T IMES
December 6, 2019
BAKER, MONTANA
Friends
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$1.00
FMC Foundation 17 Annual “Fantasy food Fair” Sat., Dec. 7, 2019 • 7 - 10 p.m. Fallon County Fairgrounds of
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It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas
By Shannon Johnson
The Christmas season is in full swing in Baker, with the Country Christmas Countdown underway. The festivities began with the Lighting of the Holiday Lights at McClain Park on Nov. 23. The park was filled with Christmas cheer as kids ran and played, and adults chatted and listened to Christmas music. Thanksgiving week was a busy
week for holiday events, with Xi Alpha Nu’s annual Holiday Bazaar held on Nov. 24 at the Baker High School Gymnasium. The next day the FMC Festival of Trees began at Thee Garage. On Nov. 29, the first night of the late-night store openings began, with stores staying open until 7 p.m.., just in time for Small Business Saturday. The snowfall over Thanksgiving paved the way for a quiet cozy workweek to follow, with the only holiday event being the Baker Elementary Concerts on Dec. 5 at 10 a.m. and 6:30 p.m., and the Plevna School Concert at 6:30 p.m. This weekend everything is going to be back in full swing, with Santa making a pit stop Saturday, Dec. 7, 10 a.m. 2 p.m. at Russell’s Clothing for pictures, as well as the Santa Claus Days at the
Marmarth Community Center after the vendors, games and Marmarth Ambulance Service’s free-will offering lunch wraps up. After a busy day of shopping locally and enjoying a warm meal at the vendor show in Marmarth, and seeing Santa at Russell’s Clothing, the night will cap off with the annual FMC Fantasy Food Fair, a favorite of many locals. The weekend will wrap up with the O’Fallon Community Choir Christmas Concert at the Baker Assembly of God Church at 2 p.m.. On Monday, Dec. 9 the Baker Chamber of Commerce and Agriculture will be out and about doing the judging for the Christmas Lighting Contest, so be sure to have your lights hung and on before dark that evening! Later in the week on Wednesday, Dec. 11, The Bank of Baker will be hosting
the Plevna and Baker School Choirs for an open house, 9 a.m.-4 p.m., choirs will sing at 10:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. Santa will make one more stop in Baker at the Fire Hall from 4-6 p.m. FMC will also be hosting their Chili Feed from 5-7 p.m., at Thee Garage so you can warm up in between shopping locally at the stores in Baker, which will be open until 7 p.m., and taking one more look at the selection of Christmas Décor from the Festival of Trees before it wraps up that evening. There’s one last event before the kids begin Christmas break and families start cozying in to bake cookies for Saint Nick and hang their stockings. The Baker High School Christmas Concert will be held on Monday, Dec. 16 at 7 p.m., at Longfellow Gymnasium, another community favorite that you won’t want to miss!
Mosher joins Fallon County Times as reporter The Fallon County Times has added a new staff member, Brad Mosher. Mosher will be covering general news, features and said he is hoping to improve and expand on the local coverage in Fallon County. Mosher adds experience, working for many years on daily newspapers in southern California and Oregon. He has worked on daily community newspapers in El Cajon, Paso Robles, Victorville, Ridgecrest, the Antelope Valley in California and
later in Oregon at La Grande. He has spent four years working at the Tillamook Headlight Herald along the Oregon Coast. Until recently, he was working at the Dunn County Herald in Killdeer and The Herald in New England, both located in North Dakota. Among the positions he has held have been as the sports editor of the Daily Independent in Ridgecrest for several years. More recently, he was the sports editor at The Observer in La Grande
for three years. Mosher was a military journalist, serving with the 1st Infantry Division (in Kansas) and with the 56th Field Artillery Brigade (in Germany). He also had work published by the Stars & Stripes - Europe and Soldier Magazine while in the U.S. Army. A former member of the National Press Photographers Association and current member of the Society of News Design, Mosher will add to the photo capabilities of the staff for news and
sports coverage, along with experience in layout and design. He has received regional recognition for his news and sports photography by the NPPA and made it to the semifinals of the Military Photographer of the Year contest. While working in La Grande, Mosher had several photographs selected by The Associated Press for national distribution. He has covered several national stories, including the
Brenda Spencer sniping attack at a suburban San Diego school where the then-16year-old girl killed two adults and wounded eight children with a rifle. He also has had work published in Runner’s World Magazine, Track & Field News and the San Diego Union-Tribune, among other publications. He is a graduate of San Diego State University and the Defense Information School’s newspaper editor course.
Thanksgiving storm brings ice and snow Staff Report
After a near miss with a storm system that covered most of the country recently, Fallon County and western North Dakota still have more wintry weather on the way. In Baker the weather will be in the mid-40s Friday and Saturday before more snow arrives and the weather becomes decidedly colder. Both rain and snow showers are predicted around Fallon County Sunday with a high of 37 degrees expected and a low of 13 degrees. In addition, there could be winds of about 15 miles per hour. However, only about one inch of snow is expected. De-icing The cold trend will worsen Monday, with a high of 24 degrees ( low of 8 degrees), followed by a drop to a high of 15 degrees (low 3 degrees) Tuesday. The highs will climb
back into the 20s Wednesday and stay there throughout the weekend. Most of the Mo-Dak region was still digging out this week after a being hit with a coat of ice Nov. 28, followed by more than a day of snow. In North Dakota, the ice first hit, covering most of the western edge of the state with between a quarter of an inch to half an inch of ice on everything from trees, lawns, cars and roads. But along the southwestern edge, the snow added between six and 12 inches in the region. According to the National Weather Service Office in Bismarck, the region was able to avoid most of the storm impact because it took a more southern route and hit the state
SMART involved in numerous projects By Shanny Spang Gion
A recent “Gotta Question” was received by Fallon County Times Editor Darlene Hornung that was shared with the Southeast Montana Area Revitalization Team (SMART) Director, Shanny Spang Gion. The question essentially asked what services, programs, etc. are available at SMART and how those programs, etc. are serving Fallon County residents. It is great to know that people are interested in the activities of Southeast Montana Area Revitalization Team (SMART). In sum, SMART has been involved in housing development, urban renewal, community development, economic development, adult education opportunities, parks improvement and supporting small businesses by offering a revolving loan fund. One of the current projects that SMART and the Eastern
TODAY’S FORECAST High: 41 Low: 28
Partly Sunny
Files of the Times..............2 Obituaries.........................3 Festival of Trees................4 Spartan Scroll...................6
Russell’s Clothing Baker, MT 406-778-2427
Montana Economic Development Authority (EMEDA) has been working on is childcare availability and early childhood education. EMEDA is very interested in the potential to develop such a center or facility for a variety of reasons. First, it will have a positive impact on the local workforce, by allowing opportunity for stay-at-home parents to re-enter the workforce or continue their education. Moreover, the long-term beneficial impact of developing a childcare center or facility will be an investment in the education of children in the community, increasing their chances of success in school and in the workforce. Planning and activities for this project are numerous. First, public listening sessions were held in the fall of 2018 and a community childcare committee was established to help in planning for a potential early childhood education center.
Cougar Tracks....................7 Classifieds.......................11 Coloring Contest.............12
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In addition, EMEDA is currently working with a childcare business and curriculum consultant to understand the extent of start-up and operating costs of a childcare center or facility. Understanding the business side of a childcare facility is of utmost importance to the EMEDA Commissioners in their decision making process. Furthermore, a childcare survey was administered across the county in late summer and early fall of this year with 207 responses. Almost 87% of respondents supported the idea of building a quality early childhood education center. The survey also revealed that there are 167 children aged 0-5 in our area that could be served by an early childhood education center. Another interesting survey result showed that the most important aspects of an early childhood
Christmas Concert
Baker Schools Department of Music will present the annual Christmas concert on Monday, Dec 16 at 7 p.m. at Longfellow Gymnasium. Please use the Second Street Doors to enter the building. Everyone in the community is invited to join music students in grades 5-12 as they perform a wide variety of festive Christmas music.
~ Great Gifts for Christmas Giving ~ Denali, Little Giraffe, & Pendleton Blankets Montana Silversmiths, Holly Yashi, & Brighton Jewelry Finch Berry Soaps, Rosy Rings Home Fragrance, Hydro Flasks, French Knot Winter Accessories, Tribal, Pendleton, Smartwool, The North Face, & Under Armour
See SMART Page 5
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