All posts in February 2011
Runners, On Your Marks … Downtown
Looks like we’ll be seeing all those enthusiastic runners in training running the streets downtown again this spring. I have so much admiration for their dedication and the time they put in for this great Missoula event. It appears the Runner’s Edge will be hosting another spring long training session this year. Here’s the scoop if you’re interested:
Run Wild Missoula’s Missoula Marathon Running Training Class 8:00 AM Runner’s Edge
Description: Class starts Sunday, March 6, 2011 at 8 a.m. and meets until the Missoula Marathon on July 10.
Class meets at Runner’s Edge, 325 N. Higgins Ave. every Wednesday at 6 p.m. and on Sunday at 8 a.m.
Get ready for the 2011 Missoula Marathon or Half Marathon with Run Wild Missoula’s training program for anyone. You don’t have to be a semi-professional athlete, former track star, 5 percent body fat or logging 30 miles a week to participate. All you have to be is someone who wants to complete the half or full Missoula Marathon on Sunday, July 10, 2011.
The class starts with distances as low as 2 miles, but how fast you run absolutely does not matter. For beginners there is a run/walk option. Beginners who have not run a step as of the first day of class will be encouraged to set the Missoula Half Marathon as your goal. (Yes, you can do this. You have 6½ hours to complete the Half Marathon course and you have 4½ months to train.)
The program begins conservatively but you’ll find the miles start adding up quickly, even if you’re a more advanced runner. By the end of this training class you will be ready for race day.
With the Training Program, participants receive:
* Coaching by Anders Brooker, Cross Country and Track Coach at Hellgate High School and Owner of Runner’s Edge
* Comprehensive Training Program for Full and Half Marathon Trainees
* Group Runs on Wednesdays at 6 p.m. and Sundays at 8 a.m.
* Pacers for All Levels
* Guest Speakers on Nutrition, Injury Prevention, Running Form and More!
* New This Year: Racing Singlet!
* Handheld Water Bottle
* Aid Stations every week
* Gels on 5 longest runs (the same brand used on the course of the Missoula Marathon and Half Marathon)
*Post Class Party
Cost: $75/RWM members, $100/non-members
Age Group: 18+
Information For All Neighborhoods
FWP is requiring new Boat Validation Decals. The old decals expire 2/28/11. For more information visit FWP at fwp.mt.gov/recreation/permits/boats.html
The International Wildlife Film Festival is coming up. They are looking for judges and there are also some employment opportunities: http://www.wildlifefilms.org/index.html
The Roxy is also a neighborhood resource for a space to rent: http://www.wildlifefilms.org/roxy/index.html
Missoula is a Very “Dog Friendly” Community
This story was recently in the Great Falls Tribune…..pretty cool Missoula!
Great Falls’ canine residents are pretty pleased about the addition of a dog park, where they can run off-leash, frolic and play.
But how does the Electric City stack up in terms of dog friendliness compared to Montana’s other large cities?
Missoula boasts three companies that will take dogs out walking during the day while their owners are out. Bozeman has numerous areas in its park system where dogs can play off-leash. Like Great Falls, Whitefish opened a dog park this past summer, and Billings hopes to open three dog parks in the future.
Here are the Tribune’s unscientific rankings of the best places in Montana to be furry and four-legged.
Missoula
11,101 dogs registered in the city and county or one dog per 9 1/2 people.
Walk through downtown Missoula on a Saturday afternoon and you’ll probably see a half- dozen businesses with water bowls out on the sidewalk for customers who happen to have Fido in tow.
On weekdays it’s hard to miss the GoFetch! buses, brightly painted school buses that pick up dogs from their homes and take them out on hikes.
GoFetch! isn’t the only business that will take dogs out on off-leash hikes while their owners are away at work. Two other companies in the Garden City offer similar services.
“Missoula is such a dog town,” said Charla Bitney, owner of Quick Paws, which offers dog hikes, doggie day care, overnight care, house calls and other services.
Missoula boasts a dog park along the banks of the Clark Fork River, as well as open spaces just outside of town where dogs can run off-leash.
“All those areas are very popular with dog owners,” Bitney said. “So is the dog park, officially called the Jacobs Island Bark Park that opened in 2000 after a group of citizens asked the city to designate the area as an off-leash park.”
“It’s been a big hit since day one,” said Becky Goodrich, communications specialist at Missoula Parks and Recreation.
Businesses that cater to dogs also thrive in Missoula.
“GoFetch! originally got its start eight years ago as a specialty pet store selling high-quality dog food,” owner Scott Timothy said.
“I set up a small shop downtown,” he said. “In six months, I outgrew it.”
GoFetch! now has three retail locations and is considering adding a fourth. The stores offer grooming, do-it-yourself dog bathing, training and a dog treat bakery, in addition to taking as many as 30 dogs per day out hiking.
“GoFetch! wouldn’t be able to do all these things unless it was for the support of an amazing community like Missoula,” Timothy said.
Bitney also recently expanded Quick Paws to a new location.
If you and your furry friends go to Missoula, check out:
Bozeman
1,577 dogs registered in the city of Bozeman or one dog per 22 1/2 people.
Bozeman dogs have free run of more than 175 acres of off-leash areas within the Bozeman Parks Department.
And with Bozeman being nestled between mountain ranges, the supply of off-leash areas outside of town is almost endless.
“There are so many trails here that connect with the hills and the mountains,” said Spencer Williams, president of West Paw Design that has manufactured pet toys, bedding and accessories in Bozeman since 1998.
The city of Bozeman also recently designated Cooper Park, a historic park in the heart of Bozeman, as an off-leash park after citizens lobbied for the change.
“Bozeman’s dog parks are extremely popular,” said Thom White, superintendent of Bozeman Parks and Cemeteries.
“They’re loved to death,” he said.
“Dogs are so popular in Bozeman that the city has 42 Dog Mitt stations in its parks. It takes a worker six hours to refill mitts at those stations and dispose of the waste,” White said.
Josh Allen and his wife Holly opened Dee-O-Gee on Main Street in Bozeman in 2008. The store carries all-natural dog products.
“We’ve got a great loyal customer base,” Allen said.
Williams describes Bozeman as a very dog-friendly town. Many downtown businesses welcome dogs with water dishes outside and some even allow dogs inside.
The Ace Hardware downtown has a large sign reading, “we welcome dogs on leash.”
“I think that is really fantastic,” said Williams, who has a mutt named Buster.
“Even big box stores, such as Lowe’s and Home Depot, allow dogs inside,” Allen said.
“There are dogs in Home Depot all the time,” he said.
If Fido’s in Bozeman, he’ll want to visit:
“Last year’s dog walk attracted about 100 people and about as many dogs,” she said.
Last year, the land trust also added a trick contest to the line-up, where dogs could show off their best trick and be judged.
The Prickly Pear Land Trust maintains the trail system in Helena’s South Hills, which consists of about 72 miles of trail. Dogs are allowed off-leash on the trails after the first 100 yards of the trailhead.
“That gives them an opportunity to run around and do their doggy thing,” Nese said.
The trails are very popular with dog owners.
“I don’t think you can go up there without seeing a dog,” said Joanne Martonik, events coordinator at the Prickly Pear Land Trust.
If you go to Helena, enjoy:
“I think Great Falls is dog friendly and becoming more so,” he said.
This year, the Animal Foundation is adding a new dog-centered event called Strut Your Mutt. The walk will take place downtown on May 22 and will help raise funds for the Animal Foundation.
Bierwirth, who moved to Great Falls two years ago from San Francisco, still sees a divide in dog owners in Great Falls — those who see pets as family members and those who see dogs as more of outside farm animals.
But the dog park is a great addition to Great Falls.
“That’s a great sign that people are getting behind responsible dog ownership,” she said. “The idea of doing more with your dog is kind of spreading.”
“Aside from the dog park, dogs are allowed on-leash in Great Falls’ parks, but must stay on walking paths,” said Giles Salyer, Great Falls Parks superintendent. One exception to that rule is Wadsworth Park, where dogs are allowed to roam off-leash.
Flathead Valley —Kalispell registered 120 dogs in 2009. However, dogs are only required to register once every three years, so assuming about the same amount register every year, there are 360 dogs in Kalispell, or one dog per 54 people.
The Flathead Valley got its first dog park in June 2009, when the Whitefish Animal Group opened the Hugh Rogers WAG Park in Whitefish.
The park, about 5 acres in size, offers a place for dogs to run off-leash and play together. It also has a paved walking path through the park and is wheelchair accessible.
“Whitefish is blessed with about 120 acres of park space, but before the dog park opened, there was no legal place for dogs to be off leash,” said Steve Lull, president of WAG. A group of citizens worked for about four years to make the park a reality.
The park has been very popular since opening.
“It’s just been a phenomenal success,” Lull said. “We have people there every single day, even on the coldest day of the year.”
Plans are already in the works to expand the WAG park. Organizers are raising funds to build a pavilion in the park and hope to expand the physical boundaries of the park to include a pond where dogs can swim.
Visit the Hugh Rogers WAG Park in Whitefish, located 1 mile east of the intersection of U.S. Highway 93 & 2nd Street in Armory Park. www.wagparks.org.
Billings — dog registration numbers weren’t available.
Ellie Whitney moved to Billings from New Jersey after traveling there on vacation. As a dog lover, she was surprised that Billings lacked a dog specialty store.
“I moved here from New Jersey where they had all kinds of pet boutiques and bakeries,” she said.
Three years ago, Whitney opened the Loveable Pets Bakery and Boutique. She sells all-natural dog food, as well as unique toys and accessories. She also has a bakery case to display the baked goods she carries.
“It’s been really successful,” she said.
Whitney is also seeing Billings become more dog-friendly.
“I wouldn’t say it’s particularly dog-friendly at this point,” she said. “It’s changing, as we speak, for the better.”
“Billings is working to raise funds to build three dog parks in the city — one on the east end of town near the Heights, one in the central part of town and one somewhere on the west end,” said Mark Jarvis, park planner for Billings Parks Recreation and Public Lands.
“A dog park would definitely move Billings up in the dog-friendliness rankings,” said Russ Woerner, general manager of the AnimaLodge Pet Resort in Laurel, offering lodging, day care and a dog park that customers can pay to use.
For now, Woerner gives Billings about a seven on a scale of one to ten for dog friendliness.
“Billings currently doesn’t allow dogs in any of its developed parks — those with grass, irrigation and amenities. Dogs are allowed on-leash in the city’s undeveloped parks, such as Phipps Park,” Jarvis said.
“The timeline for Billings’ dog parks will depend on fundraising, but city officials hope to get them going as soon as possible,” he said.
Visit Loveable Pets Bakery and Boutique, 1313 Grand Ave. www.loveablepetsbakery.com.
Metropolitan Opera Broadcasts LIVE Performances at the Roxy Theatre
I hope everyone is staying nice and cozy with this new round of cold and snowy weather! Recently I heard about The Metropolitan Opera 2010-11 Live in HD Series at the Roxy. Have you heard about this? Such a great idea! The next performance will be Gluck’s Iphigénie en Tauride. You can watch it LIVE on February 26th at 11:00 a.m. ( a great way to spend a Saturday) There is also an encore performance on March 5th at 7pm!
Susan Graham and Plácido Domingo reprise their starring roles in Gluck’s nuanced and elegant interpretation of this primal Greek myth. Tenor Paul Groves also returns to Stephen Wadsworth’s insightful production, first seen in 2007. Patrick Summers conducts. Expected Running time: 2 hours 30 minutes. Running time is approximate.
You can purchase tickets here.
The Roxy Theatre is located at 718 South Higgins, in Missoula.
OH SPRING … WHERE ARE YOU?
Spring is just around the corner and I know it won’t be long until we see signs of green grass, robins, and other signals of the end of winter. I know it’s been a long winter but the spring will be worth the wait. As you see signs of spring, post a message on FaceBook, if you see anything that is of interest, please just let me know.
Hellgate Elementary School Board meeting is Tuesday, February 22nd @ 7:00 pm. Please stop by and find out what is going on in the district. Typically the meetings are the second Monday of each month, but this month brought Valentines Day and President’s Day so they moved it.
Missoula, A Dog Friendly Community
Missoula offers a number of great locations where dogs can roam off-leash.
Missoula was found to be one of a number of Dog Friendly Communities here in Montana, so says the Great Falls Tribune. Missoula offers a number of great locations where dogs can roam off-leash. They are found at Jacobs Island Bark Park, Fort Missoula Canine Campus, some areas on Mount Sentinel and North Hills and some areas on Mount Jumbo. The USFS Missoula Ranger District Recreation Areas allow dogs with specific restrictions in the Rattlesnake, Pattee Canyon and Blue Mountain Recreation Areas.
Read up on the rules: Where Can My Dog be Off-Leash?
Enjoy the great outdoors with your dog!
Connell Avenue Renovation Happening
In the 400 block of Connell Avenue a home is undergoing major renovation. It is being gutted and seems like it will be rebuilt from the inside & a 1970s style addition is being torn off (today actually)! Can’t wait to see the results. Judy Wahlberg, Neighborhood Volunteer Advocate
Valentine’s Day in the Rose Park Neighborhood
The Treats are Grand at Higgins and Strand!
Valentine’s Day in the Rose Park Neighborhood means…Dairy Queen! Dilly Bars! Yes, on February 14th we know that winter really is going to come to an end someday, because once again we can get our Dilly Bar fix at the Higgins Avenue Dairy Queen.
At Orange Street Food Farm, the big special for the week was white asparagus for $1.39 lb. So tender and crisp and juicy, we ate it raw with just a sprinkle of sea salt. It tastes like spring, like new grass and melting snow. Alas, it was snapped up in about 5 minutes, but asparagus is still a bargain; another harbinger of spring. Drizzle it with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper, then roast at 350 until just fork tender. Serve with browned butter seasoned with a dollop of balsamic vinegar…heaven!
Looks like Mother of Pearl, tastes like spring.
So, there you have the traditional St. Valentine’s Day dinner: asparagus, chocolates, and a Dilly Bar.
UM Biomass Demonstration Upcoming
Biomass Demonstration Feb. 23
The BioMax, a mobile biomass gasifier and electricity generator owned by UM, will operate at Paws Up Ranch in the Blackfoot Valley this month.
Beetle-killed trees and waste biomass will be processed by a Vermeer chipper to provide feedstock to the BioMax, which will then produce electricity.
The public is invited to watch the BioMax operate and enjoy a short presentation about the equipment from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 23, at the Paws Up Ranch. Refreshments will be served.
The electricity will be fed directly onto Missoula Electric Cooperative’s power lines. Once on the grid, the cooperative will use it to power homes and ranches in the area.
Judy Wahlberg
University District Neighborhood Advocate Volunteer
Which MT Cities Are Dog-Friendly?
From the Great Falls Tribune this is cute article sheds light on Missoula (and other MT towns) & how dog-friendly we are!
Judy Wahlberg
University District Neighborhood Advocate
406-240-6988
Have an interesting idea for a blog post? Contact me!
http://www.greatfallstribune.com/article/20100328/ENTERTAINMENT/3280322/0/GO4_SECTIONINITIALIZE/Which-Montana-s-cities-most-dog-friendly-?odyssey=nav%7Chead