POLSON — Celebrate New Year’s Eve at the best party in the valley at the Elks in Polson. James Pettit and the Little Big Band will play the best dance music in the country from 7 p.m.-12:30 a.m. on Dec. 31. There will be food and punch served all night and champagne and sparkling cider at midnight. Contact Jim Pettit at (406) 676-8224 for more information.

POLSON — There will be no community dance at the Elks on Jan. 2, 2013. The regular schedule will be in effect again on Jan. 16.

POLSON — Children’s programming is starting up again at North Lake County Public Library in Polson. A special story time for preschoolers and their caregivers is scheduled for Thursday, Jan. 3, at the library. The program will also provide an opportunity for parents and children to meet the library’s new Youth Services Librarian, Martel Memmer. The theme will relate to the New Year and New Year’s resolutions. As always, the program is free and open to all.

Mother Goose Time will resume Monday, Feb. 4. This special half-hour program is intended for babies and toddlers ages 1-3 and their caregivers. Two sessions will be presented each Monday the library is open through April, at 10:15 a.m. and again at 12:30 p.m.

Story time will start again on Thursday, Feb. 7, with the theme “Tracks in the Snow.” These programs are geared toward children ages 3-5 and their caregivers. Story time will be offered at 10 a.m. and again at 1 p.m. each week through April. Sessions include stories, songs, finger-plays, rhymes, and fun.

For more information about these free public programs, please call the library at (406) 883-8225 or stop by the circulation desk at 2 First Ave. E. 

POLSON — Boys and girls ages 8-13 (as of April 1, 2013) are invited to compete in the Elks Hoop Shoot free throw contest Thursday, Jan. 3, at the Polson High School gym. Free registration and warm-up will be from 5:30 to 6 p.m., and the contest begins at 6 p.m. Age group winners advance to the district contest Jan. 5 in Pablo.

For more information, contact David Rensvold at (406) 250-0771.

RONAN — The January meeting of the Mission Valley Back Country Horsemen regularly scheduled for Jan. 1 has been changed to Jan. 8. The meeting will be held at the VFW Hall on Round Butte Road in Ronan at 7:30 p.m. Welcoming of new officers and planning for the up-coming year will take place. As always, guests are welcome. For more information, contact Dennese at (406) 883-5876.

POLSON — “The Challenge to Stay Well” will be the topic of the next Thyme for Herbs group gathering on Tuesday, Jan. 8, at 7 p.m. at the North Lake County Public Library meeting room, 2 First Ave. E. (use the east side door). 

Everyone struggles with everyday health challenges, from a virus to a chronic disease. The purpose of the presentation is to help you understand the nutritional and medicinal value of herbs in maintaining your health. Come hear a presentation and join in the discussion. 

It’s free and open to all who are interested in making their health better. If you have questions, call Linda Peterson at (406) 319-2446.

RONAN — The Mission Mountain Quilt Guild will hold its regular monthly meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 8 (rather than Jan. 1), at 7 p.m. at the Terrace Lake Community Church, 35663 Terrace Lake Rd. 

Peggy Olson will present information on a wool appliqué class and have a sign up sheet available. Don’t forget to bring your “block of the month” for January and be working on your challenge fabric project. The refreshment committee for January is Linda Trickey, Terry Clairmont, and Debbie Fangsrud.

POLSON — Spring soccer registration is now open. You can sign up Jan. 8 at Polson High School Commons (5 to 7 p.m.) or send in registration materials to PYSA, P.O. Box 1337, Polson, MT 59860. Deadline is Jan. 15. For more information, go to polsonyouthsoccer.org or email us at info@polsonyouthsoccer.org.

POLSON — The Polson Paddle Wheeler’s Square Dance Club is starting beginners' lessons on Tuesdays starting Jan. 8. Classes are from 7-8 p.m. at the Polson Senior Citizen’s Center, 504 Third Ave. E. For more information, call (406) 676-2222.

POLSON — The parties to the Flathead Indian Irrigation Project water use agreement are planning two days of meetings Tuesday and Wednesday, Jan. 8 and Jan. 9. The meetings will take place at the KwaTaqNuk Resort in Polson at 9 a.m. in the main meeting room.  These are public meetings open for all to attend.    

ARLEE — The Arlee CDC will hold its January meeting on Wednesday, Jan. 9, at 6 p.m. in the Arlee High School business lab. The meeting is open to the public. For more information, call Kelley at (406) 726-5550.

POLSON — Polson Rural Fire District Trustee monthly meeting will be held on Wednesday, Jan. 9, at 7 p.m. at the fairgrounds station. For a full text of approved minutes and the agenda, please go to www.polsonfire.org.

RONAN — Ladies’ Auxiliary VFW 5652 meeting is Wednesday, Jan. 9, at 6:30 p.m. at the Ronan VFW Hall, 35981 Round Butte Rd. 

New members are welcome. For more information, call Marge Fay at (406) 676-3380.

POLSON — The January 2013 meeting of the Masumola Club will be held on Thursday, Jan. 10, and will highlight the Scottish poet, Robert Burns. 

A social hour will be held from 5:45-6:30 p.m. and a Scottish dinner at 6:30 p.m. 

The program will be at 7 p.m. along with other “Robert Burns” activities. The clubhouse is located on Masumola Road. Turn onto Rocky Point Road off Highway 93 and Masumola is a right turn after the 3-mile marker. The clubhouse is 1/4 mile down the road. 

Anyone in the community of Polson and the surrounding area is invited to attend this meeting as a guest or to join the club and enjoy friendship, meetings, and interesting programs. 

The only requirement for new guests is to bring your own utensils and a dish to pass, if you wish. 

For membership information, contact Irene Marchello at (406) 883-6184.

POLSON —The January Friendship Table dinner, a free community dinner, is coming up Jan. 11 from 5 to 7 p.m. Polson Presbyterian Church is located across from Linderman Elementary School. 

Come join us. This dinner is free and open to all.

POLSON — The Mission Valley Home Educators’ geography bee will be held Friday, Jan. 11, at the North Lake County Public Library community room at 2 p.m. The bee is a fun opportunity to learn and to find out what you know already. This bee is sponsored by the National Geographic Society and the questions range from easy (choose between two answers) to difficult (do you know it or not?). Our bee is for Lake County homeschoolers in fourth through eighth grades, and the winner will qualify to take a written test that will be sent in with all the other winners of the bee in Montana. The students with the top 100 scores on the test will be invited to the state geography bee in Billings. 

For more information, call Ann Murphy at (406) 849-5413.

POLSON — The Lake County Pachyderm Club will resume a regular meeting schedule with the first meeting of the new year on Friday, Jan. 11. Guest speaker will be Leo Rosenthal, Fisheries Management Biologist for the Swan and south and middle forks of the Flathead River. He will give an overview of the Swan Lake experimental lake trout removal program, which began in 2009.

The Pachyderms meet the second and fourth Fridays of each month at the Polson Rural Fire Hall on Regatta Road. Social time is at 11:30 a.m.; the business meeting begins at noon and adjourns at 1 p.m.  Guest speakers discuss a wide variety of topics, and anyone desiring to learn is welcome to attend.

POLSON — Polson Physical Therapy will hold an open house on Friday, Jan. 11, from 6-8 p.m. All are invited to meet the therapists, enter a free drawing and enjoy free appetizers and drinks. Polson Physical Therapy is located at 211-A Main St. For more information, call (406) 883-8101.