Montana Best Times July 2013

MONTANA

July 2013

A Monthly Publication for Folks 50 and Better

Biker jumps for Jesus The love of the craft

The Burger Master

Upholstery takes an artist’s touch
FREE TAKE ONE • FREE TAKE ONE • FREE TAKE ONE • FREE TAKE ONE • FREE TAKE ONE

Just Wanna Have Fun
Scheduled Events
July 2-4, 2013 - Home of Champions Rodeo July 2nd,3rd, and 4th, 2013 Red Lodge 4th of July Parade
Join us for the 84th Home of Champions Rodeo featuring some of professional rodeo’s top cowboys and cowgirls. 84 Years of Ropin’ and Ridin’, Singin’ and Swingin’ Tickets available at www.redlodgerodeo.com

In Red Lodge
July 19-21, 2013 19th Annual Beartooth Rally
Plan on the 19th Annual Beartooth Motorcycle Rally being better than ever! Don’t forget to stop by BONEDADDY’s to pick up your official rally shirt and check out all the cool clothes and accessories.

Our Parade Theme this year is “God Bless America”. Keeping with the theme our Grand Marshal is Robert “Doc” Foglesong, a retired Four Star Air Force General from the Roberts area.

Saturday, July 6, 2013 - Geology, Ecology Tour of the Beartooth Mountains

Saturday & Sunday - July 26-28, 2013 - Cruisen Red Lodge Car Show

Geology and Ecology tour of the Beartooth Highway with geologist Dr. Marv Kauffman and ecologist Dr. Phil Robertson will take place on Saturday, July 6, 2013. The cost is $50 per person with lunch included. Seating is limited, so make your reservations today at the Museum.

Saturday, July 6th, 2013 - Zumbathon 2013

Red Lodge’s premiere summer car show! Ogle over your favorite classic cars as you share your favorite “auto” biography stories! Things will kick-off on Friday, July 26 with registration. On Saturday, July 27, the classic cars will be displayed up and down the main drag through Red Lodge starting at 8 am. Awards will be presented at 2 pm. Then join us for a good ol’ fashioned drive-in movie at dusk at the Red Lodge Airport.

A fundraiser for DSVS! Join local licensed ZUMBA® instructor Allison Gilley as she leads the 2nd annual ZUMBATHON®!! For more information contact Allison Gilley at 672-6115

Sunday, July 28 will see the return of Drag Races at the Red Lodge Airport. Back by popular

Thursday, July 11, 2013 - Historic Walking Tour of Downtown Red Lodge
Join the Carbon County Historical Society and Museum for an early evening of historic fun. Meet at the Museum at 5 p.m. to join in a historic walking tour of downtown Red Lodge. Handouts will be provided and a guide will show you the wonderful historic buildings. All programs are free to members and $2.00 for non-members.

Saturday, July 27, 2013 - Gotta Gig Gotta Go! with Billy Waldo and the Flying Grizzlies

demand, Red Lodge’s own drag races will be held at the Red Lodge Airport starting at 8 am until 1 pm. Don’t miss this opportunity to see your favorite classic cars drag race on a modified course on the runway! For further information, call Ric Moore at (406) 664-3264 or email [email protected]

Saturday, July 13th, 2013 - Art in the Beartooths with Signature Artist Carol Hagen

Art in the Beartooths is our annual summer fundraiser here at the Arts Guild. Enjoy a full day of art and culture beginning with an artist paint-out from 9:30 am to 2:30pm. Watch 30 artists for free creating in and around Lions Park. The event continues in the evening with live and silent auctions, dinner & libations, and entertainment under the tents in Lions Park. Tickets for the evening portion are $50 or reserve a table for 10 for $500.

Billy Waldo and the Flying Grizzlies will be performing a benefit concert for the 6th Annual ‘Gotta Gig Gotta Go’ Stano Bustos Foundation on July 27th. Waldo, Lee Moran, Jimmy Kujala, Todd Loughrie, Pete Burak, Charlie Brandine, and Paul “Dirt” Stauss with special guest Mark Biernbaum. Check out www.stanobustos.com for more information.

Saturday, July 14th, 2013 45th Annual Beartooth Run

An Educational Adventure for the Whole Family

Montana’s classic hill climb road race, The Beartooth Run, is going into its 45th year with some exiting changes. The largest change to this years race is the new course, located at the top of the Beartooth Pass. Runners will have the choice between a 5k and 10k distance.

Thursday, July 18, 2013 - Historical Walking Tour of Downtown Red Lodge

July 2013

Join the Carbon County Historical Society and Museum for an early evening of historic fun. Meet at the Museum at 5 p.m. to join in a historic walking tour of downtown Red Lodge. Handouts will be provided and a guide will show you the wonderful historic buildings. All programs are free to members and $2.00 for non-members.

Montana’s ONLY wildlife rescue open to the public. Come see bears, wolves, lions, bison, elk, fox, raptors and dozens more!

www.yellowstonewildlifesanctuary.com
Open Daily 10a to 5p (open till 8p on Wednesday’s)
Located just north of downtown Red Lodge on 2nd St East

—2

Animal Sightings Guaranteed!

Opinion.....................................................Page 4 Savvy Senior.............................................Page 5 Bookshelf..................................................Page 9 Big Sky Birding........................................Page 16

INSIDE

Volunteering..............................................Page 18 On the Menu.............................................Page 20 Calendar....................................................Page 21 Strange But True.......................................Page 22

News Lite
Squirrel and snake in all-out brawl
GOLD CANYON, Ariz. (AP) — Authorities rushed to an Arizona woman’s home after she called to report a brutal brawl on her back patio — between a ground squirrel and a gopher snake. KPHO-TV reports that Apache Junction firefighters recently stumbled upon the bizarre backyard beat down at the Gold Canyon home and believe the two were going at it at least 30 minutes before their arrival. Firefighter Ryan Philips immediately grabbed his smart phone to record the wildlife fight, which continued until firefighters stepped in and broke it up. Officials say the snake had a few wounds when it was released back into the desert while the squirrel had only a couple of injuries. Philips says he believed the squirrel had a nest nearby.

Father, son record holes-in-one on Father’s Day
RICHMOND, Texas (AP) — A father-son duo from South Texas showed no handicap when they stepped up to a par-3 tee and each shot a hole-in-one on Father’s Day. Lonnie Whitener, 57, told the Houston Chronicle that his 115yard drive using a gap wedge on the sixth hole at River Pointe Golf Club in Richmond struck the flag stick and dropped in the hole. Then, up stepped 13-year-old Zach Whitener, whose shot from 100 yards using a 6-iron landed near the pin and gently rolled in. The U.S. Golf Association does not keep records of holes-inone, but the National Hole-in-One Registry says the chances of two players acing the same hole in the same round are one in 17 million. Two groups of players witnessed the feat and joined the celebration.

New West is Here for You.
newwestmedicare.com
888-873-8044 · TTY 711 New West simplifies the Medicare process so you can focus on what’s important to you. Our knowledgeable local representatives offer straightforward information with personalized service. Contact us and we will help you understand your options. New West Makes Medicare Simple.

New West Health Services is a health plan with a Medicare contract. Phone hours of operation 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily. The benefit information provided is a brief summary, not a complete description of benefits. For more information contact New West Medicare. Benefits may change on January 1 of each year. H2701_NW#469A-11-12 CMS Accepted
July 2013 —3

13.NW New W Senior Montan 6.4.13 AD: KM 1/2 pg 7.25x4. 4 color

Opinion

This issue of Montana Best Times has two stories about people who thought they knew what they wanted to do with their lives, but were met with a series of circumstances that took them another direction — with happy endings. The first story, on Page 6, is about motorcycle stuntman Gene Sullivan. Sullivan was a one-time bodyguard for the famous daredevil bike jumper Evel Knievel. Sullivan had wanted to become a professional football player, but was sidelined by an injury. Then, he signed a contract to be a professional boxer, but almost by chance met Knievel, and soon became his bodyguard. After leaving Knievel, he launched his own motorcycle stunt career, but an unexpected spiritual encounter changed his life, and he decided to use his motorcycle stunt abilities to spread the gospel. He’s still going strong at age 66, and having the time of his life. The other story, on Page 10, is about Fergus County High School teacher Sandy Armstad, 57. She thought she wanted to be an actor and to travel, and was passionate about following those interests. But things didn’t quite work out in that direction, so she took up teaching. Ironically, one of the courses she ended up teaching was drama. Another was history, a subject that had always been of tremendous interest to her. The result of the unexpected change in her life’s path is that she completely loves what she’s doing today. Many others could similarly point back to times in their lives July 2013 —4

Stories of unexpected paths

where circumstances mysteriously took them down a road they had not planned, but which resulted in something so much better than they had imagined for their lives. But for others, the path has ended up at a place they would not have chosen. If that is the case, it is never too late to seek a change to improve one’s situation. Seek out a group of trusted friends who believe in you, a career counselor or spiritual advisor, or, if the situation calls for it, legal and financial help, and see what else life can hold. Making your own new path could have an unexpected, happy ending. — Dwight Harriman Montana Best Times Editor
MONTANA

A Monthly Publication for Folks 50 and Better

P.O. Box 2000, 401 S. Main St., Livingston MT 59047 Tel. (406) 222-2000 or toll-free (800) 345-8412 • Fax: (406) 222-8580 E-mail: [email protected] • Subscription rate: $25/yr. Published monthly by Yellowstone Newspapers, Livingston, Montana
Frank Perea, Publisher • Dwight Harriman, Editor • Tom Parisella, Designer

Jim Miller, creator of the syndicated “Savvy Senior” information column, is a longtime advocate of senior issues. He has been featured in Time magazine; is author of “The Savvy Senior: The Ultimate Guide to Health, Family and Finances for Senior Citizens”; and is a regular contributor to the NBC “Today” show.

How to Choose the Right Executor for Your Will
Dear Savvy Senior, What are my options for choosing an executor for my will? I was considering asking one of my kids to do it but I don’t think any of them are up for the job. What can you tell me? – Still Kicking Dear Kicking, Choosing an executor — the person or institution you put in charge of administering your estate and carrying out your final wishes — is one of the most important decisions in preparing a will.   Picking the right executor can help ensure the prompt, accurate distribution of your possessions with a minimum of family friction. Some of the duties required include: • Filing court papers to start the probate process (this is generally required by law to determine the will’s validity). • Taking an inventory of everything in the estate.   • Using your estate’s funds to pay bills, including taxes, funeral costs, etc. • Handling details like terminating credit cards, and notifying banks and government agencies like Social Security and the post office of the death. • Preparing and filing final income tax returns. • Distributing assets to the beneficiaries named in the will.   Given all the responsibility, the ideal candidate should be someone who is honest, dependable, well organized, good with paperwork and vigilant about meeting deadlines.   Most people think first of naming a family member, especially a spouse or child, as executor. If, however, you don’t have an obvious family member to choose, you may want to ask a trusted friend, but be sure to choose someone in good health or younger than you who will likely be around after you’re gone.   Also, if your executor of choice happens to live in another state, you’ll need to check your state’s law to see if it imposes any special requirements. Some states require an out-of-state executor to be a family member or a beneficiary, some require a bond to protect your heirs in case of mismanagement, and some require the appointment of an in-state agent.   Also keep in mind that if the person you choose needs help settling your estate they can always call on an expert like an attorney or tax account to guide them through the process, with your estate picking up the cost.   If, however, you don’t have a friend or relative you feel comfortable with, you could name a third party executor like a bank, trust company or a professional who has experience dealing with estates. If you need help locating a pro, the National Association of Estate Planners and Councils (naepc.org) and the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (naela.org) are great resources that provide directories on their websites to help you find someone.   Most family members and close friends — especially if they are a beneficiary — serve for free, but if you opt for a third party executor it will cost your estate. Executor fees are set by each state and typically run anywhere from 1 to 5 percent depending on the size of the estate.   Whoever you choose to serve as your executor, be sure you get their approval first before naming him or her in your will. And once you’ve made your choice, go over your financial details in your will with that person, and let him or her know where you keep all your important documents and financial information. This will make it easier on them after you’re gone.   For more information on the duties of an executor, get a copy of the book “The American Bar Association Guide to Wills and Estates” fourth edition for $17 at ambar.org/wills or call (800) 285-2221.   Send your senior questions to: Savvy Senior, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070, or visit SavvySenior.org. July 2013 —5

»»Executor fees

»»Get approval

»»Who to choose

Faith

Jumping for Jesus

Former Evel Knievel bodyguard jumps with a purpose

Gene Sullivan jumps through a wall of flames during a 2009 event in Great Falls.
Daniel Sullivan Photography

July 2013

—6

BILLINGS — For most of us as we move into our golden years, taking the time to smell the roses and enjoy the simple life becomes appealing. But for one Billings man, nothing could be further from the truth. Gene Sullivan, a 40-year-veteran of stunt bike jumping, is still in his prime. At the age of 66, Sullivan said he is the oldest and longest touring professional motorcycle jumper in the world and doesn’t see himself stopping anytime soon. “I never thought I would still be doing this,” said Sullivan during a recent interview at his home in Billings.

By Chaun Scott Montana Best Times

Encounter with Evel Knievel

Sullivan grew up in the western culture of Rifle, Colo. After graduating from high school, he joined the Navy and became a naval champion heavy-weight boxer. Following two tours in Vietnam, Sullivan left the Navy and settled in San Francisco, where he attended college. In 1969, while he was living in San Francisco, his father, Prescott Sullivan, a longtime San Francisco Sports columnist, invited him to sit in on an interview of a man who would change the course of his life. Sullivan and his father met with the man in Big Al’s, renowned as San Francisco’s first topless bar. It was there Sullivan came face to face with the red-white-and-blue-spangled motorcycle daredevil himself, Evel Knievel. Knievel was in San Francisco to perform a record-breaking jump at the Cow Palace that same evening, and Sullivan’s father was writing a story about the him. “I had planned to become a professional football player and had tryouts for the 49’ers and the Raiders,” Sullivan said, “but the Lord didn’t want me there, and a hyper-extended knee injury from back in high school began to give me trouble the day of my tryouts. I had also been offered TV commercials and signed a contract for a spot in the Clint Eastwood movie ‘Dirty Harry.’ In fact, I just signed the contract to become a professional boxer when I met Knievel in 1969. (God) was setting me up for something else.” Neither Knievel nor Sullivan knew exactly what that fateful meeting would do to curve their lives. After the Cow Palace jump that evening — at which Knievel crash landed — Knievel provoked a branch of the notorious Hell’s Angels motorcycle gang, and he was swarmed by the leather-clad bikers who kicked and hit him. Sullivan, a 240-pound bouncer who could lift more than 400 pounds, jumped in to help and quickly swept Knievel to safety. That night, Knievel hired Sullivan as his first bodyguard, and in 1970 he was on the road defending Knievel and waiting on him hand and foot.

Daniel Sullivan Photography

Sullivan is pictured at his ministry headquarters in Billings in May of this year. Sullivan was in Reno for a few days, when a friend invited him to attend a Full Gospel Business Men’s Fellowship. “I wasn’t especially religious; I’d go anywhere there was food, so I accepted the invitation,” said Sullivan. “Two things happened to me when I heard about God’s power in the speaker’s life. First, I began to weep; second, I saw everything that I had done in life added up to zero. All my efforts to live up to high character standards were worthless in the sight of God, nor was he impressed with my ability to ride bikes through walls of fire, nor any of my talents and abilities. He brought me to the end of myself; I saw the vanity of life, my life without Jesus.

Duck Days in Forsyth August 10, 2013
RHCC Fun Run: 6:30am Downtown Parade: 10am Jump for Jesus motorcycle jumper: following parade on Main Street 3 on 3 Basketball: down town Duck Float: 2:00 Come early, buy a rubber duck! BINGO & BBQ: downtown 5pm-... Elite Pro Bull Riders Buck Out: Fairgrounds 7pm Street Dance featuring: Copper Mountain Band; Main Street 9pm - ...
Come join us and our community for a fun filled day!
Sponsored by Forsyth Chamber of Commerce & Agriculture 347- 5656

Encounter with Jesus

But after nearly two years of living the Evel life, Sullivan found himself wanting to venture out on his own. “Before the Canyon Jump, I needed to walk,” he said. “I left in April of 1972.” Sullivan worked various jobs and then headed to Florida, where he founded a motorcycle stunt school and worked as a professional stunt bike jumper, which included jumping through walls of fire. But his life was about to change.

July 2013

—7

Daniel Sullivan Photography

Sullivan demonstrates a jump at his ministry headquarters in Billings in May. “It was then that I came to Jesus and departed from Evel,” Sullivan smiled. position with jumping that was unprecedented.” In July 2006, Sullivan received a phone call from Knievel. “I hadn’t heard from him since 1972,” Sullivan recalled. “He said he had fallen and was on his way to the hospital. I said, ‘Good, I want to pray for you.’ The line went silent. Then he said, ‘No, I got my own belief.’” Later that year on Thanksgiving Day, while Sullivan was driving home from a park after playing flag football with friends, a call came in. “I answered my phone and the voice on the other end said, ‘It’s Evel Knievel.’ I thought to myself, ‘Yeah, right!’ I thought someone was playing a practical joke. Knievel said, ‘I have been smitten by the Lord Jesus Christ.’” Sullivan could tell that Knievel had a life-changing experience. Knievel asked him to come to Evel Knievel Days in Butte in July 26-28, 2007. Sullivan agreed, and performed the Sunday after the event. Knievel attended Sullivan’s performance as well as the church service that followed it. By this time in his life, Knievel was in poor health. While Sullivan was in Butte, Sullivan recounted that Knievel asked him privately if he would do his funeral service, and he agreed. Evel Knievel died in December of that year. Sullivan was there to organize the service and conducted the private graveside service, and then Robert Schuller of the Crystal Cathedral performed the public service at the Metra in Billings.

Motorcycle a tool for the gospel

In 1978, at around the age of 31, Sullivan had a vision to use a motorcycle as a tool to witness about the gospel. As Sullivan put it, “The ramp jump represents our ‘launch’ into life as we become accountable for our sins. The burning wall represents the gates of hell, of which Jesus said ‘will not prevail against you’ … This is also the barrier that stands between us and our eternity. The landing ramp represents the other side of this life, eternal life in Jesus Christ.” Sullivan thus founded his ministry Jump for Jesus, which has continued for more than 35 years. Sullivan’s performances as a high-flying, flame-jumping, stunt bike rider for Jesus has taken him and his missionary crew around the world proclaiming the good news. “It’s interesting,” said Sullivan. “When I first started, the churches went crazy! But if I didn’t take the jumps and just pitched a tent to hold a gospel meeting, they weren’t thrilled with it.” For a jump, Sullivan and his team of approximately 35 to 40 crew members set up two 11-foot ramps. Sullivan accelerates to make a nearly 100-foot jump that ends with him crashing through burning boards that greet him on the other side. For Sullivan, the jump is merely a tool chosen by God. “Motorcycle jumping launched me into a realm ... a key of opportunity I would never have had as a preacher,” said Sullivan. “Without the jump, the churches would not support our message. The foolishness of the motorcycle jump is the key to let us in.” Many of the spectators coming to watch Sullivan jump are older. “Fifty percent are over 50, and they love it!” said Sullivan.

Still going

Phone call from Knievel

Sullivan believes that his relationship with Evel Knievel and his daredevil jumps prepared the way for his ministry. “That relationship has done more helping to advance the gospel than anything I could have done,” said Sullivan. “It put me in a July 2013 —8

Sullivan said he never expected his Jump for Jesus ministry to last this long, and that he will continue it until God tells him to stop. This summer, Sullivan and the Jump for Jesus team will be in Forsyth on Saturday, Aug. 10, to perform during Forsyth’s Annual Duck Days event. For more information about Sullivan and the upcoming event, visit Sullivan’s website, jumpforjesus.net. Chaun Scott can be reached at [email protected] or (406) 346-2149.

Bookshelf

“Touring Hot Springs-Montana and Wyoming: A Guide to the State’s Best Hot Springs” By Jeff Birkby Globe Pequot Press/FalconGuides - 2013 Softcover • $19.95 • 231 pages • 6” x 9” ISBN 978-0-7627-8530-8

Looking for the perfect soak? Updated hot springs guide is here
By Montana Best Times Staff
Hitting hot springs is as much a Montana tradition as hunting and rodeo, and now there’s a new and expanded edition of “Touring Hot Springs-Montana and Wyoming” to take you to all the great spots in the region. This updated version “will help travelers and natives alike take full advantage of the many thermal soaking opportunities in the region,” states a news release on the book from publisher Globe Pequot Press/FalconGuides. Author Jeff Birkby’s first edition of the popular guide has sold more than 15,000 copies since it was published in the late 1990s. The new edition features the latest information on 60 soakable hot springs and spa resorts in Montana and Wyoming, including color photos of each hot spring, nearby camping and lodging opportunities, and maps and GPS coordinates for pinpointing hot spring locations. Both undeveloped wilderness soaking pools and elegant spa resorts are covered — from a warm water pool in the shadow of Montana’s Bob Marshall Wilderness to the elegant Saratoga Resort and Spa near the Wyoming/Colorado border, to Yellowstone National Park, to Hot Springs State Park in Thermopolis, Wyo., the release says. The new guidebook also contains rich histories and local legends of many of the hot springs, including stories from early pioneers of miraculous cures from drinking and soaking in the soothing mineral water. Birkby developed a passion for hot springs in the early 1980s when he was hired as a geothermal energy specialist for the state of Montana. He currently consults on geothermal energy projects and enjoys the many soakable hot springs within a two-hour drive of his home in Missoula. For more information, visit the website www.falcon.com/ books/touring-hot-springs-montana-and-wyoming-2nd. July 2013 —9

Sandy Armstad wanted to act and travel, but life took an interesting turn

The love of the craft

Fergus High School world history and drama teacher Sandy Armstad stands by a world map in her classroom, recently. Armstad, a Lewistown native and FHS graduate, has taught at her hometown school for 30 years.

Story and photos by Charlie Denison Montana Best Times

LEWISTOWN — Sandy Armstad never thought she’d be a teacher. “So many people in my family are teachers, but I didn’t think that was my direction,” Armstad, 57, said. “I wanted to travel, I wanted to act.” Life, however, is full of surprises. This year, Armstad celebrates her 30th anniversary in the field she tried to avoid — teaching — following in the footsteps of her mother, her sister, her cousin, her grandfather’s sister and nearly all of her greataunts. “I guess you could say my sister, cousin and I are the third generation of female teachers here in Montana, and in our famiJuly 2013 — 10

ly in general,” Armstad said. “Teaching does truly run in our family.” But how did young Sandy Armstad, a girl with passion for the stage and the road, find herself back in the classroom teaching English, history and drama?

Taking the stage

While a student at Fergus High School in Lewistown, Armstad took to performance, getting the lead role early on in a production of “Up the Down Staircase,” where she coincidentally played an idealistic young teacher. “It was my biggest role,” Armstad said. “It’s funny, I certainly never thought I’d end up a teacher at that time. I identified more with the rebellious students in the play.”

Getting into character was something Armstad found invigorating. Hungry for more performing, she got involved in speech and drama, competing in pantomime and humorous duo. Although excited about theater, Armstad chose not to follow her interest in drama and instead enrolled at Arizona State University, where she majored in sociology. “That was me being an idealist,” Armstad said. “It was the ’70s and I thought social work was the way to make change happen.” After a few months of studying, Armstad decided social work was not for her. Not to mention she badly missed the stage. “I wanted to go back to theater, and I wanted to go back to Montana,” Armstad said. She returned to the state, and enrolled at the University of Montana. Her return to theater, however, would not be easy. Unable to make rehearsals due to her work schedule, Armstad could not put forth the necessary amount of time to land a role. “You had to devote your whole life to the drama department,” she said, “and I had to work to pay for college. I ended up a costume designer, and I hated it.”

“I was overwhelmed at first,” she said. “I didn’t know how much I didn’t know when it came to really putting on a play — lights, stage direction, all that.” But she took the drama department responsibility and Armstad, a thespian at heart, was now in charge of directing three school plays and teaching two drama classes. Fortunately, firstyear jitters didn’t last. Taking reins of an excellent drama department, she said, was a gift. The stage had come to her.

A defining moment

When an opportunity came along to get a paying job performing in a Montana Repertory Theater production of Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” Armstad tried out and was in the running for a role as a fairy. The audition went well for Armstad, a sophomore at the time, but the role went to a senior. “If I had gotten that part, it would have been a turning point,” Armstad said. “I’m not saying my acting career would have taken off, but I’m pretty sure I would have pursued a career.” A role in “Midsummer Night’s Dream” would also have allowed Armstad to travel around the country, something she was itching to do.

Sandy Armstad, left, performs a mirror exercise with Fergus High School sophomore Amber Fairchild during drama class last month.

An unexpected homecoming

Getting into character

Armstad shrugged her shoulders, moved on, graduated from UM, fell in love and got married. Oddly enough, she married a teacher and was inspired to go back to UM, where she got a teaching degree herself. When her husband got a job teaching in Hardin, Armstad got a position as a substitute teacher there. Despite having a teaching degree, Armstad was still on the fence about starting a career as a teacher but was considering it if she could find a job teaching history, a subject she was very interested in. However, Armstad and her husband were not in Hardin for long. In 1982, Armstad received word her father had been diagnosed with cancer. Immediately, the newlyweds moved back to her hometown of Lewistown. Never in her wildest dreams did Armstad think she’d be teaching at her old stomping grounds, but when the opportunity arose, she went for it. “I really wanted a job and needed a job,” Armstad said. “I was ready to start a career, but I never thought I’d be teaching English at Fergus.” Armstad would not just be an English teacher. During the job interview, she was asked if she would take over the drama department. However, at the time, this was more frightening than it was joyous.

It didn’t take Armstad long to get into character as a teacher. Having the opportunity to lead discussions and coach acting was fun, and the students liked her. “The first year was tough, but I loved the discussions and I had fun putting on the plays with the students,” Armstad said. “It was pretty crazy at first. So much goes into a play — more than I thought. It was an adjustment.” Drama class and theater remained passions for Armstad, but when she got the opportunity to teach history, she found a new love. “I am a history buff,” she said. “I do a lot of storytelling and try to engage the students that way. I try to get them involved and interested.” The students enjoy this and appreciate her effort to make the material interesting for them, sophomore student Amber Fairchild said. “She makes it fun for us,” Fairchild said. “She studies up the material and has fun with it, adding more than is in the textbook.”

‘A big world out there’

Armstad encourages her students to study abroad and on several occasions has led classes around the world. “Since becoming a teacher, I have taken four trips to Europe, See Love of the craft, Page 15 July 2013 — 11

Burger Master
It’s all about the 50s for Scott Black and his classic hamburger shop
Left: While Jay Hopkins, 21, waits for the next order of the grill, his boss, Scott Black, hams it up by pulling out the shop’s cardboard cutouts of the Three Stooges, at Mark’s In & Out, June 17. Below: Nine-yearold Carter Bartz, 9, of Livingston, waits patiently for his chocolate shake on the ledge near the pick-up window.

Above and on the cover: Mark’s In & Out owner Scott Black works at his burger joint on Park Street in Livingston, June 17.

Story and photos by Shawn Raecke Montana Best Times
LIVINGSTON — Scott Black, 57, born and raised in Livingston, bought Mark’s In & Out on Park Street in 1980, but people have been lining up for burgers and fries at the iconic ’50s style drive-in since 1954. Black said the place was originally Mart’s In & Out, named after the original owner, Mart Phillips. He still gets some of the old customers writing their checks out to Mart’s, Black said. Originally, when Mark’s was Mart’s, it was a true drive-in — hence the name In & Out. Back then, the hamburger joint had a speaker for placing orders right on Eighth Street. Customers then drove around front to the Park Street side to pick up their food. On a Monday afternoon in June, Mark’s was busy with a line of customers placing orders and six employees, including July 2013 — 12

Black, working away at their assigned stations preparing the food. “It’s kind of like working in a submarine here,” Black joked. “Kind of tight quarters for sure.” Before Mart Phillips bought the place, the building was a gas station that serviced travelers heading north or south along U.S. Highway 89, or those heading east or west along U.S. Highway 10. The roads at one time spanned much of the nation, so it really was a perfect location for getting some gas or a tasty burgers and a shake. Mark’s is open only from mid-March to mid-October — “the baseball season,” Black said. “We haven’t made the World Series in a while — it seems to come later and later every year,” he joked. On Friday and Saturday nights starting in mid-June there are carhop waitresses on roller-skates. “We started that some time back to keep the nostalgic theme alive,” Black said.

Above: People line up at Mark’s In & Out order window on a warm June afternoon. Right: A mouth-watering bacon cheeseburger sizzles on the grill at Marks In & Out.

July 2013

— 13

Upholstery work

takes an artist’s touch, craftsman says

Story and photo by Jason Stuart Montana Best Times
GLENDIVE — Lynn Lohse has been repairing people’s upholstery for 30 years, and he’s still going strong. “I ain’t never caught up yet,” Lohse said of his work.

Lohse opened the doors to his home-based upholstery business in Glendive on May 16, 1983. For a time, he even operated a branch at his camp on Lake Sakakawea in North Dakota, getting extra business from the lake’s boat owners. Lohse was born and raised on a farm and ranch outside of Minot, N.D., but the farming life wasn’t for him. He took an

Above: Lohse is pictured at his sewing machine, recently. He uses the machine to stitch together most of the upholstery he works on. July 2013 — 14

The customers almost end up being just like friends. They’ll come in, sit down, have a cup of coffee and stay and chat.
– Lynn Lohse
upholstery class in school, which would pay later dividends. He first went to work for an automobile repair shop in Beach, N.D., doing vehicle upholstery work. He then left and worked on oilfield drilling rigs for five years, returned briefly to the job in Beach, then decided to go into business for himself. sees the grown children of old customers coming to him to repair their upholstery. Lohse has rarely advertised his services — almost all his business is generated by word of mouth, and keeping his customer base satisfied and coming back. “In a small town, if you don’t have return business, you might as well pack it up and go home,” Lohse said. “I don’t know what it is, but something’s working for me.” Part of what works may be that Lohse has always treated his customers with the same kind of hospitality someone would extend to friends visiting their home. “The customers almost end up being just like friends,” Lohse said. “They’ll come in, sit down, have a cup of coffee and stay and chat. It’s not like Kmart or something — it’s personable.”

Artist’s touch

Lohse said his work takes an artist’s touch that not just anyone can pick up and do. “You’ve got to be a craftsman — you’ve got to have some artistic talent,” Lohse said. Today Lohse operates primarily out of the shop adjacent to his home. He enjoys this because it means he can keep a pot of coffee brewing, spend time with his dog and stay as generally comfortable as possible. He will occasionally make house calls to work on someone’s car or boat, but he tries to stay “in shop,” he said. “The thing about leaving your shop to do a job outside is you invariably leave something,” Lohse said.

Hand stitching — literally

Customer service

Though still going strong with his work, Lohse said he has cut back on his workload recently. He now sticks to upholstery work on automobiles and boats. He quit doing furniture last year, saying it’s more time-consuming and tedious, and that the workload was getting heavy with Glendive’s expanding population. “We just had to finally quit (furniture upholstery) — we just couldn’t keep up,” Lohse said. “I had to back off of something. I ain’t getting any younger.” Despite that, Lohse still has plenty to do. He said that now he Love of the craft, from Page 11 and this summer we are getting ready for our fifth,” Armstad said. “I’ve also taken classes to New York City, Mexico and all over Montana. I love taking the students to big cities and seeing how they react. Travel broadens horizons.” From London to Paris, Spain, Italy, Greece, Amsterdam, Germany, Austria and beyond, Armstad is well traveled and said she thoroughly enjoys sharing the experience with her students, especially as a world history teacher. “I want my students to see that there is a big world out there,” Armstad said. “I want them to experience the different cultures, even just how different cultures dress. For some students, the experience is life changing.”

Lohse’s work isn’t without hazards, though. He has accidentally run his hand through his sewing machine a few times. But when he does, you won’t find him in the emergency room afterward. He stitches up his own cuts. He said the key is to act quickly after the injury. “If you do it right away, it’s not so bad,” Lohse said. And while the hurts and aches and pains over the years are starting to add up, Lohse doesn’t see himself quitting anytime soon. “Yeah, I think about it — my hands hurt, my elbows hurt, my back hurts,” Lohse said. “But what are you going to do? I’m too young to be put out to pasture.” Jason Stuart can be reached at [email protected] or (406) 377-3303.

Keeping the tradition alive

What started with Armstad’s grandfather’s sister at a central Montana one-room schoolhouse in the early 1900s continues down the family line. Although at times it’s hard for her to believe, Armstad said she wouldn’t have it any other way, discovering her true passion as an educator.

“I’ve loved being a teacher,” she said, “And I feel like I have made a difference in some peoples’ lives.” Looking back, Armstad said she never thought she’d stay a teacher at Fergus for 30 years, and a lot of that is a testament to the students and faculty. “The reasons I am still here have to do with the students at Fergus, who are amazing kids and a joy to teach,” Armstad said. “And I know I wouldn’t still be teaching after 30 years if it weren’t for my colleagues. I know I work with the best teachers in the country. My coworkers are my friends, my family, and my role models as teachers, and I could never have kept doing this wonderful but challenging job for this long without their help and encouragement.” Still enjoying her trade, Armstad said she is not yet ready to retire. “I feel like I really lucked out,” she said. “I think to myself, ‘Wow, I love this.’ I’ve done it 30 years and I still love it.” Charlie Denison can be reached at reporter@lewistownnews. com or (406) 535-3401. July 2013 — 15

y k S g Bi Birding
Terry McEneaney is ornithologist emeritus for Yellowstone National Park, and is the author of three books: “Birding Montana,” “Birds of Yellowstone,” and “The Uncommon Loon.” He has been watching birds for 50 years and is one of Montana’s most experienced birders.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Montana Best Times has been featuring some of the fascinating adventures Terry McEneaney had when he was Yellowstone National Park’s ornithologist. Following is another excerpt from a new book he is writing, “Lucky Feathers: Adventures and Experiences of a Yellowstone Ornithologist.” In the North American wildlife ecology literature and also in the field, you rarely find reports of cougars (Puma concolor), also known as mountain lions and pumas, killing anything other than ungulates such as deer and elk, and occasionally bighorn sheep and mountain goats. The reason I prefer to call them pumas is that they were originally described from a 1771 type specimen taken in the French Guiana of South America. Puma is the original common name both in Spanish and German. In French this species is called the cougar, whereas in North America it is commonly referred to in English as mountain lion or cougar. In my career as a Yellowstone field ornithologist, I came across surprising incidents of pumas killing large predatory birds. More specifically, in two separate occasions I documented cougars killing both the Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) and the Golden Eagle (Aquila chrysaetos). Pumas or mountain lions are famous for their skulky stalk and ambush form of predation, and in the cases of these two eagle deaths, that was indeed the case. The details presented here are taken from my extensive field notes documenting avian ecology discoveries that spanned more than a four-decade period.

Eagle Beaks and the Telltale Signs of a Puma Kill

Golden eagle ambushed

The first incident occurred in late winter 2000 in the Black Canyon of the Yellowstone. In this particular account, a puma ambushed and killed a mule deer in a juniper stand. After the puma was satiated, it lounged around the deer carcass, only to find a Golden Eagle on the carcass surrounded by ravens and magpies. The cougar attacked the still feeding satiated Golden Eagle, and did so from the front, biting it in the neck and eating its breast and shoulders. I left the area and decided not to visit the carcass until the puma was gone, for safety reasons. I returned the following day, only to find most of the eagle carcass consumed by the puma. There was no sign in the snow that other predators had visited the eagle or deer carcasses since the day before. I was surprised and taken aback by how much of the Golden Eagle was consumed by the puma overnight. All that was left at the kill site was a skeleton of a mule deer, and broken and soiled eagle July 2013 — 16

Photo by Terry McEneaney

Pictured is the outer beak, or rhamphotheca, of a Golden Eagle (top) and Bald Eagle (bottom), both killed by a puma. The beaks are telltale signs of a puma kill.

feathers. The puma even ate the entire head of the eagle, complete with skull and brains. Surprisingly, the only thing remaining other than the feathers was the outer portion of the upper mandible known as the nasal process of the premaxilla. There was very little bone remaining other than the obvious curved beak. However, what remained was the colorful, dual gray-colored horny sheath that covers the bill, known as the rhamphotheca. It appeared that this very hard material at the end of

the eagle’s beak was just too difficult to digest.

Bald eagle killed

A similar incident occurred during late winter 2005, in the Black Canyon of the Yellowstone as well. In this incident, a mule deer was again ambushed by a puma in a stand of junipers. Only in this case, a satiated adult Bald Eagle was captured and killed by a puma in a similar manner, leaving very little remaining at the scene

except for a few broken and soiled feathers, and little premaxilla bone material. But surprisingly, again, only the large, yellow-colored outer sheath, or rhamphotheca, of the beak was all that was left at the scene. So should you ever come across a puma kill on or near an ungulate carcass, you might want to pay particular attention to see if there happens to be remains of an eagle nearby. And if you do, you too may get lucky and find that what is left is eagle beaks and the telltale signs of a puma kill.

More short stories from “Lucky Feathers: Adventures and Experiences of a Yellowstone Ornithologist,” will be featured in forthcoming issues of Montana Best Times. In the meantime, enjoy Montana birds! And the Best of Big Sky Birding to you! Bird watching questions may be sent to Terry McEneaney by writing to 1215 Lolo St., Missoula, MT 59802; emailing [email protected]; or visiting www.yellowstonewildlifeguides.com or www.ravenidiot.com. If questions are mailed, include a phone number at which you can be reached.

By Sheila Mulrooney Eldred Minneapolis Star Tribune/MCT

50-year-old pole-vaulter jumps to new heights

When Jim Moeller was a boy, a large roll of new carpet arrived at his home in Illinois one afternoon. It came wrapped around a bamboo pole — a pole that was just right for practicing the pole vault. He earnestly took up the sport in junior high, and vaulted to record-setting heights in high school. Then, after a lapse of more than 20 years, he picked up the sport again — at the age of 43. He now competes in masters’ competitions, coaches in the summer through Fuzion Athletics, Inc., and helps out unofficially at Eagan (Minn.) High School, where his daughter has followed in his footsteps and taken up the sport. The now 50-year-old Moeller talks about his trials and tribulations with pole vaulting. “You usually think of (pole vaulting) as a high school or college sport, although I know one woman who picked it up at age 40. When I left investment banking, I was three pounds shy of 200 pounds. When I started a consulting business in 2002 (Moeller Ventures, an intellectual property research company for tech companies and IP law firms), I was able to start getting back in shape after getting out of the corporate grind. I did some 10Ks and half marathons, but I got kind of bored, so I started looking for something different. Then, coincidentally, I ran into a group of masters who pole-vaulted and I thought: ‘Why not?’ Today, I’m probably 175 pounds, and my ideal vaulting weight is 170, 165.”

Why not?

Setting the bar high

“If a school doesn’t have coaches with expertise, the kids See Pole-vaulter, Page 19

Moeller, pictured in action at right, didn’t pole vault for more than 20 years but picked it up again when he wanted to get in shape.
Photo by Brian Peterson/Minneapolis Star Tribune/MCT

July 2013

— 17

RSVP
Gallatin County

Below is a list of volunteer openings available through the Retired and Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP) in communities across southern Montana. To learn more about RSVP, call (800) 424-8867 or TTY (800) 833-3722; or log on to www. seniorcorps.org. handmade goods once a week (can work from home). - Senior Nutrition Volunteers: Volunteers needed to help seniors with grocery shopping, meal and menu planning, and companionship, 2 hours a week, days and times are flexible. - Sweet Pea Festival:  Looking for volunteers to help with office retail sales (July 9-26) for 2 or 3 hours shifts Tuesdays-Fridays.  - Thrive Child Advancement Project (CAP): Seeking mentors to students in grades K-12, one hour commitment a week, training and support provided. - VA Montana Healthcare System: Volunteer DAV (Disabled American Veterans): Drivers needed to transport eligible veterans to and from the VA for medical appointments. - Your unique skills and interests are needed, without making a long-term commitment, in a variety of ongoing, special, one-time, one-shift events. Contact: Deb Downs, RSVP Program Coordinator, 807 N. Tracy, Bozeman, MT 59715; phone (406) 587-5444; fax (406) 582-8499; email: [email protected].

- American Red Cross Blood Drive: Two volunteer opportunities available; an ambassador needed to welcome, greet, thank and provide overview for blood donors and phone team volunteers needed to remind, recruit or thank blood donors, excellent customer service skills needed, training will be provided, flexible schedule. - Befrienders: Befriend a senior; visit on a regular weekly basis. - Big Brothers Big Sisters: Be a positive role model for only a few hours each week. - Bozeman and Belgrade Sacks Thrift Stores: Need volunteers to sort and price items, Monday–Saturday 9:30 a.m.–6 p.m. - Bozeman Deaconess Hospital: Variety of opportunities to volunteer. - Bozeman Senior Center Foot Clinic: Retired or nearly retired nurses are urgently needed, 2 days a month, either 4 or 8 hour shifts. - Child Care Connections:  Front desk help needed Thursdays from Noon – 1 p.m.  Volunteer will greet clients, answer phones, and general reception duties. - Children’s Museum of Bozeman - Welcome desk volunteer (s) needed for twohour shifts, Mondays-Saturdays. - The Emerson Cultural Center: Volunteers needed for front office greeter/ reception, Monday-Friday 9:30 a.m.12:30 p.m. - Gallatin Valley Food Bank: Deliver commodities to seniors in their homes once a month. - Habitat for Humanity Restore Belgrade: Volunteers needed for general help, sorting donations and assisting customers. - Headwaters Heritage Museum: Volunteers are needed through Sept. for 2 and 4 hour shifts.  - Heart of The Valley: Compassionate volunteers especially needed to love, play with and cuddle cats, do carpentry work, be an animal bank collector (asking local businesses to display an animal bank for donation collection) or birthday party leader. - Help Center Telecare: Volunteers needed 3-4 mornings a week 8:30-11 a.m. to make calls to homebound seniors, providing reassurance, check on safety and well-being, and access to up to date referral information to vulnerable individuals. - Museum of the Rockies: Variety of opportunities available. - RSVP Handcrafters: Volunteers to quilt, knit, crochet and embroider hats for chemo patients, baby blankets and other July 2013 — 18

Fergus & Judith Basin counties

Park County

- Bark In The Park: Volunteers needed. - Fix it Brigade: Needs volunteers of all ages and skill levels to help with small home repairs, and yard work for seniors and veterans, two hours of your time can make a big difference. - Food Pantry and Loaves and Fishes: Need help at either location in a variety of ways. - Livingston Depot Center: Volunteers needed especially for weekends, various times available. - Meals on Wheels: Needs some volunteers to help in the Senior Center Kitchen throughout the summer - wrap silverware, wipe tables, help serve and enjoy a meal on them. - Park County Department of Emergency Services and Red Cross: Classes for volunteers who would help in an emergency are being set up, training provided, all ages welcome. - Stafford Animal Shelter: Needs volunteers who love animals. - Various agencies are in need of your unique skills and interests in a variety of ongoing and one-time special events, including mailings throughout the summer. Contact: Shannon Burke, RSVP Program Coordinator, 208 So. Main St., Livingston, MT 59047; phone (406) 2222281; email: [email protected].

- Boys and Girls Club: Volunteers needed to assist staff with elementary children Monday-Friday on field trips and for food preparation in the kitchen. - Central Montana Museum: 25 volunteers who can help in 3 hour shifts. The museum is open seven days a week, 9 a.m.-4 p.m., through Labor Day.  - Central Montana Senior Citizens Club: Volunteers to plan, organize, clean, repair and set up for events; help with Saturday senior dances, pinochle on Tuesday and Friday p.m. - Central Montana Fair: Volunteers are needed to help at the fair on July 24-27.  - CMMC Auxiliary: Volunteer at the help desk or in the gift shop, assist with blood drives and fund raising events to help fund the ER remodel, knit and crochet items, bake cookies. - Community Cupboard: Assist clients with selection of items, record keeping, unload delivery truck. -Council on Aging-Grubstakes: Regular volunteers and substitutes needed for home delivered meals, kitchen, hostess, foot clinic. - Friends of the Library: Volunteers to sort book donations, and prepare for and work the monthly sale. - Heart of Montana Animal Shelter: Volunteers needed to help in the secondhand store. - Lewistown Art Center: Volunteers to help set up monthly shows, assist with special events, or work in the gift shop. - Lewistown Library: Volunteer to read to groups or individuals, dust and clean, take care of videos, copying and scanning. Assist with nursing home outreach monthly. - Treasure Depot Thrift Store: Volunteers to cashier and sort donations, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., Monday-Friday. - RSVP: Needs volunteers to help with the implementation of a new program: My Neighbor In Need in Lewistown, also need volunteers to occasionally transport large items such as furniture, appliances, etc. - RSVP has a variety of volunteer positions open for on-call, ongoing events. Contact: RSVP Volunteer Coordinator Cheryll Tuss, 404 W. Broadway, Wells Fargo Bank building, (upstairs), Lewistown, MT 59457; phone (406) 535-0077; email: rsvplew@ midrivers.com.

Musselshell, Golden Valley & Petroleum counties

- Community Emergency Response See RSVP, Page 19

Pole-vaulter, from Page 17 struggle. I was pretty good at it right away because we had good coaching. My best ever was 14-9 as a senior in high school. I finished third at state that year, 1981, and I had the highest jump that year of the small schools. I had some attention from colleges, but I didn’t pursue them. College for me wasn’t about pole vaulting; I wanted to get an electrical engineering degree from (the University of) Illinois.” and trusted the set-up without periodically checking it. As it turned out, the rope was slipping out of the hook that secures it to the ceiling. One day I was demonstrating a drill for my daughter, was carelessly doing this drill without the pads under the rope, the rope completely slipped out and I fell on the back of my right shoulder and broke my collar bone. It was an important and painful reminder that attention to safety detail can’t take a day off. But like any ‘extreme sport’ there is always an injury risk. We just try to do everything we can to reduce that risk.”

Back to camp

“I signed up for a summer camp (at age 43) like any high school student. The very first season I pulled a hamstring in my left leg three times. After running road races, you think you’re kind of in good shape, but pole vaulting is a lot of sprinting, a whole bunch of conditioning, and weightlifting, agility and gymnastics.”

Training to defy gravity

Real hurdles

“I also had a sort of freak accident that set me back. I broke my collar bone training in my basement in 2011. As a generalization, if you look across the pole vault nationwide, most of the significant injuries occur because of a lack of proper technique or knowledgeable coaching. The accident at the University of Minnesota 11 years ago, where a vaulter by the name of Kevin Dare died, was an exception to that generalization. He was an experienced vaulter and had a horrible accident. As for my injury, it was the result of my own carelessness and complacency. I have a pole vault rope-swing training set up in my basement. I use thick foam pads on my basement concrete floor in case of accident — hands slipping off the rope, etc. I got complacent RSVP, from Page 18 Team (CERT): Learn skills to protect yourself, your family and community during a disaster/emergency. Will train in vital emergency skills. - Food Bank: Distribute food commodities to seniors and others in need in the community. - Golden Thimble Thrift Store: Volunteer to organize and sell quality used goods. - Meals on Wheels Program: Deliver meals to the housebound in the community, just one day a week, an hour and a half, meal provided. - Musselshell Valley Historical Museum: Greet and guide visitors through newly renovated museum in Roundup. - Senior Center: Volunteers are needed to provide meals, clean up in the dining room and/or keep records, meal provided. - Senior Transportation: Volunteer needed to drive Senior Van to meals, fundraisers and appointments, one day a week or month, no special license needed, meal provided. - RSVP offers maximum flexibility and choice to its volunteers as it matches the personal interests and skills of older Americans with opportunities to serve their communities. You choose how and

“As a self-employed individual, I can manage my own time a little better, and I can work in the variety of training required to pursue this. In a typical week, I do one or two sprint sessions. It’s a really physically demanding, strenuous sport on the body. Flexibility and injury prevention are high on my list. I sprint on grass if I can. And I do weightlifting sessions as well, and gymnastic routines in my basement.”

The master

“Since turning 50 in October, I’d like to get back over 13 feet. That would be a new age group record (in Minnesota, but) I think my perspective on records changes as I get older, and the ‘official’ overall records become less important for me. It’s really more of a personal goal thing. At the master level, if you’re not doing it for your own pure enjoyment and personal challenge, then you’re in the wrong sport.”

where to serve. - Volunteering is an opportunity to learn new skills, make friends and connect with your community. Contact: Abbie Nichols, Volunteer Coordinator, South Central MT RSVP, 315 1/2 Main St., Ste. #1, Roundup, MT 59072; phone (406) 323-1403; fax (406) 323-4403; email: rdprsvp2@midrivers. com; Facebook: South Central MT RSVP.

Custer & Rosebud counties

- Custer Network Against Domestic Violence: Volunteer needed with the crisis line. - Forsyth Senior Center: Volunteer musicians needed to provide entertainment. - Head Start: Volunteer classroom aides needed in September, 2013. - The Historic Miles City Academy: Volunteers needed at thrift store in maintenance, and cleaning. - Holy Rosary Gift Shop: Volunteer cashier needed. - Holy Rosary Health Care: Volunteer receptionist needed at front desk. - Holy Rosary Hospice: Volunteers needed to help with hospice patients. - Miles City Soup Kitchen: Volunteers

receptionist needed at front desk. - Ranger Riders Museum: Greeters need through October 31, dates and times of your choice. - TLC: Volunteer needed to do shopping for a resident. - VA Community Living Center: Volunteers needed to assist with activities for veterans and someone to play poker with veterans. - WaterWorks Art Museum: Volunteer receptionists needed, shifts available Saturday 3-5 p.m., Sunday 1-3 p.m. and 3-5 p.m., Tuesday-Saturday 9-11 a.m. and 11 a.m.-1 p.m., choose a shift each week, every other week, or one shift a month. If you are interested in these or other volunteer opportunities please contact: Betty Vail, RSVP Director; 210 Winchester Ave. #225, MT 59301; phone (406) 234-0505; email: [email protected]

Dawson County

- If you have a need for or a special interest or desire to volunteer somewhere in the community, please contact: Patty Atwell, RSVP Director, P.O. Box 1324, Glendive, MT 59330; phone (406) 3774716; email: [email protected]. July 2013 — 19

On The Menu
Friends of ours hosted a party recently. The theme was Asian cuisine. Each guest was supposed to bring his or her favorite Asian dish. Your Best Times recipe contributor suffered an anxiety attack because he had never made a dish with Asian style ingredients. I was certain this would be the occasion when the world would discover the great depth of my culinary ignorance. Although there are cookbooks galore at the Durfey shack, not one contains a recipe for Asian cooking. But, thanks to the World Wide Web, recipes of all kinds are at a desperate cook’s fingertips.

Asian Dish Desperation
The first recipe below came to the rescue. All I had to do was to buy the tahini (or sesame paste) and the parsley because we had the other ingredients. It was very easy to make and tasted great when carrots, grape tomatoes, broccoli, cauliflower and zucchini were dipped in it. At that party, I got turned on (as we used to say in the 60s) to Asian cuisine. One Thai dish that also featured tahini was my favorite. By the way, I have since learned that peanut butter can be substituted for tahini in many cases. That appeals to the tightwad in me because tahini costs at least twice as much as peanut butter.

With Jim Durfey

Tahini Dip
2 cloves garlic, crushed Salt to taste Juice of 2 lge. lemons 1/2 c. tahini Pinch ground cumin 1 tbsp. parsley, finely chopped

Potatoes in Spicy Peanut and Sesame Paste
1/4 c. roasted peanuts 1 1/2 tsp. toasted sesame seeds 4 tbsp. olive oil 5 whole cloves 1 tsp. cardamom Cinnamon stick, one inch long 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds 1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds 1/2 tsp. curry powder 2 medium onions, finely chopped 2 tsp. ginger garlic paste 1 large tomato, chopped 1 tsp. chili powder 2 green chilies, sliced lengthwise 1/2 tsp. turmeric powder 1 1/4 tsp. salt 1/2 bunch fresh cilantro, finely chopped 1/2 bunch fresh mint leaves, finely chopped 4 medium potatoes, peeled and diced

Crush garlic and salt together. Stir tahini and small amount of lemon juice into garlic mixture until well combined. Add remaining lemon juice and cumin. Stir until a smooth paste forms (will be smoother and creamier if made in blender or food processor rather than by hand). Put in serving dish. Sprinkle with parsley. Serve with vegetables, crackers and/or chips.

Spicy Rice Noodle Salad
1 (6.75 ounce) pkg. thin rice noodles 3 cloves garlic, minced 1/3 c. rice vinegar 3 tbsp. fish sauce (or soy sauce) 1 tbsp. Asian chili paste 1 tsp. brown sugar 1/4 tsp. salt 4 green onions, chopped 1 c. carrots, cut into thin matchsticks 1/2 c. chopped fresh herbs (basil, mint, and cilantro) 1/2 c. chopped peanuts 1 tsp. sesame oil 6 grilled boneless, skinless chicken thighs or 2 lbs. cooked shrimp, peeled and de-veined 1/4 c. chili peppers, cut into rings (optional)

Place noodles in large bowl and cover with hot water. Stir and allow to soak until softened, about 15 minutes. Drain and rinse thoroughly. Combine garlic, rice vinegar, fish sauce, chili paste, brown sugar and salt in a bowl. Stir in green onions, carrots, basil, mint, and cilantro. Toss in rice noodles, peanuts, and sesame oil. Allow to sit for 30 minutes to absorb flavors. Garnish with additional green onions and peanuts. Top with grilled chicken or shrimp and chiles. Makes six servings. July 2013 — 20

Place peanuts and sesame seeds in blender. Pour in enough water to not quite cover. Puree to smooth, creamy paste. Set aside. Heat oil in medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Add cloves, cardamom pods, cinnamon, cumin seeds, mustard seeds, and curry powder. Stir in onions. Cook until soft and translucent. Mix in ginger garlic paste. Cook one minute. Stir constantly. Stir in tomato. Cook about five minutes. Add chili powder, green chilies, turmeric, and salt. Stir in half of mint and half of cilantro. Add peanut and sesame paste, stirring vigorously to prevent sticking. Stir in potatoes, mixing well to coat. Pour in enough water to not quite cover potatoes, and mix thoroughly. Stir in remaining mint and cilantro, and cover. Cook on low heat. Stir occasionally. Cook about 30 minutes until potatoes are soft and sauce is reduced to creamy paste. Preparation and cooking time is about 90 minutes. Serve with warm pita bread, wheat tortillas or Indian fried rice.

July 2013 Calendar
— Wednesday, July 3
evenings through Sept. 25, Miles Park, Livingston — Thursday, July 4 • Music on Main Street, 6:30-8:30 p.m., Thursdays through Aug. 15, Bozeman • Makoshika Youth Program, held Thursdays through July 25, Glendive • Independence Day Parade and Celebration, Miles City • Lewis and Clark Caverns State Park: Campground Programs, Thursday and Friday evenings through Sept. 2, Whitehall — Friday, July 5 • Farmers Market, 10-11 a.m., Fridays through Oct. 4, JC West Park, Glendive • Farmers Market, 3:30-6:30 p.m., Fridays through Oct. 4, Lions Park, Red Lodge — Saturday, July 6 • Big Timber Farmers Market, Saturdays through Sept. 13, Lions Club City Park, Big Timber • Farmers Market, Saturdays through Oct. 5, Dillon • Charlie Russell Chew Choo, Saturday evenings through Sept., Lewistown • Farmers Market, Saturdays through Oct. 5, Lewistown • Farmers Market, 8 a.m.-noon, Saturdays through Oct. 26, Riverside Park, Miles City • Missouri Headwaters State Park Summer Speaker Series, Saturdays, 7 p.m., Three Forks — Sunday, July 7 • St. Timothy’s Summer Music Festival, 4 p.m., Sundays through Aug. 25, Anaconda — Tuesday, July 9 • Bogert Farmers’ Market, Tuesdays through Sept. 24, Bozeman — Thursday, July 11 • Music in the Mountains Summer Concert Series, 7 p.m. Thursdays, Town Center Park, Big Sky • Yellowstone Boat Float Kick-off Party and Overnight Camping, 49-er and Mayors Landing, Livingston • Rainbow Ark Harmony Market, Best Western Livingston — Friday, July 12 • Will James Roundup, working ranch horse and big loop roping, display of roundup wagons set up through July 14 for public viewing, Hardin • Yellowstone Boat Float, 8 a.m., through July 14, Livingston
• Livingston Farmers Market, Wednesday

— Saturday, July 13
dors and activities, Clyde Park • Cow doctoring and bronc riding, followed by dance with live music, Hardin • The Lewistown Art Stomp, second Saturday of each month, through Aug. 17, from 2-5 p.m., Main Street, Lewistown • Roger Tibbs Music Concert, 7:30 p.m., Music Ranch Montana, Livingston — Sunday, July 14 • Indian Relay and Ranch Rodeo, 10 a.m., Hardin — Tuesday, July 16 • Big Sky Food Festival, 5-9 p.m., Big Sky’s Buck’s T-4 Lodge, Big Sky — Wednesday, July 17 • Gallatin County Fair, through July 21, County Fairgrounds, Bozeman • Stillwater County Fair, through July 20, County Fairgrounds, Columbus • International Choral Festival of Missoula, through July 20, Missoula — Thursday, July 18 • Columbus Farmers Market, Thursdays through Sept. 12, Railroad Park, Columbus • The Rosebud-Treasure County Fair, through July 21, County Fairgrounds, Forsyth • Gene Watson Concert, 7:30 p.m., Music Ranch Montana, Livingston — Friday, July 19 • Summerfest, through July 21, Sacajawea Park, Livingston • 150th Anniversary of Virginia City and Virginia City Treaty Days, through July 21, Virginia City — Saturday, July 20 • Bannack Days, through July 21, Bannack State Park, south of Dillon • Parade and Demolition Derby, 2 p.m., Beaverhead County Fairgrounds, Dillon • Blazing Saddles XII Bike Ride the Bridgers for kids with cancer, Livingston • Livingston Dance Club, country western dancing, 7-11 p.m., American Legion, 112 N. B St., Livingston • C. M. Russell Stampede, barbecue, Quick Draw and Rodeo, through July 21, Judith Basin Fairgrounds, Stanford — Thursday, July 25 • Kathy Mattea Concert, 7:30 p.m., Music Ranch Montana, Livingston • 3rd Annual Red Ants Pants Music Festival, through July 28, Jackson Ranch, White Sulphur Springs
• Clyde Park Centennial with music, ven-

— Friday, July 26
• Renaissance Festival and Highland Games, through July 28, ZooMontana,

Billings
• 232 Mile Headwaters Relay Race,

through July 28, Bozeman
• Montana State Fair and the Mighty Thomas Carnival, through Aug. 3, Mon-

— Saturday, July 27 • William Clark Days, through July 28, Pompeys Pillar, Billings • SLAB Town Antique Show, through July 28, Little Bear School House Museum, Bozeman • Chicken Jamboree and Christian Music, Sacajawea Park Gazebo, Livingston • Pro Bull Riding, 7 p.m., Park County Fairgrounds, Livingston
• Western Sustainability Exchange Harvest Celebration, Chico Hot Springs, Pray • TERRYYIPPEE, 7 a.m.-midnight, Murn

tana ExpoPark, Great Falls • Relay for Life, through July 27, 7 p.m.-7 a.m., Park High track, Livingston

Park and downtown Terry

— Monday, July 29

• Sweet Grass County Fair, through Aug. 2,

— Wednesday, July 31 • Park County Fair, through Aug. 3, County Fairgrounds, Livingston • FFA/4-H Rodeo, 3 p.m., County Fairgrounds, Livingston — Thursday, Aug. 1 — Friday, Aug. 2
• Sweet Pea Festival and Parade, through • The Prairie County Fair, through Aug. 4,

County Fairgrounds, Big Timber

Terry

Aug. 4, downtown Bozeman
• Farmers Market, Fridays through Sept. 20,

Little Horn State Bank, Hardin
• Shields Valley Pig Wrestling, 8 p.m., Park

County Fairgrounds, Livingston
• 2nd Annual Vigilante Music Festival,

through Aug. 4, downtown Virginia City

— Saturday, Aug. 3

• Montana Festival of the Wind, Invenergy

Wind Center, between Judith Gap and Harlowton • Wilsall Prime Rib Dinner and Old Western Movie, Sunset, Fairgrounds,Wilsall
July 2013 — 21

Send STRANGE questions to brothers Bill and Rich at [email protected]

By Bill Sones and Rich Sones, Ph.D.

What would be the longest flight on earth?
Q. Going by international airport distances, what’s the longest possible airplane flight anyone could take? A. Ignoring Earth’s slight oblation (asphericity) and taking its circumference as 40,000 kilometers (km), or 25,000 miles, the longest possible great semicircle (that is, a circle whose plane passes through Earth’s center) is 20,000 km, says Andrew Bristow of Lancashire, UK, in “New Scientist” magazine. Two airports that come close to this separation are in Bogota, Columbia, and Jakarta, Indonesia, at 19,829 km apart. The Great Circle Mapper (gc.kls2.com) can be used to plot the routes and distances between international airports. Adds Brian King of Hampshire, UK, “In one record-breaking publicity stunt a few years ago, a specially prepared 777200LR flight with passengers flew eastward from Hong Kong to London — a distance of 21,601 km.” Q. Why don’t stores display signs warning “Touch the merchandise at your own risk”? What sort of real risk might they not want publicized? A. ”Recent research has shown that merely touching an object that you don’t already own can increase your feeling of ownership and lead you to value the object more highly,” and the longer the touch, the stronger the effect, say Daniel L. Schacter et al. in “Psychology: Second Edition.” This might be something to keep in mind on your next shopping trip for an expensive item. Retailers are doubtless aware of the rich tactile experience of the mere-touch effect and prefer that shoppers drop their guard. In fact, “during a recent holiday shopping season, the office of the Illinois state attorney general warned shoppers to be cautious in stores that encouraged them to touch the merchandise.” Q. Do pro athletes owe their skills
July 2013 — 22

more to a) humongous hamstrings b) bulging biceps c) dangerous delts d) something totally other, that you brainy readers may have already guessed?

A. The first three are obvious attributes of many athletes but you’d do better to guess an elite BRAIN for powering superior perception, says Laura Sanders of “Science News” magazine. So make that d) above. According to Jocelyn Faubert of the University of Montreal, “Pro athletes are better at interpreting abstract moving scenes than are average people.” In his study of 102 pro soccer, rugby and hockey players, they had to complete a difficult task shifting their attention from target to target while ignoring distractions, perceiving depth correctly and following lightning-fast dots on a computer screen. The pro athletes beat both college athletes and nonathletes at doing the task, Faubert wrote in “Scientific Reports.” Yet he remains unsure if these superior perceptual skills are innate or learned over years of practicing the sport, Sanders says. Q. On a job interview, should you prefer the interviewer be holding a cold bottle of cola or a hot cup of coffee?

“Social exclusion literally feels cold.” Even just holding a heavy rather than a light clipboard can make job candidates seem more important. Make it a rough object and the social interactions can seem more difficult. Within our ordinary sensory and perceptual experiences lies much that is truly extraordinary, Myers says. Or as Shakespeare’s Hamlet put it, “There are more things in Heaven and Earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy.” Q. What makes fireworks work? And, please, just answering gunpowder won’t earn you more than a “D.”

A. The principle of “sensory interaction” may come into play here, as when the smell of food influences its taste, says David G. Myers in “Exploring Psychology: Ninth Edition.” Our brains can even blend our tactile and social judgments: “After holding a warm drink rather than a cold one, people are more likely to rate someone more warmly, feel closer to them, and behave more generously. Physical warmth promotes social warmth” — and just maybe your own job opportunities. In other experiments, people given the cold shoulder wound up judging the room as colder than did those treated warmly.

A. Invented in China 3,000 years ago, they’re essentially a sturdy cardboard tube with a fuse fed into one end to ignite the black powder inside, creating gases that lift the tube, answers the “Ask Us” section of “Science Illustrated” magazine. In a matter of seconds, the powder— typically 75 percent carbon, 15 percent potassium nitrate, and 10 percent sulfur—burns its way to the top of the tube, where an extra charge sets off an explosion with a bang. Now comes the spectacle, as the final burst sets off chemicals that unleash beautiful colors, crackling sounds, or other special celebratory effects. Now that’s an “A”! Q. What was the point of baseball researchers studying 4,566,468 pitcher-batter matchups covering 57,293 Major League games since 1952?

A. Richard Larrick and colleagues were interested in finding out the exact probability of a batter being hit by a pitch under various circumstances, says David G. Myers. Lab experiments have shown that people made miserable will often resort to making others miserable — called the “frustration-aggression principle.” Frustration creates anger,

which in turn can spark aggression. In one study of 27,667 hit-by-pitch incidents from 1960 to 2004, batters were most likely to be hit when: (1) pitchers were frustrated due to the previous batter hitting a home run; (2) the current batter had hit a home run on his previous at bat; (3) a teammate of the pitcher had been hit by a pitch in the previous half inning. Other aversive stimuli triggering hostility: summer heat, physical pain, personal insults, foul odors, cigarette smoke, crowding, and more. In fact, overheating is such a volatile trigger that simply thinking about words related to hot temperature can be enough to increase subjects’ hostile thoughts, Myers adds. It is

not surprising, then, that in baseball hatchlings were doing, used as well by games, the number of hit batters rises some real spiders — especially babies — with the temperature. to disperse themselves throughout nature, Q. In E. B. White’s childhood classic explains Ohio State University entomolo“Charlotte’s Web,” Charlotte’s baby gist Richard Bradley. The phenomenon is spiders did something that Wilbur the widespread but tricky to spot, depending pig found pretty amazing, as it would on the weather. The key is calm air or at be to anyone not familiar with how spi- most a slight breeze, as “the rising air ders travel long distances. What were currents created by the sun heating the ground are the launching force for these they doing? A. One of them climbed to the top of tinyflights.” Prominent launch pads the fence and stood on its head, position- include fence posts, stumps, small bushing its spinnerets and letting loose a es, or even an unmown lawn on a cool, cloud of fine silk that lifted the spider clear morning. Now look for silk lines or high into the air, says Anna Kuchment in lots of webbing, Bradley suggests. “If you find them, you might be in for a “Scientific American” magazine. “Ballooning” is what these fictional treat.”

“Ask me about the This auto and home insurance is designed exclusively for AARP members — and is now available through your local Hartford AARP® independent agent! Call Today for your FREE, no-obligation quote: Auto & Home Now available in your area! 406-652-4180 InsuranceProgram BARBARA MORRIS, DARNIELLE INSURANCE AGENCY from The Hartford.”
1320 28th St WPO Box 21300Billings, MT 59104 www.darnielle.com
®
The AARP Automobile Insurance Program from The Hartford is underwritten by Hartford Fire Insurance Company and its affiliates, One Hartford Plaza, Hartford, CT 06155. In Washington, the Program is underwritten by Trumbull Insurance Company. AARP and its affiliates are not insurance agencies or carriers and do not employ or endorse insurance agents, brokers, representatives or advisors. The program is provided by The Hartford, not AARP or its affiliates. Paid endorsement. The Hartford pays a royalty fee to AARP for the use of AARP’s intellectual property. These fees are used for the general purposes of AARP. AARP membership is required for Program eligibility in most states. Applicants are individually underwritten and some may not qualify. Specific features, credits, and discounts may vary and may not be available in all states in accordance with state filings and applicable law. The premiums quoted by an authorized agent for any Program policy include the additional costs associated with the advice and counsel that your authorized agent provides. 107995

Crossword

Across

1 Miller Park team nickname 9 Manifesto fodder 15 Prickly growth 16 Flying star 17 Certify 18 Van Morrison song whose title is spelled out in the chorus 19 Computer __ 20 Sets 22 Dusters, perhaps 23 Record holder for most games played at shortstop for one team 25 More pallid 29 Capital of Österreich 30 Modern address ending 32 Double 34 She married during her father’s presidency 35 Like soft carpets 36 “Friends” actress, familiarly 37 They may be warnings

38 “Without __”: Grateful Dead album 39 Lenten fare, say 41 QB protectors 42 Alliance 43 Parfait features 44 Former Crayola color that’s still one when its name is reversed 47 Squeaky sound? 48 Mideast’s House of __ 49 Feudal estate 53 Clashing 55 Vivaldi opera based on “The Decameron” 57 Rome’s Via __ 58 Time’s Person of the Century, 1999 59 Childish retort 60 Barbershop chair features

5 “The Big Bang Theory” airer 6 “Jersey Roots, Global Reach” university 7 Methyl bisulfate, e.g. 8 Breakfast choice 9 The U.N.’s Hammarskjöld 10 Crude guys? 11 Old fourpence coin 12 First female professor at the University of Paris

13 Singer covering “Purple Haze,” probably 14 Vast expanses 21 Squaw Valley sport 23 Needing a charge 24 Fly, in a way 25 How some bonds are bought 26 Candidate’s concern 27 Aces 28 Sarcastic retort 31 Visibility impedi-

ments 33 Throws out 34 Fictional cocker spaniel 37 Scottish countryside sight 39 Sally __ 40 Getting around 42 Admitted guilt for 45 Utah city 46 Pulitzer author Alison 47 Soap containing ground pumice 49 Bash 50 Dots on cartes 51 Work on a proof 52 Ballpark figures 54 Inebriate 56 Uzbekistan, once: Abbr.

Down

1 Name-drop, say 2 Mechanical method 3 Cádiz-to-Málaga dirección 4 Quarter segment

July 2013

— 23

Can You Read the Bottom Line?
N O I H W
H E R L
N O S
U

GS B E
Z L E P

WV

G

Doctors Recommend Annual Vision Tests

Most people think nothing of scheduling regular eye exams. They seem to accept that these annual appointments are necessary to monitor their vision, identify any issues in a timely manner, and aid prevention of more serious conditions.

J

C

H

L Y T H B X P har d to he a r ?

Did you know doctors also recommend annual hearing tests?
That’s right! But if you’re like many people, you’ve never had your hearing tested professionally, or it’s been quite some time since your last exam. Typically hearing loss occurs gradually, so you may not even realize your hearing has become impaired. Quite often your spouse or friends are the rst to notice -- you may frequently ask for things to be repeated, maybe you turn the volume up on the TV higher than others need, or complain that people mumble or do not speak clearly. The good news is that the incredible innovations in technology from Miracle-Ear allow nearly everyone the opportunity to improve their hearing health!

YES NO

Do you have trouble understanding the voices of women and small children when they are speaking? Do you feel people mumble or do not speak clearly? Do family or friends get frustrated whenyou ask them to repeat themselves? Do you turn the TV up louder than others need to? Is it hard to follow the conversation in noisy places like parties, crowded restaurants or family get-togethers?
If you have answered yes to any of these questions, give us a call!!

Call Today to Schedule Your FREE Hearing Test** and In-Store Demonstration
BILLINGS OFFICE 1527 14th St. West Billings, MT 59102 406-259-7983 GLENDIVE SERVICE CENTER Glendive, MT 59330 1-800-340-3720 BOZEMAN OFFICE 702 N. 19th Ave. Suite 1-C Bozeman, MT 59718 406-586-5841

Steven Howell NBC-HIS National Board Certi ed in Hearing Instruments Science 28 years Experience in the Hearing Aid Industry

Financing is Available.
© 2013 Miracle-Ear, Inc. 14550ROPA/FP4C/A

MILES CITY OFFICE 18 N. 8th Street Suite #8 Miles City, MT 59301 800-340-3720

*Hearing tests always free. Hearing test is an audiometric test to determine proper ampli cation needs only. †Hearing aids do not restore natural hearing. Individual experiences vary depending on severity of loss, accuracy of evaluation, proper t and ability to adapt to ampli cation.