Community events: Firemen's Ball coming up

Firemen’s ball

The 46th Annual Coram-West Glacier Firefighter’s Ball is Saturday, Sept. 11, at 7 p.m. at the Dew Drop Inn in Coram, which is newly remodeled. The Don Lawrence Orchestra, live big band dance music will play. There are lots of prizes up for grabs in live and silent auctions, and drawings.

There is no entry fee. Drawing tickets are $1 each from local firefighters or at the dance.

Proceeds benefit Coram-West Glacier Volunteer Fire and Emergency Medical Department. Questions or additional information  call Gil Jordan 387-5814.

Christian women

Columbia Falls Women’s Connection will host a luncheon on Wednesday, Sept. 15 at 11:30 a.m. at the First Baptist Church located at 827 9th St West in Columbia Falls.  Guest speakers will be Mandy Anderson and Melissa Dunning from Girls and Boys Clubs of Glacier Country and Susan Stapley will share her unique and special story.  Donations of school and art supplies will be collected for the Columbia Falls Boys and Girls Club.  Cost is $8 and all women are welcome to attend. For reservations call Candy at 387-4119 or Janet at 892-3621 or email: cfwomensconnection@yahoo.com by 5 p.m. Sunday, Sept.12.  Affiliated with Stonecroft Ministries.

Raptor ID

Hawks and eagles are on the move. Flathead Audubon is offering a free identification workshop on Friday evening, Sept. 17, at 6:30 p.m., at the Lone Pine State Park outdoor pavilion in Kalispell. FAS Conservation Educator, Denny Olson, will conduct a training workshop on recognizing fall migrating birds of prey the way you usually see them — in the air, and from below. Denny has developed full-sized laminated silhouettes of 27 different flying birds of prey that will teach you about what to look for — shape, flying patterns, contrast, and color.  Everyone attending the workshop will receive a “key” to narrow your sighting to the exact bird you observe. If you wish, you can take a quiz after some practice and win some cool bird-related prizes. To register, contact educator@flatheadaudubon.org  or call 249-3987. Masks are strongly encouraged and the group will practice socially distancing.

Hawk watch

Flathead Audubon is offering a field trip to view migrating raptors on, Sunday Sept. 19, from 9 to 6. Dan Casey will lead the trip to the Jewel Basin Hawk Watch site. The second half of September offers peak numbers and diversity of passing raptors. Expect to see more than 100 hawks of 10 or more species if conditions are right. Last year the group saw 595 birds on Sept. 21, an all-time high count. This trip involves a 2.2 mile hike of moderate difficulty (each way), gaining 1,400 vertical feet from the Jewel Basin parking lot.

Please contact Dan at 406 270-5941 to sign up and get more information.

Writing coaches

Writing Coaches of Montana seeks community members in Flathead County to participate in its coaching program with the mission of helping local students improve their writing skills. Specifically, the program seeks to help students think critically about their writing assignments so they can become confident and competent writers across disciplines.

Community members interested in learning more about the program and to volunteer can contact Jeanne at jeanne@writingcoachesofmontana.org. To learn more about the program, visit writingcoachesofmontana.org.

Glacier Two Med Alliance

Due to the resurgence of Covid-19, the Glacier-Two Medicine Alliance’s Fall gathering now has a virtual component to compliment our scaled-down in-person celebration of the Badger-Two Medicine country. This year’s Fall Gathering kicks off virtually on Friday, Sept. 17 with a presentation from wildlife ecologist and Native American Cristina Eisenberg. Register for your free virtual pass to attend the online portion or to bid. People can still join us for a hike on Sunday. Register at www.glaciertwomedicine.org Questions? Email info@glaciertwomedicine.org.

Senior news

The North Valley Senior Center reminds folks it is open. It serves a daily lunch at 11:30 a.m., Meals on Wheels to housebound folks and has exercise classes at 10 a.m. Monday, Wednesday and Fridays. there is line dancing Tuesdays at 9:30 a.m. and the band gets together Friday at 1 p.m. for jam sessions. The center is open from 9 to 2 Monday through Friday and the building is also for rent as well. There’s a toenail clinic at 9 a.m. Sept. 29. Call 892-4087 for an appointment. Volunteers are always needed. For more information, call Mary or Diane at the above number.