September 2014 is Back-to-School Box Top Drive month. When was the last time you dumped a jar of change into the trash? Probably never! So, why would you toss out Box Tops? Each Box Top is worth 10 cents for your school – so don’t dump these dimes in disguise, instead drop them in the little red school house in the Wal-Mart lobby or in the bill pay box at Super One Foods (by the bank entrance). All collections benefit the Mission Valley Christian Academy whose mission is to provide a Christ-centered quality education to prepare students to be lifelong servant leaders. For more information on the Box Top program go to http://www.btfe.com/.

POLSON — A cancer support group for cancer patients, cancer survivors and caregivers meets twice a month on the second and fourth Mondays at the United Methodist Church, 301 Sixteenth Ave. E from noon-1 p.m. Participants can bring lunch or join members at a restaurant following the meeting. For more information about the support group, call Tammy at (406) 883-7284 or (406) 824-2868

PLAINS — Sanders County Arts Council announces the opening of the summer show of “Art on the Walls” at the Clark Fork Valley Hospital in Plains. Original artworks by Valerie Curtiss, Rosa Dolson, Rachel Gonzalez, Gary Hensley, George Humeston, Crystal Kingston, Sun Honts Mann, Jina McHargue and Karen Thorson will be shown. The show runs from June 26-Sept. 23. For additional information, call Mary McClenahan at (406) 826-0112 or Joy Nelson at (406) 826-8585.

PABLO — Rez Hope Talk Circle holds their weekly talk circle every Thursday night from 6-7 p.m. at the Respite House in Pablo.  

For more information, please feel free to call Jon Denton at (406) 499-2355.

RONAN — Join the Valley Journal in celebrating 10 years as your homegrown newspaper on Saturday, Sept. 20, from 2-6 p.m. at the Ronan Community Center. The party will include a jumping castle, free popcorn, cotton candy and balloons. The Montana Kids Co-op will offer a gluten-free personal pizza or a fresh, locally grown salad for $5 each. They will also offer cupcakes for sale. The Valley Journal is a community-supported newspaper and we want to thank every person that has had a hand in the success of this locally owned business. We hope to see you so we can thank you for your support.

POLSON — Heart to Heart will play their choice of tunes including rock and roll at the Elks every Wednesday night from 7-10 p.m. They accept requests so dig into your memory book and bring out some oldies but goodies. Treats are wonderful and appreciated; good cooks there. 

POLSON — Lake County Democrats announce the opening of their new office at the corner of Highway 93 and Main Street, (Salish Building - 110 Main). An open house will be held on Wednesday, Sept. 10, from 5:30 -7:30 p.m. Office hours will be from noon to 5:30 p.m. Monday thru Friday.  Stop by to discuss the upcoming election activities.

RONAN — The Ladies Auxiliary VFW meeting will be held on Wednesday, Sept. 10, at 6:30 p.m. at the VFW Hall. New members are welcome. For more information, call Marge Fay at (406) 676-3380.

POLSON — The Marine Corps League meets every second Wednesday of each month at 7 p.m. at the Driftwood Family Restaurant in Polson. For more information, call John Miller at (406) 890-0964 or go to: usmcfox21@gmail.com. 

POLSON — On Sept. 11, 2014, at 6:30 p.m. at the Miracle of America Museum, there will be free “Patriot Day” program showing a one-hour movie, entitled “America’s Godly Heritage” by David Barton of Wall builders. 

A short tour of the founding of America and Constitution displays will follow. Call (406) 883-6804, for more information. 

ST. IGNATIUS — The St. Ignatius Chamber of Commerce is taking orders for the 2015 community birthday calendar. There will be a table at Rod’s Harvest Foods Sept. 12. The deadline is Sept. 21. You may call LaVonne Olmsted at (406) 745-3423, to arrange for another time

POLSON — The September Friendship Table Dinner is coming up on Sept. 12 from 5-7 p.m. Polson Presbyterian Church is located across from the Linderman School. Come join us. This dinner is free and open to all.

RONAN — St. Luke Community Healthcare Foundation’s 14th annual fundraising dinner will be held Friday, Sept. 12, at the Ronan Community Center. No host cocktails at 6 p.m. and gourmet dinner at 7 p.m. along with live and silent auctions. Tickets are $75. For tickets and information, call (406) 528-5262 or 528-5324.

POLSON - Sandpiper Gallery hosts the Polson 2014 World Wide Paintout, a world-wide plein air event, on Saturday, September 13 from 10-4. Meet at Riverside Park at the east end of Polson Memorial Bridge at 10am. For more information contact dcartworks09@yahoo.com or visit sandpiperartgallery.com.

RONAN — A day to honor Patsy Miller will be held at 1 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 13, at the Ronan Tribal Senior Center. Please bring potluck foods. For more information, call (406) 241-4308.

POLSON — Michelle Wood, Lake County Superintendent of Schools, will be speaking about Common Core standards at the Monday, Sept. 15, meeting of the Lake County Republican Women being held at the Polson Rural Fire Dept. building on Regatta Road near the airport. The meeting begins at noon and adjourns at 1 p.m.

RONAN — Pastor Seth Nelson of Faith Lutheran Church will offer a free, three-week course entitled “Martin Luther and his Legacy.” The course will cover the history of Martin Luther’s life and work and the reformation movement, which he started. The courses will be held on Thursday evenings at 7 p.m. in the basement, (Fellowship Hall), of Faith Lutheran Church on 16 and 23. These courses are free to the public and all are welcome. For more information, feel free to call our office at (406) 676-2721.

POLSON — The Wednesday night dance brings the joy of the five-piece band, Ken’s Country Combo, to the Elks. Everyone is welcome so bring all of your friends to this fun time. The dance starts at 7 p.m. and treats are wonderful. We will miss you, if you are not there. 

RONAN — Missoula Businesswomen’s Network, a Mission Valley Sub-network, asks if you’ve been thinking about starting a business … or … been in the trenches for a while and would like support, education and networking with other women in your shoes?

Come join a network of businesswomen in Western Montana, ‘Learning from Others – Learning from Within,’ on Sept. 18 from 11:45 a.m.-1 p.m. at the Lake County Community Development Building, 407 W Main Street in Ronan.

Karl Jones, a management advisor, will discuss “Trust, the Foundation for Business.” Come learn from an experienced and insightful speaker. The lunch sponsor for this meeting will be Laurie Dassonville from SendOutCards. Please RSVP at: ldville@yahoo.com, by Sept. 16.

POLSON — North Lake County Public Library, 2 First Ave. E, will celebrate “Read an eBook Day,” on Thursday, Sept. 18. This worldwide digital reading event is designed to raise awareness for eBooks. For more information, call the circulation desk at (406) 883-8225 or visit the library.

POLSON — Support Polson Late Afternoon Social Hour will be held on Thursday, Sept. 18, from 5-7 p.m. Your host will be Polson Physical Therapy. We hope to see you there.

POLSON — A Democratic Picnic will be held on Friday, Sept. 19, at 5:30 p.m. at Boettcher Park.  Roast ham and turkey will be provided; you are asked to bring a side dish and BYOB. A donation bucket will be passed. Our guest of honor will be Lieutenant Governor Angela McLean.

POLSON — The Parents as Teachers program of the Lake County Public Health Department is sponsoring a “Community Connection” that is open to all area parents on Friday, Sept.19, from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. The lunchtime event will take place in the Department’s conference room at 802 Main St.

Guest speakers Diana Schwab and Emily Colomeda will present information on car seat safety. Diana will also be available to check to see that your car seat is installed correctly. A limited number of infant, toddler and booster seats will be available to those who need them.

Family Support Specialists will be on hand with information about the PAT program, and lunch will be provided.

The PAT program is a free, voluntary program that provides twice monthly home visits with age-appropriate activities for children from birth to age five, developmental screenings, and information and referrals to area resources. Parents can be enrolled in the PAT program as soon as they are pregnant, which many moms-to-be and dads find to be very helpful, since babies don’t come with a manual.

We hope to see you on Friday, Sept. 19.

For more information call the Lake County Health Department at (406) 883-7209. 

RONAN —  Mark your calendars for our annual fall Child Find event on Friday, Sept. 19. This free screening will be held at the K. Wm. Harvey Elementary School in the preschool classroom from 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Children ages birth to 5 years old, who live in the Ronan/Pablo School District, will be screened.

RONAN — Ronan Area Chamber Harvest Festival’s sixth annual Chili Cook Off will take place on Saturday, Sept. 20, from 7 a.m.-1 p.m. at the Ronan Visitors’ Center. Judging takes place at noon.

RONAN — A medical benefit for Kathy Snyder Coffman will be held on Saturday, Sept. 20, at KD’s Valley Club, 407 Third Ave. NW. A barbecue beef dinner will be served from 3 to 7 p.m. for $10 per plate and a live auction will be held at 5 p.m. Kathy has been diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis. She will be going to Missouri to wait for a double lung transplant. If you would like to donate to the auction, please call Krissy Paro at (406) 676-3228 or Kelly Bailey at (406) 883-2910 or drop off at KD’s Valley Club. There is also an account set up at Community Bank for donations. You can also go to our event on Facebook to sign up to attend. Thank you so much from Kathy and her family for all the help and support. 

RONAN — Join the Valley Journal in celebrating 10 years as your homegrown newspaper on Saturday, Sept. 20, from 2-6 p.m. at the Ronan Community Center. The party will include a jumping castle, free popcorn, cotton candy and balloons. 

Adults will be entered to win framed scenic photographs. The Montana Kids Co-op will offer a gluten-free personal pizza or a fresh, locally grown salad for $5 each. They will also offer cupcakes for sale. The Valley Journal is a community-supported newspaper and we want to thank every person that has had a hand in the success of this locally owned business. We hope to see you so we can thank you for your support.

POLSON — On Sept. 20 at the KOA Camp, 200 Irvine Flats Road, from 7-10 p.m., the Polson Chamber of Commerce is putting on a wine tasting event. Be a guest at this inaugural event. Tickets are $45 each and include a sampling of over 20 local and regional wines, gourmet hors d’oeuvres and live music by Nathan Eyre. Call or stop by the Chamber office for tickets. 

ST. IGNATIUS — On Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 20 and 21, the Fort Connah Restoration Society will host an open house and rendezvous which depicts life during the fur trading era of Montana. This is a great opportunity to see the 1846 historic Hudson’s Bay Fort Connah Trading Post come to life. 

This event will be free to the public and includes demonstrations of time-era activities, crafts and games. Main events are on Saturday, from 10 a.m.-4 p.m.  and Sunday from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Fort Connah is located six miles north of St. Ignatius at mile marker 39 on Highway 93.For more information about camping and demonstrators, contact Chris Poloynis at (406) 214-0333 or email: cpspartan55@gmail.com.

For general information and trader/vendor set-ups, call Carolyn Corey/Preston Miller at (406) 745-4336, or email: 4winds@blackfoot.net.

RONAN — Join in the Classic Country Jam planed for Saturday, Sept. 20, at the South Ronan Methodist Church from 7-9 p.m. If you can play an instrument or sing, please join us or just come and sit in. This is a free event. 

RONAN — Ronan Chamber Harvest Fest is getting geared up and will be on Sept. 20. There will be the chili cook off, vendors, lots of kids' games, a scarecrow-decorating contest, and lots of good food.

POLSON — The Polson Shooters Association will hold a free shoot day at their range at 38386 Kerr Dam Rd, on Saturday, Sept. 20, from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. The public is invited to come and check out our range, sight in your rifle for hunting season, and/or shoot your pistols. We will serve hot dogs and hamburgers, so come out to the range and have some shooting fun and meet some of our staff.

For more information, call Rob St. Clair at (406) 883-1110 or (406) 270-8886.

DAYTON — The Mission Mountain Winery encourages all wine lovers to attend our free event on Saturday, Sept. 20, from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. There will be vertical tasting of the 2007, 2005 and 2004 vintages of Mission Mountain Winery Cabernet Sauvignon. Mission Mountain Winery is located just off Highway 93 in Dayton. Go to: www.missionmountainwinery.com, for more information.

POLSON — The not-for-profit Friends of Ronan Parks and Trails is sponsoring the first annual Mission Valley Kids Walk, 5K Run on Sunday, Sept. 21, at 2 p.m. The event starts at the Polson Walmart with registration at noon. Face painting and a costume contest for best capes will take place. The cost is $20 per participant or $45 for a family of up to four. Proceeds will benefit parks and trails throughout the Mission Valley. Find us on Facebook at: Friends of Ronan Parks and Trail and in our special Facebook event, Mission Valley Kids Walk/Run. Drop your entry forms off at Walmart, Ronan Library or the day of the event.

 RONAN — On Sept. 23, the Ronan Woman’s Club will have their first fall meeting. Please join our fun, active fellowship at 7 p.m. at the Ronan Senior Center. New members are welcome.  Come see what we are all about. For more information, call (406) 676-3261.