Fallon County
T IMES BAKER, MONTANA
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$1.00
December 25, 2020
Drive in movie night turns into free double feature
Staff Report
The first ever drive-in movie night Saturday at the Fallon County Fairgrounds turned into a free Christmas double feature, thanks to local sponsors and predicted high winds Sunday. It was a success, according to Shyla Hadley, the manager at the fairgrounds. “It went really well. It was well received throughout the community.” However, it was weather predictions of strong wind gusts Sunday which turned the event into a Saturday night double feature showing Elf and How the Grinch Stole Christmas, she explained. “We had to cut it a day short because of weather, but we were just happy we were able to at least have one night of it,” Hadley said. “We showed both movies on Saturday. So, nobody missed out and we got to play both of them. The event drew more than 70 cars. “We had sponsors pull through and decided to pay everybody’s way in. So, it was free admission and was a pretty cool Christmas gift,” she said, noting that Griffith Excavating and Prairie Rose Classics paid the admission. There may be more drive in nights in the future, Hadley said. “It is not really a Christmas-specific thing. We definitely would like to do it again someday or sometime.” COVID-19 played a role in planning for the drive in night. “The reason that we did it for Christmas this year was so that people could be in their cars and be COVID-19 safe. “It would be fun to have a more put together event when COVID is all over … and have food vendors, popcorn and all that fun stuff,” she added. “We definitely can’t do it once a month, but we certainly would like to do it again,” she said. In order to show the movies, the fairgrounds had to purchase the rights and follow certain restrictions regarding advertising in local media. “We were only able to advertise social media and by flyers because they don’t allow us to use pay radio or newspaper advertising. The community can find out about future movie nights by following the fairgrounds’ Facebook page, she explained. Each time the fairgrounds has a movie night they will have to meet certain restrictions as well as arrange for the showing. “We have to rent out the projector and the screen and have a company that runs those. There is the movie licensing. It is quite the process, but it was a lot of fun so we’d like to do it again.” The sound was provided by a short-range signal fed to the nearby cars and trucks, she explained. “The company that rented the screen and the projector take over the radio... so it was all in one.” It was the wind gusts predicted for Sunday which created the double feature for the Saturday night showing. “They (predicted wind gusts) lessened on Saturday, but not on Sunday.” According to the company, the predicted wind gusts for Sunday exceeded their limits. “The company said they could handle wind gusts up to 25 miles per hour,” she explained. The fairgrounds had announced a $10 admission fee per vehicle before the sponsors paid all admissions.
2020 Chronicles
YEAR IN REVIEW 2020
January 3 -- Headline: “Cattlewoman of the Year”. Wanda Pinnow was named Montana Cattlewoman of the Year on Dec. 11 in Billings. Wanda is the current president of the American National Cattlewomen. She explained. “I went to the awards session and they called my name. I was totally shocked,” she said, noting it was the first time the Montana Cattlewomen organization had given the award. . .The Montana Pro Rodeo Hall and Wall of Fame proudly announces the honorees for induction on the fifteenth anniversary of this prestigious organization. Local inductees to the Hall of Fame include: Rising Ranch a five generation, 115 year old ranch established in 1904 by Oscar and Martha Keener. Rising Ranch is located 20 miles north of Baker on Highway 7 along Ash Creek. Josh Reynolds of Ekalaka for the Rodeo Legend Inductee. . .Pictures: Thick, dense fog made
for dreary days Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, but beautiful frost on the trees was the result. . .Kaylin Wheeler, of Baker was named to Fall semester Dawson Community College Presidents’s Honor List. . .The Class of 202425 Uncle Jerry’s Tee Fundraiser was a great success! Our sellers earned a record breaking amount this year. They earned over $400 in free items this year and were proud to donate them to Christmas Wishes! January 10 -- Headline: New City Councilors sworn in. Brittany Hoversland was sworn in to office as City Councilor of Ward 2, City of Baker, and Tracey Goerndt took the oath of office as City Councilor in Ward 1 of the City of Baker from Mayor JoDee Pratt on Jan. 2, 2020 in the Fallon County Courthouse. . .Fire destroys Ismay post office. The fire was discovered about 12:30 a.m. Jan. 3 with almost the entire volunteer fire department responding, along with the fire
department from nearby Plevna. By dawn, all that remained of the post office was smoldering rubble and it remained smoldering for the rest of the day. . .Montana jumps to deadliest DUI state when it comes to deaths tied to driving under the influence for 2019. In 2018, Montana was number six. January 17 -- It took more than a week, but a water leak outside the Bank of Baker has been fixed. It was first discovered in early January when water started to flow through the grass between the sidewalk and the bank parking lot at 116 South Main Street in downtown Baker. . . In June 2020, Daylee Hanson will embark on a trip of a lifetime. Daylee will be representing Southeast Electric Cooperative Members in Washington DC. . .Richard A. Menger, Fallon County Environmental Health, is requesting support letters from the public in writing a Fish, Wildlife & Parks grant for
$25,000 to construct a handicap accessible floating fishing dock connected to the Millennium Walkway that encircles Baker Lake. . .Byron Wolenetz of Baker won $250,000 on Jan. 6 playing Montana Millionaire. Wolenetz bought his winning ticket at Reynolds Market in Baker. . .High temperature Jan. 12 was 37. Low temperature Jan. 14 was -17. . .Ismay postal service moved to Plevna after the fire that burned the structure to the ground. . .State health officials said today that tobacco product retailers in Montana should comply with a new federal law and discontinue tobacco product sales to those under the age of 21. January 24 -- Headline: Montana Teacher of the Year Linda Rost announced as a finalist for National Teacher of the Year. Rost is a science teacher at Baker High School in Baker, Montana, and was nominated for the na-
See REVIEW Page 8
Be A Winner! Shop In Baker! Varner winner of Baker Chamber promotion
The third winner of the Be A Winner! Shop In Baker! promotion, sponsored by the Baker Chamber of Commerce and Agriculture, was Mandi Varner of Baker. She received $25 in Baker Bucks.
FMC ‘hugging wall’ brings contact back to local families Staff Report
It may have been inspired by something seen on Facebook, but the recent creation of a “Hugging Wall” at the Fallon Medical Complex’s long-term care facility has brought back the human touch to the COVID-19 in Baker. Now, residents can touch and hug family members – almost. There is still plastic separating them, explained Michelle Smith, the assistant director of Nursing at FMC. “We have the hugging wall here in long-term care,” she explained Monday. “They put on the plastic cowls and plastic gloves. Then they put their hands through the holes in the plastic. “We found the idea on Facebook and then we waited until our COVID-19 numbers dropped down so that we were not as so much of a high risk,” she explained. The wall was put up around mid December and was open for use on Dec. 17, Smith said. “We had two families the first day and then the second day we had three families,” she said. “We have been averaging about two to three families a day to come up and hug,” she explained. Each time, the visits are limited to about 15 minutes in length, followed by about 10 minutes for cleaning up. “We spray it down and wipe everything down afterwards.” The hugging wall is located in the long-term care area near the social service office and uses a converted hall for meeting relatives. “The part that you see through is like a shower liner. The
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Christmas Stores............................2&8
Classifieds...........................................6
High: 47 Low: 16
Files of the Times...............................3
Obits...................................................7
Spartan Scroll.....................................4
Coloring Contest...............................12
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Cougar Track.......................................5
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other part is a little bit thinner,” she said. “The staff at FMC love the very people we take care of each and every day.,” the staff explained on its Facebook page when it announced the hugging wall. “There are rules that we need to follow for the sake of everyone involved.” The first rule is that if people are feeling sick, don’t come. The appointment can be rescheduled. All visits will be by appointment through the long-term care nurses station 406-778-5405. Each visit will be limited to about 15 minutes, which allows the staff time to be able to clean the area before it can be used again. The staff also recommends that the people stay in the groups that they normally associate with on a daily basis. Masks are still required for all visitors at all times in the hugging wall area. In addition, visitors must use hand sanitizer before putting the gloves on. There is also a tablet available which can be used to communicate, using the internet. “Our most popular times for appointments is about 9 or 10 o’clock (in the morning) or about 3 in the afternoons,” Smith said. “We are just happy that we have a way that we can bring through plastic. They can at least see their loved ones,” she added. The area has been converted from being a hallway. For more information or if people want to volunteer, they can call Michelle Smith at 406-778-5388. Check out our Facebook page or Website for updates. www.falloncountyextra.com
New Years Eve
Prime Rib & Crab Legs DRINK SPECIALS
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