MontanaWithKids.com

Bob and the Elvis Girls at the Viva Elvis show in Las Vegas

Dateline: Terry, Montana
By: Bob van der Valk
March 3, 2010

The sad truth is I worship my heroes from afar with the hopes that some day I will get to meet them and tell them how they made a difference in my life. Condoleezza Rice is one those people and strange but true so is Elvis. (more…)

Terry, Montana
By: Bob van der Valk

I heard an interesting tidbit at the annual Terry Roping Club meeting held recently at the Lazy JD Bar and Restaurant in Fallon, Montana.

Mark Dolatta, describing some of the local colorful Terry history, said that in Montana a gathering of four or more Indians (p.c. Native Americans) is considered a war party and you are allowed to shoot them on sight. (more…)

Zuni and Hopi, the Terry Montana Prairie Dogs, see their shadows

Dateline: Terry, Montana
Reported by: Bob van der Valk

Zuni and Hopi, the twin prairie dogs, came out of their burrow in Terry, Montana and prophesied six more frigid weeks in Montana on Friday, January 29, 2010 sharp at 4:30 pm. That is three days earlier than when their cousin Phil in Pennsylvania usually comes out for his annual prognostication on winter weather (more…)

Greg Klevgard and his sons, Bo and Shane, from Ismay, Montana stopped by the Badlands Cafe and Scoop Shoppe in Terry. The last time they had stopped by for lunch Greg and his family enjoyed the atmosphere so much they promised to come often. (more…)

Santa Claus meets Sinterklaas at the Stockman Bank in Terry, Montana

Dateline: Terry, Montana
December 4, 2009
By: Bob van der Valk

Saint Nicholas, Father Christmas, Kris Kringle arrived at the Festival of Lights Parade in Terry, Montana on December 1st this year. He visited with the people along the parade route as well as stopping by the shops along Logan Avenue all lit up with bright holiday lights.

Saint Nicholas getting a Montana Huckleberry candy treat from Dale and Kathy Galland at the Prairie Unique in Terry, Montana

Saint Nicholas is a legendary figure who, in many Western Cultures, brings gifts to the homes of the good children during the late evening and overnight hours of Christmas Eve, December 24th or on his Feast Day, December 6th (Saint Nicholas Day). This legend has part of its basis in tales concerning the historical figure of gift giver Saint Nicholas. (more…)

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Aaron Flint and Bob van der Valk in front of the Badlands Cafe and Scoop Shoppe in Terry, Montana before doing the Voices of Montana broadcast

Terry, Montana
November 29, 2009
By: Bob van der Valk

The Badlands Cafe and Scoop Shoppe in Terry, Montana was visited by host Aaron Flint and his Voices of Montana radio show on Friday, November 27, 2009. His broadcast was beamed live from the cafe across the State of Montana on the Northern Broadcasting Network. (more…)

Aaron Flint Host of Voices of Montana Radio Show

Aaron Flint will be doing his Voices of Montana radio show on Friday, November 27, 2009 from Terry, Montana. He will set up to do his one hour broadcast live from the Badlands Café and Scoop Shoppe starting at 9 a.m. and will be interviewing Bob van der Valk about happenings in Terry and Prairie County.

All residents of Terry and Prairie County are invited to join Aaron Flint and Bob van der Valk at the Badlands Café. Coffee will be served compliments of Arline and Inger Koppenhaver, who are the owners of the unique retro-50’s styled restaurant with the rear end of a ’55 Chevy sticking out of the front façade of the building. (more…)

The Evelyn Cameron Gallery in Terry, Montana

Juli Thorson is the Editor and Associate Publisher of the Horse & Rider Magazine

Yesterday, I was finally able to do something I’ve wanted to do for a very long time.

I got to visit the Evelyn Cameron Gallery of her pioneer photography in Terry, Montana.

Never heard of her? That’s OK–most people haven’t, even though she is in the Cowgirl Hall of Fame and was the subject of a 2005 PBS documentary. (more…)

Prairie County MT American Legion Honor Squad - June 1960

Dateline: Terry, Montana
November 11, 2009
By: Bob van der Valk

The Prairie County American Legion Post #32 will hold their Annual Veterans Day Parade on Wednesday, November 11, 2009 at 2 p.m. in front of the Stockman Bank Building on Logan Avenue in Terry, Montana. (more…)

Landon Pigg and the Troth of Us with Inger Koppenhaver

Landon Pigg and the Troth of Us dropped by the Badlands Cafe and Scoop Shoppe in Terry, Montana on Saturday afternoon November 7, 2009. He and his group were on their way from Minneapolis to Seattle and felt an urge to drink some good coffee. They also picked up a basketball and football at Netzer Trustworthy Hardware store for some athletic recreation to keep them occupied during their road trip. (more…)

The Great Northern Railroad was completed in 1893

Dateline: Terry, Montana
November 7, 2009
By: Bob van der Valk

In Wall Street parlay: “Warren, let’s do lunch next time you’re in town”. This is an invitation for Warren Buffett to visit our small town of Terry in Eastern Montana. He will discover the rich history of Terry includes being one of the original stops on the railroad line built by the Northern Pacific railroad line. (more…)

If you’re driving on Highway 93 in the area south of Missoula, Montana, there’s a certain family fun center you just shouldn’t miss. It’s got a name as unique as the super-fun offerings they have inside, but maybe you don’t have kids, you’re in a big hurry, or just some sort of general fuddy-duddy. I can’t speak to who you are or what made you that way, but I can tell you that if you’re in the area and hungry, forget what you know about afterthought cafés, because Café Gelato is well worth the stop whatever your reason.
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One of the easiest attractions to find in Butte, Montana, is the trolley tour offered by the chamber of commerce. Sure it’s fun and a good value, but it’s also expertly hosted and a great way to get a glimpse of all the other in-town attractions so you can decide for yourself what it is you want to see more of, and even where you might want to bed down for the night.
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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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It seems that once you hit the summer scorching states, a big percentage of them have water attractions designed to draw you in. Some are better than others, though, and others still soak you twice when it comes to price. We stayed at plenty, but our favorite by a good margin was the Wingate by Wyndam in Missoula. They’ve got the value, quality, convenience and good rooms too.
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When we set out for the second time to spend a few weeks in Montana, we pledged to ourselves to hit all the big hotspots we missed the first time around. That means we’d hit Glacier National Park, Yellowstone National Park, Great Falls, Kalispell and even get up to Havre… but there are just so many things to see, it didn’t happen. From that whole list, the only place we got to was Great Falls, and it was well worth the trip.
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I’ve never pretended I felt anything less than total love for Missoula. It’s hands-down my favorite city in Montana, and maybe even my favorite city anywhere. They’ve got a killer carousel, the greatest public park I’ve ever seen, their public parks have squirty water features for summer play, and the people there are as kind as you’ll find anywhere in the world. So let’s add one more feather to that already-foppish cap; Splash Montana Water Park.
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We’ve seen so many carousels from coast to halfway-to-the-other-coast, and this one is as good as any, but better in a number of ways. Sure the one at the San Francisco zoo is the oldest, and the one in Missoula is the most unique, and the one at the roving carnie-fest was the scariest, but this one is unique for many of its own reasons, not the least of which is the ice cream parlor it hosts, and struggles to outshine.
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Let’s pretend for a minute that this whole publication is more than just an exhibit in meta-journalism, and that we are in some modest ways permitted to actually make comments on the world in which we live, though by such tools most subtly or humorous we must employ. We’ve been critically lambasted for doing so in the past, but pretend for a second we have a message to send, and that we can do it within the confines of a review of Pixar’s new film Wall-e.
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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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If you aren’t a Montana native, it would seem a bit unlikely you’d be traveling south away from Interstate-90 along the general Missoula-ish swath of the state. Maybe you’re passing by that way because you’re looking for adventure, or your taking a different route to find your way to stones yellow or jelly. I can’t speak to your motivation for driving in such directions, but I can give you advice once you commit to doing so.
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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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Of all the cut-rate games I’ve bought for the Nintendo Wii, none meant much for me than headache. After buying the Nintendo Play (which came with a controller, so I was warned to have low expectations,) and falling for another title I won’t even bother naming, my faith in the system was entirely shaken… and then I found Lego Star Wars, and my modern gaming life just may now be complete.
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Montana has a real surplus of a few things. They’ve got more sky than they know what to do with (a “big sky” if you will), empty stretches of well-maintained roads, and they’ve also got more ghost towns than any state should ever have need for, especially on a per capita basis. But if you like ghost towns, and I sure as heck do, the best one in Montana is easily Bannack State Park.
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Public parks are supposed to belong to public people, and I know few people more public than us. I’ve been in the spotlight since before I was even born, so I was prepared to be the expert I am on all such things. Seems the public here wants water at their parks, so water they do have.
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The rate of growth in taxes Montana collects on video gambling machines fell to 4.4 percent in fiscal 2008, which is believed by some to be the lowest rate since the 2.5% level recorded in 2001. Between $1.2 and $1.4 billion was wagered on state-regulated video gambling machines in 2008, up only slightly from the dollar range in 2007, so growth and taxation is worse than stagnant. What does it all mean?
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Of all the dozens of museums we saw in Montana, easily the most unassuming of all would be the Museum of the North Great Plains. It’s not a super catchy name, and it doesn’t tell you much about what it does. Parking out front, all you can see is that it looks like it used to be a warehouse or maybe a furniture store… once inside, however, you better be holding on to your socks, because they’re about to get knocked off.
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In 1988 a man had a vision. It wasn’t of sugar plums, as you might expect, but of an authentic, old-timey carousel ride in his hometown of Missoula, Montana. Spoiler alert: he made his vision big enough for a whole city and now they have A Carousel for Missoula, it’s a carousel like none other in the world.
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