May 2015

SELECTED

BEST MAGAZINE 2014 MONTANA NEWSPAPER ASSOCIATION

M O N T A N A T H E

L A S T

MODERN RANCH LIFE A WOMAN’S PERSPECTIVE

STEAKS, CHOPS, RUBS THE DEFINITIVE GRILL GUIDE

B E S T

F R O N T I E R

FUTURISTIC FARMING

TRANSCENDING TIME

BEARTOOTH BYWAY

PRAIRIE ENDURANCE

HIGH-TECH TOOLS YOU WON’T BELIEVE

WORLD’S BEST ROAD TRIP

100-YEAR-OLD TRADES

24 HOURS OF RAPELJE

CATTLEMEN’S CODE

THE HISTORY OF BRANDING

GET YOUR GROOVE ON SUMMER MUSIC FESTIVALS

PLUS: SPECIAL SECTION - MAN’S BEST FRIEND MAGIC CITY MAGAZINE I MAY/JUNE 2015 I 1

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MAGIC CITY MAGAZINE I MAY/JUNE 2015 I 3

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4 I MAY/JUNE 2015 I MAGIC CITY MAGAZINE

MAGIC CITY MAGAZINE I MAY/JUNE 2015 I 5

t billings,m

SATURDAY, JUNE 20

5K | 10K | 2 Mile Health Walk | RRCA 5K Western Regional Championship Participants will each receive a free micromesh t-shirt. The race will finish at Dehler Park for the Montana Active Life Festival. Proceeds Benefit YMCA Strong Community Campaign and Billings Trails Development.

THANKS TO OUR GREAT PARTNERS IN THIS IMPORTANT COMMUNITY EVENT! Presenting Sponsors: St. Vincent Healthcare - Heart & Vascular | Billings Gazette Communications Major Sponsors: Wells Fargo | Underriner Motors | Dennis & Phyllis Washington Foundation Ortho Montana | Intermountain Distributing | Stillwater Mining Company

To register or for more information visit www.heartandsolerace.org or call (406) 254-7426.

KOHL’S CARES®: KIDS ON THE MOVE Kohl’s Cares and St. Vincent Healthcare Foundation continue to partner to help Billings

elementary students learn healthy, active habits. The year-round Kids on the Move program involves students at Title 1 schools in Billings, and includes spring and fall running programs that lead to participation in two large community race events, a winter hip hop program, and health/fitness challenges. The 36th Annual Heart and Sole Run in June is followed by the Yellowstone Elementary School Cross Country race in October 2015, which continues to draw a record number of children from around the region. For more information on this program and how you can support it by purchasing $5.00 Kohl’s Cares items at our local Kohl’s Department store, please visit www.svfoundation.org/kohls or call 406-237-3602.

6 I MAY/JUNE 2015 I MAGIC CITY MAGAZINE

FEATURES

MAY / JUNE 2015

65

MONTANA: THE LAST BEST FRONTIER

105

MAN’S BEST FRIEND

66

MODERN DAY TALES FROM A BIG SKY RANCH WIFE

98

YELLOWSTONE WOLVES

20 YEARS LATER, THE DEBATE CONTINUES

BY BRETT FRENCH

JENNIFER GRONEBERG

106

FOR THE LOVE OF DOGS

BY CHARITY DEWING

72

SINGLE UNDER THE STARS

BY ALLYN HULTENG

109

SAVING GRACE: RESCUES AND REUNIONS

BY CHARITY DEWING

74

AG 2.0 HIGH-TECH TOOLS YOU WON’T BELIEVE

BY JOHN KORPELA

112

120

SWEET MUSIC: MONTANA SUMMER MUSIC FESTIVALS

BY ANNA PAIGE

126

PRAIRIE ENDURANCE: 24 HOURS OF RAPELJE

BY ASHLEY WARREN

80

WORKIN’ 9 TO 5

BY CHRIS RUBICH

CATTLEMEN’S CODE: HISTORY OF BRANDING

118

BY GARY ROBSON

WANTED: GOOD HOMES FOR GREAT DOGS (GALLERY)

86

132 IF THESE WALLS COULD TALK: BILLINGS SENIOR HIGH MURALS

BY KATHLEEN HARRIS

FRONTIER CAREERS: CRAFTSMEN PRESERVE CENTURIES-OLD SKILLS

BY ROB ROGERS

SELECTED

BEST MAGAZINE 2014 MONTANA NEWSPAPER ASSOCIATION

M O N T A N A MONTANA RANCH LIFE • BAIR FAMILY • SENIOR HIGH MURALS • MAN’S BEST FRIEND

T H E

L A S T

MODERN RANCH LIFE A WOMAN’S PERSPECTIVE

B E S T

AG 2.O HIGH-TECH TOOLS YOU WON’T BELIEVE

TRANSCENDING TIME 100-YEAR-OLD TRADES

95

RANCH HANDS: LESSONS LEARNED ON OL’ MCDONALD’S FARM

F R O N T I E R CATTLEMEN’S CODE THE HISTORY OF BRANDING

BY BRITTANY CREMER

MAY / JUNE / JULY 2015

YELLOWSTONE WOLVES A 20-YEAR DEBATE

IF WALLS COULD TALK

SAVING SENIOR HIGH’S MURALS

PRAIRIE ENDURANCE 24 HOURS OF RAPELJE

THE BAIR FAMILY A MONTANA LEGACY

PLUS: SPECIAL PET SECTION - MAN’S BEST FRIEND

ON THE COVER RANCH HORSES PHOTO BY JAMES WOODCOCK

MC_62MAY2015COV.indd 1

4/22/2015 5:18:10 PM

MAGIC CITY MAGAZINE I MAY/JUNE 2015 I 7

DEPARTMENTS

MAY / JUNE 2015

RIVER TO RIMS

IN EVERY ISSUE

8

12

THE LIST

B Y A L LY N H U LT E N G

14

PERSON OF INTEREST

CONTRIBUTORS

16

GIVING BACK

139

18 20

ARTIST LOFT

22

MEDIA ROOM

EDITOR’S LETTER

9

SEEN AT THE SCENE

14 3

F U N, FA C I N AT I NG F I ND S

M E R T ON M U S S E R

RE L AY F O R L I F E

C H A RL I E R I NGE R

ELEMENTS

O P E N R A NGE

B O O K S, M O V I E S, M U S I C

DATEBOOK

14 6

SIGNATURE SECTION

LAST WORD

F INE LIV ING

GREAT ESTATES

44

HORTICULTURE

34

EPICURE

49 53

41

8 I MAY/JUNE 2015 I MAGIC CITY MAGAZINE

MONTANA PERSPE C T IVE S

24 30

W I DE OP E N S PA C E S

G A RD E N T O U R

S T E A K S, C HOP S, R I B S T H E D E F I N I T I V E GR I L L I NG GU I D E

LIBATIONS WHISKEY

WHY MAGIC CITY?

LEGENDS

T HE B A I R FA M I LY L E G A C Y

PHOTO JOURNAL

E Q U I NE S P I R I T

I’M JUST SAYIN’

T RE A D I NG WAT E R I N T HE GE NE P O OL

TRAVELOGUE

56

BEYOND BILLINGS L I F E I S A H IGH WAY

In the early 1880s, immigrants and adventurers came in droves to seek their livelihood on the verdant land along the Yellowstone River. The hastily constructed tents and log cabins made it appear as if Billings materialized overnight – thus earning the name “The Magic City.” Today, as the largest city in Montana, Billings proudly retains its ‘Magic City’ moniker.

As for Magic City magazine, we promise to continue our mission to uncover all that is unique and wonderful and changing in this great community ... and we guarantee a few surprises along the way.

MAY/JUNE 2015 I VOLUME 13 I ISSUE 2 MICHAEL GULLEDGE PUBLISHER 657-1225 E DI T ORI A L

ALLYN HULTENG EDITOR-IN-CHIEF 657-1434 BOB TAMB0 CREATIVE DIRECTOR 657-1474 BRITTANY CREMER SENIOR EDITOR 657-1390 BRENDA MAAS ASSISTANT EDITOR 657-1490 EVELYN NOENNIG COMMUNITY LIASON / ASSISTANT EDITOR 657-1226 PHOTOGRAPHY/VIDEOGRAPHY

LARRY MAYER, JAMES WOODCOCK, CASEY PAGE, BOB ZELLAR, HANNAH POTES ADVERTISING

DAVE WORSTELL SALES & MARKETING DIRECTOR 657-1352 RYAN BROSSEAU CLASSIFIED & ONLINE MANAGER 657-1340 SHELLI RAE SCOTT SALES MANAGER 657-1202 LINSAY DUTY ADVERTISING COORDINATOR 657-1254 MO LUCAS PRODUCTION/TRAFFIC ARTIST 657-1204 EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD

MARCY BAUMGARTNER, BROOKE BUCHANAN, BILL COLE, CHRIS DORR, JAMEY EISENBARTH, JEFF EWELT, KIM KAISER, NICHOLE MEHLING MILES, PAIGE SPALDING, HELEN TOLLIVER, LIZ WILMOUTH, JEREMIAH YOUNG CONTACT US: Mail: 401 N. Broadway Billings, MT 59101 editor@magiccitymagazine.com FIND US ONLINE AT www.magiccitymagazine.com FIND US AT VARIOUS RACK LOCATIONS THROUGHOUT BILLINGS: Billings area Albertsons I Billings Airport I Billings Clinic Billings Gazette Communications I Billings Hardware I Curves for Women Evergreen IGA I Gainan’s I Good Earth Market I Granite Fitness I Kmart McDonald’s (select locations) I neecee’s I Paxson's Flooring (Miles City) Pita Pit I Real Deals I Reese and Ray’s IGA (Laurel) I Sidney Airport Stella’s I St. Vincent Healthcare I The Y Valley Federal Credit Union (Downtown location) Western Security Banks (Downtown location) I Yellowstone County Museum Plus many other locations Subscriptions are available at the annual subscription rate of $29 (5 Issues).

Single copy rate $4.95. Mail subscription requests and changes to address above,

ATTN: Circulation

Magic City Magazine is published five times a year by Billings Gazette Communications Copyright© 2015 Magic City Magazine. All rights reserved.

Reproduction in whole or in part without express written consent is prohibited.

MAGIC CITY MAGAZINE I MAY/JUNE 2015 I 9

BRITTANY CREMER

LADY AND ME I will never know what exactly caused me to deter from my intended destination and pull into the parking lot of the Yellowstone Valley Animal Shelter. Suffice it to say, the Spirit moved me.

It was a quiet Sunday, just after noon. The normally bustling shelter had just opened its doors, and I was the first to walk in.

“Can I help you?” a bright-eyed young volunteer smiled.

“I’d like to look at the dogs you have available for adoption,” I replied. Inwardly, I groaned. No one ever just “looks” at adoptable dogs. Moreover, I hadn’t mentioned anything to my husband about stopping by – it was purely spontaneous.

The young woman led me down a short hallway to a room lined with back-to-back kennels.

Slowly I walked down the first row. Furry faces peered out from behind each of the secured gates.

I passed a Pit Bull, a terrier, a shepherd-mix, a pair of pudgy dachshunds, and a wild puppy whose breed I could not discern.

But it was the face in the next kennel that made me stop.

Puppy love Looking eagerly at me, a small-sized golden retriever stood quietly for a moment, then gently stood on her hind legs putting her paws up as if to say, “Hi – where’ve you been?”

Reaching in between the wires, I petted the pup as best I could. Though she had what appeared to be a wound on her forehead, she was a beauty with a long, red coat and feminine features. Fifteen minutes later, I was completing the adoption paperwork while mentally rehearsing what I would tell my husband.

Fortunately, Eric is a soft-hearted man and fell for the redheaded vixen as hard as me. We weren’t allowed to take Lady home until 10 days later. The mark that I thought was a wound on her forehead was actually one of a multitude of dermoid cysts crisscrossing her forehead and jaw. The poor pup had to undergo an invasive, three-hour surgery to have them removed before she could be released.

We learned from the shelter that Lady had been abandoned on a county road. Though she was only 2 years old, they could tell she had had at least one litter of pups – likely the property of an unscrupulous puppy mill. A passerby found her, starving and skittish. Like garbage, she had been discarded, probably because the cysts would put off puppy buyers.

At home, Steve the Corgi and Jarvis the Border Collie-mix quickly accepted Lady as part of the pack. Before long, she and Jarvis became wrestling buddies, hanging together like two peas in a pod. We all fell madly in love with Lady.

Broken hearts A few weeks after Lady settled in, I took her to our vet for a baseline checkup. What started as a routine visit turned into shellshock: Lady had an untreatable heart defect. On a scale of 1 to 6, it was a 6+. Her prognosis was grim: “I would be very concerned for this dog,” the canine expert summarized.

We were in disbelief. How could this beautiful pup who had endured such atrocities and now radiated love and life possibly receive such a diagnosis? We were heartbroken, but not defeated.

“Whatever time she has, we will give her the best life any dog has ever had,” Eric vowed. And we did.

For 11 months Lady had a happy, love-filled existence. One of her favorite things was to walk the remnants of the harvested cornfield, finding un-shucked cobs and gnawing off the hard kernels like a treasured treat.

Too soon, however, vestiges of the defect began to appear. For a time, intense treatments helped forestall the inevitable – but as summer waned, so did Lady’s stamina.

ERIC HULTENG On her last day, when she could no longer walk because her breath was so choked by fluid, Eric and I drove her through the field one last time. She sat quietly in the back seat, nose out the window, taking in the smells she had so delighted in. Her eyes told us that she loved us, and that she knew.

Requiem Losing Lady was like losing a piece of my soul. Time lessens the acuteness, but there remains a void. While our family came to accept our loss, we also have come to understand something else. All those months that we thought we had rescued Lady, in fact, it turns out she had rescued us.

Shortly after she passed, I had a dream that Lady was romping and playing with a pack of fun-spirited dogs. Suddenly, she paused her play and turned to me.

“I love you, but I can’t come back,” she seemed to say. “But there is someone else who needs you to love her.” For a long moment she looked at me, tail wagging, before running back to rejoin the others.

Several months later, Rosy came into our home. Full of puppy energy and antics, the petite golden retriever quickly wormed her way into our hearts. And while you can never replace a beloved pet, I discovered you can expand your heart to love another – finding hope and healing along the way.

Allyn Hulteng Editor-in-chief editor@magiccitymagazine.com

10 I MAY/JUNE 2015 I MAGIC CITY MAGAZINE

developed her communication skills early, once racking up a $174 bill calling 1-900-SANTA in an effort to unsuccessfully acquire Moonshoes™ and a pink corvette. Before becoming Senior Editor of Magic, she channeled her creativity and drive into a BA in print journalism from the University of Montana (Go Griz!) and a MS in Public Relations from MSUB—melding her two loves, writing and people.

BRENDA MAAS Whether she’s chasing down resources or one of her three sons, Brenda Maas sees each day as yet another story to tell. She has been writing and reporting since cut-and-paste was en vogue. Recently, she and husband, Brett, opened a local custom garment store as yet another new adventure. She now has a new venue for recording other people’s quotes.

EVELYN NOENNIG has spent most of her life in the Magic City.

She's passionate about the community and the people who make Billings a great place to live, work and play.

As Community Liaison for Magic, Evelyn will be engaged in discovering the individuals and their stories that make MAGIC distinctly local.

You just never know where you may find her, volunteering, attending or coordinating an event for the library…she’s everywhere.

BOB TAMBO

attributes the longevity of his 30-year commercial art career to many novenas to the Blessed Virgin and is still amazed he gets paid for what he does.

Though he daydreams of switching jobs with Anthony Bourdain and playing guitar with Jackson Browne, Bob would never trade spending time with his wife Kit and constantly pampering his two tiny canine children, Jack and Jill.

CONTRIBUTORS

ROB ROGERS’ spirit animal is Val Kilmer. He’s been writing news and features since he won a spot on his elementary school’s biweekly newspaper with an opinion piece on why “Magnum P.I.” needs to exist in the real world. He probably still believes everything he wrote in that piece. He lives in Billings with his wife and three daughters. Before staking his future on freelance writing and at-home parenting, he was the education reporter for The Billings Gazette.

JENNIFER GRAF GRONEBERG works on the Pronghorn Unit of the historic N-Bar Ranch with her husband Tom and their three sons, Avery, Bennett and Carter. When not wrangling cowdogs, kids or Cuisinarts, she writes about her life in the West. Her book, Road Map to Holland (NAL/ Penguin) won the High Plains Book Award for Best Woman Writer in 2009.

JOHN KORPELA has been living in Big Sky country for 11 years. He currently lives in the flatter, eastern side of the state with his 7-year-old son, Ethan. Together they fish, hike, explore and find enough trouble to keep themselves busy.

ASHLEY K. WARREN considers wearing glasses her super-heroine persona. Her sidekick is a greyhound named Page. When she’s not writing, you might find her teaching poetry to third graders through the Arts Without Boundaries program. A graduate of the Stonecoast MFA program, she writes fiction and poetry and has taught creative writing and composition at Montana State University Billings.

LITTLE GIRAFFE A L W A Y S A F A VO R I T E

BRETT FRENCH

is the Outdoors editor for The Billings Gazette, where he has worked for the past 15 years. A native Montanan, he grew up in Bozeman, graduated from the University of Montana with a journalism degree and has worked across the Northwest for a variety of publications during his 29year career. He has hunted for 41 years.

JESSICA TOMES

was born and raised in southeast Texas and currently lives in Billings with her husband, 2-year-old daughter Savannah and newest addition, 1-year-old Emma Kate. Jessica graduated from Texas Christian University with a degree in broadcast journalism.

By day, Jessica works as a licensed realtor and moonlights as a freelance writer/photographer for several businesses around town.

GARY ROBSON

is a former Carbon County ranch owner whose brand is rafter reverse R R. He has written over two dozen books and hundreds of articles on subjects ranging from animal poop to computer hacking to cattle breeds. He currently owns a bookstore and tea bar in Red Lodge.

DOWNTOWN

502 N 30TH | 245-6434

MAGIC CITY MAGAZINE I MAY/JUNE 2015 I 11

THE LIST

THE LIST

PERSON OF INTEREST

GIVING BACK

ARTIST LOFT

MEDIA ROOM

ELEMENTS

FUN, FASCINATING FINDS WE THINK ARE GREAT

BLUE BLING Yogo sapphires are unique to Montana, and this pendant is no exception. A true classic, it is sure to be passed from one generation to the next.

Available at Goldsmith Gallery Jewelers Prices vary

MAKE A STATEMENT This raglan T-shirt, made of 50/50 cotton/polyester, tells it like it is—no doubt about it.

Available at Western Ranch Supply $34

RING AROUND THE COLLAR Spot has to look good, too. Try this leather and metalembellished collar for the most stylish of canines.

Available at Western Ranch Supply Prices vary

SUNDAY BEST MINI FFA’ER While he or she might be a bit too small to do the real work, there’s loads of fun in practicing with these ranch miniatures, made by Big Country Toys.

WHERE THE DEER & ANTELOPE PLAY Celebrate your home with iconic décor. The peeps will look perfect framed within Montana.

Available at Joy of Living Cut-out frame $25 Print $4

12 I MAY/JUNE 2015 I MAGIC CITY MAGAZINE

Available at Shipton’s Big R $17-27

When it’s time for him to “dress up,” be sure to reach for this blue, plaid snap-front shirt by Ariat and complementary hat.

A dashing success.

Available at Shipton’s Big R Shirt $57 Hat $78

MAGIC CITY MAGAZINE I MAY/JUNE 2015 I 13

PERSON OF INTERES T

BY A LLYN HULTENG I PHOTOS BY L ARRY MAYER

SOLD! MERT MUSSER, MASTER AUCTIONEER “My three brothers and I grew up around auctions, working as ringmen, bidder assistants and doing anything else my parents needed,”

Every eye is riveted on the man holding the microphone.

“Ladies and gentlemen, this is a one-of-a-kind, heirloom quality pendant generously donated for tonight’s gala. The necklace features a two-carat center diamond encircled by a ring of deep red rubies all set in 18-karat gold.”

The crowd grows still. Most of the early bidders have dropped out leaving the auctioneer to focus his attention on the three who remain. And he knows all three want to win.

“There will never be another chance to own this stunning pendant – and support this important fundraising event at the same time,” he artfully interjects.

“Will you go up?”

One of the bidders raises her card. And just like that, the auctioneer switches to his tongue-twisting chant, increasing the sense of urgency as the bidders go back and forth, back and forth.

“Yow!” hollers the auctioneer’s ringman each time a card is raised. The bid amount quickly escalates before bidding slows and then stops.

“Going once … a beautiful two-carat, ruby-encrusted diamond necklace…

“Going twice … your last chance to own this exquisite piece …

“SOLD! Thank you to the gentleman in the back.”

And the crowd roars with approval.

*** Anyone who has ever attended a local fundraising event with a live auction knows the name Merton Musser.

Certified as a Benefit Auctioneer Specialist, over the past decade Musser has helped numerous non-profits raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for their organizations.

“I think of it as community service,” said Musser modestly, noting he enjoys meeting the patrons while aiding efforts to raise as much money as possible.

What many may not realize is that the dapper man encouraging bidders to generously open their wallets is also a three-time Montana Bid Call Champion and President of one of the most successful auction houses in the Northwest.

Merton Musser directs a live auction of farm and ranch property in Worland, Wyo.

14 I MAY/JUNE 2015 I MAGIC CITY MAGAZINE

Roots and wings As a youngster, Merton Musser dreamed of becombecom ing an airline pilot. But while his aspirations were in the sky, his feet were firmly planted on the ground in Cody, Wyo., helping his parents, Robert and Lillian, run their auction business.

“My three brothers and I grew up around auctions, working as ringmen, bidder assistants and doing anyany thing else my parents needed,” Musser said.

Over time, Musser evolved into the role of auctioneer.

In 1982, he attended the Missouri Auction School to fine tune his craft. Eventually, Musser began teaching at the Western College of Auctioneering in Billings, which his father started in 1948.

While Musser plied his trade in Montana, one

brother moved to the Tri-Cities in Washington, another to Twin Falls, Idaho with the third remaining in Cody, Wyo. “It was by happenstance that the four of us scattered across the northwest, but that footprint is now the primary area we service,” Musser said. After Robert and Lillian retired in the early 1990s, the four sons joined to form Musser Bros., Inc. Today, that business has emerged as one of the region’s foremost auction houses.

Something for everyone When his parents first opened their business in 1956, auctions primarily featured farm equipment and real estate.

Today, Musser notes that the auction business has greatly diversified, expanding to include everything from contractor equipment and business liquidations to estates, machine shops, light manufacturing, real estate, bank bankruptcies – virtually anything that can be sold. About the only cat-

egory that’s shrunk is farm and ranch, largely due to the amalgamation of smaller properties by huge corporate entities.

Though the scope of auctions has expanded exponentially, Musser said that hasn’t been the biggest change.

“The biggest challenge has been the Internet,” Musser said.

Billings and beyond The launch of eBay’s online trading community in the mid-1990s revolutionized person-to-person sales, bringing online auctions to the masses.

“For those of us in the business, it was a game-changer,” Musser said.

Musser and his brothers knew that in order to remain competitive, they needed to adapt. A few years ago, they launched a new, interactive website capable of hosting online-only auctions as well as live/online simulcast auctions. At any given time, the brothers have 15 to 20 separate auctions listed on their website – either in progress or slated to take place over a set timeframe.

In addition to the website, Musser recently completed the construction of a new office/wareoffice/ware house facility that enhanced his ability to streamstream line auctions.

“We have relationships with various banks and trustees. Now, we have a dedicated and secure localoca tion where we can aggregate inventory, hold an online auction and disburse the sold goods,” he said.

While the business has underunder gone an enormous transformatransforma tion, Musser said one thing has stood the test of time.

“The true market value of an item isn’t what the seller thinks, or what the aucauc tioneer thinks or what an appraiser states,” Musser said. “It’s what someone is willing to pay.”

Gen III Following in the steps of their father, a third generation of Mussers is now engaged in the business. Daughter Lindsey, and her husband Wade Affleck, and son Blake work alongside Musser to auction real estate, equipment and other items from all across Montana and northnorth ern Wyoming. While most is sold online, Musser still must travel great distances to meet with owners – a job made easier by virtue of the fact that he is an experiexperi enced pilot.

“I’ve been able to integrate my love of flying with the family business,” he said.

“How lucky is that?”

MAGIC CITY MAGAZINE I MAY/JUNE 2015 I 15

GIVING BACK

BY MARY PICKET T

RELAY FOR LIFE RECEIVE BY GIVING

At left: Tami Folkerts, center, is surrounded by family as she readies for the annual Relay for Life survivors’ lap. A cancer survivor, Folkerts has been on a Relay for Life team for 15 years. Photo courtesy of Tami Folkerts. Above: Cancer survivors and supporters gather for Relay for Life—this year’s event will be July 10 at Billings West High School track. Photo by Bob Zellar.

There’s no bigger fan of the Yellowstone County Relay for Life than Tami Folkerts.

On a relay team for the last 15 years, Folkerts, 53, has also been a volunteer and passionate fund-raiser for the event.

Relay for Life honors cancer patients and raises money for cancer research, said Cathy Cullen of the Billings American Cancer Society. Last year, almost 2,000 people participated on 195 Relay for Life teams, taking turns walking around the Billings West High track all night to raise $570,000. This year’s goal is $600,000.

A highlight of the evening is the lighting of thousands luminarias ringing the track. The lights flickering in the darkness honor those who have fought cancer. Family and friends donate $10 for each luminaria dedicated to a loved one.

Throughout the night, silent auctions, team competitions, entertainment, music, fireworks, dancing and novelty laps keep participants energized.

Cullen invites local residents to stop by, too.

“Come enjoy it,” she said. “This is for everyone.”

While dedicating hundreds of hours to Relay for Life, Folkerts has faced a continuing battle of her own with the disease, going several rounds with cancer of the large intestine, gum and

16 I MAY/JUNE 2015 I MAGIC CITY MAGAZINE

skin. This spring, she underwent one more cancer-related surgery.

The most touching moment of every Relay for Folkerts has been the survivors’ lap that kicks off the evening. One year when she still was recovering from surgery, her husband, Rick, pushed her around the track for the survivors' lap in a wheelchair.

“He knew how important it was for me,” she said.

Folkerts raises money for the Relay throughout the year by selling hats and scarves she has made. They are on sale at the ACS office, 1903 Central Ave., where Folkerts works as office manager.

Not only does she enjoy the camaraderie of others who know what it is like to go through cancer treatment, Folkerts has made Relay for Life a family gathering.

Her 10-year-old great-niece stayed out all night with her last year. The carnival atmosphere made it easier to keep going on little sleep, Folkerts said.

This year’s relay will be particularly sweet for Folkerts.

Her great-nephew’s birthday is July 10 and her family will celebrate his birthday party at the Relay.

INFORMATION The 2015 Yellowstone County Relay for Life starts July 10 at 7 p.m. at the Billings West High School track.

Closing ceremony is 8 a.m., July 11.

This year’s theme is “Calling all Angels.” For more information, call 2567156 or go to: www. yellowstonerelay.org

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MAGIC CITY MAGAZINE I MAY/JUNE 2015 I 17

ARTIST LOFT

BY DONNA HEALY I PHOTOGRAPHY BY JAMES WOODCOCK

CHARLIE RINGER KINETIC ARTIST

I’m lucky in the sense that my biggest obstacles regarding subjects, color and light, are that I must choose between the manifestly transcendent and the merely wonderful.”

Above: Kinetic sculptor Charlie Ringer infuses his projects with “cast-away” items to create repurposed, whimsical art.

Geometry and physics underpin Charlie Ringer’s art, but balance and movement captivate viewers. Since he was a child, dragging his wagon to the dump to haul home castoff parts, Ringer has been intrigued by mechanical objects. At 15, he turned a vintage Ford into a hot rod using junk cars for parts.

In 1971, two years after Ringer and his wife, Emily, were married, they bought the abandoned wrecking yard along Hwy 212 at Joliet and turned the dilapidated building into his studio.

“I’m a collector of society’s castoffs. The wrecking yard fit. And we picked it up for a song,” Ringer said.

With his emblematic railroader’s cap, full beard and long gray ponytail, Ringer seems firmly rooted in the doyour-own-thing mantra of the 1960s. Over the years, the wrecking yard has become a minor roadside attraction,

18 I MAY/JUNE 2015 I MAGIC CITY MAGAZINE

embellished with “The Creature,” a towering idol revered by skiers and by a rusty tow truck with eyes painted on the windshield to look like Mater, the truck from the Pixar animated film “Cars.”

On a recent visit, a massive cast fiberglass buffalo dominated his studio space, part of a fundraising street project for downtown Cody, Wyo. A steel cowboy hat sits on the bison, as a nod to Buffalo Bill Cody, and a bird perches on the bison’s backside sporting a cowboy hat and goatee.

In 2013, Ringer was chosen as the honored artist and selected for the purchase award at the Buffalo Bill Art Show and Sale in Cody, which benefits the Buffalo Bill Center of the West.

“They bought a very contemporary kinetic piece for a very traditional museum, which is a mind blower,” he said.

Blueprints for his intricate geometric sculptures sometimes come in his sleep. The designs may include hundreds of pieces, hand-forged and shaped.

“With these kinetic pieces you never know how they’ve turned out until they’re 99.9 percent done.” A favorite piece, now in his gallery, required 2,700 welds.

“Every one of those welds had to be ground and polished,” he said. As a result, large kinetic sculptures can easily take a month.

“At least half the time, you’re sitting there with a five-horsepower grinder in your hand, or a sander. That’s ugly work, but it has to be done.”

Many of his pieces move, turn and twist, powered by the observer. They aren’t meant to just sit there, they’re meant to be played with. Ringer has also done some wind-driven sculptures and some large, static pieces, like the steel bison at the entrance to the Billings Airport.

Between large projects, he likes to mix in tabletop pieces that often rock like pendulums. His sometimes whimsical cast of characters includes bucking broncos, fishermen and motorcyclists.

At 66, Ringer’s biggest interest has nothing to do with artwork, he said. He’s intrigued by the concept of being alive on this planet, hurtling through the universe on a piece of rock.

Above: Unlike traditional sculptures and artwork, Charlie Ringer’s tabletop pendulums, animal ironworks and other curious creations are meant to be touched and played with.

Ringer’s work can be seen at the Charles Ringer Gallery beside his studio in Joliet, by calling 406-962-3705, at charlesringer. com or in Billings at Catherine Louisa Gallery.

MAGIC CITY MAGAZINE I MAY/JUNE 2015 I 19

ELEMENT S

BY BRENDA MA A S I PHOTOGRAPHY BY C A SE Y PAGE

OPEN RANGE: HIGH-END, WESTERN-INSPIRED DÉCOR STEP UP TO YOUR DAIS

The mahogany Reyes bed by Century Furniture is fit for a king…or, a princess if you are sleeping on a pea.

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You won’t want to toss these unique throw pillows. Hand-crafted with deer hide, angora wool, acid-washed cow hides, twisted fringe and the like, these accessories are so vibrant, they are almost alive.

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END OF DAY

Even when it’s time to relax, you can remember your roots with vintage cowboyinspired stem wear. Don’t forget your team roper.

Available at Western Ranch Supply $10 each

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MOOOO-VE OVER

INTRODUCING

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MAGIC CITY MAGAZINE I MAY/JUNE 2015 I 21

MEDIA ROOM

BY BRITTANY CREMER

BOOK

MONTANA STATE PARKS

BY ERIN MADISON AND KRISTEN INBODY

DVD

BLOODLINE Netflix junkies, get your popcorn ready.

Akin to series like “House of Cards” and “Orange is the New Black,” Netflix has released yet another original, transfixing drama.

A dark family secret unfolds in this multi-plot series set at a cozy bed and breakfast in the Florida Keys. Malice and misfortune multiply as estranged son and brother Danny Rayburn returns home.

What secret is he hiding, and why does his family hate him so much?

MUSIC

“BRING YOU BACK”

by Brett Eldredge Whether it’s the fiery, fueled up, “Tell Me Where To Park” or the deep undercurrents running through power ballads like the title-track, Brett Eldredge delivers in spades.

And as talented as the singersongwriter is musically (he co-wrote all but one song on the debut CD) he is just as incendiary on stage. Be sure to catch him live at MontanaFair on August 9.

Hit the road, Jack—but don’t forget your new best traveling companion. This little compass with pages highlights Montana’s 55 state parks with a diverse collection of activity recommendations and visitor points of interest.

Montana authors Erin Madison and Kristen Inbody visited each park and interviewed park managers, historians and visitors to provide the most complete and up-to-date information about these remarkable public lands. Want to know which parks provide the best access to camping and fishing—it’s in there. Curious about which areas are jam-packed with legend and lore? That’s included, too, along with some interesting surprises along the way.

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WEB-ED

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Laughing is eminent—maybe even a snort or two.

Simply upload your favorite pet picture with recorded audio (maybe your favorite song) and watch the magic unfold.

With Freyenhagen Construction’s unique interactive 3-D design process, Scott and Teresa Harrington saw precisely what their new kitchen and family room would look like long before their gleaming countertops and rich wood cabinetry arrived.

The Harringtons were able to plan even the finest details of their remodeling project.

They then watched their kitchen come to life—onscreen and off.

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MAGIC CITY MAGAZINE I MAY/JUNE 2015 I 23 CUSTOM INTERIOR & EXTERIORS

WIDE OPEN FIN E LI V ING

GREAT ESTATES

A FAMILY FOLLOWS THEIR DREAM, CREATING AN ELEGANT MONTANA-INSPIRED HOMESTEAD

24 I MAY/JUNE 2015 I MAGIC CITY MAGAZINE

EN SPACES BY BYKAREN KARENKINSER KINSER••PHOTOGRAPHY PHOTOGRAPHYBY BYJAMES JAMESWOODCOCK WOODCOCK

D

rive rive up up to to Matt Matt and and Rachel Rachel Hoppman’s Hoppman’s western-style western-style home home south south of of Laurel, Laurel, and and you’re you’re overwhelmed overwhelmed with with stunning stunning views. views. Like Like an an immense immense diorama, diorama, the the Beartooths Beartooths and and Crazy Crazy Mountains Mountains dominate dominate the the sky, sky, with with the the Snowies Snowies and and Pryors Pryors appearing appearing farther farther in in the the distance. distance.

MAGIC MAGICCITY CITYMAGAZINE MAGAZINE I I MAY/JUNE MAY/JUNE2015 2015 I I 25 25

FIN E LI V ING

GREAT ESTATES

Inside, the home effuses that same expansive feeling. Open and airy, the light-drenched space illuminates warm, inviting earth tones and wood – lots of gleaming wood.

Going with the grain The Hoppmans purchased the property in 2010. At the time, the home was nothing but a shell – a project that had been started, and then abandoned, by the previous owner.

But Matt and Rachel saw raw potential. Envisioning an open, flowing floor plan, (“so no one feels left out,” Rachel said) the shell was a perfect starting place for their dream home.

With a love of all things wood, the couple went to work, artfully incorporating a variety of species along with stone, copper and iron into the design.

The home exudes vintage style enveloped with warmth, starting with the exterior. Clad in Montana Ghost Wood, a siding product that mimics the distressed, weathered buildings seen across the West, the outside invites visitors to peek in, discover what wonders may be inside.

Inside, Matt also used the same made-in-Montana Ghost Wood planks to build several interior doors. The floors were constructed of distressed hard pine while cabinets were made from knotty cherry and alder. Shelving throughout the home was crafted from flooring reclaimed from a 100-year-old building in Billings.

Rachel is especially fond of the stair railings that were reincarnated from cedar fence posts discovered

Top: The earth-tone colors and open floor plan in the living room are a great invitation to sit and relax or to cozy up to the stone fireplace on a chilly evening. The open room at the far right of the photo is an office with views that won’t quit. Matt made the barn-style doors leading into the office.Above: The dining room – accented with that unique movie set chandelier – evidences the open floor plan and complements the lovely distressed pine flooring. In the left of the photo is Rachel’s workshop, where she hand-crafts leather goods; it also offers expansive views. Right:The Hoppmans love the surprise of finding unique pieces for their home and were so excited when they found this chandelier that had once supposedly been a part of the movie, Desperado.

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Top: The family loves to entertain, and Rachel loves to cook. The countertop from Billings Marble and Granite is more than 11 feet long. The hood vent was finished by Matt and Rachel with old barn wood and steel. The rich knotty cherry wood of the cabinets keeps the kitchen warm. Inset left: Rachel loves the railings on these stairs, which lead to the lower level. Made from old cedar fence posts they found in the fields, the rails were simply power-washed and then clear-coated. IInset right: The hammered copper sink in this corner of the kitchen lends a soft glow that is enhanced by the granite countertop. Above: The comfy master bedroom and its inviting earth tones exhibit the Hoppman’s love of all things western and rustic. Matt made the doors that lead into the master bedroom from Ghost Wood of Montana planks and corrugated steel specifically for their rustic, vintage feel.

MAGIC CITY MAGAZINE I MAY/JUNE 2015 I 27

FIN E LI V ING in their field. Even old pallet boards have been re-purposed into a creative bar in the lower level.

The variations of wood are complemented by the family’s love for all things Western, with lots of horse- and Old Westthemed artwork and accents.

“We like Western rustic stuff,” says Rachel, “And we shopped all over to find just the right art and finishings.”

The home is appointed with an eclectic mix of items from a variety of sources – some found locally, some out-of-market when the family was “just traveling around.”

The chandelier in the dining room, for example, is reported to have made an appearance from the movie, Desparado, while the stovetop vent was hand-crafted out of reclaimed barn wood. Adding to the Western aesthetic are one-of-akind faux finishes throughout, artistically created by decorative painter, Cindy Smith.

A family affair While Rachel and Matt had the vision for their home, they reached out to other family members to make the project a reality. Rachel’s brother-in-law, Joe Stoffers, an architect, helped pull the drawings together. Rachel’s parents, Ken and Kate Knels, also assisted by doing woodwork, moving dirt and installing wiring. The couple acted as their own builders, but hired Troy Dietz as the contractor.

With the goal of moving in before the winter holidays of 2012, the workdays were intense.

“We were in zombie mode for about five months,” said Rachel, “but it was worth it.”

And as any homeowner knows, there’s always more to do. Matt is eager to finish the theater room, and Rachel is hopeful for a small pool outside the game room. They’re also both looking forward to completing the fencing and landscaping. But with coaching son Maverick’s baseball team and attending daughter Danica’s horse competitions, work moves to a back burner in the summer. But that’s OK, because the five-bedroom, four-bathroom home is more than ready for entertaining and family living.

“When I come home,” says Matt, “it’s just so nice to know this is something we built.

We can relax here.”

Top: There’s an understated elegance in the master bathroom that just makes you want to stay and relax – either with a soak in the copper tub or a refreshing rinse in the large shower stall with rain head showerheads and creative tile work. Center: The hammered copper sink in the master bathroom is enhanced by a waterfall faucet, soft lighting, beautifully framed mirrors and more tile work – crafted by Matt in all of the bathrooms.

Right: This wine barrel bathroom is a favorite of Rachel’s. They found the barrels at a local hardware store and designed the bathroom around them. The mirror frame, tile work and Western image on the wall all add to the peaceful harmony of the room.

28 I MAY/JUNE 2015 I MAGIC CITY MAGAZINE

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FIN E LI V ING

HORTICULTURE

a garden tour by jessica tomes • photography by larry mayer

Few things relax the mind

and lift the spirit like fragrant, summer blooms. Hues of crimson, marigold and periwinkle joyfully mingle and marry – creating an added punch of pizazz to your home’s character, not to mention value. Come along; we invite our readers to share in the beauty of two local gardens, gleaning inspiration for this season’s planting.

30 I MAY/JUNE 2015 I MAGIC CITY MAGAZINE

Historical charmer Growing up in California, Linda Thompson always helped with the gardening and yard work. She says at first, she really wasn’t concerned with the state of the yard of the home she shared with her husband in Billings’ historical district. But about five years ago, she took a more aggressive approach, and brought in some outside help.

“The garden really just evolved. There was no master design or plan,” she says. “We just kept adding more color every season.”

The shade garden under the spruce tree is one of her favorite spots. The lilies are very fragrant, a lovely addition she adds – but ironically, she is highly allergic and has to enjoy them from the safety of indoors, peering at them from the window.

Linda knows spring has officially arrived when the tulips begin to bloom, and she says she enjoys her clematis all year long. Her favorite thing about gardening is experiencing all the colors and textures. She says she supposes anyone can garden, depending on their interest and ability level – and don’t be afraid to ask for help, she adds.

An evolution in gardening, this luscious garden located in Billings’ historic district features roses, clematis, lilies and a beautiful shade tree.

MAGIC CITY MAGAZINE I MAY/JUNE 2015 I 31

FIN E LI V ING

HORTICULTURE

Birchwood Beauty Billings’ native Paul Tarmann says he has always enjoyed watching things grow. When he was 6 or 7 years old, his dad set up a spot in the yard for a vegetable garden. Paul enjoyed helping with the gardening, but says it was hard work.

Paul’s Birchwood Avenue home was remodeled in 1984, and most of the landscaping was original when he bought the house. But a lot has also changed since then, he adds.

He says his garden is his own private getaway, an oasis of sorts. His favorite spot is in the side yard, between the fir trees. It’s a good place to sit in the summer with a cold drink, he says.

There’s even a birch tree in the front yard, and a wall of evergreens that Paul says makes a perfect backdrop for photos. He loves everything about it – the smell of fresh lavender, the hum of the bees, and all the vibrant colors in his garden.

“The spiritual energy is huge for me. There’s something therapeutic about getting your hands down in the dirt,” he says. “It just makes a house more like a home.”

Daisies, petunias, wild grasses and fir trees combine to create a whimsical and relaxing Zen garden for Paul Tarmann on Birchwood Ave.

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Feeding Your Family If cultivating a vegetable garden is more your passion, absorb these tips from expert gardener TJ Wierenga for DIY garden goodness.

A few tips for getting started: Q: What should you grow?

A: Ask yourself, what kinds of produce does your family like to eat? Do you love the intense flavors of the Mediterranean in Italian and Greek dishes? Paste tomatoes (such as Roma and Amish paste), onions, scallions and eggplant are wonderful growing options for the Yellowstone Valley area. And don’t forget your herbs—you’ll also want to grow some oregano, basil and parsley. Is your family crazy about Mexican? Add bell peppers, cilantro, jalapenos and tomatillos to your garden. If you prefer salads and raw veggies, think about including carrots, celery, cabbage, chard, spinach and kale. Potatoes, beets and broccoli also grow well in the Montana climate.

Q: How much sun is required for my growing veggies?

A: If you grow it for the fruit or the root, you need full sun. If you grow it for the leaves, partial sun is all you need. Look for a location that gives you at least six hours of sunlight for vegetables – but keep in mind that plants like chard, spinach and lettuce can handle less, with a general minimum of at least three hours of sun.

Q: Are edible flowers easy to grow and safe in food?

A: Flowers are easy to grow for beginners, look wonderful and many varieties are actually a beautiful addition to salads, or can be frozen in ice cubes for a summer party.

Options for easy edibles include nasturtiums, scented geraniums, pansies and daylilies.

LET IT GROW SIMPLE DIY TIPS TO CULTIVATE YOUR OWN ORGANIC GARDEN Local gardening expert TJ Wierenga uses traditional, timeless methods to produce delicious food free of chemicals and pesticides.

Here’s how to do it:

1. Start a new bed right on top of the sod. Water heavily, then place a suppression layer of either one sheet of cardboard (non-stick surface), or eight to 10 sheets of newspaper down, directly on the grass. This will begin to compost immediately.

2. Begin layering “browns” (carbon

sources like peat moss, shredded leaves, straw, wood shavings and shredded newspaper) and “greens” (nitrogen sources like aged manure, soiled bedding, fresh grass clippings, fruit and vegetable scraps from the kitchen, and the contents of your compost bin).

3. Build the layers up to 18-24 inches,

wetting each layer as you go.

Then sit back and watch as nature produces a beautiful garden in no time.

MAGIC CITY MAGAZINE I MAY/JUNE 2015 I 33

In Montana, where the cows out-number the people, beef is not only what’s in the field it’s what’s for dinner.

Few can resist a thick T-bone, tender juices seared by the intensely-hot grill, steaming next to the fluffy baked potato on the plate—it’s the perfect way to cap another Big Sky day.

We honor these elemental roots and Montana’s basic fare. But here’s a call to mix it up, to explore tastes beyond the basic steak.

Consider a walnut crust for your roast.

Rub a bit-o-chocolate onto your tenderloin.

And, stuff your ground beef into a miniature sweet bell pepper next to a spoonful of couscous.

You can still wear your jeans and boots. But chances are, you won’t drive down a dirt road and look at bovines in the same way again.

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MAGIC CITY MAGAZINE I MAY/JUNE 2015 I 35

Walnut-Crusted Roast with Blue Cheese Mashed Potatoes

Tenderloin, Cranberry & Pear Salad with Honey-Mustard Dressing*

Ingredients:

Ingredients:

1/2 cup finely-chopped walnuts 3 tablespoons finely-chopped green onion 1/2 teaspoon pepper

4 beef tenderloin steaks, cut ¾-inch thick (4 ounces each) 1/2 teaspoon coarsely-ground black pepper 1 package (5 ounces) mixed baby salad greens 1 medium red or green pear, cored, cut into 16 wedges 1/4 cup dried cranberries Salt 1/4 cup coarsely-chopped pecans, toasted 1/4 cup crumbled goat cheese (optional)

Instructions:

Honey Mustard Dressing:

1 beef eye of round roast (2 to 3 pounds) 4 cups prepared mashed potatoes, warmed 1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese

Walnut Crust:

Heat oven to 325°F. Combine walnut crust ingredients; press evenly onto all surfaces of beef roast.

Place roast on rack in shallow roasting pan. Insert ovenproof meat thermometer so tip is centered in thickest part of beef. Do not add water or cover. Roast in 325°F oven 1-1/4 to 1-1/2 hours for medium rare doneness. (Do not overcook.)

Remove roast when meat thermometer registers 135°F. Transfer roast to carving board; tent loosely with aluminum foil. Let stand 15 to 20 minutes. (Temperature will continue to rise about 10°F to reach 145°F for medium rare.)

Meanwhile combine mashed potatoes and cheese in large bowl; keep warm.

Carve beef roast into thin slices; season with salt and pepper as desired. Serve with mashed potatoes.

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1/2 cup prepared honey mustard 2 to 3 tablespoons water 1-1/2 teaspoons olive oil 1 teaspoon white wine vinegar 1/4 teaspoon coarsely-ground black pepper 1/8 teaspoon salt

Instructions:

Season beef steaks with 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Heat large nonstick skillet over medium heat until hot. Place steaks in skillet; cook 7 to 10 minutes for medium rare (145°F) to medium (160°F) doneness, turning occasionally.

Meanwhile whisk Honey Mustard Dressing ingredients in small bowl until well blended. Set aside. Divide greens evenly among four plates. Top with pear wedges and dried cranberries.

Carve steaks into thin slices; season with salt as desired. Divide steak slices evenly over salads. Top each salad evenly with dressing, pecans and goat cheese, if desired.

Marinades

Use to help add flavor or to tenderize. Some cuts, such as top round or skirt steak, really benefit from a tenderizing marinade for six to 24 hours, while others like a T-bone or ribeye steak are tender enough on their own to only need a 15-minute to two-hour marinate.

Lime-Jalapeno Marinade 1/2 cup red currant jelly, warmed 1/2 cup fresh lime juice 1/4 cup chopped, seeded jalapeňo peppers 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro 1 teaspoon salt 1 clove garlic, minced 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice Ginger-Soy Marinade 1/3 cup soy sauce 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice 2 tablespoons honey 1 tablespoons freshly-minced garlic 2 teaspoons freshly-minced ginger 1 teaspoon lemon peel, freshly grated Argentinean Steak Marinade 1/2 cup finely-chopped onion 1/3 cup spicy steak sauce 4 cloves garlic, minced 4 teaspoon dried oregano leaves

Beef and Couscous-stuffed Baby Bell Peppers Ingredients:

1 pound ground beef 15 baby sweet bell peppers (about 2-1/2 to 3 inches long, about 1-1/4 pounds) 2/3 cup regular or spicy 100% vegetable juice 1/2 cup frozen chopped spinach, thawed, squeezed dry 1/4 cup uncooked whole wheat or regular couscous 2 cloves garlic, minced 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano leaves 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper 1/2 cup reduced-fat shredded P\parmesan, Monterey jack, white cheddar or Italian-blend cheese

Instructions:

Heat oven to 400°F. Cut bell peppers in half lengthwise; remove seeds and membranes, but not stem. Place peppers, cut-sides up, on two rimmed baking sheets.

Combine ground beef, vegetable juice, spinach, couscous, garlic, oregano, salt and black pepper in large bowl, mixing lightly but thoroughly.

Spoon beef mixture evenly into peppers. Sprinkle with cheese.

Bake, uncovered, in 400°F oven 25 to 30 minutes or until instant-read thermometer inserted into center of pepper registers 160°F and peppers begin to brown. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Rubs

Add a seasoning blend, or rub, to the surface of roasts, steaks and burgers to add quick flavor. Rubs do not tenderize the cut. They can be applied just before cooking or up to two hours in advance.

Espresso Rub 2 tablespoons finely-ground espresso coffee beans 1 tablespoon garlic pepper 2 teaspoons brown sugar 1 teaspoon ancho chili powder Lemon-pepper Rub 2-1/2 teaspoons lemon pepper 1-1/2 teaspoon dried oregano 3 large gloves garlic, minced Ancho-Chocolate Citrus Rub 1 tablespoon ground ancho chili powder 3 cloves garlic, minced 1-1/2 teaspoons dried oregano leaves 1 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon Recipe/photo/information courtesy of The Beef Checkoff (www.BeefItsWhatsForDinner.com) and the Montana Beef Council * Recipe and photo as seen in The Healthy Beef Cookbook, published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, via The Beef Checkoff (beefitswhatafordinner.com)

MAGIC CITY MAGAZINE I MAY/JUNE 2015 I 37

BETCHA’ DIDN’T KNOW… There are more than 29 cuts of beef that meet government guidelines for “lean,” including T-bone, top sirloin and 95% lean ground beef.

Lean is defined as:

Less than 10 g total fat 4.5 g or less saturated fat Less than 95 mg cholesterol

*Per 3-oz. cooked serving (about the size of a deck of cards)

A 3-ounce serving of lean beef supplies: 150 calories on average Less than 10 percent of calories to a

2,000 calorie diet More than 10 percent of daily value, including: 48% protein 41% selenium 37% vitamin B12 33% zinc 25% niacin 20% vitamin B6 19% phosphorus 17% choline 12% iron 10% riboflavin 90% of the total and saturated fat in the American diet comes from foods other than beef.

Citrus-Marinated Beef & Fruit Kabobs Ingredients:

Grading Guide The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) determines beef quality grades based on palatability characteristics such as tenderness, juiciness and flavor. Use this information to guide your next selection.

Prime has the most marbling. It is usually sold to high-end restaurants, although some specialty meat markets and supermarkets may carry it.

Choice cuts tend to have a little less marbling.

Choice is the most widely-available grade in the market. has the least amount of marbling, making it leaner and a little less juicy and flavorful than the other two grades.

38 I MAY/JUNE 2015 I MAGIC CITY MAGAZINE

1 pound beef top sirloin steak boneless, cut 1-inch thick 1 medium orange 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro 1 tablespoon smoked paprika 1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper (optional) 4 cups cubed mango, watermelon, peaches and/or plums Salt

Instructions:

Grate peel and squeeze 2 tablespoons juice from orange; reserve juice. Combine orange peel, cilantro, paprika and ground red pepper, if desired, in small bowl. Cut beef Steak into 1-1/4-inch pieces. Place beef and 2-1/2 tablespoons cilantro mixture in food-safe plastic bag; turn to coat. Place remaining cilantro mixture and fruit in separate food-safe plastic bag; turn to coat. Close bags securely. Marinate beef and fruit in refrigerator 15 minutes to 2 hours.

Soak eight 9-inch bamboo skewers in water 10 minutes; drain. Thread beef evenly onto four skewers leaving small space between pieces. Thread fruit onto remaining four separate skewers.

Place kabobs on grid over medium, ash-covered coals. Grill beef kabobs, covered, 8 to 10 minutes (over medium heat on preheated gas grill, 9 to 11 minutes) for medium rare (145°F) to medium (160°F) doneness, turning occasionally. Grill fruit kabobs 5 to 7 minutes or until softened and beginning to brown, turning once.

Season beef with salt, as desired. Drizzle reserved orange juice over fruit kabobs.

Ribeye Steak Also known as a Scotch filet, this cut is from the beef rib.

As one of the most tender and fattier cuts, the ribeye is one of the most popular and juiciest steaks on the market. If “bone-in” the steak is often referred to as a cowboy ribeye. It is recommended to serve this cut medium-rare to medium so the fat melts into the meat for more flavor.

T-bone & Porterhouse Steaks

Both cut from the short loin with a T-shaped bone. The larger side is meat from the strip loin with the smaller side of tenderloin.

Porterhouse steaks contain a larger section of tenderloin than a T-bone.

Flank Steak

From the belly, a strong, well-exercised part of the cow, this steak is bestprepared when cut across the grain. For additional tenderness, try marinating a flank steak.

Sirloin Steak

Cut from the lower portion of the ribs, the sirloin is typically a big cut and excellent for bigger appetites.

Skirt Steak Cut from the plate of the beef, this steak is quickcooking and is a popular cut for fajitas

Filet Mignon

From the short loin, this muscle does the least amount of work when the animal moves around. As the alternative name “tenderloin” implies, it is the most tender cut of meat and thus, highly-desirable along with being the most expensive.

Strip Steak

Also known as striploin, shell steak, Delmonica, New York or Kansas City strip, this steak comes from the strip loin.

Because this muscle does very little work, it is especially tender. If it is still attached to the bone with a piece of tenderloin included, this strip is technically a T-bone or Porterhouse. The New York strip is typically boneless, whereas the Kansas City strip includes of portion of the bone.

MAGIC CITY MAGAZINE I MAY/JUNE 2015 I 39

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WHISKEY 101

BY BRENDA MAAS

“Taken sanely and in moderation whisky is beneficial, aids digestion, helps throw off colds, megrims and influenzas.

Used improperly the effect is just as bad as stuffing in too many starchy foods, taking no exercise, or disliking our neighbor.” ~ Charles H. Baker, Jr. from The Gentleman’s Companion, 1939

Not all whiskeys are created equal. One key ingredient creates the particular variations: the amber waves of grain used in the fermented mash. With minor alterations to the distilling and aging processes, whiskey can show many faces. Here we’ve crafted a “spirit-ual” primer and challenge you to savor their distinct differences.

MAGIC CITY MAGAZINE I MAY/JUNE 2015 I 41

RYE WHISKEY

WHEAT WHISKEY

CORN WHISKEY

MALT WHISKEY

SCOTCH WHISKY

IRISH WHISKEY

BOURBON WHISKEY

CANADIAN WHISKEY

Look for at least 51 percent rye mash in this whiskey, along with the common denominator: the charred American white oak barrel. Taste is spicy with notes of walnut, toasted grain and black pepper.

Go figure: Scotch whisky (note the missing ‘e’) is made only in Scotland from malted barley and is typically aged at least three years and one day in used oak barrels. Drying the grain over a peat fire permeates Scotch with a smoky flavor, particularly in single malt Scotches compared to blended variations.

As the name implies, wheat is where this whiskey is at—at least 51 percent of it, anyway. Just age in those charred barrels again. This whiskey has a milder and more approachable flavor.

Ummm…you guessed it! Made in Ireland, traditional Irish whiskey is made from barley and tastes lighter than its northern neighbor.

Centuries later, many Irishmen still claim credit for creating uisce beatha, or “water of life.” But don’t say that to a Scot.

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Yup, this whiskey originates in corn, but it’s at least 80 percent corn mash in this bottle.

Corn whiskey is less finicky, tolerating either used or uncharred new oak containers.

This one is a bit tricky—it is made from at least 51 percent malted barley, using those ever-popular charred oak barrels. The American version doesn’t have the “smooth smoke” flavor attributed to its Scotch cousin.

Kentucky does not hold the corner market on this spirit.

Bourbon can be made in any state, but must include at least 51 percent corn mash and then be aged two years (likely closer to four) in new-then-charred American white oak barrels. Your tongue will savor smooth caramel, toffee, praline or vanilla.

No brainer here— Canadian whiskey truly is a product of Canada.

Traditionally the result of a base (typically corn) and a flavoring (typically rye) whiskey. The blending gives it a light taste and appearance. Go figure, eh?

TASTE TEST THE TRADITIONALS

Time to experiment. Grab your favorite whiskey and try one of these classics. Or, for even more fun, host a whiskey-tasting gathering.

And get your grain on.

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Whiskey Ditch

Manhattan

Old Fashioned

Pick one of the variations above, pour over ice and add a splash of water for a Montana classic.

You don’t have to live there to enjoy this one.

2 oz. blended whiskey 1 dash bitters 1 slice of orange 1 maraschino cherry 1 slice of lemon 1 sugar cube

1.5 oz. bourbon whiskey .75 oz. sweet vermouth Ice Combine in a shaker, stir and strain into a martini glass. Garnish with a maraschino cherry.

Sources: tastings.com; ttb.gov; montanawhiskey.com

Place sugar cube into old fashioned glass and saturate with bitters. Muddle until dissolved. Fill the glass with ice and add whiskey. Garnish with orange slice, lemon twist and maraschino cherry.

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bair family

LEGENDS

A look back at one of Montana’s most notable families

legacy

In 1883, Charles M. Bair arrived in Billings— a wild, barely-tamed frontier boom town—as a conductor on a train. A few years shy of earning its statehood, Montana was still a little rough around the edges.

He worked hard, earning his way west after the Northern Pacific Railroad pounded in the last spike on Gold Creek that same year.

Bair briefly returned East in 1886 to propose to his sweetheart, Mary Jacobs. They met in Michigan when Bair worked on her father’s farm. They married on Christmas Eve in Chicago and began their journey to Montana Territory.

BY ELIZABETH GUHEEN PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE BAIR COLLECTION

44 I MAY/JUNE 2015 I MAGIC CITY MAGAZINE

Charles M. Bair, his wife, Mary, and daughter, Alberta, in Portland, Ore.

MAGIC CITY MAGAZINE I MAY/JUNE 2015 I 45

LEGENDS

With his 23-year-old bride, Bair wisely elected to accept the hospitality of friends in Helena, widely viewed as the most civilized town in the territory. This decision softened Mrs. Bair’s culture shock and provided her with companionship during her husband’s long stints as a railroad conductor, a job he held for a few more years.

Bair took on any extra work the railroad offered and sought out odd jobs. By 1888, he had saved enough to claim 320 acres in Lavina, Montana. In 1890, he purchased another 5,540 acres and invested heavily in sheep. The first phase of his plan was almost complete.

Home on the prairie A year later, Mr. and Mrs. Charles M. Bair moved to a small cabin on the Lavina ranch and welcomed their first daughter, Marguerite. Bair, relatively enriched by his frugal nature, quit the railroad, devoted himself to raising sheep and began to develop other small businesses.

Mary Bair was a quiet, devoted homemaker who wholly supported her husband’s ambitions.

But after spending two years in the small Lavina cabin, with its lack of plumbing and multitude of rattlesnakes in the woodpile, Bair moved his

family to Billings where they purchased a suitable home at the corner of Third and Broadway.

Daughter Alberta was born there in 1895.

Bair continued to ranch and built up to running as many as 40,000 sheep. The state’s sheep population stood at roughly six million, and Montana was the number one wool-growing state in the nation when Bair abruptly sold off his sheep in 1898. Along with the rest of the nation, the hard-working, frugal flockmaster had caught Klondike Fever.

North, to Alaska Charles Bair had made an investment. While it was true that gold was there to be found “lying thick between the flaky slabs of rock like cheese in a sandwich,” most of the Americans who abandoned their settled lives to heed the call of the Alaskan frontier were not prepared for the Yukon’s harrowing, lawless conditions, much less the reality of digging into the frozen tundra by hand to scrape out gold nuggets. It took a long time to reach Bonanza Creek in the Yukon—it took much more to survive there. Using proceeds from the sale of his sheep, Bair partnered with Far Left: Marguerite Bair circa 1920 in Portland, Ore. Left: Charles M. Bair in his Northern Pacific Railroad uniform, circa early 1880s.

46 I MAY/JUNE 2015 I MAGIC CITY MAGAZINE

Thomas Linton of Anaconda and L.E. Miller of Helena, who had invented a machine to thaw the Klondike permafrost.

By 1899, Bair had made more than one trip to the Klondike to deliver machines, although the exact number is unknown.

From this point forward, Charles Bair’s wealth and investments grew tenfold. On the eve of a new century, Bair and his family found themselves financially and socially positioned to positively affect their home state on several fronts. Newspapers’ headlines heralded him as “Once a Railroad Conductor, but Now a Klondike Magnate.” He invested in banks, oil companies and real estate, but continued to devote himself to raising sheep. He eventually became the largest flockmaster in the nation, and he was well known for personally traveling out to inspect his numerous sheep camps.

The cultured frontiersman The Bair family traveled to California in the winters and visited friends in Portland. For a brief period of time, Bair also ran sheep in Oregon. He forged bonds with Crow tribe members and Chief Plenty Coups as a result of leasing land on the Crow Reservation. He purchased paintings from personal friends Charlie Russell and Joseph Henry Sharp. He supported Edward Curtis’ North American Indian Project by purchasing several volumes of his photogravures, and Bair’s friend Teddy Roosevelt wrote the foreword for Curtis’ project.

Daughter Marguerite cajoled Curtis into taking her father’s portrait. Charlie Russell tricked Bair into thinking the portrait session was for him, and Curtis took one of each, now in the Bair Collection. He and Mary were invited to attend functions at the White House, and in 1914, The Washington Herald lists the entire family as guests in a Washington, D.C., hotel.

Top Left: Marguerite Bair, age 9, in Billings circa 1899. Top Right: Alberta Bair, age 3, in Billings circa 1899. Above: Charles M. Bair tangling with a mountain ram in the corrals, circa early 1900s.

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LEGENDS

BAIR HISTORY The mission of the Charles M. Bair Family Museum is to perpetuate the historic and artistic significance of the Bair family legacy through scholarly, educational and historic exhibits and programs.

Located at Highway 294 in Martinsdale, Montana, visitors can walk through the Bair home, Bair Barn and new Bair Museum, which showcases the family’s premier collection of western paintings, photographs and Native American artifacts.

Guided tours of the Bair family home occur daily until 4 p.m.; tours of the Bair Barn and Bair Family Museum are self-guided between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m.

Admission is $5 for adults, $3 for seniors and $2 for students. For more information, call 406-5723314 or visit bairmuseum.org.

In 1910, Bair purchased a home for his family in Portland to give his daughters the education and introduction into society both parents wanted for them. The purchase was a surprise, but he wrote his wife Mary that he wouldn’t send out the furniture from the Billings house until she decided if they wanted to stay there. Bair continued to spend most of the year in Billings, staying at the Northern Hotel, but he had invested in a ranch in Martinsdale. He eventually bought out his partners, and his family spent summers at the ranch. This arrangement seemed to suit them for more than 20 years, but eventually the family reunited in one home, the ranch house in Martinsdale, where Mary and Charles celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary. As Charles aged, Alberta took a hand in managing the ranch, and they settled in.

Marguerite and Alberta lost their father in 1943 and their mother, “Muzzy,” in 1950.

Their passing was not the end of the Bair legacy, but a new beginning. The sisters immediately applied for passports to travel to Europe—an opportunity Charles wanted to provide them, but he never stopped working long enough.

Marguerite became an expert in art and antiques, and Alberta enjoyed traveling and making new friends. They re-envisioned the ranch house to accommodate the placement of antiques alongside the family’s Indian artifacts because Marguerite was an artist, singer and musician who loved beautiful things. The house became her canvas. But in many ways, the daughters remained modest people, Mary’s and Charles’ girls. “Eclectic” describes what one now sees in the family home. It has become a time Top: Marguerite and Alberta Bair on donkeys in Billings, late capsule of their shared family experiences and 1890s. Above: Charles M. Bair and a friend checking on the flock, circa early 1900s. their father’s legacy.

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PHOTO JOURNAL

EQUINE SPIRIT: UNCONDITIONAL LOVE AND HEALING IN AN OVER-SIZED PACKAGE

By Chris Rubich • Photos by Hannah Potes Ask anyone who has spent time on a horse—the connection is intimate. And, undeniable.

Horse.

Human.

Bond.

The ability to heal follows.

Horses Spirits Healing, a new, non-profit program at the Intermountain Equestrian Center, marries certified equine therapists with military veterans suffering from psychological trauma and physical disabilities.

Some veterans may find it calming to simply groom a horse, while others may enjoy the animal’s gentle gait or rehabilitate through more mundane, physical activities like moving hay bales. It is this simple, non-judgmental interaction that helps alleviate wounds, both seen and unseen.

Above: Sleepy a therapy horse at the Intermountain Equestrian Center, casts a gentle glance toward approaching visitors.

MAGIC CITY MAGAZINE I MAY/JUNE 2015 I 49

PHOTO JOURNAL

HELP FOR VETERANS The Iraq and Afghanistan wars have swollen the ranks of disabled veterans, but “a lot of other veterans out there” besides “post-9/11 vets” need rehabilitation and emotional support, says Paul Gatzemeier, board chairman of the Intermountain Equestrian Center.

While deployed, service personnel were often aided by bomb-sniffing dogs. Now, Billings and the equine center are turning to another animal – horses – to aid veterans back on American soil.

The center, north of Billings on Highway 3, plans to help veterans suffering psychological trauma and physical disabilities through the nonprofit Horses Spirits Healing equinetherapy program.

Gatzemeier says veterans can interact with horses in many ways – from riding to working in stables to walking horses. Some veterans may find it calming to simply groom a horse, while another may enjoy the animals’ gentle gait or rehabilitate through the physical activity of moving hay bales.

He says the center will seek medical referrals from the Veterans Administration and possibly the Mental Health Center.

The equestrian center has an agreement with Rocky Mountain College for the therapeutic-instruction component.

Montana State University Billings helped create a business plan through its business department.

The program is working to have access to three certified therapeutic instructors and a number of horses approved for therapeutic use. Volunteers also will be sought.

Gatzemeier has been making presentations about the program to interested groups.

“Our vision is to be a regional educational, therapeutic and research facility,” Gatzemeier says.

50 I MAY/JUNE 2015 I MAGIC CITY MAGAZINE

Top: Therapy horses Zoe (left) and Sleepy share an intimate equine moment. Above: Mark Lenhart, a resident of Residential Support Services of Billings, strokes the nose of therapy horse Moon.

HORSES SPIRIT HEALING SPECIFICS:

Top: Matt Sampley and Christina Bochy, both U.S. Air Force veterans, get to know therapy horse Zoe. Above: U.S. Marine Corps veteran Ryan Parsons and certified therapeutic riding instructor Anvia Hampton (left) help Mark Lenhart (seated) lead Zoe around the arena at the Intermountain Equestrian Center.

Paul Gatzemeier, coowner of the Intermountain Equestrian Center, will give presentations about the program to interested groups. “Our vision is to be a regional educational, therapeutic and research facility,� he said of the organization’s collaboration with Rocky Mountain College, Montana State University Billings and the U.S. Veterans Administration.

To volunteer, donate or learn more about the Horses Spirits Healing program, contact Gatzemeier at 245-4076 or pgatzemeier@ earthlink.net.

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MAGIC CITY MAGAZINE I MAY/JUNE 2015 I 51

PHOTO JOURNAL

Top: Certified therapeutic riding instructor Anvia Hampton, left, teaches new volunteer Christina Bochy, a U.S. Air Force veteran, how to properly lead a horse.

52 I MAY/JUNE 2015 I MAGIC CITY MAGAZINE

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MAGIC CITY MAGAZINE I MAY/JUNE 2015 I 53

PTOs, that were perfectly designed to snag a pant leg or loose clothing. These gears were supposed to be covered by a protective plate, but they were vestigial or missing. The PTO was used to power a variety of machines like sickle mowers, combines, hay balers and corn pickers.

The prudent operator would disengage the PTO before dealing with a broken or clogged machine. Corn pickers were especially dangerous because the operator often sat in the middle of the vicious augers, chains and other relentlessly moving parts. The design of this machine made the operator totally expendable.

I don’t remember being taught specifically about safety, but rather I learned by hanging around and listening to stories my dad and other farmers shared. They would talk about incidents that happened to other hapless souls who lost their chance to swim in the gene pool by being careless or unlucky. I listened wide-eyed, vowing that I would never be “that guy.”

It wasn’t just the machinery that posed a danger. Mother Nature also contributed to the perils of farm life. On the prairie, storms cooked and boiled to produce hail, tornadoes, floods and blizzards. Once, I was trapped in the barn during a golf ball sized hailstorm. I made it to the house with a bushel basket over my head, my legs stinging and my ears ringing. Another time in a white-out blizzard, I became completely disoriented between the barn and the house—a distance of 50 yards. I was saved when I blundered into the side of the house.

Sometimes, the most dangerous situations came when machinery and weather were in the same scene. On a summer day, I was driving a

tractor mounted with a cultivator that was grounded in the earth, while an approaching iridescent violet/purple cloud emitted forks of lightening. I watched that cloud and soon realized I was the only thing in that flat field the lightening would hit. I wondered how far away it was and when to bail out before I was disintegrated in a ball of fire.

I must also include the farm animals in this montage. Some of my closest calls came when we were either chasing or trying to medicate them. Even the chickens had nasty personalities. But the biggest threat came from the pigs and cattle. A 300-pound sow with young piglets was a formidable force and had a potent combination of brains, brawn and deceptive speed. A thousand- pound steer, with a much lower IQ, had the dual traits of dangerous and stupid.

There are still mechanical hazards in farm and ranch life, and the weather and animals will always be quirky. But I marvel at how much safer things are—particularly the machinery. The transition from that old lawn mower to the current models is my personal version of going from the Wright brothers to the space shuttle. I feel fortunate that I survived that contraption and the metal maws of all the other machinery.

The biggest reward comes when I look into the faces of my children and grandchildren, and realize that I have gone from floundering to swimming in the gene pool.

Gene Colling claims dual residency in both Billings and Missoula. He retired after a career with the U.S. Forest Service.

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TRAVELOGUE

L I F E

I S

A

H I G H

By Karen Kinser • Photos courtesy of Donnie Sexton and Gazette Staff

Now’s the time to enjoy a resplendent road trip over the world-renowned Beartooth Highway, with plenty of stops along the way.

56 I MAY/JUNE 2015 I MAGIC CITY MAGAZINE

W A Y

Often, when we want that extra-special get-away, we’ll book an exotic trip to a far-away locale.

But Montana’s greater backyard actually is the exotic locale for millions of people. The Beartooth Highway, especially, is consistently included on lists of the most scenic drives on the planet. And this year it’s all about the journey, so make a mixtape of travelin’ songs, and hit the road, Jack (and Jills).

MAGIC CITY MAGAZINE I MAY/JUNE 2015 I 57

Above: A bird’s-eye-view of scenic Beartooth Highway. Photos by Donnie Sexton and Gazette staff.

TRAVELOGUE

R E D

L O D G E

Make this former mining town your first stop, and enjoy its sophistication, world-class cuisine and unique shops. Plan to stay two nights here, where lodging choices range from cabins and condos to B&Bs and rooms with history. Choose the historical Pollard and you might catch a whiff of fine French perfume on the third floor as one of the hotel’s purported ghosts whisks by. The area’s eateries include a variety of finedining selections, as well as pizza, Mexican, Chinese and American bistro-style cuisines—many with locally-sourced foods. Check out the Carbon County Steakhouse, Bridgecreek, Red Lodge Pizza Co. or Café Regis—they never disappoint.

The next morning, take a selfguided Historic Walking Tour. Then, don’t miss the Carbon County Arts Guild and Red Lodge Clay Center, the Yellowstone Wildlife Sanctuary and the Carbon County Historical Society. Have lunch and a brewski at Red Lodge Ales, then round out the day with hiking the West Fork or biking the Meteetse Trail. At day’s end, kick up your heels at one of the many live-music venues. The next day, after breakfast at Café Regis, head for the hills.

Above (clockwise from top): Main Street in Red Lodge, Mont., brims with curious shops, earteries and more. Red Lodge Ales Brewing Company stocks a wide variety of tasty craft beer. Carbon County Arts Guild Clay Center invites guests to linger and look at beautiful hand-crafted pots, cookware and more. Plan for breakfast at the Red Lodge Cafe.

58 I MAY/JUNE 2015 I MAGIC CITY MAGAZINE

B EARTOOTH

H IG H WAY

You’ve probably taken this drive before, but the beauty of it is that every time you go, these 68 miles are different – from shifting clouds that hang in the valleys like mounds of cotton candy to surprise summer snowfalls. Relish the hairpin turns, road-splashing waterfalls, glacierfed lakes, carpets of wildflowers, melting snowbanks and sunning marmots.

If the snow gods have blessed the mountains, stop at the Beartooth Basin Summer Ski Area and watch skiers blast down the headwalls. Continue to the Top of the World store, explore the Beartooth Bridge and Falls and then ease on down the road into Cooke City for lunch. Afterward, backtrack 30 miles to the junction of Highway 212 and WY 296 and turn onto Chief Joseph Highway.

Above (clockwise from top): Scenic view from the “Top of the World,” the perfect pit-stop for a postcard photo.

Hugging the rugged Beartooths, the Beartooth Highway switchbacks must be experienced. Beartooth Bike Tours host a downhill cycling adventure. Main street Cooke City and view of Beartooth Mountains near Cooke City.

MAGIC CITY MAGAZINE I MAY/JUNE 2015 I 59

TRAVELOGUE

C H I E F

Also known as the Sunlight Basin Road, the 47 miles of this highway’s curves offer knock-your-socks-off views of emerald grasslands, bright red layers of the Chugwater geologic formation, limestone spires, canyons and wildlife. At Highway 120, turn right and this road takes you into Cody, Wyo.

Above: Cyclists peddle the Chief Joseph scenic byway. At right: The Chief Joseph scenic byway

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J O S E P H

S C E N I C

B Y W A Y

MAGIC CITY MAGAZINE I MAY/JUNE 2015 I 61

TRAVELOGUE

CODY Founded in 1896 by Buffalo Bill Cody, this town embraces its cowboy culture, with historic hotels, gunslingers and a nightly rodeo – all served up with a hearty dose of western hospitality. Just as in Red Lodge, you’ll want to spend at least two nights here.

Start with an overview on the Cody Trolley tour. Spend the rest of the day at the Buffalo Bill Center of the West.

The Center, which is world-renowned, offers curious points of interest, artifacts and interactive

displays

to keep you and the kiddos

entertained

for hours. And, just in case you missed something, know that your admission to the Center is good for two consecutive days.

The next day, you’ll have a tough time choosing from hiking, biking, fishing, river float trips, horseback riding, golfing, gallery-hopping, shopping, or flying with the eagles on a hang-gliding adventure. Learn to rope at a day ranch, discover pictographs and petroglyphs, visit nearby ghost towns, and don’t miss the Heart Mountain Interpretive Center. An every-evening rodeo punctuates the nightlife in Cody—which kicks off June 1 and runs through August 31. Also earmark your calendars for the 95th annual Cody Stampede, held July 1-4, where more than 800 contestants compete for a purse of more than $400,000 in the PRCA’s largest one header rodeo of the year.

For lodging, choose from the historic Irma Hotel, motels, dude ranches or B&Bs. The Chamberlin Inn – a historic boutique hotel – features elegant rooms, chocolates on the pillow and signature cocktails. And when you find yourself hankerin’ for some victuals, Cody’s got the whole kit and caboodle of choices that span everything from international and American cuisine to chuck wagon dinners or dinner and a show at Dan Miller’s Cowboy Music Revue. Dust off your dancin’ shoes and practice your two-step at Cassie’s Supper Club. The next morning, head west a few miles to the Buffalo Bill Dam to view an impressive feat of engineering, and then wind your way home via Highway 120.

Above (clockwise from top): Buffalo Bill Cody, Main Street Cody, Wyo., entrance to the Buffalo Bill Historical Center, vignette at the Buffalo Bill Historical Center.

62 I MAY/JUNE 2015 I MAGIC CITY MAGAZINE

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MONTANA The last best frontier

MAGIC CITY MAGAZINE I MAY/JUNE 2015 I 65

By Jennifer Groneberg photography by james woodcock

Early Morning on the Ranch

The ranch I call home is 60 miles north of Billings by

highway, and then 15 more miles of gravel road that turns and dips as it makes its way to the base of the Little Snowy Mountains. My husband Tom, our three sons, and I live here in company housing—a triple-wide modular set down in a little fenced yard near Willow Creek.

Today is the second Saturday of the month, which means it’s a “B” week, and if you’re a Basketeer, you know it’s our local pickup day for a box of fruit and vegetables from the food-buying co-op Bountiful Baskets. I will get three boxes of produce; one for my family and two more for other families on the ranch.

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Above: The Groneberg family, Tom, Jennifer, Avery, Carter and Bennett.

Left to right: Horses on the Bar N Ranch. Tom and Jennifer Groneberg check on cattle. Jennifer and son, Avery.

MAGIC CITY MAGAZINE I MAY/JUNE 2015 I 67

Driving into town, I listen to Yellowstone Public Radio. It’s almost always playing, in the car or on the radio in our kitchen—it gives the day balance, and I can tell where we are by the programs. The air smells wet from the short rain we had in the night. The sky is pink and melon and violet, with whitish blue clouds lifting into a vortex.

Five pronghorn along the side of the road stop running and turn to watch me pass by. I watch them watching me.

At the Roundup Youth Center, I wait in line for my pickup. The team of volunteers is busy finishing up the distribution—some are faces I know, others are new. This site serves Winnett, Melstone and Roundup. It’s a good way to get fruits and vegetables, especially when you live out in the country, where it’s difficult to grow things—the water is bad, the wind blows all the topsoil away. This land is best for the short, rich native grass that nourishes range cattle and other wild things.

On my way home, I deliver the first box of produce to the hired man and his family, who live in a double-wide house with a little fenced yard down the road from ours. I pull into their drive and all is quiet, so I leave the food in the cab of their truck, as we’d pre-arranged. It’s the last box for this family, because they are leaving to take a different job on a new ranch. It’s one of the things I’ve had to get used to, working on a big ranch. There are lots of comings and goings, as cowboys and their families chase their dreams across the West. For my family, the dream was a big ranch in Montana, and here we are. For this family, the dream is of an even bigger ranch, in Nevada.

Midmorning on the Ranch The kids are up, and if it were a school day, they’d be working. Carter is a sophomore in high school, Bennett is in sixth grade, and Avery has a custom-designed curriculum for kids with Down syndrome. Each boy has his own laptop for schoolwork, and a computer program that provides lessons in each subject. The boys are homeschooled. My job is to help, make sure the schedules are kept and discover what I don’t know.

I won’t see Tom until he’s done feeding and checking the cows. He makes me coffee in the morning before he goes, and leaves me a note on the kitchen counter with a rough idea of where he’ll be and what he has planned for the day. He has a cell phone that sometimes has service, and he’ll call when he can. If we see each other before, we expect it’s never good news. Like the other day, I could see a trail of dust rising from his pickup driving home fast. With him he brought a nearly dead, chilled-down calf, born premature. We put Above: Tom Groneberg works iwth horses on the Bar N Ranch.

At right: Homeschoolers Bennett and Avery Groneberg work on their homework. Miles from the nearest town of Roudup, the Bar N Ranch spans hundreds of acres across south central Montana.

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it into our bathtub filled with warm water. The kids and I massaged it, and slowly raised its core body temperature. It was a beautiful, perfect, sad little thing that in the end, died anyway. This time of year is filled with life and death, but mostly, it is life.

There is a green tractor pulling a harrow across a field to the west.

A fertilizer truck is spreading nitrogen on the hay meadows behind our house. A little brown colt is penned in the corals by the horse barn.

He walks the fence, whinnying and snorting. He’s alone and scared. I’ve felt this way about ranch life, too. I haven’t always lived on a ranch—I grew up in the suburbs, where my only contact with agriculture was the supermarket. I came West with Tom, who was chasing his own cowboy dreams. The colt is lonesome and unhappy. His fretting is only making things worse for himself. Let it be, I wish I could tell him.

Learn to trust.

The fridge is the heart of the kitchen—inside, with all the good food to eat, and outside, with the important papers taped to the door. A bumper sticker that reads, “Cows not Condos” from the Montana Land Reliance. My name tag from the Winter Grazing Seminar in Billings.

An incomplete set of magnetic alphabet letters that we gamely try to make words with. Someone’s come up with “Montana,” but the “M” is an upside down “W.” Bennett’s essay on Catahoula Leopard Dogs, Above: Spring is calving season, and everyone in the family pitches in.

Avery’s handwriting practice, our church calendar. The schedules for Middle: Jennifer homeschools her sons, Carter, Bennett and Avery.

Bottom: Tom helps himself to a handful of Jennifer's Cowboy Cookies, two libraries (Roundup and Billings), and a photo magnet with a quote a family favorite.

by Ralph Waldo Emerson that reads, “Scatter Joy.” I get out my recipes—things I’ve collected from the other ranch women I’ve known, hand-written on scraps of paper and index cards and my cookbooks. I decide to make a family recipe, my version of “Grandpa’s Pretty Dog-Gone Good Chili,” based on a recipe by Tom’s Dad, Don. I chop onions, celery and peppers from the co-op produce box, and pull cans of chili sauce and beans from the coat closet I’ve turned into a pantry.

My next stop is outside to the garage. There, I have a big chest freezer for our ranch-raised beef, an upright freezer and an extra fridge with eggs, sodas, bottled water and vaccine for the calves that are coming now. You know you’re a ranch wife if: Your coat closet is a pantry. If you have a calf in your bathtub. Or, if the brown and blue eggs from your laying hens are stacked next to 200 tiny plastic bottles of 10-dose Clostridium Perfringens C & D Toxoid.

Midday on the Ranch I make lunch—apple slices, peanut butter and honey sandwiches with honey from the ranch. After cleaning up the kitchen, and giving the apple cores and leftover bread crusts to the chickens, I deliver the last basket of produce to the ranch couple and their newborn baby girl. On my way home, I drop off cookies at the young cowboy’s house, who appreciates sweets more than vegetables. I do all this because of Grace, a woman I knew from Miles City. She called it “neighboring,” and while I didn’t always appreciate her forced monthly potlucks, I saw that she had a point. We all live together out here, and many times, we have to rely on each other. We might as well get along.

On my way home, I watch the tractors moving across the fields and the clouds moving across the skies. The dozen horses in the front pasture start running. The wind is in their manes, and they must be feeling spring. I’m reminded of a line from an Emily Dickinson poem: “Hope is the thing with feathers/That perches in the soul.”

It’s what I have in my soul, too.

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RANCH RECIPIES Cowboy Cookies Courtesy of Jennifer Groneberg

2/3 cup butter, melted 1 ¼ cup brown sugar ¾ cup white sugar 3 eggs 1 ½ cups smooth peanut butter 6 cups regular oats 2 teaspoons baking soda 12 oz. chocolate chips Mix melted butter, sugars, eggs and peanut butter in a stand mixer or by hand until smooth. Add oats and baking soda. Cookie dough will be wet and a bit sticky. Use an ice cream scoop to transfer dough to cookie sheets. Bake at 350 degrees until golden, about 10 minutes. Let cool, serve. Makes 3 dozen large cookies.

Grandpa’s Pretty Dog-Gone Good Chili 2 lbs. ground beef 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 cup green pepper, chopped 1 cup celery, chopped 1 cup onion, chopped 2 cloves garlic, minced 2 (14 oz.) cans diced tomatoes 2 (16 oz.) cans Ranch-Style beans, with sauce 1 (16 oz.) can black beans, rinsed and drained 1 (16 oz.) can kidney beans, rinsed and drained 1 tablespoon chili powder 1 tablespoon oregano 1 tablespoon cumin 1 teaspoon seasoned salt Brown beef in a big cast-iron skillet. Add peppers, celery, onions and garlic. Cook until meat is no longer pink. Pour mixture into a crock pot. Add diced tomatoes with juice, beans, spices, and salt. Stir to combine. Put lid on and cook, 6 hours on low or 3 hours on high. Taste, adjust seasonings and serve with bowls of pickled jalapenos, grated cheese, chopped onion warm, buttered MAGIC CITYand MAGAZINE I MAY/JUNEtortillas.

2015 I 71Makes about 2 ½ quarts.

single under the stars By allyn hulteng photography by james woodcock

Dirt and blood coat Clayton Detterer’s well-worn boots. The young ranch hand has just finished a grueling day of pulling and vaccinating calves, in between feeding and watering a large herd of cattle at Bar N Ranch.

Spring is calving season; everyone pitches in. For 23-year-old Clayton, work starts before daybreak and goes well into the night. There are no weekends off – at least this time of year. Clayton expects that. Later, when the summer sun kisses the prairie and the grass grows thick, he can think about spending a Saturday with friends.

Stepping into the aged, white farmhouse he calls home, Clayton makes a quick trip to the kitchen. Some leftover cold cuts and bread slathered with mayonnaise come together for a hurried late night snack.

Popping open a can of beer he washes down each bite, relaxing for the

first time since dawn.

The house is silent. No cellphone. No television. No one to talk to. It isn’t that Clayton isn’t social – he enjoys spending time with friends.

But here in this remote corner of central Montana, far-removed from the nearest town of Roundup and even farther from Billings, is his Clayton Detterer works as a ranch hand on the Bar N Ranch near Roundup.

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work. And socializing – particularly dating – is remarkably difficult.

No fences Clayton grew up on ranches. His father was a hired hand who spent his life farming and haying. A native of Wyoming, Clayton graduated from Meeteetse High School. After a stint riding bucking horses, he left rodeo in order to pursue his own career as a ranch hand.

“I had a couple of different town jobs, working 8 to 5 with an hour for lunch,” he shared. “But I just didn’t like it.”

Ranch work, he noted, offers much more freedom than living within the confines of a city. Plus he relishes being outdoors and working independently.

But cowboy life can be lonely – particularly when you’re young and single.

“It’s tough to meet gals,” Clayton said. Occasionally, he’s met single ladies at concerts or rodeos, but those have been far and few between. Even if he does meet someone special, he knows the proposition of living on a remote ranch is a tough sell.

“It takes a special type of person to live out here away from town, shopping and friends,” he said.

Still, Clayton is hopeful that a “special someone” is out there, willing to put up with the long hours, dirty messes and solitude.

“I don’t put on airs, but I think I’m a pretty nice person,” he said.

Sometimes Clayton passes time strumming his guitar. Perhaps one day he’ll meet a special lady friend and his acoustic musing will be as pleasing to her ear as the sound of the prairie wind blowing hard across the raw eastern Montana landscape.

Perhaps.

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ADVANCEMENTS IN TECHNOLOGY TRANSFORM THE WAY FARMERS AND RANCHERS DO BUSINESS

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AG 2.0

BY JOHN KORPELA FARMERS AND RANCHERS HAVE AN AWESOME RESPONSIBILITY—TO FEED THE MASSES. INNOVATIONS IN TECHNOLOGY HAVE AIDED THIS PURSUIT, AS WE ARE NOW THREE GENERATIONS REMOVED FROM THE HORSE-DRAWN PLOW. THE TITANS OF INDUSTRY HAVE MADE THEIR PRESENCE KNOWN ON OUR PRAIRIES AND RANCHLANDS—A SEEMING SYNTHESIS OF OLD AND NEW.

MAGIC CITY MAGAZINE I MAY/JUNE 2015 I 75

92nd Wolf Point Wild Horse Stampede & Wolf Point City Centennial Celebration

July 8 – 12, 2015 Featuring:

The One-Armed Bandit, Street Dances, Class Reunions, Parades, Art in the Park, Car Show, Country Showdown, Concert, Human Stampede Run & Much More

Today’s ag leaders are adept at integrating technology into their operation. Efficiencies, productivity and organization have never been better, due in part to these six advancements in ag-tech.

Unmanned aerial vehicles UAVs, or drones as they are commonly known, give farmers and ranchers the ability to survey land via a birds-eye view, gathering a great deal of crop and livestock information.

Resembling a helicopter with multiple rotors, UAVs can be controlled manually or programmed using GPS coordinates, GIS data and satellite communication. These unmanned drones fly to specified coordinates and send the information wirelessly to an Internet database programmed to keep the measurements it gathers.

According to Trevor Miles of Landview Technologies in Billings, the drones can take high- reso-

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lution photos, identify infrared data, provide weather updates and gather other necessary data. This information translates into a daily or weekly snapshot of crops, fields, livestock and other information vital to a farmer or rancher’s operation.

Real-time data collection and updates allow the farmer or rancher to spot drought or disease in crops before the problem gets worse, address predator activity, predict harvest patterns and more.

RFID technology Always... Patsy Cline May 29, 30, 31 and June 5, 6, 7 One Man. Two Guvnors June 12, 13, 14; 19, 20, 21; 26, 27, 28 The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas July 10, 11, 12; 17, 18, 19; 24, 25, 26 Tarzan July 31; August 1, 2; 7, 8, 9; 14, 15, 16 Steel Magnolias August 21, 22, 23; 28, 29, 30; September 4, 5, 6 Reservations are encouraged Box Office: 406-526-9943 For Season Ticket Information Call 406-228-9216 or Visit www.fortpecktheatre.org

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RFID, or Radio Frequency Identification, uses tags or microchips sometimes as small as a grain of sand that can be attached to almost anything to track livestock, farm equipment and even crops from a distance.

This technology allows ranchers to track their herd’s bloodline, age, grazing history, weight even medical history. Scanning the chip with a handheld device provides this information instantly.

Farmers can use this technology to track crops

via date and location harvested, weight of bales or loads, temperature at storage and moisture levels.

According to Scott Lachut of PSFK labs in Denmark, this technology can follow the livestock or crops throughout the supply chain and can make it easier for consumers and food investigators to identify the origin of food arriving on our dining room tables.

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This new proprietary technology (available later this year) will allow cellular devices, especially newer smartphones, to be used for peer-topeer communication in areas where there is no cellular coverage.

Beartooth users are able to make calls, send texts and communicate with hand-held devices, all without a cellular tower in the area. Founder and CEO Michael Monaghan believes that Beartooth Radio will allow farmers and ranchers to ditch expensive and hard to use handheld radios—freeing up space and alleviating frustrations.

GIS and GPS GIS stands for geographic information systems. When combined with the more mainstream GPS, GIS creates meticulously detailed maps that combine topography, geology, aerial photography and other surveying methods to give farmers and ranchers a hyper-detailed map of their land.

While GPS has been in use for quite a few years, advances in accuracy and combining it with GIS mapping allows these systems to help farmers and ranchers become exceptionally efficient with locations of crops, livestock and equipment.

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Autonomous vehicles It’s every rancher’s dream realized—a tractor or swather that drives itself. It may seem preposterous to some, but GPS, GIS and other robotic advancements will soon allow tractors, combines and other farm equipment to run without any hu-

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MAGIC CITY MAGAZINE I MAY/JUNE 2015 I 77

man input or interaction.

Farmers will be able to give commands remotely—from more than 100 miles away if necessary—and the autonomous vehicles respond as directed.

There is no word yet how much maintenance the technology will require, and the equipment will still need regular maintenance via human interaction.

Seed technology Seed technology refers to the development of seed characteristics by genetic modification that allows for superior distinctions or traits to manifest themselves based on the goal of the application.

Goals vary widely, as there are many different reasons seeds are modified.

The Society of Commercial Seed Technology in Washington, D.C., says that seed technology can be used to make seeds more likely to germinate in certain conditions, used for superior storage in extreme environments or to produce crops that have a more plentiful harvest.

This technology has been very useful in producing crops that do not require as much pesticide, can grow in drought-like conditions or in areas that have a short harvest period.

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80 I MAY/JUNE 2015 I MAGIC CITY MAGAZINE

The Cattlemen’s Code

By Gary D. Robson BRANDING HAD A WHOLE DIFFERENT MEANING IN THE 1800S – OR DID IT? Montana is a marvelous juxtaposition of old and new, archaic and modern. If you need an example of that, ask some random Montanans what “branding” is.

Get a rancher, historian or just plain romantic and you’ll hear a tale of cattle branding. They’ll speak of the sound of bawling calves, the smell of seared hair and flesh and the legends of the cattle rustlers.

Corner someone in a suit walking out of an advertising agency, and he or she will regale you with stories of successful (and not so successful) attempts to control the image of a business or organization. They’ll talk about brand management, logo designs, public relations and social media.

Surprisingly enough, both are really talking about the same thing.

Although modern business or community branding can be an abstract concept, it typically centers on a logo: a symbol used to represent the organization or product line.

That is precisely what a cattle brand is. There’s a reason that a cowboy loyal to his outfit was said to be “riding for the brand.” If the Bar RS ranch was known for quality beef, buyers would look for that brand on the animals.

MAGIC CITY MAGAZINE I MAY/JUNE 2015 I 81

Montana has been registering brands since 1873, providing ranchers with a way to uniquely identify their cattle and horses. This was especially important in the days of free-range cattle. If my herd got mixed in with your herd, their brands would be the only way to identify whose were whose.

Early ranchers picked simple and memorable brands, often a single letter or symbol. Brands like that aren’t available any longer, and if you own one, be sure to re-register it when it comes due. Those old one-letter brands are worth some money.

Theft on the frontier

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But there’s a dark side to the easy brands, too, and that takes us into the world of rustling.

If your brand was Bar-A (a capital A with a line over it), and your registered location was the cow’s left hip, then any cattle in your county with a Bar-A on their left hip were yours. Easy, right? But what if I registered Bar-AB in the next county over. My brand looks just like yours, except with a longer bar and an added letter. I could steal a bunch of your cattle and change the brands, and all of a sudden they’re mine.

The brand registry and the local brand inspectors became good at preventing this kind of hijinks.

If my brand is too similar to yours, they might require me to move it to the other side, put in on a shoulder instead of a hip, or come up with a different design.

Not all rustlers were equal in the eyes of the ranchers. Colonel E. P. Hardesty famously gave his men these instructions regarding a homesteader stealing one of his cows: “If he stole it to eat, tell him to enjoy it and bring me the hide. If he stole it to sell, bring me his hide.”

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When we think of cattle rustling, we think of history, like the Johnson County War in Wyoming in the late 1800s. Large cattle operations had been running their herds on public land throughout Wyoming for years. With the advent of laws like the Desert Land Act of 1877, homesteaders got access to government land free or very cheap. In Johnson County, the cattle barons controlled massive swaths of public land under the “customary use” doctrine.

Conflict between the large cattle operations and the small homesteaders was inevitable. The homesteaders said the large ranchers were grabbing land they weren’t entitled to, and the large ranchers said the homesteaders were stealing their cattle. Tensions were riding high in 1889, when drought and a rough winter a few years earlier left many cattlemen desperate. Ranchers, townspeople, lawmen, brand inspectors and even cattle associations were taking sides in the battle.

The killings began when rancher Ella Watson and her soon-to-be husband, Jim Averell, were accused of stealing cattle and modifying brands. They pair were lynched in a gully near the Sweetwater River. George Henderson, the detective who had accused Watson, was murdered the next year, supposedly by rustlers.

A local settler/cowboy named Nate Champion felt that the WSGA (Wyoming Stock Growers

Association) was causing most of the trouble, as it was controlled by big ranchers with big money.

In the spring of 1892, Champion formed a new association, called the Northern Wyoming Farmers and Stock Growers’ Association.

Things came to a head when the WSGA, along with prominent politicians like Acting Governor Amos Barber and State Senator Bob Tisdale, hired 23 gunmen from Texas to help them eliminate the homesteaders, who they considered to all be rustlers. The group, which came to be called “The Invaders,” numbered 52 men when they rode toward Buffalo, the Johnson County seat with a list of 70 men to be killed, including Nate Champion and Johnson County sheriff Red Angus.

Their plan was to cut the telegraph wires into Buffalo so nobody knew they were coming, wipe out the men on the “dead list,” and replace the local government. The hired guns were to be paid $5 per day plus expenses, and an extra $50 for everyone on the dead list that they killed.

On April 9, 1982, the Texas “Invaders” ambushed Nate Champion and Ruben “Nick” Ray as they cooked breakfast at Champion’s ranch. Both Ray and Champion were listed on the Invader’s hit list.

Ray died first, while Champion managed to hold out through the day before being shot as he attempted to flee. Unbeknownst to the Invaders, Champion’s murder had been witnessed by locals who raced to Buffalo to warn the citizenry. A large posse quickly formed and rode out to corner the Invaders.

At the request of Governor Barber, both of Wyoming’s U.S. Senators went to the White House and convinced President Benjamin Harrison that things were out of control, and Harrison called in troops from Fort McKinney.

By the time the dust Brand design is an art with serious practical considerations, too. Brands settled, almost two dozen people had been lynched or are administered to cattle and horses by murdered. heating up branding irons until they are According to the Wyored hot and pressing them against the skin ming State Historical Society, Ella Watson had been to leave a permanent mark. The hair won’t deliberately maligned by grow back on the scar, and it will stay the lynch men after her murder in an attempt to there for the life of the animal. confuse people into thinking she was the notorious cattle rustler “Cattle Kate” Maxwell. The true motive appears to be to destroy her homestead and acquire her land.

Lurid books and movies came out with fictionalized accounts of what had happened. Owen Wister’s The Virginian told the story through the eyes of the cattle barons, and Jack Schaefer’s Shane told it through the side of the homesteaders. Rooster Cogburn, the main character in Charles Portis’ True Grit, had participated in the Johnson County War.

Theives among us Cattle rustling isn’t just ancient history, though.

In 2009, Richard D. Holen of Wolf Point, Mont. was found guilty of rustling 39 head of cattle.

Brands from eight other ranches and evidence that Holen had been modifying brands contributed to his conviction. But 39 head is just a drop in the bucket.

A 2009 story from The New York Times carried the headline, “Cattle Rustling Plagues Ranchers.” A 2011 Reuters article says that “In Montana alone, investigators have recovered more than 7,300 stolen or missing cattle worth nearly $8 million during the past three years, numbers believed to account for just a fraction of the problem.” And a 2013 NPR story stated that, “In Texas and Oklahoma, over 10,000 cows and horses – mostly cows – were reported missing” in 2012.

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are administered to cattle and horses by heating up branding irons until Branding carries a rich history and a language all of its own. Trying to they are red hot and pressing them against the skin to leave a permanent describe a brand could be complicated, so ranchers developed a special- mark. The hair won’t grow back on the scar, and it will stay there for the life ized way of reading the symbols, called “calling the brand” (see sidebar on of the animal. If a brand has small enclosed spaces (like the two circles in an 8), heat tends to accumulate there and the brand blurs, making it hard page 82).

The three rules of reading brands are that you always read left to right, to read. “Open” letters like C, F, and V tend to work better than “closed” letters like O, R, and A. top to bottom, and outside to inside. That’s Branding with fire has been around why an H with a circle around it is called for centuries because it works, and it’s “Circle H,” not “H Circle.” This system very easy to do in the middle of a field makes it easy to describe a brand over the If you’d like to brand livestock in Montana, you’ll need to come up with a brand and register it with the state.

The state will no longer issue brands with only one letter or somewhere. There is a more modern alphone or in a text message (or telegram) symbol (and they can’t contain the letters I, G, or Q, or the number 1), so start with ternative – although it’s more common without having to transmit pictures of it. ideas for two symbols with slashes, bars or rockers. with horses than cattle – called freeze Brand names have often been puns. branding. As the name implies, the When you register, you’ll need to specify where you want the brand to appear (e.g., The last one in the sidebar is a famous left hip or right shoulder); whether it’s for cattle, horses or sheep; and what counties branding irons are super-chilled with example. It would be read out loud as “2 your stock will run in. You can also register “ornamental brands” for decorative use dry ice and pressed against the skin.

Lazy 2 P” which sounds like “too lazy to only, such as jewelry or logos. Ornamental brands can not be used on animals. The The freezing damages the color cells and pee.” Others include the letters BQ with recording fee is $200. the hair in that spot grows back white. a line over them (“Bar B Q”), an upside The Montana state website has information about brands, including downloadable Freeze branding is slower, as the hair down 4 setting on a quarter circle (“Rockmaster brand books, at liv.mt.gov/be/brandsinfo.mcpx or call the brand recorder at needs to be shaved first, and can’t be ing Chair”), and an A missing its crossbar the Department of Livestock at 406-444-3812. used on white animals. Also, coolants with a line after it (“Open A Bar”). like dry ice and liquid nitrogen are more Brands also aren’t limited to just letters, like these examples. Brands can include numbers (calibers of guns expensive than a branding fire.

The next time you look at a corporate brand on a billboard, think about make popular brands) and symbols like stars.

Brand design is an art with serious practical considerations, too. Brands how brands really tie us to a still-living part of the Old West.

Foiling the rustlers with brands

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MAGIC CITY MAGAZINE I MAY/JUNE 2015 I 85

In a world where your smartphone can tell you what the astronauts on the International Space Station had for breakfast or start your car on a cold morning, some professions have gone the way of the steam engine and the telegraph.

But out West, and especially in Montana where the frontier still meets you at your feet if you stray out of the city just enough, a select few folks still work at jobs that require long-forgotten skills. These tradesmen continue to build wagons for ranches, shape intricate leather riding saddles and forge ornate metalwork for cabinets and fireplaces with bellows and anvils. These men work in frontier industries so remote and antiquated that they’ve become new again.

We call them the Frontiersmen.

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Jem Blueher

Wainwright & wheelwright PHOTOS BY LARRY MAYER

A century and a half ago, Jem Blueher’s profession was synonymous with

“I love history,” he said.

Manifest Destiny. Nearly every traveler who trekked west did so with a wagon

The work of digging up old patents or finding pictures of vintage western

or handcart. Ranchers and farmers who busted sod and tamed foothills fed

wagons and then figuring out how to build them with tools and materials on

their hired hands from chuck wagons and worked their land from sheep and

hand was exciting. His business, Anvil Wagonworks, is a testament to his abil-

cattle wagons.

ity to make it prosper.

Wheels made the journey possible.

“I had to travel around,” he said.

Blueher, a Livingston carpenter, has spent his life learning the craft and

There’s a relatively large network of wheelwrights on the East Coast, mainly

for years has built and restored wagons and wagon wheels in his shop using the same techniques and materials wainwrights and wheelwrights used in the 1800s.

“It’s definitely a disappearing art,” he said.

A couple generations ago, when the rest of the country had moved from horse- and oxen-drawn farm implements to mechanized tractors, most of the ranchers in Montana were still using wagons, he said.

That’s how Blueher, 46, ended up learning his craft. He grew up on his stepfather’s ranch in southeast Montana among wooden wagons and wagon wheels, helping repair or create fixes for the old equipment.

He fell in love with the work.

because of the Amish.

Most of Blueher’s business comes from the private sector. Dude ranches in Montana and elsewhere still use wagons regularly. He also does a lot of restoration work for people who have acquired antique wagons or wheels.

“I’m currently restoring an old Yellowstone touring coach,” he said.

It’s the type used in the late 1800s to ferry visitors around Yellowstone National Park. While doing the restoration work, he discovered the name of the wainwright who originally built the wagon printed on the body; the frame carries the name of the blacksmith who did the metalwork.

It’s a pretty good chance they knew each other and worked together, Blueher said. “You find all the history.”

MAGIC CITY MAGAZINE I MAY/JUNE 2015 I 87

John Beug

Farrier & Equine Vet PHOTOS BY CASEY PAGE

John Beug was born a cowboy. He began shoeing horses at a young age, and horses have always been a part of who he is. Beug has spent most of his adult life riding, working and healing horses.

“I grew up on a cattle ranch in the Black Hills of South Dakota,” he said.

He was certain from a young age that he wanted to pursue a career that would keep him close to his upbringing. He chose equine medicine and headed off to veterinary school in the 1970s at Colorado State University in Fort Collins.

But he was still a cowboy. As a young veterinary student at CSU, Beug became a rodeo star.

“Yeah, I rodeoed,” he said. “Rode bucking horses.”

These days, he’s a long way from the rodeo grounds and ranches of his youth. Beug runs the Red Lodge Veterinary Clinic where he specializes in equine podiatry medicine.

He’s been practicing for 43 years.

But he’s still tied to the farrier work of his youth. Connected to his clinic is a metal shop where Beug pounds out experimental horse

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shoes with his son. He’s also developed a completely redesigned hoof snipper with a steel blade.

“We designed a totally new horseshoe,” he said. “The evolution of it started in 2003.”

It’s used to treat laminitis in horse legs, a condition that breaks down the tissue bond between the hoof and the bone at the bottom of the horse’s foot. The disease will eventually kill the horse.

Beug works with his oldest son, who’s a mechanical engineer, to design and craft the specialized horseshoes. They weld a prototype then send it out to have it machined in multiples. He calls it the Rocker Rail Shoe, and it’s a complex piece of hardware with multiple parts. The shoe is “self-adjusting,” allowing the horse to find its own comfort zone.

“I started out (my career) treating horses,” Beug said. His specialized work to treat laminitis grew from there.

For Beug, his craft has been a meaningful way to stay connected with the rancher heritage of his youth while taking what is essentially Bronze Age technology and moving it into the 21st century.

Ben Swanke

Saddle maker

PHOTOS BY JAMES WOODCOCK

Ben Swanke crafted his first saddle at the tender age of 14. He found the work immensely satisfying and knew he was destined for no other profession.

“Something inspired me,” he said.

Swanke grew up on a ranch east of Billings, and directly out of high school he earned an apprenticeship with renowned Billings saddle maker Buck Bradford.

Swanke’s first shop was opened in 1982, and he’s been in business for himself ever since. Swanke Saddlery, Inc. has been a Billings fixture for decades.

The process of working the leather, crafting the saddle, testing it and turning over the finished product can take anywhere from 40 to 50 hours—one full work week.

The saddles themselves are built for ranch and farm life.

“All my saddles are made for working cowboys,” he said. He then noted with a smile, “They’re not always bought by working cowboys.”

Casual horse owners and recreational riders find their way to

Swanke’s shop looking for a quality, durable saddle that they know has been crafted with true skill and attention to detail.

“They just want a good saddle,” he said.

And that’s what Swanke wants to ensure he always provides. To that end, about 20 years ago, Swanke learned to build saddle trees. He’s one of the few saddle makers in the state that does it.

“That’s a big deal for us,” he said.

When a saddle is built, the leatherwork sits over a wooden structure known as a tree. The tree is what gives a saddle its shape and form. A saddle maker who controls both ends of the process – building his own trees and then crafting the leatherwork to fit it – can better ensure the finished product is exactly what he wants, meeting the client’s particular specifications.

That’s how Swanke likes it. With his well-earned reputation, he sells saddles all over the country.

“Definitely,” he said. “The market’s not just local.”

MAGIC CITY MAGAZINE I MAY/JUNE 2015 I 89

Marcus Engler Blacksmith

PHOTOS BY JON CATTON

Blacksmith Marcus Engler uses an anvil from Sheffield, England, forged in 1850. One of his hammers, used in the mines in Butte, is 110 years old.

As a blacksmith, the century-old equipment helps remind him of the long history and tradition associated with his trade. But more than that, it’s just cool to handle something that’s been used by countless other blacksmiths before him. It’s his way of touching the past.

“I hope what I produce is out there for another 150 years,” he said.

Engler, 57, is a native Montanan and one of the few blacksmiths in the state who still uses a forge and bellow to do much of his work. Engler crafts high-end fireplace doors and screens, fireplace tools and cabinet hinges. He also does architectural work.

Engler operates his business, Raven Forge, out of the shop behind his house in Bozeman.

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“I use traditional methods,” he said, “and, I try not to do the same thing twice, to keep it interesting.”

He has been doing some form of blacksmithing since 1981. He enrolled in Montana State University after high school and joined its farrier program. After college, he got a job with the U.S. Forest Service.

Ultimately the work left him unsatisfied. He went back to his garage and opened his own business.

“I was interested in the craft and design part of it,” he said. “People want to call me an artisan. I’m not an artisan. I’m a craftsman.”

He acknowledges that what he does is a throwback to an earlier era. But it’s a skill that has definite real world application. And more than anything, that’s what Engler wants people to understand.

Blacksmithing is a true trade that requires real, physical work.

“I want to educate people about the process,” he said.

Randy Rains Hat maker

PHOTOS BY JAMES WOODCOCK

Not too long ago, actor Jon Voight commissioned a cowboy hat from Law Dog Hat Co. in Billings.

“He was going to be shooting a pilot, and he needed a hat,” said Randy Rains, the shop’s owner and hat maker. “He wanted it to look weathered and old.”

Rains doesn’t typically get many work orders from Hollywood, but it’s not completely unheard of either. There’s a certain cachet to having a cowboy hat custom-made from a specialist in Montana.

Rains receives a fair share of work from outside the state, but most of the hats he makes stay in the region.

“My main customers are everyday farmers and ranchers,” he said.

He also makes quite a few hats for Hutterites.

Rains has always had an artistic side. His father is famed Billings artist Bill Rains. So as Randy grew up and figured out his vocation, he naturally gravitated toward a career that would allow him to use his hands. But he never thought it would be making hats.

When he was in high school, he had a part-time job at a hat repair shop. He watched the hat makers ply their craft and he thought to himself, “I can do that.”

He picked up the skill and soon found he had an aptitude for it.

He enjoyed the designing and crafting process, working with his hands and creating something original.

“A hat is a major piece of a person,” he said.

“Their hat becomes part of them.”

Rain’s shop is on Main Street in Billings Heights and its name, Law Dog, was pulled from the 1993 western, Tombstone. When Wyatt Earp first gets to town, one of the outlaws calls him a “Kansas Law Dog.” Rains loves western movies, and he keeps hundreds of DVDs on hand at his shop so that if a customer comes in wanting a hat just like the one Lee Marvin wore in The Professionals, well, he can do it.

There’s a simple pleasure to be found in creating—and Rains considers himself lucky that he’s able to make a living at it.

MAGIC CITY MAGAZINE I MAY/JUNE 2015 I 91

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Ranch Hands Lessons learned on ol’ McDonald’s farm

By Brittany Cremer

We were scrounging up snow pants in July—that should have been the parents’ first clue we were up to no good.

Bundled from head-to-toe, my older cousin Donald dispensed the weaponry—long sticks, baling twine and if you were lucky, a BB gun.

(Don’t forget the goggles, Ralphie).

The game was simple—catch or be caught— and my uncle’s ranch just north of Jordan, Mont., served as the perfect capture-the-flag battleground.

The older kids typically went on the offensive, with Donald leading the pack. He had a a sort of modernday, Lord-of-the-Flies-meets-Butch-Cassidy persona, all wrapped in a 13-year-old’s body. Instead of a whimsical bicycle, he tore around on a dirt-covered Kawasaki—the menacing hum served as a palm-sweating pre-cursor to his arrival.

Six years his junior, my triplet cousins and I preferred a more subdued approach—hiding, wherever we could, holding our breath when we heard the buzz-rattle of the motorbike.

My sister Heather, cousin Nicole (the triplet’s older sister) and cousin Scott (Donald’s younger brother) threw in with their leader like Hunger Games tributes from Districts 1 and 2.

Like mangy old coyotes circling a flock of lambs, the stalking began.

Duncan "Dunc" McDonald at his ranch north of Jordan,Mont.

Photo by Autumn Twitchell Photography

MAGIC CITY MAGAZINE I MAY/JUNE 2015 I 95

For adults only Recreation, exercise and good-old-fashioned fun hallmarked a stint at the ranch, and the adults were not immune to the peaceful respite it offered.

A wave of calm would wash over them in the evening during friendly games of Whist while sipping Baileys over ice.

And then the stories would gush.

Uproarious laughter drew the kids in—but not too close for the adults to realize we were listening to every word.

The tales often featured memorable quips from Papa—my mom’s dad who emigrated from Scotland and settled the land my uncle now tills. The siblings maintain to this day that Mom was a goody-two-shoes, while my Uncle Dunc and Aunt Dode were constantly misbehaving, lollygagging or otherwise not listening to Papa’s instructions.

“Remember when you tried to win over the field workers at shearing camp with your stuffed bra?” my mother asked my Aunt Dode, followed by a yipping, chortle of laughter.

After eavesdropping, we learned that at the tender age of 12, my Aunt Dode slipped on her mother’s bra, stuffed it with toilet paper, then stood on the corrals— chest-pressed-to-the-sky—attempting to catch their gaze.

(She’s the one who ended up having identical triplets, by the way.)

“Ha ha, yes, I remember,” Aunt Dode said, “Papa yanked me off of that fence so fast and said ‘What ‘er ya doin’, lass? You’re actin’ like a trollop late for a date at the house of ill repute.’”

The kids and I quizzically looked at each other—yes, “trollop” would be our new favorite word.

my triplet cousins) as he urged me to “grab ‘hold” of the wheel.

No power-steering and no real clue what I was doing, I somehow managed to land us in the ditch.

That day I learned about gumbo mud and how it’s slicker than “$#*!” according to Uncle Dunc.

Why he was administering driving lessons to a truckload of 6-year-olds during a spring rain, I’ll never know.

Good-hearted woman My Aunt Halle—Dunc’s wife— is tough as nails but soft as lamb’s wool. Like many ranch wives, she’s a phenomenal cook who could whip up an epicurean masterpiece using flour, butter and something mysterious from the cupboard.

Aunt Halle also has a soft spot for bum lambs and used to let us assist while she bottle-fed them. My first lesson in acceptance and tolerance came from one very special lamb.

Weak and spindle-legged, the other lambs wanted nothing to do with “Lamby.” Aunt Halle nursed him back to health and had the idea to pair him with a bum calf of the same ilk. “Lamby” and “Calfy” became fast friends—a very unlikely pair.

Years later, the duo could be seen palling around the property, nuzzling one another when a cool breeze would roll down the flat.

Life, death and humanity effortlessly intertwine at the ranch.

Rhinestone cowgirl?

Today, I have five pairs of cowboy boots in my closet, none of which would Lamb tails and trails hold up at my uncle’s ranch.

So many life lessons were learned at And despite the fact that I grew up The writer, left, with cousins Royce and Ryan Paxson collecting bloody, docked lamb tails. Photo courtesy of the Hageman family. the ranch. in Miles City, I’m a far cry from what I’d My entrée into finance began at dub a real-life cowgirl. docking time, when a cash prize was offered to the kid who could stuff the (I have attended a few Bucking Horse Sales, if that counts.) most bloody lamb tails into a gunnysack. And Uncle Dunc almost always had Yet, I have immense pride in identifying myself as a a dollar or two in his pocket for well-behaved kids.

Montanan, someone with agrarian roots, a steely resolve and Uncle Dunc’s craggy, chapped hands curiously juxtapose his warm, formidable work ethic. jovial demeanor. A natural storyteller, he sort of giggle-dances while he talks, The connection, it seems, is in the ethos—the essence of shrugging his shoulders perfectly in cadence to the words he’s saying. I’m not appreciating the land we’re standing on, the people we share it with sure if it’s a farmer thing, a Scotsman thing or just his own thing. But it’s fun and the generations who will enjoy it long after we’re gone. to watch.

I respect and appreciate these things, crediting the ranch for Did I forget to mention that Uncle Dunc’s last name is McDonald?…and cultivating my cowgirl heart. that he has a farm? Yeah, work that one out for yourself.

My cowgirl spirit, it seems, lingers elsewhere—somewhere Uncle Dunc is also responsible for my first driving lesson. between my Papa’s first gumbo-filled steps on his land and the Behind the wheel of his old blue Ford, I perched on his lap (alongside endless expanse of the Big Sky.

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wolves STONE

20 YEARS LATER, THE DEBATE CONTINUES

BY BRETT FRENCH wenty years ago wolves were reintroduced to Yellowstone National Park, forever changing Yellowstone and surrounding states like Montana.

The wild canines, which range in weight from 80 to 130 pounds, have sent an “ecological ripple” through the vast wildlands of Yellowstone’s 2.2 million acres, according to John Varley, who worked on wolf reintroduction for 12 years while employed at the park.

Yellowstone’s wolves have also sent a ripple through the consciousness of people throughout the world. Among the impressive array of wildlife that humans have preserved and protected in North America, perhaps no other animal excites such passionate adoration and such extreme hatred as the ancestor of the domestic dog.

MAGIC CITY MAGAZINE I MAY/JUNE 2015 I 99

Exterminated Highly social animals, wolves once ranged widely across North America. American Indians respected the wolf for its dedication to family and its hunting ability. The Blackfeet Indians of Montana call the wolf “makuyi.”

“We love that makuyi so much,” said Blackfeet Spiritual Chief Jimmy St. Goddard. He called the wolf “protector of man” and “our brother” during a January ceremony in Gardiner honoring the 20th anniversary of the animal’s return to Yellowstone.

When Euro-Americans arrived in the West in the 1800s, they saw wolves differently – as a competitor for game. Wolves were often shot on sight or trapped for their hides. Wolves had to steadily retreat. They weren’t even safe within Yellowstone. It’s estimated that between 1914 and 1926 at least 135 wolves were killed by park officials to protect other wildlife like elk, bison and deer, eliminating wolves from Yellowstone.

The stance the park took toward wolves reflected a greater effort taking place across the West. In the early 1900s there was a concerted effort to remove wolves from much of the western landscape as states were settled by homesteaders. Ranchers, farmers and government agents began poisoning, shooting and trapping not only wolves, but also coyotes, bears and mountain lions to protect livestock from predators.

“That was their benchmark for what was right,” said Wayne Brewster, who worked in Yellowstone as the plans were developed for releasing wolves into the park.

With such a concerted effort, the last wolf was killed in Montana in 1919 outside the small central Montana town of Stanford. It was stuffed and is still on display in the community. After that, wolves were absent from Montana until a few trickled south from Canada into the protected confines of Glacier NaTop: A pack of wolve play in the snow in Yeltional Park in 1979. Seven years later, the lowstone National Park. Above: Pups and their mother observed from an aircraft. Right: A first wolf den in the western U.S. in more 1995 file photo shows one of the first wolves than 50 years was found in Glacier. introduced to Yellowstone National park as

Change in thinking

it paces the fence in it's holding pen. Photo courtesy National Park Serice.

With greater ecological awareness among Americans in the 1960s, Yellowstone’s management changed to allow wildlife to live more naturally. Then in 1974 the wolf was listed as an endangered species. Once listed, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service was required by law to restore the species. Yellowstone looked like the ideal place to return a top predator to an ecosystem it once inhabited.

“We worked on wolf restoration for a dozen years or more,” said Varley who weathered combative congressional hearings on the matter. “It was a long slog. I think the day the wolves came in the trailer under the (Roosevelt) arch was a big surprise to us because the

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anti-wolf forces had pulled out all of the stops.”

Reintroducing wolves into Yellowstone was a “completely different worldview” for those who preferred a wolf-less landscape.

“That was a sociological event that sent tremors throughout the nation,” Brewster said.

First transplants It was in January of 1995 that the first 14 wolves, which had been trapped near Alberta, Canada, were placed in large cages inside Yellowstone, called a soft release meant to keep them from immediately striking out for home. Ten weeks later the cage doors were opened and the wolves were allowed to explore their new home. What they found was a wealth of food – lots of elk.

The elk population, which had not been exposed to wolves in its lifetime, was initially easy prey. Consequently, their population was steadily thinned, dropping from about 19,000 before wolf reintroduction to about 5,000 to 6,000 today.

Coyote populations also plummeted 30 to 50 percent, since wolves see them as competitors and will attack adults and kill pups.

“I think the only thing that really surprised me about wolves is how many other things they affected,” Varley said.

An additional 17 wolves from British Columbia were transplanted to Yellowstone in 1996. Then in 1997 10 wolves from northwestern Montana were moved to the park.

With such a feast at their feet, Yellowstone’s initial wolf population of 41 steadily grew to a high of 174 in 2003. Following that peak, disease and food stress reduced wolf numbers before they climbed back to near historic highs in 2007.

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Since then, the animals’ population has declined.

Twenty years later, about 130 wolves in 11 packs inhabit Yellowstone.

From predator to prey Fair chase hunting of wolves resumed in Montana in 2009. In that first year, 72 wolves were shot by hunters, seven of which wore radio collars placed by biologists studying the animals in Yellowstone. Regulations on wolf hunting have been eased since that first year. Now there is no limit on how many wolves can be killed in Montana, except in the region next to Yellowstone. Last season 230 wolves were shot. In 2014, livestock losses to wolves included 34 cattle, nine sheep, one horse and a dog.

Pro and con

Kirsty Peake and her husband move from the United Kingdom almost every winter for six months just to spend time watching wolves in Yellowstone National Park through large spotting scopes.

“Every day we see something new,” she said.

Although wolves have now resided in Yellowstone for 20 years, they still continue to ignite passionate debate. Montana’s Legislature has often wrangled over laws to limit wolf populations through hunting outside the park’s borders. Death threats aimed at wolves via billboard advertisements and bumper stickers are scattered across the region. One of the most popular stickers compares killing wolves to smoking: “Smoke a pack a day” it reads next to a depiction of a rifle’s crosshairs aimed at a howling wolf. A Washington state billboard shows the yellow eyes of a wolf and reads: “Who’s next on their menu?” and includes photos of other wildlife, a dog, calf and a small child.

“There’s a certain component of the population that just does not accept wolf reintroduction or recovery,” said Carter Niemeyer, who captured the wolves in Canada that were transplanted into Yellowstone in 1995. “I think there’s a huge chip on some people’s shoulder.”

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There are others on the opposite end of the spectrum who’d travel from as far away as Europe just to see a wolf in Yellowstone, typically in the winter in the Lamar Valley. Because the animals are so often seen and closely followed, filmed and photographed by a dedicated cadre of watchers, the animals have become an economic driver for tourism to the region.

One study put the impact of wolves on the surrounding tourism industry at $22.5 million.

Kirsty Peake and her husband move from the United Kingdom almost every winter for six months just to spend time watching wolves in Yellowstone National Park through large spotting scopes.

“Every day we see something new,” she said.

COURT FIGHTS

Looking forward Change will continue as wolves constantly expand their homeland while exploring the rest of the West, migrating to Oregon and Washington, and south to Utah and Colorado where they may find suitable habitat to re-establish packs.

“It will really be interesting what happens in the next 20 years,” said Dan MacNulty, an assistant professor of Wildlife Ecology at Utah State University who has studied wolves since their release.

Already the most studied wolves in history, Yellowstone’s packs have revealed reams of data. It’s been documented that by reducing the park’s elk population, streamside vegetation that once served as browse for elk is growing back. More vegetation has meant more food for beavers and brush for nesting songbirds. Wolf-killed carcasses have provided more food for other predators like grizzly and black bears, coyotes, mountain lions and birds like ravens and magpies.

“What’s really interesting is this predator-prey balance that seems to be” taking place, said Doug Smith, Yellowstone wolf biologist. “Will something jolt the system up or down?”

Will that jolt come in the form of climate change? Or will it be a change in park management? Will human tolerance for wolves increase, or wane? Check back in another 20 years for some answers and probably more questions.

Biologically, the wolves released in Yellowstone and Idaho met the Fish and Wildlife Service’s requirements for being recovered by 2002. Politically, however, wolves have been a football, kicked into and out of court by both pro-wolf and antiwolf groups. Here’s a short list of the actions: •In 2005, wolf management was transferred from the federal government to the states of Idaho and Montana. Three years later, they were removed from the endangered species list in Montana, Wyoming and Idaho, and then returned following a court challenge.

• In 2009, the Fish and Wildlife Service again delisted wolf populations in Montana and Idaho, but not in Wyoming. A legal challenge resulted in the Northern Rocky Mountain wolf population being returned to the federal endangered species list.

• In 2011, wolf populations were again delisted in Montana and Idaho through Congressional action taken in 2010, and the Fish and Wildlife Service proposed delisting wolves in Wyoming.

• In 2012, based on a Congressional directive, wolves were delisted in Wyoming.

• In 2014, a federal court vacated the delisting of wolves in Wyoming, in effect reinstating federal protections for wolves in the Cowboy State.

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MAN’S BEST FRIEND

A WAGGING TAIL , A CALMING NUDGE, DOGS ARE MORE THAN FOUR-LEGGED FRIENDS —THEY’RE FAMILY. THIS SPECIAL SECTION EX AMINES THE CURIOUS BOND WE WITH HAVE WITH OUR CANINE COMPANIONS, WHY WE INDULGE THEM, HOW THEY BRING US SHEER JOY AND WHAT WE LEARN FROM EACH OTHER .

BUT SOME POOCHES GO BEYOND THE CALL OF DUT Y—THESE " WORKING DOGS" PROVIDE MEDICAL THER APY, EMPOWER LOST SOULS AND RESCUE THOSE IN PERIL. TO OUR FURRY FRIENDS DEDICATED TO SERVICE, WE SALUTE YOU. WHETHER FOR WORK OR PL AY, ONE THING IS FOR CERTAIN — DOGS TRULY ARE MAN’S (AND WOMAN’S) BEST FRIEND.

MAGIC CITY MAGAZINE I MAY/JUNE 2015 I 105

pups as pets

FOR THE LOVE OF

BY CHARITY DEWING PHOTOGRAPHY BY CASEY PAGE

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DOGS

At left and top: Dogs in “doggy day care” facilities have plenty of social time with both visitors and dogs, such as these at The Dog-Spot in Billings.

hat is it about Americans and our love and fascination with dogs? Why do we sometimes connect better with these furry friends than we do with people? Many dog owners believe that our animals understand us better and empathize with us more. Unlike people, their love is unconditional; we don’t need to fear rejection from our pets.

While we open our homes and hearts to these wonderful, furry companions, we also open our pocket books. According to the American Pet Product Association (APPA), Americans spent more than $50 billion on their pets in 2014. That willingness to spend big bucks has created a booming pet industry, even here in Billings.

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pups as pets

pups as pets Perfectly pampered Kari Longshore, manager of The Dog Spot, a doggie daycare, boarding and grooming center for dogs and cats, says businesses that serve pet owners are thriving. “Most people have such busy lives,” Longshore says.

More importantly, Longshore adds, we are more aware of our animals needs.

For Longshore, and many animal lovers across America, the term “pet” is almost demeaning. The booming industry of pet spas and doggy daycares is more than just pampering or humanizing our beloved furry companions.

“It is our society accepting that our animals require more than food and water,” Longshore says.

While most American’s work the typical 9 to 5, their pets need love and interaction.

“We become their pack,” Longshore adds.

The Dog Spot commercially offers boarding, grooming and doggy daycare but it’s the love and commitment that Longshore and her team offer that makes the business successful.

Much like taking our children to daycare or school, once the pets are in the facility and interacting with others dogs and caregivers, they have a great time.

“They get to be themselves and by the end of the day, they are completely exhausted and ready to go home,” says Longshore.

Bow-wow boutique When Ellie Hansen and husband, Jeremy, moved to Billings from New Jersey almost nine years ago, Hansen noticed there wasn’t a doggie bakery.

“We had one in New Jersey that we would shop at,” said Hansen. Feeling that the Billings community would support a pet-centric specialty shop, the couple opened Lovable Pets.

The store offered the first pet bakery in the city, along with pet merchandise and a selection of all-natural foods.

“We have a freezer full of raw food. It’s made by small, familyowned companies that specialize in healthy foods for animals,” Hansen said. In addition to food, the store also has a canine learning center, puppy starter classes and play groups.

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At top: Allison Egan, owner of the The Dog Spot, brushes Tuskany. Above: Dogs of all ages, sizes and breeds keep busy at dog day care facilities, a growing industry.

“It’s all part of improving the quality of life for animals, which is at the core of what we do,” she said.

If Hansens had concerns whether such a store would be supported, they were quickly resolved. Their diverse clientele includes ranchers from Wyoming, young couples, families and elderly people.

“The common denominator is that they love their pets,” she said.

SAVING GRACE:

lost & found

RESCUES AND REUNIONS

BY CHARITY DEWING

Sandy Price is an ambassador for animals.

As a founder and director of Billings Animals Rescue Kare (BARK), Price been rescuing animals for more than 40 years.

Before BARK, stranded, lost or otherwise forgotten animals landed at area kill centers.

“We opened our doors on Jan. 21, 2008,” Price says. “There was a heavy snowstorm that day, and the building was just full with supporters. If we had any doubt we were doing the right thing, it was dissolved.”

According to Price, puppy mills are a growing epidemic. The dogs, bred in terrible conditions, are treated as nothing more than living ATM machines. Their existence is solely viewed as income.

Price and her team have witnessed first-hand the conditions and the victims of puppy mills.

“They will die or come to BARK,” Price says. “They need so much rehabilitation. The intense physical and emotional suffering the animals go through is horrendous.”

Price and her volunteer team work diligently to combat the abuse of animals on a donation-only basis, so support is tantamount to BARK’s continued success.

But dogs aren’t the only animals served by the organization.

“We have cats more than any other animal, especially during kitten season,” Price said. “We see about 75-100 cats a day.”

For Price, the rehabilitation process is more than keeping the animals clean and fed. The team at BARK devotes much of their time to providing emotional healing to the animals. They name and love each animal as they were their own.

“The animals are so appreciative,” Price adds. “Through their gratitude, they have taught me to be grateful. Some people say dogs and cats have no emotion, but I see it, every day.”

Loving care Angie Valdez, a volunteer and activist for Rez Dog Rescue, has been rescuing animals for nearly 16 years.

“My family has always loved animals. My daughter and I decided to

Angie Valdez, volunteer and activist for Rez Dog Rescue, with rescue dog, Grace.

volunteer together and toured BARK. That is when they saw Grace—a black and tan shepherd mix.

“She was nearly starved to death,” Valdez said. “She only weighed 12 pounds, had been hit by a car and was quilled all over her face and eyes by a porcupine.”

Grace wasn’t expected to live through the first 24 hours of her rescue.

Valdez and her daughter, Bella, decided to adopt Grace. After almost four months of recovery at BARK, Grace came home.

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lost & found

“SHE CAME FROM THE RESERVATION, AND PEOPLE THAT THE DOGS THAT COME FROM THERE, COME

“She came from the reservation, and people need to understand that the dogs that come from there, come from nothing,” Valdez said.

Grace had to learn how to be in a house; appliances scared her.

“She was always in fight or flight-mode,” Valdez said.

Valdez admits the journey was not easy.

“It was so much work, but that has formed our bond,” she said. “I am really proud to be a part of it; she is so amazing. I am so proud to be her mom.”

Little healers Ellie Hansen, owner of Loveable Pets, has four beloved dogs that come to work with her every day.

“My dogs are my children, and two are rescues,” she said. “They are both from laboratory test facilities.”

Marty and Eddie, both beagles (the breed is used because of their kind-natured disposition) lived their first six years of life in a tiny cage, constantly subjected to testing and neglect.

After laboratories are finished with the dogs, they are often euthanized. Thanks to Kindness Ranch, a rescue facility in Wyoming, some of the dogs live to experience a real life.

110 I MAY/JUNE 2015 I MAGIC CITY MAGAZINE

Now, Marty and Eddie come into contact with daily compassion and love from Hansen and the clientele at Loveable Pets.

“It has restored their faith in humanity,” Hansen said. “They have both had their struggles, but the commitment is for the rest of my life.

They didn’t give up easy, so I wouldn’t give up on them.”

The loss of a friend When Kari Longshore, owner of The Dog Spot, lost her Yellow Labrador, she was devastated.

“Part of me was gone,” Longshore said. The pain of losing her beloved pet was harder than losing her grandfather and comparable to losing a child.

“She was my soul mate, always by my side,” she said.

For Longshore, the thought of getting another dog was out of the question.

“I felt like I would be cheating on her,” she said.

Six months later, Longshore was surprised with a special Valentine’s present from her husband, a new dog. The new addition was just what Longshore needed.

Longshore encourages pet owners who’ve experienced loss to open

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their hearts and minds to the idea of caring for a new pet. Oftentimes, the unconditional love freely given by a new pet helps heal old wounds.

Reunions: what’s lost is found In 2012, firefighter Mindy Flock had to leave her beloved dog, Gweedo, with a friend when duty called her to fight against the overwhelming fires in California. When Mindy returned home, she was devastated to discover Gweedo was no longer in her friend’s care, and no one knew where he was.

Four years later, while reading The Billings Gazette, Mindy’s father, Kevin Flock, glimpsed at the “Pet of the Week” and couldn’t believe his eyes.

“It was just such a weird coincidence,” Kevin says, “I was just thumbing through the paper and there he was.”

Kevin had no doubt that it was Gweedo.

“He has an unforgettable face,” Kevin said.

Gweedo had landed with BARK as a stray. By the time Kevin and Mindy called BARK to reclaim Gweedo, he had already been adopted by another family.

Although Mindy was sad that Gweedo was not in her arms, knowing he was safe and in a good home brought some comfort.

Little did she know, Gweedo’s stay with his new adoptive family would be short-lived.

One year later, Gweedo was back at BARK and in the Gazette as the featured “Pet of the Week.”

“I couldn’t believe it,” Kevin said.

Kevin and Mindy wasted no time.

“They were here 30 minutes before the doors opened,” said Sandy Price, director of BARK. After five years apart, Mindy and Gweedo reunited.

“It all worked out,” Kevin said.

Some may say it was just luck, for others, a miracle, but for Mindy and Gweedo, their connection and ultimate reunion was simply meant to be.

At left: Sandy Price at BARK. Above: Guido. Photos by Gazette Staff

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dogs on the clock

112 I MAY/JUNE 2015 I MAGIC CITY MAGAZINE

WORKIN’

9 TO 5

BY CHRIS RUBICH PHOTOGRAPHY BY CASEY PAGE

PRISON PAWS In a small room inside the Montana Women’s Prison, dogs of all sizes and their inmate handlers wait and watch as one animal calmly walks on its leash and listens for its handler’s instructions.

Started in 2004, Prison Paws pairs incarcerated handlers with rescue dogs or pets owned by community members to teach the animals obedience, house training and social skills.

“The program also teaches the women involved a wide range of skills,” says Craig Johnson, program manager.

The biggest goal is to work with inmates on re-entry into the world outside the prison walls, teaching women skills they can use in the workplace, such as setting up schedules and how to groom and board pets or even train service dogs.

MAGIC CITY MAGAZINE I MAY/JUNE 2015 I 113

dogs on the clock

THE BIGGEST GOAL IS TO WORK WITH INMATES ON RE-ENTRY INTO THE WORLD OUTSIDE THE PRISON WALLS, TEACHING WOMEN SKILLS THEY CAN USE IN THE WORKPLACE, SUCH AS SETTING UP SCHEDULES AND HOW TO GROOM AND BOARD PETS OR EVEN TRAIN SERVICE DOGS.

Annamae Sigfried-Derrick, the prison’s community relations manager, says the women learn problem solving, both in handling the dogs and in their own lives.

Katie Garding, an inmate who is training pitbulls Daisy and Skye, says the women also learn responsibility.

Each dog is assigned to a handler depending on the animal’s needs and the handler’s skill level. The program keeps the dog for 30 days or longer if the animal needs more work on a particular issue.

The program also provides boarding and grooming for dogs that have gone through training or belong to Department of CorrecTo donate food, tions employees. Fees are charged as part of collars, leashes or the Prison Industries Program to cover costs. other materials or learn Garding says the “best part is being able about Prison Paws, call to work with the dogs,” a privilege that inCraig Johnson at 406mates must earn. She has advanced to being 247-5184 or Annamae a mentor for other inmates in the program.

Sigfried-Derrick at Dogs are often a little hyper when they 406-247-5102. first arrive.

“By the time they leave, they’re a complete different animal, and that, for me, is a really big accomplishment,” she says.

FIND OUT MORE

***

INTO THE WILDS When a plane goes missing or hikers are long overdue from their outings, Absaroka Search Dogs Inc. swings into action.

The teams of search dogs are dispatched via text messages through sheriffs’ departments, the National Park Service and tribal agencies handling the search (though not via private request.

Along with others, Mark Polakoff, a Red Lodge resident and emergency-room nurse at Billings Clinic, formed Absaroka Search Dogs in 1986. The oldest such program in Montana has five handler-dog teams that cover central and eastern Montana.

Polakoff has a veteran search dog – Tashi, almost 6— and is training Bear, who’s 1.

“It can be physically and mentally demanding for the dog,” he says.

“It takes a lot of focus.”

Previous page: Skyy, who is being trained in the Prison Paws program, checks out a visitor.

Top: Inmates from the Montana Women’s Prison run training regimes in the halls. Photos

by Casey Page. Right: Mark Polakoff with his two search-and-rescue-trained dogs. Photo by James Woodcock.

114 I MAY/JUNE 2015 I MAGIC CITY MAGAZINE

Training starts young, and dogs “are like kids, sponges for learning,” Polakoff says.

The dogs learn basic scenting skills, which are taught like games, then move to more complex searches. They also learn to work near livestock and other animals without disturbing them.

Polakoff has worked hundreds of searches with his dogs over the years.

In August 2012, he, Tashi and others searched the Hell Roaring area of the Beartooths for two missing female hikers. A witness showed searchers where the women were last seen, and scent items gave clues to follow.

The search started after several thunderstorms. The scent trail led to the women, who had spent the night in near-freezing temperatures while wearing only shorts and T-shirts.

“The ability to help people in some sort of crisis” is rewarding for Polakoff, as are the lifelong friendships with other rescue teams.

But at the heart of the mission is the bond he builds with his dogs.

“Watching the dogs work is amazing,” he says.

FIND OUT MORE Absaroka Search Dogs Inc. is always looking for property owners willing to let teams train on their land or volunteers to hide during search training. To help or learn about becoming a team member, visit absarokasearchdogs.org.

***

BEYOND COMPANIONSHIP Pets aren’t just for family fun. Some perform important services. From herding sheep to keeping barns clear of mice and from guiding the blind to helping law-enforcement officers, these animals have duties that go far beyond the role of pet.

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Making the rounds When her owner mentions work, Stormy heads for the back door.

Dr. Patricia LaHaie’s 7-year-old golden retriever thrives on making the rounds at St. Vincent Healthcare with her owner.

The pair stops to see patients, visitors and even staff members on the days that Stormy goes to work.

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www.billingsanimalfamilyhospital.com Therapy dog Stormy receives a treat from patient Chuck Rouse at St. Vincent Healthcare. Phioto by Casey Page.

MAGIC CITY MAGAZINE I MAY/JUNE 2015 I 115

“THE DOGS PROVIDE EMOTIONAL SUPPORT TO PATIENTS DEPRESSED, IT’S WELL-DOCUMENTED THAT JUST PETTING

— LINDA VARELA, THE HOSPITAL’S

dogs on the clock Hope Rehabilitation Center, where she is medical director.

She has been bringing her pets to work since the early 1990s.

Non-employees also bring trained service dogs to help through the Volunteer Dog Visitation Program, says Linda To participate Varela, the hospital’s director of volunin the Volunteer Dog teer and guest services. And patients’ Visitation Program, a pets can visit through another program. dog must meet certifiThe dogs provide emotional support cation requirements. to patients who may be lonely, stressed To volunteer, call or depressed, Varela says. It’s well-doc406-237-3376. umented that just petting a dog can reduce blood pressure, she says.

The dogs and owners check in with volunteer services, then head out on rounds throughout the hospital, including surgery and intensive-care waiting rooms, where families may have particular tensions. Dogs wear ID badges as they

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116 I MAY/JUNE 2015 I MAGIC CITY MAGAZINE

Top: Stormy visits pharmacist Peggy Twichel at St. Vincent Healthcare. Photo by Casey Page. Ahmed Mohamed (left) and his sister Haneen Mohamed, read to Intermountain Therapy Animals volunteer Betty Sanderson and Lincoln, a sheltie, at the Billings Public Library. Photo by Hannah Potes.

WHO MAY BE LONELY, STRESSED OR A DOG CAN REDUCE BLOOD PRESSURE.” DIRECTOR OF VOLUNTEER AND GUEST SERVICES. work, and people can request a visit for a family member who is a patient.

For the dogs, the rewards come in smiles, hugs, pets – and treats.

“My dogs love coming here,” LaHaie says.

When she meets people years later, they often ask about her dogs.

“Just seeing how happy it makes everybody she meets” is the best part, LaHaie says.

Story time

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FIND OUT MORE The READ to a Dog program is 10:30-11:30 a.m. the first Saturday of each month in the

Even before Billings Public Library opens, children wait in line, eager first-floor children’s to sign up to read to a therapy dog once inside. department of Billings Andrew Young, 8, reads lots of animal books and likes dogs, but Public Library, 510 N. doesn’t have one at home. The second-grader says the library’s READ to a Broadway. Call 406Dog program is “the only time I get to see dogs.”

657-8256 for more The kids eagerly greet the dogs as the owners parade them into the library’s reading tower, and the first group of children and their parents information. head inside to spend 15 minutes reading to the dogs.

Haneen Mohamed, 5, and her brother, Ahmed, 3, sit on a blanket beside Lincoln, a Sheltie, and select books to read. Though she’s not in kindergarten yet, Haneen has begun reading her favorite “princess” books and other stories. Lincoln’s owner Betty Sanderson helps out and also listens as Ahmed points out dolphins and sharks in his book.

Nearby Julie Myers, of Kotas Kennels, helps a child sound out a word as the girl pets Myers’ Australian shepherd, Rex, who lies on his back and soaks in the attention.

A golden doodle, Piper, rests paws on another young reader.

Cindy Patterson, children’s librarian, says the program is designed “to encourage reluctant readers, those kids who don’t feel comfortable reading out loud to another person.”

Funding for READ to a Dog came from the Otto and Yvonne Mansfield Endowment through St. Vincent Healthcare Foundation.

The registered therapy dogs are trained to be quiet around kids. And Myers says owners are trained to watch their dogs’ bodies for stressors.

DeeDe Baker, who owns miniature Schnauzer, Oliver, says, “If you can give a child an opportunity to gain a love of reading, it’s very important. … “You can see the changes, you can see the improvement in reading from time to time.”

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MAGIC CITY MAGAZINE I MAY/JUNE 2015 I 117

adopt today

These adorable pups and several others are available for adoption today at the Yellowstone Valley Animal Shelter. Visit with staff about which breeds best fit your lifestyle in order to ensure a forever-match.

14

fido facts

1. A puppy is born blind, deaf and toothless.

2. Dogs can be as smart as 2-year-old children, according to research presented in 2009 at a meeting of the American Psychological Association. Border collies are the top dogs in the intelligence category, with some in the breed capable of understanding up to 200 words. Poodles, German shepherds, Golden retrievers and Dobermans round out the top five smartest breeds. (The most popular breed in America, the Labrador retriever, comes in at number seven.)

Bluebell

Springer

3. If you have cancer, diabetes or epilepsy, your dog might be the first to know. Studies have shown that dogs can be trained to sniff out cancers of the lung, breast, skin, bladder and prostate.

Researchers suspect the canines are picking up on extraordinarily faint scents given off by the abnormal cells.

4. Dogs feel envy. A 2008 study published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found that when dogs saw other dogs getting treats for a trick they'd been performing unrewarded, the unrewarded dogs became agitated, scratching themselves and avoiding the gaze of the rewarded dogs.

5. Those puppy-dog eyes Fido gives you when you scold him over knocking over the garbage can for the umpteenth time aren’t a sign of guilt, researchers say. He's just responding to your rebuke. When dog owners thought their dogs had eaten a forbidden treat and reprimanded them, the pooches looked just as "guilty" regardless of whether or not they had actually.

Macy

6. Different smells in the a dog’s urine can tell other dogs whether the dog leaving the message is female or male, old or young, sick or healthy, happy or angry.

7. The grief suffered after a pet dog dies can be the same as that experienced after the death of a person.

Sprinkles

8. Small quantities of grapes and raisins can cause renal failure in dogs. Chocolate, macadamia nuts, cooked onions, or anything with caffeine can also be harmful.

9. A dog’s shoulder blades are unattached to the rest of the skeleton to allow greater flexibility for running.

10. A dog can locate the source of a sound in 1/600 of a second and can hear sounds four times farther away than a human can.

11. The phrase “raining cats and dogs” originated in seventeenth-century England. During heavy rainstorms, many homeless animals would drown and float down the streets, giving the appearance that it had actually rained cats and dogs.

Linus Ariel

12. The most popular male dog names are Max and Jake. The most popular female dog names are Maggie and Molly.

13. The name of the dog on the Cracker Jacks box is Bingo.

The Taco Bell Chihuahua is a rescued dog named Gidget.

14. Hollywood’s first and arguably best canine superstar was Rin Tin Tin, a five-day-old German Shepherd found wounded in battle in WWI France and adopted by an American soldier, Lee Duncan. He would sign his own contracts with his paw print.

118 I MAY/JUNE 2015 I MAGIC CITY MAGAZINE

Sources: www.livescience.com/13305-facts-dog-breeds-genetics-pets.html; facts. randomhistory.com/2009/02/15_dogs.html

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MAGIC CITY MAGAZINE I MAY/JUNE 2015 I 119

Montana Music Festivals

Summer’s soundtrack plays out across hay-strewn pastures, in grassy parks and along Montana’s rivers. Here music thrives not only because of the setting, but because it’s such a high.

Live music in an outdoor setting gives us a jolt. It transfers energy through listeners and shrinks the distance between one another. The lines blur between crowd and stage, bringing an excitement of bright lights contrasting across the descending night. All around are radiant humans who gather for that sensual taste of summer.

From a grocer in Ennis to a pants-company founder in White Sulphur Springs, these cultural creators bank on one thing: Music’s transformative power is at its max during an outdoor music festival.

By Anna Paige PHOTO BY CASEY PAGE 120 I MAY/JUNE 2015 I MAGIC CITY MAGAZINE

Magic City Blues Festival

It’s hard to imagine Magic City Blues’ Festival beginnings in a parking lot along Montana Avenue, but 14 years ago that’s where the festival was founded. From such humble beginnings, Magic City Blues has become the city’s signature musical event. Each year thousands of people from across the U.S. and Canada fill downtown Billings as Montana Avenue is transformed into an urban music festival.

In 2010, the event was extended to include a Sunday concert in South Park. The grassy location was a hit, and in 2014 Saturday’s events were relocated to the park as well. With a giant shade sail, food vendors and room to sprawl out on the grass, the move proved a pleasant variation from the urbanscape of downtown Billings.

“South Park has proved to be a great place to hold events, and people are really starting to gravitate toward it,” event founder Tim Goodridge said. “It is different from the Montana Avenue site in a really cool way. Magic City Blues has completely become identified with Billings.”

When: July 30 – August 2 Where: South Park and Montana Avenue, Billings Who: John Fogerty, Buddy Guy, O.A.R., Lucinda Williams, Los Lobos and more. See magiccityblues.com for complete listing.

Tickets: 3-day pass for $139 (only 500 available); $49 ($55 at gate) for Friday; $69 ($75 at gate) for Saturday; $49 ($55 at gate) for Sunday. VIP passes available.

Available at Holiday Stationstores in Billings and Cactus Records in Bozeman, or buy online at www.MagicCityBlues.com.

Where to stay: Billings is rich with hotel options, and many places offer discounted rooms for festival-goers. The area also has several well-appointed campgrounds.

More info: MagicCityBlues.com Insider tip: When booking accommodations, be sure to ask the hotel if any special rates are offered for festival attendees and inquire about shuttle service to alleviate parking stress.

MAGIC CITY MAGAZINE I MAY/JUNE 2015 I 121

Last Best Country Fest

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There’s nothing quite like a music festival in Billings’ backyard. The creators of Magic City Blues launched this rollicking weekend of country music, which will have its first installment in July. Held at South Park, the event is modeled after the long-running Magic City Blues Festival.

Promoter Tim Goodridge said it just made sense to expand Billings’ summer musical offerings, and holding a country music festival in country music country was a logical next step.

“Good music is good music, but there are a lot of people who are country fans who have never even heard about Magic City Blues,” Goodridge said. The first year of the festival holds an impressive lineup, already selling ticket across the West as well as Canada.

When: July 10 – 11 Where: South Park, Billings Who: Family ties rule Friday’s lineup, featuring husband-and-wife duo Keifer and Shawna Thompson of Thompson Square, plus North Dakota sisters, Kendra and Krista, with band Tigerlily. Big and Rich and Hank Williams Jr. also headline, with lead-up acts including Cowboy Troy, Kevin Fowler, Sunny Sweeney and more.

Tickets: Friday’s event costs $59 and Saturday’s $69 (add $10 at the gate). VIP passes and tables available on a first come, first serve basis.

Where to stay: Local hotels and campgrounds abound. A shuttle system will transport from several areas including the West End hotels near Zoo Drive, Mullowney Lane, northwest Billings and downtown.

More info: LastBestCountryFest.com Insider tip: The expansive grounds of the park offer plenty of space for multiple stages, food and beverage vendors. There are places allotted for chairs and lawn blankets, as well as standing room in the front of the stage. The VIP area offers direct access to the front of the stage in a separate area, as well as seating areas and shade.

Montana Folk Festival

DONNIE SEXTON

Now in its fifth year, the Montana Folk Fest is fast becoming the signature festival of Montana—a showcase of global music, dance, art and ethnic cuisine. Various stages across Uptown Butte host a continuous eclectic cycle of musicians while food vendors bring culinary flavors as diverse as the music.

Stages are laid out across the city, rotating through a worldly array of performances. The Original Stage, situated atop the city within a defunct mining headframe, serves as a reminder of Butte’s backstory as an underground copper mining center.

“We are really hitting our stride,” said event organizer George Everett, who expects record turnouts for the 2015 festival.

When: July 10 – 12 Where: Butte, America Who: Musicians from around the globe travel to the Montana Folk Festival. If last year is any indication, there’ll be killer blues, French folk, Canadian bluegrass, Peruvian dancers, Southern acoustic rock, Cajun and bayou influences, full-on funk, Asian and Native American groups, as well as other pretty esoteric offerings.

Tickets: The event is free to all, although about 800 volunteers are sought each year to help set up and tear down the stages, and volunteers collect donations during the festival.

Where to stay: There are only 1,300 hotel rooms in Butte, and they book quickly. The city opens its parks for free camping on a first-come, first-served basis. Bathrooms are on-site, but no showers or other services are available. Campers can also seek out accommodations at local RV parks and campgrounds.

More info: MontanaFolkFestival.com Insider Tip: For thrifty campers, McGruff Park (first come, first served) is located in the heart of the festival, and all you need is a tent to experience the action. After the shows, catch musicians at the legendary Silver Dollar Bar or at random jam sessions.

Moods of the Madison

JUST FOR FUN

Kicking off its second year, the two-day event is sponsored by local businesses and the Ennis community. Festival founder Chris Gentry, who grew up in southern Montana and owner of Ennis grocery store, saw the success of other music festivals.

“We are on the yellow brick road,” Gentry said. “People are going by here all the time. How can we get them to stop?” In 2014 she partnered with Chamberlin Productions to bring in a dozen bands including big-name acts like Buddy Guy and Grand Funk Railroad; nearly 2,000 people poured into Ennis for the first-ever Moods of the Madison.

Preceding the festival, the town of Ennis hosts the Moods Brew and Spirit Festival on July 3, purported to be Montana’s largest brew-and-distillery event. Proceeds support the music festival’s operating costs.

When: July 17 – 18 Where: Ennis (on Laura Lane Roundabout) Who: Los Lonely Boys, Beats Antique, Nahko and Medicine for the People, RJD2, Seryn, Dopapod, Red Wanting Blue, Cure for the Common and more. The family-friendly event also features a kids’ zone. River City Bingo will be on-site, art vendors abound, as well as food and drink vendors.

Tickets: Daily passes are $55 or $100 for both days. VIP tickets run $175, which include fully-furnished tent and access to a standing platform overlooking the venue.

Where to stay: A large campground adjacent to the festival grounds is available for everything from tents to sheep wagons for only $5 (Friday – Sunday). Described as “Montana-style camping,” spots are firstcome, first-served with abundant space. No hookups, but water, porta-potties and hand-washing stations are provided as well as showers for a fee.

This year festival organizers will offer “glamping” in a VIP tipi. Ennis also sports an RV park, cabins and lodge accommodations plus a downtown inn; nearby Norris Hot Springs has a campground and RV hookups.

More info: MoodsoftheMadison.com Insider tip: Getting in on a festival that’s in its formative years ensures a few bumps along with an air of excitement and undiscovered bliss that is rare in a live music-hungry culture. Enjoy it while it’s still small and accessible.

MAGIC CITY MAGAZINE I MAY/JUNE 2015 I 123

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Held every July since 2011 in a cow pasture just outside of White Sulphur Springs, Red Ants Pants is the perfect festival to dance your pants off (and pick up a new pair while you’re at it). Founded by, and named for, a company dedicated to making workwear for women, a portion of the profits from the festival go to the Red Ants Pants Foundation, which supports women’s leadership, rural communities and working family farms and ranches.

Red Ants Pants founder Sarah Calhoun said it’s hard to not have a good time at the fest.

“The Montana skyline, the sunsets and the landscape—there’s a reason we all live in Montana,” said Calhoun. “Coming together in person is a really important piece of the human connection, and I don’t want to lose sight of that in our world.”

When: July 23 – 26, 2015 Where: Cow pasture outside White Sulphur Springs Who: Friday features Lee Ann Womack, Kev Mo, Lucero, Shook Twins and more. Saturday: Ryan Bingham,

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Turn Pike Truabadours and The Last Rebel are among the performers. Sunday: Nitty Gritty Dirt Band headlines with Bruce Robison and Kelly Willis and Red Molly are among others.

In addition to musical acts, the festival has a wide range of clothing, food and goods vendors, as well as agricultural and work demos, including cross-cut saw demonstrations, sheep-shearing, horse-shoeing, roping and more. For the bearded folks in attendance, the annual Beard and Mustache contest is a blast.

Tickets: Options include a three-day pass for $125 ($140 at gate). One-day passes run $50 in advance ($55 at gate). VIP seating is offered for $500 ($550 at gate). Festival organizers actively seek help from 250 volunteers each year.

Where to stay: The town of White Sulphur rolls out the proverbial carpet for Red Ants Pants-goers. Festival attendees can stay at a handful of lodging offerings in the town, or on-site for an additional $20 per person. There are no RV hook-ups, but pay-showers, potable water, porta-potties, hand-washing stations and trash receptacles are provided.

Additionally, a breakfast wagon offers up hot meals, and though it’s a bit dusty, staying and playing in the same space offers up the full festival feeling.

More info: RedAntsPantsMusicFestival.com Insider tip: Look for music into the early hours of the morning throughout the campground. Follow your ears and you’ll no doubt stumble into a den of musicians jamming or a circle of bluegrass improv, still running off the high that watching live music in such an intimate, rural setting produces.

Rockin’ the Rivers

Founded in 2001 by a contingent of old rockers and raucous cowboys, this homegrown fest brings rock to “The Bridge,” an area just outside the Lewis and Clark Caverns along the Yellowstone River.

The three-day rock-a-thon is perhaps the largest collection of outdoor rock in the state, and it is one wild party. Across the event’s 16 years, many classic rock legends, including Credence Clearwater Revival, Journey, Foreigner and Alice Cooper, have rocked the river.

When: August 7 – 9 Where: The Bridge near Three Forks Who: Dee Sinder, Theory of a Deadman, Quiet Riot, Autograph, Puddle of Mud, Great White, Hells Bells, Whiskey River and more.

Tickets: One-day passes run $55, with three-day tickets at $145. VIP packages are available, as are packaged tickets that include camping and vehicle passes.

Where to stay: On-location camping is offered. No hook-ups but the grounds offer porta-potties, potable water and hot showers for a fee. An on-site convenient store carries basics, and the festival grounds offer food vendors.

More info: RockintheRivers.com Insider tip: The campground is a place of music festival legends. From the moment you roll in to the final pack-out, it’s a nonstop party. Instigated by dance-pole contests, hula-hoop dart throwing, shot stations with contraptions as creative as a cattle inseminator that shoots vodka lemonade—this event places emphasis on “rockin’.” Don’t miss Saturday’s Walking Poker Run. From Camp Chaos to Camp Mooseknuckle, collect cards by fulfilling assignments, or suffer the consequences.

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MAGIC CITY MAGAZINE I MAY/JUNE 2015 I 125

24 HOURS OF RAPELJE, ONE OF THE REGION’S MOST UNIQUE BIKE RACES, IS IN ITS 14TH YEAR WITH HELP FROM VOLUNTEERS AND LOCAL BUSINESSES.

126 I MAY/JUNE 2015 I MAGIC CITY MAGAZINE

a 14-year 24-hour tradition by ashley warren

photography by bud chenault

2001, the town of Rapelje was in desperate need of a fundraiser to sustain daily operations at its volunteer-run café. An unusual idea won out—creating a 24-hour mountain bike race to generate much-needed money. At the time, the concept of endurance mountain bike racing was relatively new—not even 10 years old, yet the novelty of the event drew hard-core racers from around the region. Participants could compete as individuals or as a team with the goal of riding the most laps around a 15-mile course in a 24-hour period.

After a few years, the number of participants began to dwindle.

“The course quality was going down,” says Brian Thompson, an early participant who later led the charge to breathe new life into the race. It would have been easy enough to walk away—find a more challenging and exciting course. But Thompson felt connected to the

cause.

What initially began as a fundraiser to save Rapelje’s only restaurant—the Stockman Café—has grown into a regionally-renowned bike race.

Left: Little tykes take part in the mini-version of the 24-hours of Rapelje.

MAGIC CITY MAGAZINE I MAY/JUNE 2015 I 127

As a small business owner, (he owns Rocket Burritos in Billings) Thompson liked supporting the café because it wasn’t just a place for coffee or a sandwich; it was the town’s only central meeting place.

Inspired to lend a hand, Thompson and his friends Doug Melius and Chad Broderius approached the race organizers in Rapelje and offered their help.

“I’ve done hundreds of mountain bike races," Thompson said.

"Rapelje has the hospitality. Being in customer service, those guys do a phenomenal job. We fine-tuned the race from a mountain bikespecific stand point.”

The most significant fine-tuning Thompson and his friends made to the event was to the race course itself. Originally, the course was shaped like a square with long, straight lines.

“It was kind of dreadful. Mountain bikers don’t like straight lines,” Thompson says.

Ideal mountain bike trails have varying terrain that winds through trees and over rocks. The appeal of a trail is not just the physical challenge presented but also the aesthetic beauty of the surroundings.

The redesigned course was shortened to approximately 12 miles and looks like a lollipop, with a straight stretch of trail and a loop on the end. The straight trail allows competitive riders to pass while giving less competitive riders the chance to strike up conversations.

Before, race participants would ride laps and never interact, which might feel especially lonely at 3 a.m. when exhaustion and hallucinations have set in. Now, just by seeing other racers on the track, the riders get a sense of motivation to keep going.

Sam Mather has been participating in the race in one way or another since 2008, as a competitor twice, as a vendor once, and as a volunteer for the first time last summer.

“The trail is extremely unexpected,” he says. “From town, it looks like a bunch of flat farmland. A lot of it is, but it's surprising how much climbing and descending you encounter. I wouldn't say that it's technically challenging, but the benefit is that almost anyone can ride it.”

And that was the point, Thompson says—to make the trail user-friendly so that more people would participate in the race. It used to be that one lap could take up to an hour and 45 minutes to ride, which discouraged the non-competitive riders. The new course takes roughly an hour. As a result, the demographics of race participants have shifted, with half of the participants coming to compete, and the other half there for a good time.

Another change to the race was when Billings brewery, Überbrew, was invited to become a sponsor. From Thompson’s perspective this was another wise business decision. In order to make the race better, he says, they had to give the bikers the other thing they wanted.

“Mountain bikers like to drink beer, pure and simple.”

At the halfway mark on the redesigned course and atop one of the more challenging climbs is an aid station, often referred to as “The Beacon.” A series of tents with food, water, and cheering race volunteers await riders as they come up the hill. The fierce competitors may ride on for another lap, but those who stop are met with enthusiasm.

“We serve beer, bacon and encouragement,” Mather says. In the middle of the night, when riders only have the stars and a headlamp

128 I MAY/JUNE 2015 I MAGIC CITY MAGAZINE

Previous page bottom: The race takes place over a time frame of 24 hours, but contestants can pit-stop for a drink or snack whenever they wish.

Previous page top: The race is open to men and woman at varying skill levels. Above: The course is challenging enough for expert cyclists but fun enough for beginners. Spanning a wide range of terrain, the bike race traverses prairie, pastures then finishes within the heart of Rapelje. Bottom: Contestants mount their bikes and begin the race.

MAGIC CITY MAGAZINE I MAY/JUNE 2015 I 129

for guidance, the station appears out of the darkness as a luminary, with large lights shining inside the tents.

As a result of these changes, the 24 hours of Rapelje has become more of a festival than a bike race. Thanks to the hospitality of Rapelje’s residents, race participants are invited to camp onsite for free.

Participants bring tents, trucks, and SUVs—one team arrives every year in a yellow school bus complete with a tiki bar and couches.

For more “Regardless of who information on participating, you race against, evvolunteering or eryone is friends in the becoming a sponsor camp,” Mather says.

Volunteers from to the 24 Hours of Rapelje, contact race Rapelje come around director Stephanie with coffee on the Kirkpatrick morning of the race at 406-498-4510. and cook pancakes at 24 Hours of midnight for the racRapelje will be held ers who make it that June 27 and begins long. There’s also a at 11 a.m. Register S’mores roast and a online at: www.imathrace for kids. You can lete.com/events. even eat lunch at the café at the end of the 24 hours before heading back home. Over time, Thompson says, it’s turned into its own culture, almost like a pilgrimage. “[The funds are] going to a good cause and I think everybody knows that,” Thompson says. “We’re continuing to work to make the event, the whole picture better.”

Mather says he would rather volunteer than compete at the event.

“The thing about this race that makes it one of the best events around is that, for most of the participants, it's not for money, prizes or even bragging rights. The race is just a fun time put on by some great locals and event promoters.”

RACE RESOURCES

130 I MAY/JUNE 2015 I MAGIC CITY MAGAZINE

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132 I MAY/JUNE 2015 I MAGIC CITY MAGAZINE

GH MURALS: IF THESE WALLS COULD TALK

BY KATHLEEN HARRIS PHOTOGRAPHY BY JAMES WOODCOCK & HANNAH POTES The historic murals found throughout the halls of Billings Senior High School have a unique story to tell.

Since the 1940s, when senior Dolores Keller put the first strokes of paint in the southwest stairwell between second and third floor, the walls have evolved into an ever-developing documentary on student life—a literal unsuspecting canvas come to life.

The stories told by the more than 110 murals created over 75 years are varied—as different as a depiction of the time when dinosaurs roamed the earth, to space travel, to commentary on social issues like war to interracial marriage.

The united voice of the murals stems from seven decades of student expression and reverberates clearly through the three floors at Senior High, immortalizing history and capturing a moment in time created by one student. Like a frozen frame, each will live forever through the eyes of hundreds of students yet to come.

MAGIC CITY MAGAZINE I MAY/JUNE 2015 I 133

No more cover-up That is the hope of student Hannah Lose, who has spent much of her senior year creating a book that will feature each mural, a biography and photo of the artist and the story behind the mural, to ensure the message of each mural isn’t lost over time.

“When the murals began to be painted in the 1940s, it was a highly-coveted assignment,” explained Lose.

“The whole school knew about it, and it was a big honor to be selected as one of the artists.”

Unfortunately, many of those early murals from the 1940s have already been lost, painted over years ago.

“That’s partly why I’ve put so much passion and energy into the creation of this book – I think these murals should remain here forever, that they should be known and protected.”

Many of the artists who painted the remaining murals agree.

“Few schools have such a magnificent record of the history of the students who attended the school,” said Mana Lesman, a 1960 graduate and artist who painted the mural entitled Geologist.

“The murals of Senior High depict the many eras of Billings history along with the social history of the students who attended the schools, demonstrating to current students what was on the minds of their student predecessors. Few schools in our nation have such a record of past and present exhibited on the walls for all to absorb and enjoy.”

Lesman’s mural, although created when she was only 17, foreshadowed what would become her life’s work and passion.

“I have been a ‘closet’ paleontologist/geologist all my life,” said Lesman. “I have always been fascinated and influenced by the geology of whatever landscape I am painting.”

Lesman spent her life creating and painting in cities throughout the U.S., and returned to Billings with her family in 1985, where she continues to paint.

“After painting the mural, I never lost my interest in being a painter or working in the field of creative arts for the rest of my life. I think it also gave me confidence as a young painter.”

Calling all artists!

While the signatures of the artists who created many of the murals are easily identified or the year of origin is known, some of the artists remain unidentified.

“One of our most difficult tasks was finding the muralists,” explained Lyn McKinney, current Senior High

Counterclockwise from above: Drew Clendenin stands near his depiction of the Beatles that he painted in 1996, nearly 30 years after the British band’s hey-day, illustrating the timelessness of art. Mana Lesman continues to combine art with geology in her paintings today, just as she did in 1960 when she created Geologist in the third-floor stairwell. Muralist and senior curator at the Yellowstone Art Museum, Bob Durden, poses his hands akin to those in his mural from 1983. Senior Hannah Lose, who will complete the book, Save our Murals as part of her Platinum Project, stands with former teacher Kris Keup in front of a mural painted by Barb Weis in 1968.

134 I MAY/JUNE 2015 I MAGIC CITY MAGAZINE

MAGIC CITY MAGAZINE I MAY/JUNE 2015 I 135

SENIOR HIGH PLATINUM PROJECT

When Hannah Lose decided to sign on for the Senior High School Platinum Program, a rigorous agenda that requires students to take every Honors and AP class offered by the school, culminating with a research paper and project to be completed senior year, she had no idea how much quality time she’d be spending wandering the halls of her school.

Lose’s chosen project is the creation of the Save Our Murals commemorative book, which will feature each of the more than 110 murals found throughout the halls of Senior along with a biography and photograph of each artist and the story behind each mural.

“Participating in the Platinum Program has been an awesome learning experience,” Lose explained. “I’ve gotten to do so many things I’d never have experienced without this project; I’ve had real-life opportunities that have taken me out of the classroom and allowed me to learn a lot about Senior High, plus work with community members and alumni.”

“BILLINGS SENIOR HAS A UNIQUE RESOURCE IN THESE MURALS, AND A LOT OF THE STUDENTS HAVE GONE ON TO DO SOME AMAZING CREATIVE THINGS IN THEIR CAREERS. MANY SCHOOLS KEEP SPORTS TROPHIES AND PENNANTS FOR YEARS. WHY NOT STUDENT ART?” KRIS KORFANTA,

School library media specialist and member of the Save Our Murals committee formed in conjunction with the Senior High School 75th Anniversary Celebration.

“We had articles written, used social media, searched the Internet and got the word out through the Senior High grapevine, and finally people started calling. We’re down to 10 or fewer unknown artists, and a Senior alum who is an expert in genealogy will try to track down the rest for us.”

For McKinney, it’s the stories behind the murals that make them irreplaceable.

“If you believe Bruce Ryniker’s story (class of 1958), the reason he painted a mural was because he was in trouble for his grades. As the story goes, Bruce had one week – the last week of school – to complete the mural, or he wouldn’t graduate.”

Above: Kris Korfanta, class of 1975 painted this mural of Don Quixote.

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CLASS OF 1975

Ryniker’s mural of brightly colored cars racing is located on the first floor of Senior High, and Ryniker’s story is one of the most famous. He went on to design real cars for General Motors and Chrysler, and later designed cars for Mattel Toys.

The big screen Another artist who has gained fame since high school is Bud Luckey, who created his mural Custer’s Last Stand in 1953. Luckey is more recently known for his creation of the character “Woody” in Pixar Animation’s film Toy Story.

McKinney explains that knowing or having a relationship with the artist alters a person’s opinion of the mural.

“Anytime Bud talks about his mural, he focuses on a dead horse lying in the lower right-hand side of the battlefield. He thinks he painted the horse wrong, that he should have done it with the horse on its back and its legs in the air. Now that’s all I think about when I look at the mural myself! Many of the artists were only 17- or 18-years-old, and they

wish they could repaint their mural and make it better – but authenticity is added by age.”

There was a time that McKinney worried that the murals would not be protected or preserved.

“About five years ago the school underwent a large heating and cooling project, and as a result the ceilings needed to be lowered. At the time nobody thought about the integrity of the murals.”

The tops of many of the murals are now behind that lowered ceiling.

“But since that time so many people have gotten involved,” said McKinney. “Staff, students, alumni, members of the Billings community – people have gotten excited, and now we have true momentum toward our goal of saving the murals.”

Kris Korfanta, class of 1975 graduate and painter of the Don Quixote mural on the first floor, was inspired by the murals that were painted before hers.

“They gave me a sense of connection to past students, as well as gave me a glimpse into their time at the school either via their artistic style or the subjects chosen.”

She believes that the murals should be pre-

served for future generations of students.

“Billings Senior has a unique resource in these murals, and a lot of the students have gone on to do some amazing creative things in their careers.

Many schools keep sports trophies and pennants for years. Why not student art?”

Korfanta chose Don Quixote as her theme because like many high school students, she was very idealistic and viewed Quixote as a noble, chivalrous character wanting to right the wrongs of the world. Korfanta’s Don Quixote changed throughout the year she painted her mural, much as high school students themselves change as they journey toward graduation.

“As the mural progresses to the final panel, my painting style changed and became looser. (The final panel) shows a battered, more realistic Don Quixote, but a man who is still not defeated by the world.”

For many years after graduating Korfanta was a self-described workaholic, a science teacher who didn’t carve out time to devote to artistic interests.

“Now that I’m retired I am returning to art, and it enriches my world again, like reuniting with a long-lost friend.”

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Proceeds from the sale of Save Our Murals, the commemorative book which features the murals at Senior High School, will support mural restoration and maintenance. The book is $45 and will be published later in 2015.

Donations of $100 or more will receive a complementary book. To donate or pre-order a copy of the book, choose the BSH 75th Diamond Jubilee link in the upper left-hand corner of the Billings Senior High School website, or send a check to Lyn McKinney at: Billings Senior High School 425 Grand Ave. Billings, MT 59101

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SEEN AT THE SCENE 1

2

3

Montana Agri-Trade Exposition 4

1] Ron Fischer, Veronica Christensen & Shelby Shaw

5

Relay for Life Sock Hop 2} Felicia Frank & Kyle Benton 3] Tamara & Scott Millikan 4] Mark, Sara, Molly & Brett Solberg 5] Scott & Vicki Johnson

6

7

8

The 15th Annual Yellowstone Historical Preservation Board Roundtable 6] Molly Holz, Nancy Curriden, Randy Hafer, Jenna Richter, Kate Hampton, Christine Brown & Halcyon Lapoint 7] Dennis Deppmeier, Mike Nelson, Logan Hendricks & Eric Simonsen 8] Elisabeth DeGrenier & Lisa Olmsted

Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde 9

10

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9] Lance & Bella Kouba 10] Margie & Jesse Sanchez 11] Shannon McAuliffe & Kate McAuliffe Miller

Dress for Success – Sweet Success

12

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12] Cathy Reichart, Sheryl Duke & Linda Baltrusch 13] Karen Hayes & Jenni Typanski 14] Luci Cross, Kimberly Finstad & Darcy Kovacs

MAGIC CITY MAGAZINE I MAY/JUNE 2015 I 139

SEEN SCENE AT THE

15

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The Great Gatsby Alberta Bair Theater 15] Allyssa Bosch & Justin Linder 16] Angel Harris & Karter Keck 17] Charity Dewing & Marz Gray 18] Chris & Otto Walter 19] Randy Jordan, Greg Johnson, Corby Skinner & Marian Green

18 19

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Art Auction 47 20] Bob & Linda Merchant, James & Julie Whitworth 21] Matthew & Laurel Struck 22] Nick Pancheau & Louis Habeck 23] Gary & Melissa Oakland 24] Patricia Hubbard & Terry Fried 25] Rick & Cindy Leuthold

21 22

The Music of John Denver

23

24

26] Brian Beckhardt, Cheri Leoncio, Lamonte Johnson & Sheldon Fisher 27] Genovive & John Dubsky 28] Ron & Barb Nusbaum

25 26

Cinderella 29 ] Kim & Chloe Dennard, Aidyn McKenzie & Barb Dennard 30] Nicole Zuniga & April Mayberry 31] Ryan Rodriguez & Nicole Risdall

27

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PintAid for YMCA 32] Mistie Mims, Tina Postel & Jennifer Schroeder 33] Rachel Court & Stephanie Kirkpatrick 34] Sarah Keller & Joy Honea

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Memphis, the Musical 35] Brenda Meyer, Shaundel Krumheuer, Yon Sullivan & Liliana Hannah 36] Harv & Patrice Kountz 37] Sean Bullard, Chalon Bilbro, Karli Blanchard, Tatum Curry & Rebecca Cook

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Calahd Nua 38] Kris & Samantha Jensen 39] Suzanne Bender & Janis Strom 40] Tony & Kathleen Candelaria

Two to Tango 39

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41] Dick & Marcia Spaulding, Lisa & Dean Sukin 42] Sheldon Alweis, Nikki Wohler, Jake Gosman & Hunter Borner

Zonta Club 17th Annual Trivia Night 43

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43] Amy Newman, Precious McKenzie Stearns & Bill Stearns 44] Kelly Christy & Jay Kohn

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MAGIC CITY MAGAZINE I MAY/JUNE 2015 I 141

SEEN SCENE AT THE

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Women of Ireland 45] Denise & Lee Scherer 46] Duane, Annette & Hayden Behm 47] Jill Boyd & Jane McCracken

Camelot 48] Abby & Kendahl Hinthorne 49] Stone & Cody Dupree

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MSU Billings Faculty Excellence Awards 50] Rolf Groseth & John Cech 51] Mike Mathew & Kay Foster 52] Chancellor Mark Nook 53] Mike Nelson, Chuck Wendt & Chris Nelson

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Car Club at Opening of Fast & Furious 7 54] Jake Lowther & Brandon Hammond 55] Adam Burt & Brandon Nance 56] Hews, K.O. & Gern Hundley

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Southside Neighborhood Task Force East Egg Hunt 57] April Padilla, Bianca Moss, Angela Barchenger & Kristin Rude

57 56

Photo Credit: Alberta Bair Theater/Jody Grant; American Cancer Society/Megan Kongaika; Western Heritage Center/Lisa Olmsted and Kevin Kooistra; Montana State University; Brett Maas; Kristin Rude/Passages; Warren Dignen; Yellowstone Art Museum/Dixie Yelvington & Yellowstone Brewing Co./ Marcy Baumgartner

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BASHH May 16

You’ll have a bash at the annual BASHH—Building a Stronger Habitat for Humanity—annual gala.

Enjoy a social hour, hors d’oeuvres, no-host bar, dinner, silent auction, live auction and live music This long-standing organization has been building up Yellowstone County since 1992.

MAY Through May 23 Funny Money Billings Studio Theatre billingstudiotheatre.com Through June 14 Ride ‘Em: The Art of Will James Floyd D. Tunson: Son of Pops Boundless Visions: Selections from the Permanent Collection Yellowstone Art Museum artmuseum.org Playhouse Parade Rimrock Mall Until June 13 famserv.com May 8-9 Magic City Singers Spring Show: The Beat Goes On Babcock Theater 406-896-2438 May 12 PintAid Bike/Walk Montana Yellowstone Valley Brewing yellowstonevalleybrew.com May 13 Wednesdays with Willa Reading by Sandra Dallas Billings Public Library ci.billings.mt.us

Chris Staples, Mimicking Birds & Alyesk Pub Station 1111presents.com

May 21 Candlelight Ceremony Veterans Park namibilling.org

May 14 My Goodness Pub Station 1111presents.com

Snap: The Lost and Found in Vernacular Photography Lecture by Robert E. Jackson Yellowstone Art Museum artmuseum.org

May 15 FAM at the YAM Yellowstone Art Museum artmuseum.org Corb Lund Pub Station 1111presents.com May 15-30 A Little Night Music Nova Center for the Performing Arts novabillings.org

Heritage Home Tours Various locations mossmansion.com

Miss Massive Snowflake Pub Station 1111presents.com

Not Broken, Not Alone with Jason DeShaw NAMI gala Hilton Garden Inn namibilling.org

May 20 Open Mic Yellowstone Valley Brewing yellowstonevalleybrew.com

BruiseFest MetraPark Expo Center metrapark.com

May 17 Prairie Jam Yellowstone Valley Brewing yellowstonevalleybrew.com

Billings Wolves Rimrock Auto Arena at MetraPark metrapark.com

Sepulture, Destruction, Arsis, Boris the Blade & Micawber Pub Station 1111presents.com

May 16 Midlife Chryslers Yellowstone Valley Brewing

Less than Jake/Reel Big Fish Babcock Theatre 1111presents.com

The BASHH Habitat for Humanity Crowne Plaza 406-652-0960

May 19 International Museum Free Day Yellowstone Art Museum artmuseum.org

Wednesdays with Willa Lillian’s Last Dance by Christene Meyers Billings Public Library ci.billings.mt.us

Treo Jazz Jam Yellowstone Valley Brewing yellowstonevalleybrew.com George Winston: Billings Food Bank Benefit Alberta Bair Theater albertabairtheater.org May 22 Kevin Red Star book signing Yellowstone Art Museum artmuseum.org Funky Bunch NOVA Center for the Performing Arts novabillings.org Blistered Earth Pub Station 1111presents.com Eddie Izzard Alberta Bair Theater albertabairtheater.org May 23 2nd Annual Run for Life ACS at Rimrock Auto 406-256-7156

MAGIC CITY MAGAZINE I MAY/JUNE 2015 I 143

36th Annual Heart and Sole Run. June 20 Kick off Father’s Day Weekend with an ultra-healthy, fun-filled family day at the Heart & Sole Run. This is the 36th annual race with a goal of 3,600 runners and 360 teams. After the run, cool down while perusing the Montana Active Lifestyle Festival at Dehler Park. The event features more than 40 interactive booths, family fun and games. The festival is free and open to the public. Heart & Sole is presented by The Billings Gazette and St. Vincent Healthcare.

May 24 Veterans and Armed Forces Free Day Yellowstone Art Museum artmuseum.org Kyle Park Pub Station 1111presents.com

May 31 Ryan Adams Alberta Bair Theater albertabairtheater.org

JUNE

June 6 Lecture by Dr. Leanne Gilbertson Yellowstone Art Museum artmuseum.org 3rd Annual Island Adventure Riverfront Park famserv.com

May 26 PintAid: March of Dimes Yellowstone Valley Brewing yellowstonevalleybrew.com

June 2 PintAid: Northern Plains Resource Council Yellowstone Valley Brewing yellowstonevalleybrew.com

May 27 Open Mic Yellowstone Valley Brewing yellowstonevalleybrew.com

Eagles: Live in Concert Rimrock Auto Arena at MetraPark metrapark.com

May 28 Treo Jazz Jam Yellowstone Valley Brewing yellowstonevalleybrew.com

June 4 Kobra and the Lotus, Romantic Rebel & Kaleido Pub Station 1111presents.com

May 29 ABT Golf Shamble Lake Hills Golf Course albertabairtheater.org

Alive After 5 Pub Station downtownbillings.com

Billings Big Sky Chorus “High Seas Harmony” Alberta Bair Theater albertabairtheater.org

Billings Wolves Rimrock Auto Arena at MetraPark metrapark.com

June 5 27th RiverStone Health Hospice Golf Tournament Laurel Golf Club 406-651-6555

June 6-7 Montana Renaissance Festival ZooMontana zoomontana.org

JAM at the YAM Yellowstone Art Museum artmuseum.org

June 9 PintAid: Yellowstone Valley Animal Shelter Yellowstone Valley Brewing yellowstonevalleybrew.com

May 30 Ellen & The Old School For Montana Wilderness Association Yellowstone Valley Brewing yellowstonevalleybrew.com CDS Performing Arts Alberta Bair Theater albertabairtheater.org

June 5-20 Bark! The Musical Billings Studio Theatre billingstudiotheatre.com

144 I MAY/JUNE 2015 I MAGIC CITY MAGAZINE

June 11 Alive After 5 Daisy Dukes downtownbillings.com

Kottonmouth Kings Pub Station 1111presents.com

Purse-a-Palooza YWCA ywcabillings.org Michael Che & Jay Pharoh Babcock Theatre 1111presents.com Young Life Golf Tournament Eagle Rock Golf Course billings.younglife.org

June 16 Royal Thunder, Wild Throne Pub Station 1111presents.com

June 12 Billings Wolves Rimrock Auto Arena at MetraPark metrapark.com

PintAid: St. Stephens Relay for Life Yellowstone Valley Brewing yellowstonevalleybrew.com

June 12-14 Jurassic Quest Expo Center at MetraPark metrapark.com

June 17 Gordon Lightfoot Alberta Bair Theater albertabairtheater.org

June 13 Strawberry Festival Downtown Billings downtownbillings.com

June 18 Alive After 5 Commons 1882 downtownbillings.com

Becky Sappington CD release Yellowstone Valley Brewing yellowstonevalleybrew.com

June 18-23 Billings Mustangs Dehler Park billingsmustangs.com

Rimview Dance Studio “The Evolution of Dance” Alberta Bair Theater albertabairtheater.org

June 20 Yellowstone Highland Games ZooMontana zoomontana.org Dirty Power Yellowstone Valley Brewing yellowstonevalleybrew.com

MARKETPLACE Magic City Rollers Montana Pavillion at MetraPark metrapark.com Billings’ Biggest Garage Sale Carnival Lot at MetraPark metrapark.com Montana Steampunk Fair & Expo Chiesa Plaza at MetraPark metrapark.com June 23 PintAid: Billings Tennis Association Yellowstone Valley Brewing yellowstonevalleybrew.com June 25 Alive After 5 McCormick Café downtownbillings.com The Other Side of Midnight: Paintings and Prints by Adolf Dehn Exhibition Reception Exhibit through September 27 Yellowstone Art Museum artmuseum.org Art in Action Exhibition Reception Exhibit through September 27 Yellowstone Art Museum artmuseum.org The Botanical Series: Photographs

by Gerald Lang and Jennifer Anne Tucker Exhibition Reception Through October 21 Yellowstone Art Museum artmuseum.org Trace Adkins Rimrock Auto Arena at MetraPark metrapark.com June 28 Symphony in the Park Pioneer Park billingssymphony.com Stone Foxes Pub Station 1111presents.com June 30 PintAid: Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness Foundation Yellowstone Valley Brewing yellowstonevalleybrew.com Mother Mother Pub Station 1111presents.com

Affordable, Reliable Local Service

JULY

Take a look at the new, affordable group plans from Montana’s own...

July 1 The ABBA Show Alberta Bair Theater albertabairtheater.org

Call us for all your insurance needs!

July 2-5 Billings Mustangs Dehler Park billingsmustangs.com July 3 JAM at the YAM Yellowstone Art Museum artmuseum.org July 9 Alive After 5 Walker’s downtownbillings.com Gypsy Moon with Yellowstone Howard Yellowstone Valley Brewing yellowstonevalleybrew.com July 10-11 Last Best Country Fest Downtown Billings lastbestcountryfest.com

Agent is independent of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Montana and offers its products only in the State of Montana.

Billings Office: Jessi Sawicki .

406-655-1711 . 2619 St. Johns Ave., Suite B

®Registered Marks of Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, an Association of Independent Blue Cross and Blue Shield Plans. ®LIVE SMART. LIVE HEALTHY HEALTHY. is a registered mark of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Montana, an Independent Licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association.

HOME LOAN SOLUTIONS Purchasing • Refinancing g • Building • Remodelin ng •

Call Sam Van Dyke for your Real Estate Needs!

Sam Van Dyke Home Loan Consultant

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248-1127

www.billingsfcu.org 760 Wicks Lane • 2522 4th Ave. N • 32nd & King Ave. W

July 11 Summerfair Yellowstone Art Museum Veteran’s Park artmuseum.org Magic City Rollers Back Alley Brats Montana Pavilion at MetraPark metrapark.com July 15-21 Billings Mustangs Dehler Park billingsmustangs.com July 16 Alive After 5 Tiny’s Tavern downtownbillings.com July 17-19 Big Sky State Games Various locations, Billings bigskygames.org July 17-26 The Wizard of Oz NOVA Center for the Performing Arts novabillings.org Montana Brews & BBQs Chiesa Plaza at MetraPark metrapark.com

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HOME ON THE RANGE

The West Wind

By John MasefiEld It’s the white road westwards is the road I must tread To the green grass, the cool grass, and rest for heart and head, To the violets and the brown brooks and the thrushes’ song, In the fine land, the west land, the land where I belong.

146 I MAY/JUNE 2015 I MAGIC CITY MAGAZINE

st ete ® e arg mpl iat el!

L r Co Ar ar u o Y ost n of App M ctio nd & le r a Se wea ot o F

From the best selling author of The Notebook, Nicholas Sparks.

Starring Scott Eastwood.

SEE ARIAT BULLRIDER LUKE COLLINS IN THE MOVIE

© 2015 Ariat International, Inc. © 2015 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation

BIG R WEST

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2600 GABEL ROAD (406) 652-9118

216 N. 14TH STREET (406) 252-0503

1908 MAIN STREET (406) 384-0099

2049 SUGARLAND DRIVE (307) 674-6471

MAGIC CITY MAGAZINE I MAY/JUNE 2015 I 147 www.shiptonsbigr.com

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