Missoula Valley September 2015

Missoula Valley SEPTEMBER 2015

MissoulaValleyLifestyle.com

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At Home

TURNING ON THE LIGHT BULB A HOME OF THEIR OWN FROM EMPIRE TO TREASURE

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Interiors are rich with tile, hickory wood, and more. 62+ acres fenced and cross fenced with water rights, pond & views!

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1096 Bear Creek Tr, Victor $825,000 Authentic western style log home perched on the banks of a clear cold mountain stream. 4,500 amenity rich square feet.

4 bd, 3 bath. Includes a small guest apartment, dry cabin, sandy beach, and spectacular manicured gated property.

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Editor’s Letter

Running home.

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or most of my adult life, I have been able to fit my belongings into two suitcases. What I couldn’t was left behind, and that sometimes included people. You can’t comfortably run from life if you’re bogged down with luggage. Maybe that’s why I was never much of a runner.

From the moment I came home from the hospital, I knew only one house, one set of friends, one city— Huntington Beach, Calif.—and yet I never felt “at home” there. Home is a strange concept that, as a kid and young adult, feels like a physical space, or so they tell me: the house or place that we grow up in. Adulthood, however, transforms this notion into a state of mind.

When I was 14 years old, I started to know other cities, houses, sets of friends. During the next 20 years, I moved at least once a year, sometimes twice and a few times three, running from city to city looking for “home.” That’s why I lived light. These places never felt like home, and I spent more time planning my next jaunt rather than enjoying the current journey. Running became cumbersome, despite the light load.

Strangely enough, I took up running as a diversion—a particularly odd choice given how unsuccessful “running home” had been for me. We weren’t acquainted long when my hobby began to cause me literal misery and pain: plantar fasciitis and IT band problems. I quit and then moved, and moved.

SEPTEMBER 2015 publisher Michael Tucker | MTucker@LifestylePubs.com

editor Danielle M. Antonetti | DAntonetti@lifestylepubs.com

advertising sales Kelly Bigelow | Kelly@BrandEdgeMarketing.com Katherine Jenkins | JenkinsKa94@Gmail.com

contributing writers Kate Di Nitto, Chelsea Lyn Drake, Mignon Hess, Eve Kenneally, Kendra Mathewson

contributing photographers Pamela Dunn-Parrish, Sara Pierce, John Sieber

corporate team chief executive officer | Steven Schowengerdt chief sales officer | Matthew Perry chief financial officer | DeLand Shore director of marketing | Brad Broockerd art director | Sara Minor ad coordinators | Cyndi Vreeland, Chelsi Hornbaker, Katy James layout designer | Nicole Sylvester

I didn’t plan to move to Western Montana. The plan was to stay with my dad for three months and then go somewhere better. The last best place was, in my mind, the first worst place. Then, something incredible happened in those three months: The peace I’d been moving all over the world for found its way into my heart. I stopped planning my escape and started planning my weekend.

copy editor | Kendra Mathewson executive assistant | Lori Cunningham application architect | Michael O’Connell web developer | Hanna Park it director | Randy Aufderheide

I recently started running again, and it feels good. I must be home.

Danielle M. Antonetti, Editor dantonetti@lifestylepubs.com

by Community ™

ON THE COVER For Dan and Sara Pierce and their

children, home is where the pizza oven is: the kitchen. Rocky Mountain Remodels designed the house with the help of Sway Interiors and Wild Rockies Landscaping.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY SARA PIERCE 4 Missoula Valley Lifestyle | September 2015

MissoulaValleyLifestyle.com join us

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P.O. Box 12608 Overland Park, KS 66282-3214 Proverbs 3:5-6 Missoula Valley Lifestyle™ is published monthly by Lifestyle Publications LLC. It is distributed via the US Postal Service to some of Missoula Valley’s most affluent neighborhoods. Articles and advertisements do not necessarily reflect Lifestyle Publications’ opinions. No portion of this magazine may be reproduced in any form without written consent. Lifestyle Publications does not assume responsibility for statements made by advertisers or editorial contributors. Information in Missoula Valley Lifestyle™ is gathered from sources considered to be reliable, but the accuracy of all information cannot be guaranteed.

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AniMeals Many wonderful animals find themselves at our adoption center through no fault of their own and yearn for the companionship of a family. Adopting a shelter pet can be one the of the most rewarding things you will ever do.

Our mission is to place companion animals in loving homes with compassionate people who will make lifelong commitments to them by accepting them as a member of their family. We love the pets in our care and want to ensure that they only go the best of homes.

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September 2015 | Missoula Valley Lifestyle

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September 2015

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Departments 8

Good Times

12

Around Town

14

Your Neighbors

16

Healthy Lifestyle

22

Local Limelight

24

Terrific Teacher

26

Page Turners

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Lifestyle Calendar

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Parting Thoughts

14 From Empire to Treasure

East coast gallops west.

18 A Home of Their Own

Pierce family makes a good call on the house of their dreams.

24 Turning On the Light Bulb

Sentinel teacher inspires with imagination and innovation.

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Good Times

Missoula Marathon Weekend

More than 5,000 people participated in this year's event, where a wet finish line greeted runners but didn't dampen their spirits on the 13.1- and 26.2-mile courses. PHOTOGRAPHY PAMELA DUNN-PARRISH

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Good Times

Showin' Off for Camp Mak-A-Dream

Western Montana car clubs, including Garden City Rods and Customs, the Bitterrodders Car Club and the Five Valley Ford Club, raised $60,000 for Camp Mak-A-Dream at their recent car show. PHOTOGRAPHY PAMELA DUNN-PARRISH

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Around Town A TRADITION OF CHAMPIONS The University of Montana celebrates homecoming with a week of festive activities Sept. 20-26 for alumni, friends, students and community members. Events include the kick-off celebration at Southgate Mall; the "Hello Walk," a long-standing tradition in which students and alumni are invited to grab a brush to paint a greeting in any language they wish outside Turner Hall; campus decorating contests; the House of Delegates annual meeting; the Distinguished Alumni Awards Ceremony and Reception; the Yell Night Pep Rally, in which the football team, marching band, cheerleaders and Monte celebrate with a bonfire, fireworks and the lighting of the "M"; the All-Alumni Social and Dance; the Homecoming Hustle 5K (register on event day, Sept. 26, at Runner's Edge, 304 N. Higgins); Homecoming Parade, which begins in downtown Missoula and marches along Higgins and University avenues; and the alumni homecoming tailgate and football game. For more information and the schedule of events, visit GrizAlum.org.

UM PROFESSOR NAMED NAJA PRESIDENT Jason Begay, a University of Montana assistant professor in the School of Journalism, was elected president of the Native American Journalists Association. A Navajo from Gallup, N.M., and UM alumnus, he joined the UM faculty in 2010 and serves as Native American projects director at the university and co-teaches UM’s award-winning Native News Honors Project as well as oversees Reznet, a Native American news, information and entertainment website. “NAJA’s been pretty important to me in my career,” he says. “I’m both really excited and nervous to lead the organization that has done so much for me and others.”

The organization launched in 1984 to address challenges faced by American Indian journalists and to foster educational and professional opportunities for indigenous members of the media. Before graduating in 2002, Begay received NAJA scholarships and mentoring from NAJA members. Such 12 Missoula Valley Lifestyle | September 2015

support helped pave the way for a series of professional successes, including an internship with The New York Times and reporting positions with The Oregonian and The Navajo Times. For more information on the UM School of Journalism, visit Jour.UMT.edu.

‘PERSEVERANCE AND PASSAGE’ AT SILVER PARK A metal sculpture titled “Perseverance and Passage” by artist George Ybarra has a home in Silver Park near the civic stadium.

The sculpture’s significant scale and size encourages interaction between park goers and the piece. The Missoula Public Art Committee issued an art call for Silver Park last year, and the selection process took four months. “We received many proposals with merit, and the four finalists in particular presented strong and creative concepts,” says Public Art Committee Chairman Peter Lambros. “George Ybarra’s proposal was chosen for its bold sculptural representation of themes relevant to both the history of the site and of Missoula.” According to the artist, the piece is intended to commemorate the transitions in this area of Missoula and the endurance of the many travelers who have found their way along the Clark Fork River as well as to acknowledge the dedication of the industrial mill workers who worked at the mill site over the years. The sculpture is funded by the city’s Percent for Art program, the Morris and Helen Silver Foundation, and the Missoula Redevelopment Agency, the city’s urban renewal agency. Ybarra, a professional metal sculptor, has worked as an artist and curator in Missoula since 1994. His metal fabrications combine aspects of modern art with the uninhibited landscape to form original sculptures. He is also the founder of the annual Sculpture Outdoors event at Caras Nursery and Landscape, now in its 11th year.

HELMETS FOR ICE CREAM A local Missoula resident recently donated Dairy Queen tokens to the Missoula Police Department. “Many years ago when I was maybe 8 or 9 years old, a Missoula police car pulled me over while I was riding

my bike,” recalls the resident. “The officer got out of his car and thanked me for wearing a helmet, then gave me a coupon for free ice cream at Dairy Queen. I’ve never forgotten that experience and it helped shape my opinion of police officers from a very young age.

Now I’d like to pass it on.” Missoula police officers are on the lookout for children on bicycles who are wearing their helmets and will provide them with a token good for an ice cream cone or a Dilly Bar. The MPD sends out a special thank you to the kind donor as well as to the city’s local Dairy Queens for helping to encourage children to ride their bicycles safely and to wear their helmets.

VALET OIL CHANGE SERVICES Life moves fast, but your car won’t if it misses its scheduled oil changes. Flanagan Motors, the Garden City’s Mazda dealership, is offering Valet Oil Change Service. Instead of taking an hour—sometimes two— out of your busy schedule to wait as your car has its oil changed, Flanagan will come pick up your vehicle, change its oil and filter, and return it to a location of your choice.

Valet cost is $52.95 for standard oil and $82.95 for synthetic. The service includes a complimentary safety inspection and car wash. For more information or to schedule an appointment, call 406.721.9223.

FEAST AT THE KYRA JEAN WILLIAMS FALL FEASTIVAL The University of Montana Farm to College program will host its annual Kyra Jean Williams Fall Feastival: Celebrating Montana’s Food Cycle from 5 to 7:30 p.m.

Wednesday, Sept. 16 at the UM Oval. The annual harvest feast provides students, faculty and staff, and the community a holistic view of Montana’s agricultural food cycle.

The event is the culmination of a year of planning and cooperation with more than a dozen food-producing partners. Nearly all of the items on the menu will be provided by local farmers, ranchers and food producers, who began preparations to grow and raise the food for the feast in April. Last year, the festival was renamed to honor Kyra Jean Williams who came to the Farm to College

program in 2008 after graduating from Bates College. As the program’s Vista Coordinator she brought to life the annual Farm to College Fall Feastival. Kyra’s commitment to creating a sound food network for Montana’s newest generations was also demonstrated through her work making and selling organic baby food for the local farmers market and her passion for organic farming was present in all aspects of her life. For more information visit UMT.edu/dining.

TAKE A STROLL Missoula Redevelopment Agency staff and friends of the late Hal Fraser recently dedicated a riverfront walk honoring him and the traits he embodied and used to benefit our community. Hal’s Walk was installed along the portion of the Ron MacDonald Riverfront Trail System that borders the Clark Fork River in Silver Park, near the civic stadium, from the boat ramp to the bridge crossing the irrigation ditch. It is marked by banners made of steel alloy on 11 trail-lighting poles that spell out the traits: humor, respect, passion, commitment, enthusiasm, vision, perseverance, courage, imagination, selflessness and patience. A native Montanan, Fraser came to Missoula in the 1960s to study at the University of Montana; it’s where he met and married his wife, Sharee. Fraser volunteered at UM as an alumni mentor, Grizzly sports booster and director of the end of the Homecoming Parade, and he was especially known for his work with Playball Missoula, the Missoula Children’s Theatre and the Missoula Redevelopment Agency, where he served on the board for more than 20 years. Hal’s Walk commemorates his Sunday riverfront walks with his friend Gerald Mueller. A plaque marks the site.

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September 2015 | Missoula Valley Lifestyle

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Your Neighbors

From Empire to Treasure A COUPLE’S JOURNEY HOME

ARTICLE AND PHOTOGRAPHY CHELSEA LYN DRAKE

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here’s a sign hanging in a Missoula home that reads, “Life is all about how you handle plan B.” I saw it when my boyfriend and I were house hunting and being filmed for an episode of Living Big Sky, a new series on HGTV about finding a home in Montana. I didn’t know it then but I had already made up my mind about moving here. These mountains, this community, and that sign reminded me of what it means to make a living and a life. I was reminded to expect the unexpected.

Our plan B began the day my father died. My boyfriend, Chris, and I spent our childhood in the beautiful Hudson Valley. We met in high school and went to college just off the shores of Lake Erie a few years later. Our post-college lives took us to the ever-lit

14 Missoula Valley Lifestyle | September 2015

streets of New York City, just an hour south of the home where my father and I once lived. He was sick, and Chris and I were glad that our applications for jobs out West went unanswered. This is meant to be, we told each other. A short drive from home was what we needed. Plan A meant working for the weekends and stuffing our paychecks back into the flames of New York’s engine. It was the city of someone else’s dreams.

It was snowing the day we flew out of New York. We were flying into Missoula for the first time, together, to house hunt with a film crew in tow. He, an avid snowboarder, and I, a lifelong equestrian, had dreamed of owning our own place in the Wild West, away from the monotony of public transportation and inbred exhaustion.

We’d filled out an online application for the TV show the way one throws a penny into a fountain. We decided on a budget and made our wish-list, and during the days leading up to our trip we daydreamed about loading our horse into the trailer and letting our roots take hold in a place where the American dream was rumored to still exist.

I can’t remember the exact moment when I knew we’d live here.

It was somewhere between opening the barn door of a home for sale and pausing to notice the sweet sound of nothing just before the sun disappeared over the Bitterroot Mountains. Montana had thrown an arrow through our hearts and opened a door we’d never thought was there. We flew back to New York after our five-day trip and returned to our jobs, their glow slightly dulled by what might have been, or by what could be back in Montana. We applied for jobs and when Chris got one we made our calls to family and friends and began to dissemble the lives we’d carefully built.

I would quit my job without having another, something almost every mentor of mine had warned me never to do.

I thought about my father after Chris left for Missoula. I’d leave almost two months after him and in the interim I’d coax myself

in and out of the guilt that clings to all happiness after losing a parent. I was about to hand over the life I’d always known for a bigger dream that held no promises and I wondered if we would have still gone for it had he still been here. He’d spent a lifetime working tirelessly for a simple life and when he came to the end of it he passed that dream along to me.

It was late April when I loaded our horse into the trailer and drove 2,400 miles into plan B, my mother riding shotgun through 11 states, two horse hotels, and one Super 8 where our horse could stay just outside our room (Hello, Montana). When we arrived in Missoula we shook the hay from our boots and watched my mare stretch her legs and settle in. We laughed about the spontaneity we didn’t know we had and cried for all the miles that would separate us from our families.

Life in Montana doesn’t glitter. It doesn’t need to. It’s a rare risk and reward that takes quitting a dream job in the wrong city to allow the smaller things in life to bask in the limelight that they deserve. Leaving New York was one of the hardest, best things we could have done for ourselves. Despite cartwheeling our way into a world of unknowns, we are, at last, home.

Healthy Lifestyle

Unlocking Sprouted Grains A HEALTHY ADDITION TO YOUR DIET

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prouted grains have been popular among health food junkies for years, but they’ve only recently hit the mainstream, popping up everywhere from breads and cereals to restaurant menus. This hot new healthy ingredient has loads of nutritional benefits and is increasingly easy to find. But what exactly are sprouted grains?

A sprouted grain is the beginning of a grain seed’s life cycle, before it becomes a mature plant. Given just the right temperature and moisture conditions, the outer layer will split open and a young shoot will sprout out of the grain, releasing vital nutrients and enzymes stored inside. Grain seeds are similar to long-term storage packages, designed to keep their goodness locked inside until conditions are right to grow a new plant.

According to the Whole Grains Council, the sprouting process can increase the amount and availability of some vitamins (notably vitamin C) and minerals, making sprouted grains a potential nutrition powerhouse.

“With the attention paid to gluten-free, a dark cloud has been surrounding whole grains for several years,” says registered dietitian,

16 Missoula Valley Lifestyle | September 2015

Kashi nutrition partner and author, Toby Amidor. “Unless you have celiac disease or other individual needs, whole grains—including sprouted grains—are an important part of a healthy diet.

“Sprouted grains are a delicious way to add fiber and essential minerals such as iron, zinc or magnesium to your diet,” continues Amidor.

“They aren’t just for the serious health food aficionados anymore.

Many new packaged foods feature these unique and nutritious grains.”

Eating real, pure foods is at the core of a healthy lifestyle. By taking a closer look at packaging while at the grocery store, you can find items made with wholesome ingredients and positive benefits. These days, many grocery stores carry a variety of nutritious options on their shelves as well.

“People don’t always check the nutrition label while they’re shopping,” says Amidor. “Take a moment to pause and read the labels to get the full picture and really understand the foods that are going into your grocery basket and onto the family table.”

For food and recipe ideas, visit Kashi.com and for more information on whole grains, the Whole Grains Council is a great resource.

THE SCOOP ON WHOLE GRAINS

S

imply put, they are small, edible seeds that come from grasses such as wheat and barley. Whole grains can be ground, cracked, or flaked, and still retain their benefits. Here are three ways whole grains have a positive impact: • Healthy Weight: Packed with nutrition in the form of vitamins, minerals, complex carbohydrates and fiber, whole grains contain some of the best elements to keep you on track when it comes to maintaining a healthy weight. Research supports the notion that eating healthy amounts of fiber, which are found naturally in whole grains, helps people manage their weight.

• Happy Heart: Consuming more plant foods, like fruits, vegetables and whole grains, has been associated with reducing the risk of heart disease.

• Positive Energy: Because whole grains are complex carbohydrates and they naturally contain fiber, they give you more nutrients per calorie than refined carbohydrates. It’s a better way to fuel your day!

NUTRIENTS UNLOCKED

Let the river guide you home a unique blend of community & recreation

• Best of both worlds - year-round recreation opportunities & only minutes to Missoula, MT

• Unique floor plans & home sites adjoining fairways nestled on the Clark Fork River

• 18 hole championship golf course at the heart Montana’s premier Golf Community

• Discover a world of personalized comforts & conveniences for all the right reasons

Sprouted grains are a great way to obtain the essential minerals and fiber that help you feel good: • Iron: Carries oxygen.

• Zinc: Nourishes skin.

• Magnesium: Helps support bones.

• Fiber: Aids digestion.

SPROUTED GRAINS IN YOUR DIET

The daily recommended intake of whole grains is 48 grams, and the nutritional advantages of sprouted grains make them a great option to achieve this daily goal. Here are some ways to incorporate sprouted grains into your positive eating routine: • Sprinkle them into salads or stir fries.

• Check grocery aisles for products with sprouted grains, like Kashi’s Organic Promise Sprouted Grains cereal.

• Use sprouted grain flours in your favorite baked goods or homemade pasta.

Contact Canyon River Golf Club

406-721-0222 • www.CanyonRiverGolfClub.com www.facebook.com/CanyonRiverGolfClub

Contact us for additional information on current land home packages, lot availability and pricing.

Mary Burke Orizotti Broker, CRS 406.490.6061 mbosales@gmail.com

Tory Dailey Broker, CRS, GRI 406.880.8679 tory@lambrosera.com September 2015 | Missoula Valley Lifestyle

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A

HOME Of their own P

eople often wish life—and love—were like softball: in which you yell “mine” and everyone backs off. Dan Pierce called dibs on his wife Sara when the two met years ago at Carroll College’s softball weekend, a pre-finals week tradition, where they ended up on the same team.

“I don’t even know if Sara knew it, but I was smitten from day one. I remember, after that weekend riding home with my buddy, I was like, ‘I’m going to marry that girl.’ We hadn’t even dated yet,” he says. “It just took me another four years to convince her.”

Persuading Sara to marry him proved a simpler task than convincing her to renovate the Rattlesnake house that is now their home. She was at least willing to date Dan. “I walked into the house,” Sara laughingly recalls, “and was like, ‘No.’ All I could think was, ‘You really want to buy this house?!?’”

The answer to her rhetorical question was yes. Dan yelled “ours” and over the next two years, from their computer screen, they watched as the house was put on and off the market until the asking price dropped to within their budget.

ARTICLE DANIELLE ANTONETTI | PHOTOGRAPHY SARA PIERCE AND PAMELA DUNN-PARRISH

“We knew it was going to be a project,” Dan says, given the outdated features and design, including plaid carpeting. "But I could see the potential that it had."

Sara remembers, “The layout didn’t feel right to me, but once we talked about it and laid out what we wanted to do with the house, it became easier to imagine.”

On Valentine's Day this year, Dan and Sara and their three children, Elaina, 13, Sophia, 11, and Henry, 10, moved home.

The two-story, five-bedroom, three-and-a-half bath house features a spacious main-level master suite, two living areas, a recreation room, laundry rooms on the first and second floors, a garden room, two fireplaces, a kitchen equipped with a gas pizza oven, a fenced backyard that backs up to a public green space, and a three-car CONTINUED > garage. Here are some highlights from the renovation.

September 2015 | Missoula Valley Lifestyle

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A HOME OF THEIR OWN (CONTINUED)

Before

The entryway

THE KiDS’ ROOMS The Kids’ Rooms Their children weren’t particularly interested in the renovation until it came to their rooms.

After they bought the house, Dan and Sara watched as their kids ran up the spiral staircase and yelled “mine” on their choice of bedroom— based on size and amenities.

“Henry was really excited to put his basketball hoop up because he’s got the room with the tallest ceiling. Elaina, our oldest, has the biggest closet, and she was really excited to get her closet organized,” Dan explains. “Sophia, our middle child who loves nature and animals, was really excited because I promised her a window bed since she got the smallest room with the smallest closet, and now she can look out into the park and watch the deer and birds.”

Before 20 Missoula Valley Lifestyle | September 2015

The Entryway The first thing they saw upon entering the house was the first thing to go: the spiral staircase.

“There was this curved stairway, and when we looked underneath it, it was pretty clear that someone had put a lot of time and effort into it, but it didn’t make sense for us,” Dan says.

While the old staircase didn’t fit their aesthetic, neither one had any ideas what to do. They asked their contractor Michael Kane, co-owner of Rocky Mountain Remodels, for ideas and he went on to design and build the new one using rough sawn fir.

“It’s beautiful, and we’re both very pleased with what he came up with,” Sara says.

Elaina's room

KiTCHEN

Sophia's room

Henry's room with basketball hoop

Before

Kitchen For the Pierce family, a real splurge came in the kitchen—with a gas pizza oven.

“It was a fireplace that was decommissioned, so we couldn’t have kept it as a wood-burning fireplace. We could have done a gas fireplace but we only had enough room to vent one gas chimney out,” they explain. “But we could do a gas pizza oven.”

Dan grins as he explains what was involved: “I had to order special parts from Italy to make it work.”

The pizza oven gets regular use, however. Each week, the family gathers for pizza night, which if Dan has his way involves his favorite pie: fig and prosciutto.

“We’ve been making it in the oven for eight years or so,” he says. “It’s kind of our family thing to do. Everyone gets involved.

We make our own crust, too.”

The kitchen also ranks high as one of Sara’s favorite rooms in the house because that’s where her homegrown veggies ultimately end up.

“I spend a lot of time in the garden. I love my garden.”

Although she hasn’t won any awards (yet), Sara has earned high praise from her family for her jams.

“She makes incredible huckleberry jam,” says Dan, extolling his wife’s canning.

Earlier this year, they ran out and bought their first jar of jam in six years. As Dan explains it, it was a minor trauma. “We actually ran out. We had to use store-bought jam until we got the next batch in.”

Interior Design, Landscaping & Construction

Interior Design, Landscaping & Construction While Dan had been the one who initially recognized the house’s potential, it was Sara’s final touches that transformed the house into their home.

“That was the part I had problems with,” he says. “I couldn't picture the floors, the posts, the paint color and the rock.”

Sara concedes the choices were daunting at first but credits Rocky Mountain Remodels and interior designer Laney Hensel from Sway Interiors with making the process fun and fairly effortless.

“There are so many choices, and Laney said, ‘These are good choices. Which choices do you like out of these?’ She made the world smaller,” she says.

For the exterior, Dan and Sara turned to Doug Shryock at Wild Rockies Landscaping. “They did every square inch of the yard, and we gave them a general idea and let them run with it,” Dan says, pausing to non-verbally express awe in what Shryock and his team did. “Just wow.”

In fact, the entire team was praised for making what is often seen as an arduous undertaking a rather manageable one. “They were top-notch,” Dan says.

“And we were lucky,” Sara adds with a laugh.

It would seem that luck had little to do with it. They yelled “ours” and people backed off because, in point of fact, the house was always meant to be the Pierces’ home.

Landscaped backyard with pergola built from reclaimed wood and the garden

Local Limelight

Missoula’s NOT-SO-SECRET

Society

FASTEST GAME ON EARTH QUICKLY ATTRACTS PLAYERS FROM EVERY WALK OF LIFE

ARTICLE MIGNON HESS | PHOTOGRAPHY JOHN SIEBER

M

issoulians who aren’t regulars at the Glacier Ice Rink refer to hockey as an underground group. As if they hold secret meetings with mysterious rituals and clothing. Well, they’re not wrong. What they don’t know is that they most likely spoke to or worked alongside a hockey player at some point in their day. Every day. Hockey may be a mysterious, unconventional activity west of the Mississippi, but don’t call it Missoula’s “best kept secret.”

Hockey players are everywhere, and they play for the love of the sport and the love of the culture.

Picture a humid, stinky locker room at midnight, glaring fluorescent lights, tacky rubber flooring, men and women in various stages of putting on and taking off pads and skates, groaning as they bend over to lace/unlace skates, the sound of tape and Velcro ripping. This scenario exists every night of the week, every week, from September through June. These men and women, in this harsh environment, are sharing a laugh, a beer, some advice about a home remodel project or discussing the new taproom downtown, and oftentimes their game has been over for hours.

And still they sit in their sweaty t-shirts.

The endearing and infectious thing about Missoula hockey is that it welcomes everybody. From 73 to 3, there’s a league for everyone. There’s 25-year-old former Division I player Montana Hemling to newbie Californian Michael Burks, owner of the Missoula Maulers Junior A hockey team.

22 Missoula Valley Lifestyle | September 2015

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“I could barely stand and sure as heck could not stop to save my life,” Burks says, but he was hooked and promptly established a Junior A hockey program with fellow skater Corey Miller.

Nine years later, his Missoula Maulers are the top ticket-selling team in their league and routinely draw 1,500 fans for a weeknight game. Burks’s passion for the sport is palpable, and credit lies in the culture of Missoula hockey: “The support of the city has been a mind blower.”

Dr. Janice Givler eagerly laces up her skates in the wee hours of the night despite her busy on-call schedule and parenting three active kids.

“I’ve been able to meet such an amazing variety of people. I’ll never be better than novice, and I don’t care and my teammates don’t care,” she says. “It’s just so fun to spend time with all these individuals I never would have interacted with at all, from so many different walks of life.”

That sense of community isn’t uncommon in recreational sports, but the remarkable element about Missoula hockey is its ability to draw in and retain players of all abilities. As frustrating as it is, teetering on ¼” of steel in 12-degree weather, paying hundreds of dollars for gear and registration, and preparing for 11:45 p.m. game times, the participation in adult and youth hockey has grown at a rate above the national average. Despite all the hurdles hockey presents, it’s still fun when you’re terrible.

From more than 500 participants, the youth hockey program regularly sends its best and most promising young players on to college, junior leagues or private schools geared to hockey development. And while proud of these local products, the youth hockey community still has hundreds of young people playing just because they love the sport, their teams and the culture. Which is exactly what every adult player would say as well.

Sean Morris started from scratch 15 years ago at the encouragement of some friends. He quickly took advantage of the variety of opportunities available for player development to become the hard-skating defenseman he is today.

"I started going to public skates and then stick and puck sessions. Later, I started going to pickups. I skated about every opportunity I could and, to get even more opportunities to skate, I qualified to be a referee," says Morris, now a volunteer member of the Glacier Ice Rink Board of Directors and the Montana Amateur Hockey Association Board of Directors.

Hockey in Missoula draws people in, gives them something to smile about and encourages them to pass that on. What more could be asked of a sweaty, smelly, froGET DRAWN IN zen barn of a building?

For more information on youth and adult hockey leagues for men, women, boys and girls, visit GlacierIceRink.com.

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Terrific Teacher

Turning On the

Light Bulb SENTINEL TEACHER INSPIRES WITH IMAGINATION AND INNOVATION ARTICLE KATE DI NITTO | PHOTOGRAPHY PAMELA DUNN-PARRISH

T

oday, Maria Bray leads business education classes at Sentinel High School but not too long ago—or perhaps a lifetime ago—she walked across a stage to be crowned Miss Williams County (North Dakota) 1987.

“My talent was singing,” she says. “I love show tunes!”

Bray competed in six pageants and was awarded Miss Congeniality at each one, and this attribute—the ability to happily adapt to differing people and situations—is what makes her one of Sentinel’s most beloved teachers.

She leads by example and looks at each student differently by honoring her students’ individuality and tailoring their learning experiences.

“No one learns the same way. When I get a student who is having a difficult time or one who is head and shoulders above the rest, I think this: ‘What would I expect a teacher to do if one of my children were in this position?’ I try to add some comedy and lots of real-life experience into my lessons,” says Bray, who has two “smart, talented and handsome” sons with her “amazing” husband Mike of 24 years.

After graduating from the University of Montana with a bachelor’s in business administration, Bray entered the business world but shortly thereafter found herself back in school inspired by the teachers who made her want to work hard and do well and who have influenced her own approach to teaching.

“Those teachers were the ones I felt I’d let down if I didn’t do the best job I could,” she says. “They were kind but not afraid to tell students that they needed to do better. Somehow, these teachers made connections with almost all of the students. … I wanted to be like them.”

For most of her 18-year teaching career, she taught at Meadow Hill Middle School. Four years ago, she moved to Sentinel where her teaching style has evolved to address the fact that high school students are much closer than they think to being in the working world.

“I try to help them along by showing them their ideas count and can be the key to solving an issue, whether it is in our community, homes or around the world,” she says.

During the summer of 2014, along with two other teachers, Michael Dorshorst and Cameron Johnson, she guided 30 students on a project called i3 Missoula (inspire, imagine and innovate). It challenged students to work collaboratively on problem-solving and to seek solutions to issues facing Missoula. Students were put into groups, and each group—with the guidance and leadership provided by Bray, Dorshorst and Johnson—identified a problem and developed a solution,

24 Missoula Valley Lifestyle | September 2015

which was presented to the public. Projects ranged from mental health awareness and support to green projects for Missoula’s streets.

“They worked to make their solutions become reality,” Brays says.

Bray also had a team of students compete in the Samsung Solve for Tomorrow Contest in which students created a lesson based on the i3 Missoula model and earned a spot as one of five state finalists.

“We didn’t make it to the national competition, but Sentinel High School was the only AA school to make it to state,” she says.

"It’s exciting to be watching the ‘light bulb’ light up when a student comes up with the correct answer or a new way to address an issue," she says. “I love watching them learn, spread their wings INSIDE THE ‘CLASSROOM’ and grow.”

Missoula Valley Lifestyle turned the tables on Terrific Teacher Maria Bray and quizzed her with this Proust-like questionnaire taken from the TV program Inside the Actor’s Studio.

What is your favorite word? SALE! What is your least favorite word? Goodbye What turns you on? Movie-theater popcorn What turns you off? The end of something great What sound or noise do you love?

Children’s laughter What sound or noise do you hate? The bass turned all the way up when rappers are rapping What is your favorite curse word? Hmmm…

What profession other than your own would you like to attempt? Rich trophy wife What profession would you not like to do?

Any type of snow removal If heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the pearly gates?

Heaven does exist, and He will be saying: “She’s here! Let’s get this party started!”

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Page Turners

Books, Authors I & Readers, Oh My! BOOK FESTIVAL CELEBRATES MONTANA'S RICH LITERARY SCENE ARTICLE EVE KENNEALLY

26 Missoula Valley Lifestyle | September 2015

magine a group of writers so passionate about their work that they stand in a wrestling ring and compete with their best pieces, a few advancing to and one eventually winning the highly anticipated finale. This is what’s known as a Literary Death Match, and it’s one of the many events for lit-lovers taking place at the Montana Book Festival on Sept. 10-12.

Previously known as the Montana Festival of the Book, the newly revamped festival aims “to encourage increased diversity this year among both presenters and attendees. We want to get young people involved and excited, especially students,” says Rachel Mindell, festival coordinator.

With this in mind, they’ve scheduled a UM MFA reading in which current writers in the program are reading from their work as well as a dance party at the VFW sponsored by CutBank, UM’s literary magazine.

Book lovers and/or just dessert enthusiasts should look into Pie & Whiskey, an event being run by Willow Springs editor Sam Lignon and poet/pie baker extraordinaire Kate Lebo and taking place at the Union Club. Five dollars at the door buys a shot of whiskey, a slice of homemade pie, and readings by some of our best regional authors.

And, what better place than a book festival to hear people perform their own true stories? Marc Moss, the founder of storytelling organization “Tell Us Something,” has organized Friday night’s Storyteller Celebration, in which five storytellers are sharing their 10-minute tales from memory before two headlining authors read from their own work.

Local authors and UM faculty Joanna Klink and David Gates are among the writers representing the MFA community by reading from their latest books. Klink’s collection of poems, Excerpts from a Secret Prophecy, and Gates’ novella/short story collection, A Hand Reached Down to Guide Me, were both released earlier this year.

UM alumna Sharma Shields (MFA, 2004) is also attending and reading from her critically acclaimed debut novel, The Sasquatch Hunter’s Almanac, which, according to Kirkus Reviews, is a “mashup of Moby-Dick and Kafka’s Metamorphosis…with a hearty dash of Twin Peaks thrown in.”

Some of the other weekend highlights include literary trivia, films, music, and Montana Public Radio hosting an Evening with Ira Glass. The Missoula Public Library is also sponsoring a children’s festival. MPL director Honore Bray says to look “for some dynamic author programs and activities.”

Missoula, says Mindell, is the perfect place for a new take on an old favorite, since it’s “such a cultural and artistic hub with so many incredible community members who love books and support literacy: So many writers love it here, have lived here, studied here and keep coming back.”

Barbara Theroux, one of the festival organizers and owner of local bookstore Fact & Fiction, says that when she heard “Humanities Montana wasn’t going to be producing the book fair I knew people would be sorry to see it disappear…. Now the festival is alive and well!”

For a full list of events and more information, visit MissoulaBookFestival.org or stop by one of Missoula’s local bookstores.

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Lifestyle Calendar

September

SEPTEMBER 2

SEPTEMBER 11

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FACT & FICTION BOOKSTORE

RADIUS GALLERY

The author will read and sign his newest mystery novel The Jezebel Remedy.

The photographer and author collaborated on a series of tintypes that combine prose poems and striking nature scenes. This discussion and reading is in conjunction with the Montana Book Festival.

Visit RadiusGallery.com for more information.

SEPTEMBER 5 GRIZ FOOTBALL WASHINGTON-GRIZZLY

SEPTEMBER 12

STADIUM

REINVENTING RADIO: AN EVENING WITH IRA GLASS

The Grizzlies take on the Cal Poly Mustangs.

DENNISON THEATRE

The acclaimed creator of This American Life talks about his program and how it's put together. A benefit for Montana Public Radio. For tickets and more information, visit UMT.edu/dennison-theatre.

SEPTEMBER 8 QUARTETTO GELATO

SEPTEMBER 13

TOP HAT LOUNGE

This dazzling ensemble enchants audiences and critics worldwide with their exotic blend of musical virtuosity, artistic passion and humor. For tickets, visit MissoulaSymphony.org.

SEPTEMBER 10 B.J. THOMAS DENNISON THEATRE

Best known for the 1960's hits "Hooked on a Feeling" and "Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head," B.J. Thomas will perform a benefit concert for Five Valleys Crimestoppers. For tickets, call 406.721.1373.

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Celebrating 100 years in business 1915-2015 28 Missoula Valley Lifestyle | September 2015

GERMANFEST CARAS PARK

This event is a celebration of German culture and Missoula’s Sister City relationship with Neckargemünd, Germany. Come out for German music, dance, food, beer (for adults) and activities for kids. Visit MissoulaCultural.org/germanfest for more information.

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SEPTEMBER 19 BIG SKY MUDFLAPS TOP HAT LOUNGE

Big Sky Mudflaps, Montana's premier dance band, are celebrating 40 years of performing together with a show at the Top Hat Lounge. Get tickets at TopHatLounge.com.

SEPTEMBER 20 'SWEET' ITALIENNE UM'S MUSIC RECITAL HALL

Take a tour of Italy with internationally acclaimed cellist Matt Haimovitz during the String Orchestra of the Rockies season

Social Membership Promotion Missoula Country Club offers a variety of membership options to fit your lifestyle. Our Social Membership gives you access to our spectacular dining facility, clubhouse, and swimming pool. Join now and receive an introductory $85 gift card.

Initiation: $150, Monthly Dues: $50, Monthly Food Minimum: $85. opener. Haimovitz will also open UM's President's Lecture Series on Friday, September 18 at 8 p.m. in the Music Recital Hall - not to be missed! Tickets are available at GrizTix.com.

SEPTEMBER 26 MISSOULA BABY FAIR CARAS PARK

A great resource for new and expectant parents. Fun for the whole family, performances

by Animal Wonders and Childbloom Guitar Center, activities for kids including yoga, and more. Major fundraiser for Mothers' Milk Bank of Montana, a local non-profit providing human donor milk to infants and children in medical need. MissoulaBabyFair.com.

www.MissoulaCountryClub.com 406-251-2404 • CNowlen@MissoulaCountryClub.com 30 Missoula Valley Lifestyle | September 2015

SEPTEMBER 26 GRIZ FOOTBALL WASHINGTON-GRIZZLY STADIUM

The Grizzlies face off against the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks in a Big Sky Conference contest.

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business directory ART & PHOTOGRAPHY Open Lens by Pamela (406) 370-2704

AUTOMOTIVE

Dealers Choice Detail (406) 728-0040

CHARITIES & FUNDRAISERS AniMeals (406) 721-4710 animeals.com

Peak Health & Wellness Center (406) 251-3344 peakmissoula.com

HOME BUILDERS & REMODELERS

Abbey Carpet Missoula (406) 721-1810 missoula.abbeycarpet.com

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LIquid Assets - Liberty Safe (406) 542-6606 liquidassetsmissoula.com

Direct Source (406) 728-8099

Montana Ace Hardware (406) 728-3030 montanaace.com

Missoula Pediatric Dentistry (406) 541-7334 missoulapediatricdentistry.com

Sleep City (406) 541-2860 sleepcity.com

Morgenroth Music Center (406) 549-0013 montanamusic.com

DRY CLEANERS

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Play It Again Sports Missoula (406) 549-1580 playitagainsportsmissoula.com

DENTISTS & ORTHODONTICS

Missoula Textiles (406) 543-5171

ENTERTAINMENT & RECREATION

Danny Blowers Insurance Agency (406) 541-9885 dannyblowersagency.com

Canyon River Golf Club (406) 721-0222 canyonrivergolfclub.com

Farm Bureau Financial Services (406) 728-3276 fbfs.com

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Surgical Arts Centre (406) 549-6600 surgicalartsmt.com

Missoula Country Club (406) 251-2404 missoulacountryclub.com Krieg Chiropractic Center (406) 541-8888 kriegchiropractic.com

Oral Surgical Associates (406) 728-6840 oralsurgicalassociates.com

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Tucker Entertainment LLC (406) 544-8333 tuckerentertainmentevents.com

PROPERTY & REAL ESTATE Berkshire Hathaway Montana Properties (406) 721-4141 BHHSMT.com

Diane Beck Windermere Real Estate (406) 532-7927 move2missoula.com

RE/MAX All Stars Missoula (406) 542-8644 propertiesmissoula.com

RESTAURANTS, FOOD & BEVERAGE El Cazador (406) 728-3657 elcazadormissoula.com

Montana Club Resturants (406) 541-0076 montanaclub.com Mustard Seed (406) 542-7333 mustardseedweb.com Paradise Falls (406) 728-3228 paradisefallsmissoula.com

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September 2015 | Missoula Valley Lifestyle

33

Parting Thoughts

Birds on a Wire WORDS KENDRA MATHEWSON

O

ne of my dear friends is a painter stories, shared experiences and comwho sees the world through her mon interests, we find inspiration to amazing artist eyes. When she was the create our communities. newbie in our neighborhood, her heart My friend’s keen observations bewas sensitive to how she would intecame the main theme of a series that grate her family into the community. has become her signature. The beauty Driving one day she noticed how birds of her Birds on a Wire series and her perched on a telephone wire seemed reflections on community have inspired to choose when to gather, and whom to me to embrace and celebrate more the pause with. As she watched the birds sit, important place it has in our lives. We and then come and go, those birds spoke live in such an individualistic society that to her about how we create community, our personal empowerment sometimes whom we keep counsel with, and even overshadows the significance of our the dynamic nature of the process. need for each other. Like the ingredients She moved in down the street, and of an exceptional recipe, or the materials it was my love of her work that initialused to construct a quality home, a comly drew us together. We shared a momunity is only as good as the people who ment of connection on my front porch comprise it. Because the people are who steps and lingered like the birds chatignite an idea, imagine a future, share an “I Think I’ve Got This” by Lisa Lala | Birds on a Wire Series ting on the telephone wire before we event, take the bull by the horns, see a flew off back to our hectic lives. Over need and fill it, spread the word about a the years, through working on house projects, painting together, new business, open their home to new families, bring a meal when building a club, learning new skills together, cooking meals togeth- there’s an illness, invest in a neighbor or believe in a student, give witer, playing cards as couples, we’d pause from the “flights” our lives ness to struggles and celebrate successes. demanded (my flying around in my minivan and she in her Mini Our magazine is your “wire.” Let us pause to read the stories that Cooper) to sit like those birds on a wire and talk over tea. This is have been inspired by our community, to drink in the beautiful phohow we became friends. tographs that paint the story of us. Email your editor and publisher, That is community. That is how community begins and how it or better yet reach out and enjoy a cup of coffee together. Let us stop grows. These one-on-one connections expand and extend and here in the pages of our publication each month and celebrate like become a beautiful web of interconnectedness. Through words, birds on a wire, before we fly off back to our busy lives. You inspire us.

34 Missoula Valley Lifestyle | September 2015