Debit Card Shutdown Notice

Debit Card Shutdown Notice – June 2017

Freedom Bank received notification, that a merchant in the Flathead Valley was compromised sometime between October 2016 and April 2017. As a result, persons that used their debit cards at this business may be exposed to fraudulent activity. In cooperation with law enforcement and other financial institutions in the Flathead Valley, Freedom Bank immediately shut down the credit ability, for those cards that may have been exposed to the security breach. For those cards involved; customers should still be able to make a debit transaction, that requires a PIN. If you do not have a PIN for your card, customers may phone the 800 number listed on the back of the card to set a PIN. This had to be done immediately in order to protect everyone that was exposed.

Please understand that this breach had nothing to do with the bank’s security systems and has impacted other banks in the Flathead Valley. Our staff has been working diligently trying to notify our customers, but due to the high volume of cards compromised, we did not have enough staff, or time, to call everyone before the cards, before initiating action. Shutting the cards down protect both our customers and Freedom Bank. We apologize for any inconvenience. New cards have been ordered and customers should be receiving them within 7-10 business days. Thank you for your understanding.

Please call us at (406) 892-1776 if you have any questions.

Tips To Save On Wedding Costs

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Spending Your Money on Travel

Heritage Days 2017

HERITAGE DAYS 2017

“A Path For Change”.

Wednesday – July 26, 2017

- 5:00 p. m. – 9:00 p. m. – 8th Annual Car Show at Marantette Park*

- - - 4:00 p. m. – 7:00 p. m. – The American Legion Freedom Post 72 will be preparing food for the Car Show. A nominal fee/donation will be requested to cover costs of the food.

7:00 p. m. – plaque to be presented at the Veterans Memorial Wall.

Thursday – July 27, 2017

- - 5:00 p. m. – 8:00 p. m. – Community Market At O’Briens Liquor Store*
    - - FREE Open Swimming at Pinewood Park Pool*
    6:30 p. m. – 7:45 p. m. Adults and kids to 10 years old

- 7:00 p. m. – Lion’s Club Concert at Marantette Park *

Friday – July 28, 2017

- 5:30 p. m. – Wildcat/kat Athletic Endowment Auction and BBQ *
  The Coop – 830 1st Ave. West – west of Glacier Bank in Columbia Falls.
  5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. BBQ and Social Hour. $10.00 per plate
  5:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. Silent Auction
  6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. Live Auction
  8:30 p.m. – 11:00 p.m. Social/Cash Bar and Dancing w/Music on The MoveHelp us reach our “MILLION DOLLAR MISSION” to assist with the financial support of CFHS athletics.
7:00 p. m. – Open Rodeo at the Blue Moon Arena northeast corner of Hwy. 2 and 40, just behind the Blue Moon Bar & Grille *

Saturday – July 29, 2017

- - 7:00 a. m. – Firemen’s Breakfast at Don Anderson Fire Hall, 624 1st Ave. West *
    - 7:30 a. m. check in time. Heritage Days 3 on 3 basketball tournament. *
    - - Teams will consist of boys and girls, grades 5-6, grades 7-8 and grades 9-12 and Men’s Open Registration forms may be picked up at the Columbia Falls Chamber Office, Berube Physical Therapy, and Whitefish Credit Union. Completed forms must be turned in by July 26th to any of the above locations. Contact Laura Gadwa at 892-2072 with any questions. Cost per team is $55.

- 8:00 a. m. – Boogie-to-the-Bank 5k & 10k Run. North Fork to Discovery Square . Contact Ashley Campbell at 406-751-4758 for more information.*

- 9:00 a. m. – JIM’S Rat Race – by Glacier Bank and JIM. (the race will start after the last runner is finished with Boogie) Open to children ages 4-13. Its a short race from Whitefish Credit Union down to the Boogie to the Bank finish line. Contact Ashley Campbell at 406-751-4758 for more information.*

- 9:00 a. m. to 5:00 p. m. – Arts, Crafts, and Food Vendors by Whitefish Credit Union.*

- 10:00 a. m. to 3:00 p. m. – North Valley Senior Center Fund Raiser Luncheon.*
  (salads, sandwiches, pies and beverages)From 11:00 to 12:00 enjoy the North Valley High Steppers line dancing entertainment.For more information call the Center at 406-892-4087. The Center is located at 205 Nucleus Avenue.

- 12:00 p. m. – Main Parade on Nucleus Avenue (Railroad Street to 7th Street West). Parade participants will stage along Raiload Street at the north end of Nucleus Ave. at 11:00 a.m.

- - 1:00 p. m. to 5:00 p. m. – Family Playland. A church sponsored event for kids in the Glacier Bank parking lot. *
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- 1:00 p. m. to 4:00 p. m. – Family Fun Day – Glacier Bank parking lot. *

- 1:30 p. m. – Freedom Bank’s Wild Horse Drive on Hwy. 2 from Columbia Heights to the Blue Moon. *

- 7:00 p. m. – Open Rodeo at the Blue Moon Arena northeast corner of Hwy. 2 and 40, just behind the Blue Moon Grille

- 7:00 p. m. to 10:00 p. m. – Barn Dance, with music by the “Roy Wilhelm and The Ashley Creek Ramblers” at Marantette Park. *

Sunday – July 30, 2017

9:00 a. m. – 17th Annual WAEA Wildc/kat Athletic Endowment Golf Scramble *
Glacier View Golf Course – West Glacier, MT
Format: 6 person scramble – all skill levels invited
Start: 9:00 a.m. Shotgun Start

http://cfallsheritagedays.com/

Columbia Falls Community Events!

Rafting for Refuse

June 17 @ 9:30 am – 12:30 pm

Come help Glacier Guides and Montana Raft clean up trash at the public river access points and along the river corridor on the Middle Fork of the Flathead River!To join as a volunteer (ages 12 and up), please contact Glacier Guides and Montana Raft at 406-387-5555 or email info@glacierguides.com. Space is limited. Although you can make requests, we cannot guarantee what section of river a group will do. Sections of river are chosen for groups based on several factors.

Volunteers meet at 9:30 am at the Glacier Guides and Montana Raft office located on US Hwy. 2, 1.5 miles west of West Glacier.
Check in with the office staff to read and sign our “Acknowledgement of Risk.”
Then, head to the lifejacket room to …get fitted in wetsuits, booties and lifejackets.
Smile for the group picture!
Attend brief “Leave No Trace” presentation.
Divide into smaller groups and shuttle to various river access points.
We will pick up the river put-ins, then float the river, stopping to pick up refuse along the way, and then scour the take-out for more trash.
Hop a short shuttle back to the Glacier Guides and Montana Raft office for volleyball and a complimentary barbecue. BBQ begins around 2 pm!

Glacier Guides and Montana Raft provides all of the necessary rafting equipment, expert guides and staff to coordinate the day.

Provided:
Splash gear
Wetsuits
Booties
Lifejackets
BBQ
Volleyball

Each volunteer should have:
Work gloves (for picking up trash)
Water bottle
Warm hat/gloves
Fleece shirt/jacket
Sunscreen
Extra set of clothes for after the raft trip
Please avoid wearing cotton if you can, quick drying/moisture wicking material is best.

Glacier Guides and Montana Raft has always promoted a strong environmental message, with an emphasis on Leave No Trace ethics. During the river cleanup, your guides will provide information and insight into issues facing our river system and national park. Exposure and participation in the Rafting for Refuse is even more important in light of growing river use and development pressure. Come on out and help us to preserve our rivers for generations to come!

Details

Date:: June 17
Time:: 9:30 am – 12:30 pm

Venue

Glacier Guides inc Montana Raft; 11970 Hwy 2 East
West Glacier, MT 59936 United States
Phone:: 406-387-5555
Website:: www.glacierguides.com

Event Navigation

Sign your team up today for the 3-on-3 tournament scheduled for Saturday, July 29th, 2017. $55.00/team. Ask about team sponsorships, which may be available! Turn in forms by Wednesday, July 26th for a guaranteed spot in the tournament.

Find the event on our event calendar to print the registration form.

Contact Laura Gadwa if you are interested in sponsoring the event! 406-892-2072 or director@columbiafallschamber.org

Thank you to the following businesses for already sponsoring the tournament:

Event Sponsors: Whitefish Credit Union, Glacier Bank, Park Side Credit Union, Freedom Bank, The Backroom/Nite Owl, Flathead Electric Cooperative, Weyerhaeuser, Lyle Mitchell State Farm Insurance, Buffington Dental, Daily Inter Lake, Columbia Falls Clinic, North Valley Hospital, Professional Therapy Associates

Team Sponsors: Glacier Bank, Schellinger Construction, Weyerhaeuser, Lyle Mitchell State Farm Insurance, Glacier Distilling, Professional Therapy Associates

http://www.columbiafallschamber.org

Columbia Falls Community Market – June 8th

New Website Coming Soon!

Hi Everyone! We just wanted to let you know that we are working on a new and improved website. We hope to release it very soon, so don’t be alarmed if things look a little differently around here. The new site will be cleaner, fresher and more mobile friendly. Please contact us at info@freedombankmt.com or (406) 892-1776 for more information.

Cabin Fever Days Celebrates 39 Years

Cabin Fever Days and the Barstool Ski Races are a family, community event that takes place in Martin City, Montana, on February 10th – 12th 2017.

There are tons of family and adult activities throughout the Cabin Fever Days weekend throughout the Canyon. The Barstool Ski Races are fun for the whole family to watch, with different race classes and two days of racing culminating in the finals on Sunday, February 12th. There are even kids races on Saturday, starting at noon.

Kids activities include kids Sled Races, Cupcake Walk, Gunny Sack Race, Haystack Search, Magic Show and a Puppet Show! Come into the Leets Fire Hall in Martin City to warm up the kiddos, and enter our Cabin Fever Coloring Contest.

Adult activities include live music all weekend in several locations, and competitions of strength , skill wits with cash prizes.

Visit the Cabin Fever Days Website for more information!

Barstool Ski Races

Congratulations Columbia Falls Speech and Debate on yet another incredible season!

Columbia Falls High School Speech and Debate brought home the hardware from state for the 12th consecutive time, capping an undefeated season.

“We are overwhelmingly proud of our state team,” said Head Coach Tara Norick. “We had a very strong team this year, with 14 seniors and a full roster of dedicated competitors. This is a group of kids who worked hard, practiced hard, stayed focused, and kept their eye on the prize. We couldn’t have done it without our amazing group of coaches — Alyssa Militello, Candy Gross, Alicia Gillan, and Barry Conger.”

Helping the Columbia Falls team make it to the top were individual state champions: Annabel Conger and Colin Norick, Policy Debate; Chloe Foster, Memorized Public Address; Estevon Torres, Dramatic Interpretation; Jacob Hohman, Informative Speaking; and Jerelyn Jones, Original Oratory.

Columbia Falls amassed 280 sweepstakes points to hold onto the state title. State runner-up, Whitefish High School Speech and Debate, fought to the finish line earning 126 points overall. Belgrade finished third with 107 points.

The second-place finish tops off a great season, according to Whitefish Head Coach Carissa Shupp.

“Our kids worked hard this year, and it paid off here. We are grateful to everyone who supported the Whitefish team, and proud to bring home medals in several events,” Shupp said.

Whitefish had one individual state champion — Makkie Haller in Impromptu Speaking.

Twenty schools from around Montana competed at the 2017 Class A State Speech and Debate Tournament in Laurel on Friday and Saturday.

Polson High School finished seventh overall with 43 points.

“While we didn’t have a huge team, they fought valiantly up to the very end,” said Polson Assistant Coach Kyle Dunn.

Following are individual results:

Public Forum Debate: 2. Ava Chisholm and Anna Nicosia, Columbia Falls; 4. Annabelle Smith and Katelyn Toland, Polson; 5. Cassidy Norick and Kelsey Wright, Columbia Falls; 7. Delaney Conger and Maggie McKeon, Columbia Falls.

Policy Debate: 1. Annabel Conger and Colin Norick, Columbia Falls; 2. Zachery Kasselder and Ian Caltabiano, Whitefish; 4. Ian McKenzie and Danielle Schwalk, Columbia Falls; 5. Abby Lowry and Douglas Mercer, Whitefish; 6. Mary Ward and Shyane Williams, Columbia Falls.

Lincoln-Douglas Debate: 4. Mikel Knutson, Columbia Falls; 5. Sophia Spechart, Polson; 6. Gabby Merrell, Columbia Falls; 8. Tyler Brown, Columbia Falls.

Impromptu Speaking: 1. Makkie Haller, Whitefish; 2. Danny Morgan, Columbia Falls; 3. Willie Baltz, Columbia Falls; 5. Teigen Tremper, Whitefish; 7. Geneva des Lions, Polson.

Extemporaneous Speaking: 3. Danny Morgan, Columbia Falls; 4. Zach Ade, Whitefish; 7. Alex Garate, Columbia Falls; 8. Makkie Haller, Whitefish.

Memorized Public Address: 1. Chloe Foster, Columbia Falls; 2. Zach Ade, Whitefish; 4. Joey Chester, Columbia Falls; 5. Geneva des Lions, Polson.

Dramatic Oral Interpretation: 1. Estevon Torres, Columbia Falls; 3. Jacob Hohman, Columbia Falls; 5. Lizzy Olsen, Whitefish; 6. Naya Brigette, Whitefish.

Humorous Oral Interpretation: 3. Jerelyn Jones, Columbia Falls; 4. Brandon Karberg, Columbia Falls.

Informative Speaking: 1. Jacob Hohman, Columbia Falls; 4. Danielle Rosenbaum, Columbia Falls; 5. Teigen Tremper, Whitefish; 6. Kennedy Payne, Columbia Falls; 7. Adia Saurey, Whitefish.

Original Oratory: 1. Jerelyn Jones, Columbia Falls; 4. Aidan Reid, Whitefish; 5. Miranda Lauria, Columbia Falls; 6. Grace Benkelman, Whitefish.

Source Material: http://www.dailyinterlake.com/article/20170130/ARTICLE/170139994

January Community Events

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ROUND TABLE

Tuesday, January 17th

7:00am – 8:00am
The Back Room / Night Owl
522 9th St W, Columbia Falls
There is a lot to discuss about the current and future business climate in and around Columbia Falls, and an Economic Development meeting is a great way for you to hear first hand about what is happening, as well as contribute your voice and thoughts to the conversation. This month we will hear about recent commercial and business real estate trends from Barbara Bennett of Bennett Appraisal Services. No-host breakfast is available from the Nite Owl.

BUSINESS AFTER HOURS
North Forty Resort
Tuesday, January 24th

5:00pm – 7:00pm
3765 Mt Hwy 40, Columbia Falls

The North Forty Resort is an independent, family owned log cabin resort featuring twenty-two individual log cabins and one glamping tent available for nightly and weekly rentals. Centrally located in the Flathead Valley of Montana, a year round recreational dreamland, and minutes from the towns of Whitefish, Columbia Falls, Kalispell, Bigfork and Glacier National Park. Join us to tour this great local property, and for great networking, appetizers and refreshments!

SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITY
Western A Divisional Speech and Debate Tournament
Saturday January 21, 2017

From Principal and Board member Scott Gaiser: Columbia Falls HS will be hosting the Western A Divisional Speech and Debate Tournament On Saturday January 21, 2017. Judges are always needed for such a large event and much appreciated. Financial contributions will help us provide food for the hospitality room for volunteers, judges and coaches. To find out how you can help by being a judge or contributing to the hospitality room, please contact Tara Norick at 249-6177 or at t_norick@cfmtschools.net. Your support is very much appreciated.

Freedom Banks Festively Decorated Employees

Why do we love “ugly sweaters”? Is it our inner child bubbling to the surface to express how goofy and individualistic we are? Is it that through these mats of cloth we deem to be ugly we can poke fun at ourselves and yet be accepted for who we are? Or is it the simple fact that the holidays bring people together and people like to laugh? Whatever it is that draws out our deep love for the Holidays, the Freedom Bank Crew personifies the zany spirit that comes with merry holiday traditions.

Our President carpeted in sheep’s wool to keep him warm this winter.

Michelle dawns her inner “squatch” this holiday season.

Kim shows that Santa may have had one to many cookies this holiday season.

Jerry clothes himself in his trusty rusty hunting sweater.

Nona as one of Santa’s elves taking a break from toy building.

Cameron as Santa brought holiday cheer to all the little boys and girls of Freedom Bank.

Meagan prancing around as a jolly young Rudolph.

Max proudly displays his not so ugly Freedom Bank Sweater!

Montana’s Notary of the Year

Jerry Burley, assistant vice president and loan officer at Freedom Bank on Friday was awarded Notary of the Year by Montana Sec. of State Linda McCulloch.

Burley has been a notary since the early ‘90s, getting his start in banking fresh out of high school.

He grew up in Broadus and, following his love of accounting, took a job bookkeeping at a bank in Ashlan.

The job required him to be a notary, so he became one.

The process as he recalled it was not difficult.

“Back in the day, it was just fill out a form, and the bank paid for the bonding, and I took a training and they sent the certificate,” he said.

Being a notary is fairly simple, he said. Any time a legal document needs notarized, he confirms the ID of the person signing, keeps a log, and adds a stamp to the document confirming he notarized it.

“Jerry Burley epitomizes what it means to be Montana Notary of the Year,” said McCulloch. “He was chosen from a strong field of nominees for demonstrating exceptional services and high standards of practice.”

Montana Notary of the year nominees were evaluated on their longevity, variety of documents notarized, use of notary journal, community service, and exceptional notary service.

McCulloch started the Montana Notary of the Year award in 2009 in an effort recognize the invaluable work done by notaries in Montana.

“Notaries are the first line of defense against many types of fraud as they are responsible for determining the identity of the person who signs a document, swears an oath, or performs any of the other acts that require a notary public. I’m eager to present this award to such a deserving notary public,” McCulloch said.

Burley is involved in the community, which factored in to being named Notary of the Year.

He was a member of the Columbia Falls Chamber of Commerce for 10 years, and has served as treasurer of the Gateway to Glacier trail for the past three.

Because he was named Montana Notary of the year, Burley is automatically nominated for the National Notary of the Year award given annually by the National Notary Association.

Burley’s wife, Joanne, their daughter Kristen and granddaughter Avery were all present at the award ceremony at Freedom Bank on Friday.