Big Sky Blog

Many Montana bloggers were excited about Barack Obama’s visit to Butte, America on Independence Day; here are some of their recollections:

Miss Bonkrood, one of the longest-running Big Sky Bloggers, got to shake his hand, and experienced both joy and disappointment:

Then about 5 minutes or later we realize that he is, in fact, making his way down our side of the street shaking hands and holding babies. Both my camera and my friend’s camera had died by then. Elation + disappointment…I’m so glad we hauled our asses out of bed and went out there and stood in front. What an awesome day. Sunburn: totally worth it.

Another veteran blogger, Patia Stephens, was pretty emotional about seeing Obama:

It was at that moment that I got verklempt — choked up — and tears came to my eyes. Why? I don’t know, exactly. Maybe it is because Obama’s candidacy has given me hope for my country after years of disappointment and sadness. Maybe it’s because I believe he has the potential to restore justice to the United States of America, as well as our reputation in the world.

The Smith family traveled from Great Falls to see Obama in person:

After about 30 minutes at the exit to the museum, (we) spotted a small group of people leaving the museum, walking across the tennis court about 50 yards away. Sure enough it was Barack and what I would assume was a group of Secret Service agents. Everyone that was waiting in the area we were in jumped out of their cars and I took a couple of pictures. Even though we didn’t get to see him in the parade, or very close, it wasn’t a bad trip at all and we got to see Barack.

And Big Sky Cairn tells of visitors from Idaho, and also offers up details about the other politicians that were on hand (click to read it all):

A group of people seated near my family had driven all the way from Post Falls, ID only to find out that morning that Obama would not be riding in the parade…Other than some inconvenience to local residents, businesses and the like, the Obama Fourth of July extravaganza seemed to run smoothly. And my family was able to secure our usually parade viewing spot without incident, so we were happy.

ADDED: Maleesha and her family also got up close & personal with Obama:

So when we told 3 1/2 year old AJ that Rockobama was going to be in Butte’s parade, he jumped up and down like we were going to Chuck E Cheese. Long story short: after 2 hours of cheesy floats, local politicians, line dancers, and the annual Pirate Bus, we all got to shake Mr. Obama’s hand.

By the way - for the record, I am not an Obama supporter. I’m just trying to gather up some first-hand accounts of his visit.
All in all, it sounds like most people got what they wanted out of Obama’s visit. Another big “get” for Montana in a crazy election year!

It’s been confirmed that Democrat presidential nominee Barack Obama will be visiting Butte, America on the 4th of July, aka Independence Day. A former Butte resident ponders the excitement, and Big Sky Cairn notes the possible consequences of the ensuing media circus:

…I’m not sure how to feel about Obama’s decision to come to Butte for the 4th. On the one hand, it’s kind of cool. But…there is the real possibility that his presence will ruin the very idyllicism that his campaign is trying to harness. Police officers who would have had the Fourth off, will now be working security. Thousands of out-of-towners will invade the parade route. And journalists of all sizes and stripes will be working Harrison Avenue for B-roll and man on the street interviews. Yes, it is going to be Mansfield-Metcalf part deux.

But the best part of Obama visiting Butte - again! - is summed up by a commenter over at Left In The West: “I’ll bet the butt cheeks of all those liberals in Missoula are clenching, big time.”

County #1 in Montana, according to our license plates, is Butte-Silver Bow. There are about 35,000 people in the 715 square miles, most of them concentrated in the historic mining town of Butte, also known affectionately as “Butte, America.” Butte has a large Irish population, as evidenced by the world-class St Patrick’s Day celebration. Butte is also famous as the birthplace of the greatest American daredevil: Evel Knievel. Also of note is the Berkeley Pit, which functions as both an environmental cause and a tourist attraction. And if there’s a movie with the words “Psycho Sheep” in the title, well…you know it just has to be “Psycho Sheep Of Butte!”

Don’t forget to check out the Google Map of Butte!

Police need your help; information from the GF Tribune:

Anaconda-Deerlodge police are searching for an Anaconda woman who has been missing for two weeks. Detective Bill Sather says 45-year-old Helena Gracia’s sister reported her missing last Saturday.

Her family last saw her on May 23, when she went to the store to get groceries and fill a prescription for her mother. Police say Gracia was last seen later that day with a man at an Anaconda bar. Gracia’s brother, Mike, says the family wasn’t immediately alarmed, because she had talked about going to Missoula to look for a job. However, when calls to her cell phone went unanswered for days, the family called police.

Gracia’s car was found behind the bar last Sunday. The car was locked, the groceries were inside, rotting, and Gracia’s purse and her mother’s medication were also found in the vehicle.

More details are at the Montana Standard. Note that there are different spellings given for her last name, Gracia and Garcia; not sure which is correct. If you have any information about her whereabouts contact your local police or sheriff’s office.

For a state racked by drought any reports of rain are welcome. I see here the western part of the state got a nice rain and I heard on the radio the northern part of the state really got a nice rain. In fact there were complaints about the rain in the northern part of the state since it has interrupted wheat harvest.

I didn’t hear about the real dry spot in the state getiing much rain though, the south-east and south-central part of the state. I know I didn’t get any rain out of the storm and it’s really getting dry out here. Gathered some yearlings to the corral because I needed to pull porcupine quills out of three head and within minutes they had the ground beat into a fine, dusty powder and were really raising the dust. We desperatly need some rain, maybe the next system starting tommorow will bring some in. I kind of doubt it though.

Under the influence of fear, which always leads men to take a pessimistic view of things, they magnified their enemies’ resources, and minimized their own. Titus Livius

The sun is rising on the beginnings of the venture, put together by david, of the bigskyblog.com. I thank him for the invite to post from the Middle of Nowhere on this collabrative Montana blog. All of us that love Montana know it’s The Last, Best Place and this is a way to share it with all. The only problem I see is I am going to need a tutorial on how to use Wordpress. I can’t make heads or tails of all these buttons where you compose your posts. A little bit too much for this cowboy to comperhend.

To anticipate, not the sunrise and the dawn merely, but, if possible, Nature herself! … It is true, I never assisted the sun materially in his rising, but, doubt not, it was of the last importance only to be present at it. Henry David Thoreau

Fellow Montana bloggers, please forgive me if you haven’t yet received an invitation to join this site, and please don’t fret if your site is not yet added to the sidebar! I just started this site the other day, and haven’t yet had the time to fully “create” everything — as you can tell from the bizarre design, missing links, and such. Hang in there — you ALL will get invitations within the next few days so that we can truly make this a BIG SKY BLOG - of, by, and for Montanans!