VOLUME 99
ISSUE 44
TIMES
FALLON County
fctimes@midrivers.com 406-778-3344
BAKER, MONTANA 59313
$1.00
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2015
Wild Game Feed scheduled for Nov. 14 in Baker By Lori Kesinger Combine an amazing charitable event and a smorgasbord of exotic dishes and you have the Wild Game Feed in Baker. While the feed only happens once a year, its popularity has grown by leaps and bounds. Ranging from bear to buffalo, the menu is always diverse and plentiful and the game winning prizes get bigger and better. All of it being done to raise funds for local non-profit organizations. The 12th annual event will be Saturday, Nov. 14, at the Fallon County Fairgrounds Exhibit Hall in Baker with proceeds benefitting the Ekalaka Fire Department, Ismay Fire Department,
Medicine Rocks Church, and the Sons of the American Legion. The free will donation meal this year will have an array of wild game cuisine including: antelope, deer, elk, buffalo, bighorn sheep, bear, and possibly moose. The meal will be served from 4-6 p.m. with all the fun and games to follow. New and classic games will give men, women and youth the chance to win hunting and fishing prizes, currently including 38 guns with one of those being a highly valued BMG, bows, outdoor equipment and numerous other items. A table of prizes exclusively for youth of hunting age will be offered again, as well as a table to benefit the Sons of the American Legion to
fund their annual Kids’ Fishing day. A conglomeration of eleven valuable prizes will be awarded by the ever popular hat auction. Only 12 numbered hats will be auctioned off and numbers will be drawn for eleven winners. The event relies heavily on donations from local businesses and people. This year’s feed is expected to meet or surpass the previous years in attendance and prize offerings. Everyone is encouraged to bring their family, friends and neighbors together to tell hunting stories, eat some amazing game cuisine, and support a worthy cause.
Baker Corridor Planning Study reviewed by public By Sherry Vogel Approximately one year ago, the Fallon County Commissioners approached the Montana Department of Transportation (MDT) in conjunction with the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) to conduct a planning corridor (truck bypass route) study to identify and assess issues concerning traffic operations and mobility within a designated area of concern in Fallon County. The MDT sent a delegation to Baker to survey the situation and committed 80 percent of the cost of the study. The study’s purpose is to identify issues, constraints, and potential improvement options that address traffic and mobility operations within the study area. This was prompted with the sudden growth of population and traffic in the area related to Bakken oil activity. The proposed XL Keystone Pipeline and the future completion of the Bakken Marketlink were also factors in this decision. SEE CORRIDOR, PAGE 2
A Little Fall - A Little Halloween
This scene can be found at 404 E Montana Ave, Jerry & Angel Wyrwas home.
Reetz dedicated 39 years to 4-H By Sherry Vogel Some years ago when Toni (Murphy) Reetz was growing up on her family’s ranch on the fertile prairie, 12 miles east of Baker, entertainment was scarce. So when she became of age, at ten years old, she was eager to enroll as a member of the Fertile Prairie 4-H Club. The club was originally founded in 1959 as a chartered club of the National 4-H Foundation. 4H is a national youth development program and offers more than 100 different projects and learning experiences. Youth can learn how to cook, sew, raise an animal or camp, and everything in between. The Fertile Prairie Club met one time a month, usually in a club member’s home and was well attended by many of the local farming families of that community. These families, many of them large, were: Duffield, O’Donnell, Hanratty, Turbiville, and two families each of Jensen and Murphy. The leaders were the mothers and occasionally a father of a club member. Little did Reetz know that at just ten years of age she was joining a fraternity which would span 39 years of her life. Reetz was involved as a club member for eight years. As a young girl she remembers the challenge of leading her dairy cow to walk backwards in the show ring. She also recalls that her first club demonstra-
tion was “How to Fold a Sheet”. Along the way, Reetz won many honors and awards. She was thrilled to be chosen for the Best Girl’s Record Book and even prouder to be awarded Best Club Secretary Book. She attributes her great organizational skills of today to the skills she learned while in 4-H. She stated, “4-H taught me to properly fill out paperwork.” Her biggest achievement in her 4-H career came when at 18 years old she was selected for the Citizen Short Course. This is a weeklong summer experience in Washington, D.C. Among the highlights of her trip was meeting congressmen. She also enjoyed staying in the National 4-H Center, which has a campus-like atmosphere. She met people from across the United States. Reetz also enjoyed field trips touring historic and educational sites in the nation’s capital. After graduating from high school, Reetz was hired by Extension Agent Gene Hoff to fill the position of Fallon Extension Service secretary. She enjoyed working with Gene and Minneclair Lavender and remembers this as being
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her favorite job. Later on when Reetz’s children became 4-H members, she became a leader. She was head leader of the original Fertile Prairie Club for ten years. She also served six years as president of the 4-H Council. She shared, “I’ve always enjoyed being involved in 4-H. So I’ve continued even as my children outgrew 4-H.” She continues to get acquainted with new members when working at the 4-H food booth and at county events. She added, “Time has gone so fast and I’ve worked with lots of kids.” Last year two of her grandkids, Tai Setinc and Daley Crawford, became members of the Tumbling Tumbleweeds 4-H Club. “I wanted to be involved with them,” she explained, “so I became a leader once again.” When asked how 4-H has changed over the years, she stated, “Kids are more involved with school activities so they can’t always juggle 4H and school. “ Hence 4-H membership isn’t as high as it was in years past. This is disappointing because as Reetz so eloquently stated, “4-H is a wonderful organization. It is a great way for kids to learn new things that otherwise they may not have been exposed to.” Congratulations, Toni Reetz! We applaud your 31 faithful years of service to 4-H and the youth of Fallon County as a 4-H leader. You have truly exemplified the 4-H motto “to make the best better”.
Correction In last week’s article “Baker to host 2016 State High School Rodeo Finals”, it stated that Jason Coulter “beat the bushes” for donations to revamp the arena. This statement is not correct. Although Jason Coulter spent a lot of time getting donations to put towards increasing the rodeo purse, the arena improvements were a group effort and no monetary donations went towards it. There were several businesses and local people who volunteered hours of their time and materials to make the improvements to the arena. Jason was one of them but there were many others. The Fallon County Times apologizes for any inconvenience this may have caused anyone.
Notice Mail ballots for the City of Baker and Town of Plevna Municipal Election have been sent to all active electors. Ballots need to be mailed or delivered to the Clerk and Recorder in Baker by Tuesday, November 3. Inactive electors must request a ballot from the County Election Administrator.
It’s Time It’s time to change the clocks again! Daylight Saving Time ends Sunday, Nov. 1. Turn your clocks back one hour Saturday, Oct. 31, before retiring for the evening.
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