Farmers Market needs new home

There’s a gaping hole in Saturday-morning life in Kalispell these days: no farmers market.

The two-decade-long tradition has been suspended because the Kalispell Farmers Market is, for the moment, homeless.

Parking-lot work planned at Kalispell Center Mall means the usual location for the Saturday market is unavailable this year, and farmers market organizers have been unable so far to find a replacement site.

We hope they do — and soon — because the Kalispell Farmers Market is a treasured tradition, plus growing and planting seasons are upon us.

Best of luck to the market’s board of directors relocating the event.

But one word of advice to the board. Last week a director stressed that vendors “are the people we’re obligated to.” We would think that the organizers also are obligated to the thousands of customers who patronize the Kalispell Farmers Market.

Let’s all work together to make sure this community tradition keeps going — and going strong.

Celebrating with ALERT

The ALERT air ambulance service is celebrating another year of saving lives in Northwest Montana as some 700 supporters attend the annual fundraising banquet Saturday night.

The numbers are impressive. ALERT has conducted more than 15,500 helicopter missions since it began, saving more than 1,420 lives. Last year alone 358 flight hours were logged, along with 565 flights and 13 lives saved.

For some of us it doesn’t seem that long ago that ALERT began in 1975 with a leased helicopter. Then in 1978 the helicopter was based at Kalispell Regional Hospital. But longtime medical professionals like Dr. Van Kirke Nelson know how much has changed since those early days. He remembers the helicopter picking him up in his front yard on occasion for a rescue mission.

Nelson, who is stepping down from the ALERT board, of which he is a charter member, will be among those honored at this year’s banquet. He and everyone else who has served or continues to serve as emergency medical responders in all kinds of situations deserve our thanks and gratitude.

New grocer is a ‘Natural’ fit

The Kalispell retail scene got a healthy infusion this week when Natural Grocers opened in the old Borders location in the Mountain View Plaza.

The family-run health-foods chain is based in Colorado and has 78 stores, including three others in Montana. It is a great fit for our community, and we are sure the emphasis on wellness, organic foods and nutrition education is going to be met with enthusiasm.

We agree with Nancy Flynn, marketing director for Natural Grocers, that “Kalispell is going to be a very cool area” for the store, and will add that the store is a “very cool” addition to our local economy.

Editorials represent the majority opinion of the Daily Inter Lake’s editorial board.