Tuesday, April 7, 2015

Ennis Montana Happenings for April 2015 and more

Ø  MADISON VALLEY “HAPPENINGS” 
The Madison Valley History Association celebrated our founder, William Ennis’ birthday on March 17 with their annual Irish Stew Dinner.  Check out the History Association at:  http://www.madisonvalleyhistoryassociation.org/  
The Sportsman's Lodge has repaired and reopened their Bar and Casino!  They were just in time for their big Annual Poker Tournament on March 28th.  Keep track of progress and scheduled events & make reservations, at:  http://www.theennissportsmanslodge.com/
The Gravel Bar & Banditos hosted another fun event, with a 6-course Dinner and International & Local Beer Paring.  Be sure to make reservations for these popular events. https://www.facebook.com/pages/Gravel-Bar/161752173883305.  
→ The old Crossroads Market at the corner in McAllister has been purchased by the same people who bought and remodeled the McAllister Inn.  Their plan is to remodel/rebuild the market.  Not sure about the cabins, at this point. 
→ The Bureau of Land Management has proposed a “community-driven” hiking, running and biking trail through the Revenue Flats area in North Meadow Creek.  Construction is scheduled to be completed by spring of 2016.  For more information, go to http://www.blm.gov/mt/st/en/info/newsroom/2015/march/dillon_field_office.html. There is already some great rock climbing in this area.  
→  For those who aren’t up to all that exercise, a Senior Center for Ennis is getting strong community support and a local non-profit group will be submitting a Community Development Block Grant to help fund construction.  
Ennis RadioShack is going out of business, but Mountain View TV & Satellite will continue serving the community. 

Ø  COMING APRIL HAPPENINGS 
→ The Ennis Lions Club hosted their annual Easter Egg Hunt in Lions Park on April 4th
→ The Alley Bistro hosted one of their popular Wine Club events on April 7th, with gourmet food paired with great wines.  So popular, there are two sittings! 
Turkey Season opens April 11th and Black Bear hunting begins April 15th.  
→ An old fashioned Chautaqua will be held on April 18th at the Elling House in Virginia City.  Read more about it at:  https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Elling-House-Arts-Humanities-Center/117490418261518
→ The annual Ennis Lions Club Auction will be held at the Rodeo Grounds on April 25th starting at 9 AM.  They collect items all year for this event and will be offering furniture, appliances, tools, lawn equipment, etc.  Proceeds all go back into the community.
→ Go to www.ennischamber.com for more information on upcoming events for the area.

And make sure you put May 16th on your calendar to attend the Second Annual "Tap into Ennis" Brew and Spirit Festival in Lions Club Park!  Be there or be square!   


Saturday, March 7, 2015

ENNIS MONTANA HAPPENINGS

Ø  MADISON VALLEY “HAPPENINGS” It has been determined by the state fire inspector that the fire at The Sportsman's Lodge was an accident and the owners hope to have the bar/casino part reopened by the end of March. The Madison Theatre continues to show first run movies on the weekends; Willie’s Distillery still has live music and good crowds on Friday evenings; Banditos held another of their monthly themed Supper Club dinners, with a 7-course Thai meal to a full house; The Summit Coffee and Café (the remodeled Ennis Café) is now open and wonderful; The McAllister Inn continues to be a favorite and open 7 days a week; the Grizzly Bar & Grill is open on weekends and the Alley Bistro is still the place to get a great meal and bowl a few lanes. The Sled Dog Races and the Virginia City Winter Festival both had to make some adjustments due to the unseasonably warm conditions.        


Ø  COMING MARCH HAPPENINGS → Now here is a must – the MSU Extension Livestock Environment Department is offering a class here in Ennis on “Carcass Composting.” Better sign up quick!  The Madison Valley History Association is hosting their annual Irish Stew Dinner in honor of our founder, William Ennis’ birthday on March 17. Or you could go to Butte and celebrate St. Patrick’s Day in the old Montana style! Check it out at:  https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-annual-St-Patricks-Day-festivities-in-Butte-MT/185783291454565. → Read more about what’s happening in the area in The Madisonian, http://www.madisoniannews.com/.




Ø  MONTANA NEWS →  FIREARMS: The Montana House passed a proposal to prohibit enforcement of any new federal gun laws in Montana. The Senate endorsed a bill that would allow people to carry concealed weapons on college campuses and another bill allowing silencers to be used for hunting. Montana is still a non-disclosure state as it relates to the sales price of real estate, after the amendment of a recent bill.  A big win for privacy and private property rights in Montana! A bill requiring evidence of pumping septic before the sale of property was also defeated. 

There is always something new and exciting going on in the Madison Valley.  These photos were both taken during February this year.  You have to be prepared for any kind of weather!


Wednesday, January 28, 2015

January 2015 Views of Madison Range




Check out this spectacular view of the Madison Range from Indian Ridge, looking over the charming town of Ennis, Montana, in December 2014.   
And check out our monthly newsletter at 
Visit our website at:  www.arrowreal.com
Visit our parent website at:  www.eralandmark.com 

Toni Bowen, Broker,
ERA Landmark Arrow Real Estate, Ennis MT 59729
toni@eralandmark.com; (406) 682-4290, (406) 570-9233

Sunday, April 6, 2014

ENNIS, MONTANA NEWS from ERA LANDMARK → ARROW REAL ESTATE

Ø MADISON VALLEY “HAPPENINGS” in MARCH & APRIL 2014

It is official, Arrow Real Estate is now in the big leagues.  Our new name is ERA Landmark Arrow Real Estate!  We sold our business to ERA Landmark in Bozeman.  This frees us up for more time and energy to devote to real estate and hopefully a little more play time!  We have prided ourselves on our “boutique-style” personal service and being the last independent office left.  But we now have the best of both worlds – we continue to operate as we have with a small town feeling, but will have the incredible power of the ERA brand, their international networking and extensive marketing.  We are very excited to be able to offer even more to our clients.  


Returning snowbirds will notice some changes in town, with a new coffee shop almost completed just north of town, the Madison Theatre renovations nearly finished, a bigger and better Pic-A-Nic Basket, and the ever-expanding McAllister Inn closer to an opening date.




→ And the big news is a new Hot Spot in Norris! By summer, the Organic Theatre should be open as a new venue for Andrew Gromiller’s band, “Organically Grown” plus Mama’s Organic Pantry, in the old Norris Schoolhouse Cafe.   
 Check them out at:  http://andrewgromiller.com/







Ø  COMING APRIL HAPPENINGS 

→ The Ennis Community Band will present a concert, “Pictures at an Exhibition,” on April 10th  at the First Madison Valley Bank.  

→  The annual Easter Egg Hunt for kids will be sponsored by the Ennis Lion’s Club at 11:00 AM on Saturday 4/19, in the Lion’s Park.  

→ You can still ski Big Sky until April 20th and Yellowstone Park is offering FREE entrance days on April 19th and 20th.  

ØMONTANA NEWS 

→ Drivers beware.  Spring = Deer.  Montana is one of the states with the highest odds of hitting a deer, with drivers in the Big Sky state having a 1-in-65 chance of hitting a deer every time they get on the roads.  Make sure if you do hit one you call 9-1-1 to report the crash as soon as possible.  You need to remove the deer from the roadway if dead.  Remember to always be on the lookout for deer, but they are most active between 6 p.m. and 9 p.m., and they almost always travel in herds.  State Farm Insurance reports that the average cost to repair a vehicle that's hit a deer is just over $3,000.  It is obviously best to avoid them. 

→ The 2014 Montana Folk Festival in Butte, Montana, July 11-13 is a “must do” item for your summer visit.  This is the Northwest’s largest FREE music festival.  Check it out at:  www.montanafolkfestival.com
Don and Toni Bowen, broker/owners of Arrow Real Estate in Ennis, Montana recently announced the
merger of their business with ERA Landmark in Bozeman. Don and Toni originally
went to work with Jess Armitage at FNI Real Estate in 1994. They eventually
purchased the business and changed the name to Arrow Real Estate in 1996. The
business will continue to operate with the same professional staff, in the same
location and with the same high level of service, but with a new name and more
client benefits.

The ERA Landmark Real Estate family includes offices in Livingston, Big Sky and
Clyde Park plus NAI Landmark, their commercial operation. The merger will give
Arrow Real Estate a larger national and international exposure through the ERA
network as well as a stronger state presence under the ERA umbrella.
The owner of ERA Landmark is Robyn Erlenbush, a well-known and respected
leader not only in Bozeman, but statewide with the Montana Association of
Realtors and nationally with the ERA Real Estate franchise. Robyn is very involved
in the Bozeman community and looks forward to her new connection with the
Madison Valley.

Arrow Real Estate’s new name will be ERA Landmark Arrow Real Estate, but they
will answer to anything – FNI, Arrow, ERA, friend….

Wednesday, October 2, 2013

NEWS OF THE MADISON VALLEY MT as of October 1, 2013



Howdy Montana Fans!

Fall is coming, the snowbirds are going, and yet there are still people discovering Montana for the first time and finding their "dream" properties right here in this area.  The natural beauty is spectacular, but the hidden treasures of this valley are the people.  They are warm, friendly and welcoming.  Newcomers find they soon have more friends here than they did where they came from!  It's truly amazing.  Here are excerpts from my latest newsletter.  You can see it in it's entirety with photos and more on our website at http://www.arrowreal.com/pdf/newsletters/Arrow_Newsletter_152.pdf.



NEWS  of  ENNIS  and the MADISON VALLEY,  MT
for the month of SEPTEMBER 2013

Trout live in nice neighborhoods

MADISON VALLEY “HAPPENINGS” September is always one of my favorite months. Most of the Snow Birds don’t leave until October or even November.  But more people must be staying around because, according to the Montana County Population Projections, Madison County has grown from 6,894 residents in 2003 to 8,020 in 2013.  The expected population in 2023 is 8,755!  I hope that doesn’t mean we will need our first stop light, somewhere in the county! Read the Madison Co. Comprehensive Plan at http://www.madisoncountync.org/downloads/zoning/Madison_County_Comprehensive_Plan.pdf.     The big event for the month was Willie’s Distillery put on their First Annual Fall Jamboree Pig Roast with music and Montana Moonshine in abundance.  Go to their website at www.williesdistillery.com for more information. → Moonlight Basin will continue offering access through Jack Creek for Madison Valley Ski club members. Contact mbart@moonlightbasin.com for info. → Talk of replacing the beautiful, old historic bridge over Blaine Spring Creek and the Varney Bridge over the Madison River has turned into an official project with local, state and federal funding.  The bridges may be put up for “adoption.”  Start of work on Blaine Springs will begin in 2015 at the earliest.  Read more about it at: http://www.madisoniannews.com/group-closer-to-bridge-replacement-construction/. 

COMING OCTOBER HAPPENINGSHunting Season begins!  The bow hunters have already been out in the woods, but the general season is October 26 – December 1. Check it out at http://fwp.mt.gov/ and click on General License Cheat Sheet. → And remember to come hungry to our 28th annual Hunters Feed and Chili CookOff held the Friday afternoon before the start of hunting season.  → Not much else happening except for the start of football season and the Ennis Mustangs are going for the state championship if they keep up their winning streak. You can follow the team at http://www.maxpreps.com/high-schools/ennis-mustangs-%28ennis,mt%29/football/home.htm.
                                                                                                               
MONTANA NEWS  Energy costs in Montana may be going down soon if deregulation is reversed.  NorthWestern Energy Corp. made its pitch Friday to investors on its plans to spend $900 million to buy back 11 hydroelectric dams that were sold off to PPL Corp. during deregulation. Read more at: http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/montana-utility-undo-deregulation-woes-20399137. → If you’ve ever wondered what to do with the animal you’ve hit and killed with your vehicle, the recently passed Road Kill Law takes effect Tuesday.  Later this month the Montana FWP Commission will meet to start finalizing new rules to allow people to salvage road kill for meat. The Legislature authorized the panel to allow law-enforcement officers to issue permits to salvage animal carcasses of certain species that are struck and killed by vehicles.  Supporters argued it would help clean up road kill that can impede traffic and simply rot on the roadside. The commission is scheduled to meet Oct. 10 to discuss it.  Yum! → U.S. Senator Max Baccus hosted the 6th Montana Economic Development Summit in Butte where several thousand business leaders gathered. Keynote speaker, Safra Catz, president and CFO of Oracle Corporation said they began doing business in Bozeman in 2011 after being drawn to Montana in part because of the national exposure of past Summits.  Oracle purchased Right Now Technologies who was a leading provider of cloud-based customer service, based in Bozeman, and now Oracle plans to make Bozeman its “global cloud center.”
 
HUNTING REPORT → Hunters are optimistic about their chances of filling their freezers this year, as more elk have been spotted lately.  But FWP states, “The odds of killing an elk in Montana: Over the past two decades, the statewide average combined annual success rate for bulls and cows has been roughly 20 percent. That means that each year, one of five hunters kills an elk. On average, successful hunters in Montana spend 10 to 12 days hunting before killing an elk.”  And now, if the FWP get their way, grizzly bears will be reintroduced into the Tobacco Root mountain range.  Read more on this controversial plan at: http://fwp.mt.gov/fishAndWildlife/management/grizzlyBear/default.html.  Sportsmen, ranchers, outfitters, home owners, recreationalists and media were invited to a public meeting held in Twin Bridges on September 23rd to let their voices be heard.  What did we learn from the wolf reintroduction? On a happier note, they are also preparing an environmental assessment for the proposed release of bighorn sheep in the Madison Range at Indian or Wolf Creek.

FISHING REPORT  The latest fishing report is from John Way, The Tackle Shop, as of October 1, 2013, “October is here and the last blast of good fishing is upon us. There is no more beautiful time in the Madison Valley than fall.  The leaves are turning colors, the first covering of the white stuff lies on Sphinx Mountain, and the brisk mornings just beckon anglers to the river.   Most of the crowds of  the summer madness are long gone and those you do see on the river keep their distance as solitude is just as important to them as it is to you. 
Streamers and nymphs are the name of the game right now.   The larger brown trout are making their yearly trek up the river to spawn.    The silver sided browns of spring are replaced with the butter yellow spawning colors of fish headed to the party.    Most of the larger fish become aggressive and will readily attack any intruder into their space.   The streamer game is a fickle one and one that rewards those that experiment.   On any given day the fish are looking for Olive, black, yellow, white or natural colored streamers either dead drift, twitched or stripped fast.   If you’re not getting the response you want change up the size, color, or retrieve.    Some of our favorite’s streamers of fall are the Exasperator Sculpin, Sculpzilla, or Shelia.  Most fish these with a floating line on a short stout leader say 7ft 2X.   To double your chances try two streamers of different colors or a trailing nymph of a copper john or prince.  
For those nymph-a-holics out there feed it to them and they will eat it.   We have been having the best luck lately with a large Pats rubber leg in size 6 or 8 with a Present tail or copper john trailer in size 18. This rig should catch fish all month long.   By the end of the month try an egg pattern.  Along with the browns, the whitefish are spawning as well and they are a broadcast spawner so the eggs are readily available to waiting trout.   We like peach or flesh colored egg patterns in size 14. 
For your dry fly guys there is still fish to be had.   On overcast days expect a blue winged olive hatch about mid-day.   A parachute BWO or even a purple haze in size 16 should do the trick.   Also midges will be hatching in large numbers.  A high-vis parachute midge in size 20 should get any risers.  Concentrate on calmer water behind boulders or on the inside of turns.   Right now the fishing is as good as it gets and you will not see fishing like this till next spring so get out and fish.   The largest fish of the year are always caught in October.  Stop by the shop for the latest info, a cup of coffee as well as great end of season deals.   Right now 30% off all in stock waders, boots and Costa del Mar sunglasses. ”  John Way

Check out other fishing reports at:
       Madison River Fishing Company at:            
       http://www.mrfc.com/MadisonRiverMontanaFishing/MadisonRiverReport.aspx.
       The Madison Valley Ranch at http://www.madisonvalleyranch.com/blog/
       Joe Dilschneider’s Montana Trout Stalkers at http://www.montanatrout.com/
       Yellowstone Fly Fishing at http://www.yellowstoneflyfishing.com/madisonreport.htm.

WEATHER → September is a magnificent time to be in Montana.  In her speech this week in Butte, Oracle President Safra Catz claimed that “There are no better working conditions than Montana in September.”  In late August, the weather experts claimed that the lack of rain combined with hot, dry weather had resulted in severe drought conditions and that Madison County was the driest in the state.  Many creeks and ditches were drying up and the Ruby Reservoir was way below normal.  But then September brought the clouds and showers, giving us 2.38”of precipitation – the average is just .97”! The recorded high for the month was 90° with a low of 28°.  The average high was 7 and the average low was 36°.  We’re hoping this cold spell is just a “tease” before our beautiful Indian Summer shows up.

FEATURED PROPERTY OF THE MONTH:  ONE-OF-A-KIND, UPSCALE, RUSTIC, MONTANA LOG “CABIN” on 20 acres, with end-of-the-road privacy, spectacular views and a private creek-fed, 3-acre lake full of trout!  This beautiful, remodeled 2,310 SF home has 3BR, 2 BA, rock FP, landscaping, greenhouse and is offered FURNISHED for $1,150,000.  (MLS #193736). Watch the amazing aerial drone video at http://youtu.be/uAzaoJ4FmBw.
LOCAL REAL ESTATE MARKET STATISTICS → September continues to bring new people to town and buyers are more serious as we head into winter.  Maybe it’s a “nesting” thing and they want a home before winter.  Hunters don’t usually take time to look at real estate when they come here to fill their tags, so we focus on a broad range of buyers in the fall.  The Southwest Montana Multiple Listing statistics for the Madison Valley area (including Ennis, Cameron, McAllister, Norris, Virginia City, Harrison, Pony, Whitehall and Cardwell), through the month of September 2013 are as follows:
LAND:  313 vacant lots listed ($7,350 to $2,490,000), 8 pending sales ($54,900 to $1,500,000), 43 lots have sold in 2013 ($28,800 to $400,000) for a total value of $4,689,209.  
HOMES:  170 homes listed ($67,000 to $3,350,000), 15 pending sales ($105,900 to $450,000), 50 homes have sold in 2013 ($61,200 to $825,000) for a total value of $14,743,197. 
RANCHES:  5 listed ($695,000 to $14,999,000), 0 pending sales, 1 ranch sold in 2013 ($2,290,000).  
COMMERCIAL:  19 listed ($42,400 to $2,950,000), 0 pending sales, 8 commercial properties sold in 2013 ($75,000 to $1,150,000) for a total value of $2,737,500.
TOTAL # OF PROPERTIES CURRENTLY LISTED:  507, VALUED AT $176,256,723.

YOU KNOW YOU’RE FROM MONTANA WHENyou head for the local bar to find out what’s going on in town, to find your friends, to find a local subcontractor, and in many cases, to find the best food in town.  It’s a place where people get together, along with their kids and dogs (and sometimes horses!).  Like the English pubs, local bars in Montana are the focal point of the community.  Many people may object, but I can find no law on the books in Montana restricting people younger than 21 from hanging out in a bar, so long as they aren’t drinking.  It is an extension of people’s living rooms and for some folks, bars take the place of church.  Amen.

MONTANA TRIVIA → Did you know that Helena (pronounced “Hell-a-na”) is the capital of Montana?  While nearby Virginia City was our territorial capital for 10 years, Helena prevailed and has been the capital since 1875. Like Virginia City, it was founded by miners during the gold rush days.  Helena's glorious past can also be seen in the spectacular 19th-century mansions, historic Last Chance Gulch businesses, and restored pioneer dwellings. The Last Chance Tour Train features informative, entertaining tours of the city. A one-hour train ride provides a spectacular tour of the Capital City, complete with a lesson in Helena's colorful history. Other impressive historical landmarks include the St. Helena Cathedral, an imposing edifice, overlooking the downtown area, modeled after the cathedral in Cologne, Germany. Go to http://visitmt.com/listing/categories_NET/City.aspx?City=Helena to read more about this beautiful and historic capital.

Toni and Don Bowen, both broker/owners with nearly 75 years of real estate experience, between them - covering residential, commercial, land and ranches.  They are in the business of "match making," where the perfect fit of buyer and property is the most important goal.  The Bowen's pride themselves on being the quality "boutique" of local real estate, providing personal attention and professional service.