-6500.
Farmers market
The Columbia Falls Farmers Market will host the Glacier View 4-H Club at the first market of the 2015 season at Pinewood Park in Columbia Falls on Thursday, May 14, from 5 to 7:30 p.m. The 4-H Club will hold a fundraising barbecue. Live music for the market will be performed by Giddy Up and Bow. For more information, visit online at www.columbiafallschamber.org/farmers-market.
After hours
The Columbia Falls Area Chamber of Commerce’s after-hours social event will take place at Freedom Bank on Wednesday, May 20, from 3 to 7 p.m. to celebrate the bank’s 10th birthday.
Nursing graduates
Three women from Columbia Falls recently graduated with the Flathead Valley Community Collge Practical Nursing Class of 2015 — Jennifer Anderson, Kristin Dowd and Amy Kienas. FVCC honored its eighth class of of 20 practical nursing graduates during a traditional pinning ceremony at the college on May 15.
Art director
Barry Conger, of Columbia Falls, was recently named the new executive director of the Hockaday Museum of Art in Kalispell. Current director Elizabeth Moss will retire effective May 29. “Many folks in the Flathead haven’t been in the Hockaday for years, and we would like them to return,” Conger said about his goals. He notes that the museum one of the most important collections of Glacier National Park artwork in the U.S.
Retirement party
A retirement party for Carol Pike, the outgoing executive director of the Columbia Falls Area Chamber of Commerce will be held at Truby’s at Meadow Lake Resort on Thursday, May 14, from 5 to 7 p.m.
Book sale
The Columbia Falls Library Association’s bookstore, 39 Sixth Street West in Columbia Falls, will hold a bag sale on May 15-16, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Fill a plastic grocery bag with books, CDs and videos for $3 per bag, with no limit to how many bags a person can fill.
Senior center garage sale
The North Valley Senior Center is postponing its May 22 garage sale until June.
History club
The Columbia Falls Historical Society will hold their monthly meeting in the Old Chapel Building at the Montana Veterans Home in Columbia Falls on Tuesday, May 19, at 7 p.m.
Salvation Army gala
The theme of the Salvation Army’s second annual gala fundraiser will be Country & Western. The event will be held at the Hilton Garden Inn on Saturday, May 16, with music by Rob Quist & Great Northern and Rob’s daughter Halladay Quist and entertainment from April Howard’s Steppin’2 Rhythm Country Western Dance Team. Tickets are $50 per person. Proceeds will support the local Salvation Army, which last year served 30,000 hot meals and provided shower and laundry facilities to the destitute. For more information, visit online at www.salvationarmygala.com or call 257-4357.
New farmers market
The Columbia Falls Community Market will kick off on U.S. 2 next to O’Brien’s Liquor & Wine on May 21. The market will be held on Thursdays through Sept. 24 from 5 to 7:30 p.m. featuring locally grown produce and plants from more than seven farmers, handmade local crafts, artists, food caterers and local microbrewed beers. Local musicians will perform on stage in The Coop behind the store. The market is an official 501(c)3 nonprofit organization and all sponsorships are tax deductible. For more information, visit online at www.cfcommunitymarket.com or call 871-6440.