Your Community Builder
Your Community Builder
Sorted by date Results 215 - 239 of 378
Dear Town of Ekalaka & Residents of Carter County, I was sitting here pondering what to say as we begin 2021. The first word that came to my mind about our community is resilient. I have lived in Ekalaka for over 50 years, and it always touches me how this community cares for those who are hurting, alone and struggling. I am so thankful that we have so many in this area who step up to do the hard things. Those at the hospital and nursing home have had to work tirelessly considering the pandemic. They have had to put their...
Beverly was born in Ekalaka on August 23, 1931. She was the 8th child of 14 children to George and Frances (Garcia) Gundlach. Her early years were spent near Opechee Park and later her family moved down the road to the old Jones' Place. Beverly enjoyed her growing up with her large family of brothers and sisters. They had many adventures. When Beverly was 4 years old, she would sneak off to country school with her brothers and sisters. After a few too many trips by her mom,...
“Destiny is the scape-goat which we make responsible for all our crimes and follies; a necessity which we set down invincible when we have no wish to strive against it.” Alexander Belfour (1767-1829), Scottish novelist. In 1296 English invaded Scotland, and two wars resulted. Scotland gained their independence, more or less. It is not remarkable that Belfour wrote the quote above. To my mind, he is writing with the past English occupation. Let’s consider now the mind of the Indigenous of the New World in relation to the q...
Lois Lambert, age 69, of Ekalaka, died October 27, 2020, at Dahl Memorial Nursing Home after a long and courageous battle with a variety of chronic illnesses with her husband and daughter at her side. No immediate services are planned, and a celebration of life will be scheduled for a later date. Most of what follows is in Lois' own words. Lois was born in Boonville, Missouri, on December 5, 1950, the first child of Bill and Arlene Goetz Huff. The first snow of the season...
Mr. Daniel Conley is no stranger to small towns, or Montana, even though the new Carter County High School English teacher was born in New York City. Conley is now in his second year teaching and made the move to Ekalaka just before this school year began. Conley spent much of his youth in upstate New York, in a town about twice the size of Ekalaka. He spent 32 years as a chef before deciding to make a career change to teaching. His first job as a chef was for an...
As the days continue to get shorter and cooler, Carter County Chamber of Commerce members have reflected on a wonderful summer and are currently looking forward to the months ahead. The Annual Community Wide Garage Sale that takes place in June of each year was originally postponed with the possibility of a fall sale. Members at the September meeting voted to wait until next June for public safety. July 4 brought a summer storm followed by a beautiful sky full of fireworks in Ekalaka. The chamber would like to extend sincere...
Following is just a few of the new books Ekalaka Public Library has recently received. “American Princess” by Stephanie Thornton: Alice may be the president's daughter, but she's nobody's darling. As bold as her signature color Alice Blue, the gum-chewing, cigarette-smoking, poker-playing First Daughter discovers that the only way for a woman to stand out in Washington is to make waves—oceans of them. With the canny sophistication of the savviest politician on the Hill, Alice uses her celebrity to her advantage, testi...
Local baseball and softball supporters have been trying to get a new ball field in Ekalaka since the county elected to fence off the old field that sat between the fairgrounds and high school football field. The baseball field was fenced off in order to make more room for the fairgrounds a number of years ago. Baseball enthusiasts are hopeful that they have finally found a new location. The proposed site sits close to the creek bottom across from the town park at the same...
The Reimagining Rural Initiative is a partnership between MSU Extension, Montana Community Foundation and the Montana Governor’s Office of Economic Development. A Reimagining Rural Virtual Community Gathering was scheduled earlier this year but later canceled due to the pandemic. This virtual statewide gathering of twenty communities across Montana has been rescheduled and will be shown in the upcoming weeks at Carter County Events Center as Carter County is one of the twenty communities participating. Ben Winchester from t...
Several years ago, Ernest Tooke wrote a story about all the business, present time or not, that had been in Ekalaka. It was fairly complete, but I am going to tell you about one business that he didn't mention and tell you about one that I know practically nothing about. Then I will tell you about a kind of business that my Dad engaged in. There used to be a creamery in Ekalaka. It was in a great big building close to where the Fairgrounds are now. They made butter and sold it. I don't know what else they made. I remember it...
Dear Editor, I am writing this letter as a concerned citizen of the town of Ekalaka. With summer and nice weather upon us, more kids and families are out walking to the pool, the grocery store, or to a friend’s house. Sadly, on more than one occasion, I have witnessed cars speeding past these pedestrians, going well over the town’s posted speed limit. I have talked with the city officials because I fear that someone is going to get hit by one of these reckless drivers, unfortunately they don’t want to get involved. I am re...
A team of eleven scrappy softball players from Ekalaka traveled to Camp Crook last Friday to take on eleven of Camp Crook's finest in what was a game for the ages. A few year's back, Crook put in a field on the outskirts of town, and the Hard Pan Ranch League was born. Since then, Crook regularly holds pickup games on Friday nights as ranching allows, and occasionally a few Ekalaka players travel over and play. Last Friday, though, Ekalaka put together a full team for a true s...
A big thing as we were growing up in and around Ekalaka was the water supply. People out in the country or on the edges of Ekalaka had wells. You usually could find ground water at 10 or 15 feet but they would go on through that and go to another vein of water at 60 or even 100 or more feet. The deeper the well the harder pumping it was and I know that because I did a lot of pumping for the livestock. At our second house in Ekalaka, we had a windmill which, of course, pumped water when the wind was blowing. This was very...
Carter County Museum has put a significant amount of energy to adjusting the Shindig this year in light of COVID-19. In addition to practicing social distancing, wearing masks and sanitizing, museum staff have stressed to potential visitors the need to exercise extreme caution and good discretion before entering the town of Ekalaka. A statement from the museum in regard to this year's Shindig follows: "It is with heavy hearts that we have had to cancel or significantly alter...
It’s been over two years since the Town of Ekalaka decided to ask the legal system to determine whether it or the Ekalaka Volunteer Fire Department Corporation has ownership and control of the town’s fire service and whether the fire department is part of the municipality, as the town claims, or is a separate corporation. A complaint for declaratory judgement was originally filed in district court against EVFD Inc. way back on May 10, 2018. According to that complaint, the town requested a judge declare it has “all legal...
Hi Ekalaka! It is definitely been a while since I’ve been able to write an article for you, but I know that today I’m going to be talking about a very important topic. It is come to my attention that there are several scams going around town affecting our citizens. I needed to write this article, so everyone is aware of how to verify any mailings, phone calls, or other methods you receive about prize winnings. The most common kind of scams are: phone calls; emails; computer support scams; imposter scams; fake checks; dem...
With over 33 years of dedicated service to the community and to Stockman Bank, Miles City Market President Stanley Markuson will be retiring on June 30. Markuson, an Ekalaka native and graduate of MSU, began working for Stockman Bank in 1986. Over the years, he has served on Stockman Bank's Senior Loan Committee and Senior Management Committee. He was also on the Board of Directors for Stockman Financial Corp., the holding company that includes Stockman Bank of Montana,...
Countywide voter turnout for the primary election was much higher than it was in 2018 as seventy-three percent of the county’s 885 registered voters returned mail ballots by 8 p.m. on Tuesday. Precinct 13 (Ekalaka) and Precinct 14 (Rural Ekalaka) each had 73 percent voter turnout while Precinct 1 (Alzada) and Precinct 3 (Hammond) had 71 percent. In total, 650 ballots were returned. In the 2018 primaries, the county had only a 53 percent turnout. Carter County residents voted in favor of the Dahl Memorial Special Mill Levy w...
Since 1956, the month of May has been recognized as National Bike Month and that continues this year as cycling is considered a healthy option to stay active. More people, especially children, have been seen riding around Ekalaka in 2020. One reason is that students have been home for several weeks amid the current pandemic and school closures. As warmer weather approaches, bicycling is a great excuse for kids to get some fresh air and exercise, but it is also important to stay safe. The National Highway Traffic Safety...
Earlier this spring, students from across Montana submitted entries to the 2020 Montana 'Ag in Color' design contest. The annual contest is hosted by the Montana Farm Bureau Federation. Normally, the winners of the contest earn a fun day in Helena to be honored, to spend the day with state dignitaries and to celebrate Montana agriculture. This year, that event couldn't happen. Kimber Ross of Ekalaka was this year's statewide kindergarten drawing contest winner. Her teacher thi...
Take pride in the community and help clean it up. The town is organizing a spring cleanup day for Saturday, June 6. Gather trash, tame the brush and make paths more walkable. Bring a team! Ask friends, co-workers, family members, clubs and athletic teams to help. Transfer site fees will be reduced throughout the day. Up to four tires can be taken for free (not including implement tires) and they cost only half price up to 10. Furniture and mattresses can be taken to the dump for free and the first load of construction...
Concerns early last week about the potential of rain during the CCHS Class of 2020 outdoor graduation ceremony were forgotten by Saturday afternoon. The weather turned out to be nearly perfect for the seven graduates and their immediate families who attended. Two other graduates did not attend the outdoor graduation at Rowley Field. Prior to commencement, the soon-to-be graduates rode around town on a float, giving all who were unable to attend a chance to cheer and offer...
Carter County Election Administrator Pam Castleberry said this week that ballots for Montana's primary election will be mailed to Carter County voters on Friday, May 8. Locally, there are only two filings for the primaries. Republican incumbent Tracey D. Walker filed for Clerk of District Court/Superintendent of Schools and Republican incumbent Rod Tauck has filed for reelection to the county commission. Registered voters within the county will also be voting on the Dahl...
Funeral services for Leroy "Whitey" Jardee, 73, of Ekalaka will be 2 p.m., Friday May 1, 2020 at Stevenson Funeral Home of Ekalaka. Due to COVID-19, social distancing guidelines will be in practice. For those unable to be seated in the main area, there are speakers outside. The service will be livestreamed on the Stevenson Funeral Home Facebook page on Friday. Burial will follow at the Beaverlodge Cemetery of Ekalaka. Family will be receiving friends on Thursday, April 30...
Local health officials directed the closure of Ekalaka businesses last week as another aggressive step to curtail the spread of COVID-19. The move came prior to a state mandate from Gov. Steve Bullock last Friday that directed all bars and restaurants, gyms, theaters and casinos to close. "Both young and older Montanans, in urban and rural communities, have tested positive for coronavirus, making it even more clear that this virus impacts us all and that these actions are...
