Performance hall worthy addition

It has taken a couple of years of work and a few million dollars, but what once was the Central School Auditorium has been transformed into what one backer calls "a little Carnegie Hall."

Now known as the Whitefish Middle School Auditorium and Performing Arts Center, it had its premiere last week to rave reviews.

It is an impressive, top-notch performance hall that is another testament to the Whitefish community's commitment to the arts.

In addition to being a venue for school musicians, the auditorium will be the permanent home for the Alpine Theatre Project and the site for Glacier Symphony performances.

Although the auditorium is up and running, it's not quite entirely paid for. The renovation cost $5.3 million but there is still $1.2 million left to raise.

All contributors will be noted on a permanent donor wall in the lobby. To contribute, mail pledges or gifts to Middle School Auditorium Renovation Project, Whitefish School District, P.O. Box 4225, Whitefish, MT 59937.

Orange will be the preferred clothing color on Sunday when the 2007 general big-game hunting season opens.

This season is shaping up as the most promising in years, considering that white-tailed deer populations have exploded in Northwest Montana.

Elk also are plentiful in many places in the region, so the potential for hunters to find big bucks and bulls is outstanding.

A decade of mild winters has allowed wild game to flourish and populations to grow throughout Northwest Montana.

Now all that hunters need to take advantage of this outdoors bounty is proper weather for hunting.

Good luck out there.

A SMALL STORY this week may have gone unnoticed by some readers, but the community spirit it reflects should not go without comment.

An anonymous donor in Lakeside has granted the county use of 65 feet of shoreline for the next 30 years at a cost of just $600 a year. Parks Dirtector Jed Fisher said the landowner "just wanted the land to be used by the public."

As a result, the county will be able to build a dock and swimming area and use its own adjacent property for parking. Considering how crowded Lakeside is becoming and how important the lake is to the community, this is a huge contribution.

So here is our public thanks to a private donor.