Following are the results for the choir students who attended the district music festival this past weekend in Kalispell. They all did a wonderful job. They definitely produced good music, especially when their hearts are into it.
The full choir received a superior, superior, excellent for their performance and did a perfect job with their sight reading portion.
The following are the events that received a superior rating and will be moving on to state:
- Duet: Livia and Kenna Haddock
- Duet: Elaina Covington and Keyera Haischer
- Solo: Keyera Haischer
- Ensemble: Kenna Haddock, Livia Haddock, Keyera Haischer, Lylla Pape, Rachael Smith, Aubry Stull, Faith Erickson
- Ensemble: Kenna Haddock, Livia Haddock, Keyera Haischer, Dustin Heindel, Hayden Jones, Rachael Smith
These events received an Excellent rating:
- Solo: Aubry Stull
- Ensemble: Elaina Covington, Briana Filler, Hayden Jones, Bryson Thompson
- Trio: Elaina Covington, Lylla Pape, Aubry Stull
- Duet: Lylla Pape, Aubry Stull
- Solo: Rachael Smith
- Solo: Dustin Heindel
Submitted by Larraine B.
Troy Kids, Teachers and Volunteers Clean Up The Community
Thank you to all the teachers, kiddos, and volunteers who helped with the cleaning up of Troy. You guys are awesome-Photo Courtesy Of City of Troy
The Farmers Market at Libby’s First Market of the Season
Thursday, May 4th | 3-6:30pm
Chamber Parking Lot
We are thrilled to announce the return of the Farmers Market at Libby for the fifth season! The first market is May 4th and will continue each Thursday, 3-6:30PM, through September.
Join us in the parking lot of the Libby Area Chamber of Commerce and Fireman’s Park for a weekly celebration of fresh, locally sourced produce, homemade goods, and various handcrafted artisanal products.
The farmers market is an excellent opportunity to support your local farmers and small businesses while enjoying what Libby has to offer. From farm-fresh fruits and vegetables to handmade crafts and jewelry, there is something for everyone at our market.
Meet your neighbors, learn about where your food comes from, and indulge in some delicious treats. Our market is a community event that brings people together, and we can’t wait to see you there!
For more information, visit our website or email marketmaster@libbychamber.org.
Turning Winds Leads Service Trip During National Mental Health Month in May
Turning Winds Residential Treatment Center for Teens recognizes National Mental Health Month with an awareness of the importance of service for teens for healing. Turning Winds will sponsor a service trip to Morocco, where clients can see life from another perspective on their road to recovery.
“We will be working out of a school run by the government,” said Owen Baisden, Turning Winds COO, who researched and assessed the Morocco destination before the May trip to avoid any surprises. “We’ll be participating in a construction project, teaching English, and other activities.”
For most youth, mental health distress is episodic, not permanent, according to youth.gov, one of the sponsors of National Mental Health Month. It states that most teens can successfully navigate the challenges that come from experiencing a mental health disorder with treatment, peer and professional support and services, and a strong family and social support network. Turning Winds provides several aspects of this healing to teens.
The focus of helping others on a service trip offers a new viewpoint to the students. They experience the lives of those who are less fortunate, and it brings them full cycle in the healing process of giving back.
On the Moroccan trip, the group will be living in a more urban environment than the Turning Winds trips have been in the past. Last fall, the participants traveled to a remote village in Guatemala that had never had assistance from visitors outside their local area. The group built a new water station, engaged with the local children, and were completely immersed in the foreign culture, with foods, clean-up, and lifestyle activities.
It will be a similar involvement in North Africa in the capital, Rabat. “Morocco is interesting in several ways. It’s a remarkably distinct mixture of Africa, Europe, and the Middle East. All these cultures colliding makes it a very fascinating country to serve,” said Baisden.
Turning Winds has organized a dozen service trips for clients to experience growth. “Life in the United States can be quite different from what the rest of the world experiences,” adds Baisden.
Turning Winds partners with Global Brigades to organize the trips. Global Brigades provides a driver, translator, security, and medical professionals.
Founded in 2002, Turning Winds is recognized as a leader in providing exceptional teen mental health treatment along with a supportive academic experience. Its vision is to restore hope in the teens they work with. Turning Winds is accredited by The Joint Commission, Cognia, the National Association of Therapeutic Schools and Programs and is a TRICARE provider. Situated in a peaceful clearing hewn from Montana’s deep and pristine northern woodlands, Turning Winds offers young people the time, care, and environment with which to develop the self-agency essential to leading a free, healthy, and meaningful life. For more information, visit Turningwinds.com.
Mental Health Month was established in 1949 by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Its mission is to increase awareness of the importance of mental health and wellness in Americans’ lives, and to celebrate recovery from mental illness. Mental health is essential for a person’s overall health. Prevention works, treatment is effective, and people can recover from mental disorders and live full and productive lives.
Submitted by Alecia Ormsby
Corps of Engineers Enhancing Kootenai River Habitat
As part of their environmental stewardship mission, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers officials at Libby Dam in Libby, Montana, are placing approximately 26 logs with attached rootwads in the Kootenai River downstream of the dam this spring to enhance fish habitat.
These logs will be staged briefly near USACE boat ramps at Alexander Creek and Dunn Creek Campgrounds in late April through early May. Normal recreational use of the boat launches should be possible except when large machinery is in use. Boaters should use the ramps at the downstream area gravel boat launch and Blackwell Flats Campground as alternatives.
The intent of this project is to mimic the natural recruitment of large woody debris in an un-dammed river system, an ecological component that has been missing on the Kootenai River since Libby Dam was constructed. The logs are expected to disperse downstream and create or add to existing log jams that provide habitat for fish and wildlife.
Providing mitigation for loss of resident fish species habitat from the construction of Libby Dam is an ongoing USACE mission. This project is the first of a permanent large wood nourishment program at Libby Dam and provides a template for initiating similar programs at other dams.
Submitted by Aaron Lawrence
Local Author Mark Mason’s New Book Release Date
Local Author Mark Mason’s book, “Mountain trails and Forest Tales”, will was released on February 28, 2023. Mountain Trails and forest tales is a collection of stories from a lifetime love affair with wild places and adventures while working for the forest service in Yaak Montana. Mark’s stories capture some of the incredible people, places and stories from bygone days of the Forest Service and life working on the Yaak Ranger District in Northwest Montana. Mark was born and raised in Minnesota. He attended Vermilion Community College in Ely, Minnesota, graduating in 1978. he worked for the Forest Service in Isabella Minnesota for a short time before moving to Northwest Montana with his wife Ann.
Mark started working on the Yaak Ranger District in the Spring of 1979. he fell in love with its wildness and beauty and spent the rest of his Forest Service career there. He can be found still exploring the many wonders and beautiful places of the Yaak, his “Places of the Heart”.
Books are available at Good News Christian Book, Libby Sports Center and other local retail stores. They are also available online at Amazon, Barnes and noble and other online book outlets.