All posts in July 2010
Lowell School a Neighborhood Cornerstone
By Northside/Westside Neighborhood Advocate
One of the corner stones of the Northside and Westside neighborhood is the century old Lowell School. It’s nestled into our neighborhood on Sherwood and Scott street and serves as a community gathering point. The park-like setting of this beautiful old school draws people to her all four seasons of the year.
Parents and children share some great memories at Lowell School
This summer it’s been fun to walk by and see the kids running through the refreshing sprays of water in the park or see them scramble up and down the playground castle.
I recently checked out the Lowell School’s website and learned a lot about an assortment of activities going on there. What a community resource they are! I’d encourage you to do the same.
The website has information on their family resource center, a school garden project, their flagship program, specific school information, and so much more. The Lowell School also serves as a polling place.
While on the site, I learned quite a little bit about Missoula’s history. The Lowell School was built in 1909. Prior to 1909, a small wooden structure was used on the same lot as the school. The school was named after the American poet James Lowell. In 1935 an addition was added on the west end, which would later become the gym and the library. The annex was added to the east end in 1960.
James Lowell was an amazing man and worth researching. His career changed many lives and the Missoula school, which is named after him, has done the same. Next time you drive by, pull over, enjoy the huge shade trees, watch the children play and maybe remember this sweet poem by James Lowell,
THE CHANGELING
By James Russell Lowell
I had a little daughter,
And she was given to me
To lead me gently backward
To the Heavenly Father’s knee,
That I, by the force of nature,
Might in some dim wise divine
The depth of his infinite patience
To this wayward soul of mine.
I know not how others saw her,
But to me she was wholly fair,
And the light of the heaven she came from
Still lingered and gleamed in her hair;
For it was as wavy and golden,
And as many changes took,
As the shadows of the sun-gilt ripples
On the yellow bed of a brook.
Continues…
Find the complete poem on-line or at the Missoula Public Library.
River City Roots Festival a Must See
By Jean Clark, Heart of Missoula Neighborhood Advocate
Missoula’s gearing up for another great music event. Every August we look forward to some great music in the streets of downtown Missoula. I had the best time the last few years wandering around the venue in the evening, listening to some great jazz and blues and visiting with friends. This year it should be no different. Check out the website for the River City Roots Festival and put this one on your calendar for sure!
Here’s the info the Downtown Association provides on their website, for more info, check out the link, http://www.rivercityrootsfestival.com/
August 28-29, 2010
Produced by the Missoula Downtown Association as the community’s signature celebration of the city we live in, the River City Roots Festival has quickly risen to the top of Montana’s must-see-list. Recognized as the 2009 Montana Tourism Event of the Year, Roots Fest attracts more than 10,000 individuals to the heart of the community for a variety of fun activities. This two-day free festival features first-class art and entertainment for both residents and visitors. With quality live performances on a big stage on West Main Street, a juried art show, entertainment for children and families, and a 4-Mile run through the heart of Missoula, Roots Fest brings a weekend of family fun to the community.
Business As Usual, Missoula Style
So, this weekend my husband cut all the suckers and dead limbs from the various trees in our yard. As thrilled as I was about this, the pile of branches quickly turning to kindling in the heat was causing me some anxiety, but I was too busy to take care of it.
Then, right outside my back door appeared this truck:
They were limbing a tree next door and chipping the limbs. “Hey!!” I yelled. (I had to yell; it was really loud) “On your way out of the alley could you throw that pile of branches into your chipper for me?”
Darren (the owner) went over to take a look and came back and said, “Sure…I’ll just throw them in…I’m not going to charge you for that.”
I love this town!
So, while you’re here, I promised you a recipe using fresh basil. And the hot deal at Orange Street Food Farm today is two 16 ounce boxes of strawberries for $3.00, so here is a recipe using both.
Strawberry gelato with basil, honey, and pepper:
In a heavy saucepan, bring 3 C heavy cream, 1 C whole milk, 3 T dark honey, 1 C torn basil leaves, , 1 t freshly ground pepper to a simmer over medium heat, stirring till honey and sugar is dissolved.
Remove from heat, cover, and let steep for an hour. Strain, discarding basil and pepper, then stir in 3 C gently crushed ripe strawberries and 2 t balsamic vinegar.
Cover and chill, then freeze and churn in an ice cream maker. Eat directly from the ice cream maker. Roll eyes in ecstasy.
Mushrooms and Toadstools Galore
Fungus
Mushrooms and Toadsools Galore! This very wet spring in the Rattlesnake brought out the many varieties of fungus. They were found all along the trail in the Rattlesnake Recreation Area.
For more information on the varieties of mushrooms and toadstools in Montana, check out this link: http://www.fungaljungal.org/guide/index.htm
Celtic Fest at Caras Park this Weekend
Celtic Fest on the Clark Fork River in downtown Missoula, Caras Park, July 31, 2010. What really caught my eye was “Road Bowling”, which I have never heard of. The web site says it’s kind of like golf, but you roll the ball along a road and whichever team can make it to the finish in the least amount of rolls wins. Sounds like my kind of sport! $20.00 for a team of two if you want to play and they start to roll at 10:00 a.m. If you don’t want to play, I bet it will be fun to watch too.
At 3 pm other fun stuff starts! Music, vendors, dancing! Celtic Rock and Roll with the Young Dubliners! Highlander Beer is celebrating it’s 100 year anniversary too.
| 10:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m. | Irish Road Bowling (Stimpson Lumber site, Bonner) Register for your hour at the Missoula AOH website |
| 3:00-5:00 p.m. | Kids events (facepainting, art table, caber toss) guest appearence by Monte in a Kilt!! |
| 3:00-4:00 p.m. | Dillion Junior Fiddlers |
| 4:00-4:15 p.m. | Missoula Irish Dancers |
| 4:15-5:00 p.m. |
The Celtic Dragon Pipe Band and The Missoula Highland Dancers |
| 5:00-7:00 p.m. | Malarkey |
| 7:00-9:00 p.m. | The Young Dubliners! |
Proceeds to benefit Watson’s Children Shelter and the Friends of Irish Studies.
We’re so lucky to live in Missoula, something great going on all the time!
Annual Summer Social
Annual Summer Social & Meeting
Sunday July 25, 2010 12:30 pm
FREE
Enjoy a burger and a soda with your Franklin to the Fort neighbors during the Franklin to the Fort Neighborhood Council Annual Summer Social and Meeting, which runs from 12:30 – 5:30 pm at Franklin Park. (on the corner of Kemp St. and S. 10th St. W).
Bring a dish to share and be ready to help select focus areas for the neighborhood for the upcoming year.
Call Jon at 543-3409. FREE
New Call for Art on Traffic Signal Boxes in Missoula
Have a great art idea for a traffic signal box? The Public Art Committee is currently taking submissions, deadline August 20th!
http://www.ci.missoula.mt.us/Bids.aspx?BidID=92
www.ci.missoula.mt.us
The City of Missoula Public Art Committee invites artists residing in Missoula County to apply for a public art project to create art on traffic signal boxes (TSB) located throughout Missoula. The goal of the project is to use local traffic signal boxes as “canvases.” This project would enhance visual surroundings as well as serve as a proven deterrent to damage and graffiti.
The Traffic Signal Box Art Project is designed to enhance our city by adding works of art to streetscape on surfaces that are often targeted by graffiti vandals. Artwork on TSBs functions as a form of communication to a moving audience with the goal of creating a safe, inclusive and interesting environment. Successful proposals will foster community pride and convey the sense of community. When designing your artwork, think of the relevance of the image to the project site and its users (pedestrians, commuters, and neighborhood citizens). Consider what makes Missoula unique: the arts, history, music, community events, recreational opportunities, and special attractions.
City Special District Information
Don’t forget to check out the City of Missoula website and learn more about the proposed Special Districts that could effect all neighborhoods.
http://www.ci.missoula.mt.us/QuickLinks.aspx?CID=57
Grant Creek – Front page in the Missoulian, July 22, 2010.
Good neighbors, remember to keep your trash inside until the morning of pick-up. Take down your feeders. Keep the pet food inside. As I drive in on Wednesday evening, I see the trash bins at the end of many driveways. Last night I drove home at 8 p.m. There were a number of homes that had the trash out already. The bears suffer if we are not responsible for our human trash. Problem bears? Problem humans?
East Missoula Summer Fun !!!
Part of Summer in East Missoula is people enjoying the river