Baby Geese!

A friend mentioned to me on Saturday that she saw her first baby geese along River Drive earlier in the day, and as I drove to work this morning I saw my first two babies of the season - always brings a smile to my face! Those tiny little balls of yellow and black fluff, with their little chirps - how cute! Here’s a picture from last year as the Moms and Dads marched their wee charges across the road:

April 30, 2007 | Filed Under around town, animals | 2 Comments

Brawny Deal

Check out this great deal: a pack of eight rolls of Brawny paper towels for only $5.00! At Smith’s Food and Drug in the Marketplace on Saturday, April 28, 2007.

April 28, 2007 | Filed Under shopping | 3 Comments

“Canine Intelligence Agency” Contest

One of my contacts over on my MySpace page is Frank, who operates the Canine Intelligence Agency (CIA - cute) here in town. He posted the following today:

OK. This is how it works! The dog with the absolute worst problem behavior WINS!! Just take a picture of your dog exhibiting his or her worst behavior and email it to: frank AT itraindogs.net (If the behavior isn’t clear in the picture please be sure to descibe what the the dog is doing) THE WINNER WILL WIN 2 FREE DOG BEHAVIOR LESSONS! Thats it! No strings. It’s that simple! I’ll pick the winner on Wednesday May 2nd. NOTE: ALL ENTRIES MUST LIVE IN THE GREAT FALLS AREA. Good Luck! and May the Worst Dog Win!

So if you want your dog to be a well-mannered pooch, here’s your chance!

ps: I don’t have a dog, but my two cats sure could use some lessons…hmmm…

April 27, 2007 | Filed Under animals | 1 Comment

Dragonfly Ads

I’m sure that some of you have seen Alison Fried, the owner of Dragonfly Dry Goods, in TV commercials, or heard her radio ads. The TV ads feature Alison talking directly to the camera as she strolls through the store, highlighting certain items. The radio spots are “phoned in” - just Alison, talking directly to the listener. I think she even advertised for a couple of job openings that way, too.
I happen to like this type of advertising: she loves her store, believes in her products, and presents herself and her business in a very upbeat manner. But one of the local DJs told me that the radio ads aren’t particularly well-received, and I’m not sure why that is. So: if you’ve seen any of the TV commercials or heard any of the radio spots, what did you think? Did you feel more or less inclined to visit Dragonfly? How did the ad affect your perception of the store and of Alison?

April 25, 2007 | Filed Under business, media | 16 Comments

Raffle For Alex Perkic

REMINDER: I know many of you enjoy watching Alex Perkic when he anchors the KFBB news, and probably remember that he did a feature on Great Falls bloggers a few months ago. He’s fought cancer several times in the last few years, and he’s in another battle right now. But there’s good news: YOU can help!

Read The Whole Thing >>>

April 25, 2007 | Filed Under people | Leave a Comment

The Wisdom of Steinbeck

One of John Steinbeck’s most famous statements:
“I am in love with Montana. For other states I have admiration, respect, recognition, even some affection, but with Montana it is love.”

Of course, in my case, you can also phrase it like this:
“I am in love with Great Falls. For other towns I have admiration, respect, recognition, even some affection, but with Great Falls it is love.”

April 24, 2007 | Filed Under people | Leave a Comment

Lockdown at CMR

Remember last week that Great Falls High received a bomb threat and was also placed in lockdown? Well, it didn’t take long for CMR to follow suit: I’ve received reports that CMR has been placed in lockdown TWICE today. I don’t fault the administrators for responding to any threats - their job is to protect our children, and any threat must be taken seriously. But we all know that 99% of all such threats are either hoaxes, attention-grabs, or even misunderstandings. It’s that one time that something truly scary happens that makes each and every threat a potential tragedy, so of course the schools have to respond as if each one is serious. As noted last week, though, how many times will this happen? At what point do we require that more extreme measures be put in place to try to minimize the number of lockdowns and false alarms?
UPDATE, Tuesday morning: here is the Trib piece about the incidents.

April 23, 2007 | Filed Under education | Leave a Comment

Crank It Up

As promised, local hard-rock band Enceladus reunited for two shows at The Loading Zone last night and Friday night. I had never visited The Loading Zone; my daughter warned me not to go - she used the word “skeevy” to describe the place and was concerned about my safety. Turns out that what she should have worried about is my hearing. I spent about a half-hour there listening to the band and making hand signals to a few friends (conversation is nearly impossible), and this morning my ears are still ringing. I had always thought that it was simply a figure of speech - “ears ringing” after a loud concert - but it really is true - ouch! As for the music - not quite my cup of tea, but the crowd sure did seem to enjoy it.

(click the pic for larger size)

April 22, 2007 | Filed Under events, music | 1 Comment

Great Falls - Great Place

Check out this spiffy video that touts the great things about our community!

Read The Whole Thing >>>

April 21, 2007 | Filed Under around town, civics | Leave a Comment

Things To Do This Weekend

- You can watch Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer on “Real Time with Bill Maher” on Friday night on HBO.

- Lovers of “hard” music: Enceladus was a local favorite until the band had to break up due to one of the members being transferred to Florida (military). But he’s back in town for a few days, and Enceladus will rock The Loading Zone for two reunion gigs on Friday and Saturday!

- Local booster club Pulse-Great Falls is sponsoring a “Bring Back The Funk” party on Saturday night. The theme: the 70s! Grab your leisure suit, slip into your platform shoes, and head on down to the Elk’s Club to boogie oogie oogie ’till you just can’t boogie no more! See the groovy poster here!

- The Thesparadoes, an acting group from MSU-GF, will present “Nobody’s Perfect,” a funny play about a man who enters a contest under a woman’s name - and then wins. The play is 8:00 pm on Friday and Saturday at West Elementary School. Tickets are $5, or $4 for MSU-GF students.

- On Sunday, you can visit our local Home Depot and get a free compact-fluorescent lightbulb as part of the company’s recognition of “earth day.”

April 19, 2007 | Filed Under events, music | Leave a Comment

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