Chapter Meeting Program Schedule
Unless otherwise stated, meetings are held at Lolo Community Center and when available, via Zoom beginning at 1 pm MST. The Lolo Community Center is approximately 1 mile south of Lolo on US 93 and Rte 12 on the west side of the highway. Address is 12345 US-93, Lolo, MT 59847.
| August 2-3, 2024 – The Stevensville Creamery Parade on Friday, August 2nd, at 6:00 PM. SAR will be in the parade and have contacted us to participate with them. If you are interested, please let me know at 808-987-2114. I will then get more information for you about who to contact to participate and when to line up. If you do participate, wear DAR-related colors, badges, signs, etc. |
| August 6-11, 2024 – Western Montana Fair. Volunteer to assist us as we serve as Ambassadors in the Commercial Building or stop by to chat with us. This is a major fundraising effort of our chapter. We can always use your help. Again call me if you want to be a substitute or share a scheduled time block. |
| August 8, 2024 – Dedication of the America 250 plaque at the Rocky Mountain Military Museum. Tours begin at noon. The ceremony will be at 2 pm followed by a reception. Come and meet our MSSDAR Board of Directors and our State Regent, Jennifer Buckley. Reach out to Janet Loran (renegade65@vcn.com) if you can bring refreshments and to Susan Stone (stonehealthcenter@mac.com) to RSVP. |
| August 15, 2024 – Some of our members will be welcoming new citizens on August 15th. There are two ceremonies: 11:00 am and 1:30 pm. If you are interested in attending the next Naturalization ceremony, please let Deb Tomell know. Deb’s contact is mdtomx2@msn.com. |
| September 14, 2024. Chapter Business Meeting followed by our Program: Sparkle in Service – a celebration of membership. Come to celebrate all that DAR members have accomplished and plans for the upcoming year. We will welcome new members and present certificates for those who have achieved 10, 20, 30, 40, and 50 years of membership. Certificates of service will be presented for accomplishments during 2023-2024. Hostesses: Janet Loran, Betty Robinson, and Susan Stone |
| October 12, 2024. Chapter Business Meeting followed by our Program: 596 Nice People, A Montanan’s Story of Service and Perseverance. Our presenter, Ken Langel, grew up on a farm in north central Montana, attended a one-room country school where grades 1 through 8 learned together. He graduated from Rudyard High school in 1965 and attended Montana State University before joining the Navy in 1966. After his deployment to Vietnam and honorable discharge from the Navy, he returned to college, eventually earning a business degree from Alaska Pacific University. For many years he worked in the construction industry including oil fields of Prudhoe Bay and other locations in Alaska. In 1997, he returned from Alaska to work for his brother’s Taco Bell franchise, headquartered in Missoula, where he still works today. Join us as we celebrate DAR’s National Day of Service. Hostesses: Victoria Emmons, Angela Fiedler, and Malinda Peterson |
| October 19, 2024 at 11:00 AM. Join us for a special presentation and tour of the Ninepipes Museum of Early Montana. Browse the nature path if weather permits. If you want to carpool, RSVP to Janet Loran. Meet at the northwest corner at the Providence parking lot on Orange near US I-90, at 10:00 AM. Pack a snack or picnic lunch if you wish. More information to follow! |
| November 9, 2024. Chapter Business Meeting followed by our Program: Veteran’s Luncheon Fundraiser. During this Veteran’s Day month, the Bitter Root Daughters will honor our veterans by hosting a private luncheon. Luncheon Program: Transformational Leadership, the Women’s Army Corps, 1942-1945. Our presenter, Retired Colonel, Vanessa Berry, retired in June 2018, as a Staff Judge Advocate, US Army Forces Command, Fort Bragg, NC. She received her commission from the ROTC program at the University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho, in 1990. She served as a Department of Justice Fellow in the Civil Division. She is a graduate of the Military Judge’s Course; Command and General Staff College; the Judge Advocate General’s Graduate Course; and the Combined Arms and Service Staff School. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Agriculture from Washington State University, Pullman, Washington; a Juris Doctorate from the University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho; an LLM from the Judge Advocate General’s Legal Center and School, Charlottesville, Virginia; and a Master of Arts in Military History from the Command and General Staff College, Leavenworth, Kansas. Her awards include the Legion of Merit, Bronze Star Medal, and the Defense Meritorious Service Medal. Hostesses: No Hostess Needed |
| December 7, 2024. An Old Fashion Christmas. Celebrating our holiday season. This is our traditional holiday potluck. Bring a special dish to share and bring a tree ornament, family antique or memory from the season! We will put each ornament on a tree or antique under the tree as we share stories of our cherished holidays past and our lineage. Hostesses: Louanna Butler, Elizabeth Tomlinson, and Susan Stone |
| January 11, 2025. Chapter Business Meeting via ZOOM. Program: Surrogate First Ladies. Enjoy this overview of the First Ladies compiled by DAR member, Patricia Sheehan Andraszek, from the Irondequoit Chapter, in New York. Hostesses: Zoom meeting. No Hostesses Needed |
| February 8, 2025. Chapter Business Meeting followed by our Program: American History Awards. Presented by Committee Chair, Victoria Emmons. Our chapter will be awarding certificates and pins to our winners of the American History Essay Contest. The winners will present their essays to the chapter. This year’s essay theme is “Enjoying a New Kind of Tea Party,” open to grades 5-8 and “Patriots of the American Revolution” for our High School Students. Hostesses: Cynthia Fulks, Darla Case, and Shari Miller Kastenholz |
| March 15, 2025. Chapter Business Meeting followed by our Program: Steam Laundries to Chop Suey: Western Montana’s Chinese History, 1870-1940. Our presenter, Sophia Etier, is a public historian with focus areas in local Montana History and the American West. She specializes in research that concentrates on the history of Montana’s red-light districts and the development of minority communities within the Western Montana region. In September 2023 she presented her research “Forgotten Souls: The Lost Voices of Western Montana’s Restricted Districts” at the Montana History Conference. In March 2024, she presented “Lost Montana: The Path from Remembrance to Inclusive Heritage” at the University of Montana Wester Ted Talk Conference. She also is a lead guide for the Unseen Missoula Heritage tour program, curating and managing the ‘Carnal Enterprises’ restricted district tour. Hostesses: Kate Laney, Blanche Tate, and Shawna Tate |
| April 12, 2025. Chapter Business Meeting followed by our program: 100 Things to Do in Montana Before You Die, Historical Highlights. Our presenter, Susie Wall, writes from her home in Missoula, Montana. Her writing and photography have appeared in many state and national publications. Her boundless curiosity has led her to write about a variety of topics from food to farming to scat identification, but her favorite subjects continue to be the captivating people and places of Montana. Hostesses: Betty Tingley, Betty Hilmo, and Bonnie Elliot |
| May 17, 2025. Chapter Business Meeting followed by our Program: Just a Pinch of Murder: A Montana writer clues you in. Our presenter, Leslie Budewitz, writes the Spice Shop mysteries set in Seattle’s Pike Place Market, along with the Food Lovers’ Village series and historical short mysteries set in Montana. As Alicia Beckman, she writes standalone suspense. A three time Agatha-Award winner, past president of Sisters in Crime, and former board member of Mystery Writers of America, she live in Big Fork, Montana. Hostesses: Pat Culver, Barbara Fowler, and Sharon Johnson |
| May 20, 2025 at 11:00 AM. Join us for a special presentation and tour of Heritage Hall and Officers Row at Fort Missoula by the Northern Rockies Foundation, Director of Development, Heather Lynch. Heritage Hall is the large yellow building towards the Eastern side of the Fort complex. The address is 20 Fort Missoula Road. We can picnic (weather permitting) or go nearby to the Trough for lunch. More information to follow! |
| June 14, 2025. Chapter Business Meeting followed by our Program: Mallory’s Through History. Our presenter, Mallory Witham, was born in Polson, Montana, a fourth generation descendent of Polson pioneers. She also lived in Missoula, Great Falls, and Helena. Her family moved to the Chicago area where she lived for a time. She returned to Montana in 1998 when her parents moved back to Polson. She has her AA degree from Cottey College in Nevada, Missouri. She received her BA degree in Elementary Education from the University of Montana, Missoula, Montana. She has worked in a variety of preschools and schools for children with and without disabilities. She is now the Assistant Director of the North Lake County Public Library in Polson. Mallory is the proud mom of two amazing adult daughters, Crystal Field and Rebecca Clemow, who both live in Missoula with their families. Hostesses: Crystal Field, Mallory Witham, and Bridget Wanderer |
If you are unable to attend the meeting that you are to hostess, please contact those you are hostess with to organize with them. Thank you.
Chapter Meeting Hostess Schedule
| September 14, 2024 – Hostesses: Janet Loran, Betty Robinson, and Susan Stone |
| October 12, 2024 – Hostesses: Victoria Emmons, Angela Fiedler, and Malinda Peterson |
| November 9, 2024 – Hostesses: Veteran’s Luncheon; No Hostess Needed |
| December 14, 2024 – Hostesses: Louanna Butler, Elizabeth Tomlinson, and Susan Stone |
| January 11, 2025 – Hostesses: Zoom meeting. No Hostesses Needed |
| February 8, 2025 – Hostesses: Cynthia Fulks, Darla Case, and Shari Miller Kastenholz |
| March 8, 2025 – Hostesses: Kate Laney, Blanche Tate, and Shawna Tate |
| April 12, 2025 – Hostesses: Betty Tingley, Betty Hilmo, and Bonnie Elliot |
| May 10, 2025 – Hostesses: Pat Culver, Barbara Fowler, and Sharon Johnson |
| June 14, 2025 – Hostesses: Crystal Field, Mallory Witham, and Bridget Wanderer |
NOTE: If you are unable to attend please notify the Chapter Regent or one of the other hostesses. Thank you.