Good news: Dads who are D.O.G.S.
People are always telling us they want to read more good news in the paper, but frankly we think we do a pretty good job already of highlighting success stories in the community.
One story that had a lot of people talking this week was Saturday’s feature about the men of Watch D.O.G.S.
In case you didn’t read the article, the D.O.G.S. are Dads of Great Students. Currently they are operating at Elrod School in Kalispell and Muldown School in Whitefish in a program affiliated with the National Center for Fathering.
It isn’t just dads either. Stepdads, grandfathers, uncles and other men have all volunteered their time at the two schools in order to provide positive male role models for students.
We know there are plenty of other men already doing the same, and we hope that even more will be inspired to take an active role in their children’s education by the example of the Watch D.O.G.S.
A generous gift to us all
Lakeside philanthropists Bruce Ennis and Margaret Davis have once again stepped up to enhance their community, this time purchasing an additional piece of Flathead Lake shoreline to expand the county-owned Volunteer Park.
The purchase will add about an acre to the public park and about 83 feet of lakeshore.
Four years ago Ennis and Davis developed the waterfront park, an amenity worth $3 million, and then transferred ownership to the county. Their goal all along has been to preserve public shoreline along Flathead Lake. The expansion will add grassy areas, walkways and beach improvements.
Lakeside and Flathead County are fortunate to have folks like Ennis and Davis who give generously from the heart to preserve our quality of life here.
Iconic Merc in good hands
It’s good to know there is always, it seems, a willing buyer to keep the doors open at the remote and iconic Polebridge Mercantile.
Ownership of the quirky and beloved Merc recently changed hands, with Will Hammerquist taking the reins. Hammerquist was previously known for working as the Glacier field representative for the National Parks Conservation Association.
Merc fans will be pleased to know that Hammerquist has no plans for big changes at the business, and he puts high value on maintaining the Merc’s bakery, easily its biggest attraction.
“It’s not about who owns it. It’s the bakery” that counts, Hammerquist declared. For people who travel the 37 miles from Columbia Falls to Polebridge on the bumpy and dusty North Fork Road for tasty baked goods, those are reassuring words indeed.
Editorials represent the majority opinion of the Daily Inter Lake’s editorial board.