Thumbs up to cherry trials
It is good news indeed that all of the varieties of cherries being tested in orchards around Flathead Lake are showing promise.
Paramount is a desire to extend the growing season of our local cherries in order to be more competitive. That means harvesting some cherries earlier to boost business for roadside stands, and it especially means being able to grow some cherries later in order to be on a different schedule than the large cherry harvest in Washington state.
The Montana Department of Agriculture and the MSU Extension Service have coordinated with local growers over the past several years to evaluate the different tree varieties as well as various growing techniques.
It’s an important investment in one of our few remaining agriculture niches, and we are delighted that the results look positive. When it comes to a longer growing season for more types of local cherries, all we can say is, “That’s sweet!”
WE WERE saddened this week to learn about the death of Monty Noboru Carter.
Carter drowned Sunday in Leavenworth, Wash. He was 43.
Carter, during the years he grew up in the Flathead Valley, was known for his prodigious piano skills. And even after he left the valley to pursue his musical career, he returned for popular concerts during the 1990s with the Flathead Festival.
So exceptional were his keyboard skills that he was called “probably the finest pianist to ever grow up in the Flathead” by the director of the Glacier Symphony.
After musical studies at Michigan and Yale, Carter moved to the Seattle area. There he was engaged in the two primary passions in his life — teaching music and coaching basketball — at The Northwest School.
His talents will be missed.
THE EVENT at Rebecca Farm truly has evolved into a spectacle to marvel at since its humble origins 11 years ago.
The Event has come to be the largest equestrian triathlon in the country, attracting some of the finest horses in the world. This year, there are nearly 500 competitors registered and it’s estimated there will be about 20,000 spectators at Rebecca Farm in West Valley over a four-day run that started Thursday.
Locals who have never checked it out should saddle up and give it a shot.