ARLEE — William S. Yellow Robe, Jr., artistic director of the Bearhead Swaney Inter-Tribal Playwrights’ Center, will conduct a series of individual sessions regarding playwriting and other forms of literature, Monday through Friday, Nov. 17-21 at Hangin Art Gallery on Highway 93 in downtown Arlee. Interested people may contact The Bearhead Swaney Inter-Tribal Playwrights’ Center at (406) 726-5550 or contact Donna at donnam@blackfoot.net.

ST. IGNATIUS — The St. Ignatius Chamber of Commerce will meet Wednesday, Nov. 19, in the back room of the Old Timer Café at noon. Thank you for supporting our chamber and it’s community events.

POLSON — Ken’s Country Combo will play for the Community Dance on Wednesday at the Elks from 7-10 p.m. The Elks Club has a beautifully re-done floor. Come and see for yourself and enjoy the music along with all of your friends. Treats are wonderful as always, so bring some to share. 

RONAN — Mark your calendar for Wednesday from 6:30-8 p.m. and celebrate the Ronan Library’s 100th birthday. This family event will include refreshments and music. Costumes depicting life 100 years ago or 100 years in the future are encouraged.  Call (406) 676-3682, for more information.

POLSON — Polson Ski Club sign up and rental night will be held Wed., Nov. 19, from 4-6 p.m. at Polson High School in the commons. 

Students may rent skis, boots and poles for the season. A season bus pass is $40 and from December through March the bus leaves each Saturday at 7 a.m. for Big Mountain. 

New this year is a Polson ski card for $20. The ski card entitles a student to five half-price, all day ski tickets when he or she rides the bus to Big Mountain. 

Parents should come to sign the permission/medical form so their students can ride the bus.

RONAN — Come to the Ronan Library on Thursday at 4 p.m. to create a gift bag. Bags will be filled with goodies and taken to local nursing home residents. For more information, call (406) 676-3682.

RONAN — On Nov. 20 a NW Montana AARP Driver Safety Class will be held at the Mission Valley Senior Center in Ronan from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Please call (406) 676-2371, to make a reservation.

RONAN — The next meeting for the Businesswomen’s Network, the Mission Valley sub-network, will meet on Nov. 20 at the Lake County Community Development building, 407 Main Street, from 11:45 a.m.-1 p.m. Jen Euell, program director for Women’s Foundation of Montana will speak about the “Economic Status of Women in Montana and Equal Pay Task Force.” Kim Field of French and Grainey will sponsor lunch.

POLSON — On Friday, Nov. 21, from 4-9 p.m. and on Saturday, Nov. 22, from 9 a.m.-4 p.m., the annual Holiday Bazaar will be held at the KwaTaqNuk Resort. The first 30 people in the door each day will receive a free gift from the KwaTaqNuk.

POLSON — The Parents as Teachers program of the Lake County Public Health Department is sponsoring a “Community Connection” event that is open to all area parents and their children on Friday, Nov. 21, from 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. The lunchtime event will take place in the Department’s conference room at 802 Main Street. 

This month’s topic will be “Cooking with Thanksgiving Leftovers.” Guest speaker Nori Pearce from the Lake County Extension Office will be on hand to give us tips and answer questions. Family support specialists will provide information about the Parents As Teachers program, and lunch will be provided. There will also be a drawing for door prizes. 

We hope to see you on Friday, Nov. 21. For more information, call the Lake County Health Department at (406) 883-7209.

ST. IGNATIUS — What starts as a lazy day at the beach quickly turns into mystery and adventure when the search for Blackbeard’s treasure begins. Tales both past and present lead us on a search of untold riches. 

The local cast features approximately 60 students from St. Ignatius Schools (kindergarten through high school).

“Blackbeard the Pirate” will be presented at 7 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 21, and at 3 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 22, in the St. Ignatius Schools’ multi-purpose room. Tickets are $4 for adults, $2 for children and $10 for families. Tickets are available at the door.  

The Missoula Children’s Theatre residency in St. Ignatius is presented with support from local businesses. For more information, call Paula Schock at St. Ignatius Schools at (406) 745-3811 ext. 203. 

ARLEE — This Saturday, November 22, audiences will skip down the “Yellow Brick Road” with Dorothy and her friends when the Missoula Children’s Theatre and more than 50 local students perform an original musical adaptation of the timeless favorite, “The Wizard of Oz.” Showtime is 7 p.m. and will be performed at the old Arlee High School Gym Performing Arts Center. Tickets are $5 for adults, $3 for students and $15 for a family. Tickets will be available at the door.

BIG ARM — Everyone in the Big Arm/Elmo community is invited to a homemade Thanksgiving dinner on Saturday, Nov. 22, from 1-3 p.m. at the Big Arm Fire Station. The West Shore Community Church is sponsoring the dinner. For more information, call (406) 849-5522.

POLSON — The Mission Valley Elks Hoop Shoot Free Throw Contest will take place Sunday, Nov. 23, at Linderman Gymnasium. Boys and girls ages 8-13, (as of April 1, 2015), from Polson, Ronan and surrounding areas, may compete. There is no cost to participate and no admission charged. Free registration and warm up starts at 11:30 a.m. and the contest begins at noon. Boys and girls compete separately in the following categories: 8-9 years old, 10-11 years old and 12-13 years old.

Winners of each age group advance to the district contest on Dec. 6 in Pablo. For more information, call David Rensvold at (406) 250-0771.

POLSON — A Red Cross Blood drive will be held in Polson on Tuesday, Nov. 25, between noon and 5 p.m. at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church, 1002 Fourth Ave. E.

POLSON — No community dance will be held at the Elks on Wednesday, Nov. 26, because of the Thanksgiving holiday. We will meet again for dancing on Wednesday, Dec. 3. Ken’s Country Combo will play their brand of tunes. Come and enjoy the fun and bring a treat to share with the group. Have a happy holiday and see you then. 

ARLEE — The Parents as Teachers program of the Lake County Public Health Department is sponsoring a Playgroup at the Hangin’ Art Gallery in Arlee on Wednesday, Nov. 26. For more information, call the Lake County Public Health Department at (406) 883-7209.

POLSON — On Wednesday, Nov. 26, at 6:30 p.m. Good Shepherd Lutheran will host worship entitled “Thanksgiving for Children.” The Pilgrims, the foods and the reasons for giving thanks will be explained in ways children can understand.  Beautiful traditional hymns will be sung. Bring your children to this 45-minute worship service. Both they, and you, may celebrate Thanksgiving the next day and every day, in a new way!The church is located at 409 Fourth Ave. E in Polson. For more information, call (406) 883-5864, email us at: gslcpolsonmt@gmail.com or visit our website at: www.gslcpolsonmt.com.

RONAN — It started small eleven years ago by Marie Cowan. Over the years, it has grown tremendously. The 11th annual Ronan Community Thanksgiving Dinner will be on Nov. 27, from 11 a.m.- 3 p.m. at the Ronan Community Center. 

Festivities for the day include entertainment and a traditional turkey dinner. Volunteers are needed to help serve, cook, buss and clean up. Turkeys, pies, and rolls, are also needed. Call Brandy Chisholm at (406) 250-8808 to donate food and Ronan Chamber at (406) 676-8300 to volunteer some time. 

Everyone is welcome to attend and the dinner is free. Donations will be gladly accepted at the door or sent to Ronan Community Volunteers, PO Box 254 Ronan, MT 59864. Come share all that is good in the world with friends and new acquaintances.

POLSON – Everyone in the Polson community is invited for a homemade Thanksgiving dinner on Thursday, Nov. 27, from 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. Dinner is free, and all are welcome. To request a ride or dinner delivery, please call the Polson Senior Center at (406) 883-4735, by 3 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 26. If you would like to make a donation, call (406) 883-4735. Anything you can do is appreciated.

RONAN — A Thanksgiving Service will be held on Thursday, Nov. 27, at 10 a.m. at St. Paul Lutheran Church, 35681 Terrace Lake Rd., Ronan. You can go to www.ronanchurch.org, for more information.

DAYTON — Thanksgiving events at Mission Mountain Winery take place on Friday and Saturday, Nov. 28 and 29, from 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

This is a part of the winery’s continuing program to educate the community about the pleasurable synergies created by the pairing of food and wine. We will show you how to pair holiday foods with wines. Come try our special meatballs in spicy Cabernet sauce, Chana Batata Curry with Riesling, Cheesecake drizzled with Cocoa Vin and Vanilla Cream Oatmeal Cookies and Nouveaux Riche Muscat and 72% dark chocolate with our Gold Medal winning Reserve Merlot and our Gold Medal winning Cabernet. Mission Mountain Winery is located on Highway 93 in Dayton on the west shore of beautiful Flathead Lake.

RONAN — On Saturday, Nov. 29, Kicking Horse Job Corps will hold its first annual Christmas bazaar from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Spaces for vendors are free, but vendors must provide their own tables not to exceed 6 feet long. Space is limited. To reserve a table, contact Jennifer Finley at (406) 644-2217 or Finley.Jennifer@jobcorps.org by Nov. 17, and she will mail or email you a registration form.

RONAN — Ronan’s Adult Education will have open gym at K. William Harvey Elementary School on Dec. 9, 11, 16, 18, from 7:30 p.m.-9 p.m. Come enjoy a community game of basketball. Must be 18 or older. Please call Francy Moll at (406) 676-3990 ext 7728, for more information. 

RONAN — The eighth annual “Community Spirit Basket Fundraiser” event, sponsored by Community Bank, will take place between Nov. 3 and Dec. 11. Local businesses/ organizations from the community donate baskets of goods and raise funds for the Ronan and Polson Food Pantries. Raffle tickets will be sold at the front desk at either of the Ronan and Polson lobbies for $1 and placed in the basket of the purchaser’s choice. (Need not be present for drawing.) The drawing will take place on Thursday, Dec. 11, in conjunction with the Ronan Chamber Roundup held at Ronan Community Bank from 5–7 p.m. The basket drawing will be at 6 p.m. Call for additional details at (406) 676-4600.

RONAN-PABLO-POLSON — The Community Bank “Holiday Dollar” Program, offering 0% APR Holiday Dollar loans to qualified applicants for purchase of goods and services in Ronan, Pablo and Polson, begins on Nov. 17. Participating merchants will accept “Holiday Dollars” at face value through Dec 31, 2014. Call (406) 676-4600, for details.

RONAN — The Mission Mountain Quilt Guild will hold their Christmas party/potluck on Dec. 2 at 5:30 p.m. at the Terrace Lake Community Church on Terrace Lake Road in Ronan. There will be two demonstrations, one on a ‘30 Something Ruler’ by Laurie Schmitt; the other a new method for bias binding by Robyn Schock.  Please bring your crayons and completed crayon challenge and lots of show and tell. I’m sure you’ve all been making lots of wonderful things for Christmas. The “self-portrait” class that was planned for Dec. 13 has had to be postponed. Everyone is invited; see you there.