Looking Back: Summer Games attracts 700 participants
Whitefish Pilot | UPDATED 1 month, 3 weeks AGO
Ross and George Fuller show off roller skates which were their mode of transportation during ihte annual running of the Hike-Bike. in 1976 Kim Schumburg carried their boots on her bicycle in case of tired feet or cramps.
A look back at past Pilot articles by Julie Engler
50 Years Ago
Sept. 2, 1976
A total of 15 new teachers joined the faculty at Whitefish Schools. Some of the new teachers were Charles E. Brown, Barbara Browning, Robert Claussen, Clyde L George, Jesse Dangerfield, and Virginia Hart. Brown Was from Caney, Washington, and studied at. Eastern Washington College. Browning, from Illinois, earned her degree from Colorado State University. Clawson was a University of Montana graduate, originally from Cut Bank, and was the vocal music instructor for grades 6-12.
40 Years Ago
Sept. 3, 1986
Whitefish area residents had the opportunity to tell the Montana Department of Highways where they would like the new railroad overpass to be built. A public hearing was scheduled in the multi-purpose room of Whitefish High School. Replacement of the aging, steep and sharp curved overpass was tentatively scheduled for 1989, according to Gary Wicks, director of the Highway department. The department developed a list of alternative routes for the new overpass and would present them at the meeting for comment. Options included starting from the current Baker Avenue intersection on the south side of the railroad tracks to different locations on Wisconsin Avenue. The department also considered connecting Lupher Avenue to Wisconsin, Baker to Colorado Avenue and Central Avenue to Colorado, an underpass and reconstructing the existing alignment.
30 Years Ago
Sept. 5, 1996
Once, the Summer Games was under the direction of the Whitefish Chamber of Commerce. Now, it's the city's Parks and Recreation Department that acts as a clearing house for the vast array of activities. Historically, the annual event is held the first weekend after Labor Day. This year, the Summer Games schedule was a bit skewed, with soccer tournaments this weekend and the remaining functions slated for next weekend. Last year's events attracted more than 700 participants. Listed on this year's roster are co-ed and men's softball, volleyball, 100K team run, the kids' games and a 6-mile canoe and kayak race. Twenty-four soccer teams were expected for the Whitefish Soccer Club's 16th annual tournament. With 12 men's and 12 women's squads completing competing, play would be held at the Grouse Mountain and Whitefish High School fields. "This thing is so popular, we're usually full by February," said organizer Kevin Jones.
20 Years Ago
Aug. 31, 2006
Affordable housing was a difficult enough problem in Whitefish, but for the new owners of the Garden Townhomes Triplex at Waverley Place and Colorado Avenue, the problem had been compounded by wet weather and construction errors. Buckled, unpainted exterior siding, flooded crawl spaces, mold in the attic, cramped unpaved driveways and unfinished landscaping have left owners of two units frustrated and unsure about what to do next. Construction on the triplex followed completion last year of a successful duplex next door by Whitefish Housing Development Inc, the nonprofit building arm of the Whitefish Housing Authority, which handles financing for the city's affordable housing program. WHA director Sue Ann Grogan, City Councilor Velvet Phillips-Sullivan and Whitefish banker Jim Trout made up the WHDI board. Grogan said WHA subsidized each $164,000 appraised triplex unit with $65,000, leaving each owner with a $100,000 mortgage. In many cases, this means monthly mortgage payments can be less than rent, she said.
10 Years Ago
Aug. 31, 2016
Kevin Collom found what might be considered an unusual talent six years ago while holding a full stein of beer straight in front of him at the Great Northwest Oktoberfest in Whitefish. He won that competition and a dozen more since. Collom, 52, excels in steinholding what he calls "an old guy's sport." Competitors hold a one-liter stein of beer straight ahead, arm level at shoulder height and thumb wrapped around the stein handle, not on top. The other hand must be relaxed at the side, not in the pocket, and the back must be straight and not compensating for the six pounds of liquid in the stein. The competitor to hold the stein the longest wins. At one point during a Samuel Adams sponsored contest, Collom was ranked ninth in the United States.