Daybook

Friday

• Kalispell Public Schools Finance Committee meets 7:30 a.m., administration offices, 233 First Ave. E.

• Whitefish Chamber of Commerce Task Force workshop on proposed Summer Trolley System, 9 a.m., Grouse Mountain Lodge, Whitefish.

• Red Cross blood drives: 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Forest Service; 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the center, 126 N. Meridian Road, Kalispell.

• FVCC Fall Semester Scholars Conference on Student Research project presentation, 12:30-4:30 p.m. Arts and Technology Building. Public invited.

• North Valley Senior Center Night of Lights craft and baked goods sale, noon to 8 p.m., 205 Nucleus Ave., Columbia Falls. Call Roxy, 892-4087.

• Columbia Falls Night of Lights. Senior Citizens craft fair and soup supper 4-8 p.m. Craft fair, 5 p.m., Teakettle Community Room; Parade, 6:30 p.m. Nucleus Avenue; Santa visits with children afterward at NVH Avalanche Room, 235 Nucleus Ave. Children’s Holiday Village display, Marantette Park.

• Whitefish Christmas Stroll, 4-9 p.m., downtown Whitefish. North Valley Music School recital, 5 p.m., Alpine Bell Ringers concert, 6 p.m., First Presbyterian Church; tree lighting ceremony 6 p.m., Depot Park. Santa arrives 6:20 p.m. Entertainment during evening on Main Stage.

• Kalispell Art Walk 5-9 p.m., downtown. Stores and galleries will be open offering refreshments. Free admission to Hockaday Museum of Art, 302 Second Ave. E., Kalispell.

• Fundraising event for Wounded Warriors, 5-10 p.m. Homestead Cafe, Lakeside. Prime rib dinner. Raffle of six Wounded Warrior barbecue aprons.

Saturday

  • Breakfast at Santa’s Workshop, 9 a.m. to noon, North Kalispell Fire Hall. Pancake breakfast, adults and children $8; children under 2, free. Crafts for children. Photos with Santa. Silent auction. Proceeds benefit Woodland Montessori School Foundation.

• Rotary Club of Columbia Falls’ fifth annual Brunch with Santa, 9:30 a.m. to noon, Timber Creek Village, Meadow Lake Drive, Columbia Falls. Catered food, free photos with Santa, entertainment, silent auction. Tickets $10 adults; kids 12 and under, free.

• Museum at Central School’s Bell Gift Shop annual sale, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., 124 Second Ave. E., Kalispell. Local author Gail Jokerst signs her new cookbook, “The Hungry Bear Kitchen.” Free admission to museum. Call 756-8381.

• Evergreen PTO holiday bazaar, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Evergreen Junior High School small gym. Home-based businesses, handmade products, baked goods. Raffles.

• Annual Christmas at Our House dinner, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Armed Forces Reserve Center, 2989 U.S. 93 N., Kalispell. Traditional menu of turkey, ham, dressing, and more. Santa visits 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Eagle Transit will provide bus service. All welcome.

• Bigfork/Ferndale Community Garden winter workshop, 10 a.m., St. Patrick’s Church, Montana 209 at blinking light, across from Ferndale Fire Department. MonaRae Tuhy presents “Growing Your Own Microgreens.” Call Michelle, 837-0982.

• Salvation Army toy and coat drive, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Walmart, Kalispell.

• One hundred percent of proceeds from sales today at the Soroptimist Thrift Haus, 303 First St., Whitefish, will be donated to Abbie Shelter. Hours are noon to 5 p.m.

• Help Portrait photo event, 1-5 p.m., Samaritan House Administrative Center, 1110 Second St. W., Kalispell. Lunch provided. Professional photographers will offer free photos for those who can’t afford a quality, framed portrait.

• Flathead Valley Roller Derby competition, Flathead County Fairgrounds Trade Center, Kalispell. Doors open 6 p.m.

• Sixth annual Calling All Angels Gala, Hilton Garden Inn, Kalispell. For tickets, call Shannon Lund, 406-899-2769. Fundraiser for Intermountain therapeutic care for children nonprofit organization.

Sunday

• Bethany Lutheran Church Choir performs Choplin’s cantata, “Heaven’s Child,” 9:30 a.m., at the church, 8559 Montana 35, at intersection with Montana 209. Free. Public invited.

• Polson Heart and Soul neighborhood gathering, 1-3:30 p.m., Fire Hall off Fairgrounds Road at 25B Regatta Road. Brunch 1-1:30 p.m. Babysitting available. RSVP to 250-3498.

Monday

• Flathead County Animal Advisory Committee meets 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Earl Bennett Building, 1035 First Ave. W., Kalispell.

• Daughters of the American Revolution, Chief Ignace Chapter, meet for lunch at noon at home of Sherryl Main who presents a program on the historic Phillips House. Call Jan Olson, 837-4732.

• Red Cross blood drive, 2-6 p.m., at the center, 126 N. Meridian Road, Kalispell.

• Kalispell Public Schools Personnel Committee meets 4 p.m., administration offices, 233 First Ave. E.

• Kalispell Public Schools Operational Retirement Plans Committee meets 4 p.m., administration offices, 233 First Ave. E.

• Third annual Montana C.O.P.S Project Blue Light tree lighting ceremony to honor public safety officers who had died in line of duty, 5:30 p.m., Flathead County Justice Center, Kalispell. Public invited. Bring a blue ornament to honor your hero.

• Sixth Spirit of Christmas concert, 6:30 p.m., featuring Sandee Sauer and Penni Chisholm, Glacier High School, with performances by other special guests. Tickets $12 and a food donation for food bank. Tickets at Glacier Banks, The Toggery, Freedom Bank, Colter Coffee, Laurie’s Deli. All proceeds benefit CASA for Kids.

• The Flathead Conservation District meets at 7 p.m., 133 Interstate Lane, in Evergreen. Call 752-4220.

• Flathead Audubon meets 7 p.m., United Way conference room, U.S. 2 West, Kalispell. Dan Casey will discuss upcoming Christmas bird counts. Everyone welcome.

• Columbia Falls School board meets at 7 p.m., administration offices boardroom, 501 Sixth Ave. W.

Tuesday

• Kalispell Women’s Connection Christmas tea, 11:30 a.m., meeting room of church across from Russell School, 301 W. Wyoming St., Kalispell. David Graham plays classical guitar. Speaker is Arden Holmes of Kimberly, British Columbia. Cost $8 per person. Call Jan, 212-3763, or Rosainne, 257-8098 for lunch and free child care reservations. Affiliated with Stonecroft Ministries.

• Columbia Falls Chamber of Commerce annual Christmas luncheon, 11:45 a.m. to 1 p.m., North Valley Hospital Community Room, 235 Nucleus Ave. No reservations required. Lunch available for $10. Call Carol Pike, 892-2072.

• Red Cross blood drive, 12:30-5:30 p.m., West Kootenai Colony.

• Flathead Municipal Airport Authority meets at 4 p.m., Glacier Park International Airport board room. Workshop at 3 p.m.

• Swan River School board meets at 5:30 p.m., school library.

• Deer Park School board meets 5:30 p.m. at the school.

• Fulbright scholar-in-residence Karl Leonard presents the third in a three-part series on New Zealand’s Maori people, 6 p.m., room 144, Arts and Technology Building, FVCC. Free. Open to public. Call 756-3945.

• Kalispell Public Schools district board meets at 6 p.m., Kalispell Middle School Media Center.

• Somers Rural Fire District board meets 6 p.m., Lakeside Fire Station, 125 Bills Road.

• Mission Mountain Audubon meets 7 p.m., Polson City Library meeting room. Allen Bone and Janene Lichtenberg will discuss “Skulls, Furs, Feathers and Feet: Fact and Misconceptions.” Free. All welcome.

• Meeting with Flathead County Parks and Recreation for public comment and questions regarding proposed Kila Community Park, 7 p.m., Kila School gym.

Wednesday

• Columbia Falls Women’s Connection luncheon, 11:30 a.m., Tea Kettle Community Hall, Nucleus Ave., Columbia Falls. Chris from Chris’ Tea Cottage gives tea facts. Speaker is Arden Holmes. Cost $8 per person. Free child care by reservation. Call Candy at 387-4119, or Janet at 892-3621. Affiliated with Stonecroft Ministries.

• Parkinson’s disease support group meets 3-4:30 p.m., The Summit, Kalispell. Joan Schmidt, grief specialist with Tamarack Grief Resources will talk about “Coping with Chronic Illness and the Stress of the Holidays.” All welcome. Call Lois, 871-3767; or Inga, 756-5514.

• Evergreen School board meets 6:30 p.m., administration boardroom.

Thursday

• Senior Tour and Tea, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Hockaday Museum of Art, Kalispell. Free admission for senior citizens. Coffee, tea and cookies served 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Docent-guided gallery tour at 10:30 a.m. Call 755-5268.

• Red Cross blood drive, 11:20 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Libby VFW.

• Children’s Christmas gathering, Conrad Mansion, Woodland Avenue, Kalispell. Professional photos with Santa available. Tours and small gift. Time slots available between 3 and 7 p.m. $10 children; $3 adults. Call 755-2166.

• Reception in honor of retiring Glacier National Park Superintendent Chas Cartwright, 3:30-6 p.m., Glacier Community Building, West Glacier. Formal presentations at 4 p.m. Refreshments. Public invited. Call Connie Stahr, 888-7901.

• Teen social for grades 6-12, 4-5:30 p.m., Flathead County Library, Kalispell. Food, Wii gaming. Crafts is “blinged out hot chocolate spoons.” Free.

• Evergreen Chamber of Commerce holiday banquet, Jagz Restaurant, U.S. 2 East, Kalispell. Cash bar 5-6 p.m.; dinner at 6 p.m. Silent auction. Entertainment by Glacier Symphony String Quartet. Cost $60 per couple, or $35 per person. Reservations required. RSVP to 885-1212.

• Whitefish Review “Beneath the Surface” Issue No. 12 release party, Casey’s Bar and Grill, 101 Central Ave., Whitefish. Art show at 7 p.m. Program at 8 p.m. Author Rick Bass performs fiction to live music by Stellarondo. Suggested $10 donation at door. Public invited. Call 261-6190.

• Local Institute of Noetic Sciences Community Group meets 7 p.m., Bohemian Grange, 125 Blanchard Lake Road, Whitefish. Patrick Marsolek and Lori Mitchell from Missoula present a program on “Argentine Tango. All welcome. Donations appreciated. Call 862-9591 or 862-7711.

• The Rev. Bradley Wirth reads his original work “A Christmas Offertory,” 7 p.m., All Saints’ Episcopal Church, 2048 Conn Road, Columbia Falls. Refreshments afterward. Offering taken for Human Society, Spay and Neuter Task Force and Flathead County Animal Shelter.

A look ahead

• Red Cross blood drive, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Dec. 14, at the center, 126 N. Meridian Road, Kalispell. Sponsored by Flathead Valley Roller Derby.

• Glacier Pachyderm Club meets noon to 1 p.m., Dec. 14, Red Lion Hotel Kalispell. Speaker is Roger Laferriere, director of Flathead County Office of Emergency Services. Lunch available. Public invited. Call Mark Johnson, 253-7467.

• Civil Air Patrol Flathead Composite Squadron will be laying 600 memorial wreaths at 1 p.m., Dec. 14, at both C.E. Conrad Memorial Cemetery and Glacier Memorial Gardens, Kalispell. Public invited to help. Call Dale Rodwick, 756-3773.

• “Sugar, Spice, Glitter on Ice” ice skating show with special guest 2011 U.S. champion Ryan Bradley, 7 p.m. Dec. 14, Stumptown Ice Den, Whitefish. Tickets $20, VIP chairs on ice; $15 bleachers; $8 standing, available at Imagination Station and Stumptown Ice Den.

• AARP Driver Safety class, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Dec. 15, The Summit, Kalispell. $14 fee ($12 for AARP card-holding members.) Call 751-4500.

• Christmas with Santa, 9 a.m. to noon, Dec. 15, Whitefish Moose Lodge, 230 W. 10th St., Kalispell. Kids 10 and younger eat free.

• Wreaths Across America ceremony, 10 a.m. Dec. 15, Veterans Memorial, Depot Park, Kalispell, led by Civil Air Patrol Flathead Composite Squadron. Public invited.

• St. Matthew’s Cookie Carousel, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Dec. 15, school gym, 602 S. Main St., Kalispell. Large assortment of homemade cookies and candies for sale. Buy partial or full dozen, as you like. All welcome.

• Valley Voices Community Choir Christmas concert, “Winterlight,” 7 p.m. Dec. 15, Flathead High School auditorium. Both sacred and secular choral selections performed. Christ Church Episcopal’s hand-bell choir are special guests.

• 2012 Kick Out the Kinks cross country ski races Dec. 16, Izaak Walton Inn, Essex. 3, 5 and 10K events. $10 entry fee includes chili. Free 1K kids race. Registration 11 a.m. to noon. Racing begins at 1 p.m. Call 888-5700.

• Red Cross blood drive, 2-6 p.m. Dec. 17, at the center, 126 N. Meridian Road, Kalispell.

• AARP Driver Safety class, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Dec. 18, North Valley Hospital, Whitefish. $14 fee ($12 for AARP card-holding members.) Call 863-3630.

• Red Cross blood drives Dec. 18: noon to 5 p.m. Eureka Baptist Church; 2-5 p.m. Lakeside Baptist Church.

• Lakeside Community Council meets 7 p.m., Dec. 18, Lakeside Sewer District office, 253 Bierney Creek Road. Open to public.

• Red Cross blood drive, 2-6 p.m. Dec. 19, Samaritan House at the Old Armory.

• Santa visits the Kalispell Senior Center from 4 to 7 p.m. Dec. 19, 403 Second Ave. W. Bring your own camera to take photos; donations accepted.

• Flathead Special Education Cooperative Executive Council meets 8:30 a.m., Dec. 20, conference room, 15 Meridian Court, Kalispell. Call 257-1857.

• Red Cross blood drive, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Dec. 21, KRMC.

• Red Cross blood drive, 10 a.m. to  2 p.m. Dec. 24, at the center, 126 N. Meridian Road, Kalispell.

•CPR/First Aid certification 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Dec. 26, Professional Office Building, 711 13th St. E., Whitefish. $50 per person ($35 if just CPR). Brown bag lunch. Pre-registration required. Call 863-3513.

• Red Cross blood drive, 2-5 p.m. Dec. 26, at the center, 126 N. Meridian Road, Kalispell.

• Red Cross blood drive, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Dec. 27. Teletech employee drive.

• Bereavement Support groups meet at 1:30-3 p.m., Dec. 27, (second and fourth Thursday of each month) Grace Room at Frontier Hospice, 29 Second St. E., Kalispell. Call Frontier Hospice, 755-4923.

• Red Cross blood drives Dec. 28: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the center, 126 N. Meridian Road, Kalispell; 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Teletech employee drive.

• Red Cross blood drive, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Dec. 31, at the center, 126 N. Meridian Road, Kalispell.

New 10-week NAMI free Peer to Peer education course for those who experience mental illness starts 6-7:30 p.m. Jan. 8, in Kalispell. Register by Jan. 5 by call

• Flathead Special Education Cooperative Executive Council and Management board meet 10:30 a.m., Jan. 17, conference room, Linderman School, Kalispell. Call 257-1857.

• Kalispell Senior Citizens business meeting and potluck supper, 5 p.m. Jan. 31, Kalispell Senior Center, 403 Second Ave. W. Bring a potluck dish or pay $3. All area seniors 55 and older welcome. Call 257-1598.

• IHOP offers free pancakes Feb. 5, 2425 U.S. 93 N., Kalispell. Fundraiser for the Children’s Miracle Network.

• Flathead Special Education Cooperative Executive Council meets 10:30 a.m., Feb. 21, conference room, Linderman School, Kalispell. Call 257-1857.

 • Flathead Special Education Cooperative Executive Council meets 10:30 a.m., March 21, conference room, Linderman School, Kalispell. Call 257-1857.

• Flathead Special Education Cooperative Executive Council and Management board meet 10:30 a.m., April 18, conference room, Linderman School, Kalispell. Call 257-1857.

• Flathead Special Education Cooperative Executive Council meets 10:30 a.m., May 16, conference room, Linderman School, Kalispell. Call 257-1857.

• Flathead Special Education Cooperative Executive Council meets 8:30 a.m., June 13, conference room, 15 Meridian Court, Kalispell. Call 257-1857.