September 3, 2009
Melea Burke/Valley Journal
Runners at Melon Days sprint for the finish line during the kids' games.
Dixon celebrates tasty melon harvest
By Melea Burke
Valley Journal
DIXON — Another fun-filled Melon Days weekend has come and gone, leaving everyone from age 8 to 80 with fond memories of tournaments won, the hilarity of the melon-rolling competition and the relaxation of peaceful hours spent in the Dixon Park enjoying music and conversation.
For the 18th year, Dixon’s senior citizens put on the two-day event celebrating local melon grower Harley Hettick’s cantaloupe crop. Friday evening, cribbage and horseshoe tournaments pitted locals against each other in friendly competition, with cash prizes at stake.
Bright and early Saturday morning, festival-goers flocked to the Dixon Senior Center for a pancake breakfast, followed by the Melon Days 1, 2 and 3-mile Run/Walk. Runners in several age divisions competed for bragging rights and colorful Melon Days T-shirts.
After clamoring for candy at the parade, held at 11 a.m., kids gathered by the Dixon School for sack races, three-legged races, sprints and straw scrambles, while the older crowd mingled in the shade at the Dixon Park to the music of the Little Big Band. In lieu of the usual melon-eating contest, which was vetoed this year due to the bees it attracts, kids competed in melon-rolling — pushing melons with their heads across the park to the finish line.
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Community lays trooper, father and friend to rest
Jim Blow/Valley Journal
Tammy McGill, Chris Hoyt’s life partner, was presented with the flag that draped Hoyt’s urn.
By Berl Tiskus
Valley Journal
POLSON — On the day of a well-loved community member’s funeral it always seems that the weather should be dark and gloomy, the birds should not sing and traffic should cease.
But Montana Highway Patrol Trooper Chris Hoyt’s funeral was held on Aug. 27, a mostly sunny day with temperatures in the 70s. The birds chirped merrily as streams of cars, many law enforcement vehicles, filled the streets around Linderman Gym and later crept slowly up Hillcrest Drive to Lakeview Cemetery where Hoyt was laid to rest.
The celebration of Hoyt’s life began at 11 a.m. with the Great Scots bagpipers leading in at least 200 uniformed representatives from Tribal Law Enforcement, Lake County Sheriff’s Department, the U.S. Border Patrol, firefighters, Tribal Fish and Game, ambulance crews and EMT’s, Glacier National Park Law Enforcement and the Polson, Ronan and St. Ignatius police. Following were about 50 uniformed Montana Highway Patrol (MHP) officers.
Also packing Linderman Gym were Hoyt’s family, friends and community members, who came to honor Hoyt, 41. Hoyt died on Aug. 23. when he drowned after jumping into an irrigation canal south of Polson to save his dog.
Reverend John Payne conducted the celebration of Hoyt’s life, which painted a picture of Hoyt as a family man, a trooper and a friend.
Payne said, “There are three things that impact our lives — faith, books and people. Chris was one of those people.”
Payne also described Hoyt as a "WYSIWYG" person, with the letters standing for "what you see is what you get." Payne added that Hoyt was a wonderful dad and life partner. To fellow law enforcement officers Hoyt was “competent, courageous, tenacious, tough, brave, dedicated … and obsessed with clean windshields.”
Adding to the event, Mike McElderry played his flute and read scriptures.
Colonel Mike Tooley, Chief Administrator for the MHP, also spoke about Hoyt, whose death made it four MHP troopers who were lost over the last 22 months. Trooper David Graham was killed on Oct. 9, 2007, Trooper Evan Schneider on Aug. 26, 2008 and Trooper Mike Haynes on March 27, 2009.
After Trooper Haynes was killed in the line of duty by a drunk driver, Tooley said, “Trooper Hoyt made it a personal goal to arrest one DUI driver each shift.”
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South Valley Creek Bridge to undergo repairs, remain open
Melea Burke
Valley Journal
POLSON — A Montana Highway Patrol trooper lost his life in an off-duty accident Sunday morning. Christopher Lee Hoyt, 41, drowned while saving his dog after it fell into a concrete-lined segment of irrigation canal just south of Polson.
According to Lake County Sheriff Lucky Larson, a woman friend of Hoyt called 911 at 11:13 a.m. on Sunday, Aug. 23, to report the accident. Sheriff's deputies, Polson ambulance and Polson Fire Department crews responded to the scene. Hoyt's body was recovered and transported to St. Joseph Hospital in Polson, where he was pronounced dead.
The canal feeds irrigation water to agricultural fields south of Polson. The dirt access road, known as Pump Canal Road, runs from Skyline Drive to Kerr Dam Road. On Sunday morning Hoyt, his friend and the dog were taking a walk along the road, a popular recreation area for walkers and joggers.
Apparently the dog fell into canal near the spillway area, where two lined east-west canal segments merge and continue south. The concrete banks rise several feet higher there and provide little for someone in the water to grab hold of. Hoyt got his dog, Emra, out of the canal but he was swept under by the rapid current.
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Festival for Youth features games, chili, raffles
Berl Tiskus/Valley Journal
A wild-eyed Terry Sordal takes a heaping taste of chili prepared by the Flamin’ Hot Chili Cookin’ Clerks from the city of Polson.
By Berl Tiskus
Valley Journal
POLSON — Saturday morning at 8 a.m. the air horn blared, and 16 chili-making teams started chopping, sautéing, stirring and simmering as the third annual Rotary Festival for Youth got underway.
It was perfect chili weather, cool and slightly overcast. Jeremy Morgret, chairman of the Rotary Signature Committee, said, “We had more people than last year. Almost everybody ran out of chili.”
While the chili cooked, the public enjoyed entertainment by The Shamrockers, The Great Scots and a magic show by Ken Avison.
Nancy Hauserman organized kids games, some of which were air hockey, a barrel train pulled by a small tractor, a duck pond, a ball throw and a balloon break game. Kids could also buy an ice cream cone, get their face painted by the Polson High School cheerleaders or get a hamburger or hot dog.
Adults were urged to buy raffle tickets for the Rotary raffle items. The tickets were $25 each or five for $100. The winning names were drawn at 2 p.m. Proceeds from the raffle and from the chili cook-off went to the Polson Youth Soccer League.
Raffle Winners were:
Jane East, $1,000 cash, Donated by First Interstate Bank
Nancy Piper, $1,000 groceries, Donated by Super 1 and Harvest Foods
Bruce Kaznets, Side of Kobe Beef, Donated by Marchi Ranch
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Counterfeit bills circulate in Ronan, Polson
By Kate Haake
Valley Journal
RONAN — After several months of inactivity, Community Bank of Ronan discovered six more counterfeit bills in July and August.
Community Bank of Polson has also reported cases involving counterfeit money.
“This is the biggest (counterfeit) case I have seen in 20 years,” Ronan Assistant Police Chief Art Walgren said.
He also noted that these bills were difficult to spot because all of the counterfeit bills have different serial numbers.
“The bills are legitimate at first look,” Walgren said.
Upon further investigation, however, these counterfeit bills are all missing the security strip that runs inside the bill, have no watermark and no color-shifting ink.
“We don’t know how long they have been in circulation,” said Jennifer Reum, cashier at Community Bank of Ronan. “They are really hard to track.”
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Charlo students’ first day sees new faculty additions
Erin Gallagher/Valley Journal
A colorful “Welcome” sign adorns the upstairs bulletin board in Charlo’s elementary building to herald the beginning of the 2009-2010 school year. School started Aug. 27 for Charlo students. By Erin Gallagher
Valley Journal
CHARLO — For most students, the first day of a new school year is often very similar to the first days of previous school years. This held true for the first day of the 2009-2010 school year in Charlo on Aug. 27.
For Kindergartners, of course, everything was new. As their parents shed a few tears over how fast their babies are growing up, the Kindergartners’ bright, excited eyes took in interesting new sights that will gradually become familiar to them over the course of the next 13 years.
For students grades 6-12, on the other hand, they started the day assembled in the gym to learn about new additions to the student conduct code, just like in previous years. Aside from a few new rules, however, much of what students heard was something they had likely gone over before, save perhaps for high school principal Steve Love’s declaration that one of the best things about his job is that it keeps him young.
But though the daily procedure may hold few surprises for older students, new additions to the faculty are always bound to inspire a few curious or nervous whispers between them. This year, Charlo welcomed two new teachers and one administrator. For them, the first day was a collection of experiences both good and bad, expected and unexpected.
For Darcy Eickoff, Charlo’s new high school science teacher, the first day of school reacquainted her with the obligatory student goofballs. There’s at least one in every school, Eickoff said, and she learns very quickly who they are.
“It’s not good if I remember you the first day,” Eickoff told one such student.
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Jim Blow/Valley Journal
Parking was a little too private last Friday afternoon when a car slammed into the side of an office building at the corner of U.S. 93 and Highway 200 in Polson. CSKT tribal officer Orsino Walker was one of numerous law enforcement, fire and ambulance personnel who responded to the scene. The woman driving the Pontiac was not seriously injured.
Car plows into Polson office building
POLSON — A small car driven by Dona Martin plowed into the side of an office building at the junction of U.S. 93 and Highway 200 last Friday afternoon.
Extensive damage was done to the north wall of the Lindal Cedar Homes and Sunrooms building, located at 113 Anchor Way. The Pontiac Vibe was the only vehicle involved in the collision, which took place at about 1:15 p.m. on Aug. 28.
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