Missoula Independent

ARTS

NEWS

MONTANA FESTIVAL OF THE BOOK: REVIEWS, CAN’TMISS PANELS AND A LITTLE BIT OF ROCK AND ROLL

MISSOULA’S FIRST DISTILLERY OPEN TO MIXING THINGS UP

OPINION

CITY CRACKS DOWN ON RAPE (STICKERS)

NEWS

BUILDING A BETTER CONNECTION TO LOLO

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ARTS

NEWS

MONTANA FESTIVAL OF THE BOOK: REVIEWS, CAN’TMISS PANELS AND A LITTLE BIT OF ROCK AND ROLL

MISSOULA’S FIRST DISTILLERY OPEN TO MIXING THINGS UP

OPINION

CITY CRACKS DOWN ON RAPE (STICKERS)

NEWS

BUILDING A BETTER CONNECTION TO LOLO

®

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[2] Missoula Independent • October 4 – October 11, 2012

Features include electric car chargers, energy-efficient features, LED site lighting and many other water and energy-saving measures.

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Cover by Kou Moua

News Voices/Letters “The War on Lungs”. ....................................................................................4 The Week in Review Cherry breaks a foot..........................................................................6 Briefs Lolo trail options revealed.........................................................................................6 Etc. Why a California water district cares about our Senate seat.........................................7 Up Front Distillery feeds city’s cocktail resurgence ............................................................8 Up Front Back from D.C., gay activist focuses on session...................................................9 Opinion Hanford’s history is messy, but worth preserving ..............................................10 Opinion Missoula goes all-out to stop rape (stickers).......................................................11 Feature Who is controlling the messaging in your politics?..............................................14

Now Open at 10am for

Brunch Saturdays & Sundays.

Arts & Entertainment Arts Joe Batt explores the cloud ........................................................................................18 Books Montana Festival of the Book jumps off the page ..................................................19 Books Fobbit is a sharp jab at military hypocrisies ...........................................................20 Books Kesselheim finds the rhythm of the river................................................................21 Books Doig orders up another with The Bartender’s Tale ............................................22 Movie Shorts Independent takes on current films............................................................23 Flash in the Pan Garlic gardening begins .........................................................................24 Happiest Hour Chain Reaction Fresh Hop Ale .................................................................25 8 Days a Week Next week, Spin Doctors plays Zoo City Apparel.....................................27 Mountain High Pray for Snow Party..................................................................................33 Agenda UFOs! ....................................................................................................................34

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Exclusives Street Talk............................................................................................................................4 In Other News ...................................................................................................................12 Classifieds ........................................................................................................................C-1 The Advice Goddess........................................................................................................C-2 Free Will Astrology..........................................................................................................C-4 Crossword Puzzle............................................................................................................C-5 This Modern World .......................................................................................................C-12

PUBLISHER Lynne Foland EDITOR Skylar Browning PRODUCTION DIRECTOR Joe Weston CIRCULATION & BUSINESS MANAGER Adrian Vatoussis ARTS EDITOR Erika Fredrickson ASSOCIATE EDITOR Matthew Frank PHOTO EDITOR Chad Harder CALENDAR EDITOR Jason McMackin STAFF REPORTERS Jessica Mayrer, Alex Sakariassen COPY EDITOR Kate Whittle ART DIRECTOR Kou Moua PRODUCTION ASSISTANTS Pumpernickel Stewart, Jonathan Marquis ADVERTISING SALES MANAGER Carolyn Bartlett ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVES Sasha Perrin, Alecia Goff, Steven Kirst SENIOR CLASSIFIED REPRESENTATIVE Tami Allen MARKETING & ADVERTISING COORDINATOR Tara Shisler MARKETING & EVENTS INTERN Whitney Skauge FRONT DESK Lorie Rustvold CONTRIBUTORS Ari LeVaux, Chris Dombrowski Andy Smetanka, Brad Tyer, Dave Loos, Ednor Therriault, Michael Peck, Jamie Rogers, Molly Laich, Dan Brooks, Melissa Mylchreest

Mailing address: P.O. Box 8275 Missoula, MT 59807 Street address: 317 S. Orange St. Missoula, MT 59801 Phone number: 406-543-6609 Fax number: 406-543-4367 E-mail address: independent@missoulanews.com

President: Matt Gibson The Missoula Independent is a registered trademark of Independent Publishing, Inc. Copyright 2012 by Independent Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved. Reprinting in whole or in part is forbidden except by permission of Independent Publishing, Inc.

missoulanews.com • October 4 – October 11, 2012 [3]

[voices]

STREET TALK Asked Monday afternoon on the corner of Front St. and Higgins Ave.

by Chad Harder

We’re in the thick of political campaign advertisement season.

What ad have you found to be the most memorable?

Follow-up: Third-party groups have spent more than $11 million on advertising in Montana. Where would you rather see that money spent?

Jim Mickelson: That stinky one with Rick Hill, the one where everyone's holding their noses—you know the one, right? I think it's inappropriate and over the line because it focuses on the personal and ignores the issues.

Something useful: Start by reducing the budget, pay down the debt and find people jobs. Anything but political ads.

Chris Hohnsbehn: The most memorable is a radio ad, set in a ballpark, and it’s about baloney—that “Washington baloney”—and slamming Tester. It stands out, although I really can’t recall what the issues are in it.

Clear and copious: Drinking fountains and restrooms, especially on the bike paths. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had to go behind a bush. I mean, who wouldn't want more restrooms?

Kurtis Manke: You know, other than sports I don’t watch much TV. Political ads come on when I’m watching sporting events but honestly I don’t like them and I don’t pay attention. Bigger fish: Ten million dollars isn't very much money when you look at the other ways politicians waste our money, so you might want to look elsewhere. Like the DEA's fight against marijuana—you know, a plant. They waste a lot more than $10 million on misguided marijuana prosecutions, it’s a drop in the bucket.

Arthur Weatherwax: I don’t know, maybe that “change” one, but that was four years ago. Maybe it’s obvious but I really don’t pay attention to politics until their terms are up. Maybe four years from now I’ll remember. For the people: I’d like to see it spent on health care and education for Montana’s citizens, that would benefit us all. Obviously, it shouldn’t be spent on marketing politicians to me.

Mike Larson: I really don’t pay attention, but I don’t like the baloney ad that rips on Tester. It’s just untrue. They skewer their facts so bad it's amazing that people even pay attention. Take a number: Jobs. The economy. Roads. Instead they’re just trying to get the seat in the Senate. People back east are always telling us what to do—things like drinking age, hunting rules, whatever. They don’t know anything about this state but they still want to tell us what to do with our federal money.

[4] Missoula Independent • October 4 – October 11, 2012

“War on Lungs” As Montanans across the state contend with unhealthy air due to forest fires, the U.S. House of Representatives seems to be doing its best to make things even worse.

Rather than support measures that strengthen and improve the life-saving Clean Air Act, representatives spent time in their short session this month to resurrect a number of failed dirty air bills at the behest of big polluters.

The “War on Lungs” bill that passed on Sept. 21 represents a collection of several attacks on the Clean Air Act previously advanced by this Congress.

Washington insiders understood this exercise was merely symbolic since the Senate has already rejected these bills and the White House vowed to veto the bill.

However, lost on those who pushed the measure through are the catastrophic public health impacts that would occur if it ever became law.

The Clean Air Act has a proven track record of saving lives—an estimated 160,000 in 2010 alone, according to Environmental Protection Agency estimates. It helps save lives in Montana and across the nation. As long as Congress does not interfere, the Clean Air Act will remain on track to prevent 220,000 deaths every year by the end of this decade. Without a strong Clean Air Act, we could breath this type of air all year long.

Kim Davitt American Lung Association Missoula

The coal collar?

In the beginning, copper was coal and Anaconda was king. The king ruled with unrelenting severity—gouging deep the hills, stripping clean the trees and never allowing the smelter’s billowing plume to stop. In 1902, the smelter churned out 30 tons of airborne arsenic and 100 tons of acid-producing sulphur every day. The copper collar squeezed tight around workers’ throats—beholden to a corporation who cared nothing for their well being and detested labor laws.

The king reigned for nearly one hundred years before the copper was gone and the king deposed. All that remained was the king’s legacy: 230 million cubic yards of concentrated mine tailings, 30 million cubic yards of furnace slag, 300 square miles of contaminated soils and a swath of heavy metals beside the Clark Fork River from Butte to Missoula. Even with the king gone, the citizens remained, re-

remain on track to

altogether and a newfound prosperity may emerge.

Meanwhile, another collar is tightening. Coal is now king. Asia is hungry for dirty energy and some Montana politicians are eager to supply it at a low price.

The mining of Otter Creek coal tracts will precipitate railcar upon railcar of coal, 1.3 billions tons' worth, disseminating toxic dust on its route to the coast. They say jobs will come—up to 1,740 while the coal remains. But this legacy will affect more than the local residents’ water supply. The burning of this coal an ocean removed will pump 2.5 billion tons of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, steadily raising our world’s, our country’s, and our state’s temperature, placing severe strain on our agricultural and tourism industries. That is when the collar’s pinch will be felt again, this time by everyone. The question is ours to answer: Do we want to leave this shortsighted legacy of resource extraction behind and instead move forward with a new legacy emphasizing a diverse Montana economy and a renewable energy future? Or do we want to tighten a new collar just as the last one has finally been loosened?

Nick Littman Missoula

prevent 220,000

Sportsmen for Bullock

strained by the copper collar, surrounded by a landscape that offered only desolation.

With designation as a Superfund site, Anaconda’s collar loosened but did not break. The recovery of the land would take decades, the recovery of the people would take longer—it may never arrive for the generations who toiled within the mines. However, over time, the town began to look healthier. A democracy had replaced the king and was beginning the

“As long as Congress does not interfere, the Clean Air Act will

deaths every year by the end of this decade.”

slow process of restoring the lifeblood of the people: the land and the water.

In excess of $1 billion will be spent on the Superfund cleanup of the Anaconda legacy. Hundreds of millions will be pumped into the restoration of the ravaged natural resources. Good paying jobs are returning to an area that was left for dead by the previous employer. For each $1 million spent on restoration, 32 jobs will be created and an additional $2.59 million in economic activity will be stimulated. The collar will soon fray and snap

I’d like all sportsmen to remember all the bad bills that were introduced in the last legislative session. Here are some examples: HB 309 would have gutted stream access; HB 209 was intended to destroy the Habitat Montana program; HB 285 tried to provide unlimited either-sex archery permits for residents and nonresidents; SB 301 would have placed a moratorium on Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks acquiring land; SB 400 would have added 2,000 more nonresident deer and elk licenses.

You can see what they want: to commercialize wildlife, take control from sportsmen, stop funding for wildlife and fishing, stop habitat programs, stop public access. The sportsmen appreciated all the bad bills that were vetoed, but you can bet many more bad bills will be coming up in the next session. That’s why we must vote for Steve Bullock for governor. He will keep a sharp eye on all the bad bills coming up next session. Now is the time for the sportsmen to unite and vote for Bullock for governor.

Lorry Thomas Anaconda Sportsmen’s Club Anaconda

missoulanews.com • October 4 – October 11, 2012 [5]

[news]

WEEK IN REVIEW

VIEWFINDER

by Chad Harder

Wednesday, September 26 University of Montana senior point guard Will Cherry, the basketball team’s leading scorer last season, reveals that he broke his right foot during a recent pick-up game. Cherry’s expected to be out through November.

Thursday, September 27 A federal jury finds Chris Williams, a former state-licensed medical marijuana provider with Helena-based Montana Cannabis, guilty of drug trafficking and seven other related charges. Williams could be sentenced to decades in prison.

Friday, September 28 American Indians from tribes all over Montana and the United States gather on the University of Montana campus to celebrate American Indian Heritage Day. The day begins with a dawn ceremony acknowledging a new day by praying to the rising sun.

Saturday, September 29 The Eastern Washington Eagles score 15 fourth-quarter points to edge the University of Montana 32-26 at Roos Field in Cheney, Wash. The loss drops the Griz out of the Top 25 poll for the first time since 1998.

Sunday, September 30 After absconding with bank cards from a vehicle parked along Blue Mountain Road, two thieves go on a $13,000 shopping spree at several Missoula-area stores, including Best Buy, where the perps reportedly spend $4,400.

Monday, October 1 Missoula Mayor John Engen proclaims Oct. 6 “Diva Day” in the Garden City. According to Engen’s proclamation, “women’s role in the community needs to be celebrated” and they’d appreciate “being pampered.”

Tuesday, October 2 Nineties alt-rock band Smashing Pumpkins announces a “surprise show” in Missoula for Sunday, Oct. 7, at the Wilma Theatre. The news comes after the band cancels a show in Vancouver scheduled for the same day.

Pearl Jam rocked a sold-out Adams Center on Sunday, Sept. 30. The 29-song performance benefited U.S. Sen. Jon Tester’s re-election campaign and included pointed jabs from the band aimed at Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney.

Trails

The linkage factor U.S. Highway 93 may have the monopoly on Missoula-to-Lolo traffic, but Missoula city and county planners are looking at a way to offer bicyclists and pedestrians another option.

On Tuesday, Oct. 2, consultants with DJ&A Engineers in Missoula rolled out three potential routes for a Missoula to Lolo trail—the end goal being to tie it to the existing pedestrian path running south from Lolo to Hamilton. Project manager Chris Anderson says DJ&A is still in the early stages of exploring a possible trail, but Missoula city and county officials did manage to secure federal funds to float the firm’s feasibility study this year.

“I think there’s a lot of excitement around the project, a lot of interested people,” Anderson says.

“Certainly, in the [Missoula] Long Range Transportation Plan, this is one project that consistently comes up and is championed by many people in Missoula.”

Two of the potential routes would follow Highway 93—one on the east side and one on the west.

Anderson says a third would start at Lower Miller

[6] Missoula Independent • October 4 – October 11, 2012

Creek Road and snake up past Haugan Drive to a piece of Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks land along the Bitterroot River. The feasibility study has been limited to existing city-county rights of way.

Anderson says the idea for a trail connecting Missoula to Lolo has been “floating around” for a long time. Talk in both communities grew more serious after the completion of the Highway 93 bike trail project; citizens even formed the Lolo to Missoula Trail Alliance. “The missing piece of the puzzle is that section between Lolo and Missoula,” Anderson says, “so it kind of got thrust into the spotlight.”

Anderson estimates the project would cost between $5 million and $10 million—or more, if a bridge needs to be build.

DJ&A is also working on the proposed Milltown State Park, which Anderson says could precipitate public pressure in building a bridge across the Clark Fork River and connecting it to the Kim Williams Trail.

If that happens, and the Missoula to Lolo trail goes forward, bicyclists in the area would be able to travel from Turah to Hamilton without interacting with highway traffic.

That, Anderson says, is something planners believe

the Missoula community “wants, and truly needs.”

Alex Sakariassen

Birds

A most exciting sighting It certainly hasn’t been a good fall for bird watching. Smoke has choked western Montana valleys for weeks, and the high-pressure system that dominated the area has limited migration. Kerr Rasmussen, a bird biologist at the MPG Ranch east of Florence, says morale has been low as he and his colleagues, who are conducting a raptor migration survey, have been sitting for weeks on the flanks of Baldy Mountain “scanning endless, depthless sky” for hawks, eagles and falcons.

But then, around noon on Friday, Sept. 21, one of the Bitterroot Audubon volunteers who came to MPG’s raptor observation site spotted a southbound bird approaching at eye-level. Rasmussen trained his spotting scope on it. At first he thought it might be a peregrine falcon, but as it came closer he recalls thinking, “I can see a huge face, I can see two big eyes—I think this is an owl.”

[news] By itself, the sighting was unusual considering owls are nocturnal. Then it flew closer still. Rasmussen made out its “amazing facial disc with black and white markings that are really beautiful and unusual and stand out.� He told the group his verdict: It was a northern hawk owl, a species almost never seen in the area. In fact, it was the first recorded northern hawk owl sighting in the Bitterroot Valley. “Everyone was freaking out,� Rasmussen says, explaining how the bird watchers scrambled to locate the owl in their binoculars and cameras.

The observation site has an owl decoy to attract raptors—the raptors will dive-bomb great horned owls, for example, since those owls often hunt idle raptors at night—but now it was attracting the northern hawk owl. The bird buzzed the decoy a few times, and then continued south.

Rasmussen can only guess where it was headed. Northern hawk owls are typically seen in Canada and Alaska, with occasional sightings around Glacier National Park in the late fall and winter. “Movement into Montana is sporadic and migration into the state generally reflects irregular movements of individuals and may be in response to local changes in food availability,� the Montana Field Guide says. “It was definitely one of the coolest sightings I’ve ever seen,� says Rasmussen, who’s been a bird biologist for more than a decade. “I think I’ve seen a northern hawk owl in all of my recreation and birding adventures maybe three times, and to have one fly 30 feet away from us...it definitely boosted our morale for the next week, at least.�

Matthew Frank

Shop local

Winter market announced Three local guys are hustling to launch a new winter farmers market in Missoula—just in time for a pre-Halloween grand opening. “We’re going to have a costume contest,� says Jack Wallace, one of the three partners opening the Missoula Winter Market on Oct. 26.

Wallace, Morgan Sepko and Allen Baum own the Missoula website development company CityLynx.

The company works to grow small businesses and Wallace says opening a winter market for entrepreneurs, foodies and gardeners to sell their goods seemed a natural extension of their existing operation. “It was kind of the next step,� he says.

As of Oct. 1, CityLynx had 30 vendors slotted to sell

crafts, essential oils, aromatherapy and produce in the big white barn they’ve rented at 2036 Mullan Road.

The partners also want to sell home-baked goods and jams. That’s where the plan gets a little sticky.

State health code mandates that only official farmers markets, recognized as such by local governments, can sell goods made in household kitchens.

But during the process of researching CityLynx’s request to open the Mullan Road market, Missoula City Clerk Marty Rehbein found the laws to be antiquated. To streamline the process required to legally set up a farmers market for CityLynx and others, she’s asking the Missoula City Council to update and clarify the requirements. “I understand that there are other folks who are in the process of establishing a winter market,� Rehbein says.

On Oct. 15, council will deliberate two items related to farmers markets. The first is the code cleanup. The second, if approved, will specifically designate CityLynx’s operation a farmers market, allowing vendors to sell homemade items.

Regardless of council’s vote, the Missoula Winter Market will open on Friday, Oct. 26. They’ll hold the costume contest that first night, along with trick-ortreating. It will stay open weekends through April.

Jessica Mayrer

Energy

Utilities seek price hikes The drilling boom has led to a glut of domestic natural gas supply, driving prices down. Residential

BY THE NUMBERS

42

Consecutive days without rain in Missoula as of Tuesday, Oct. 2. According to the National Weather Service, this matches the record set in 1896.

customers in Montana have seen their natural gas bills drop around 40 percent over the last four years.

So it was somewhat surprising this week when the five members of the Montana Public Service Commission found two-foot-tall stacks of paperwork on their desks, justification for why the state’s two largest utilities, NorthWestern Energy and Montana-Dakota Utilities, should be allowed to significantly increase their natural gas rates.

Last week, NorthWestern Energy, which serves Missoula and most of western Montana, submitted to the PSC a request to boost rates by about 15 percent. For average residential customers, this would increase their monthly bill by $5.69 and earn the utility $15.7 million. Montana-Dakota Utilities, which operates in eastern Montana, is seeking a 6percent hike, which would add $3.37 to customers’ monthly bills.

State-regulated utilities must pass fluctuating natural gas prices onto their customers. What the utilities can control is what they charge for service and infrastructure. In NorthWestern Energy’s case, its proposed rate increase is intended to recover the costs of recent capital investments in its natural gas system, as well as higher operation, administration and maintenance costs. “We understand that customers don’t appreciate rate increases and we empathize with those customers who are struggling to make ends meet, however, everyone benefits from a safe, wellmaintained natural gas system,� says NorthWestern CEO and President Bob Rowe.

PSC Vice Chair Gail Gutsche, of Missoula, says it will probably be nine months before the commissioners hear testimony on the merits of the proposed increases. “We take these very seriously, and we scrutinize them, and there’s nothing that says the utilities will get these rate increases just because they’ve asked,� she says. “We’ll determine whether or not they are warranted.�

Meanwhile, Gutsche has a modicum of good news for local utility ratepayers: The PSC determined on Tuesday that Missoula’s water utility, Mountain Water Co., overestimated by nearly $100,000 its water-pumping costs, which will result in a refund, albeit a very small one, for its customers.

Matthew Frank

ETC. We’ve been spending a lot of time this year following the money in Montana’s Senate race (see this week’s feature), and one contribution in particular recently caught our attention. It came from the Westlands Water District, the largest agricultural water district in the country, based in Sacramento, Calif. For the most part, Westlands' contributions are modest and kept in-state. With one exception: Montana’s Republican Senate hopeful Denny Rehberg.

Rehberg’s Senate campaign recorded two $2,500 donations from Westlands general manager Thomas Birmingham in March 2011, marking the largest total contribution the water district has made to any candidate this cycle and the only one it’s made to a candidate outside of California. What interest could a California water district possibly have in our Senate race?

Turns out this isn’t the first time Westlands has thrown its financial weight behind Montana’s lone congressman. A look back on disclosure reports from past races shows $1,000 contributions to Rehberg in 2009, 2008 and 2006. More puzzling is a list of donations to former Sen. Conrad Burns between 2003 and 2006 totaling $4,200. Other than Rehberg and Burns, Westlands has never contributed to any federal candidates outside of California.

Westlands was primed to be the key beneficiary of the San Joaquin Valley Water Reliability Act, a bill that passed the House on a largely Republican vote in February. Critics considered the bill an end-run around endangered species protections along the San Joaquin River and an unprecedented water-rights grab

by Washington politicians benefitting water contractors like Westlands.

Rehberg voted in favor of the bill, which was halted in the Senate this spring. But he offered no testimony on the proposal and carried no amendments, making us doubt that connection as the source of Westlands’ support.

Westlands has spent more than $800,000 lobbying Congress on a variety of issues over the past five years. Up until 2011, one of the lobbying firms it consistently turned to was Gage, LLC. Turns out, Burns has worked as a senior advisor at Gage, since 2007 and Rehberg’s son, A.J. Rehberg, is the firm’s president.

In other words, maybe those Montana contributions aren’t such an aberration after all.

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missoulanews.com • October 4 – October 11, 2012 [7]

[news]

High spirits Montgomery Distillery feeds Missoula’s cocktail resurgence

by Alex Sakariassen

20

Best of Missoula

11

275 W. Main St •

728-0343 •

tanglesmt.com

[8] Missoula Independent • October 4 – October 11, 2012

Bottle after custom-made bottle lines for. It’s the environment. It’s the ability to noisseur Ryan Newhouse. In addition to the shelves behind the bar at the new Mont- taste new things that they haven’t tasted syrups, he’s been creating a variety of “shrubs,” or mixtures of fruit, vinegar and gomery Distillery on Front Street. Each is before.”

As far as Rhino owner Kevin Head is sugar aged several weeks. The majority of filled with the first batch of Quicksilver vodka, for now, the only liquor Ryan and concerned, the timing couldn’t be more his ingredients come from the farmers marJenny Montgomery’s tasting room offers. perfect. He’s noted a slow resurgence in kets, including strawberries and rhubarb.

Downstairs, in a huge steel vat on wheels, Missoula’s cocktail culture over the past few He’s working on a cocktail mixer using the second batch is finally ready to be pack- years, marked by the rising popularity of Dixon melons, and hopes to roll out a aged. Thousands of empty, labelless bottles are enshrouded in plastic and stacked on pallets in the far corner.

The Mason jars arranged on a wire rack near the basement door are plain and unassuming in comparison. Each contains a different concoction—rhubarb, cinnamon and vinegar in one, coffee bitters made from Black Coffee Roasting grounds in another. A plastic tub underneath a bench holds slices of cantaloupe in syrupy liquid. Ryan Montgomery calls this collection of ingredients a “work in progress.” Eventually, they’ll join Quicksilver not just behind the bar upstairs but in customers’ cocktail glasses.

“There’s endless variety,” says Montgomery, who announced the distillery’s soft open via Facebook last Wednesday. “Basically, if Photo by Chad Harder you can think of it and it tastes good, you can do it ... We’re not a Montgomery Distillery co-owner Ryan Montgomery bottles the second batch of bar. We have a very limited amount Quicksilver vodka, the main ingredient in his tasting room’s new line of cocktails. we can serve. But what we’re trying to promote is an interest in cocktails, drinks like the Moscow mule. Montgomery pumpkin-based mixer later this fall. Newbecause they’re delicious. I guarantee you Distillery dovetails with that renaissance, house, whose grandfather was a moonI can find one that you like. I guarantee I Head says. Not only that, but it offers cock- shiner, calls it “very tasty trial and error.”

“People want to know where their incan probably find five or six you like that tail drinkers a hyper-local option; Montgomery describes Quicksilver, made with gredients are coming from,” Newhouse you’ve never tried before.”

When Montgomery and his wife grain from two Hamilton-area farms, as “ba- says. “Breweries are doing that every day. began contemplating a move back to Mon- sically Bitterroot wheat and Missoula water.” They’re showing exactly where they’re tana several years ago, Montgomery’s first For Head, the distillery is breeding not just sourcing this stuff, and for a drink coming thought was to start a new brewery in Mis- a “consciousness of cocktails, but also a con- from a bottle, it’s something more intimate.

You know where these grains are from.” soula. The notion pre-dated the opening sciousness of where you’re from.”

So far, Montgomery’s been busy fine“We’re taking a little more pride in of Draught Works Brewing on the Northtuning the German-made still and wrestling side, but even with three breweries in where we’re from,” Head says.

There’s no doubt the new distillery will with a few equipment setbacks. The crowds town, Montgomery wasn’t confident there’d be demand for more. In addition challenge local palates. Montgomery’s cur- have grown, and already people are inquirto craft brewing, the couple had long been rent menu boasts a few familiar names, such ing about Montgomery Distillery’s gin, fans of good Scotch and good cocktails. as the Moscow mule and a standard vodka which Montgomery plans to start work on Playing off that passion, they decided a dis- tonic. But he plans to balance those with an in the next few weeks. It’s just a matter of ever-changing lineup of more experimental working out the wrinkles, he says. tillery wouldn’t be such a bad idea.

“Right now, at the beginning, we have “Being the first and only distillery in cocktails. The choice of mixers behind the Missoula is a huge initial benefit,” Mont- bar right now includes a sour cherry and a 1,000 wrinkles to work out,” Montgomery gomery says. “But if we don’t make good pineapple-rosemary syrup, key ingredients says. “Next week we’ll have 800. The week products and don’t make good cocktails in the new cocktail recipes Jenny Mont- after that we’ll have 500. Eventually we’ll get down to a level of, like, 20 wrinkles that’ll and don’t have a good atmosphere here, gomery is creating.

Most of the Mason-jar concoctions in just be constant.” that benefit will wear out pretty quick. For us, it’s offering people the same thing they the Montgomery Distillery basement were asakariassen@missoulanews.com go to Kettlehouse or one of the taprooms prepared by local writer and craft beer con-

[news]

n B s l 2012 4 Al

Stepping up Back from D.C., a gay rights activist prepares for session

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Montana Human Rights Network organizer Jamee Greer stood outside the White House in Washington, D.C., on Sept.

19, waiting to tour the East Wing, and attend a barbecue hosted by Vice President Joe Biden, when he noticed his own shoes. They were scuffed. One had a hole. It was in that moment when Greer wondered how the gay son of a German immigrant mother and a father who worked a Belgrade Photo courtesy of Bobbie Zenker gravel pit ended up as a guest at the This year’s Montana Pride Celebration parade grand marshals were, from left, Jamee Greer, home of the nation’s state Rep. Bryce Bennett, state Sen. Christine Kaufmann and state Rep. Diane Sands. first black president Despite such opposition, Montana’s gay couples receive the same benefits as for an LGBT leadership summit. gay rights movement is making significant their heterosexual peers. It remains to be “For me, it’s surprising that I even got gains. In June, the Montana Democratic seen how Montana lawmakers would rethe opportunity to do this,” Greer says in a Party officially came out in support of gay spond to such a directive. recent interview with the Independent. marriage. The state GOP, meanwhile, reThe Montana Human Rights Network “It’s incredibly humbling and honoring.” moved a plank during this year’s conven- also aims to introduce a statewide non-disSince 2009, the 30-year-old Greer has tion that called to re-criminalize crimination bill, similar to Missoula’s and been at the center of nearly every LGBT homosexual acts. the proposal currently under review by Heequality debate in Montana. In 2010, he Niki Zupanic, public policy director for lena city officials. was instrumental in the passage of Mis- the American Civil Liberties Union of MonGreer also anticipates Missoula’s antisoula’s anti-discrimination ordinance. More tana, says those gains are due in large part discrimination ordinance will again be chalrecently, he’s been rounding up signatures to the work of Greer and a handful of oth- lenged. A 2011 effort by Republican Rep. in Helena in an effort to persuade lawmak- ers like him. “I think of Jamee as a stone in Kris Hansen of Havre to toss the law and ers there to pass similar legislation. Greer a pond and the ripples travel pretty far and ban others like it died in the Senate. also testifies regularly in favor of gay rights wide in Montana,” she says.

Gay rights controversies clearly aren’t at the Montana State Capitol. Much of the Zupanic knows all too well that testi- limited to Montana. As the debate rages time when he talks, he keeps it simple, fying in Helena can be daunting, especially across the country, it’s fitting that Vice Pressharing his story about what it’s like to when advocating for LGBT equality. ident Biden invited Greer, along with five grow up gay in Montana.

“When you’re greeted day after day other LGBT rights activists from across the “I got shoved into some lockers,” he with hostile reactions, being called up for northwest, to the White House for recogsays of his days at Bozeman High School. questions, when the point only seems to nition. In May, Biden became the highest“I dealt with my share of bullying. And I be to try to give you a hard time, some- ranking American official to publicly state think that I learned maybe some lessons times even to try and humiliate you, it is re- his support for gay marriage. President from that.” ally difficult to get back up there the next Barack Obama followed days later.

He draws on those lessons in his ca- day,” she says.

Greer says he’s pleased with the recogreer as a lobbyist and gay rights activist.

Greer says he’s happy to take the heat. nition. But as he peered through the White It’s not uncommon for him to hear law- He does it for others who might not be House gates last month, he couldn’t help makers and others in Helena refer to gay equipped to do so. “I wear it a bit like a but think of the other LGBT people who people as pedophiles, perverts and de- badge of honor,” he says. have been there before him. They include viants. In the midst of such rhetoric, Greer He’s polishing that badge for the 2013 activists arrested while demanding HIV has become a target for those who don’t legislative session. The next time state law- treatment funding and military veterans like his politics. In February 2011, Mon- makers convene could be significant for protesting Don’t Ask Don’t Tell. tana Family Foundation President Jeff Las- LGBT Montanans. A decision is expected “This is me standing on the shoulders zloffy referenced Greer by name in a radio from the state Supreme Court on a lawsuit of people who have been doing this work podcast, saying, “Those with depraved filed by the ACLU on behalf of six same-sex for decades,” Greer says. “I wasn’t there minds are trying to change the very fabric couples seeking partnership benefits. The by myself.” of our society so that we look more like court could order the legislature to craft a Sodom than Montana...” jmayrer@missoulanews.com domestic partnership mechanism so that

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missoulanews.com • October 4 – October 11, 2012 [9]

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[10] Missoula Independent • October 4 – October 11, 2012

Atomic attraction Hanford’s history is messy, but worth preserving

by Alex Ernst Roth

Hanford, in eastern Washington, is arguably the most polluted radioactive waste site in America. Yet if Congress passes pending legislation now backed by the Obama administration and members of Congress from both parties, parts of Hanford will be included in a new national historic park.

The intent of the proposed park is to preserve relics from the Manhattan Project, the top-secret World War II program that created the world’s first atomic bomb. In addition to parts of Hanford, the park would also include buildings and artifacts at Los Alamos, N.M., and Oak Ridge, Tenn., where other key parts of the bomb project were carried out.

If I had any doubts about the worthiness of preserving such monuments, they were erased recently when I joined a public tour of the B Reactor, the centerpiece of the Hanford portion of the proposed park. It was the world’s first large-scale nuclear reactor, operating from 1944 to 1968, and its purpose was to produce plutonium.

The deadly output from the B Reactor helped power the first nuclear explosive ever tested, as well as the bomb that destroyed Nagasaki, killing 70,000 people. The facility’s scale and intricacy are breathtaking. Even more impressive, it was built in the technological era of the slide rule—in just 13 months.

But if the Manhattan Project was one of the most significant undertakings of modern times, it is also among the most controversial. Depending on whom you ask, our country’s decision to drop two atomic bombs during World War II was either indispensable or indefensible. Plenty of other historic parks commemorate morally complex events, but few such events are so recent.

I was thoroughly charmed by the B Reactor tour guides. Several were retired Hanford workers who conveyed the sincere, can-do ebullience that defines the Greatest Generation. They appropriately explained the functions of different parts of the reactor, and showed no overt jingoism. But the tour

omitted any information or discussion that might offend the sensibilities of the surrounding community, whose high school team in nearby Richland is called “The Bombers,” and sports a mushroom cloud as a mascot.

If the park proposal moves forward, the Department of Energy will continue to manage most of Hanford, which is nearly half the size of Rhode Island. But it will be up to the National Park Service to staff and interpret the sites newly opened to the public.

“Plenty of other historic parks commemorate morally complex events, but few such events are so recent.”

At Hanford, the Park Service will have another set of complexities to address, and some may be even more fraught than questions about the morality of our atomic attack on Japan. After Japan’s surrender in 1945, the B Reactor, along with other facilities at Hanford, manufactured most of the plutonium for the tens of thousands of nuclear bombs that the United States built throughout the Cold War. Unfortunately, the fly-by-the-seat-of your pants disregard for the rules that was necessitated by wartime emergency continued well after the war ended. And ongoing secrecy shielded Hanford’s actions from public scrutiny. The result was dangerous operating

procedures and careless handling of radioactive materials.

Over the years Hanford lost track of enough plutonium to build dozens of Nagasaki bombs. The workforce was recklessly endangered and developed an abnormal number of cancers. Huge amounts of radiation were also released beyond the borders of the site, and some of those releases were even intentional, in flagrant disregard of known risks. One nearby area became known as the “Death Mile” because so many people there suffered from cancers.

Hanford’s post-war history makes the site even more compelling to visit, but it’s hard to imagine interpretive materials broaching disturbing events from this period much at all. Hanford’s long-hidden impacts on workers, public health and the environment only began to come to light in the 1980s, thanks to the muckraking of reporters along with the courage of whistleblowers, citizens’ groups and, sometimes, reformminded federal officials.

Today, Hanford is the subject of an immense cleanup that is many billions of dollars over budget and decades behind schedule. The site cleanup is now projected to take another $112 billion and at least 35 years to complete.

Maybe someday the Park Service will find a way to include the history of those who revealed Hanford’s shameful secrets and worked to hold its leaders accountable.

Maybe their deeds will be presented as just as heroic as those of the ingenious patriots who built and operated the B Reactor. In the meantime, Congress would be wise to safeguard our atomic artifacts and welcome the public, so visitors can contemplate their complex and contradictory legacy.

Alex Ernst Roth is a contributor to Writers on the Range, a service of High Country News (hcn.org ). He is a policy analyst, attorney and writer in Washington, D.C.

[opinion]

Eyes off the ball Missoula sure knows how to hunt down a vandal

by Dan Brooks

Two weeks ago, Missoula police arrested a man they believe spray-painted “Rape Nation” stencils on the Northside pedestrian bridge and stuck “Rape Nation” stickers to pretty much every flat surface in town. Todd Patrick Jordan, 35, pleaded not guilty to misdemeanor charges of mischief and conspiracy and was released on $2,500 bail. It was the most expensive misdemeanor release of the day, beating out drunk and disorderlies, drug possessions and an alarming number of DUIs. Before we go any further, I would like to make it clear that I think “Rape Nation” is stupid. Vandalism is stupid. A sophisticated society does not express itself through stickers, and spray-painting a bridge is a good way to feel important without actually helping anyone. If the mischief conspiracy behind “Rape Nation” believes Missoula has a sexual assault problem and the Montana Grizzlies are to blame, they could volunteer at the Student Assault Resource Center, Make Your Move Missoula, or another service organization in the time it takes to print stickers.

That said, the irony here is as obvious as it is frustrating. The sum authorities of Missoula jumped on the case of the “Rape Nation” stickerist with alacrity. The Missoula Police Department released five surveillance photos, including one of the perpetrator’s bicycle. Palmer was arrested and charged within 72 hours. This is the same police department that allegedly told Kerry Barrett, when she filed a sexual assault complaint in 2011, that “there is not much we can do except scare the guy.”

They certainly scared the hell out of Todd Jordan. Before he had even been arrested, Erika Palmer, the University of Montana director of trademarks and licensing, threatened whoever was behind the stickers with an infringement lawsuit.

“That is our exact paw,” she told the Missoulian. “If the paw is the same, that is trademark infringement.”

Of course, the first step in a trademark

infringement suit is to demonstrate that a reasonable person might mistake the image in question for the trademarked one, and very little Griz merchandise has the word “rape” on it. The stickers and stencils are obviously parody, and they refer to a scandal that is very much in the public eye. Unfortunately, both the police and the university seem more interested in quashing that scandal than addressing the problem that led to it.

“Both the police and the university seem more interested in quashing that scandal than addressing the problem that led to it.”

After the Department of Justice launched an investigation into the failure of county prosecutors, Missoula police and the university to adequately address accusations of sexual assault, UM Vice President Jim Foley did what anyone does when the house catches fire: he ran around smashing the smoke alarms.

Foley urged officials to use the term “date rape” instead of “gang rape.” He wondered in an email whether one alleged victim had violated the Student Conduct Code by talking publicly about what happened to her.

He wrote an angry letter to the Kaimin, noting that “the watchdog never barks at its own family members,” and he emailed Mayor John Engen demanding an apology from a local police officer who publicly wondered

when the university would “stop this spiraling PR mess.” Then, in June, he disappeared from the news completely.

You would think the police and the university would have learned from Foley’s disastrous example. When the Justice Department accuses you of collusion, stop colluding. When the public suspects you have covered up sexual assaults, stop covering up. Instead, the police launched a public manhunt for a small-time vandal, and the university announced its intention to sue whoever had the audacity to mention rape and the Griz in the same sticker.

I like the Montana Grizzlies. I like the university, and I bet I would like the Missoula Police Department, assuming they someday catch the lady who keeps pooping in the bushes next to my house. I want to believe that they did not mean to underenforce laws against sexual assault, and that they would never try to keep people from talking about rape just to sell football tickets. But the last six months have made that difficult.

The last week has made it hard not to think that law enforcement learned the wrong lesson. They devoted substantial resources to stopping the problem of someone pointing out the problem of rape, and the courts made sure the man they arrested didn’t get off easy.

Meanwhile, county attorney Fred Van Valkenberg has refused to cooperate with the DOJ investigation, which he says is political.

“It seems to be tied in to the so-called war on women that is being waged at the presidential level,” he told Fox News, “and I find that very disturbing.”

It’s a nonsensical reason from a man who is hunting for excuses as assiduously as he hunts for vandals. The Griz may be faltering, but Team Missoula is playing defense hard. University, police, prosecutors— they’ve all lined up in perfect formation. Too bad they’ve taken their eyes off the ball. editor@missoulanews.com

Photo by Chad Harder

missoulanews.com • October 4 – October 11, 2012 [11]

[quirks]

CURSES, FOILED AGAIN - Scott Douglas Jury, 53, notified authorities in Charlotte County, Fla., that someone had withdrawn money from his checking account several times without his permission. He filed a claim with the bank to be reimbursed for the $1,515 that was taken but was told he needed an official sheriff’s office report. When Jury went to the sheriff’s office to report fraudulent activity on another account, he was shown ATM photos of 11 transactions that he’d identified as fraudulent. They clearly revealed Jury withdrawing the money himself. He said he didn’t remember making any of the withdrawals but later admitted using the money to pay bills and buy illegal drugs. (Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office) Hired to kill a father of four in Cardiff, Wales, Jason Richards, 38, and Ben Hope, 39, instead murdered a 17-year-old boy at a home 70 yards away, according to British prosecutors, who accused the men of “staggering incompetence.” Investigators used Cardiff’s network of surveillance cameras to trace their movements, as well as evidence gathered from their cellphones. (BBC News)

BIG ON DOWN-SIZING - Following New York City’s ban on sugary soft drinks larger than 16 ounces, planners announced they hope to address the city’s growing population of singles and two-person households by overturning a rule that new apartments be at least 400 square feet so they can develop apartments of between 250 and 300 square feet. The “micro units” would rent for less than $2,000 a month, and have a bathroom, kitchen and combined living room-sleeping area. “We’re talking about one or two people who want something they can afford,” Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg said, “and they don’t entertain.” (Associated Press)

WATCHING THE DEFECTIVES - Police in Prince George’s County, Md., began installing surveillance cameras to monitor the county’s speed cameras, which recently became the target of vandals. One camera was shot with a gun, another set on fire. “It costs us $30,000 to $100,000 to replace a camera,” said police Maj. Robert V. Liberati, who commands the Automated Enforcement Section. “Plus, it takes a camera off the street that operates and slows people down.” The dozen planned surveillance cameras are needed because the speed cameras can’t be used for security since Maryland law limits them to taking pictures of speeding vehicles. “We’ve taken the additional step of marking our cameras to let people know that there is surveillance,” Liberati noted. (Washington’s WTOP-FM) WHEN GUNS ARE OUTLAWED - Police arrested Marvin G. Wallace, 34, in Norfolk, Neb., after a woman accused him of hitting her in the face with a vacuum cleaner after she reportedly crashed into a parked car. (The Norfolk Daily News) A clerk at a convenience store in Lincoln, Neb., told police a man demanded money while holding an object under a towel that resembled a gun. Police Officer Katie Flood said the clerk saw a power cord hanging below the towel and realized the gun was an electric drill. The robber fled empty handed. (Lincoln Journal Star)

NOW THAT’S DEBATING - At the start of a live television debate about the crisis in Syria, Jordanian politician Mansour Murad and Madaba First District Deputy Mohammed Shawabka began trading insults.

After Shawabkeh accused Murad of spying for the Syrian regime and Murad replied by calling Shawabkeh an Israeli spy and cursed the deputy’s father, Shawabka hurled a shoe at his opponent, who dodged the footwear. Then Shawabka drew a pistol from his waistband and threatened Murad but didn’t fire. The moderator tried several times to control his guests but to no avail. (The Jordan Times)

SEEING IS BELIEVING - Women who “test drive” larger breasts before getting implants wind up choosing even bigger implants, according to a British plastic surgeon. Mark Henley, who runs East Midlands Aesthetics in Nottingham, explained the “try-before-you-buy” idea involves wearing a heavily padded bra with 10 gel-filled pads on each side for two weeks to see how they like having bigger breasts. After using the technique on 162 women, he told the annual meeting of the British Association for Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons that on average they chose implants 30 percent larger than they first planned. He theorized that the padded bras boost their confidence. (Britain’s Daily Mail) A HOUSE DIVIDED - Obstructionist politics continued after House Republicans introduced a bill rife with typographical errors, including a ban on new federal regulations until the labor secretary reports “that the Bureau of Labor Statistics average of monthly employment rates for any quarter beginning after the date of the enactment of this Act is equal to or less than 6.0 percent” — in other words, a 94 percent unemployment rate. Acknowledging that “employment” should have read “unemployment,” Republicans anticipated unanimous consent to correct the typo, but House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer, D-Md., said Democrats would block the move. (The Washington Post) Two rival groups mounted separate re-enactments of the Civil War Battle of Antietam, known in the South as the Battle of Sharpsburg, requiring re-enactors to choose between realism or spectacle. The hobby’s so-called progressive wing focuses on historical accuracy, whereas mainstream re-enactors are more interested in battle tactics and camaraderie. Held on successive weekends, the two privately financed interpretations each attracted about 4,000 uniformed re-enactors. (Associated Press)

PHANTOM OF THE ATTIC - A woman who broke up with her boyfriend 12 years ago discovered the 44-year-old man living in the attic of her home in Rock Hill, N.C. Identifying herself only as Tracy, she said she was using her laptop one night but couldn’t shake the feeling that “something just ain’t right.”

She heard strange noises and noticed insulation falling from the ceiling. Later, she saw nails in the ceiling fall to the floor and thought “there was some poltergeist stuff going on.”

She called her nephew, who went into the attic and found the man, recently released from prison, sleeping inside a heating unit. The nephew noticed the man was able to peek at Tracy through an air vent and that cups containing feces and urine were all over the attic. After he was discovered, the man offered no explanation but climbed out of the attic and walked away with a smile. Tracy called police, but he was gone when they arrived. (Charlotte Observer)

[12] Missoula Independent • October 4 – October 11, 2012

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P

olitcal campaigns go to great lengths to draft the perfect political message and present the most appealing image of their candidates. But outside influence has always clouded the voter’s perspective. During the country’s infancy, that blurriness was partly due to the amount of liquor those candidates served up for their constituents come election time. Campaigns called it “swilling the planters with bumbo.” When George Washington first ran for the Virginia House of Burgesses in 1755, he opted for a more puritanical approach and skimped on the booze. He lost. Three years later, he ponied up roughly 160 gallons of rum, cider and beer for several hundred voters. He won.

The picture’s even muddier today, due not to the lavish wining and dining by the candidates but by the volume of outside interests. Third parties are exercising their own influence over the voter with ever-increasing amounts of cash, twisting sound bites and distorting voting records through an endless mirage of television ads, radio spots, mailers and websites. The past year has seen unprecedented levels of political spending and an unparalleled lack of transparency. The candidates’ own messages have often been hijacked by outside groups with deep-pocketed donors.

The result is messaging that becomes warped and fractal. In 2012, voters may as well be watching the campaigns through a kaleidoscope.

“We’re seeing a lot more by groups like Crossroads GPS and Patriot Majority and some others that just don’t disclose their donors,” says Bill Allison, editorial director for the Sunlight Foundation, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit dedicated to pushing for more transparency in modern campaigning. “Citizens just have no idea where the money is coming from that’s behind these ads.”

Much of the blame for this fractured new political frontier has fallen on the U.S. Supreme Court’s January 2010 ruling in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission. That decision freed labor unions, trade organizations and corporations to spend unlimited amounts of cash on political speech. Citizens United was narrow, however, and had little bite without the ruling issued two months later by the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals in SpeechNow.org v. FEC. The court’s finding lifted existing limits on contributions to certain political action committees and opened the door for tax-exempt organizations to accept unlimited cash.

“It’s that case that said that unions and corporations could give without limit

to what are called independent expenditure PACs,” says Jim Lopach, a University of Montana political science professor specializing in constitutional law.

In short, the two cases combined helped create the now-infamous super PAC, and gave rise to an era of what many call “dark money.”

These outside influences have already taken a noticeable toll on Montana’s Senate race, where Democratic incumbent Jon Tester is facing off against Republican Congressman Denny Rehberg. Both candidates combined have raised just over $15 million, and have spent around $8.7 million. Third party organizations have, by comparison, spent well over $11 million.

Much of the time, where that money’s coming from is anyone’s guess.

AN OLD STAPLE In mid September, the National Republican Senatorial Committee launched an ad attacking Tester for supporting an estate tax levied on property inherited in the event of a relative's death. The ad featured fourth-generation Billings rancher Turk Stovall, who visibly choked up when talking about the financial burden placed on his family after his father’s death in late 2011. “Since we’re getting taxed by him

dying, we could lose the whole outfit that him and my mom spent a lifetime putting together,” Stovall says in the ad. Stovall went on to claim that Tester had voted for the estate tax, and that “he’s voting for his party, not Montanans.”

The NRSC spent nearly $136,670 on the ad, which was also packaged for radio and a shorter televised version.

The estate tax, or “death tax” as it’s commonly referred to by conservatives, has been a favorite talking point of Rehberg’s during the current campaign. He’s shared his own story about the Rehberg family ranch getting heavily taxed in the wake of his great-grandmother’s death.

The claim was challenged in a recent High Country News feature, which quoted court documents indicating the family paid 17 percent of the estate’s value— about $32,000—when Rehberg’s grandmother died in 1974. HCN went on to report that, following the death of Rehberg’s great-grandmother in 1976, there’s “no indication that an estate tax was paid to the feds.”

The NRSC has spent more than $1.6 million since last fall on ads attacking Tester on a variety of issues, from his support for the Affordable Care Act to his votes on several key budget proposals.

One of the PAC’s first ads, aired last Sep-

WHO’S CONTROLLING THE MESSAGING IN YOUR POLITICS?

By Alex Sakariassen

Photo by Chad Harder

Protesters affiliated with the League of Conservation Voters rally outside Rep. Denny Rehberg’s Missoula office this summer. LCV, an environmental nonprofit, has spent $918,361 supporting incumbent Sen. Jon Tester this year.

[14] Missoula Independent • October 4 – October 11, 2012

tember, was pulled by at least one cable station for containing a factual inaccuracy.

The problem with the NRSC’s most recent ad, beyond inflating Rehberg’s own message about the “death tax,” is that it misconstrues Tester’s voting record on the issue. Tester voted this year against repealing the estate tax, instead supporting a measure to extend the Bush-era tax cuts through the end of 2013. Currently, only estates valued at more than $10 million are subject to the estate tax—a cap that drops to $1 million if the current tax cuts are allowed to expire this year. Moderates hope that an extra year can buy more time for the parties to reach an agreement on what, exactly, the cap should be.

Groups like the NRSC are a staple in politics and have been around since long before the curtain fell on Citizens United.

Political action committees are subject to contribution and expenditure limits, but they operate outside the confines of official campaigns. Trade groups, unions and businesses use them to contribute big dollars to candidates they favor; for example, business-oriented PACs have donated $1.5 million to Tester in 2012. Political parties use them to bolster spending done by candidates on their side of the ticket, as the NRSC did by donating $590,000 to the Montana Republican Party in June. The boost helped fund a $310,000 ad buy touting Rehberg as an “independent thinker” within the GOP. Some candidates operate their own leadership PACs in order to influence other races at home and elsewhere. Rehberg’s Building Our Opportunities Together PAC has spent $7,500 this cycle supporting fellow Republicans Scott Brown in Massachusetts and Dean Heller in Nevada. Heller was listed among the special guests at a $500-per-person Rehberg fundraiser at the NRSC headquarters in D.C. on Sept. 13.

The growing negativity in political advertising has led to PAC-sponsored ads, like the one featuring Stovall, that distort reality or hinge on half-truths. A May study of the tone of political ads, conducted by the ad-tracking Wesleyan Media Project, revealed that the ratio of negative ads to positive ads in presidential races alone jumped from 9 percent in 2008 to 70 percent in 2012. Candidates are often powerless to stop such messaging.

The NRSC’s cross-aisle cousin, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, has similarly distorted the truth in 2012. The group consistently knocks Rehberg in television advertisements for voting himself Congressional pay raises five consecutive times, despite promising voters during his unsuccessful 1996 Senate race that he would not. The ads omit the fact that the raise is an automatic cost-ofliving increase enacted in 1989, and that Rehberg voted in favor of a congressional pay freeze in 2010.

THE SUPER PACS DESCEND Two weeks ago, the liberal Majority PAC took its first stab at swinging the Montana Senate race away from Rehberg. The

group dropped $521,710.01 on an ad titled “Silver Plate,” which claimed Rehberg would be “lost without his lobbyist friends.” The ad pointed to a speech before the American League of Lobbyists last October in which Rehberg called lobbyists “honorable,” and highlighted the fact that Rehberg “used to be one.” The Tester campaign leveled similar accusations against the Republican challenger in late August, using the exact same information.

Majority PAC is a prime example of the groups that have formed in the wake of Citizens United. As a super PAC, Majority is free to accept and spend unlimited amounts of money expressly supporting

checks for $10 million like the Sheldon Adelsons of the world and the Harold Simmonses, they’re conferring with these folks and helping to push the strategy and the message.”

Super PACs are technically forbidden from coordinating directly with a candidate’s campaign. But these political pros are often in the same place at the same time, such as the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., in August.

Journalists, analysts and pundits alike speculate that coordination does in fact occur behind closed doors.

Majority PAC’s end-game isn’t hard to figure out: In a year when conservatives

to mind having their names associated with big money contributions.

According to a recent CBS News story, 26 individuals and companies have donated more than $1 million a piece to Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney’s Restore Our Future super PAC. Last week, left-wing philanthropist and mega-donor George Soros, who opposed the Citizens United decision and has spent years decrying super PACs, entered the cycle with an eleventh-hour $1 million donation to the pro-Obama Priorities USA Action. Soros also committed a combined $500,000 to the House Majority and Senate Majority PACs.

Photo by Steele Williams

Much of the outside spending in Montana’s 2012 Senate race hasn’t directly supported Rehberg. Instead, groups have focused on attacking incumbent Sen. Tester with millions in undisclosed advertising expenses.

or opposing a candidate for federal office.

Majority is backed by a host of unions, lobbyists and other political action committees (yes, PACs donate to super PACs, super PACs donate to PACs, etc.) It has spent more than $13 million on independent expenditures supporting Democrats or opposing Republicans, has contributed an additional $14.6 million to various candidates and had $1.2 million on hand at the end of August. One of Majority’s top donors is Working for Working Americans, a Las Vegas-based super PAC tied to trade unions.

Many of the super PACs in 2012 are run by political pros, Allison says, or people with connections to either the Democratic Party or the GOP. They know what type of influence works, and how best to achieve the goals that attract wealthy donors. “Some of the bigger super PACS are almost like shadow parties. But the donors, especially people who are writing

are gunning for a Republican majority in the Senate, liberal super PACs are fighting to hold the line. Tester’s seat is one of the most contested in the country. A poll released last week from the Global Strategy Group shows Tester with a narrow 2-point lead against Rehberg. In Montana, Majority’s efforts at least offset the work of conservative super PAC Freedomworks for America, which has spent thousands undercutting Tester’s re-election bid.

Super PACs have been the focus of considerable debate in the wake of Citizens United. However, the groups are far more transparent than other players in the campaign game. Super PACs are required to disclose independent expenditures to the FEC, and must file monthly reports listing donors and donation amounts. As a result, they’ve attracted support from wealthy mega-donors like casino mogul Sheldon Adelson and conservative billionaire Harold Simmons, who don’t appear

Super PACs are positioned to make an impact long after the Nov. 6 election. In exchange for unleashing relentless attack ads against candidates they oppose and clearing the field for candidates they favor, they expect a return on their investment.

“They can hire a lobbyist to go in and talk to members of Congress or their donors can, and go, ‘We’re the guys who dumped a million dollars on you in the waning days of your race, and you wouldn’t be here without us. Here’s what we want,’” Allison says. “You have these guys with these campaign finance bazookas, and all their donors have interests in Washington. That’s what’s so worrying.”

In Montana, the super PAC craze hasn’t been nearly as prominent as it has in other races across the country. Spending will pick up in the next month, and as super PACs drain the millions in their coffers, those who haven’t bought into the state yet might be tempted to do so.

missoulanews.com • October 4 – October 11, 2012 [15]

A study conducted in 2010 by the D.C.-based nonprofit Public Citizen revealed a startling development in political 501(c)(4) activity.

In 2004, nearly 98 percent of independent groups dropping money on electioneering communication THE RISE OF THE disclosed their donors. That figure NONPROFITS dropped to 50 percent in 2008, Perhaps the biggest player in and plummeted to 32 percent in Montana’s Senate race so far is Cross2010 following the Citizens United roads Grassroots Policy Strategies, ruling. Craig Holman, a governthe 501(c)(4) co-founded by GOP ment affairs lobbyist for Public Citstrategists Karl Rove and Ed Gillespie. izen and one of the leaders of the One of the group’s ads claims Tester study, says he expects the level of is the number one recipient of lobdisclosure to fall even further by byist donations in Congress. Another the end of the 2012 cycle. accuses the incumbent of voting to “We saw a 427-percent inraise taxes on small businesses and crease in outside spending in the families, and once again ties him to 2010 elections over the previous the passage of the Affordable Care congressional election,” Holman Act. All three attacks are identical to says. “And that was when corporaads and press releases paid for by Retions were sort of dipping their hberg’s campaign. toes in the campaign waters, sayIn the past month, Crossroads ing, ‘Can we really do this? Can we has disclosed $1.4 million in indereally get away with it without any pendent expenditures directly opposing Tester—the cost of GOP strategist Karl Rove is the co-founder of disclosure?’ Now they know they Crossroads GPS, a 501(c)(4) that has spent production and air time for two ads more than $3 million on “issue advocacy” ads can get away with it, and they saying “Vote no on Jon Tester for attacking Sen. Tester. The group does not dis- know how to do it.”

Crossroads is a perfect case U.S. Senate.” But ad totals beyond close its donors. study in the big donors’ attraction that are nearly impossible to calcuto anonymity. Rove originally late. For over a year, Crossroads has Crossroads this year—a fraction of the $71 dodged the FEC’s disclosure regulations million in political contributions he’s founded American Crossroads as a super PAC in the hopes of netting huge corpoby running “issue advocacy” ads, or ads doled out to conservative groups. that don’t directly support or oppose a poThese “social welfare” nonprofits have rate contributions. The plan didn’t pan litical candidate. Instead, Crossroads has risen to prominence since 2008, trumping out. Rove then established the branch encouraged voters to “Call Jon Tester” and super PACs as the real heavy hitters in 501(c)(4) Crossroads GPS and interest “Tell him: no more reckless spending, no contemporary campaigns. According to a turned around.

“That’s become the big money mamore new taxes, no more blank checks.” ProPublica report in August, Crossroads Crossroads flirted with the line of and the Koch brothers’ Americans for chine for Karl Rove,” Holman says. “Cross“issue advocacy” in a late August ad that Prosperity have spent nearly as much as roads is a very telling story here.”

The desire to offer donors complete was clearly meant to condemn a second every super PAC in the country combined.

Tester term. The ad featured images of a Adelson’s own Republican Jewish Coali- anonymity became more clear recently. little girl eating an orange and claimed tion has spent big too, though according This March, a district court judge ruled in that the nation’s debt has increased “$3.5 to ProPublica, the group told the IRS at its Van Hollen v. FEC that disclosure laws perBut so far, the flurry of activity here stems from what Allison considers a more insidious pool of political influence.

Even if these nonprofits do overstep campaign finance regulations, enforcement at the federal level is weak.

The IRS is currently investigating Rove’s Crossroads GPS and others under suspicion that they’ve violated their tax-exempt status by dedicating more money to political agendas than to social welfare. But any investigation will take time, and it’s not like the candidates they back will be kicked out of office for a nonprofit’s infraction. “If they get in trouble later, they’ll deal with it when they get in trouble,” Allison says. “But the election is over in November, and they’re going to pull out all the stops to get their guy to win.”

Crossroads admitted to its primary agenda earlier this summer: To regain a Republican majority in the Senate. It has specifically targeted the weakest Senate candidates in the country, particularly in North Dakota, Nebraska, Montana and Missouri. Following Missouri Republican candidate Todd Akin’s comments in September about rape, conservative backers pulled their support for his bid, including Crossroads GPS. The group is now redistributing its financial weight to remaining at-risk races.

“I actually kind of feel sorry for you guys [in Montana], because your television waves will be saturated with negative attack ads for the next couple weeks,” Holman says. “You’re not going to be able to get away from it.”

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, also a 501(c)(4), has spent $702,000 attacking Tester, with zero donor transparency. The attacks have hit on the same notes as scores of others: support for Obamacare, tax hikes, siding with “the Washington way.” But it’s Crossroads that has trumpeted the mantra of the Rehberg campaign that Tester has voted with President

“You have these guys with these campaign finance bazookas, and all their donors have interests in Washington. That’s what’s so worrying.”

—Bill Allison, Sunlight Foundation billion every single day since Jon Tester arrived in the U.S. Senate.” Crossroads cited Tester’s support for the stimulus bill, his support for the ACA and his votes “to raise the debt limit.” The ad ended with the line “Tell Tester: cut the debt,” and asked viewers to “Support the New Majority Agenda.”

Rough estimates based on Crossroads press releases received by the Independent and on data gathered by the Sunlight Foundation put Crossroads’ spending in Montana’s Senate race at close to $4 million. The New York Times and Huffington Post reported in June that Sheldon Adelson has donated at least $10 million to

[16] Missoula Independent • April 13–April 20, 2012

founding in 1985 that it would not engage in politics. These groups have executed all this spending without having to disclose any of their donors, to either the FEC or the IRS. It’s here, Allison believes, that corporations have truly taken advantage of Citizens United.

“After Citizens United, groups like the U.S. Chamber of Commerce have much wider latitude in terms of what they can do,” Allison says. “If you’re a corporation that’s trying to avoid alienating half of your customers, it makes more sense to do things through a group that doesn’t have to disclose you as a donor and can take the heat for the ad.”

taining to groups like Crossroads had been misinterpreted, and that nonprofits running “issue advocacy” ads had to disclose certain donors. Crossroads subsequently abandoned its mock-neutrality and began running ads directly opposing Tester in September. When an appeals court overturned the Van Hollen ruling on Sept. 18, Crossroads quickly transitioned back to its “issue advocacy” model.

“These groups have, as their priority, not to disclose their funding sources,” Holman says. “As a result, most of this outside money spent in Montana, you really aren’t going to know where it’s coming from.”

Barack Obama “95 percent of the time.”

Taken from the Crossroads ads, however, the message is switched to “97 percent of the time.” The continued attacks have added considerably to the negativity of the campaigns.

“It’s almost like candidates have outsourced their negative ad operations to these groups, because it doesn’t stick to the candidate,” Allison says. “Afterwards, it’s not Mitt Romney or Jon Tester saying ‘I approve this message.’ It’s ‘Paid for by Americans for Good Government and Apple Pie’ and whatever else. The candidate doesn’t get the negative perceptions for running negative ads.”

Flooding the market U.S. Senate races with the most advertising State Montana Missouri Wisconsin Texas Ohio Nevada Massachusetts Virginia North Dakota Florida

Est. Spending

Ad Airings

$4,495,130 13,411,090 9,757,850 12,453,080 12,862,220 8,465,480 11,484,610 7,812,140 2,724,890 9,939,170

44,548 28,583 26,182 21,709 19,878 17,169 16,391 14,524 12,619 12,318

Totals are from June 1 through Sept. 8.

Numbers include broadcast television and national cable spots.

Data provided by Kantar Media/CMAG with analysis by the Wesleyan Media Project

THE ROOT OF THE MESSAGE UM’s Jim Lopach believes much of this outside influence washes right over a bulk of Montana’s electorate. He calls it “wasted money.” Political advertising is far more likely to reassure voters who already have their minds made up than it is to create converts. “People tune it out,” Lopach says.

Given the D.C. savvy of the strategists running the operations, Allison isn’t so sure.

“Folks like Karl Rove and Bill Burton on the Democratic side, who’s doing [Obama super PAC] Priorities USA, are not stupid,” Allison says. “They don’t do things that don’t work. They run so many negative ads because they know it will frame elections for voters.”

If outside spending has any influence on the voter at all, Allison adds, it’s that the high level of negativity turns the voter off the process entirely. Ads in the 2008 presidential race were largely positive compared to 2012, and that election enjoyed a high voter turnout rate. “You might see turnout dropping in 2012,” Allison says.

The real impact is felt by the candidate, watching as his or her message is corrupted by groups with secretive money and ulterior motives. Tester rolled out his first campaign ads as a series of reassurances that he’s still the Montana farmer voters sent to D.C. in 2006. There has been the occasional attack on Rehberg, but Tester has largely stuck to his votes in favor of the auto-industry bailout and his work on bills benefitting the state’s veterans.

Rehberg went on the offensive early in his campaign, promoting his campaign’s central message that Tester is, effectively, Obama Lite. By early summer, however, he shifted into his own identity branding, releasing an ad featuring a Bozeman family’s story about how Rehberg helped them overcome bureaucratic red-tape when adopting their daughter from Nepal.

The messages are fairly clear: Tester’s a Montana farmer representing families and small businesses, and Rehberg’s a

Montana rancher promising to shrink the federal government’s footprint in the state.

But with so many outside ads dominating Montana’s airwaves, it’s become easy for the positive reinforcement behind those messages to get lost in the din. And it’s grown equally as easy for the candidates’ negative salvos to become amplified.

“You end up with these different voices with different perspectives that are very different from the candidates’, and that can really get in the way of their messaging,” Allison says. “Especially in congressional races, an outside group dumping a couple million dollars when you have House candidates raising a few million and Senators raising maybe $10 million or $20 million, that can have a huge impact.”

That’s primarily why Allison’s Sunlight Foundation, along with nonprofits such as the Center for Responsive Politics, have taken steps to bring more transparency to the process. Over the past two years, Sunlight has rolled out a number of searchable web databases making campaign finance information more accessible for the general public. Sites like Influence Explorer boast “Google simplicity,” as Allison puts it, and allow voters to search for specific donors and candidates.

Political Partytime, a database of political event invitations, sheds light on how individual candidates go about raising campaign cash.

“Members of Congress don’t have to really tell us how they raise all that

money,” Allison says. “I mean, they have to disclose their donors, but they don’t say how they raise it. So we’ve forced this transparency on them using old-fashioned journalism, talking to sources and asking them for invites.”

These efforts won’t solve the underlying problem of unchecked outside influence on political campaigns.

Neither will the DISCLOSE Act, a bill languishing in Congress this year that would require stricter disclosure of political spending and contributions.

Legally, there are only two possibilities for reining in the unprecedented amounts of cash flowing through the current elections process. The Supreme Court could reverse its decision in Citizens United, an outcome that’s unlikely given the court’s strikedown this year of Montana’s Corrupt Practices Act. Or Congress could pass a constitutional amendment limiting the campaign activity of corporations.

“Amending the constitution is a very difficult process,” Lopach says. “It’s only been done 27 times, and only four of those 27 amendments overrode Supreme Court decision in our history.

When people put on the ballot a measure that urges the Montana Legislature to urge Congress to propose an amendment, it’s just futile. That’s not going to happen.”

In other words, get used to seeing elections through the current fractured view.

Campaigns may try to rise above outside influence to reach potential voters, but if 2012 is any indication, the electorate would have a clearer perspective of the candidates after a couple gallons of rum. asakariassen@missoulanews.com

Photo by Chad Harder

Tester waves to Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder during the band’s campaign benefit show Sept. 30 in Missoula. Tester’s campaign sold 400 tickets to the event for between $250 and $500 a piece.

missoulanews.com • October 4 – October 11, 2012 [17]

[arts]

Up in the air Artist Joe Batt examines our mass exodus into the cloud

by Erika Fredrickson

A detail from Joe Batt’s installation In the Cloud.

F

or the last several days, Joe Batt has been making large charcoal and pastel drawings on the 12foot walls of the Brunswick Gallery. It’s an exercise that recalls the rudimentary act of cave painting, except that his drawings are images of people interacting with technology—cellphone towers and wifi waves looming over a woman nursing her baby while surfing the internet, people with Bluetooths clamped to their ears, a man, surrounded by wildlife, texting on his cellphone.

“I call it a meditation of where we’re at with the mass migration into the cloud is happening,” he says of the installation, titled In the Cloud. “It seems to me to be faster than what I can comprehend.”

The artist, who earned his master’s from the University of Montana’s ceramics program in 1993 and now teaches art at South Puget Sound Community College in Olympia, Wash., has been thinking about technology a lot lately. He hands me a photocopied article from a recent Newsweek called “Is the Web Driving Us Mad?” It’s a cautionary tale about Jason Russell, a man who went from internet newbie to in-

ternet obsessed. Russell’s web documentary on African warlord Joseph Kony garnered a lot of attention on social media and Russell reacted by spiraling into technology madness: reading every comment, Tweeting and sending out digital photos, instead of sleeping and, finally, to taking off his clothes and ranting on a busy San Diego street corner about the devil—an incident that became a viral YouTube video.

“I have a love-hate relationship with technology,” Batt says. “I think that it’s really attractive, especially since touch screens have come out. All of my most intelligent friends, even in social situations, they’re just drawn into that world. And I’ve found since getting an iPad, that the same thing has happened to me.

[But] there’s some evidence it’s addictive and can inhibit people’s healthy development and make them unhappy, and that concerns me.”

Still, Batt doesn’t shy away from technology in his art classes. He asks his students to use iPads to create digital sketchbooks. The apps allow them to take photos of their hand-drawn work and manipulate it, or to compose sketches and paintings entirely

[18] Missoula Independent • October 4 – October 11, 2012

in digital space. They can also play around with other people’s art—taking photos of established artists’ pieces and then changing them, which Batt admits feels a little weird. “They had such a good time with that and I thought even though it might have been a little bit wrong, I think most good things come from creatively pushing boundaries,” he says. “It doesn’t automatically make it good or bad. It’s a little bit too fun to resist.”

Batt wrestles with how to incorporate technology in art, but nothing shakes his conviction that apps can ever replace the conventional ways of making art. His students seem to agree. “When we’ve done our virtual sketchbooks,” he says, “one of the conditions they put on me was, ‘We’ll do that. We’ll do 50 pages of sketches but we want to be able to do some on iPad and some on paper. We want to feel real paint. We don’t always want to be touching a glass screen.’”

Batt’s Missoula installation is part of his sabbatical work. It opens at the Brunswick First Friday, but what you’ll see is just the beginning of his project. The sketches, which celebrate hand drawing as opposed to

digital drawing, will be painted over—wiped out completely—after October. But they won’t disappear. Batt has been taking photos of the drawings and he’ll post them on Facebook and use his iPad to create new versions of the images, to bring the conversation about technology full circle.

“I’ll preserve them digitally and manipulate them and make different kinds of art with them,” he says. “So, kind of on the good side, technology seems to give many lives to each art piece.”

“We’ve got one foot completely off the path and the other one is about to step off,” he adds. “And for me, I’m just not ready to do that. I want to use technology in my classes, and as a way to make art. But I think it’s a good idea to pay attention to what we’re doing.”

Joe Batt’s In the Cloud opens First Friday, Oct. 5, at the Brunswick Gallery, 223 W. Railroad St., with a reception from 5 to 8 PM. Free. You can also view it every Thu. and Fri. through October from noon to 5 PM. efredrickson@missoulanews.com

[books]

Jump off the page Music, money and odyssey at the Festival of the Book

by Erika Fredrickson

The Montana Festival of the Book hosted a panel in 2009 about my favorite television show, “The Wire,” expanding the event’s already expansive lineup to a new medium. That panel came a year or two after the festival added an annual poetry slam moderated by Tahj Bo Kjelland. What next, Festival of the Book? A rock show?

Well, sort of. This year’s lineup features some musical surprises along with the usual assortment of readings and panels. Here we give you the scoop on the most noteworthy (get it?) parts of the schedule.

the towering man standing next to him what book of Welch’s he should read, if he were to pick one, and the man—who turned out to be Missoula writer Bill Kittredge—said The Heartsong of Charging Elk. That novel was Welch’s last. It’s based on a trip Welch and his wife, Lois, took to France, and their encounter there with a man claiming to be the descendant of an American Indian who traveled with Buffalo Bill’s Wild

Bloogle + sunrise = love Art folk band Stellarondo has recently been touring and recording with author Rick Bass. Their new collaborative album, which combines four of Bass’ short stories with the band’s dreamy folkscape, is a cool audio experience. Even better than listening to the new album: Listening to the band's live score as Bass reads on the Wilma TheStellarondo atre stage.

The short story “Eating” begins The Montana Festival of the Book runs Thu., Oct. 4, through “sometime before dawn in North Car- Sat., Oct. 6. Go to the Humanities Montana website for a full schedule of events. Free except for the Friday night reception olina.” As Bass talks you can hear the at the Holiday Inn at 5:30 PM, which is $25. sleepy sunrise in Caroline Key’s banjo.

You can hear owls flying in the way Gibson Hartwell’s West Show. After Horvitz read the story, he turned it pedal steel gently swoops and Travis Yost’s bass adds into a song cycle. It took three years to bring the 45a wise weightiness. When Yost picks up the pace, the minute performance to Missoula, but now here it is, story of a couple stopping at a diner picks up, too. directed by local conductor Dylan Dwyer and featurThis is classic Bass: hardy and gossamer countryside ing Seattle vocalists. Festival organizer Kim Anderson adventures full of odd characters, river bends and says it’s such an impressionistic piece that Lois Welch wine, dark pools and high chalky bluffs. Stellarondo and Horvitz will introduce the song cycle by summing adds another layer of imagery with unusual instru- up the story for those who haven’t read it. ments such as the kalimba, bloogle resonator and The musical adaptation of The Heartsong of “railroad detritus.”

Charging Elk kicks off at the Wilma Theatre Sat., Stellarondo and Rick Bass perform at the Oct. 6, at 7:30 PM. Wilma Theatre for their CD-release party Thu., Oct. 4, at 8 PM. Return to the road Patrick deWitt’s The Sisters Brothers was the best kind of picaresque imaginable: two assassin brothers The Wildwood rumpus If you loved Maurice Sendak’s Where the Wild meet a string of characters—and learn something Things Are or Roald Dahl’s James and the Giant about themselves—on their quest to kill a man. It’s Peach, or any story about kids on wild, fantastical, gritty, weird, dark, hilarious and vivid. It’s vivid in the sometimes scary adventures, you should check out same delicious way as Steinbeck is in Cannery Row. the Wildwood Chronicles. It makes sense that Colin For the panel discussion All Good Stories Start with Meloy, of indie-rock band The Decemberists, whose a Journey, deWitt is joined by authors J. Robert songs dabble in folklore and steampunk worlds, and Lennon and Jonathan Evision to discuss “the jourhis wife, illustrator Carson Ellis, would create a liter- ney.” The panel also include the witty Pam Houston, ary series that doesn’t annoyingly condescend to chil- who just released Contents May Have Shifted, a novel dren. In Under Wildwood, the couple’s second book, about a spiritual journey around the world that the adventure continues in the land of sky-tall trees sounds a little like Eat Pray Love, but hopefully isn’t. and in the shadow of new dangers: assassins and evil She’s one of the Gala readers this year, along with David Quammen and Ivan Doig. industrial titans.

Colin Meloy and Carson Ellis present Under The On the Road panel discussion takes place at Wildwood at the Holiday Inn Thu., Oct. 4, at 4:30 PM. the Holiday Inn Fri., Oct. 5, at 2:30 PM. The Gala Reading with Pam Houston, David Quammen and Ivan Doig kicks off later that night at the Wilma TheCharging Elk sings Composer Wayne Horvitz became intrigued by atre at 7:30 PM. Montana author James Welch while attending a memorial service for him in Washington state. He asked efredrickson@missoulanews.com

missoulanews.com • October 4 – October 11, 2012 [19]

Fall Planting Now!

[books]

Asters ~ Mums ~ Bulbs ~ Garlic

Make fun, not war

On Sale ~ 20% Off

Trees • Shrubs • Evergreen • Roses • Vines • Natives Berries • Fruit • Herbs • Perennials

Fobbit takes aim at military hypocrisies in Iraq

by Brad Tyer

War has always provided one of literature’s to appreciate their relative but incomplete immunity grandest stages, from Thucydides to Tolstoy to Mailer, from killing or being killed. Sounds like a perfectly but war fiction’s angle of approach changed in 1961, reasonable response to me.

Hurdle that quandary, though, and Fobbit is when Joseph Heller skewered America’s “Good War,” World War II, with Catch-22. War as a proving ground enormously recommendable. Abrams is a highly for heroic masculinity and theater of horror gave way skilled juggler of voices, from the authoritarian pomto war as a breeding ground for bureaucratic psy- posity of a cubicle commando to the self-aggrandizing chosis and bleak illogic. Classical tragedy gave way to emails-to-mom of a would-be warrior to the diary enblack comedy. Catch-22 changed the game, and rarely tries of a Dickens-reading public affairs officer. If we’re a bit too busy mocksince has war been treated ing these “dickless, lily-livin American fiction with an ered desk jockey[s]” to entirely straight face. develop much genuine The black-comedy apempathy for them, there’s proach carried subversive still much to admire about power in the 1960s, with the way Abrams pulls their the dutifully triumphant strings. Fobbit is fastmemory of WWII still fresh, paced, realistically proand the country’s controfane, seamless, believable versial adventurism in Vietand queasily funny. And nam grasping for public while readers may quibble support, but that cultural about Abrams’ choice of watershed is now four targets, there’s no arguing decades in the past. Does his accuracy. As a fly-onblack comedy still work the-wall portrait of life in when the war in question the military’s back office, is long established as a bad Fobbit rings true, and if joke? How to be subversive you weren’t already conabout an endeavor that’s vinced of Operation Iraqi already been undermined Freedom’s fundamental seven ways from Sunday? hypocrisies, it’s highly unDavid Abrams, a 20likely that you’ll emerge year Army veteran from from Fobbit with your Butte, tests that question delusions intact. Regardwith Fobbit.

A Fobbit, the book’s David Abrams reads for the Montana Festival less, it would be a sericover clarifies, is “a U.S. of the Book at the Holiday Inn Fri., Oct. 5, at ously blunted reader who 4 PM, with author Kim Barnes. failed to enjoy the ride.

Army employee stationed Catch-22 is one of Abrams’ acknowledged touchat a Forward Operating Base, esp. during Operation Iraqi Freedom (2003-2011).” As everything after es- stones here, and it’s a high bar to reach for. Heller’s Yostablishes, Fobbit is a pejorative term, used by “real” sarian was an antihero for sure, but he has a clear frontline soldiers to refer to the FOB’s pencil pushers, relationship to heroism that readers can align with, pro press releasers, “supply clerks, motor pool mechan- or con. There’s no such moral compass in play here. ics, cooks, mail sorters, lawyers, trombone players, Fobbits may be despised for their supposed workaday logisticians,” each with a “pale, gooey center” where cowardice, but it’s not like the novel provides genuine “their hearts should be beating with a warrior’s heroes to contrast them to. When Yossarian abandons courage and selfless regard.” Fobbits, in contrast, are his Good War, he’s running from an untenable moral “all about making it out of Iraq in one piece.” dilemma. When—spoiler alert—Staff Sgt. Chance GoodThis is a curious target for an absurdity-of-war ing Jr., the aforementioned public affairs officer, takes novel to set sights on. Fobbit takes aim not at clueless his unauthorized leave at Fobbit’s conclusion, he’s rungenerals or stay-at-home policy makers or even mer- ning because he can no longer imagine any way to spin cenary contractors, but at run-of-the-mill support a bad war into good news for the folks back home. You staff. And when Fobbit’s support staff are placed feel for him, sort of, in the way that you might empathize squarely in potentially transformative moments—the with Dilbert, but in terms of moral consequence, it’s just opportunities that make war so attractive to writers not the same. And a war without moral consequence, of fiction and nonfiction alike—they don’t transcend however entertaining, is just a video game. That the and they don’t transform. They just continue to fuck American experience of war has devolved to this condithings up. Your appreciation of the book may depend tion may be Fobbit’s ultimate statement, less satisfying on how comfortable you are deriding members of the than Heller’s, perhaps, but no less important. If it U.S. armed forces who did not choose to go to an ar- doesn’t quite qualify as grand, don’t blame Abrams— guably pointless war, by and large did not choose he’s just the messenger. And maybe his just wasn’t a very their duty assignments, and, while trapped in un- good war. pleasant circumstances for as long as their government chooses to keep them there, have the temerity arts@missoulanews.com

[20] Missoula Independent • October 4 – October 11, 2012

[books]

All aboard Kesselheim’s crew comes of age on the river

by Brad Tyer

It’s unlikely that anyone in Montana has logged saddle. “I hate the intersections with civilization during more miles in a canoe than Bozeman’s Alan Kesselheim. a trip,” he writes. He’s happiest putting such intersecHe’s a veteran of two year-long cross-Canada paddles, tions behind him. “The sounds of town fade. The anand countless excursions on American rivers far and glers are concentrated upstream. We see no one the rest of the afternoon. ... Weekend warriors, Saturday drunks wide across three decades.

And it would be a rare Montanan who’s written shuttered in their houses, kids who won’t open the gate, more words on the subject. He’s the author on nine pre- all slip into that dimension we recognize less and less vious books about wetlands, rivers, camp cooking and as having much to do with us.”

Kesselheim is a writer who’s used to keeping his canoeing, and a longtime regular contributor to Canoe balance and finding smooth tongues through rough & Kayak magazine. water, but it’s these occasional Put him in a cotton campirritations that spark some of fire tent and you’ve got Monhis most fun, and least gentle, tana’s own Bill Mason. (For writing. Jet Skis, for instance, readers who aren’t into this push him over the edge: “Give kind of stuff, Bill Mason, now me blackflies as thick as fur, deceased, was a Canadian sort howling headwinds, maddenof canoeing celebrity, if you ing mosquitoes, a week of can imagine such a thing.) rain, anything but these exKesselheim’s emeritus haust-belching, fuel-spewing, status shows in the practiced noise-polluting water pigs.” flow of Let Them Paddle. It’s Still, most of Let Them a book written in the rhythms of moving water, Paddle’s conflict is of a quiand it’s worth reading for eter sort, tracking the kids’ the sustained—and sustaintransitions to adulthood, the ing—rhythm alone. This isn’t parents’ transition into reprojust a stylistic preference for ductive obsolescence and the Kesselheim; it’s the point: bumpy transitions that frame “This place—the mantra of any river trip of length: “... it my strokes, the canoe teardoesn’t feel like a trip until the ing through the satin tension familiar fades away and river of river, the wordless rhythm time asserts itself,” he writes. with a partner—is as close to “The first days out always have Alan Kesselheim reads at the Montana meditation as I ever get. The Festival of the Book at the Holiday Inn that edge to them, the stalled other boats recede. The life Fri., Oct. 5, at 2:30 PM. period of transition.”

I will return to recedes. ...

Adventure writing, as Tim We hum downstream together, strong and sleek and Cahill has ably demonstrated, usually works best when practiced.” everything goes wrong. By that measure, Kesselheim’s The framework beneath the book’s flow is as sim- book falls short. He mines encounters with beluga ple as it is specific. Each of Kesselheim’s three children— whales, musk ox and a ponderous polar bear for tenEli, Sawyer and Ruby—experienced his or her first river sion, but there are no genuine emergencies in Let trip prenatally, bobbing down wilderness rivers in the Them Paddle, and Kesselheim seems happily suspiwomb of Kesselheim’s wife, Marypat. In their teens, cious of melodrama. “You could make too much of a crossing the cusp from childhood to maturity, the family thing like that,” he writes of the auspicious visit from revisits these rivers as rites of passage. the musk ox, “or of this eagle flying overhead. You They’re big trips. Eldest Eli’s is Canada’s Kazan could read deeper meaning into it, make it more porRiver, six weeks and 550 miles from a float-plane put-in tentous than necessary. But it would be worse to not to Hudson Bay. Middle kid Sawyer gets the month-long make enough of it.” Kesselheim writes thoughtfully, length of the Yellowstone into North Dakota. Daughter sincerely, appreciatively, of the things on a river that Ruby gets a combo platter of Manitoba’s Seal River and go right. the Rio Grande as it winds through the canyons of Big Balance, not conflict, is Kesselheim’s narrative Bend National Park. compass, and watching him map a route through parThe trips give Kesselheim the latitude to perform enthood is one of his book’s quiet pleasures. “We’ll skillful natural histories on the Inuits of the Canadian be damned if having kids is going to change our tundra, the civilizing depredations of the Yellowstone, lifestyle,” Kesselheim writes of his transition, with and the borderland culture of “the basement of the Marypat, to family life. But if the Kesselheims do an desert.” admirable job of juggling dry bags and cloth diapers, Along the way you get to know Kesselheim and his there’s no stopping a river’s one-way march to its sea. family, and they seem very much like the kind of people Bodies age, kids grow, time passes. Let Them Paddle you’d like to find sharing your next downriver campsite. celebrates that inevitable flow. You can revisit a river, They might not be as happy to see you, though. A burr but you can never wade into the same life twice. of misanthropy, recognizable to any long-distance river runner, sometimes works its way under Kesselheim’s arts@missoulanews.com

missoulanews.com • October 4 – October 11, 2012 [21]

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[22] Missoula Independent • October 4 – October 11, 2012

Proof of character Doig orders up another classic with Bartender’s Tale

by Michael Peck

If Montana literature were a religion, Ivan Doig derby fiasco, to an awards ceremony for Tom sponmight be its pope. The author of 13 venerated novels, sored by Select (“Shellac”) beer, to a disastrous rehe has written a trilogy about Montana’s statehood, union of mudjacks at Fort Peck. It’s an old-fashioned a turn-of-the-century Butte novel called Work Song, page-turner, intimately affecting right up through the and This House of Sky, a memoir of his boyhood pile of unexpected surprises in the book’s final chapgrowing up in a raw and magnificent landscape. Doig ter. Wedged in between the Depression and the cultakes a different tack in The Bartender’s Tale. It’s a tural shifts of the ’60s and ’70s (Tom keeps a poster drama set in what he calls “the Two Medicine coun- of FDR on the wall, alongside that of JFK), the book try,” and particularly in a small town called Gros Ventre at the Medicine Lodge saloon.

The tale begins in 1954 when Doig’s 6-year-old protagonist, Rusty Harry, is retrieved in Phoenix by his father, Tom, and brought to Gros Ventre where “the bachelor saloonkeeper with a streak of frost in his black pompadour and the inquisitive boy who had been an accident between the sheets” take up residence behind Tom’s bar. By 1960, Rusty is employed as a swamper in the Medicine Lodge, spending his time foraging through the collected memorabilia in the back room of the establishment, and listening at a vent behind the bar to colorful stories with his new friend, Zoe. That summer, Tom and Rusty’s easygoing existence is shattered by the arrival of Tom’s former fling, Proxy, and their pseudohippie daughter, Francine.

At this point, on page 222, the real bartender’s tale begins, as Francine learns the intricacies of bartend- Ivan Doig reads at the Montana Festival of the Book gala reading at ing, Tom negotiates a the Wilma Theatre Fri., Oct. 5, at 7:30 PM with David Quammen and string of uncertainties Pam Houston. Free. about his watering-hole, and Rusty, on the verge of exiting adolescence, tries captures the epoch’s mood and vocabulary with aplomb. Less sweeping, perhaps, than his previous to solve the mysteries of adult behavior.

Chaucerian in scope but utterly Doigian in execu- works, it resonates in its own epic way. Rusty rumtion, The Bartender’s Tale is another of the novelist’s mages through the detritus of obstinate drinkers as treasuries of characters and character. Tom and Rusty Del Robertson records the unrecorded for posterity, are believable creations, as reliably human as members and Tom plays his role as the ultimate “listening barof an extended family. Even his secondary cast—news- tender.” All of these elements allow Doig to be mulpaper editor Bill Reinking, multiple-divorcee Vera tifaceted in his depiction of a patrilineal relationship Simms and Canada Dan, a hard-drinking sheep- and regional history.

The Bartender’s Tale feels more like eavesdropherder—are vibrant. Especially well-wrought is the nebbish Del Robertson, a sort of Studs Terkel stand-in and ping than mere reading. “It is said,” Rusty muses, partly deaf interviewer, who’s come west to gather “that it takes a good storyteller to turn ears into eyes,” audio for a Library of Congress “Missing Voices” series. and that’s true of Doig, too.

Likewise, Doig’s description of scenes in Rusty’s arts@missoulanews.com adolescent voice is incredibly sculpted, from a fishing

[film] LOOPER In 2072 time-travelling mobsters travel around space and time killing each other with convoluted devices. Starring my wife’s boyfriend Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Bruce Willis and Emily Blunt. Rated R. Carmike 12, Village 6 and Pharaohplex.

OPENING THIS WEEK FRANKENWEENIE Go ahead bring your dead dog back to life, kid.

But I guaran-damn-tee there are plenty of consequences to doing so. Starring the voices of my exgirlfriend Winona Ryder, Catherine O’Hara and Martin Short. Rated PG. Carmike 12, Village 6, Pharaohplex and Entertainer.

PITCH PERFECT Oh hells yeah, girlfriend, this is the story of a gal who brings some much-needed spunk to her all girls’ college choir. Watch out boys, it’s time for a sing-off and some shenanigans. Starring Anna Kendrick, Brittany Snow and Rebel Wilson. Rated PG-13. Carmike 12.

RUBY SPARKS To defeat a bout of writer’s block, an author creates a female character for him to love rather than dating girls from his MFA program like you’re supposed to do. Starring Paul Dano, Zoe Kazan and Annette Bening. Rated R. Wilma.

TAKEN 2 It’s all about revenge, baby. Retired CIA operative Brian Mills and his wife are taken hostage by the father of the man Mills killed in Taken. Undoubtedly, it’s personal this time. Starring Liam Neeson, Famke Janssen and Maggie Grace. Rated PG-13.

Carmike 12, Village 6, Pharaohplex and Entertainer.

NOW PLAYING 2016: OBAMA’S AMERICA Based on Dinesh D’Souza’s book, The Roots of Obama’s Rage, this “documentary” pulls back the

RESIDENT EVIL: RETRIBUTION Milla Jovovich continues to battle the Umbrella Corporation, but this time she has help from a resistance group. Also starring Sienna Guillory and Michelle Rodriguez. Rated R. Carmike 12.

Sniff test. Ruby Sparks opens Friday at the Wilma.

proverbial curtain and uses Obama’s own words to illustrate how he desires to make the United States pay for the sins of our fathers. Rated Fatuous. Or PG. Village 6.

ARBITRAGE A troubled hedge fund manager makes a big time money mistake and finds help in an unlikely source, the American taxpayer. Jokes, I bet it’s Satan. Starring Richard Gere, Susan Sarandon and Brit Marling. Rated R. Wilma.

THE DARK KNIGHT RISES The fairly reluctant hero and caped crusader of Gotham City returns to do what the police cannot: stop terrorists from destroying the world, in a mere 164 minutes. His nemesis? Bane, a dude with a face mask that would make Hannibal Lector squee. Rated PG-13. Village 6.

END OF WATCH Two cops torque off the wrong drug cartel during a routine traffic stop and they find themselves in more trouble than a sack of snakes at an emu convention. Starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Michael Peña

and Anna Kendrick. Rated R. Village 6.

FINDING NEMO 3D This 3D “update” of the 2003 kids’ “classic” has “jokes” for all the “adults,” too. Plus stuff flying right at your face. Starring the voices of Albert Brooks and Ellen DeGeneres. Rated G for Gouge.

Carmike 12.

HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA In this animated gem, Dracula has to protect his tween daughter from the advances of a human boy, all while operating a high-end resort for monsters and ghouls. Love bites, indeed. Starring the voices of Adam Sandler, Kevin James and Andy Samberg. Rated PG. Carmike 12 and Pharaohplex.

HOUSE AT THE END OF THE STREET Mom and daughter move next door to a house where the parents of a family were murdered by their own daughter. The surviving son befriends the new girl and things get real, quick. Starring Jennifer Lawrence, the eternally gorgeous Elisabeth Shue and Max Thieriot. Rated PG13. Carmike 12 and Pharaohplex.

TROUBLE WITH THE CURVE A baseball scout who used to be one of the best things going in all of cinema, excuse me, baseball, slowly loses his mojo and credibility, so he takes his daughter along for one last scouting trip. Starring Clint Eastwood, Amy Adams and John Goodman. Rated PG13. Carmike 12, Pharaohplex and Showboat.

WON’T BACK DOWN A group of mothers decide to take back the debilitated inner-city school their children attend, and they’re going to do it without bats or melodramatic speechifying (doubtful). Starring Viola Davis, Maggie Gyllenhaal and Holly Hunter. Rated PG. Carmike 12.

Capsule reviews by Jason McMackin.

Moviegoers be warned! For show times please visit missoulanews.com, contact the theaters telephonically or check theater websites in order to spare yourself any grief and/or parking lot profanities. Theater phone numbers: Carmike 12/Village 6–541-7469; Wilma–728-2521; Pharaohplex in Hamilton–961-FILM; Showboat in Polson and Entertainer in Ronan-883-5603.

missoulanews.com • October 4 – October 11, 2012 [23]

[dish]

Photo by Ari LeVaux

Garlic gardening begins

by Ari LeVaux

SATURDAYS 4PM-9PM

MONDAYS & THURSDAYS ALL DAY

$1

SUSHI Not available for To-Go orders

Introducing

Growler Mondays!

FILL YOUR GROWLER at Draught Works on Mondays and

RECEIVE A FREE PINT while you wait.

Limit one free pint per growler customer.

[24] Missoula Independent • October 4 – October 11, 2012

The last time I had to pay for garlic, Bill Clinton was president and gas was a dollar a gallon. A buddy and I went in on a 50-pound sack of Killarney Red garlic, mail-ordered from a farm by the same name in northern Idaho. It cost a few hundred bucks, but when you're buying garlic for planting, it feels more like an investment than an expense.

We planted on borrowed land in the southwest hills of Portland, Ore., and mulched it with maple leaves, most of which blew away in the first winter storm. Luckily, Portland's climate is mild enough that you don't need to mulch garlic.

We harvested a few hundred pounds, an insane amount of garlic for two single guys. In Portland in the 1990s, moving garlic of this quality was as easy as getting rid of extra pot. Large of clove, rich flavor and easy to work with, our stuff was the dank.

When autumn returned, we reinvested 50 pounds of our harvest into round two. And so on, season after season, in different yards and fields across the West. Eventually my garlic bro and I went separate ways, each with our share of Killarney Red. A few years later, I happened upon some gorgeous heads of Romanian Red garlic for sale at a barter fair in northcentral Washington, where the world's best garlic is grown. I invested in 20 pounds and brought it home to Missoula, where I planted almost every clove. Looking back on that purchase, I feel how I imagine people who bought shares in Apple around the same time must feel.

My Romanian Red is spectacular in every way. It's everything I've ever wanted in garlic. Great flavor, easy peeling and it grows large and robust in my climate.

I stopped planting the other kind and I've been living on Romanian Red since then. That is, until two years ago, when I didn't plant enough.

Actually, it was my sweetheart who didn't plant enough, while I was off hunting and couldn't be bothered to micromanage. I only realized the error the following spring when the plants came up, and there weren't enough.

She had obviously not followed our garlic equation, and that stung. It was bad enough that I was destined to run out of garlic for the first time in decades, but she had bailed on our equation, the one we derived together at a coffee shop in southwest Colorado. It was the first time for both of us at actually applying our high school algebra skills, as we wrestled together over that formula. Now she’d thrown away that moment like it was old sushi.

In practical terms, that meant after we removed from our meager harvest the correct amount to plant for next year, our stash would be nearly gone. We'd probably have to start paying for our bulb-a-day habit by January. Rather than surrender to this humiliation, I invested again.

I spent $180 online on a bunch of different hardneck garlic varieties, including Turkish Red, Pskem, Pennsylvania Dutch, Metechi, Zemo, Russian Red,

FLASH IN THE PAN

Russian Inferno, Chinese Red and White, and Vostok.

I figured I'd use this garlic shortage as an opportunity to broaden my horizons, and maybe find the next Romanian Red. Most varieties were tasty, but only the Metechi, Pennsylvania Dutch and Chinese Red and White were competitive size-wise, and I'll be replanting a limited amount of those for variety. But none bested the Romanian Red, size-wise, and it remains my go-to.

I planted according to the equation, which calculates how many bulbs from the harvest must be set aside for planting in order to generate a self-sustaining garlic crop. Here, "X" is the number of bulbs you need to plant. To solve for X, you need Y, the average number of cloves per bulb in your garlic. Romanian Red averages five cloves per bulb, so Y=5. And you need to know Z, the number of harvested bulbs you want to eat. In my case, Z=365, or one bulb per day.

The equation: X = Z/( Y-1).

Plugging in my values, X = 365/(5-1), or 91.25, which I round up to 92. Checking my math: 92 bulbs contain on average 460 cloves, each of which will grow into a bulb. If I harvest 460 bulbs, and subtract the 365 bulbs I intend to eat, I'm left with 95 bulbs for planting next year. The extra three bulbs, a bonus, are the result of rounding up from 91.25.

After that brain-cramping mathematical challenge, planting the garlic is the easy part. It's generally planted in October or November. You want good dirt with plenty of organic material and nitrogen. Carefully break the bulbs into individual cloves, leaving the peel on and trying not to break off the little scabby plate at the bottom of each clove where the root comes out. Plant the cloves with the scabby side down, an inch deep, six inches apart.

Then, assuming you have harsher winters than Portland's to contend with, mulch your patch with straw—not hay— about three inches deep. Straw doesn't have seeds, like hay, and won't blow away as easily as leaves. It will keep your garlic warm in the winter and help the soil hold moisture come spring, when the young garlic will poke through the mulch, at which point it's off to the races.

Water it well. When the leaves start turning brown despite dedicated watering, it's time to harvest.

Entire books have been written on the subject of garlic cultivation, and if you're serious about investing your time, money and land into a real garlic crop, you might want to consult a more in-depth source. I recommend Growing Great Garlic by Ron Engeland as a great how-to source, and A Garlic Testament by Stanley Crawford for a beautiful look at life in northern New Mexico through the lens of garlic cultivation.

In the meantime, go online or hit the farmers market for some bulbs to plant. Try as many varieties as you can. The more diversity in your trials, the more likely you'll find your own Romanian Red, the garlic of your dreams that grows well where you live and makes you happy when you eat.

[dish] Alcan Bar and Grill 16780 Beckwith St. Frenchtown 626-9930 Tantalize your taste buds with Angus beef burgers, chicken strips, shrimp, and biscuits and gravy from Alcan Bar & Grill. With more than 20 years of experience and 10 years in the business, we have been offering fresh meals and beverages at the area's most competitive prices. Our friendly professionals offer personalized service and make sure you leave our restaurant as one of our friends. We offer have a variety of specials for ladies night and sports events featuring drink specials and free food. Contact us today and enjoy our incredible menu selection. 9 am – 2 am MonSun.

Server about our Players Club! Happy Hour in our lounge M-F 4-6 PM. $-$$$

Bagels On Broadway 223 West Broadway (across from courthouse) 728-8900 Featuring over 25 sandwich selections, 20 bagel varieties, & 20 cream cheese spreads. Also a wide selection of homemade soups, salads and desserts. Gourmet coffee and espresso drinks, fruit smoothies, and frappes. Ample seating; free wi-fi. Free downtown delivery (weekdays) with $10.00 min. order. Call ahead to have your order ready for you! Open 7 days a week.

Voted one of top 20 bagel shops in country by internet survey. $-$$

The Empanada Joint 123 E. Main St. 926-2038 The Empanada Joint 123 E. Main St 9262038 Offering authentic empanadas BAKED FRESH DAILY! 9 different flavors, including vegetarian and gluten-free options. Plus Argentine side dishes and desserts. Super quick and super delicious!

Get your healthy hearty lunch or dinner here! Wi-Fi, Soccer on the Big Screen, and a rich sound system featuring music from Argentina and the Caribbean. 11am-9pm MondaySaturday. Downtown Missoula. $

Bernice’s Bakery 190 South 3rd West 728-1358 Bernice’s Bakery is a Missoula Landmark.

34 years of baking goodness. Open 6a – 8p Bernice’s offers an incredible selection of breakfast pastries, treats, cakes, breads and a fine, fresh lunch daily. If you’ve never been in you are missin’ out. And if you haven’t been in lately you really should make it a point to stop by. August is a great month for slow walks along the Clark Fork while you sip Bernice’s iced coffee or Mountain Huckleberry iced tea and nibble on a coconut macaroon.

Picnic? Bernice’s is your stop. We can load you up with all you need and off you go! Bernice’s: made from scratch for your pleasure. See you soon. Xoxo Bernice. bernicesbakerymt.com Biga Pizza 241 W. Main Street 728-2579 Biga Pizza offers a modern, downtown dining environment combined with traditional brick oven pizza, calzones, salads, sandwiches, specials and desserts. All dough is made using a “biga” (pronounced bee-ga) which is a time-honored Italian method of bread making. Biga Pizza uses local products, the freshest produce as well as artisan meats and cheeses. Featuring seasonal menus. Lunch and dinner, Mon-Sat. Beer & Wine available. $-$$ Black Coffee Roasting Co. 1515 Wyoming St., Suite 200 541-3700 Black Coffee Roasting Company is located in the heart of Missoula. Our roastery is open Monday – Friday, 7:30 – 2. In addition to fresh roasted coffee beans we offer a full service espresso bar, drip coffee, pour-overs and more. The suspension of coffee beans in water is our specialty.

The Bridge Pizza Corner of S. 4th & S. Higgins 542-0002 A popular local eatery on Missoula’s Hip Strip. Featuring handcrafted artisan brick oven pizza, pasta, sandwiches, soups, & salads made with fresh, seasonal ingredients. Missoula’s place for pizza by the slice. A unique selection of regional microbrews and gourmet sodas. Dine-in, drive-thru, & delivery. Open everyday 11 to 10:30 pm. $-$$ Butterfly Herbs 232 N. Higgins 728-8780 Celebrating 40 years of great coffees and teas.

Truly the “essence of Missoula.” Offering fresh coffees, teas (Evening in Missoula), bulk spices and botanicals, fine toiletries & gifts. Our cafe features homemade soups, fresh salads, and coffee ice cream specialties. In the heart of historic downtown, we are Missoula’s first and favorite Espresso Bar. Open 7 Days. $ Claim Jumper 3021 Brooks 728-0074 Serving Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner 7 days a week. Come in between 7-8 am for our Early Bird Breakfast Special: Get 50% off any breakfast menu item! Or Join us for Lunch and Dinner. We feature CJ’s Famous Fried Chicken, Delicious Steaks, and your Favorite Pub Classics. Breakfast from 7am-11am on Weekdays and 7am-2pm on Weekends. Lunch and Dinner 11am-9pm Sun-Wed and 11am-10pm Thurs-Sat. Ask your

$…Under $5

Doc’s Gourmet Sandwiches 214 N. Higgins Ave. 542-7414 Doc's is an extremely popular gathering spot for diners who appreciate the great ambiance, personal service and generous sandwiches made with the freshest ingredients. Whether you're heading out for a power lunch, meeting friends or family or just grabbing a quick takeout, Doc's is always an excellent choice. Delivery in the greater Missoula area. We also offer custom catering!...everything from gourmet appetizers to all of our menu items.

2101 Brooks • 926-2578 11am-8pm Tues - Sat 9am-3pm Sunday

www.cafezydeco.com

Educate

Food For Thought 540 Daly Ave. 721-6033 Missoula's Original Coffehouse/Café located across from the U of M campus. Serving breakfast and lunch 7 days a week+dinner 5 nights a week. Also serving cold sandwiches, soups, salads, with baked goods and espresso bar. HUGE Portions and the Best BREAKFAST in town. M-TH 7am-8pm, Fri 7am-4pm, Sat 8am-4pm, Sun 8am-8pm. $-$$ Good Food Store 1600 S. 3rd West 41-FOOD Our Deli features all natural made-to-order sandwiches, soup & salad bar, olive & antipasto bar, fresh deli salads, hot entrees, rotisserie-roasted cage free chickens, fresh juice, smoothies, organic espresso and dessert. Enjoy your meal in our spacious seating area or at an outdoor table. Open every day 7am - 10pm $-$$ Hob Nob on Higgins 531 S. Higgins 541-4622 hobnobonhiggins.com Come visit our friendly staff & experience Missoula's best little breakfast & lunch spot. All our food is made from scratch, we feature homemade corn beef hash, sourdough pancakes, sandwiches, salads, espresso & desserts. MC/V $-$$

your taste buds!

Mon-Fri

7am - 4pm (Breakfast ‘til Noon)

Sat & Sun 8am - 4pm

Great Food No Attitude.

531 S. Higgins

541-4622

www.thinkfft.com Mon-Thurs 7am - 8pm • Fri & Sat 7am - 4pm Sun 8am - 8pm • 540 Daly Ave • 721-6033 *When school is not in session, we often close at 3pm Missoula’s Original Coffeehouse/Cafe.

Across from the U of M campus.

(Breakfast all day)

OCTOBER

COFFEE SPECIAL

Holiday Inn Downtown 200 S. Pattee St. 532-2056 Brooks and Browns' Bear Paw Brunch Buffet, with specialty game food and drinks + amazing Bloody Mary Bar. This Saturday 9 am- 1 pm. Think you know your Griz Trivia? Come test yourself out on Thursdays for Big Brains Trivia from 8-10 pm. Have you discovered Brooks and Browns? Inside the Holiday Inn, Downtown Missoula.

Costa Rica

Iron Horse Brew Pub 501 N. Higgins 728-8866 www.ironhorsebrewpub.com We're the perfect place for lunch, appetizers, or dinner. Enjoy nightly specials, our fantastic beverage selection and friendly, attentive service. Stop by & stay awhile! No matter what you are looking for, we'll give you something to smile about. $$-$$$

BUTTERFLY HERBS

BUTTERFLY HERBS

232 N. HIGGINS AVE • DOWNTOWN

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$10.95/lb.

Coffees, Teas & the Unusual

Coffees, Teas & the Unusual

Iza 529 S. Higgins 830-3237 www.izarestaurant.com Contemporary Asian cuisine featuring local, vegan, gluten free and organic options as well as wild caught seafood, Idaho trout and buffalo. Join us for lunch and dinner. Happy Hour 3-6 weekdays with specials on food and drink. Extensive sake, wine and tea menu. Closed Sundays. Open Mon-Fri: Lunch 11:30-3pm Happy Hour 3-6pm Dinner 5pm-close. Sat: Dinner 5pm-close $-$$ $$$ Jakers 3515 Brooks St. 721-1312 www.jakers.com Every occasion is a celebration at Jakers. Enjoy our two for one Happy Hour throughout the week in a fun, casual at-

$–$$…$5–$15

$$–$$$…$15 and over

missoulanews.com • October 4 – October 11, 2012 [25]

[dish]

Chain Reaction Fresh Hop Ale HAPPIEST HOUR

Korean Bar-B-Que & Sushi 3075 N. Reserve 327-0731 We invite you to visit our contemporary Korean-Japanese restaurant and enjoy it’s warm atmosphere. Full Sushi Bar. Korean bar-b-que at your table. Beer and Wine. $$-$$$

If there was a LEED certification for beer, Draught Works' new Chain Reaction Fresh Hop Ale would earn a "Platinum" rating. It's about as green as beer gets (St. Patty's Day specials notwithstanding).

Le Petit Outre 129 S. 4th West 543-3311 Twelve thousand pounds of oven mass…Bread of integrity, pastry of distinction, yes indeed, European hand-crafted baked goods, Pain de Campagne, Ciabatta, Cocodrillo, Pain au Chocolat, Palmiers, and Brioche. Several more baked options and the finest espresso available. Please find our goods at the finest grocers across Missoula. Saturday 8-3, Sunday 8-2, Monday-Friday 7-6. $

A little sweat in your beer: Chain Reaction is brewed with fresh-off-thevine hops from Corvallis. A few weeks ago, four teams of cyclists raced with about 30 pounds of hops strapped to their backs nearly 50 miles from Corvallis to Missoula. Not only that, the beer's grain—some 1,000 pounds worth—was milled with pedal power. It was all part of the first annual Chain Reaction Fresh Hops Festival, which Draught Works coowner and brewer Jeff Grant calls a "big, sustainable transportation promotion for Missoula."

On tap now: Draught Works started pouring Chain Reaction on Wednesday, Sept. 26. It's a tasty, well-balanced American pale ale. They brewed 30 kegs’ worth, so it won't be available very long. A dollar from each pint sold is split between local groups Free Cycles and Adventure Cycling Association.

On tap later: Grant says he's "super excited" for next year's festival, not only for the

atmosphere. Hungry? Try our hand cut steaks, small plate menu and our vegetarian & gluten free entrees. For reservations or take out call 721-1312. $$-$$$

The Mercantile Deli 119 S. Higgins Ave. 721-6372 themercantiledeli.com Located next to the historic Wilma Theater, the Merc features a relaxed atmosphere, handcrafted Paninis, Sandwiches, and wholesome Soups and Salads. Try a Monte Cristo for breakfast, a Pork Love Panini for lunch, or have us cater your next company event. Open Monday – Saturday for breakfast and lunch. Downtown delivery available. $-$$

fresh-hopped ale, but to see if the MT Alpha girls can defend their hop relay-race title.

Where to find it: The Draught Works taproom at 915 Toole Ave. in Missoula.

—Matthew Frank Happiest Hour celebrates western Montana watering holes. To recommend a bar, bartender or beverage for Happiest Hour, email editor@missoulanews.com.

The Mustard Seed Asian Café Southgate Mall 542-7333 Contemporary Asian Cuisine served in our allnew bistro atmosphere. Original recipes and fresh ingredients combined from Japanese, Chinese, Polynesian, and Southeast Asian influences to appeal to American palates.

Full menu available in our non-smoking bar. Fresh daily desserts, microbrews, fine wines & signature drinks. Takeout & delivery available. $$-$$$ Orange Street Food Farm 701 S. Orange St. 543-3188 Don’t feel like cooking? Pick up some fried chicken, made to order sandwiches, fresh deli salads, & sliced meats and cheeses. Or mix and match items from our hot case. Need some dessert with that? Our bakery makes cookies, cakes, and brownies that are ready when you are. $-$$ Pearl Café 231 E. Front St. • 541-0231 Country French specialties, bison, elk, and fresh fish daily. Delicious salads and appetizers, as well as breads and desserts baked in-house. Extensive wine list; 18 wines by the glass and local beers on draft. Reservations recommended for the intimate dining areas. Visit our website Pearlcafe.us to check out our nightly specials, make reservations, or buy gift certificates. Open Mon-Sat at 5:00. $$-$$$ Philly West 134 W. Broadway • 493-6204 For an East-coast taste of pizza, stromboli, hoagies, salads, and pasta dishes and CHEESESTEAKS, try Philly West. A taste of the great “fightin’ city of Philadelphia” can be enjoyed Monday - Saturday for lunch and dinner and late on weekends. We create our marinara, meatballs, dough and sauces in-house so if “youse wanna eat,” come to 134 W. Broadway.

Pita Pit 130 N. Higgins 541-PITA (7482) pitapitusa.com Fresh Thinking Healthy Eating. Enjoy a pita rolled just for you. Hot meat and cool fresh veggies topped with your favorite sauce. Try our Chicken Caesar, Gyro, Philly Steak, Breakfast Pita, or Vegetarian Falafel to name just a few. For your convenience we are open until 3am 7 nights a week.

Call if you need us to deliver!

®

®

Sapore 424 N. Higgins Ave. • 542-6695 Voted best new restaurant in the Missoula Independent's Best of Missoula, 2011. Located on Higgins Ave., across the street from Wordens. Serving progressive American food consisting of fresh house-made pastas every day, pizza, local beef, and fresh fish delivered from Taste of Alaska. New specials: burger & beer Sundays, 5-7 $9 ~ pizza & beer Tuesdays, 5-7 $10 ~ draft beers, Tuesday -Thursday, 5-6:30 $3. Business hours: Tues.- Sat. 5-10:30 pm., Sat. 10-3 pm., Sun. 5-10 pm.

$…Under $5

[26] Missoula Independent • October 4 – October 11, 2012

Sean Kelly’s A Public House 130 W. Pine St. • 542-1471 Located in the heart of downtown. Open for lunch & dinner. Featuring brunch Saturday & Sunday from 11-2pm. Serving international & Irish pub fare. Full bar, beer, wine, martinis. $-$$ Silvertip Casino 680 SW Higgins • 728-5643 The Silvertip Casino is Missoula’s premiere casino offering 20 Video gaming machines, best live poker in Missoula, full beverage liquor, 11 flat screen tv’s and great food at great prices. Breakfast Specials starting at $2.99 (7-11am) For a complete menu, go to www.silvertipcasino.com. Open 24/7. $-$$ NOT JUST SUSHI We have quick and delicious lunch specials 6 days a week starting at $7, and are open for dinner 7 nights a week. Try our comfort food items like Pork Katsu and Chicken Teriyaki. We also offer party platters to go and catering for all culinary styles. Lunch 11:30-3 Mon-Sat. Dinner 5-9:30 Every Night. Corner of Pine and Higgins. Very Family Friendly. 549-7979. $$-$$$ Taco Del Sol 422 N. Higgins • 327-8929 Stop in when you're in the neighborhood.

We'll do our best to treat you right!

Crowned Missoula's best lunch for under $6. Mon.-Sat. 11-10 Sun 12-9.

Taco Sano 115 1/2 S. 4th Street West Located next to Holiday Store on Hip Strip 541-7570 • tacosano.net Once you find us you'll keep coming back. Breakfast Burritos served all day, Quesadillas, Burritos and Tacos. Let us dress up your food with our unique selection of toppings, salsas, and sauces. Open 10am-9am 7 days a week. WE DELIVER. Tamarack Brewing Company 231 W. Front Street 406-830-3113 facebook.com/tamarackmissoula Tamarack Brewing Company opened its first Taphouse in Missoula in 2011. Overlooking Caras Park, Tamarack Missoula has two floors -- a sports pub downstairs, and casual dining upstairs. Patrons can find Tamarack’s handcrafted ales and great pub fare on both levels. Enjoy beer-inspired menu items like brew bread wraps, Hat Trick Hop IPA Fish and Chips, and Dock Days Hefeweizen Caesar Salads. Try one of our staple ales like Hat Trick Hop IPA or Yard Sale Amber Ale, or one of our rotating seasonal beers, like, Old 'Stache Whiskey Barrel Porter, Headwall Double IPA, Stoner Kriek and more. Don’t miss $8 growler fills on Wednesday and Sunday, Community Tap Night every Tuesday, Kids Eat Free Mondays, and more. See you at The ‘Rack! $-$$ Ten Spoon Vineyard + Winery 4175 Rattlesnake Drive 549-8703 www.tenspoon.com Made in Montana, award-winning organic wines, no added sulfites. Tasting hours: Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays, 5 to 9 pm. Soak in the harvest sunshine with a view of the vineyard, or cozy up with a glass of wine inside the winery. Wine sold by the flight or glass. Bottles sold to take home or to ship to friends and relatives. $$ Westside Lanes 1615 Wyoming • 721-5263 Visit us for Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner served 8 AM to 9 PM. Try our homemade soups, pizzas, and specials. We serve 100% Angus beef and use fryer oil with zero trans fats, so visit us any time for great food and good fun. $-$$ YoWaffle Yogurt 216 W. Main St. 543-6072 (Between Thai Spicy and The Shack) www.yowaffle.com YoWaffle is a self-serve frozen yogurt and Belgian waffle eatery offering 10 continuously changing flavors of yogurt, over 60 toppings, gluten free cones and waffles available, hot and cold beverages, and 2 soups daily. Indoor and outdoor seating. Meetings welcome. Open 7 days a week.

Sun-Thurs 11 AM to 11 PM, Fri 11 AM to 12 AM, Sat. 10 AM to 12 AM. Free WiFi. Loyalty punch cards, gift cards and t-shirts available. UMONEY. Like us on facebook. Let YoWaffle host your next birthday party! $

$–$$…$5–$15

$$–$$$…$15 and over

October 4-October 11, 2012

Slap that. Legendary jazz percussionist Poncho Sanchez performs with his big band as part of the Bitterroot Performing Series at the Hamilton Center for the Performing Arts on Sat., Oct. 6, at 8 PM. $37.50/$32.50. Visit bartc.org.

THURSDAYOCT4 Colin Meloy and Carson Ellis present Under Wildwood, part of the Montana Festival of the Book, at the Holiday Inn Downtown, 200 South Pattee. 4:30 PM. Free.

UM alums Christine Karkow, Bev Glueckert and Monica Bauer open their painting and mixed-media exhibit 20 Years and Counting at the UC Art Gallery. 4–6 PM. Free.

Nightlife You’ll be climbing up a wall at Freestone Climbing Center’s Ladies Night. 935 Toole

Ave. 5–10 PM. $6.50/$5 students.

Treasure State Toastmasters invites you to get your locution on and become fixated oratorically at their weekly meeting. Community Medical Center meeting rooms, 2827 Ft. Missoula Road. 6–7 PM. Free.

John Floridis plays music at Hamilton’s Bitter Root Brewery from 6 pm 6 PM–8:30 PM. Free.

Children of the Earth Tribe Song and Chant Circle at the Jeannette Rankin Peace Center is for all those ready to sing in honor of our connection to one another and the earth. 519 S. Higgins (Enter through back alley door.). 7:30 PM. Free will offering.

Hear the sometimes erotic and often hilarious tales of Queen Scheherazade in the UM School of Theatre & Dance production of The Arabian Nights. Masquer Theatre, PARTV Center. 7:30 PM. $16/$14 seniors and students/$10 kids ages 10 and under.

Brantley Gilbert is so cute I just want to pinch his little ol’ country rock behind. Guess I’ll have to zip down to the Adams Center to make it happen. He’s joined by the irrelevant Uncle Kracker, as well as Greg Bates and Brian Davis. $20-$35. tickets available at Griztix outlets.

The World Affairs Council hosts Don Hrap, president of the Americas at Conoco

Phillips, for his lecture The North American Energy Renaissance. UC Theater. 7:30 PM. $7/free for council members and students.

Rick Bass and Stellarondo do their mix of lit and tunes at the Wilma Theatre as part of the Montana Festival of the Book. Embrace the synergy! 8 PM. Free.

The Dead Hipster Dance Party is all kinds of sweaty, but ‘tis the droplets of the beautiful people. Get a taste in the place where love and funk is in the air (sometimes they are the same scent). Badlander, 208 Ryman St. $3, with $1 well drinks from 9 PM to midnight.

During Open Mic Night at Sean Kelly’s, show the naysayers that your version of Lou Gramm’s “Midnight Blue” is as passionate as your lovemaking. 9 PM. Free. Call 542-1471 after 10 AM Thursday to sign-up.

If you think you’re ready to be internetfamous, head to Missoula Homegrown Stand-up Comedy and show your ability to have a verbal adagio with the crowd. Show up at 9:30 PM to sign-up, yucksters. Union Club. Free.

No height exceptions to ride on Bass Mountain, a night of electronicness and dancing with locals Space Bag, Ryan D. and Asyn9, at the Palace. 9 PM. Free.

Hey sass-mouth, get tooted but not booted at the VTO VFW Residency Week One, with Juveniles and Quieter Than Loud.

245 W. Main St. 10 PM. $2.

They set our arts editor aflutter, Party Trained performs dancing tunes at the Sunrise Saloon, 1101 Strand. 9:30 PM. Free.

The Montana Dark Horse Country Band are who you think they are and they play the Sunrise Saloon, 1101 Strand. 9:30 PM. Free.

Russ Nasset done gone and cured ya of your tremors with a sweet shot of country hits up at the Old Post, 103 W. Spruce St., for a solo set this and every other Thu. at 10 PM. Free.

Country crooning is on tap when the Casey Donahew Band hits the Top Hat stage at 10 PM. $20/$15 adv.

FRIDAYOCT5 Kris Moon releases some new hot tracks during his CD release party at ye olde Top Hat 5–9 PM. Free.

Learn how the Germans get it done (answer: Deutsch-stylie) at BikeWalktoberFest with Ethel MacDonald at Adventure Cycling,

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[calendar] 150 E. Pine St. Beer, brats and other German delicacies on hand. $10/$5 members. RSVP at bikewalkmissoula.org.

Th e H u m a n i t i e s M o n t a n a Festival of the Book hosts reading, workshops and panels at the Holiday Inn, Missoula Public Library and select other venues throughout the day. Most events are free. For a full schedule visit humanities montana.org.

Moaning about winter already?

We don’t wanna hear it. Embrace it.

Go out in it. Love it forever, like you do that stuffed monkey Grandma Nell bought for your sister. Yes, the one you stole and hide in your “good” underwear drawer. Head to the Pray for Snow Party at Caras Park and we shall never speak of the monkey again. Noon. Free.

Enjoy an organic beer and some Up N’ Smoke barbecue while you’re bullsquawkin’ with your homeslices at Wildwood Brewing Co., 4018 Hwy. 93 N. 4-8 PM.

Nightlife Join up with the people connected to nature at the Montana Natural History Center’s Fall Celebration.

Food, friends and fun. Doubletree Hotel. 5–9 PM. $50. Visit montananaturalist.org.

Champagne tunes abound at the North Valley Public Library’s accordian-a-palooza with Jean Roberts and Cleo Gunther. Sing-a-longs and chicken dancing, too. 208 Main St., Stevi. 6-7:30 PM. Free.

Family Friendly Friday is chartered by the Whizpops this day so grab the kids and flirt with Junior’s first-grade teacher who wears those great glasses. Top Hat. 6–8 PM. Free.

Hear the sometimes erotic and often hilarious tales of Queen Scheherazade in the UM School of Theatre & Dance production of The Arabian Nights. Masquer Theatre, PARTV Center. 7:30 PM. $16/$14 seniors and students/$10 kids ages 10 and under.

The Third Angle Ensemble is straight outta PDX and they are bringing some dope new chamber music tracks that even have some computronic sounds, too. Music Recital Hall. 7:30 PM. $12/$8 seniors and students.

Curious? I am. Sate your curiosity at the National Theatre Live performance of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. Roxy Theatre, 708 S. Higgins Ave. 7:30 PM. $16/$14 seniors/$12 students.

High-five your librarian and head to Montana Festival of the Book Gala Reading with authors Ivan Doig, David Quammen and Pam Houston. Wilma Theatre.

7:30 PM. Free.

MCT Inc.’s production of The Woman in Black, is a moody play about a man and a woman and fu-

neral. Camp Paxson up Seeley Lake way. 7:30 PM. $10. Call 728-1911.

Soul fly dudes Zeppo MT make dancing possible when they play the Eagles Lodge, 2420 South Ave. Free.

It’s true! False is rocking the snot out of Zoo City Apparel, 139 E. Main, with Throne of Lies and Burke Jam. 8 PM. $5.

Cash for Junkers brings home a spate of moxy and a barrel full of dancing music for you and that TA who always puts smiley faces on your American Lit papers. Union Club. 9 PM. Free.

Slam dut-dutta! Get your Poetry Slam on tonight and show the socalled experts that you are MSO’s number-one bard. Monk’s Bar. 9 PM. To sign-up call 818-1111.

Suck on this, y’all, the Bass Face Krew presents Fishbowl Friday: Otter Pops and Double Drops. Slap on some Drakkar Noir and holla at the crew down at the Badlander. 9 PM. Free, with free otter pops all night and $5 fishbowl bevvies.

Get lubed up and clean them muffler bearings cuz Viscosity Breakdown is doing work at the Palace, with Viv Savage. 9 PM. $5.

The Montana Dark Horse Country Band are who you think they are and they play the Sunrise Saloon, 1101 Strand. 9:30 PM. Free.

The kittens are out tonight cuz The Tomcats are playing the Dark Horse, 1805 Regent 9:30 PM. Cost TBA. He lives to spin: DJ Dubwise can’t stop the dance tracks once they start.

Feruqi’s 10 PM. Free. Call 728-8799.

FIRST FRIDAY Uriah Kreilick’s photo exhibit is on display at the Lake Missoula Tea Company, 126 E. Broadway Ave. 5–8 PM. Free.

The canvas and stencil works of Marlo Crocifisso are on display for looking but no touchey at Betty’s Divine, 521 S. Higgins Ave. 5–8 PM. Free.

Fear not humans, the dudes at Zombie Tools are showing off their zombie killing wares at Bella Sauvage Day Spa, 629 Woody St., this First Friday. 5–8 PM. Free.

Me and raccoons love shiny stuff, so we’re headed to see the fused glass works of Ilene and Arden Arrington at The Artists’ Shop, 127 N. Higgins Ave. 5–8 PM. Free.

The Western Montana LGBTIQ Community Center, 127 N. Higgins Ave., hosts Sabina Jonez’s exhibit Venting Trans Angst in a Repressed Culture made up of pencil drawing and photos. 5–8 PM. Free.

Fish burritos with cheese and Tom Nielson’s paintings are on display at El Diablo, 1429 S. Higgins Ave., 5–8 PM. Free.

Christine Welch pleasures our eyes and sates our visual desires with her paintings at 210 N. Higgins Ave. Ste. 318, from 5–8 PM. Free.

An exhibit honoring The Spirit of Women, created by women, is on display at Suite 406, 101 E. Broadway Ave. 5–8 PM. Free.

A big old bevy of up-and-comers will be your huckleberries at the Dana Gallery exhibit Young Guns III, a night of new art by new artists. 246 N. Higgins Ave. 5–8 PM. Free.

Elloie Jeter’s exhibit Drawn to Landscape ought to be a pun-filled palooza. Prudential Montana, 1020 South Ave. W. 5–8 PM. Free.

Upcycled hosts the Jax Hats, nappy sweaters turned into bitchin’ hats, as well as Silversmith Jewelry. 5–8 PM. Free.

Live tunes and original artworks grace the Intuitive Empowerment Institute this First Friday.

725 W. Alder #4. 5–8 PM. Free.

Glacial Lake Missoula-inspired works called Evanescent by Gerry Sayler is on display at the MAM, 335 N. Pattee St. 5–8 PM. Artist talk at 7 PM. Free.

Bring your head to In the Cloud, a collection of charcoal and pastel drawings by Joe Batt.

Brunswick Gallery, 223 W. Railroad St. 5–8 PM. Free.

Jewelers-in-residence show off their urban tribal jewelry at the Tides Gallery in Bathing Beauties Beads, 501 S. Higgins Ave. 5–8 PM. Free.

Sculpture, print and drawings on steel are Noellyn Pepos’ work. Her exhibit Momentum in the Stillness of Now is on display at The Brink Gallery, 111 W. Front St. 5–8 PM. Free.

[28] Missoula Independent • October 4 – October 11, 2012

ings by J Bouchee, is on display at The Loft, 119 W. Main St. 5–8 PM. Free.

Joel Baird’s and Rick Phillips’s video collaborative Occupational Illustration Corporation is set to view every 15 minutes at MCAT, 500 N. Higgins Ave. 5–8 PM. Free.

Ivette shares her exhibit A Day in the Life with us at the Open Aid Alliance, 500 N. Higgins Ave. 5–8 PM. Free.

Brian Herbel’s exhibit Antiquated Spaces features photos of oldtimey stuff. We love that.

Studio D, 420 N. Higgins Ave. 4–8 PM. Free.

Mixed-media installation artist IMUR mixes it up and displays the good stuff at Zoo City Apparel, 139 E. Main St. 5–8 PM. Free.

So many artists, so little time, so many fire dancers at Garden Mother Herbs, 345 W. Front St., where Emanuel Preta’s paintings are on display along with about a jillion other artists’ works. 5–9 PM. Free.

“Spinning in Daffodils” is part of Jeremiah Goldson’s Drones Over There’s something for MSLA First Friday exhibit at VonCommon Studios, 127 E. Main St. everyone at Montana Art & Framing, 709 Ronan St., Utilitarian ceramics inspired by the Big where the collection of art folks known as the Sky are on display in Julia Galloway’s exhibit Saltmine Artists have a little something, someSky Vault. Clay Studio, 1106 A Hawthorne Ave. thing for you all. 5–9 PM. Free.

5–8 PM. Free. laurie e. mitchell’s exhibit Shipping & HanThem bones, them bones, them bone and oil dling features re-purposed shipping materials paintings by Tanya are on display at Blaque Owl in a mixed-media exhibit. Noteworthy Paper & Tattoo, 307 N. Higgins Ave. 5–8 PM. Free.

Press, 101 S. Higgins Ave. 5–8 PM. Free.

Bitterroot photog Rick Landry’s exhibit por- Jeremiah Goldson’s collection of sci-fi looktrays the “individual histories of each of these ing black and white pen and ink drawings titled transitory subjects.” The Dark Room, 135 N. Drones Over MSLA are on display at VonComHiggins Ave. 5–8 PM. Free. mon Studios, 127 E. Main St. The landscape collections of Barry Thomp- Elizabeth Claire Rose exhibits etchings made son are on display at House Design Studio, in Alberta and Montana. That’s whole lotta big 133 N. Higgins Ave. 5–8 PM. Free. sky. La Petit Outre, 129 S. 4th St. W. 6–8 PM. Two alter egos, one artist: Taylor Schwick- Free. ert/MT*KRUSE create landscapes and abstract Check out all that wood at the River’s Mist geometric shapes. Hunter Bay Coffee, 101 E. Gallery in Stevi where fine woodworking is the Front St. 5–8 PM. Free. theme. This is a Ron Swanson-approved event.

The Heart of Missoula, an exhibit of paint- 317 Main St. 6–9 PM. Free.

[calendar] Themes makes some of that baby making noise down at the Top Hat, with good-looking Skin Flowers and better looking Modality. 10 PM. $5.

SATURDAYOCT6 You know it’s fall when the Moon-Randolph Homestead Fall Gathering and Fundraiser pops off. Barbecue, potluck, butter making, cider press and, most importantly, a rotten apple throw.

1515 Spurlock Rd. 2–10 PM. Food at 4 PM. $5/$10 per family.

Author Teresa K. Irish reads from her book A Thousand Letters Home at Barnes & Noble, 2640 Reserve. The book is culled from letters written by Irish’s father during WWII. 12:30 PM. Free.

Pick up some new tchotchkes at the St. Patrick House Marketplace, a vendor fair with artwork, jewelry, sculpture and more. Old Safeway building., 600 W. Broadway Ave. 9 AM to 4 PM. Free.

The raptors are coming! Join Five Valleys Audubon for a Migrating Raptors Field Trip at Flesher Pass.

The two-mile hike is strenuous but the birds are such a dang delight.

Meet in the middle of the Adams Center parking lot. 6 AM. Free. Call Cynthia to register at 722-0016.

Western Montana’s farmers markets are chock full of the beautiful people, fresh-baked yummies and gorgeous veggies. In Missoula, at Circle Square (missoulafarmersmarket.com), on Pine Street and under the Higgins Avenue bridge (clarkforkrivermarket.com); in Stevensville, on Main Street; and in Hamilton, at South Third and Bedford Streets. Hours vary for the markets, but it all typically goes down between 8 AM and 1 PM. Stock up and save on gently used underpants at the World’s Largest Garage Sale at UM’s east parking lot of the Mansfield Library.

9 AM–1 PM. The Humanities Montana Festival of the Book hosts reading, workshops and panels at the Holiday Inn, Missoula Public Library and select other venues throughout the day.

Most events are free. For a full schedule visit humanitiesmontana.org.

Pickleball Palooza! Yes! It’s like tennis but better. It’s like ping-pong but better. It’s like badminton but...no, badminton is better. Learn how to play or strut your stuff at the Fort Missoula tennis courts. Donations accepted to have pickleball lines painted on the tennis courts forever. 10–1 PM. Free.

The Milltown Bridge Market serves up fresh greens, baked goods and wares, all while suspended high above the beautiful Blackfoot River.

Park across from Town Pump megastation. 10 AM–2 PM. Free.

Take the self-guided Tour of the Arts up in the Seeley and Swan valleys and visit with local artists who may or may not have cider ad ginger snaps awaiting you. 10 AM–5 PM. Free. For a map, stop in the Grizzly Claw Trading Co. or visit alpineartisans.org.

Living Art of Montana hosts a free class for those facing loss called Paper Explorations: A Puzzle with No Wrong Pieces, with Bonnie Tarse. 725 W. Alder St., Ste. 17.

10:30–12:30 PM. Call 549-5329.

Mythical myth-maker and allround writer-dude Ivan Doig signs his book, Bartender’s Tale. Please tell me that this is the beginning of the first sentence: “A priest, a rabbi and goat walk into bar...� Fact & Fiction, 220 N. Higgins Ave. 11:30–1 PM. Free.

It’s not every day that you can see dancers hanging from a tree, wading through the Clark Fork or waltzing across a fire escape.

But UM’s Site-Specific Dance Concert is not your every day performance. Meet in front of the Mansfield Library at noon and follow the crowd to each dance piece’s site. Here’s a hint: Watching unsuspecting passersby is almost as entertaining as the dances.

Noon. Free.

More events online: missoulanews.com Get a look at some art with the aid of an expert guide during the O’Connor Collection Tour at the Missoula Art Museum. Staff members tell you why the collection is so gall-darned spiffy. Noon.

Free.

Discover how bad the good old days really were at the Montana Women Homesteaders lecture with author Sarah Carter at the Missoula Art Museum. 335 N. Pattee St. 1 PM. Free.

Humanities Montana honors humanities heroes at a reception and awards ceremony held at the Holiday Inn Downtown, 200 S. Pattee St. 4:30 PM. Free.

Nightlife “Progressive Americana string band� the Sun Raven Band give you a taste of the Flathead when they come all the way down to the Bitter Root Brewery in Hamilton. 6– 8:30 PM. Free.

A bunch of rag-tag musicians with who knows what kind of instruments get together from 7 to 9:30 PM on the first Sat. of every month for the Bitterroot Valley Good-Time Jamboree at the Grange Hall, 1436 South First St. in Hamilton. Call Clem at 961-4949.

Hear the sometimes erotic and often hilarious tales of Queen Scheherazade in the UM School of Theatre & Dance production of The Arabian Nights. Masquer Theatre, PARTV Center. 7:30 PM. $16/$14 seniors and students/$10 kids ages 10 and under.

MCT Inc.’s production of The Woman in Black, is a moody play by about a man and a woman and funeral. Camp Paxson up Seeley Lake way. 7:30 PM. $10. Call 728-1911.

Time to clan up and get your contra dance on. The Missoula Folklore Society hosts this deal at the Union Hall, 208 E. Front St., with Strawberry Ridge playing tunes and Mark Mathews calling. 7:30 PM lessons, dance from 8–11 PM. $9/$6 members.

The Montana premier of the musical adaptation of James Welch’s The Heartsong of Charging Elk takes place this evening, orchestra and all. Wilma Theatre. 7:30 PM. Free.

Legendary percussionist Poncho Sanchez brings his Latin jazz band to the Hamilton Center for the Performing Arts as part of the Bitterroot Performing Arts Series. 8 PM. $37.50/$32.50. Visit bartc.org.

Help keep the kids happy and attend the Free Cycles Youth Cycles fundraiser, with tunes, tune-ups and other things that start with the letter ‘t’. Freetown Turnaround and the Trees perform and the money raised will help defray the costs of hiring a youth coordinator. 732 S. 1st St. W. 8–Midnight. $4.

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[calendar] Absolutely with DJs Kris Moon and Monty Carlo about to go downtown, biznatches and they plan to slap it up, flip it and rub it down at the Badlander. Doors at 9 PM. 2 for 1 Absolut drinks until 11 PM. Free.

The Andrea Harsell Band is a band with a plan, man, so get down to the Union Club and check the scene, Gene. 9 PM. Free.

Northern Lights bring a bounty of musical colors to the Lumberjack Saloon and leave the weed jokes to the plebes. 9 PM. Free.

Worb, worb, worb: it’s dubstep/glitch-hop time and Psymbionic is bringing the Austin-based weird to the Palace, with Futexture, Psy Fi and Mike Sev. 9 PM. $7/$5 adv. $5 surcharge for ages 18-20.

The Mark Duboise Band plays

toe-tapping tunes to two-step to at the Sunrise Saloon, 1101 Strand.

9:30 PM. Free.

DJ Dubwise supplies dance tracks all night long so you can take advantage of Sexy Saturday and rub up against the gender of your choice at Feruqi’s. 10 PM. Free.

Call 728-8799.

Get your ya-yas out and dance sans shoes like Auntie Flo does at the Zoograss Festival. Top Hat. 10 PM. Cost TBA.

SUNDAYOCT7 Hear up-and-comers and old salts at the UM MFA Second Wind Reading Series with Gil Filar & David Allan Cates. Top Hat. 5 PM. Free.

Take the self-guided Tour of the Arts up in the Seeley and Swan valleys and visit with local artists who may or may not have cider ad ginger snaps awaiting you. 10 AM–5 PM. Free. For a map, stop in the Grizzly Claw Trading Co. or visit alpineartisans.org.

Pick up some new tchotchkes at the St. Patrick House Marketplace, a vendor fair with artwork, jewelry, sculpture and more. Old Safeway building., 600 W. Broadway Ave. 11 AM to 3 PM. Free.

It’s not every day that you can see dancers hanging from a tree, wading through the Clark Fork or waltzing across a fire escape. But UM’s Site-Specific Dance Concert is not your every day performance.

Meet in front of the Mansfield Library at noon and follow the crowd to each dance piece’s specific site.

cherub rock

Missoula’s internet just about broke with the announcement that ’90s alt-rockers Smashing Pumpkins are coming to town for an evening of mid-tempo rocking. Undisputed band leader and

WHO: Smashing Pumpkins, with Anberlin WHEN: Sun., Oct. 7, at 8 PM WHERE: Wilma Theatre HOW MUCH: $37–$40

sole remaining original member, vocalist and guitarist Billy Corgan, is a bit of an iconoclast and responses to the announcement varied from meanness to childlike joy at the possibility of reliving high school one last time. On Facebook, threads included comments such as, “At least they have the Karate Kid playing in place of that Asian guy. And a sane cute girl in place of that crazy old girl. And some creepy bald guy in place of...the creepy guy with hair.” The latter is of course a reference to Corgan’s peeled egg of a head, and his purported

[30] Missoula Independent • October 4 – October 11, 2012

creepiness. Also, “they were terrible back in ‘91. Corgan is a dick,” seemed to be a popular thought trend. But the band has its defenders: “[The concert] will be good, I assure you.” At the Independent office, people called to ask where the show was, their excitement bubbling into a nearly drunken state upon learning that the show was merely a few days away.

There was a time when only the cool kids hated on the Pumpkins. During the early and mid-90s they became hugely successful. MTV seemed to only play five videos most of the time and three of them were Pumpkins videos (the others being “Under the Bridge” by the Chili Peppers and “Glycerine” by Bush). Changing times and changing line-ups along with Corgan’s rants in places like Rolling Stone, which include gems like, “I was part of a generation that changed the world, and it was taken over by posers,” have alienated him from fans and other musicians. That said, Pearl Jam and Mudhoney recently played to a packed Adams Center and certainly some of the same folks who took in that show are stoked to dance like nobody’s watching to “1979.”

[calendar] Here’s a hint: Watching unsuspecting passersby is almost as entertaining as the dances. Noon. Free.

Nightlife Slide into some slacks and slip on down to the American Legion Hall for Sunday Dance Parties with the Five Valleys Dance Club. Lesson at 5 PM, DJ from 6 to 9 PM. 825 Ronan St. $7/$12 per couple.

Kim Barnes is taking it to the streets of Seeley Lake when she reads from her book, In the Kingdom of Men, at the Grizzly Claw Trading Co. 5 PM. Free.

Close out the weekend in style at the Badlander’s Jazz Martini Night, with $4 martinis from 7:30 PM to midnight, plus live jazz and DJs. Live jazz starts at 8 PM with Josh Farmer, The Vanguard Combo and Front Street Jazz. Free.

The ’90s rule this town, so why not go see Smashing Pumpkins at the Wilma Theatre. 8 PM. $44. Tickets available at ticketfly.com.

Dance! Too much booty in the pants! Courtney and the Crushers come to rock socks and such with I Hate Your Girlfriend and Monster with 21 Faces. VFW, 245 W. Main St. 10 PM. Cost TBA.

MONDAYOCT8 The UM Climate Action Now Meeting is out to save the day, promote sustainability and environmental action. UM Flat, 633 5th St. E. 6:30 PM. City Club Missoula wants to talk about all that art UM has been collecting for 118 years during Hidden Treasure in the Treasure State: Montana Museum of Art and Culture with Barbara Koostra. Holiday Inn Downtown at the Park, 200 S. Pattee St. 11:30–1 PM. $16/$11 for members. Call 541-2489.

The Rough Cut Science Seminar Series shows off the brainiacs of Montana’s scientific community, with different presentations on current research each week at 4 PM in the University Center Theater. Visit montanaioe.org/rough-cut-series for the schedule.

Nightlife Joan Zen keeps your digestive tract humming a song at the Red Bird Wine Bar, 11 N. Higgins. 6–10 PM. Free.

Bingo at the VFW: the easiest way to make rent since keno. 245 W. Main. 6:45 PM. $10 buy-in.

Find out how dope Canada’s Northwest Territories are at Five Valleys Audubon’s Adventures and Birding in the Arctic with super adventure man Jim Brown. Gallagher Business Bldg., Rm. L14. 7:30 PM. Free.

Former Wisconsin Senator Russ Feingold voted against the Patriot Act and that’s good enough for me.

He delivers a lecture called While America Sleeps: A Wake-up Call for the Post 9/11 Era as part of the UM President’s Lecture Series. Dennison Theatre. 8 PM. Free.

Open Mic with PD Lear at the VFW, 245 W. Main, seems like a fine idea, especially with 2-for-1 drink specials for musicians and the working class.

Come by and do your funk-a-doo.

10:30 PM. Free. Call Phil at 2240816 to sign-up.

Sheesh, Sharon, how ‘bout a peesh of pisha at the Milkcrate Mechanic’s Monday Night Shwompdown, with Haduken, Mikee Sev and Chad Dabox. Palace. 9 PM. Free.

TUESDAYOCT9 The fellers of Buddy Jackson bring their punk rock and roll, pizzazz and stinky shoes to the Badlander’s Live and Local Night, with Spencer. 9 PM. Free.

This month’s Marjorie A. Crawford Literature Seminar discusses The Other by Richard Kapuscinski. Bitterroot Public Library, 306 State. 9:30–11:30 AM. Free.

Fun with Yoga at the Families First Children’s Museum might work for you and the kids. It might make you cry, too. 11 AM. 225 W. Front. $4.25.

Nightlife The Pickin’ Circle at the Top Hat would prefer stringed instruments over nostrils, but who’s to judge? 6– 9 PM. Free.

Learn your neighbors’ secrets at the story-telling event, Tell Us Something. The theme this goround is forgiveness. Top Hat. 6–9 PM. Free.

YWCA Support Groups for women take place every Tue. from 6:30 to 8 PM. An American Indianled talking circle is also available, along with age-appropriate children’s groups. YWCA Missoula, 1130 W. Broadway. Free. Call 5436691.

The Musician Showcase features some good players and fine times, at Brooks and Browns in the Holiday Inn Downtown, 200 S. Pattee St. $7 Big Sky pitchers and $2 pints.

Free.

Hear the sometimes erotic and often hilarious tales of Queen Scheherazade in the UM School of Theatre & Dance production of The Arabian Nights. Masquer Theatre, PARTV Center. 7:30 PM. $16/$14 seniors and students/$10 kids ages 10 and under.

Sean Kelly’s invites you to another week of free pub trivia, which takes place every Tuesday at

Show me angry. Pop makers Themes perform at the Top Hat, 134 W. Front St., on Fri., Oct. 5. at 10 PM, with locals Skin Flowers and Modality. $5.

8 PM. And, to highlight the joy of discovery that you might experience while attending, here’s a sample of the type of question you could be presented with: What is the most monetarily valuable book in the world? (See answer in tomorrow’s nightlife.)

ZACC’s weekly one-hour poetry workshop says don’t just express yourself, be expressive. 235 N. First St. 8 PM. Free.

Bow down to the sounds at Royal Reggae, featuring dancehall jams by DJs Supa J, Smiley Banton and Oneness at the Palace at 9 PM. Free.

Come down the mountain for Zootown Throwdown with Javier Ryan and tell ‘em Perry Farrell sent ya. Top Hat, 134 W. Front St. 10 PM. Free.

Nightlife Attend the 1,000 New Gardens Meeting and allow the Garden City to live up to its moniker by helping folks plant the seeds of self-foodulation. UM FLAT, 633 S. Fifth Street E. 5:30-6:30 PM. Hang with like-minded folks or be the shark in the soup at the Bullock Debate Party. There is a big old TV and drinks to be had. Brooks & Browns inside the Holiday Inn Parkside, 200 S. Pattee St. Braumeister sind im haus! Get some tips from the big dogs when Deschutes Brewing hosts Cheers to Home Brewers at the Union Club.

6:30 PM. Free.

Transition Missoula hosts Anima Mundi, a film about perma-

culture and sustainability. Discussion to follow. Missoula Public Library, Large Meeting Rm. 6:30 PM. Free. (Pub trivia answer: The Birds of America, by J.J. Audubon, published in 1840, sold for $8,802,500 in March 2000.

Flathead Lake Brewing Co. Trivia Night makes you wonder why you didn’t minor in anthropology like you planned. The questions start at 8 PM. Free.

Old times are back and good times are front at Archaic Revival, a night of dubstep, house and trance, with local DJs Web, Ryan D and Keen. Palace. 9 PM. Free.

Figure figures to make it a go when they play some tunes for all y’all at the Top Hat. 10 PM. Cost TBA.

WEDNESDAYOCT10 Hear the sometimes erotic and often hilarious tales of Queen Scheherazade in the UM School of Theatre & Dance production of The Arabian Nights. Masquer Theatre, PARTV Center. 7:30 PM. $16/$14 seniors and students/$10 kids ages 10 and under.

Get the lowdown on grass-fed beef during the Clark Fork Coalition Walk and Talk event From Ranch to Plate. Coalition ranch foreman Maggie Smith is on hand to share how the place runs and how grass-fed beef is different. Beef snacks for all!

140 S. Fourth W. Noon–1 PM. Free or $10 to join the CFC. Don’t be a crud, go on and give blood at the American Red Cross, 2401 Reserve St. 2–6 PM. Call 800REDCROSS.

missoulanews.com • October 4 – October 11, 2012 [31]

[calendar]

THURSDAYOCT11 Børg, børg, børg it’s time for another Swedish Pancake Supper and Bingo Night at the Missoula Senior Center, 705 S. Higgins. 4 PM. Bingo at 6 PM. Have a pint at Higher Ground Brewing, 518 N. First St., Hamilton, and help out SAFE and their program to reduce domestic violence. Tunes by the Celtic Knots. 4–8 PM. The Riverfront Neighborhood Council Meeting and Soup Social takes place from 4:30 to 6 PM at the MNHC, 120 Hickory St.

Nightlife The Bitterroot Public Library Fellowship Club talks spirituality and Eckhart Tolle’s Stillness Speaks. 306 State St. 6–7:30 PM. Free.

This week’s Peace and Justice Film Series topic is Elections. A panel of distinguished academes discusses the usefulness of elections and alternatives to this most democratic of processes. Film TBA. UC Theater. 7 PM. Free.

Gnarmageddon it, Matchstick Ski Films presents Superheroes of Stoke, brah. Wilma Theatre. 7 PM. $10.

Hear the sometime erotic and often hilarious tales of the Queen Scheherazade in the UM School of Theatre & Dance production of The Arabian Nights. Masquer Theatre, PARTV Center. 7:30 PM. $16/$14$10.

John Batdorf and James Lee Stanley sing and play guitar and have the kind of last names normally reserved for Brits. Oh, they’re

[32] Missoula Independent • October 4 – October 11, 2012

playing some Stones tunes acoustically.

Ronan Performing Arts Center, 30400 S. Sunray Trail. 7:30 PM. $14/$12 adv.

The Dead Hipster Dance Party is all kind of sweaty, but ‘tis the droplets of the beautiful people. Badlander, 208 Ryman St. $3, with $1 well drinks from 9 PM to midnight.

During Open Mic Night at Sean Kelly’s, show the naysayers that your version of Lou Gramm’s “Midnight Blue” is as passionate as your lovemaking. 9 PM. Free. Call 542-1471 after 10 AM Thursday to sign-up.

They set our arts editor aflutter, Party Trained performs dancing tunes at the Sunrise Saloon, 1101 Strand. 9:30 PM. Free.

Wrap Uncle Fritzy in a blanket and take him back to the salad days of the Big One when Deschutes Brewing presents BeerLesque Tastings and Tassles, a night of comedy, beer and burlesque. Top Hat. 10 PM. Cost TBA. Hop in the way back machine for VTO VFW Residency Week Two, with Douglasses and dirty skunks Humpy, 245 W. Main. 10 PM. $2.

I’ve been getting a lot of info way past the due date, friends. Check out our new event calendar submission system and fire away. Send your event info to me by 5 PM on Fri., Oct. 5 to calendar@missoula news.com. Alternately, snail mail the stuff to The Calemandar c/o the Independent, 317 S. Orange St., Missoula, MT 59801 or fax your way to 543-4367. You can also submit stuff online. Just head to the arts section of our website and scroll down a few inches and you’ll see a link that says “submit an event.”

[outdoors]

MOUNTAIN HIGH T

he fact is I never have been a fan of your carefree summer days, your river floats and your backyard tanning sessions. Winter is where it’s at and not just because we get to shred the gnar. I’m into it because we get to wear our wonderful wool coats and drink beers outdoors with gloves on, too. So it is written: October is here and it is time for the Pray for Snow Party. Although no dogs are scheduled to be burned, since Caras Park is fire-free zone, there is plenty of action including food from Burns St. Bistro, beer by Big Sky Brewing with tunes by The Best Westerns and Miller Creek. Also, there is a farmer’s grip of giveaways for lift tickets, ski packages and a whole lotta

gear. Besides asking Ullr for snow to dump upon us, the event is a benefit for Missoula Avalanche, a nonprofit which forecasts avalanche conditions throughout west central Montana. The group also provides transceiver workshops and basic avalanche awareness courses. The service that Missoula Avalanche provides is a must for sweet wintertime adventures.

Jason McMackin The Missoula Avalanche Association’s Pray For Snow Party takes place at Caras Park on Fri., Oct. 5, from 5–11 PM. $10 wristband includes one beer and a ticket for a door prize. Visit missoulaavalanche.org.

Photo by Chad Harder

THURSDAY OCTOBER 4 Keep it real at the Reel Rock 7 Film Tour, an evening of the latest rock climbing porn for all you chalky-handed studs and studettes. Urey Lecture Hall. 7–9 PM. $10.

The miniNaturalists Pre-K Program is aces for outdoorsy learning and such for yonder childrens.

The Montana Natural History Center. 10–11 AM. $3/$1 for members. Visit montananaturalist.org.

OSU Beaver believer and scientist Michael Nelson talks fauna during the Mansfield Center Brown Bag Seminar: Wolf, Moose, Philosopher: Environmental Ethics and the Isle Royale Wolf-Moose Project. University Center Theater. Noon. Free.

You’ll be climbing up a wall at Freestone Climbing Center’s Ladies Night. 935 Toole Ave. 5–10 PM. $6.50/$5 students.

Pass. The two-mile hike is strenuous but the birds are such a dang delight. Meet in the middle of the Adams Center parking lot. 6 AM. Free. Call Cynthia to register at 722-0016.

Pickleball Palooza! Yes! It’s like tennis but better.

It’s like ping-pong but better. It’s like badminton but...no, badminton is better. Learn how to play or strut your stuff at the Fort Missoula tennis courts.

Donations accepted to have pickleball lines painted on the tennis courts foreva-eva. 10–1 PM. Free.

SUNDAY OCTOBER 7 Get back in shape and learn something new at Freestone Climbing Gym’s Intro to Bouldering course, which introduces basic techniques, safety stuff, ethics and more. Class includes 1.5 hours of instruction and two weeks of unlimited climbing. 935 Toole. Noon–1:30 PM. $40.

FRIDAY OCTOBER 5

MONDAY OCTOBER 8

Moaning about winter already? We don’t wanna hear it. Embrace it. Go out in it. Love it forever, like you do that stuffed monkey Grandma Nell bought for your sister. Yes, the one you stole and hide in your “good” underwear drawer. Head to the Pray for Snow Party at Caras Park and we shall never speak of the monkey again. Noon. Free.

Active outdoor lovers are invited to the Mountain Sports Club’s weekly meeting to talk about past glories and upcoming activities at Bigfork’s Swan River Inn. 6–8 PM. Free.

Get back in shape and learn something new at Freestone Climbing Gym’s Intro to Bouldering course, which introduces basic techniques, safety, ethics and more. Class includes 1.5 hours of instruction and two weeks of unlimited climbing.

935 Toole Ave. 7–8:30 PM. $40.

At Slacker Mondays, from 6 PM until close, slackline fans can come to the Freestone Climbing Center, at 935 Toole Ave., to test their balance. $13/$10 for students. Visit freestoneclimbing.com.

Find out how dope Canada’s Northwest Territories are at Five Valleys Audubon’s Adventures and Birding in the Arctic with super adventure man Jim Brown. Gallagher Business Bldg., Rm. L14. 7:30 PM. Free.

SATURDAY OCTOBER 6 General antelope hunting season begins.

Oh gurl, time to get your swagger on and show all the haters your backside as you pull away from the pack at the Run Wild Missoula Diva Day 5K run. This is for the gals only, so posse up, chicas, and show the dudes where the boys aren’t. Register at runwildmissoula.org.

The raptors are coming! Join Five Valleys Audubon for a Migrating Raptors Field Trip at Flesher

TUESDAY OCTOBER 9 The Rocky Mountaineers meet at the Trail Head and discuss beard length and lumbar support, among other things at 7 PM. Call 543-6508 to get involved.

WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 10 Get the lowdown on grass-fed beef during the Clark Fork Coalition Walk and Talk event From Ranch to Plate. Coalition ranch foreman Maggie Smith is on hand to share how the place runs and how grass-fed beef is different. Beef snacks for all! 140 S. Fourth W. Noon–1 PM. Free or $10 to join the CFC.

THURSDAY OCTOBER 11 Gnarmageddon it, Matchstick Ski Films presents Superheroes of Stoke, brah. Wilma Theatre.

7 PM. $10.

missoulanews.com • October 4 – October 11, 2012 [33]

[community]

App icon on m my y phone – quick accessss to deals in my favorite busiin nesses.

Get th he e FREE App!

Earlier this week the website Slate posted a story about how a couple of dudes in Texas and New Mexico spotted a couple of UFOs on Google Street View. Turns out the images were not of enigmatic, quickly vanishing flying saucers; rather, the appearance of the objects was caused by lens flare and the reflections from a nearby McDonald’s.

The innate desire to receive visitors from the hinterlands of outer space is not only for “crazies” like your Uncle Jim whose bunker is well-stocked with survival seeds. Slate knew it would get page views from normal folks like you and me. I clicked on the link as soon as I read the word “UFO.” The sky is a weird place that consistently plays tricks on the eyes with auroras and shifting stars.

Ron Hastings, author of UFOs and Nukes: Extraordinary Encounters at Nuclear Weapons Sites, believes that the sky is a weird place due to the proliferation of nuclear warheads. Born in 1950, at Sandia Base, an atomic weapons engineering fa-

cility in New Mexico, Hastings has interviewed hundreds of retired Air Force personnel and pored over thousands of declassified documents. Airmen and officers claim that when encounters with UFOs occur at places like Malmstrom Air Force Base in Great Falls, ICBMs drop “off alert” and the missiles are unable to be launched. There are also claims that laser beams have targeted weapons storage facilities.

Even if these aren’t Martians targeting military facilities, something is going on in the sky. Perhaps Hastings has uncovered something more sinister than aliens or McDonald’s.

—Jason McMackin Robert Hastings’ lecture, UFOs: The Untold Truth, takes place on Tue., Oct. 9, at 7:30 PM in the University Center Ballroom. Free.

Visit ufohastings.com.

[AGENDA LISTINGS] THURSDAY OCTOBER 4

WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 10

The World Affairs Council hosts Don Hrap, president of the Americas at Conoco Phillips, for his lecture The North American Energy Renaissance. UC Theater.

7:30 PM. $7/free for council members and students.

Hang with like-minded folks or be the shark in the soup at the Bullock Debate Party. There is a big old TV and drinks to be had. Brooks & Browns inside the Holiday Inn Parkside, 200 S. Pattee St. Transition Missoula hosts Anima Mundi, a film about permaculture and sustainability. Discussion to follow. Missoula Public Library, Large Meeting Rm. 6:30 PM. Free.

MONDAY OCTOBER 8 Occupy Missoula General Assembly meets at the Union Hall above the Union Club at 6 PM. The UM Climate Action Now Meeting is out to save the day, promote sustainability and environmental action. UM Flat, 633 5th St. E. 6:30 PM. Former Wisconsin Senator Russ Feingold voted against the Patriot Act and that’s good enough for me. He delivers a lecture called Wile America Sleeps: A Wake-up Call for the Post 9/11 Era as part of the UM President’s Lecture Series. Dennison Theatre. 8 PM. Free.

TUESDAY OCTOBER 9 Learn how to give and receive empathy with Patrick Marsolek during Compassionate Communication Non-Violent Communication Weekly Practice Group, at the Jeannette Rankin Peace Center. 519 S. Higgins. Noon–1 PM. Free.

Be a good egg and learn how to provide care to others at Hospice Volunteer Training. 800 Kensington Ste. 400. 6–9 PM. Call 543-4408.

YWCA Support Groups for women take place every Tue. from 6:30 to 8 PM. An American Indianled talking circle is also available, along with age-appropriate children’s groups. YWCA Missoula, 1130 W. Broadway. Free. Call 543-6691.

THURSDAY OCTOBER 11 Get the skinny from those in the know at the Mansfield Center Brown Bag Lecture Series event Reflection on Issues of Women’s Empowerment in Southeast Asia with State Department officials . Mansfield Center at UM. Noon. Free.

Have a pint at Higher Ground Brewing, 518 N. First St., Hamilton, and help out SAFE. Tunes by the Celtic Knots. 4–8 PM. The Riverfront Neighborhood Council Meeting and Soup Social takes place from 4:30 to 6 PM at the Montana Natural History Center, 120 Hickory St. Let’s talk traffic and playground equipment.

Hang out with like-minded folks or be Mrs. Poopypants and do some eye-rolling and huffing at the Obama for America Presidential Debate Watch Parties. Union Club. 6:30–9 PM. Free.

This week’s Peace and Justice Film Series topic is Elections. A panel of distinguished academes discusses the usefulness of elections and alternatives to this most democratic of processes. Film TBA. UC Theater. 7 PM. Free.

AGENDA is dedicated to upcoming events embodying activism, outreach and public participation. Send your who/what/when/where and why to AGENDA, c/o the Independent, 317 S. Orange, Missoula, MT 59801. You can also email entries to calendar@missoulanews.com or send a fax to (406) 543-4367. AGENDA’s deadline for editorial consideration is 10 days prior to the issue in which you’d like your information to be included. When possible, please include appropriate photos/artwork.

[34] Missoula Independent • October 4 – October 11, 2012

These pets may be adopted at Missoula Animal Control 541-7387 SAINT• He may not actually be a saint, but he's certainly a happy, friendly puppy who would make a great companion for an active person or family. He wants to please, he loves to play, and he's trying hard to learn good manners.

Southgate Mall Missoula (406) 541-2886 • MTSmiles.com Open Evenings & Saturdays

CALHOUN•Calhoun

was very popular when he marched in the U of M homecoming parade, but unfortunately that didn't translate into getting adopted. He's a mature dog who still has a lively spirit, but he's already learned everything a good pet needs to know.

2420 W Broadway 2310 Brooks 3075 N Reserve 6149 Mullan Rd

BRISTOL•Bristol was just a pup when he

MR. MEOW•This sweet-faced fellow came to the shelter when his owner died, and he's still a bit confused about life right now. He's a big, gentle cat who has a very pleasant personality (as well as being quite a handsome guy).

SAHARA•Anyone who especially likes calico cats should come visit Sahara. She has beautiful, vivid calico markings, and she also has a very sweet personality. She stands out, even in a room filled with other cats!

Help us nourish Missoula Donate now at

www.missoulafoodbank.org For more info, please call 549-0543

Missoula Food Bank 219 S. 3rd St. W.

BEN•Ben has coal black glossy hair with

was adopted from us, but since then his family has broken up, and he needs a new home.

Everyone in his old family loved him, and it's easy to see why. This young fellow would be a loyal, happy companion.

absolutely snowy white markings. He practically shines! He's a big, dignified fellow who is also quite a talker. He'd be a great addition of any cat-loving family.

These pets may be adopted at the Humane Society of Western Montana 549-3934 HANS•This 5-year-old Miniature Schnauzer is a handsome little fellow. He loves to sit on your lap but is hardy enough for outdoor adventures. Hans thinks it's his job to protect you and he has the heart of a lion. He's looking for a special person to be his one and only.

He likes most dogs but would prefer to spend his time with you.

MARLEY•This

handsome-boy rabbit is hard to resist! Marley is the size of a small dog and in some ways he acts like one too. He had his own room in his prior home and he is good about using his litter box. Marley has been neutered and is ready to find a family who will appreciate his unique personality. View all available animals on the Humane Society's website at www.myHSWM.org.

HENRY•This handsome Hound is looking

for a new family. Henry is easygoing and gets along well with everyone. Henry has a beautiful singing voice and is well-mannered. He'll be a great companion for a family or a multidog household. Like all Hounds, he loves to follow his nose to new adventure. He also loves to meet new people and is very responsive.

Flowers for every bride.

In Trouble or in Love? The Flower Bed has affordable flowers for all your needs.

The Flower Bed

2405 McDonald Ave. 721-9233

JITTERBUG•This 4-year-old lady cat has

a dream. Jitterbug dreams of a home with wide window sills, comfy throw pillows, and a kind-hearted person. Most of all she dreams of a family who will adopt her with her BFF, Cosmo. Cosmo and Jitterbug found true love at the Humane Society. Now all they need is a home! Call (406)549-3934 for more information.

LITTLE B•This adorable one-year-old little lady is a big dog in a small dog's body. She only weighs 30 pounds but loves to hike and explore. Little B (or LB as her friends call her) is very playful and will dance and romp with her toys. She is also a snuggler and adores children. Come spend some time with her and you're sure to fall in love!

1600 S. 3rd W. 541-FOOD

Improving Lives One Pet at a Time Missoula’s Unique Alternative for pet Supplies

www.gofetchDOG.com - 728-2275 627 Woody • 3275 N. Reserve Street Corner of 39th and Russell in Russell Square

SMUDGEY•Smudgey and her siblings were MON - SAT 10-9 • SUN 11-6 721-5140 www.shopsouthgate.com

raised in the comfort of a volunteer foster home. She is only 8 weeks old and can't wait to find a family. She is playful and outgoing and oh-so-cute! If you want to adopt a pair of kittens the second adoption fee is waived!

Visit www.myHSWM.org to sign up to be a volunteer foster family and help save kittens like Smudgey.

missoulanews.com • October 4 – October 11, 2012 [35]