By Tracy McNew
Cabinet View Golf Course (CVGC) will be selling Christmas trees for a cause this year. To choose your fresh-cut tree, straight out of the rough, visit the golf course driving range on Cabinet Heights Road starting on Friday, Nov. 26 at 1 p.m. The trees will be very affordable starting at just $5 and they will not cost more than $30 for any tree up to eight-feet tall, said Jerad Dill, CVGC’s superintendent and the driving force behind this fundraiser. All proceeds from Christmas tree sales will be donated to the Our Kids Christmas Toy Drive. There isn’t a lot of species variety, said Dill, but they are all good trees and it’s for a great cause.
Sales will be from 1 until 6 p.m. on Fridays and from noon until 5 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. The maintenance crew from CVGC and some of their friends and family will be volunteering, a significant time commitment at this busy time of year. Dill said they want to give back and make sure the trees are affordable because they understand that people can buy a permit to go out into the woods and cut down their own.
The idea formed when Dill heard from golfers that many trees on the back nine holes should be thinned for easier play and ball retrieval. Typically, thinned trees would be cut down, piled up, and eventually burned, but thinking outside of the tee box, Dill wanted to do something a little different instead. Selling the trees to raise money for a good cause would be a win-win, happy golfers and happy kids, so he took the shot and it paid off. “I’m so thankful for the cooperation of not only my crew but the board of directors too. They are all helping make Cabinet View even more a part of the great community that Libby is,” said Dill.
Paul Bunn, owner of the Venture Inn and Country Inn was one of the first community members to get involved. Bunn donated $500 to the cause and in return he’ll get six trees delivered to his hotels for the Christmas season. “I’m always looking for ways to improve our community and supporting the wonderful group of people at CVGC who are selflessly giving their time to raise funds for our kids at Christmas is an honor,” said Bunn. Tree delivery will be available to other businesses as well. For a minimum donation of $50, CVGC’s volunteers will deliver trees up to six foot tall to other local businesses too. If you are interested in participating, please contact Jerad at (406) 885-3806.
For families, lots of trees will be available at the driving range to choose from. There will also be boughs and logs available for making crafts, decoration, or burning as campfire wood. The cost for small logs and boughs will be $10 per armload. Dill also plans to set aside some trees specifically for the families receiving toys through the Our Kids program.
The Our Kids Christmas Toy Drive is not a new event, but it is only Tammy Brown’s second year coordinating it. She saw a need in the community last year when the toy drive and giveaway was about to end leaving area families without this important resource because of the COVID-19 pandemic and other circumstances. Brown decided to pull it all back together, renamed it Our Kids because it was a true community-led effort, and she also found a nonprofit sponsor so donations would be tax deductible. Last year the Our Kids program served about 300 Libby-area children, and sign-ups are still in progress for this year. “It’s amazing to me how people and businesses pull together to make sure our kids are taken care of. It fills my heart with so much warmth knowing that at the end of the day it’s about community. All of the hate and politics go away, and we come together as one to get things done,” said Brown.
If you don’t need a fresh-cut tree this year, you can still donate to the Our Kids Christmas program by dropping off items at Diane’s Restaurant located at 201 California Ave. between the hours of 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. Brown says that Legos, nerf guns, and hats and gloves are always in demand.
Paul Bunn (left) smiles while employees Troy and Cheri present a check for $500 to Jerad Dill and two others from CVGC’s maintenance team. Photo by Tracy McNew, The Montanian.
Locals unite and donate to the K9 Fund for LC Sheriffs Office
Submitted by Maggie Anderson,
Lincoln County Unite for Youth Coalition
Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office (LCSO) deputies presented Libby resident Bill Prause with a set of “Challenge Coins” as tokens of their appreciation for his generous donation of four bags of Victor dog food to benefit the bellies of LCSO’s Narcotic Detection Canines, Bear and Mila. The custom coins are unique to Lincoln County and each is imprinted with images representing our local K9 heroes.
Prause expressed his support for the K9 program and encouraged area logging and construction contractors to visit Homesteader’s Ranch and Feed and match his donation to the K9 Dog Fund. The proceeds from cash donations will help to offset unit expenses such as feed, training equipment, veterinary services, team training, and K9 Unit expenses associated with programs and projects that benefit Lincoln County youth. LCSO will present Challenge Coins to any member of the community who visits Homesteader’s Ranch and Feed and donates to the K9 Fund.
For more information, please stop by Homesteader’s Ranch and Feed, or contact Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office.
Left to Right: Deputy John Hyslop, K9 Bear, Homesteader’s Manager Gary Dutton, Donor Bill Prause, K9 Mila, Undersheriff Brent Faulkner. Photo courtesy of Chanel Geer.
“A Christmas Carol”
presented by the Pitiful Players
Submitted by Keith Meyers
The Pitiful Players will present “A Christmas Carol” on Thursday, Dec. 9 and Friday, Dec 10 at the Dome Theater in Libby, and Saturday, Dec. 11 at the Lincoln Theatre in Troy. All shows will start at 7 p.m., and all shows are FREE, so come join the fun. For more information, contact Keith Meyers at 293-9277 or find us on Facebook.