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Rise and shine, Missoula! In today’s edition: Community growth grants, an art auction with artist talks, a kite-skiing Greenland expedition talk, and more. Let’s get to it!
— Cait Baker
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📰 In the news
Funds to shape community growth: Montana Department of Commerce announced eight communities will share over $300,000 in CDBG planning grants. Missoula County will receive $26,250 for a preliminary architectural report for Seeley Lake Elementary — see who is getting funding.
Wallets catch a break: Montana gas prices fell last week, bringing some relief at Missoula pumps, with averages lower than a month ago and slightly below last year, according to GasBuddy — see state and national averages.
Regional creativity takes center stage: Missoula Art Museum’s Fan the Flame auction is on view now, with bidding open and events in January. Exhibition runs through Feb. 4, with a gala on Feb. 7 — get all the details.
Are you overpaying? The national average for car insurance is around $175 per month. I was paying over $300 for ONE car until I checked out various quotes, switched providers, and ultimately cut my premium in half. If you haven’t checked in a while, you’re probably losing money too — this free comparison tool makes it easy.
Gold & silver are hot: Gold just had it’s best year since 1979. Silver did even better, climbing nearly 150% in 2025… and analysts expect the momentum to continue. If you’re curious about adding precious metals to your portfolio as a market hedge, American Hartford has a helpful guide that covers everything you need to know. It’s free — and definitely worth a read.
*We do our best to avoid paywalled articles. If any slip through, let me know which ones and I’ll permanently remove them from our source list!
Highlights this week:
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🫶 We got your back
Safeguard your indoor air: Montana Department of Environmental Quality is offering discounted radon test kits through January. With our geology and the EPA ranking Missoula County among areas with the highest radon potential, testing makes sense. Long-term exposure can raise lung cancer risk, so checking levels this month matters. Learn more about radon testing.
Creative recharge, anyone? Punch up your week with a quick art fix at Zootown Arts Community Center, where galleries, hands-on pottery, live shows, and classes make creativity an easy habit. Bring a friend, and leave with painty fingers or a new favorite Missoula band.
Tidy those arches: For a quick clean-up or a full brow refresh, KINDRED skin + sole keeps things low-stress and precise with brow waxing and microblading. Expect thoughtful shaping, natural-looking results, and zero fuss. Your mirror will approve, and your brows will finally behave.
A new haircare solution: My hair’s been thinning and I’ve been quietly ignoring it, hoping it’ll fix itself. Plot twist… it hasn’t. When I finally started looking into what I should do, there were so many options I didn’t know where to start. I stumbled on Keranique, and its simplicity really sold me. One kit, no pills, no choosing products, and no confusion whatsoever. It’s also on sale with a money-back guarantee (although I doubt you’ll need it).
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📆 Around town this week
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All events are subject to change without notice. Always check official event pages for the most up to date information.
✍ Nature Writing Hush Hour – January @ Montana Natural History Center | Monday (1/12) at 6:00 PM – Second Monday sanity check: slip into the Montana Natural History Center for Hush Hour, a free, register-ahead session where poetry, prose, and half-baked drafts get some fresh air. No open mic, no small talk, just you, your notebook, and the exhibits keeping quiet.
🐦 Bird-shaped Forests: Interpreting Woodpecker Sign in Montana @ University of Montana | Monday (1/12) at 7:00 PM – A talk on decoding woodpecker sign in Montana forests, from anatomy and behavior to the holes, scats, and feathers they leave behind. Think CSI for trees, fewer grim monologues. Field ecologist Rob Rich teams up with the native plant folks on the UM campus.
🥫 Canning Basics Workshop @ Turner Farms | Tuesday (1/13) at 6:00 PM – New year, new pantry flex. Head out to Turner Farms for a canning basics workshop where Jon and Erin Turner share 30 years of know-how, covering fundamentals, food safety, and smart technique, and you leave with a curated gift pack, confidence, and smug winter preparedness.
🎿 Kite Skiing Greenland: Expedition Travel Powered by Wind @ Freestone Climbing Center | Tuesday (1/13) at 7:00 PM – Swap your driveway heroics for a vicarious epic, as Jesse Crocker recounts kite-skiing 2,000+ kilometers across the Greenland ice cap at -40, and how that translates to windy fun in Montana, otherwise known as Tuesday. At Freestone Climbing Center, BYO snacks, beer, and curiosity.
📚 Brad Bigelow (Virginia Faulkner: A Life in Two Acts) @ Shakespeare & Co | Wednesday (1/14) at 7:00 PM – Trade your streaming backlog for a seat at Shakespeare & Co. as Missoula author Brad Bigelow reads and chats about his debut, Virginia Faulkner: A Life in Two Acts. Smart conversation, local vibes, and the kind of wit you actually want to take home.
🔥 Fan the Flame: Auction Exhibition Artist Talks @ Missoula Art Museum | Thursday (1/15) at 5:00 PM – This Late Thursday, the Missoula Art Museum turns the auction preview into a smart hangout with artist talks, sharp conversation, and regional work worth your wall space. Bid now through Feb 7, or hit Buy It Now if patience isn’t your medium. Free admission.
🎡 Sky Blue Shows @ Missoula County Fairgrounds | Friday (1/16) at 12:30 PM – If your ideal weekend smells like gun oil and kettle corn, the big Sky Blue show at the Missoula Fairgrounds is the move. Expect rows of dealers, vintage pieces, Montana-made gear, and plenty of neighborly chat about safes, training, and responsible ownership.
Wanna see more? Browse our full events calendar →
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📻 Missoula report
Weather forecast
Today – High: 45°F – Low: 35°F – Precip: 8%
Partly sunny, with a high near 45. West southwest wind 1 to 5 mph. Later: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 35. Southwest wind around 5 mph.
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Tomorrow – High: 49°F – Low: 29°F – Precip: 8%
Partly sunny, with a high near 49. Southwest wind around 2 mph. Later: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 29.
This house is wild
Built with insulated concrete forms, this energy-efficient 4-bed, 2-bath, three-level home offers direct Grant Creek frontage. The lower level lives like a self-contained suite with a private entrance, bedroom, soaking tub bath, kitchen, living room, and bonus room. The main level adds three bedrooms, two living areas, a full bath, kitchen, and dining, plus a covered balcony for quiet creekside views. A newly finished upper level delivers a generous family room.
Established gardens supply raspberries, chokecherry, elderberry, rhubarb, and a pear tree, with two spigots to keep everything watered. A private trail drops to the creek bank, extensive hiking is adjacent, and downtown Missoula is minutes away.
Take a peek inside →
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