I was so happy to hear America’s Secretary of the Interior, Ryan Zinke speak on the importance of taking care of our forest. “What is happening is economically wrong, morally wrong ... lives lost” – he is a well-educated man, a fifth generation Montana man, a former Navy SEAL commander, a man who cares very deeply about what is happening with the horrible wildland fires, he voices deep concern for the people affected, including our firefighters! Thank you, Secretary Zinke for your caring, compassion and common sense!

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Our Valley Home National Night Out was well attended and enjoyed by all. A beautiful dinner and dessert foods welcomed everyone! During the evening Pammie (Barnhill) Moore presented a wonderful recollection of memories from her childhood. Many of those she spoke about or their direct descendants are still in Valley Home today! We were thrilled with the history shared by Mrs. Estelle Barnhill, one could tell from the emotion in her voice and the early history of Valley Home she shared her memories were very special! Elaine Dickens and Linda Aiken your stories and sweet memories were so wonderful. It was easy to see how much Valley Home meant to each one of you! Thank you Pammie Moore, Elaine Dickens, Linda Aiken and Estelle Barnhill for making this night so special for all of us. Although unable to be with us for this year’s National Night Out, we were thankful for the beautiful memories, photos and history boards from Glenn and Laura Burghardt.

We are so appreciative of our firefighters, who recently were on the fire lines of the Ferguson fire, Casey Knee and Jeff Frye. We are so grateful! Thank you for sharing the evening with us. We are also thankful to Sheriff’s officers, Jeff Dirkse, Ed Ridenour and to Mrs. Sandi Dirkse for making the trip to Valley Home to share this special evening with us. The crowd was thrilled when our Sheriff said hello with a wave from the sky, the Sheriff helicopter sending a message of appreciation to all on the ground for their part in helping to keep our community a safe and peaceful place to live. It was indeed a very special night. Thank you to all who made this night possible!

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As always you may reach me at winniemullins51@gmail.com. Until next time, “Happy Trails!”