Daybook
Today, Dec. 11
• Fair-Mont-Egan School Facilities Committee meets 8:30 a.m.
• Senior Tour and Tea, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Hockaday Museum of Art, 302 Second Ave. E., Kalispell. Free admission for senior citizens. Coffee, tea and cookies served. Docent-guided gallery tour at 10:30 a.m. Call 755-5268.
• Red Cross blood drives: 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Three Rivers Bank, blood mobile; noon to 4 p.m. Red Lion Hotel, Kalispell.
• Flathead-Kootenai Chapter of the Montana Wilderness Association and Headwaters Montana holiday party, 6 to 9 p.m. Thursday, Crush Lounge in Whitefish. Live jazz music by Barrel Stove Combo and appetizers. Speaker is well-known Canadian conservationist Harvey Locke. Free. Public invited. Call Amy Robinson, 406-730-2006.
• Deer Park School board meets 6:30 p.m. at the school.
• West Valley Naturalists meet 7 p.m., West Valley School library, Kalispell. Topic is winter birds of the West Valley. Free. Everyone welcome. Call Jeanine Buettner, 755-4733.
• Mission Mountain Audubon meets 7 p.m., Polson City Library meeting room. Owl expert Denver Holt presents a program titled, “The Population Decline of Long-eared Owls in Western Montana.”Free. All welcome.
• Local Institute of Noetic Sciences community group meets 7 p.m., Bohemian Hall, 125 Blanchard Lake Road, Whitefish. Topic is “The Dances of Universal Peace.” Join in simple, joyous dances. All welcome. Call 871-9259.
Friday
• Swan River School board special meeting at 7:45 a.m., school library.
• Red Cross blood drives: 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Montana Department of Transportation, blood mobile; 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Blackfeet Community College, Browning.
• All-day live music event featuring the band 26z and various other guest artists and bands, 9 a.m. today to 2 a.m. Dec. 13, VFW, 330 First Ave. W., Kalispell. Bring an unwrapped new toy or donation for Toys for Tots to be entered in holiday raffle. Call 752-2611.
• Flathead Chapter of National Active and Retired Federal Employees meets at noon, Perkins Restaurant, Kalispell. Social time, 11:30 a.m. For reservations, call Bill Driver, 837-2744.
• Pachyderm Club meets noon to 1 p.m., Red Lion Inn, Kalispell. Speaker is John Balsam, FVCC Small Business Development director. Lunch available. Public invited. Call Mark Johnson, 253-7467.
• Kalispell Vet Center third annual open house, 1 to 4 p.m., Meridian Office Complex, 690 N. Meridian Road. Refreshments and music by Flathead Valleyaires barbershop. Bring a nonperishable food items for veterans food pantry. Call 257-7308.
• Whitefish Christmas Stroll, 5:30-9 p.m., downtown. Tree lighting ceremony 6:15 p.m., followed by Santa’s arrival. Activities, specials, entertainment, shoppers’ drawing. Call 862-3501.
• Frontier Hospice invites the public to Light Up a Life at 6:30 p.m., Northridge Lutheran Church, 323 Northridge Dr., Kalispell. Light a candle to honor the lives and deaths of loved ones. All welcome.
• Sparrows’ Nest Northwest Montana awareness and fundraising camp out, 7 p.m. today to 7 a.m. Dec. 13, 204 Seventh Ave. W., Kalispell. Public invited to sleep on lawn in sleeping bags or donate. Proceeds go toward providing shelter for homeless youth in Flathead County. Call 249-3363.
Saturday
• Breakfast with Santa, 9 a.m. to noon, Whitefish Moose Lodge, 230 W. 10 St. Kids ages 10 and under eat free. A present for each child. Public welcome. Call 862-2669.
• St. Matthew’s Parish third annual Cookie Carousel, 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., school gym, 602 S. Main St., Kalispell. Homemade cookies, candies available for purchase. Carousel Coffee Shop serves coffee, tea and hot cocoa. All welcome. Call 752-6303.
• Kick out the Kinks cross country ski races, Isaak Walton Inn, Essex. Registration 9:30-10:30 a.m.; racing begins 11 a.m. $15 entry include chili; $10 for those 18 and younger. Call 888-5700.
• Wreaths Across America event, 10 a.m., Montana Veterans Home. Gov. Steve Bullock will give the keynote speech followed by a brief reception; public will then car caravan to veterans cemetery to place wreaths on graves.
• Red Cross blood drive, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., at the center, 126 N. Meridian Road, Kalispell.
• 25th annual Christmas at Our House free community dinner, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., National Guard Armory, 1840 U.S. 93 S., Kalispell. Free. All welcome. Call Joe Baker, 406-324-5164; or Janice McMichael, 871-7604.
• Family Friendly Flathead hosts a clothing giveaway and holiday event, 11 a.m., Flathead Electric Cooperative, Kalispell. Christmas crafts, art project, games. Free books and dental hygiene items.
• Flathead Spay and Neuter Task Force kitten and young cat adoption event, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Holiday Inn Express, near Lowe’s and Cabela’s, Kalispell. Small fee. Bring your own carrier. Call 871-2388.
• Rocky Mountain Rollers Good Sam Club meets 1 p.m., Vista Linda Restaurant, Somers. Call 862-2117.
• Big Arm Association hosts “The Grinch at Big Arm School,” 2-4 p.m., Big Arm Historic School. Fun children’s games, arts and crafts and snack. The movie, “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” will be shown. Call Nancy Foster, 406-846-5064.
• Release party for Whitefish Review’s 16th issue, “The Geography of Hope, Casey’s, Whitefish. Doors open 7 p.m. Readings begin 8 p.m. Spring Wagon String Band provides music. $10 suggested donation.
Monday
• Red Cross blood drive, 1:30-5:30 p.m., at the center, 126 N. Meridian Road, Kalispell.
• Fair-Mont-Egan School board meets 5 p.m.
• Death Cafe Flathead meets 7-9 p.m., Bohemian Hall, 125 Blanchard Lake Road, U.S. 93 behind Montana Coffee Traders. Open, respectful discussion on all aspects of death and dying. Tea, cookies served. All 18 and older welcome. Call Nancy Reece Jones, 257-1840.
Tuesday
• AARP Smart Driver Safety class, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., North Valley Hospital, Whitefish. $20 fee ($15 for AARP card-holding members.) Call 863-3627.
• Red Cross blood drive, 2-5 p.m. Dec. 16, Lakeside QRU.
• Lakeside County Water and Sewer district board meets 2 p.m., district meeting room, 253 Bierney Creek Road.
• Flathead County Solid Waste District board meets 3 p.m., landfill office.
• Kalispell Brewing Company Benefit Brews Night, 5-8 p.m., 412 Main St. $1 of each pint benefits Flathead CARE.
• Flathead Area Secular Humanist Association hosts Whitefish Skeptics in the Club, 5:30 p.m., Casey’s Bar, 101 Central Ave., second floor lounge. Open to everyone.
• National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI)/Local Advisory Council Christmas meeting 6 p.m., The Summit, Kalispell. Bring a dish to share and White Elephant gift. Call 406-309-0199.
• Columbia Falls Historical Society meets 7 p.m., Old Chapel building, Montana Veterans Home, Columbia Falls. Public invited. Call 892-8954 or 892-3722.
• Flathead Valley Chapter of Trout Unlimited Christmas social and fly tying extravaganza, 7 p.m., Fish, Wildlife and Parks building, 490 N. Meridian Road, Kalispell. Refreshments. Door prizes. Public welcome. Call Larry Timchak, 250-7473.
• Cayuse Prairie School board meets at 7 p.m., school library. Public welcome.
• Helena Flats School board meets at 7 p.m., school library.
Wednesday
• Red Cross blood drive, noon to 5 p.m., Troy Baptist Church.
A look ahead
• Kalispell Public Schools Policy Committee meets 8:30-10 a.m. Dec. 18, administration offices, 233 First Ave. E.
• Flathead Special Education Cooperative Executive Council meets 10 a.m. Dec. 18, Linderman School, 233 First Ave. E, Kalispell. Call 257-1857.
• Red Cross blood drive, 11:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Dec. 18, Libby VFW.
• Kalispell Public Schools Technology Committee meets 8:30-10 a.m. Dec. 19, administration offices, 233 First Ave. E.
• Flathead City-County Health Dental Clinic hosts a free dental screening for children ages 2-18, 1-3 p.m. Dec. 18, Health Department, 1035 First Ave. W., Kalispell. Oral exam, fluoride treatment, good bags. Call 751-8156.
• Glacial Forum and Stand Up America present Kate Vandemoer on the topic, “Montana at the Crossroads: The Proposed CSKT Water Compact,” 6:30 p.m. Dec. 18, Sykes’, 202 Second Ave. W., Kalispell. For dinner reservations, call 257-4304.
• Red Cross blood drives Dec. 19: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the center, 126 N. Meridian Road, Kalispell; 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. KRMC.
• Local novelist Maggie Plummer signs copies of her new published sequel, “Daring Passage: Book Two of the Spirited Away Saga,” 5-7 p.m. Dec. 19, Dawn’s Flower Designs, 318 Main St., Polson.
• Big Arm community potluck and Christmas sing-along, 6 p.m. Dec. 19, Historic Big Arm School. The Sisler family will lead the caroling. Call Nancy Foster, 849-5064.
• Wai Mizutani and Friends Christmas recital with guest Idar Auinaga, 7 p.m. Dec. 19, John Paul II Church, 195 Coverdell Road, Bigfork. Free admission; offering taken for youth ministry.
• AARP Smart Driver Safety class, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Dec. 20, The Summit, Kalispell. $20 fee ($15 for AARP card-holding members.) Call 751-4500.
• Local author Sybil Watters signs her Southern fiction “Dixie” book series, 1-4 p.m. Dec. 20, The Bookshelf, Main Street, Kalispell.
• Red Cross blood drive, 1:30-5:30 p.m. Dec. 22, at the center, 126 N. Meridian Road, Kalispell.
• Red Cross blood drive, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Dec. 23, Park Side Credit Union, Whitefish.
• Red Cross blood drive, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Dec. 24, at the center, 126 N. Meridian Road, Kalispell.
• Red Cross blood drive, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Dec. 26, at the center, 126 N. Meridian Road, Kalispell.
• Glacier Skate/Whitefish Figure Skating present “Christmas for All on Ice,” Dec. 27, Stumptown Ice Den, 716 Wisconsin Ave., Whitefish. Show times at 4 and 7 p.m. Special guest national competitor Bryce Chudak. Special performance by Luke Walrath of Alpine Theatre Project. On ice seating $15; general admission $10; 6-10 years old, $5; 5 and under, free. Holiday tasting one hour before shows; tickets $1 each.
• Third annual Cowboy Christmas Ball, 8 p.m. to midnight, Dec. 27, Chapel Building, Montana Veterans Home, Columbia Falls. Tickets at door or may be reserved by calling 892-0178.
• Red Cross blood drive, 1:30-5:30 p.m. Dec. 29, at the center, 126 N. Meridian Road, Kalispell.
Jazz Night Out 7 p.m. Dec. 29, Crush Wine Bar, 121 Central Ave., Whitefish. Renowned musicians Richie Barshay, Erica von Kleist and Don Caverly perform a benefit concert for the Abbie Shelter. $15 at door.
• Red Cross blood drives Dec. 30: noon to 5 p.m. Eureka Baptist Church; noon to 5 p.m., “Leaders Save Lives” at the center, 126 N. Meridian Road, Kalispell.
• Red Cross blood drive, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Dec. 31, at the center, 126 N. Meridian Road, Kalispell.
• First Night Flathead Dec. 31, Kalispell. Free family activities including hat decorating, face painting, jewelry making 1-4 p.m. Kalispell Center Mall; Commencement Parade. Musical performances 7 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. at various downtown venues. Button $12 in advance; $15 at door. Children 12 and under free. Call Patrice Manget, 406-253-2471.
• The Flathead Conservation District meets at 7 p.m. Jan. 12, 133 Interstate Lane, in Evergreen. Call 752-4220.
• Jay Asher, author of “Thirteen Reasons Why,” will give a presentation at 10:15 a.m. Jan. 23, at the Whitefish Middle School Performing Arts Center, as part of a 50 States Against Bullying suicide prevention campaign. Public invited.
• Flathead Lake International Cinemafest (FLIC) Jan. 23-25, Polson.
• Flathead Special Education Cooperative Executive Council meets 10 a.m. Jan. 22, Linderman School, 233 First Ave. E, Kalispell. Call 257-1857.
• Health Insurance Marketplace offers free assistance to enroll or renew coverage 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Jan. 24, North Valley Community Center, Columbia Falls. Call 758-2165.
• Health Insurance Marketplace offers free assistance to enroll or renew coverage 1-5 p.m. Jan. 29, North Valley Professional Office Building. Call 758-2165.
• Flathead Special Education Cooperative Executive Council meets 10 a.m. Feb. 26, Linderman School, 233 First Ave. E, Kalispell. Call 257-1857.
• Flathead Special Education Cooperative Executive Council meets 10 a.m. March 26, Linderman School, 233 First Ave. E, Kalispell. Call 257-1857.
• Flathead Special Education Cooperative Executive Council meets 10 a.m. April 23, Linderman School, 233 First Ave. E, Kalispell. Call 257-1857.
• Flathead Special Education Cooperative Executive Council meets 10 a.m. May 28, Linderman School, 233 First Ave. E, Kalispell. Call 257-1857.
• Flathead Special Education Cooperative Executive Council meets 10 a.m. June 11, Linderman School, 233 First Ave. E, Kalispell. Call 257-1857.