Happy Birthday to Me!

Well, not ME, exactly, but rather to GreaterFalls.com! Actually, the official day was on Wednesday; the very first blog entry here was on May 7, 2005, which makes GreaterFalls three years old. In dog years, that’s about 21 years old, and in blog years, that’s probably…what, 40 or 50 years old? Here’s a screenshot of the early days, courtesy of the Wayback Machine (click to see full size):

Thanks for helping me get to the three-year mark! Seriously - having awesome folks like you around makes this fun. I would have baked a birthday cake to share with all of you, but it’s so hard to squeeze baked goods through the internets, ya know.

posted May 9, 2008 by David in Great Falls | 4 Comments

Filed Under blogging, david

Cool Beans

The reference to Cool Beans Coffee Pub in the entry about local favorites reminded me that if you want to enjoy some good brew there, you better do it real quick: Cool Beans is closing up shop and selling everything. Very sad. Although I’m mostly a Morning Light guy, I did enjoy Cool Beans (and their website) the few times I ventured in, and I know that having a “regular” place means so much to coffee lovers. A message from the owners:

COFFEE SHOP FOR SALE: $25,000.00
Cool Beans Coffee Pub will close Friday, May 23, 2008. We are offering the shop as a turnkey business for $25,000. The sale includes all furnishings, equipment, recipes and inventory. The sale does not include the space. Buyers can contact the building owner to discuss leasing the space.
Contact Les at the shop for more information.
On Saturday, May 24, 2008 we will begin selling everything. The sale will begin at 9:00 a.m. at the shop’s location at 512 Central Ave, and will end when we are tired and ready to go home.
If there is something from the shop that you would like to purchase you can make an offer. If your offer is accepted you will be able to pick up your item after we close.

I’m sure that news of Cool Beans closing will be particularly sad for one true believer; on her visit to Great Falls in 2006, Cool Beans was her salvation, and her tale of discovery is a testament not just to the good folks at Cool Beans, but also to Great Falls.

posted May 8, 2008 by David in Great Falls | Leave a Comment

Filed Under restaurants, business

Malmstrom Update

A few tidbits about Malmstrom Air Force Base: first, the 2nd Avenue North gate (formerly the “main” gate) will be closed on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday (May 8-10) due to construction. The normally closed gate behind First Liberty Federal Credit Union will be open to inbound traffic from 6:30-8:00 am, and to outbound traffic from 4:00-5:00 pm on Thursday and Friday. As far as I know, the 10th Avenue North gate will be open for business as usual during this time.

Second, if you’ve been to the Malmstrom Clinic lately, you know that there’s some serious renovation going on: the entire front lobby and roundabout have been torn down and sealed off, and will likely be closed until September. The pharmacy has temporarily relocated to the West entrance until the front lobby is complete.

Third, it’s been a helluva few weeks at Malmstrom: first we had Al Roker and NBC on hand to broadcast from a missile silo; then we had the tragic shooting involving two Airmen; and then the flaming Humvee. Add all of that to the joyous return of the deployed Airmen, the Open House & Air Show coming up next weekend, plus the normal routine of maintaining hundreds of nuclear ICBMs, and you’ve got a bunch of busy, engaged troops. Hats off to all the Airmen and those who support them!

posted May 7, 2008 by David in Great Falls | 1 Comment

Filed Under events, military

Mother’s Day…Dinner?

I know that most people enjoy taking Mom out for a Mother’s Day brunch, but check this out: the good folks over at the Park-n-Ponder are offering a Mother’s Day dinner! Choice of bacon-wrapped pork tenderloin, steamed shrimp, or lobster tail, served with all the trimmings. I like this idea - let Mom sleep in on Sunday, serve her breakfast in bed, and then out for a good dinner with a view of the geese and swans. Maybe they’ll even brew up a batch of their second-to-none Lobster Bisque (normally served only on Fridays) if you ask nicely! Give Fred a call at 453-3448 to make your reservations.

posted May 7, 2008 by David in Great Falls | 2 Comments

Filed Under restaurants, events

“Let Great Falls Rot”

Based on initial results, it appears that the school levy won’t pass, although the tallies are razor-thin right now. KFBB just reported that the elementary school levy has been defeated by fewer than 200 votes, and the high school levy by fewer than 400 votes. By the way, kudos to everyone who voted - about 18,000! - and to the folks who handled the election and counted the ballots.

It’s clear that there is a pretty even split in our community about whether our schools need more money. I suspect that if our schools were in true need, the vote would have been lopsided in favor of the levy, but as I noted earlier, many people in Great Falls believe that we have excellent schools that do a great job with their available resources. I’m sure that the time will come - next year, five years? - when our schools will indeed require more money, and I have no doubt that voters will step up.

Read The Whole Thing >>>

Now, having said that, it sure is pathetic to see a local teacher post the following screed on the Tribune forums:

Name: forgotten_cenotaph
Posted: Tue May 06, 2008 11:35 am Post subject: Let Great Falls Rot
I would normally never post anything to a forum of this nature, but I just want to say that I am a teacher here in Great Falls. I’m a first-year teacher, in fact, fresh out of college and married. My wife and I thought this community would be a good place to settle down and start a family, but after the debacle of this election, we’re not so sure.
What kind of a town doesn’t value education? Isn’t it funny how the people who know the least usually think they are the very smartest? I read some of these comments and these people have no clue what they are saying.
Well the response of the people sickens me. Do you think teachers get into this profession to become rich? I did this because I want to help the kids. If this thing doesn’t pass, we’re definitely leaving and moving to Missoula or Billings or Helena or anywhere but here….If you don’t care about education, then Great Falls will keep losing professional, stable people. No more nuclear families, no more people with college degrees. Let this town become a haven for drunks and gambling addicts. You can all hang out at the Super Wal-Mart together, get loaded and complain how the schools are sucking the community dry happily ever after.

Wow. The arrogance is boggling: “What kind of a town doesn’t value education?” Whoa, there, Teach: just because we don’t throw money at it based on your first-year assessment doesn’t mean that we don’t value education. And the implication that our entire citizenry is illiterate, drunk, and lazy; unbelievable. To be honest, if this is your first year as a teacher and you’re already that cynical and ill-mannered, then perhaps you shouldn’t even wait for the final results of the levy: just pack up your stuff and move along. I’m sure that most parents would prefer that your attitude not rub off on the kids.

While the folks in Great Falls do indeed value education, we also value civility and respect - two things that his college education failed to address, apparently.

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posted May 6, 2008 by David in Great Falls | 7 Comments

Filed Under civics, education

Dad Chimes In

Time once again for “Dad Chimes In,” a semi-regular feature in which my father, a retired Air Force physician in Texas, provides his commentary on a recent GreaterFalls entry. Today’s subject is coming up with a name for the adorable little bunny from Friday. Here’s what Dad had to say:

Read The Whole Thing >>>

posted May 6, 2008 by David in Great Falls | 4 Comments

Filed Under animals, david

Malmstrom on “Today Show”

If you’re up early enough you can catch some of Malmstrom’s finest as they are featured on a segment of “The Today Show” titled “Access Granted,” which takes viewers to locations that are not normally seen by regular folks. From the AF Times:

Al Roker will broadcast one segment 10 feet above a nuclear warhead while standing on the exit doors of the missile silo, said Maj. Laurie Arellano, an Air Force Space Command spokeswoman.
“He’ll be standing on the deadliest location in the world,” she said.
The segments will air from Malmstrom at 7:45 a.m. and 8:45 a.m. local time. The first segment will be broadcast from the missile silo, the second from the missile control center.

It will air locally on cable channel 6. And if you’ve never seen a missile launch, check out this video clip. Awesome.

UPDATE, Tuesday afternoon: here’s what the Air Force had to say about this Today Show visit, and a picture of Al Roker on the scene.

Al Roker Gets Frisked at a Malmstrom Missile Site

posted May 6, 2008 by David in Great Falls | 3 Comments

Filed Under military, media

Local Flavor

In the realm of dining, some things are universal: everybody loves McDonald’s french fries, for instance. Other things, however, are strictly local, as evidenced by GeeGuy’s endorsement of Taco Treat: “Since I am a local, born and raised, I have been a Taco Treat fan since before I can remember.” Amen. Just about everybody that I know that is a true “local” feels the same way about Taco Treat. My girlfriend, for instance, who is also a true “born and raised” local. Case in point: when her high-school buddy came back to visit Great Falls for New Year’s Eve, the first thing that they did when he got off the plane was head to Taco Treat.

Me - well, despite the fact that I now consider myself a true citizen of Great Falls (approaching 6 years!), the wonders of Taco Treat still elude me. I’ve tried it - and the Amigo, too. I just don’t get it. To be honest, I’d rather grab some Taco Bell. But fortunately, I have found ONE thing at Taco Treat to enjoy: Krust-Os! Crispy, cinnamony, snacky; and with a name like that, what’s not to love?

The only other place that I can think of that falls into this same “gotta be raised on it” category is Borrie’s, with the pasta sauce that only locals can love (I’m learning to love it). OK, so let’s hear it: what other eateries around town fall into this category?

posted May 5, 2008 by David in Great Falls | 22 Comments

Filed Under restaurants

Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center

Wow! Quite a party the L&C folks threw today! As promised, the baby bison (two of ‘em!) made an appearance - pretty awesome. Unfortunately, I arrived too late to see the other critters, but it was great to see the displays and attractions: demonstrations of guns, tipis and pelts, games for kids, live music, food. I’m no expert, but it sure looked like a good turnout, too - lots and lots of people, and it sure seemed like everybody was having a good time. And for the first time, I explored the lower part of the Center, and was quite impressed - can’t wait to go back for a more thorough visit.

Here’s a few pix from today - as always, just click to see ‘em all and in full-size. If you visited the Center today, what was your favorite part?

posted May 4, 2008 by David in Great Falls | Leave a Comment

Filed Under history, events, animals

L&C IC Anniversary

Today is the day! The Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center will celebrate ten years with a party for everyone: free admission, live animals, food & drink, etc. Check it out:

Read The Whole Thing >>>