Hometown Helena Thursday, January 18th: Leadership Montana

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Hometown Helena this Thursday, January 18th: Leadership Montana

January 16, 2024


Greetings Everyone,


The good news this week is that it might be above zero by Thursday morning. The bad news is that it may be snowing.  We shall see what the weather brings. This has been quite the cold snap. Reminds me of February 2, 1989 when the tanker car full of anhydrous ammonia came rolling nine miles down the railroad tracks from Mullan Pass & crashed into another train car standing in the yard and exploded. It was well below zero that morning too.  The explosion knocked all the windows out of the Carroll PE Center and Guadalupe Hall. A pair of locomotive wheels and the axle were sent flying up the air. They came down, as these things will, crashed through the roof of a home on the west side and landed next to a couple's bed while they were sleeping in it! Quite the wake up call!  The legislature was in session that year. The Capitol started to look like an emergency shelter the next few days. Some legislators had apartments on the west side that they could not return to. Others had lost gas or electricity and couldn’t go to their Helena homes. So, everyone stayed put in the Capitol for a day or so. 


I’m not sure it’s been that cold since then?  But it has been a very cold week in Helena. It’s so cold I saw a dog stuck to a fire hydrant! It’s so cold I saw a chicken walking down the street with a capon! That’s about the extent of my cold weather jokes. 


Please take a moment as the weather improves to think about the folks who have been working in this cold to keep you and me safe and warm. The snowplows have been working almost continuously since this cold snap began. The city streets look good. Mac Pass is clear and open.  Sheriff’s deputies, Highway Patrol Troopers, Helena Police have been out on the roads assisting stranded motorists. Plumbers have been thawing pipes 16-18 hours a day for the last week. The baristas at 1889 Coffee, Starbucks and the other coffee shacks have been standing in the open window of their establishments handing out hot drinks to cold people. Thanks to everyone who works in this weather so the rest of us can carry on our normal routines.  


We will carry on with our normal Hometown Helena routine this week (see below). It’s become a tradition to spend an hour with the folks from Leadership Montana each year. We’ll do that again this week. Leadership Montana is another great success story that has been bringing people together from all walks of life, and from communities all over this vast state. Please join us this Thursday to learn more about Leadership Montana, and to meet some of the future leaders of our great state.


Looking forward to seeing you in person on the 6th floor of the Montana Club, or on the TV screen if you wish to zoom in Thursday morning. In the meantime, stay warm.


Jim Smith

406-949-1002 


Please limit announcements and comments to 2 minutes.

Please bring new or gently used socks, hats, and gloves to this week’s meeting as a donation to United Way. Socks and mens’ large gloves are very needed.

Hometown Helena - Thursday, January 18th, 7 a.m. @ The Montana Club & Live via ZOOM hosted by Pinion:

  • Leadership Montana

  • Online Meeting Instructions: Please keep your phone or microphone muted during the meeting and note that your camera may be on depending on your ZOOM settings. Please "raise your hand" at the start of the meeting if you will have an opening update or introduction.


  • In-Person Announcements: Please plan on approaching the front of the room to make announcements directly to our host so online attendees can hear. There is time at the beginning of the meeting for announcements. Please limit announcements and comments to 2 minutes.


  • View Program Recording: Hometown Helena is recorded and posted at HometownHelena.news, typically within a day.


  • Hometown Email List: This private email list is not shared. You can join or update your email information at HometownHelena.news or by clicking the button below.

Join or Update your Email

The Hometown Helena Team is Jim Smith, Rick Hays, Kelly Cresswell, Emily McVey, Emily Frazier, Ali Mandell, Tom McGree, Peter Strauss, Haley McKnight and Matt Elsaesser

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