I had lunch in Choteau, Montana the other day, at the Elk Country Inn. I did not have the elk, or bison that was on the menu. The waitress brought the paper over for me to read while I waited. I guess diners out here don't all sit with their eyes glued to their iPhones.
The first thing that caught my eye was Darlene's party invitation posted by her four daughters. It's a small town, population 1,694, so the local country club will probably seat everyone likely to turn up, without a problem. Or, maybe only Country Club members and their guests would be admitted? But a public invitation like this disturbed me. What if I put on my party clothes, bought a gift and showed up? According to this notice, I was invited. Then, I started thinking about Darlene. Perhaps she was a cheerleader in high school, president of the PTA, or a member of the State Legislature. Maybe she truly did know everyone in town.
I read the Sheriff’s Docket feature, and really loved the small-town feel of some of these. Yes, they have their medical transport and highway accidents, but still…
“A report of a telephone scam… a black bear cub up in a tree… a man riding a motorcycle with an infant strapped to his chest.” This might be my favorite: “10:22 pm, a deputy shut down a group of minors playing a game of Rambo that involved being on private property in Fairfield.” Who knew that kids still played Rambo? Tom and his friends played that 34 years ago. Stallone has staying power! Another favorite was at “8:23 am, Fish Wildlife and Parks officials were notified of a possible bear near 2591 Eight Lane N. E. in Dutton the previous night.” Might have been a bear outside my house last night. Personally, I wouldn’t have waited until morning to call the sheriff.
There was a feature about the city using goats to graze noxious weeds. Maybe they like the noxious ones the best?
And the local artists were being asked to apply their creativity to submit decorated shovels. “The shovels will either be included in the silent auction at the pie and ice cream social July 14th, or the live auction in the park on July 16 during the afternoon program in the Fairfield town park.“