On July 6, 2010, Valicity Lee Faith lost her battle with Leukemia. She was only 5 years old.

To remember their daughter, the Faith family is hosting the second annual Princess Ball at the Hilton Garden Inn in Kalispell on Jan. 21. The semi-formal to formal event will include a dance, as well as a live auction to raise money the Montana Hope Project. The project was established in 1984 by the Association of Montana Troopers to help critically ill children realize their dreams. For Valicity Lee in 2009, that dream was to meet some real live princes and princesses and she realized it when her family traveled to Disney World, thanks to the Hope Project.

Last year, the ball attracted 500 people and raised $15,000 for Angel Flight, a nonprofit organization that helped the Faith family go from Seattle to the Flathead during their daughter's treatment.

For more information call Josh Faith at (406) 250-6144.

 

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A big 2012 hello to Levi Jace Gove, North Valley Hospital's first baby born in the new year.

Jayn and Cody Gove, of Evergreen, welcomed Levi at 2:59 p.m. on Jan.1, 2012. The little boy weighs 7 lbs. 11 oz. and is 20 1/2 inches tall. His grandparents include Rick Gove and Darlene Danielson of the Flathead Valley, and Ted and Jacquie Cuffe of Whitefish.

North Valley Hospital celebrated the birth by giving Levi's parents a basket full of baby items.

Being born in the afternoon on Jan. 1, Levi took his time becoming the first baby of the New Year compared to other recorded births throughout the world. For example, the first 2012 baby in British Columbia - Isabella - came just three minutes after midnight on Jan. 1.

Congratulations to Levi's parents and grandparents!

 

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Local band Marshall Catch was in Hawaii to help commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Pearl Harbor attacks during a ceremony on Dec. 7.

We wrote about the band and its attempts to raise money to get to Honolulu and play "The Ballad of the USS Arizona" for the event, and it looks like they were able to make it.

Here's a bit of an update from the band:

The band celebrated the release of their patriotic single “The Ballad of the USS Arizona”, a tribute song composed with the Pearl Harbor attacks in mind, from the perspective of the ship herself, with two performances near the Memorial. They first performed on Sunday, December 4th for Military Day. Their second performance was on the anniversary date, December 7th, just after the official Commemoration Ceremony. Both appearances brought them face to face with a number of the survivors and their families.

"We were honored, humbled, and left speechless at the stories of sacrifices told by the brave soldiers of Pearl Harbor,” reflected Marshall Catch singer, Luke Lautaret. “To play our song for these men and their families has been a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that we will cherish forever. We sincerely hope we were able to bless and honor those who have sacrificed so much for us and our country."

 

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Flathead and Glacier high schools are looking for judges to help with the Kalispell Invitational Speech and Debate meet on Nov. 18 and Nov. 19.

 

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The weeks leading up to ski season can be torturous. The mountains sit there slowly gathering snow as we wax our skis for the tenth time this week. November might be the slowest month of the year.

Luckily, outdoor enthusiasts and recreationists have a few awesome upcoming events to bide the time with. There’s the Banff Mountain Film Festival being held at Flathead High School in Kalispell, Nov. 14 and 16.

There’s also the third annual Whitefish Mountain Films event on Sunday, Nov. 13, at the O’Shaughnessy Center in Whitefish. Touted as a celebration of locally and renowned skiers, mountaineers and filmmakers, the event is a growing film festival free of charge. Doors open at 5:30 and films start at 6:30. Professional athletes Jamey Parks, Julian Carr and Chris Rubens are scheduled to attend this year.

 

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The ever-popular Banff Mountain Film and Book Festival is headed back to Kalispell on Nov. 14 and 16, bringing with it new perspectives and a gorgeous film collection you won't find anywhere else.

 

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I recently had the pleasure of meeting the new manager of the largest restaurant in town.

Jenny Montague is the director of the Kalispell Public Schools Food Service. Her staff serves more than 4,000 meals a day at all the public schools around Kalispell.

Jenny has quite a few exciting and innovative visions as the new director, and I’m excited to sit down and talk with her more about what her vision is for hot lunches in schools. I still remember a few of my favorites — St. Joe’s Sloppy Joes! — that I will definitely be recommending.

In the meantime, Jenny passed this note along telling about next Monday’s “Montana Meal Monday.” Check out what her and her staff are planning, and stay tuned for a story on Jenny’s vision.

Kalispell Public Schools Food Service will be cooking a Montana meal at our school sites on Oct. 24 to celebrate National Food Day and National Farm to School month.

This meal will include 100% Montana beef burgers with local tomatoes, local roasted root veggies, and a local apple crisp/cake. We will also have a lentil burger tasting at Kalispell Middle School and Edgerton.

This meal is to build support for the Farm-to-School Program Kalispell Public Schools has initiated this fall, and to honor "real food.”

 

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Here's a follow-up on the Great American Beer Festival:

At seven feet tall, The Ultimate Beer Fan Trophy is pretty hard to miss sitting in the corner of the second floor taproom at the Great Northern Brewing Company in Whitefish.

 

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