KALISPELL — Flathead Valley Community College’s Continuing Education Center is hosting free community lectures, and no registration is necessary. Lectures are held in the Arts & Technology building, room 139. Explore small business cybersecurity fundamentals and practical strategies to protect your business from cyber threats with a lecture on “Cybersecurity for small business.” Topics include risk assessment, employee awareness and training, secure network infrastructure, data protection and backup, incident response planning, vendor and third-party risk management, and regulatory compliance. Learn about the unique challenges small businesses face and leave with actionable insights to implement effective security measures and mitigate potential risks necessary to safeguard your business and customer data. For more information about FVCC’s Continuing Education fall class offerings, visit: fvcc.edu/ContinuingEducation. 

RONAN — Summit Independent Living holds a free “Arts and Crafts” class on Thursdays from 1-3 p.m. at its Ronan office located at 124 Main Street. This group provides a sense of community and fellowship with those who are interested in creating and crafting. All are welcome. 

For more information call Carol at 406-215-1604, ext. 2 or email cmadden@summitilc.org.

POLSON — Mission West Community Development will partner with Polson Chamber of Commerce at Maxine’s, 325 Main Street, on Thursday, Oct. 26, from 8-9 a.m. 

Come chat, network, learn about services and have a cup of coffee on us. Learn about business loans, support, plans; establishing accounting and financial systems; business management and planning; workshops, and training.

Don't have another boring Thursday night in. Mark your calendars for October 26th, 5-7pm, and come out to the Ronan Cooperative Brewery for a rousing happy hour of cooperative board games with friends and family! Celebrate National Co-op Month by building your cooperative strategy with our awarding-winning collection of games, like the out-of-this-world space adventure "The Crew" or "Co-oply," a collaborative twist on the classic game where everyone wins - or everyone loses!

RONAN - Summit Independent Living holds a free arts and crafts class on Thursdays from 1-3 p.m. at its Ronan office located at 124 Main Street. This group provides a sense of community and fellowship with those who are interested in creating and crafting. All are welcome. For more information call Carol at 406-215-1604, Ext. 2 or email cmadden@summitilc.org.

POLSON — Get ready for Ladies Night Out. Grab your gals for an evening of shopping, food, drinks, and deals. Costumes encouraged. Do you like to shop and support all that is local? Come downtown and pick up your $5 Savings Pass for “Ladies Night Out” on Oct. 27 from 4-8 p.m. You can use it at all participating businesses to get $5 off your purchase of $25 or more. The pass is free, but we only have a limited supply available, so hit up those shops soon to claim yours in time. A list of participating businesses will be available soon.

POLSON — The Flathead Reservation Human Rights Coalition will sponsor a free film in their 7th

Indigenous Film Series at the Showboat Stadium 6 in Polson at 1 p.m. on Oct. 28. “Attla” is the untold story of Alaska Native dogsled racing champion George Attla and his resilience and his legacy.

POLSON — Trick or treat at North Lake County Public Library’s temporary location, 301 16th Ave. E (First United Methodist Church Building). Come to the library anytime during open hours of 9 a.m.-6 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 31, to share your costume and get a treat. Library staff will be ready with costumes and candy. All ages welcome. Happy Halloween.

 RONAN — Mission Mountain Holdings is hosting the second annual Ronan Trunk-Or-Treat on Oct. 31, 4:30-8 p.m. at the Ronan Lake County Fair Grounds, 300 3rd Ave. NW. Our goal is to provide a safe, fun trick-or-treating experience for kids while giving businesses the opportunity to positively impact local families. We are giving businesses the opportunity to participate by setting up a Trunk (sign up by Oct. 25) and passing out candy to our community’s youngsters. 

Set up begins at noon. Sponsoring by Oct.13 with $100 gets recognition on Facebook, $300 gets your name on a banner and on TVs at the event’s center and $500 will additionally receive radio recognition … great ways to advertise. MMH will provide a table for water, apple cider, and hot chocolate. There will also be gift giveaways. 

4-H will have a petting zoo set and a game center in the barn and the Ronan Wrestling Club will do face painting. Participation is free. Profits go to Lake County 4-H Clubs. The best decorated Trunk will receive a catered meal to their business. For more information contact Bryla at 406-880-6669 or bryla@mission-mountain.com. 

POLSON — Mission Mountain Empowerment will hold a Western Shindig on Saturday, Nov. 11, from 6:30-10:30 p.m. at the Red Lion Inn. There will be a silent auction, entertainment, and dancing for a $25 admission fee (age: 21+ only). Hors d’oeuvres and refreshment included. Tickets available at Twice But Nice and Nifty Thrifty businesses and MME administration office or: www.eventbrite. com. 

All proceeds go towards MME and enriching the lives of the individual they serve. 

ZOOM — Mission Mountain Zen is offering free online meditation classes. Please join the Mission Mountain Zen Center on Wednesdays for an online meditation class led by Zen Teacher, Zenku. Classes include meditation instruction, practice and discussion via Zoom. The classes will be each Wednesday from 6-7:30 p.m. 

We will cultivate and deepen our centering skills and meditation practice during the class. Please join us and take advantage of this opportunity. 

For more information and a Zoom link to the class call Zenku at 847-721-0665 or email at: Jerry.Smyers@gmail.com.

POLSON — Thursdays mean Story Time! Join us at 10 a.m. at our temporary location: First United Methodist Church 30116th Ave. E. Story Time is geared toward kindergarten readiness, ages 3-5, but everyone is welcome! We read books, make crafts and play games. Parents and Caregivers are encouraged to join in. Brittany from Families First will be a special guest 

POLSON — The Montana Library Network Virtual Program, “Logic and Magic with Jon Turk” can be seen on Thursday, Nov. 2, from 6:30-8 p.m. This is a virtual program on Zoom that is free and open to all. You must register to receive the link. Register at: https://tinyurl. com/jonturkMT. Dr. Jon Turk earned a Ph.D. in chemistry in 1971 and was nominated by National Geographic as one of the Top Ten Adventurers of the Year in 2012. Between these bookends, Jon co-authored the first environmental science textbook in North America, followed by 35 additional texts. At the same time, he kayaked around Cape Horn, across the North Pacific, and around Ellesmere Island. He has mountain biked across the Gobi in Mongolia and made first ski descents and first rock climbing ascents around the globe. In Siberia, Jon’s worldview was altered by Moolynaut, a Siberian shaman, and his later books reflect these spiritual journeys. Go to our website for a complete description of this program. 

POLSON — The Montana Library Network Virtual Program, “Logic and Magic with Jon Turk” can be seen on Thursday, Nov. 2, from 6:30-8 p.m. This is a virtual program on Zoom that is free and open to all. You must register to receive the link. Register at: https://tinyurl.com/jonturkMT. 

Dr. Jon Turk earned a Ph.D. in chemistry in 1971 and was nominated by National Geographic as one of the Top Ten Adventurers of the Year in 2012. Between these bookends, Jon co-authored the first environmental science textbook in North America, followed by 35 additional texts. At the same time, he kayaked around Cape Horn, across the North Pacific, and around Ellesmere Island. He has mountain biked across the Gobi in Mongolia and made first ski descents and first rock climbing ascents around the globe. In Siberia, Jon’s worldview was altered by Moolynaut, a Siberian shaman, and his later books reflect these spiritual journeys. 

Go to our website for a complete description of this program. 

ARLEE — The Arlee Community Development Corporation is offering a free youth art workshop for kids in grades 3 – 8 on Nov. 3, 9 a.m. to noon. Salish artist Aspen Decker will be teaching the history of ledger art, and participants will make their own works of art on antique paper. Lunch will be provided. To register, email: info@arleecdc. org or call 406-726-5550. 

POLSON — Mondays mean Mother Goose. Join us at 9:15 a.m. Mother Goose is geared toward ages 0 to 3, but all are welcome. 

Families First Learning Lab presents Mending Broken Hearts. This FREE 5-session retreat is an indigenous-led program addressing unresolved grief and intergenerational trauma. April Charlo and Lisa Wall-Rodriguez will facilitate the retreat beginning November 6th at Fun and Fancy Learning Center in Polson. Childcare and dinner are provided. Register at familiesfirstmt.org/mbh.html or email Brittany at brittany@familiesfirstmt.org.

 Join Families First Learning Lab's Circle of Security program to improve your parent-child relationship. Our facilitators teach you how to support your child's emotional needs, develop their self-esteem, and respect their desire for security. The program includes a free follow-up consultation with a counselor from Families First. Join us for our next FREE 5-class series starting Tuesday, November 7th. Childcare and dinner are provided. Register at familiesfirstmt.org/mbh.html or email Brittany at brittany@familiesfirstmt.org. 

POLSON — Join Families First Learning Lab’s Circle of Security program to improve your parent-child relationship. Our facilitators teach you how to support your child’s emotional needs, develop their self-esteem, and respect their desire for security. The program includes a free follow-up consultation with a counselor from Families First. Join us for our next FREE 5-class series starting Tuesday, Nov. 7. Childcare and dinner are provided. Register at: familiesfirstmt. org/mbh.html or email Brittany at: brittany@ familiesfirstmt.org. 

PABLO — SKC TRIO Student Support Services will celebrate First Generation College Student Day on Wednesday, Nov. 8, with a “Pie Social.” A first-generation college student is an individual who is the first person in their family to attain a college degree. 

First Generation College Student Day is celebrated on Nov. 8 to commemorate the signing of the Higher Education Act of 1965. This act created TRIO and financial aid programs. 

POLSON — Anyone affected by cancer will gain understanding of others, inspire and support others or just find a safe place to share or listen when attending the Cheerful Heart Cancer Support Group. 

The group meets from noon to 1 p.m. on the second and fourth Wednesdays of the month in the Chapel at St. Joseph Medical Center. The group is led by Pastor Matthew Connally of the Ronan/Polson Nazarene Church.