The Wankel T. rex is now on the road to Washington, D.C., where it’s expected to attract more visitors than any other Tyrannosaurus rex fossil in the world at the National Museum of Natural History.

On loan to the Smithsonian Institution for 50 years, the 65-million-year old skeleton left Bozeman shortly after 2 p.m. Friday, April 11, in 16 crates in a customized FedEx truck. It will arrive at the Smithsonian sometime before Tuesday, April 15, when another round of celebratory activities will begin.

“This is a really great day for the Museum of the Rockies,” Shelley McKamey, executive director of Montana State University’s Museum of the Rockies, said during the send-off celebration at the museum.

“It’s really exciting for us,” said Sant Director of the National Museum of Natural History Kirk Johnson.

It was also an emotional day for McKamey, who was part of the crew that excavated the skeleton in 1989 and 1990, and for Kathy Wankel of Angela, who discovered the fossil in 1988 near the Fort Peck Reservoir in northeast Montana.

“It’s been such an amazing experience for our entire family,” Wankel said.
Besides meeting incredible people and building relationships with paleontologists and staff at the Museum of the Rockies, Wankel said she is making new friends at the Smithsonian. She also praised MSU paleontologist Jack Horner for the “fantastic” research he conducted over the past 25 years on the dinosaur that was 18 years old when it died violently.

Wankel said she was sad to see the skeleton leave, but she was excited that so many people will be able to visit it in Washington, D.C. The skeleton will be the centerpiece of a new paleontology exhibit scheduled to open in 2019 in the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History. It’s predicted that at least 7 million people a year will view the Wankel T. rex – one of the most complete Tyrannosaurus rex fossils in the world. And since many of those visitors are tourists, they won’t be the same 7 million every year.

Wankel, McKamey, Horner and Johnson were four of six dignitaries who spoke during the 30-minute farewell ceremony at the MOR’s Hager Auditorium. Others were Pat Leiggi, crew chief when the dinosaur was excavated and now administrative director of paleontology and director of exhibits at the MOR; and Darin McMurry, assistant operations project manager for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Horner, Leiggi and McKamey were joined on stage by some of the others who worked on the field crew that excavated the dinosaur. They included Wankel, her husband Tom, and their children Lee, Rock and Whitney. Others were Bob Harmon, Carrie Ancell and Matt Smith.

A caravan accompanied the Wankel T. rex as it left the Museum of the Rockies and rode through downtown Bozeman.  Finally on its own, the FedEx truck headed east toward Washington, D.C.

The image of a dinosaur and a logo announced its cargo.

“Delivering History: the Nation’s T. rex,” it said.

One great way to ease the winter doldrums in Montana is finding out the lineup to this summer's 4th annual Red Ants Pants Music Festival in White Sulphur Springs.

Sarah Calhoun, owner of the Red Ants Pants company in the small town, announced the lineup for this year's festival on Saturday, April 5, with a party for the occasion at her store in White Sulphur. The event was also streamed live via the Internet. A lively crowd packed the place, reliving past RAP festivals while waiting to find out who would grace the pasture north of town with their musical presence this year.

After whetting the crowd's appetite with a short video from last year's event, Calhoun, "without further adieu," let everyone in on the lineup. Headliners include country music great Charlie Pride, alternative country artist Brandi Carlile from Seattle, Americana singer-songwriter Josh Ritter from Idaho, and former Drive By Trucker band member Jason Isbell, who has been making waves on the Americana music scene since going solo in 2007.

Ian Tyson and James McMurtry will also be appearing at this year's event, and crowd-pleaser Corb Lund will be making a return appearance as well. Other artists on the main stage this year include Hank Williams' granddaughter Holly Williams, the Black Lillies, Tom Catmull's Radio Static, Red Molly, Baskery, JD McPherson, Matt Andersen, and Jessie Veeder.

"It will be a hell of a show," said Calhoun as the April 5 party grew to a close. "I'll promise you that."

This year's street dance, in White Sulphur Springs proper, on Thursday evening, July 24, will feature the music of the Bus Driver Tour. A screening of the movie "Dryland" is planned in the theatre near the Red Ants Pants store just prior to the music. On Friday, the action shifts to the festival grounds, on the nearby Jackson Ranch, for main stage musical acts, side stage music focusing on local musicians, and farming/ranching-related activities, such as the cross-cut saw competition. The Montana Beard and Moustache State Finals will also be held on the grounds during the festival. Camping is available for Red Ants Pants festival-goers, and food, drink, and other items are available for purchase from vendors circling the festival venue.

The Red Ants Pants Music Festival has already become a staple on the list of things to do under the Big Sky. Early bird three-day passes are on sale for $99 through the month of April; these are $125 for advance sales beginning May 1, and $140 at the gate. Day passes are $50 in advance, and $55 at the gate. For more information on this great Montana music event, or for advance ticket purchases, call 406-209-8135, or go to redantspantsmusicfestival.com.

The Steel Pulse Show originally scheduled for March 26 at the Emerson is now rescheduled for April 23 at The SUB Ballrooms!

Due to scheduling conflicts, we were not able to reschedule in the Emerson yet there is good news-- Because of this new venue, more tickets will be available at Cactus Records!

All previously purchased tickets will be honored on this new date. If you are unable to attend this show, refunds are available at Cactus Records until April 23!

(BOZEMAN, MONTANA 2 April 2014) – RightPSI, an auto aftermarket start-up focused on the tire accessory space, just finished a successful Kickstarter campaign to create momentum for its product launch.  The campaign raised $70,212, over 350% of the goal.  RightPSI attracted over 1500 backers as well.  Their website, www.rightpsi.com, will continue taking pre-orders. RightPSI manufactures tire pressure indicators that provide visual indication of low tire pressure, while allowing one to fill through the cap and use it as a tire gauge.  

Every year AAA responds to an astonishing 4 million American motorists who are stranded due to tire damage.  Tire problems cause 9% of crashes annually.  One in four cars is driving on a tire that is at least 25% under required tire pressure. Also, having properly inflated tires improves fuel efficiency by 3.3%, or roughly $0.10 a gallon at current gas prices, according to the United States Department of Energy. That could save drivers $65 a year.  RightPSI’s innovative tire pressure indicators make the job of keeping your tires filled easy.  They are unique in being “flow-through” meaning that they can be used as a gauge while pumping.  RightPSI has received the Popular Mechanics Editors Choice Award for new product design and innovation as well as the MSN Top Pick from the SEMA Show.  The RightPSI Kickstarter campaign can be found at: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/rightpsi/rightpsi-tire-pressure-at-a-glance.

About RightPSI
RightPSI ™ is a US Company. Our goal is to create high quality, accessible products that help the environment, save people money, and increase safety on the road.  Our fill-through tire pressure gauge provides motorists with easy and efficient methods to ensure that their tires are precisely pressurized at all times. This patented tire cap also gives the consumer the peace of mind that comes from knowing that a tire is filled correctly.

May in Bozeman means the sun is shining, the snow is melting, and runners have come out of winter hibernation at the gym. Bozeman High School’s Rotary Interact Club is taking advantage of the warm weather to host their annual “Fun Run 5K” on May 3rd at East Gallatin Recreation Area. This year, in addition to the 5K there will be a 1 mile race for juniors and their parents. There will also be an ice cream social, complete with live music, for runners after the race.

Runners can register by going to racemontana.com and searching for “Rotary Interact Fun Run”. Junior registration (Ages 0-18) will cost $10 on Race Montana and $15 on the Race-Day. Adult Registration (19 and up) will cost $20 on Race Montana and $25 on the Race Day.

Each year the run is held to raise money for an organization chosen by members of the Interact Club. This year Interact members are once again giving the profits to The Cody Dieruf Foundation, which helps local children affected by Cystic Fibrosis. By choosing a local organization, the Interact members are able to see the direct impact of their work on a local level.

“There are kids at the high school with this disease, and to be able to see that our efforts will directly impact our peers means the world!” says one of the run organizers and BHS senior, Derek Hetherington.

Cystic Fibrosis is an inherited chronic disease that affects the lungs and digestive system of about 30,000 children and adults in the United States (70,000 worldwide). The disease clogs the lungs and leads to life-threatening lung infections and stops natural enzymes from helping the body break down and absorb food. The predicted average age of survival for a person with CF is in the late 30s. With your help, the money raised in this run will be put towards defeating this unfortunate disease. Last year the run raised over $1,000, and Interact hopes to double that amount this year.
The club has been working with local sponsors to provide timing and refreshments for runners. In addition, with each registration comes one raffle ticket that can be used in a raffle held at the end of the event. Raffle items include donations from Simms, the Bozeman Running Company, Planet Bronze, Play it Again Sports, Yellowstone Coffee Roasters, and more. If you have questions or information on businesses that would like to help sponsor the run, contact 406-599-1385 or rozkutsch@gmail.com.

The future of human labor in an era of robots, “Iam hamburger’ and confessions of a teenage carny featured at April Pecha Kucha Nights George Keremedjiev, director and co-founder of Bozeman’s American Computer Museum, will present on “The Future of Human Labor in an Era of Artificially Intelligent and Conscious Robots” at the next Pecha Kucha Nights Wednesday, April 23 and Thursday, April 24 at the Ellen Theatre.  Japanese Exchange Student Mizuki Ono will present on the often-humorous challenges of learning a different language and culture and Tom Dickson will offer the humorous confessions of a teenage carny.

Four Bozeman clergy, Father Leo Proxell, Pastor Jody McDevitt, Rabbi Ed Stafman  and Ruhul Amin, Bozeman’s Muslim leader, will talk about their interfaith work and the friendships that have resulted; Steve Durbin and Timothy Tate will tell the fascinating story of India’s Nrityagram dancers; Steve Guettermann will present on “Hollywood, The Hero & You;” and Nancy Tanner will present on “Eleven years in the field – a private look inside a dog trainers notebook.

Other presenters include Rick Sanders of Bozeman’s Montana Raptor Center, who will discuss raptor behavior with the aid of some of his raptor friends; Sam Haraldson on “Practical Bicycling in Bozeman and Beyond;” Michael Running Wolf on the challenge facing American Indian Communities as they struggle to retain rights to their own digitized culture; and Randall Russo on “Surviving 7,000 earthquakes in New Zealand.”

All presentations will be featured both nights.
Doors open at 6:30 p.m.  with the first presentation starting at 7:20 p.m. Pecha Kucha (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!

Actor, comedian and teacher Cara Wilder will serve as Master of Ceremonies.

Pecha Kucha (sounds like chit-chat in Japanese) was created 10 years ago by a Tokyo architectural firm. Events are now held in more than 700 cities around the world.  More information is available on Facebook at pecha-kucha-bozeman or by emailing pechakuchabozeman@gmail.com   You are encouraged to come early to socialize.  There will be a 20-minute intermission.

Advance tickets ($7 plus $1 restoration fee) are available online at theellentheatre.com

Tickets also are available at the box office and at the door for $8 ($5 for students) space permitting.

Dedicated volunteers Barbara and Jack Kligerman will receive the 6^th annual Cornerstone Award from the Bozeman Public Library Foundation for their tireless library volunteerism and generous contribution to promoting literary works. This prestigious award will be presented at the Foundation’s Cornerstone Celebration, April 12, 6:30 pm, at the Bozeman Public Library.

Starting the Bai food trailer is just the first step in Sreyroth Phon's Cambodian-American plans of domination. My ultimate goal is to bring awareness to America of issues faced by Cambodians, who deal with numerous challenges regarding the environment, health care, social justice, and women's and children's rights. I would like to start an NGO in my home country to bring about positive change for Cambodians.

$9000 goal, 23 days to go

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1318667184/bai-a-cambodian-food-trailer-in-bozeman-montana