Only Two More Weekly Dance Classes at the Community Hall

The last two dance classes of the season will be on Friday, January 31 at 6:00pm and Sunday, February 9 at 6:00pm. Invite anyone else who might be interested. If your spouse/partner can’t come, come anyway! The first hour of the class is geared for total beginners. The second hour is dance moves beyond the basic steps. We are learning to waltz, two step, and swing dance. Everyone is welcome.

Winter Dance Classes Starting Next Week!

It is that time of year again! Winter dance classes at the Hall will begin the night after Thanksgiving — Friday, November 29, 6:00-8:00pm.

Dance classes are held once-a-week through February …and beginners are welcome! You can come with a partner or as a single. Debo Powers is the instructor and the classes are free.

Please bring beverages and snacks to share. Volunteers who offer to come early to get the fire going to warm up the Hall and shovel a path to the outhouse are always welcome!

There will be two dance events this winter:
New Year’s Eve Dance Party on Tuesday, December 31
Winter Ball & Valentine’s Day Dance on Friday, February 14

Come out on cold winter nights to have fun with your neighbors and learn to dance!!

October 13, 7:00pm: ‘True Adventures of our Early Pioneers’ presentation by John Fraley

Join us for a presentation by Author John Fraley on the true adventures of people who earned their livings in the wild mountains and rivers of the Bob Marshall Wilderness and Glacier Park during the 19th and early 20th centuries.  Fraley is the author of “Rangers, Trappers, and Trailblazers”, “Wild River Pioneers”, and “A Woman’s Way West”, and is retired from a 40-year career with the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks.

Sondreson Hall, 7:00pm, Sunday, October 13th.  Bring a snack to share if you can.  The last general meeting of the NFLA will follow at 8pm, and canned goods for the Veterans Food Pantry will be collected there.

Sondreson Hall Cleanup 2018

On a gloriously sunny day last Saturday, a smaller than usual crowd showed up for the annual Hall Clean-up at Sondreson Hall.  The North Fork Dancers (those who participated in the winter dance classes) made up most of the group.  Much was accomplished and everyone had a good time.  Firewood was chopped and stacked; the fence was repaired; the outhouses, generator shack, and Hall were thoroughly cleaned; and kitchen supplies were re-organized.  Rachel and Alan Peura provided the lunch by grilling hamburgers and serving side dishes.  The lunch table was set up on the front porch in order to enjoy the perfect spring day!

Thanks to all of the folks who organized the cleanup and everyone who came to help. The hall is now ready for a summer of serious business and serious fun.

Mouse droppings don't stand a chance | photo by Suzanne Daniel

Get back to work your two! | photo by Suzanne Daniel

A well earned lunch | photo by Suzanne Daniel

Fun-filled Hall Clean-up Day 2017

Spring cleaning is lots of fun when it is accomplished in a community.

Nineteen North Forkers gathered on Saturday, May 27, for the annual Hall Clean-up.  Wood was split and hauled into the Hall for both wood stoves.  Rafters were dusted and windows were washed.  The kitchen was cleaned and re-organized.  The floor was vacuumed.  The outhouses were scrubbed and new paint was added.  Fences were repaired.  The generator shed was swept.  A fallen tree was cut up for firewood and brush was stacked on the burn pile.

With so many helpers available, the work was accomplished quickly with lots of time for visiting and sharing news.  Lunch was prepared by Alan Peura who cooked burgers and veggie burgers on a grill to add to the assortment of salads and cookies.

Hall Cleanup Draws a Crowd

Margaret & Suzanne cleaned the outhousesOn Saturday, a large number of North Fork landowners participated in the annual Hall Cleanup Day at the Sondreson Community Hall in the North Fork.  Equipped with gloves, tools, and cleaning supplies, landowners washed windows, tables, counter tops, floors, outhouses and everything else they could get their hands on.  In addition, wood was chopped and stacked, rafters were dusted, yard debris was burned, and noxious weeds were pulled.  There were so many volunteers that the work was finished quickly and everyone enjoyed a lunch prepared by NFLA board members.

We want to thank all the volunteers who came to help!

Click on a photo to see a slide show of the cleanup.

Annual Hall Cleanup

Suzanne cleaning the men's outhouseNext Saturday, May 28th, is the annual cleanup of Sondreson Hall. Inside volunteers please bring cleaning supplies. Outside volunteers please bring appropriate tools, rakes, gloves, etc. A light lunch & drinks will be provided.

This annual event is a great way to start the summer season on the North Fork. Come see all your neighbors and get the hall ready for all the summer fun.

Sondreson Hall has New Bookcase

Thanks to Kevin and Emily O’Bryan, North Fork landowners, who donated a bookcase for the Community Hall. Kevin built the beautiful wooden bookcase in Ohio (where he was building cabinets and shelves for their North Fork cabin) and transported it here. The bookcase will display books on the flora and fauna of the Northern Rockies which were donated by North Fork landowner, Randy Lakes. There will also be a shelf of books written by local authors. [Any North Fork author who would like to donate a copy of their book(s), please contact debopowers@gmail.com]. All of these books can be checked out (and returned) by NFLA members beginning this summer when the library will be set up.

“Creeks” Donate to Sondreson Hall Fund

The “Creeks of the North Fork” float The “Creeks of the North Fork” float won first place in the Polebridge 4th of July Parade this year. The first place prize, donated by the Merc and the Saloon, was $100 to spend at the Merc or Saloon and $100 to be donated to whatever non-profit organization the group chose.   “Creeks of the North Fork” spent their prize money on a pizza party on Friday night. The group decided that the $100 donation should go to a North Fork non-profit organization. After some discussion about which organization, they reached consensus on the NFLA Improvement Fund for Community Hall Maintenance since having use of Sondreson Hall benefits everyone in the North Fork. Most of the 18 members of the float attended the pizza party (although not everyone was present when the picture was taken).

2015 Sondreson Hall Cleanup Day

Hall Cleanup CrewOn Saturday, about 20 members of the NFLA showed up to help with the annual Hall Cleanup Day. It was a pleasurable neighborhood experience—a combination of chatting and light work—cleaning, dusting, sweeping, organizing, trimming bushes, washing windows, and splitting kindling for the wood stoves.   Everyone had a good time and there were enough people to complete all of the tasks in a short period of time. Our Community Hall is now ready for a season of fun-filled community activities to begin. A delicious lunch of chili, salad, and dessert completed the day.