Ellington

Hop away

Molly Patko takes the lead in a potato sack race during the first annual Fall Fitness Fun Day Saturday morning.

Fitness Day runs through Mineral County

Laughs and cheers could be heard from the lawn of the Mineral Community Hospital Saturday morning. The excitement was from the first annual Fall Fitness Fun Day, hosted by the Mineral Community Hospital Wellness Program.

Dramatic embrace

"The Merchant of Venice" characters Gratiano (Daniel L. Haley) and Nerissa (Sara Mountjoy-Pepka) dramatically embrace during the 2011 Shakespeare in the Parks performance in Superior.

Play transports Superior

Montana Shakespeare in the Parks brought the Superior audience back to Venice and Belmont in the mid-1950s. The traveling actors performed Shakespeare’s “The Merchant of Venice”.

Spike

Alberton junior Mariah Turnull spikes the ball over two Philipsburg players Saturday evening in Alberton.

Big catch

Superior senior Matt Campbell makes a deep catch while Arlee senior Nathan Bertollt cases Campbell down the field Friday evening.

Former Bobcat

Ex-Bobcat football player Zane Warnken stands with his son Caleb under "The Home of the Might Bobcats" sign by the football field.

Team leader

Bobcat senior Matt Campbell prepares to catch a pass during a scrimmage Friday afternoon.

Candles and prayers

Vanessa Kinzie's family and friends gather behind Plains High School to pray for her healing and health Wednesday evening.

Feeling the music

Members of the band "Without Annette" jam to their music with the crowd on the final day of the SOULA Music Festival in Hot Springs.

Guilty

Michael Woodard (right) stands with his lawyer Lance Jasper during the initial appearance Wednesday afternoon. 

Paradise Boxcar Fire

Two firefighters of the Plains Volunteer Fire Department and the Plains-Paradise Rural Fire Department work to put out a fire in a boxcar June 21.

Plains Pool Lifeguards

Plains Day Turtles

Turtle races winners hold their champions at the annual Plains Day celebration.

Balloon toss

Paradise residents and visitors participate in the annual balloon tossing contest as part of the Fourth of July celebrations.

Floating along

The Thompson River Animal Care Shelter Huckleberry Festival parade float.

Homesteading it up

Thompson River Animal Care Shelter volunteers Deb Oliver and Donna Curry are all smiles and laughs while riding the TRACS parade float Saturday at the annual Huckleberry Festival in Trout Creek.

Swingin' and singin'

The Swing Street band prepares to perform music of the 30s and 40s to entertain guests at the annual Huckleberry Festival in Trout Creek.

Under the parachute tent

Spectators gather near the stage to watch and listen to performances and bands Saturday at the annual Huckleberry Festival in Trout Creek.

Rope maker

Dann Johnson, left, and a visitor to the Huckleberry Festival weave a rope using Johnson's family rope-weaving machine. Johnson has been making ropes since he was a child and likes to give demonstrations.

Weaving and selling African art

Samba Damary, co-owner of Authentic African Arts, shows a customer how to collapse and pop-up one of his handmade collapsible baskets Saturday at the annual Huckleberry Festival in Trout Creek. Damary learned the trade of weaving these baskets in his home county of Sierra Leone.

Jumping fast

Another athletic border collie runs the Huckleberry Hounds Agility Club agility course at the annual Huckleberry Festival in Trout Creek.

Agile dog show

Dutchess the Border Collie runs up a ramp during her run in the agility course offered by the Huckleberry Hounds Agility Club Saturday during the annual Huckleberry Festival in Trout Creek. Dutchess and her trainer, Tracy , are from Hamilton.

Touching down

Helicopter rides were offered at this year's annual Huckleberry Festival in Trout Creek. Many spectators watched as the helicopter took off, hovered and flew over the event and the nearby landscape as well as land.

Milking the wild cow

Spinning fast

Lili Skeen takes a spin on the Gyro Rides at the fair.

Little singer, Big talent

Isabelle Briker, 6, sings "How High is the Water Momma" at the talent show during the fair.

Little fans adore the singing

Mike Collier sings a surprise country song at the talent show during the fair.

Kicking up dirt

Jonna Warnken is startled by her pig during the auction at the fair.

Twinkie-hungry swine

Cary Chamberlain draws her pig out of the gate with a Twinkie during the auction at the fair.

College Fund display

Lyndi Ishler stands with her steer, with the words "College Fund" written on the side, during the auction at the fair. This year is Ishler's last as a 4-H member.

Leading him into the arena

Tyler Ishler walks his steer during the auction at the fair.

Dedication

Colonel Robert E. Ruthford stands next to the airport sign dedicated in his honor at the Fly-In. 

Fly-In swoops into Superior

Nearly 20 small planes buzzed around the Mineral County Airport Saturday afternoon in celebration of the first annual Mineral County Fly-In.

Live theater

Members of the Vigilante Theatre Co. perform in "Radio Montana".  From left: Actors Taylor Jensen as Claire, John Hosking at Greely and Jeremy James as Jake. 

Car flips in Clark Fork river

On River Road West in Plains, a young woman lost control of her vehicle and it went off the road and flipped into the river. The young woman made it out fine with the assistance of a nearby resident.

Lighting up the Fourth of July night

A local Plains boy watches a "cake" firework display light up the night at the Sanders County Fairgrounds.

Voyageur bagpiper

David Thompson Columbia Brigade voyageur and in-house bagpiper Grahm McGuire of Thunder Bay, Ontario plays "Scotland the Brave" in period clothing to commemorate the official welcome and greeting ceremony at Wild Goose Landing in Thompson Falls Thursday. McGuire said he learned to play in a Bagpiping Band in his native Ontario some years ago.

Bridge over troubled and high waters

The Clark Fork river flows June 9 underneath the bridge in Plains that leads to the Sanders County Fairgrounds. Many locals said they haven't seen the river this high or fast in over a decade.

Examining the breach

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers survey technicians Gerald Fletcher (left) and Travis Hightower (right) observe the breached levee on the Clark Fork river June 11 as crews work to repair it.

Plains Day Parade

The annual Plains Day parade involved many town organizations such as the volunteer fire department and classsic car show. Hundreds gathered Saturday to catch candy being thrown and to watch the celebratory parade make its way down Railroad Avenue.

Rushing river

Looking through the Dry Channel Dam in Thompson Falls.

Overhead shot of Kennedy Creek Fire

An overhead view of the forest fire at Kennedy Creek taken early last week.

One of the winners holding hardware

Dan Shaffer from Washington won muliple events over the two days of the Bruce Frye Memorial Shoot which is an ATA registered shoot.

What's left of the nest

Plains Volunteer Fire Department crew members examine the scene and speak with Mayor Brinson Friday afternoon. According to authorities, a large bird's nest sitting atop a telephone pole caught fire during the afternoon thunderstorm and took out the power of the town of Plains for over an hour.

Survivors unite

Sanders County Relay for Life kicks off the event Friday evening beginning with the Survivors Lap of the night-long walk for cancer awareness, rememberance of lost loved ones and celebration of those who survived.

Jump shot

Bobcat Aaron Lowman (right) squares to shoot as Zach Benda (left) looks on from the baseline. 

Bobcats improve over summer league season

Going into their summer basketball schedule, the Superior boy’s basketball team was looking to continue improving from the previous season and have some fun along the way.

Full swing

Fair-goers dance to country music by the Kelly Hughes Band Saturday evening at the Mineral County Fair. 

Summer sizzles with county fair

The summer season in Superior reached a fever pitch last weekend as the Mineral County Fairgrounds filled with people for the annual County Fair.

Cow chase

Travis Stroot, Bajin Smith and Logan Labbe of the Superior Septic team wreslle a wild cow during the wild cow milking competition Thursday evening at the Superior Lion's Club "Go for the Gold" Rodeo. Superior Septic finished second.

Wild rodeo excites county

Rodeo fans packed the grandstands at the Mineral County Fairgrounds last weekend for the Superior Lion’s Club “Go for the Gold” Rodeo.

Spill out

A set of Western Waters rafts float the Fang rapid of the Clark Fork River.  Captured here is one of the rafts tipping over through the rapids. 

Rafting the Gorge

I left from Superior Saturday morning on an old blue and white bus and bounced down the frontage road towards Cyr for a daylong raft trip on the Clark Fork River with Western Waters.

Prepared pig

Nicole Stroot measures Ashley Blaylock's pig, Howie Friday afternoon. Both Stroot and Blaylock are preparing pigs for an auction at the Mineral County Fair.

4-H swine prepared for fair

Riding in line

Drill team members practice a routine for the rodeo Thursday afternoon. From left to right, Janet Neville, Kathie Gamble, Nicole Stroot, Kaylee Crabb and Shelia Neville.

Drill team practices for rodeo

The local Superior drill team has met at the fairgrounds once a week since May to practice for the upcoming rodeo.

Putting out the flames from overhead

A plane dumping fire retardant over the fire at Kennedy Creek.