Learn about the history Fort Missoula and of those buried at the Post Cemetery as costumed interpreters tell the stories of some of the men, women, and children interred there. Learn about our two Medal of Honor recipients, the first officer buried at Fort Missoula, World War II Prisoner of War Master Sgt. Lewis Elliott, 1918 Influenza Epidemic victims, S.A.T.C students, the life of a frontier officer, how a frontier laundress lived, who the local V.F.W. post is named after, the life of an Ordnance Sergeant, and others. Storytellers will interact with the audience with stories and tidbits of Fort Missoula history.

In June of 1877, when the locations of the buildings and utility areas of what would become Fort Missoula were being laid out, one very necessary spot to be platted was the present Post Cemetery – an area of approximately one acre with a capacity of about 400 burial sites. The very first permanent burial was that of Private William Gerick, on September 26, 1878. Veterans from America’s wars from the War with Mexico (1846-1848) to the present are interred in the Fort Missoula Post Cemetery. Ranks from Lieutenant General to Private are represented; and those buried served in all branches of the armed forces.

Visit the 1878 Fort Missoula cemetery and learn more about the fascinating history of the men and women who put their lives on the line to make America strong. To find the cemetery, cross Reserve Street on South Avenue headed west, turn left opposite Big Sky High School – the cemetery will be on your left.
For more information, call 728-3476

CONTACT: Robert M. Brown, 728-3476
Fax: 543-6277
ftmslamuseum@montana.com
5/14/13

Help the Jayden Fred Foundation earn a bigger part of the $20,000 pie. Vote every day now until June 16 at
http://20for20.mackenzieriverpizza.com/

You can also Dine to Vote. Receive a token worth 5 votes for every $20 you spend at any Montana MRPCo!

The free Saturday trolley is sponsored by the Missoula Parking Commission and Mountain Line.
Please note: Trolley service for this Saturday only will be re-routed because of the YMCA’s
Riverbank Run. The route will deviate from Higgins Ave. by using Beckwith Ave. to Orange St.
to Broadway St. and then back to Higgins going northbound and return southbound using the
same re-route.

Mountain Line is celebrating its 35th anniversary with its “Hop on Board sweepstakes.” Anyone who
signs up on the Mountain Line website or Facebook will be entered to win more than a dozen prizes
donated by local businesses. Prizes include gift certificates from the Trail Head, Good Food Store,
Betty’s Divine, Fact & Fiction, Scotty’s Table, Community Medical Center, Shakespeare & Co. Booksellers,
and much more. Visit www.mountainline.com for more details.

“By providing affordable transportation options, Mountain Line contributes to the health and
well being of so many people, including patients and staff,” said Mary Windecker, Community
Medical Center vice president for planning and marketing. “Since public transportation benefits
us all, we’re thrilled to be a part of this celebration.”

May’s drawing will take place at 10 a.m. , Wednesday, May 15, 2013. Anyone can register to
win online at www.mountainline.com or by visiting Mountain Line on Facebook. Registrations
will be accepted up until 9 a.m. the day of the drawing.

Next month’s prizes, to be awarded the third week in June, include two comprehensive blood
panels, one for a man and one for a woman from Community Medical Center. In addition to the
free bus pass, other prizes to be awarded in June are a Monte Dolack “Going to the Sun” biking
poster, donated by Adventure Cycling, a $75 Trail Head gift certificate, a $50 gift card from
Shakespeare Books, a $20 gift card from Worden’s Market and a loaf of bread per month from
Great Harvest Bread Company.

Other participating businesses whose prizes will be awarded in the coming months include
Advanced Imaging, Betty’s Divine, Biga Pizza, Dommino’s Pizza, Runner’s Edge, the Good
Food Store, Fact & Fiction, Great Harvest Bread Co., Scotty’s Table, St. Patrick Hospital,
Bernice’s Bakery and Hide & Sole. And as of today, Missoula Bicycle Works donated at a $500
commuter bike.

Roemer says that, as he looked around, he realized that many of his longtime customers now utilize the programs provided by Missoula Aging Services. Meals on Wheels and Retired Senior Volunteer Programs are two great examples. “What better way to give back than to support an agency that is helping those customers who have supported our family and staff these past 60 years.”
As a core piece of this effort, Roemer plans to donate a portion of every tire sold during the month of June to Missoula Aging Services. “This is an ambitious plan. In order for us to reach our goal we’ll need to install more tires than we’ve ever sold in the month of June.” He says that he’s confident that his service team can get it done. And the company will be offering special pricing during the month to support the effort. “We are well underway with our 60 Acts of Kindness”, he says.

Meals on Wheels Drivers use their personal vehicles to deliver food to local seniors. Many of these volunteers are on a fixed income. “We intend to help them out as much as possible where needed.” Roemer says he is focusing many of their 60 Acts of Kindness on Missoula Aging Services initiatives, clients and volunteers. But he is aware that there are many people in the community who need help and he will be challenged by the amount of requests received. “We will do our best to respond, but we know that there are many more needs in our community than our humble resources can answer”.
Roemer adds, “Our family has always felt a need to give back to the great community of Missoula. My dad served on the Missoula City County Consolidation Committee and was President of the Missoula Chamber of Commerce 1976. John was one of the founding members of the Missoula Downtown Association, it’s president twice and has served for many years on the Missoula Parking Commission.”
First established as Roemer’s Conoco in 1953 by Jack and Pat Roemer, Roemer’s Tire Factory is now owned and operated by Jack and Pat’s son, John Roemer. The original service station was located on the northwest corner of Main and Pattee Streets in downtown Missoula (site of the current Quest Communications building). In 1962 the business moved to its present location at 240 E Broadway.
Roemer says that he is very proud of the fact that the business has continually evolved with the times. He credits his mom and dad with having the wisdom and courage to make the early changes. From the beginnings as a Conoco Service Station, they evolved into a specialized auto repair center that sold gasoline and some tires under the name Roemer’s Car Clinic. They then made the scary decision to abandon gasoline sales altogether in the late 1970’s to become Roemer’s Tire and Auto Service Center. Finally, he cites his own decision in 2000 to join Northwest Tire Factory Group as a significant turning point in the family business. Now operating as Roemer’s Tire Factory, the company remains a locally owned and operated partner of the largest member-owned tire buying cooperative west of the Mississippi. “Being an owner of the Tire Factory distribution company allows us to compete with the big boys. Last year we Tire Factory members purchased nearly 100 million dollars of product from ourselves. Tire Factory has allowed us to keep our home town values, traditions and culture while providing our customers with extremely competitively priced products.” says Roemer.

He went on to add, “Today you will find over 230 Tire Factory members in 15 western states. All of us gladly take care of one another’s traveling customers when they need help.”

In looking back, Roemer states, “There aren’t that many businesses in Missoula that truly go back 60 years, especially those owned by the same family the entire time. We feel very blessed to be among those that have remained a Missoula staple these many years.”

Roemer’s Tire Factory currently has on display a series of photo montages that showcase Roemer’s 1953-2013 history in Missoula. The company has also added a special 60th Anniversary page to its website at http://RoemersTireFactory.com and has added a 60th Anniversary cover photo and timeline to its Facebook page at http://Facebook.com/RoemersTireFactory.

WHO: Wade Fredenberg, Bull Trout Recovery Coordinator for the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

WHAT: A presentation entitled, “Bull Trout Recovery in the Clark Fork: From Boundary to Butte.”

A native plant information booth and sale to benefit Fort Missoula Native Plant Gardens will precede the presentation.

WHEN: Thursday, May 16

5:30pm – Native plant sale and information booth;

7:00pm—Bull Trout presentation

WHERE: Montana Natural History Center, 120 Hickory St. Missoula.

Both events are free and open to the public.

For more information, please visit www.montananaturalist.org or www.endangeredspeciesday.org.

Endangered Species Day is a celebration of our nation’s commitment to protecting and recovering our nation’s endangered species. Begun in 2006 by the U.S. Senate, Endangered Species Day occurs annually on the third Friday of May.

This year we are also celebrating the 40th anniversary of the Endangered Species Act – since 1973, our nation’s safety net for fish, plants and wildlife on the brink of extinction. Learn more at http://www.fws.gov/endangered/ESA40/index.html

The Big Sky Documentary Film Festival is pleased to announce the launch of the 2013 Big Sky Film Series beginning Monday, May 20th, at the Top Hat Lounge in downtown Missoula. Films will be screened on the third Monday of each month at 8 pm, and all showings are free to the public, thanks to the Top Hat’s new venue sponsorship.

The Big Sky Film Series showcases a mix of classic and new films, and Doug Hawes-Davis, Executive Director of the Big Sky Film Institute says the new home will influence its lineup, with an emphasis on music and pop culture. “With HD projection and a completely re-engineered sound system, the newly-remodeled Top Hat Lounge is a wonderful venue for the Big Sky Film Series. We are extremely excited about this partnership and the opportunity to bring both new and definitive documentary movies to downtown Missoula on a year-round basis," he said.

The 2013 season kicks off on a strong note with AIN'T IN IT FOR MY HEALTH, director Jacob Hatley’s moving portrait of Levon Helm, the legendary drummer and vocalist for The Band. Hatley and his crew spent nearly three years with Helm at his studio in Woodstock, NY, as Helm miraculously rediscovered his voice after throat-cancer treatment and recorded three Grammy-winning albums before eventually succumbing to the disease last year.

“The Big Sky Film Series is exactly the kind of event we look to partner with,” said Top Hat owner Nick Checota. “They clearly have a nose for top-notch non-fiction films, and we can offer people the opportunity to see these movies while having a nice dinner and enjoying some cocktails. And what a way to start, with a film about the driving force behind one of the greatest rock bands ever.”

Recent praise for AINT' IN IT FOR MY HEALTH -

"it's impossible to imagine a more exquisite, honest, and beautifully detailed documentary about the life of Levon Helm." Village Voice

"A captivating look at a musician hanging onto his art for dear life." Hollywood Reporter

The Big Sky Film Series is a program of the Big Sky Film Institute, a Missoula, Montana-based non-profit organization, whose mission is to celebrate and promote the art of non-fiction filmmaking, and to encourage media literacy by fostering public understanding and appreciation of documentary film. For information on upcoming screenings go to http://www.bigskyfilmfest.org

Contact -
Media Inquiries – Travis Morss, Director of Programming, (406) 541-3456, Sponsorship Opportunities – Rita Pastore, Development Director, (406) 829-9191,

Big Sky Film Institute -

http://www.bigskyfilmfest.org/bsdff/

https://www.facebook.com/bigskydocumentaryfilmfest

Top Hat Lounge -

http://tophatlounge.com

——————-
This announcement is from the Big Sky Film Series, a project of the Big Sky Film Institute, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. http://www.bigskyfilm.org

Council members need to hear from you about why your business needs extreme broadband.

Please email council@ci.missoula.mt.us to share your thoughts.