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  • Easter celebrations span the Seeley-Swan Valley

    Keely Larson, Editor|Apr 4, 2024

    Volunteer-organized Easter egg and treasure hunts brought color, candy and smiles to Seeley Lake and Condon....

  • Handmade trails, Lack of snow doesn't stop Seeley's Biathlon

    Keely Larson, Editor|Feb 8, 2024

    Under a sky threatening rain, Chris Lorentz was explaining to some Seeley Lake Elementary students what they were about to do. Tuesday before the Seeley Lake Biathlon on Feb. 3, Lorentz set up targets on the Seeley Creek Nordic Ski Trails and Friday the students were given a preview. "These are our local kids," Lorentz, race director of the Seeley Lake Biathlon, said. "I don't mind giving them a little bit of an edge." On Tuesday, the snow was thin, but Lorentz was confident in pulling off the...

  • Snowball keeps it all local

    Keely Larson, Editor|Feb 8, 2024

    This year’s Snowball Dinner, a fundraiser for Scenic Montana Trails, was all about local businesses, sponsors, prizes and keeping dollars in the community. “Bottom line is our Snowball was a great success from pretty much every angle,” Tom Stanley, secretary of Scenic Montana Trails, said. Scenic Montana Trails buys fuel locally, as many parts as it can to fix any machinery locally and it pays groomers who live locally. “By and large, most of this money stays local in our effort to improve the recreational trails in the greater Seeley Lake area...

  • River Guide and poet Chris Dombrowski to present his memoir 'The River You Touch'

    Jenny Rohrer, Alpine Artisans|Jul 13, 2023

    Missoula author Chris Dombrowski will be reading and talking about his latest memoir, “The River You Touch,” at the Swan Valley Community Hall in Condon on Saturday, July 15 at 7 pm. Co-sponsored by Alpine Artisans’ Open Book Club and Swan Valley Connections, this evening is a ‘don’t miss’ for those who want to spend a vicarious day on the river with one of the most entertaining river guides and poets in western Montana. The “River You Touch” is also an intimate journey into the life of a family working hard to make a living in a rugged, Wester...

  • Storytelling 2023: Why did we come here and why do we stay?

    Tom Beers|Jan 26, 2023

    SEELEY LAKE - We had our last storytelling in mid-June of 2022. We are exceedingly pleased with last year’s events and hope you were pleased as well. Our goal, as always, is finding common values. Last year, over 40 participants told their stories, to an appreciative audience at the foundation building and there were more than 200 viewers on the Pathfinder Facebook website. We are so impressed with how our community turned out to listen to their friends, their neighbors, and folks they may not have known. Why is this important? Because each o...

  • Storytellers sought for February event

    Gwyneth Hyndman, Interim Editor|Jan 19, 2023

    A storytelling event that began in October 2021 with the aim of bringing people together through common values will continue on Feb. 1 at the Seeley Lake Community Foundation Building starting at 7 p.m. - but more storytellers are being sought out to get involved. “Why Did We Come Here, Why Do We Stay” has hosted 40 storytellers since its inception, all members of the Seeley Lake region with a strong pull to the area. Organizer Tom Beers said that the idea for the event first started as a question: “How do we communicate with each other when...

  • Kindness helps reindeer take flight

    Pathfinder Staff|Jan 5, 2023

    SWAN VALLEY - While all the reindeer cadets attending the School of Reindeer in the North Pole thought flying would be a piece of cake, they quickly realized it was not as easy as it looked and Reindeer Cadet Angel (Jade Arnold) was disappointed there was no cake. Despite sub-zero temperatures the evening of Dec. 21, the gymnasium was packed for the Swan Valley School's performance of "How to Train Your Reindeer (to Fly)." Professor Atticus Antler (Kalli Braulik) and Schoolmaster Joe Buck (Stets...

  • Christmas event carries on despite weather

    Colleen Kesterson, Pathfinder Staff|Jan 5, 2023

    SALMON PRAIRIE - The Salmon Prairie School Christmas program - a student-written play entitled "Santa" - was held Dec. 20 at the school with friends and neighbors braving the elements in attendance. Lake County Superintendent Carolyn Hall even drove from Polson in the snowstorm to attend the festivities. Holl Hubbard - the one-room schoolhouse teacher of more than 10 years - welcomed the audience to the program which is given every year for the community. The 100-year-old schoolhouse on the...

  • Students show entrepreneurial spirit during 'Blackhawk Biz' event

    Hattie Batchelder, SSHS Student Journalist|Dec 22, 2022

    SEELEY LAKE - During the "Blackhawk Biz" Market Day, students were able to sell the products they have been working on throughout the semester. Our story on the event ran in last week's Pathfinder edition (https://www.seeleylake.com/story/2022/12/15/news/sshs-entrepreneurs-showcase-products-at-blackhawk-biz-market-day/9088.html). Student journalist and photographer Hattie Batchelder took a range of photos of her classmates during the Dec. 10 market....

  • Volunteers wrap Loving Hearts Toy Sale with love

    Pathfinder Staff|Dec 15, 2022

    By Pathfinder Staff SEELEY LAKE - By 5:25 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 7, the lobby at Mission Bible Fellowship was full. This year's annual Loving Hearts Toy Sale drew more than 100 people who, within a half an hour of the doors opening at 5:30 p.m., had Christmas gifts for their loved ones purchased and wrapped. With nearly 20 tables full of toys and everything priced under $5 with few exceptions, the season of gift giving was a little more affordable for many local families. One volunteer recalled an...

  • SSHS Entrepreneurs Showcase Products at "Blackhawk BIZ" Market Day

    Hattie Batchelder, Pathfinder|Dec 15, 2022

    By Hattie Batchelder From juniper charcuterie boards to scented soy candles, Seeley-Swan High School students have been working hard since the first day of school to build their own independent businesses. The semester-long entrepreneurship class, taught by Michele Holmes, is a chance for students to learn their way around the world of business. During the "Blackhawk Biz" Market Day, students were able to sell the products they have been working on throughout the semester. The students were...

  • Frostbite Festival showcases local art at Saturday annual holiday event

    Colleen Kesterson, Pathfinder Interim Editor|Dec 8, 2022

    This year's Frostbite Festival - put on by the Upper Swan Valley Historical Society - pulled in locals and newcomers to the annual holiday event on Saturday, Dec. 3....

  • Swan Valley Historical Society Hosts the Frostbite Festival

    Upper Swan Valley Historical Society|Dec 1, 2022

    The 2022 Frostbite Festival Holiday Bazaar and Bake Sale is Saturday, Dec. 3, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Swan Valley School in Condon. The event is hosted by the Upper Swan Valley Historical Society. Artisans and crafters from the Swan Valley and Northwest Montana will display and sell their handiwork. This is a wonderful opportunity for shoppers to find unique, locally made holiday gifts. It’s a great time to get together with friends and family, meet new people, and support our local artisans. A watercolor workshop will add to the fun. A b...

  • Community spirit going more than 80 years

    Jean Pocha, Pathfinder Staff|Nov 24, 2022

    By Jean Pocha "It would be unprofessional to taste that," said local auctioneer Kevin Ertl as a chocolate peanut butter cheesecake was paraded by him at the Annual Sew and Sew Club Harvest Dinner held in the Ovando Gym on Nov. 12. "People helping people is our motto," said Angela Williams, Sew and Sew Club President. "There's no sewing involved these days; the Harvest Dinner is our annual fundraiser. Funds are used to help community members in need and to address local community needs. We...

  • Home for the Holidays December Schedule of Events

    Nov 24, 2022

    Through mid-December: $10 food bags for the Seeley-Swan Community Food Bank available at Cory's Valley Market. Sponsored by Veterans & Families of Seeley Lake. Through Monday, Dec. 12: Giving Tree sponsored by Mountain Lakes Presbyterian Church at Cory's Valley Market. Check out gift cards from the tree at the check stand. UNWRAPPED gifts must be returned to Cory's by 5 p.m. Monday, Dec. 12. Boxes appreciated. Through Tuesday, Dec. 20: Angel Tree at the Seeley Lake Fire Department, 200...

  • Class vs. class at annual Homecoming Parade

    Oct 6, 2022

    Pathfinder photos by Vince Lovato...

  • Helmville Rodeo 'the biggest little rodeo in Montana'

    Gwyneth Hyndman, Editor, Philipsburg Mail|Sep 8, 2022

    HELMVILLE - As the Helmville Rodeo approaches the 60-year mark, Helmville Rodeo Club President Bill Baker is confident of one thing, "I always say this is the biggest little rodeo in Montana." This Labor Day weekend, the event that has been pulling in competitors and rodeo fans from around Montana since 1964, was bigger than ever in its 58th year, as locals and tourists packed into the seats for barrel racing, bull riding, bronc riding and roping events as a surge in temperatures "kept it...

  • Costumes, sound effects enhance the tragedy of King Lear

    Betty Vanderwielen, Pathfinder|Aug 25, 2022

    SEELEY LAKE – This year marked Montana Shakespeare in the Parks (MSIP) golden anniversary-50 years of performing live outdoor productions of Shakespearean and other plays for the people of Montana. On Aug. 15, a large crowd of area residents set up their chairs and spread their blankets on the Double Arrow grounds to watch MSIP unfold the compounded tragedies resulting from King Lear's narcissistic decisions. As is usually the case when one of Shakespeare's works is performed on the modern stage...

  • Loon and Fish Art Show and Festival, better than ever

    Alpine Artisans Inc.|Aug 18, 2022

    SEELEY LAKE - The beauty of the Seeley-Swan and Blackfoot Valleys is reflected and enhanced in the diverse artwork that is the heart of the annual Loon and Fish Art Show and Festival. This unique festival sponsored by Alpine Artisans returns Friday, Aug. 19 from 5-8 p.m. and Saturday, Aug. 20 from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. at the Seeley Lake Foundation Building. The festival is free and everyone is welcome. "This year's festival has many exceptional features," said Alpine Artisans' President Kris G...

  • Funding the best in the "Last Best Place"

    Andi Bourne, Pathfinder|Aug 18, 2022

    SEELEY LAKE – Every corner of the Seeley Lake Community Foundation annual banquet was decorated to represent different aspects of Seeley Lake – the beauty, recreation, wildlife and nature that makes Seeley Lake "the BEST in the Last Best Place." Nearly 120 attendees filled the tent at the Homestead Cabin Aug. 14 to support the Foundation's efforts like so many whom have gone before and paved the way. "The idea is it is a foundation. The Seeley Lake Community Foundation will be here long aft...

  • Blackfoot Challenge block party brings people together

    Jean Pocha, Pathfinder|Aug 18, 2022

    OVANDO - Children held impromptu foot races down Main Street, country music serenaded the crowd and food trucks provided dinner for the Fourth Annual Blackfoot Challenge Block Party Aug. 10 in downtown Ovando. "Welcome to the Annual Block Party," said Jim Stone, Chairman of the Blackfoot Challenge Board of Directors. "On behalf of the Challenge, we want to thank you all for all you do to support the Blackfoot Challenge and one another to keep our community strong." "The Block Party is hosted by...

  • Bob Marshall Music Festival traces music back to Montana roots

    Haley Yarborough, Pathfinder|Aug 11, 2022

    SEELEY LAKE - Raised on a rugged ranch in Northwestern Montana, Bozeman-based artist Amanda Stewart discovered the way Montana's unique landscape inspired her music from a young age. Her vivid memories of Country Fair karaoke contests with her mom and singing ballads in her dad's Silverado are part of the reason she signed onto the sixth annual Bob Marshall Music Festival - to experience the talent of Montana-based artists in a place close to the country. "The experiences Montana has are just...

  • Swan Lake Huckleberry Festival this weekend Aug. 13

    Swan Lake Chamber of Commerce and Community Club|Aug 11, 2022

    SWAN LAKE - It’s that time of year again! For more than 40 years, the second Saturday of August has meant art, food and fun on the shores of Swan Lake. The original Swan Lake Huckleberry Festival will take place on Saturday, Aug. 13 at the Swan Lake Day Park near mile marker 72 on Montana Highway 83. Admission is free. The event will open with a huckleberry pancake breakfast served from 8 - 11 a.m. The rest of the day’s activities will begin at 9 a.m. and continue until 4 p.m. The Arts and Crafts Fair will feature more than 50 booths where art...

  • The Bob Marshall Music Festival returns this weekend

    Haley Yarborough, Pathfinder|Aug 4, 2022

    SEELEY LAKE - The sixth annual Bob Marshall Music Festival returns to Seeley Lake on Aug. 5 and Aug. 6. Festival organizers said they're excited to bring a new lineup of popular country, rock and folk artists from across the country to the festival grounds. There is also the Seeley Lake Duathlon/Triathlon Saturday morning. "We were really happy to bring the festival back this year," said Heidi OBrien, the Lewis and Clark Brewing Marketing Director. "This is now the third festival we've done....

  • Gas N Shop to host weekly Swap Meet

    Haley Yarborough, Pathfinder|Jul 28, 2022

    SEELEY LAKE - Michelle Brumfield, the manager of Montana Gas N Shop, plans to host a swap meet at the grassy lawn between the convenience store and the Citizens Alliance Bank every weekend for the rest of the summer. Brumfield said the Swap Meet will likely start around 8:30 or 9 a.m. every Saturday and Sunday and end around 4:30 p.m. She hopes it will attract the attention of both the community and people passing through on Highway 83. “I thought it’d be kind of a neat thing for people to pay a little bit of money and put all their stuff the...

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