Now that Christmas is over it's time to find out where to take your Christmas tree for recycling! You cannot leave your trees on the curb for regular garbage pickup.

The City of Bozeman offers these Christmas tree recycling sites now through February 16, 2018.

• BMX Park at Tamarack & Aspen Streets

• Christie Fields off East Mason Street

• Lower lot of the Softball Complex off Highland Blvd

The city trees will be turned into mulch for Lindley Park.

Please call the City of Bozeman at 582-3225 if you have any questions or concerns.

Republic Services offers the following Christmas tree recycling sites through January 5, 2018:

• Cashman Nursery, 20155 Springhill Rd

• Republic Services, 8600 Huffine Ln

• Lewis & Clark Park, N Davis Belgrade

• Big Sky Community Park, Meadow Village Big Sky

• Gateway Market Exxon, Gallatin Gateway

• 204 W Main, Manhattan

• Rodeo Grounds, Three Forks

Call 406-586-0606 for more information.

Looking for a New Years Party? Look no further than our Greater Yellowstone Events Calendar: http://bozemanmagazine.com/events/calendar/2017/12/31

Don't see your event? Add it here:

http://bozemanmagazine.com/events/submit

Ring out the old, ring in the new,
Ring, happy bells, across the snow;
The year is going, let him go;
Ring out the false, ring in the true.

Lord Alfred Tennyson

Thanks to a donation from the Split Rock Foundation, the Bridger Ski Foundation (BSF) and Run Dog Run have created a much-needed in-town groomed trail for cross-country skiing with your dog. The nearly 1-km Lindley Park Dog Loop utilizes terrain between Buttonwood Avenue and the library.

While dogs and skiers are both permitted on groomed ski trails in Hyalite and Bozeman Creek, they aren’t allowed on in-town trails at Sunset Hills, Highland Glen, or Bridger Creek Golf Course. This new addition creates an easily accessible loop just a block off Main Street for dogs and their human ski partners.

"We are very excited to partner with Run Dog Run and a private donor to create a dog-friendly ski loop in town,” says Kyle Marvinney, trails manager for BSF. “There has been lots of interest in having more dog-friendly skiing around Bozeman, and it is great to see that become a reality through the cooperation of the City of Bozeman Parks and Rec department, Run Dog Run, and the Split Rock Charitable Foundation.”

Terry Cunningham, executive director of Run Dog Run and a Gallatin Valley Trails Ambassador, notes, “We were delighted to learn of the creation of this unique opportunity for off-leash, in-town skiing for Bozeman area dog owners. It fills a real need. “

Cunningham adds, “We urge dog owners to use this facility and respect the fact that Highland Glen and the rest of Lindley Park are dog-restricted during the winter months.”

With this new addition, BSF will be grooming at seven Community Nordic Trails venues in Bozeman. “The loop in Lindley Park provides an efficient solution to providing dog-friendly skiing from the BSF trails perspective and has so far been very well received," says Marvinney. Anticipating mostly week-day traffic on this new trail, he says they plan to groom the loop two to three days a week, mostly on weekdays.

Run Dog Run purchased, installed, and will maintain two dog waste stations on the trail. Both BSF and Run Dog Run invested in trail signage to promote good trail etiquette.

WHERE:
Skiers should park in the Lindley Park parking lot on Buttonwood Avenue. (Please avoid parking at the library.) For safety, this is a one-way loop meant for ski/dog traffic only. Ski in a counter-clockwise direction.

SKIIING WITH YOUR DOG 101
Dog owners: a dog ski trail like this comes with some responsibility. In order for this to work in the long run, please:

Only friendly, well-socialized dogs who are under voice control are allowed on the ski trail.
Dog owners are responsible for picking up dog waste – off-leash doesn’t mean off-duty.
Keep your dog on leash between the parking lot and the trail for the safety of everyone.

SKIING ON GROOMED TRAILS IN BOZEMAN
DOGS ALLOWED: at Lindley Park Dog Loop, Sourdough/Bozeman Creek, and Hyalite
NO DOGS AT: Highland Glen, Bridger Creek Golf Course, Sunset Hills (between Lindley Center & the hospital)

Trail maps and grooming reports available at www.bridgerskifoundation.org/trails.

TRAIL PASSES
Like these groomed trails? The grooming and maintenance is funded by your voluntary trail passes and donations. Trail users (including Fido) are urged to donate or buy a pass in order to ensure grooming for years to come. Purchase a pass online at www.bridgerskifoundation.org or at Chalet Sports, Roundhouse Ski & Sports Center, or Bangtail Bikes & Ski.

 
ABOUT BRIDGER SKI FOUNDATION
Bridger Ski Foundation (BSF) is a nonprofit community ski organization based in Bozeman, Montana. They provide and fund educational and competitive programs for all ages, year round, in Nordic, Alpine, Freestyle, Freeskiing, and snowboarding. They also groom an incredible network of community Nordic ski trails for the public in Bozeman. www.bridgerskifoundation.org

ABOUT RUN DOG RUN
Run Dog Run is a Bozeman-based nonprofit that advocates for, funds and constructs additional off-leash recreation facilities in the Bozeman area - and they promote responsible dog ownership practices. www.rdrbozeman.com

Nominations for the twelfth annual High Plains Book Awards will open on January 16, 2018. Nominations will be accepted through March 16, 2018.  Information and nomination forms can be found online at http://highplainsbookawards.org. The list of 2017 winners is also available on the High Plains website.

 
 
The Billings Public Library Board of Directors established the High Plains Book Awards in 2006 to recognize regional authors and/or literary works that examine and reflect life on the High Plains. In 2017 the High Plains Book Awards Board was granted a 501(C) 3 status and now functions as an independent entity while still collaborating with the Billing Public Library. The High Plains region includes: Montana, North and South Dakota, Wyoming, Nebraska, Colorado and Kansas.  In addition, the Canadian provinces of Alberta, Manitoba and Saskatchewan are also included in the High Plains region.

 
 
The 2018 awards include twelve book categories that include; Art & Photography, Children’s Book, Creative Nonfiction, Fiction, First Book, Indigenous Writer (new category introduced in 2017), Medicine/Science, Nonfiction, Poetry, Short Stories, Woman Writer and Young Adult.
 
Nominated books must be published for the first time in 2017. Winners will receive a $500 cash prize and will be announced at the awards banquet that is held in conjunction with the High Plains Book Fest. The 2018 High Plains Book Awards and High Plains Book Fest will take place October 19-20, 2018.
 
All nominated books are read and evaluated by four different community readers.  Finalist books in each category will be announced in late May 2018.  Winners in each category will be determined by a panel of published writers with connections to the High Plains region.
 
For more information about the High Plains Book Awards visit the website www.highplainsbookawards.org or contact Shari Nault, High Plains Book Awards President, 406-672-6223,  shari2redlodge@gmail.com

Celebrate the holidays on the slopes this season at Big Sky Resort with a torchlight parade, skiing Santa Claus and firework displays sure to wow even the biggest Grinch.

For decades, Big Sky Resort’s Mountain Sports instructors have meandered their way down Andesite Mountain for the awe-inducing annual torchlight parade. Holding flares while skiing and riding in a single file line, about two dozen of the resort’s instructors snake their way down Ambush on Christmas Eve. Hundreds turn out to watch, many securing a prime viewing spot at the base of the Ramcharger Chairlift.

After all of these years, these employees have perfected the careful timing of the torchlight parade – not skiing too fast so as to stay together, but not too slow so that the torches don’t burn out prematurely. The Dec. 24 torchlight parade is a must-not-miss event beginning at 8 p.m.

It’s also possible that Santa Claus may stop in for the torchlight affair to distribute treats to the crowd. Keep your eyes on the sky for Santa and a fireworks display.

If 8 p.m. is past the kids’ bedtime, maybe visit the Huntley Lodge Sunken Lobby at 7 p.m. to hear Santa read aloud the holiday classic, “T’was the Night Before Christmas.”

The Huntley Dining Room will be serving a Christmas Eve Dinner Buffet from 5:30 – 8:30 p.m.

The next day, Dec. 25, guests should keep their eyes peeled on the slopes as Santa and one of his elf helpers have been seen skiing the Lone Peak Tram, hitting the terrain parks or enjoying the groomers on Andesite Mountain. In the afternoon, around 1:30 p.m., look for Santa visiting with guests in the Mountain Village and Madison Base areas.

As the New Year approaches, Big Sky Resort again has a whole list of fun events for the whole family. On Dec. 31, there will be two firework shows, one at 8 p.m. and the other at the stroke of midnight. These shows are best viewed from the Mountain Village plaza.

There are New Year’s Eve parties in the Talus Room of the Summit Hotel, and live music of the Dusty Pockets at Montana Jack. Kids ages 4 and up have a supervised party all of their own in the Yellowstone Conference Center from 6 to 11:30 p.m. Reservations are required.

For an elegant, intimate New Year’s Eve celebration, Everett’s 8,800 on top of Andesite Mountain is offering gourmet Alpine cuisine perfect for ringing in the New Year. Limited seats are available.

Not only is there lot happening during the holidays at Big Sky Resort, but also snow is in the forecast. For more information on snow conditions or events, visit bigskyresort.com. As always, purchasing lift tickets online saves guests the most.

The Bee-Clectics will exhibit fabric creations in the Atrium Gallery at the Bozeman Public Library January 2 through February 28, 2018. The Bozeman Public Library Foundation, sponsors of the exhibit, will host an artist’s reception on Friday, January 5, 6:00 – 7:30 p.m., free and open to the public. 

The members of the Bee-Clectics explore and make fabric art for the fun and joy of creating in a spirit of friendship.  The group started informally in 2016 as a weekly activity group focusing on fabric, threads, and mixed media. The name, Bee-Clectics, comes from the historical concept of the quilting bee, a community gathering where quilts were made by a group of women in a social setting.  

Members work on individual projects while exploring an eclectic source of materials and techniques to enhance their fabric, thread, and mixed media artwork. The group meets weekly and the goal is to experience learning and experimenting in an atmosphere of mutual interest. The diverse members have shown their work at local, regional, and national shows; have published work in various magazines; and have taught art and quilting techniques. Some members sell their work or accept commissions and others produce art for the purpose of inspiring and pleasing themselves and others. 

The exhibition will be on display during Library hours.  A percentage of sales will go to the Bozeman Public Library Foundation to ensure continuation of cultural programs at the Library for public benefit.  For more information about the exhibit or opening reception, please call Sarah DeOpsomer at 582-2425 or email sarah@bozemanlibraryfoundation.org.

Opening a Montana medical care savings account by Dec. 31 to help with medical expenses not covered by a health insurance policy or flexible spending account can help individuals save on taxes, according to Marsha Goetting, a family economics specialist with Montana State University Extension.
 
“Up to $3,000 of a deposit into the account, per taxpayer, is deductible from an individual’s 2017 Montana adjusted gross income, thus reducing taxes,” Goetting said.
 
"This tax advantage does not apply to your federal income taxes, however, and should not be confused with the Federal Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) or Federal Flexible Spending Plans (FSAs)," she said.
 
To establish a medical care savings account, individuals should contact their financial institution, such as a bank, savings bank or credit union, Goetting said. She added that a Montanan with taxable income over $17,600 could save about $207 in state income taxes by depositing the maximum $3,000 in a Montana medical care savings account.

"It doesn't matter if you have already paid your 2017 medical bills either by check, credit or debit card," said Goetting. "You can add up those eligible expenses, make a deposit by Dec. 31 of this year and reimburse yourself from your Montana MSA as late as Jan. 15, 2018."
 
The key word is “paid,” Goetting said.
 
“You can reimburse yourself for paid eligible medical expenses as late as Jan. 15, 2018. But if you haven't yet paid those bills because your health insurance company hasn't sorted out what it will pay and what you still owe, you still can reimburse yourself for those 2017 expenses after Jan. 15, 2018.”

 
“The amount available to reduce your Montana income is the total deposited, not the amount used for medical expenses during the tax year,” Goetting said.
 
“For example, if you deposited $3,000 in an MSA but only used $100 for eligible medical expenses during 2017, you still get to reduce your income for Montana income tax purposes by $3,000. The remaining $2,900 is available for paying medical expenses in future years.”
 
A married couple who individually establish medical savings accounts can receive a $6,000 deduction if they file a joint Montana income tax return, Goetting said.  The couple will then save about $414 on their state income taxes. However, joint medical savings accounts are not allowed.
 
Medical care savings account amounts held in the name of one spouse can be used to pay the medical bills of either spouse or their dependent children, Goetting said.
 
“For example, if a husband had $6,000 in medical expenses during 2017, $3,000 from his own MSA and $3,000 from his wife's MSA could be used for his bills,” Goetting said.
 
Eligible expenses include medical and dental insurance premiums, long-term care insurance, dental care (including orthodontists), eyeglasses or contacts or prescription drugs that are paid during the year. Not covered are medical-related bills that have been already covered by a supplemental, primary or self-insured plan.

Goetting said that Montana generally accepts as eligible expenses any that are listed in the IRS 502 Publication, "Medical and Dental Expenses," which is on the Web at www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p502.pdf.
 
An MSU Extension MontGuide can help individuals decide if they would benefit from a Montana medical care savings account. The publication (MontGuide 199817 HR) is free if picked up from a local MSU County Extension office. Or, it can be downloaded for free from the Web at http://msuextension.org/publications/FamilyFinancialManagement/mt199817HR2017.pdf.

On Sunday, December 17th, at 7pm at the Emerson Center, The Bozeman Doc Series presents the Montana premiere of the award-winning new documentary, Spettacolo.

Once upon a time, villagers in a tiny hill town in Tuscany came up with a remarkable way to confront their issues – they turned their lives into a play. Every summer, their piazza became their stage and villagers of all ages played a part – the role of themselves. Every issue the villagers have faced in their history - their near annihilation by Nazis, the womenʼs movement, the struggles of the townʼs independent farmers, the commercialization of their land - every major event has been debated and dramatized by the villagers in the center of town.

Leading this process is Andrea Cresti, a painter and sculptor, who has devoted his life to helping his village tell their story. At 75, he still scales scaffolding to adjust lights and pulls the stage apart after midnight rehearsals. But with no qualified heir and a future generation more interested in Facebook than farmers, he struggles to keep their tradition and community from crumbling. “Spettacolo” tells the story of Teatro Povero di Monticchiello, interweaving episodes from its past with its modern-day process as the villagers weather a series of devastating blows to bring their latest production to life.

"Spectacular. The film resonates with profound themes that relate to us all." Nonfictionfilm.com

“All the world’s a stage, but in Monticchiello that truism is movingly real…so poignant and so intelligently told that it feels wrong, almost insulting, to call “Spettacolo” charming, even if the movie is often delightful.” The New York Times 

"Breathtaking. A powerful testament to the ability of art to make sense of the world" Moveable Fest

“Lovely, heartbreaking… a profound inquiry into the state of the human animal… a great film about the search for meaning.” Hammer to Nail

See the film's trailer here.

Get tickets here. Tickets are also available at the door or before the show at Cactus Records and Movie Lovers. Doors open at 6:30pm the night of the show. Starting on January 4th, the series will move to every other Thursday through April.

Tippet Rise Art Center, located against the backdrop of Montana’s Beartooth Mountains, has announced the dates and highlights for its third concert season, July 6 through September 8, 2018. The art center, which celebrates the union of land, art, architecture, and music, will present eight weeks of concerts featuring an impressive list of performers, some making their debuts at Tippet Rise and others returning as audience favorites. Complete details will be announced in early 2018.


Returning Artists
Stellar performers returning to Tippet Rise include pianists Anne-Marie McDermott, Pedja Muzijevic, and Jeffrey Kahane, who astounded us in 2017 with his deeply moving improvisation on “America the Beautiful,” as well as violinist Caroline Goulding. We also welcome back two wonderful string quartets: the Escher String Quartet and the Dover Quartet.

Returning performers also include Russian concert pianist Yevgeny Sudbin, whose Scarlatti recording made it into Forbes's Top 10 Best Classical Recordings of 2016.  In addition, also returning for her third season at Tippet Rise, is Taiwan native Jenny Chen, a concert pianist with numerous international music competition awards.  Chen said she is anxious to return to Montana:

“First time I came here with honor, the second time a delight, and the third time will be precious. Tippet Rise Festival made me unforgettable memories, and I am so excited to get back to their embrace!”
 
Commissioning New Work
Tippet Rise is committed to commissioning work by important contemporary composers. In this spirit, Season Three will include a new work by Aaron Jay Kernis—the second to be composed through a three-year commissioning program—performed by the Borromeo String Quartet. Kernis’s first commission for Tippet Rise, “First CLUB Date,” a work for piano and cello, was given its premiere in August 2017. In 2020, Kernis will premiere the third commissioned work, a piece for small chamber ensemble and voice.

Debut Artists
Among the artists making their Tippet Rise debuts are pianist Ingrid Fliter performing the complete Chopin nocturnes. St. Luke’s Chamber Ensemble, drawn from New York City-based Orchestra of St. Luke’s, will perform works by Brahms and Robert and Clara Schumann. The Calidore String Quartet will be joined by Tara Helen O’Connor to highlight gems of the chamber music repertoire that feature flute, and will also partner with violinists Daniel Phillips and Aaron Boyd and pianist Anne-Marie McDermott, in Bach concertos for piano and 7 strings.

It’s a Family Affair
Tippet Rise always encourages families to visit the art center and next season that extends to musicians.  Season Three includes cellist David Finckel and his wife, pianist Wu Han, both world-class performers as well the Artistic Directors of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, Music@Menlo, and other enterprises that have earned them a reputation as “chamber music’s power couple” (The Wall Street Journal). Also returning to Tippet Rise next season is Jeffery Kahane, concert pianist and immediate past conductor of the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, performing with his son, Gabriel Kahane, a dynamic young singer-songwriter whose music blends classical and rock.

 
Performance Venues
Performances will take place both indoors and out. The 150-seat Olivier Music Barn, inspired by the intimate performance spaces where Haydn’s and Mozart’s works were performed, is Tippet Rise’s primary concert venue. Pre-concert lectures will take place at the Tiara, a 100-seat outdoor acoustic shell. Weather permitting, select concerts will also take place at the open-air Domo, a 98-foot-long, 16-foot-tall, acoustically rich sculptural structure designed by Ensamble Studio. Two family concerts, designed to enlighten, entertain, and educate Tippet Rise’s younger audiences, will also be presented.

 
Winter at Tippet Rise Art Center
While the art center will be closed to the public over the winter, concert footage from several performances from the 2016 and 2017 concert seasons can be viewed online. New videos include Yevgeny Sudbin playing Medtner’s “Sonata Tragica” in C minor, Op. 39, No. 5, from “Forgotten Melodies”; Jenny Chen playing Chopin’s Étude Op. 10, No. 3; and Jeffrey Kahane’s deeply moving improvisation on Samuel A. Ward’s “America the Beautiful.”

Tippet Rise is home to state-of-the-art recording facilities and is hosting several artists this fall and winter for special studio sessions. Violinist Caroline Goulding recently recorded Ysaye’s Sonata no. 5, Bartok Solo Sonata and Telemann Sonata in A major and pianist Alessandro Deljavan will be recording at Tippet Rise later this month. Both albums will be released in 2018.

As a testament to the art center’s growing reputation as a cultural oasis, Tippet Rise recently received a 2017 Leading Culture Destination Award from the UK’s LCD Magazine and travel channel. The awards ceremony was held in London at the Trafalgar Saint James Hotel on Friday, September 29. Other winners include the British Museum, the Walker Art Center, and the Smithsonian’s Hirshhorn Museum.

Tippet Rise will reopen to the public on Friday, June 29, 2018, one week before the start of the summer music series, for tours of its monumental outdoor sculptures on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays with prior registration. Visitors can explore the ranch and its sculptures via nine miles of hiking and biking trails, or by electric shuttle bus.

 
About Tippet Rise Art Center
Tippet Rise Art Center is located in Fishtail, Montana against the backdrop of the Beartooth Mountains, roughly midway between Billings and Bozeman and just north of Yellowstone National Park. Set on a 10,260-working sheep and cattle ranch, Tippet Rise hosts classical music performances and exhibits monumental outdoor sculptures. Tippet Rise is anchored in the belief that art, music, architecture, and nature are inextricably linked in the human experience, each making the others more powerful.

 
The art center features musical performance spaces indoors and out, with programs that seek to create memorable experiences for performers and audience members alike. The 2017 summer concert season featured new and returning artists, established soloists, and rising stars, who presented works ranging in date from the early 18th century through today. Tippet Rise also collaborated in 2017 with the Architecture & Design Film Festival to screen a specially curated schedule of films.

Tippet Rise Art Center has a growing collection of large-scale sculptures and other works by some of the world’s foremost artists and architects. Many are site-specific compositions, aiming to transcend the boundaries of art, nature, and architecture. Artworks set within the landscape include several sculptural structures by the innovative Ensamble Studio, including the 25-foot-tall Beartooth Portal, composed of two vertical rocklike forms that stand approximately 25 feet apart at ground level and lean together at the top; the similarly designed 26-foot-tall Inverted Portal, and the 98-foot-long, 16-foot-tall Domo. Tippet Rise is also home to two monumental works by the internationally renowned sculptor Mark di Suvero: Beethoven’s Quartet, a massive stainless-steel work, and Proverb which stands 60 feet tall, two site-specific works including Satellite # 5: Pioneer, by Stephen Talasnik and Daydreams by Patrick Dougherty; and two works by Alexander Calder on loan from the Smithsonian’s Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden: Two Discs (1965) and Stainless Stealer (1966). Two paintings by Isabelle Johnson, an original owner of part of the land on which Tippet Rise Art Center is situated, and Montana’s first Modernist painter, have been acquired by Tippet Rise and hang in the Olivier Music Barn.

As an institution founded to serve its neighbors in Montana as much as visiting musicians, artists, and audiences, Tippet Rise develops and supports year-round education programs in schools at the K-12 level, local colleges and universities, and other organizations.
 
 
Getting to Tippet Rise Art Center
Located in Stillwater County, Tippet Rise is approximately one hour southwest of Billings, two hours southeast of Bozeman, and two-and-a-half hours north of Yellowstone National Park. It is served by two major airports – Billings Logan International Airport and Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport.

Access and Tickets
Tippet Rise is open to visitors from June 29 to mid-September on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from 10 am to 4pm with prior registration. Tickets will be available in early 2018. For the latest information on ticketing, please sign up for the Tippet Rise e-newsletter.