MontanaWithKids.com

For years now, IHOP has been the clearest face of Pancake Day, a quasi-holiday dating back at least 1,000 years. At first I thought this nationwide fundraiser for Children’s Miracle Network was little more than an easy-breezy publicity stunt for this house of pancakes, so ostensibly international. I was dead wrong. This is a serious charity drive, and it serves the children well, as the results surely show. (more…)

Print of Custer's Last Fight - Courtesy of the New York Public Library

Hardin’s Last Stand: Battle of Big Horn with the American Private Police Force

Dateline: Terry, Montana
By: Bob van der Valk
October 9, 2009 4:00 PM MDT (updated article)

4:00 PM 10/9/09 – The American Private Police Force has pulled out of its deal with the Two Rivers Authority and will not attempt to run the Hardin Detention Facility. The announcement was made by Becky Shay during a press conference in Billings this afternoon.

The tale of woe would have continued for the Two Rivers Authority (TRA) Detention Center. This announcement came after Michael Hilton aka Captain Michael had passed along yet another one of his many tall tales through his spokesperson to the media. (more…)

Michael Cohen – Director of Operations for the Two Rivers Authority Detention Center

Dateline: Terry, Montana
October 7, 2009 4:00 PM MDT (Updated)
By: Bob van der Valk

Glenn Beck reported on this story on his show on the FOX News Channel this afternoon but apparently is not aware that the American Private Police Force in fact still has access to the Two Rivers Authority (TRA) Detention Center. Becky Shay told this writer on Sunday, October 4, 2009 that she has the keys and is in the middle of moving into the office at the jail.

The email with statement issued on Monday, October 5, 2009 by Al Peterson, the current Director with the TRA, is printed in its entirety in the comment section below this article.

What a revolting development this must be for Captain Michael Hilton. Now even his much lauded announcement of having hired the Director of Operations to run the Two Rivers Authority (TRA) Detention Center in Hardin has been totally debunked. (more…)

City of Hardin Police Department Logo on side of Mercedes Benz SUV used by American Private Police Force officials before being asked to remove them from their vehicles by Ron Adams, the Mayor of Hardin

It simply amazes when a truly good hearted people are taken in by a smooth talking convict whose mouth is filled with sticky sweet syrup while his heart is filled with black deceit. (more…)

Revised logo of the American Private Police Force

By: Bob van der Valk
Dateline: Terry, Montana
October 4, 2009 6:00 PM MDT

Becky Shay, the West Coast spokesperson for the American Police Force, has been personally affected by the events in Hardin, Montana and they are not very pretty. She spoke to me earlier today regarding her status with the American Private Police Force (APPF) and their proposed agreement with the Two Rivers Authority. Please note that the word “Private” has now been added to the company name along with having adopted a brand new logo. (more…)

West-coasters traveling through Montana may not get as far east as Billings, but if you do, there are a good many things there to see that you just shouldn’t miss. One example is the Yellowstone Art Museum, and don’t let the name fool you, it’s not a bunch of geyser-themed artwork. No, it’s a real museum. So if you’re old enough to keep your hands off the exhibits, it’s well worth the visit.
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Billings, Montana is a really great city, and not just because every third hotel has a water slide, but because there’s so much history stuffed into such a small area, really making Billings worth driving that far out for. One exceptional example is Moss Mansion, and not just because it’s a really cool old house, but because of the man who built it and the family he raised to live there.
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We’ve made no qualms about the great times we’ve had in Billings, and no review series would be complete without a write-up of one of the best places in the area, the Western Heritage Museum. Sure, it’s historic, and sure, it’s fun and interesting, but more than any of that, did you know it’s also Smithsonian accredited? Well it’s that, and affordable!
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One of the funnest distractions we ever found in all our cowboy adventures was this new game I think they just invented called “Horseshoes”. It works like this: you kindly explain to your horses that they’re in a ‘no shoe’ pasture, ask them to kick them off, and then to be a wise Alec, you throw them as far as you possibly can. Ringer!
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A town so far east we barely made it out there on our first trip is Billings. Once you’re there, you’re half way from the Pacific Ocean to Minneapolis, and with our schedule getting busier and busier with each passing day, we weren’t even sure if we’d make it out there, but boy are we glad that we did.
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As a man of miniature stature myself, I’m always on the lookout for new things more me-sized than medium. Mostly my size-based pursuits lead to nothing (thanks a lot, jumbo shrimp!) but there is one thing sized to pint that’s true to its name, and it is miniature golf. I discovered it, and I immediately learned to love it.
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Our editorial board has seen zoos in Shanghai, San Francisco, Seattle, and probably other places for all I can be bothered to recall, so it takes a bit to impress us. The zoo in Billings, Montana did impress us, even if it didn’t knock our collective socks off. It’s a nice place, and a good value, but don’t get too giddy just yet.
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This coming Tuesday is National Pancake Day. Sure, it’s only marked on the most comprehensive of every-holiday calendars, but it happens every year, and it’s a day for win-win benefit all around, so maybe you need to gear up for a hot breakfast this Tuesday, February 24th, and get ready to chow down… for the children.
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Whether you live in Billings, Montana or you’re just passing through, this oversized funplex has something for kids of all ages. They’ve got a massive laser tag arena, crazy fast go-karts, putt-putt golf, a modern arcade, and even a mega-climbing zone for kids like me that just want to go into a maze of plastic tubes for an hour or so.
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A wicked combination of negative economic news from around the world has pushed crude oil back under the critical benchmark of $35 a barrel. While some analysts suggest prices will immediately rebound, others are looking at the dismal global forecasts, unusually high reserves and an apparent absence of OPEC control… some are predicting that oil will hit $32/barrel within a week, and $20/barrel within a month. Here are the reasons they’re probably right, and why it’s a good thing.
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Most free museums feel like junk stores without price tags, but this place, as small and four miles away from where you probably want to be, wasn’t just worth the trip, it was straight up awesome. Not only did we find a bunch of great cowboy stuff to buy our brother for his upcoming birthday at fine prices, but we also saw neat stuff, had great fun, and the place still offers free admission.
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Chalk it up to me being young, but I couldn’t find any interest in the chalking up of the sandstone overhangs in Montana’s pictograph caves. Maybe I was disappointed because they weren’t caves, or because “they” was a singular, or maybe it was the fact that it was scorching hot outside. I can recommend this attraction, but only if you have a longer attention span than me, and I warn you, mine is better than it’s ever been before.
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Billings was made a great destination on our trip for more reasons than I can safely try to express in just a single article, but there was one tourist feature that really helped us find fun and a love of the city like no other, and that was the small, private, family run business known as Montana Fun Adventure Tours. We didn’t have time to really enjoy their full tours, but based on how amazing their short tours are, we’re definitely going to try to catch a bigger one when we return.
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Happy Pappy, the jingling cowboy, is known for his unique style of entertainment throughout the western tourism industry especially in and around Billings, MT. Dennis McNiven, who many also call Pappy, has been providing western entertainment from acting in movies to strumming his guitar around campfires. Pappy, who has been in movies like Far & Away, Lonesome Dove, and River Runs Through It (to name a few), has settled down in his ways and now provides entertainment to the masses in Montana.
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There was a recent raid of a “canine sanctuary” that resulted in the seizure of 189 English shepherds from a tenement kennel in Billings, which also turned up 10 frozen dog carcasses and a dead dog found beside the breeder’s bed, according to authorities. Deputy Yellowstone County Attorney Mark Murphy has not yet said whether or not he will file charges against breeder Linda Kapsa, but may make his decisions in coming days.
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New Year’s Day in Montana isn’t exactly the time of year famous for its beautiful grass and legendary sunshine, but it didn’t stop participants from pulling out their putters and hitting the green in the annual Polar Bear Classic golf tournament. Then again, Montana isn’t known for polar bears.
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Easily the single best experience we had in all of our many Montana adventures was the evening we spent just east of Billings in the fine company of Pappy and his family at the Western Romance Company Cowboy Dinner. It’s a horse-drawn wagon ride, an evening of authentic cowboy cooking, and fellowship with the single best people we met on the whole of our trip to Montana.
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I’ve heard bad things about summer brother birthdays, and I believe all these no-guests–showing-up rumors because I have exactly such a brother in my own family. A couple years ago our parents sent out more than 2-dozen handwritten invitations before school let out asking parents to bring their youngster friends, and not one of them even had the decency to RSVP saying they weren’t going to come.* That’s probably why my parents take his summer birthday so seriously, and this was another really great gem for him.
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