A photograph of Bozeman’s Main Street in 1872 paints a vivid picture of life in Bozeman during its formative years, offering a unique perspective on the town’s development and early residents.
Crystal Alegria, director of Bozeman’s Extreme History Project, will shed new light on the city’s structures, people and commerce 150 years ago at the next PechaKucha Night(s). The events will be held at Downtown Bozeman’s Ellen Theatre on Tuesday and Wednesday, September 10th and 11th. Crystal is one of 11 featured speakers, with shows starting at 6:40pm that will include the same line-up of speakers both nights.
Acclaimed writer and environmental activist Rick Bass will talk about the prized Black Ram guitars fashioned from giant spruce in the Yaak Valley and ongoing efforts to preserve the very wild part of Montana where he now lives.
Susan Curtis will describe her efforts to live in a more populated part of Montana by building a tiny house in Livingston that can provide a comfortable shelter for her, and her three cats and a dog.
As far as we know, no Bozeman trees have been made into guitars yet, but they have their fans and defenders as well. Angie Kociolek of the Bozeman Tree Coalition will present on the local group’s efforts to preserve and educate about the important role trees play in our community.
Of course, it’s not just trees that deserve preserving. Jeff Vick, principal timpanist and percussionist with the Bozeman Symphony, will detail how the Ellen Theatre’s 100-year-old Mighty Wurlitzer Organ, Opus 979, was dismantled and removed so that the percussion components could be brought back to life.
In keeping with the eclectic and wide-ranging spirit of PK, Barbara Graham will present on “Rites of Passage,” a remarkable way to help people at the end of life, a topic that our modern culture often prefers to ignore. She works with the Greater Yellowstone Threshold Choir, which sings in trios, a capella, at the bedside of those who are actively dying.
Barbara’s grandson, Ezra Graham, a freshman at Gallatin High, will be making his third presentation for PK – this one on several of the fascinating stories he has heard since starting his podcast and radio show. The stories come from a journalist working in Ukraine, a small business owner who rebuilt after suffering from a series of tornadoes, and a journalist at the Missoulian who taught Ezra about listening, writing, and life in Montana.
Tanner Weigand, a Bozeman native who is now an associate research scientist at Columbia University, will describe his work on CRISPR, a group of immune systems that protect bacteria from the viruses that infect them. His goal is to explain to people who don’t work in the field why this vital medical knowledge is so important.
Matt Peters calls himself “a passionate generalist of all things good for the earth.” In addition to his day job, he’s out learning about and experiencing the world. At PK Night, he will talk about the experiences leading up to a recent trip to India in search of snow leopards, something he’s wanted to do more than anything else in the world.
Bella Butler, a Montana journalist and editor of Montana Outlaw magazine, will caution about the news desert in many parts of the state as many vital sources of information about local communities – particularly smaller, more rural ones – disappear. Bella will use data, historical context and personal anecdotes to illustrate the peril this poses to our communities and highlight the efforts to address this challenge.
If this and other bad news is weighing you down, Lisa Downing urges you not to despair! She will present on “The Bright Side: Unlocking the Power of Optimism.” As a college advisor, Lisa uses evidence-based positive psychology approaches to help students understand their capabilities, develop their strengths, explore their purpose and thrive.
Emcee will be Missy O’Malley, auctioneer, ski instructor and all-round personality extraordinaire. Rapid Clean Car Wash is sponsor of the September event. Tickets are available at www.theellentheatre.com for $9 (including facility fee). Students may purchase tickets at the door for $5.50.
PechaKucha (peh-chak-cha) offers anyone with a passion or a vision – designers, artists, inventors, architects, adventurers, entrepreneurs – an opportunity to share their ideas with the community during a fast-paced, friendly social get-together. There’s just one catch: presenters have only 20 slides x 20 seconds each, a total of 6 minutes, 40 seconds! •
