All posts in January 2011
Wait! Don’t Know What To Do With Those Old Cowboy Boots?
Western Montana Fair 2011 theme: Country Roots and Cowboys Boots boot drive going on. This link gives you the full info…Don’t throw away those old cowboy boots!! Read this first.
http://www.kaj18.com/news/western-mt-fair-announces-2011-theme-boot-drive/
G.U.T.S.
An article in “the Kaiman” (University of Montana’s student newspaper www.montanakaiman.com ) reminded me of a really neat program that we have in Missoula. G.U.T.S. – Girls Using Their Strengths is a leadership program sponsored by the YWCA for girls ages 9 to 18. What started out 13 years ago as a summertime trip with 10 girls has evolved into a year-round program that in 2010, served over 300 Missoula girls.
Jen Euell, the co-founder of the group, says that the primary goal of the program is to help develop a strong positive identity base in girls as they transition from childhood to adulthood.
Currently the organization is looking for volunteers to assist with the upcoming Spring program. Following a co-facilitator model, 30 volunteers pair up each semester to lead elementary, middle school and high school groups in a wide range of empowering activities.
For more information and to find volunteer applications, visit http://www.ywcaofmissour.org
Rattlesnake Student Writers and Sentinel Illustrators
Local 4th graders at Rattlesnake school became writers this past year allowing their creativity to soar. Once the students handed in their stories, Sentinel artists added their creativity in a collaboration between the elementary school and high school. What an amazing project! Guess I need to stop by the school to see this project for myself. It sounds so incredible. Kudos to Rattlesnake Elementary and Sentinel Art Students for combining the creative efforts of their students. Check out Tuesday’s article in the Missoulian by Jamie Kelly http://bit.ly/hqO3gL
A Rare Treat
Flora, by John Waterhouse
I know the University isn’t strictly in the Rose Park Neighborhood, but one of the great things about our neighborhood is its proximity to just about everything, right? Three minutes by car, ten or fifteen walking, and you can be at the PARTV building (I frequently show my age by calling it the ‘new’ PARTV). On Sixth St. E, across from the fieldhouse. Even if you’re not that into art, treat yourself and make the trip. An anonymous collector has loaned a private collection of art to the University. It is on display at the Meloy Gallery until March 12…hours are Mon, Tue, Wed, Sat 12-3 and Thur, Fri 12-6. I saw a story in the paper and thought, oh, I should go…and that’s as far as I got with that. Lucky for me, a friend wanted to go so we did. So I’ve been to see this exhibition four times now, and will most certainly go again. As my daughter says, OMG.
Some of the artists we’ve all heard of…Renoir, Gauguin. Some, like John Waterhouse, were so popular in their time that we’ve probably seen reproductions of their work without actually knowing who they were. All are stars to people who know their art history. These are original works…and even if you have seen major masterpieces in person, the experience of seeing them in an intimate setting like the Meloy is like nothing you can imagine. To be inches away, with all the time you could ask for…no ropes, no glass, usually very few other people. You may use a magnifying glass if you wish…they have one for you.
After about my second or third visit, I became curious about some of the paintings, so like a good geek, I googled them. The entire collection was acquired at various auctions from 2008 through 2010. The identity of the owner is so secret I hear that only one, possibly two people at the U know who it is. The mystery adds to the whole experience, I think.
Sandi Henderson Designs
Sandi's Farmer's Market collection named for the Missoula Farmer's Market
Let me introduce you to Sandi Henderson. Sandi is a local gal who lives in Upper Miller Creek and works from home doing what she loves. She was eager to tell me “When you find the one thing that makes you so passionate, there is a way to turn that into your career.” Sandi is a great example of someone who is loving what they do and doing what they love. She is definitely an inspiration to be around. Sandi started her business after the birth of her daughter. What began as a children’s clothing line that she sold on ebay quickly turned into a fabric design business. Sandi took her portfolio of fabric designs to the mother lode of all fabric shows and after being rejected by several small manufacturers she signed on with Michael Miller, which just happened to be the one “big company” that she really wanted to work with.
Sandi gets to work from home and raise her children all while doing what she loves. She has an amazing support system in her husband Dustin, who handles much of the business side of things, freeing her up to create, and create she does. So far she has designed four fabric collections, Meadowsweet, Meadowsweet 2, Farmer’s Market and Ginger Blossom. Michael Miller manufactures and sells her fabric on an international level and it can also be found locally at Selvedge Studio in Missoula.
You can check out her designs at http://www.sandihendersondesign.com/
Winter BrewFest Planned Downtown
By Jean Clark, Downtown/Heart of Missoula Neighborhood Advocate
Here’s the skinny on a great event coming up in downtown Missoula. I took this from the Missoulian today and marking my calendar to attend!!
The Missoula Downtown Association will hold the inaugural Winter BrewFest on Saturday, Feb. 12., from 1-7 p.m. on the main floor of the old Macy’s building in downtown Missoula. The event, which takes place during the opening weekend of the Big Sky Documentary Film Festival, is a fundraiser for Caras Park and will be the first of its kind in town. (Talk about a great week, an indoor brew fest plus a performance by Yo La Tengo the following Tuesday at the Wilma Theatre.)
Just a friendly reminder, make sure if you attend you bring a designated driver and have a fantastic time.
Sign Up For Your Share of Vegetables at the PEAS Farm
Garden City Harvest is putting out the word – sign up for your share of vegetables. Returning share holders must sign up by February 15th. After February 15th applications for shares are accepted on a first come first served basis. The PEAS farm is located at 3010 Duncan Drive in the Rattlesnake.
I have reprinted some of the information from their website that is pertinent to the Rattlesnake PEAS Farm. The cost is as follows:
- $100 deposit submitted with your completed application
- 1 share (feeds an average family of 4) – $500/season
- 1 flower share (1 bouquet/week) – add $40/season
- Pickup in town (see below for locations) – add $20/season
Pick-Up: Weekly shares are picked up on Mondays or Thursdays at the PEAS Farm in the Rattlesnake between 4:30 and 6:30 pm. Produce is harvested the day of pick-up, washed, and set out buffet style on a long table before you arrive. If you cannot pick up your share, you may send a friend for it. Any produce not picked up is taken to the Missoula Food Bank or Poverello Center.
Get your application and further information at the Garden City Harvest website – http://www.gardencityharvest.org/quick_links/csa.html
Zootown Arts Community Center
The ZACC has something new coming up – what a great addition to what the North Missoula Community Development Center does in the summer months with their Missoula Outdoor Cinema. Now, we have community movies inside for the winter. Take a look at what Hanna, the director, says about it:
Northside Winter Indoor Cinema Info:
The ZACC seeks to make a greater digital impact on artists and community
individuals, and has developed a Winter Indoor Cinema starting February
27th. The Cinema came about out of suggestions made by our patrons. The
series is free for the public.
This winter series of five films and film shorts will highlight
independent and local films. A few nights will be dedicated to
international films by local and international filmmakers, producers, and
artists. Many of the filmmakers have chosen to speak before and after the
screenings.
The First Annual Winter Indoor Cinema will run every Sunday at 6pm in the
evening from February 27th through March 27th. Donation fees will be taken at the door, but the program is free to the public.
The Winter Indoor Cinema (a series of five films) was established by the
Arts and Programming Committee at the ZACC, which was created in 2010.
According to the North Missoula Community Development Corporation (whom holds the Missoula Outdoor Cinema at Headstart School on Worden Street during the summer months, “there is a sense of renewed vitality and
community caring that is becoming more and more palpable.” The ZACC is
proud to be part of this revitalization, engaging patrons in this spirit
of service. Funds from donations toward the Winter Indoor Cinema will be
reallocated to the operations of this program as well as other independent
projects the Arts and Programming Committee will take on throughout the
2011-2012 year.
Should you have any questions, please contact our Programming Chair,
Janaina, or Hanna (ZACC’s Program Director) at 406.549.7555
406.549.7555 Arts and Programming Committee (APCEC)
Zootown Arts Community Center
–
Hanna Hannan
Arts and Programming Director
Zootown Arts Community Center, 501c3
235 North 1st Street West
Missoula, MT 59802
406.549.7555 406.549.7555 Hours: Monday – Friday 12-6pm
Choose Your Favorite Neighborhood Volunteer
All of us involved in our neighborhoods may know of someone who works really hard toward the betterment of the neighborhood community and we may thank them personally but why not go one step further and nominate them for the City’s “Annual Outstanding Neighborhood Volunteer Award” which is in its 7th year.
The Community Forum is looking for neighborhood volunteers who have made significant positive contributions to their neighborhoods through their volunteer efforts. All nominees, as well as the award recipient, will be recognized at a City Council meeting. The recipient will have a tree planted in his/her honor and their name added to a plaque on display in City Hall. Kind of cool, don’t you think?
My son, David V Gray, received this award in 2006 as he was very active in the Fort to Missoula Neighborhood Community at that time. It was a very nice ceremony and a nice way to say thank you to neighborhood volunteers.
A Community Forum committee will review and rank the nominees and make their recommendations known to the Community Forum and City Council. Nomination forms are online at the following address on the city website at www.ci.missoula.mt.us/nominate. The nomination deadline is Friday, February 25, 2011, at 5 p.m. If you need additional information contact Jane Kelly in the Office of Neighborhoods at 406-552-6081 or email Jane at jkelly2@ci.missoula.mt.us.
January 25th Neighborhood Council Meeting
Invitation to attend the upcoming Neighborhood Council Meeting. Learn more about it on the official city website.
When: Tuesday, January 25, 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Where: Missoula Friends Meeting Hall
Address: 1861 S. 12th St. W. Missoula, MT 59801
Come hear about or comment about what is happening in your neighborhood.