Out and About in Northwest Montana

Eureka Rendezvous Days Hot-rods & Buckskins

WhitefishRadio.com braved the rainy cold weather and headed north on April 24 for the 32nd Annual Rendezvous Days in Eureka, MT. The clouds parted and sun shone for the duration of the Hot-rods & Buckskins Parade.



Our Zooniacs, hosts of the Saturday morning kids program featuring Jungle Jack Hanna, made lots of new friends while handing out animal toys to the young spectators. It was great to see our friends from the Whitefish Winter Carnival Royalty atop their float with Yeti & Penguin accompaniment.



We found a great place to set up "camp" among the classic cars and enjoyed meeting our neighbors for the day. The Zooniacs gave away more great prizes and shared some of their expansive knowledge about the animal kingdom.

A big THANK YOU to the Rendezvous Days folks for inviting us and to the great people of Eureka for hosting us; we had a great time and are looking forward to next year!

Bartending for Charity to Benefit North Valley Music School

Whitefish's finest and funnest came out to support the North Valley Music School on April 30, 2010. Ross and Sue Strauser, owners were celebrity bar tenders for the evening with special guests: John Dunnigan, North Valley Music School Suzuki String Students, Roustabout, and David Ackroyd.

A Cruise for Ten on Lake MacDonald with Ribs by Ross was the prize for a special drawing held. Eugene & Carla from Calgary won the drawing and are excited to have a new activity for their annual summer vacation to Glacier National Park.


The Whitefish Winter Carnival Royalty stopped by to bestow the following title on Ross and Sue: Baronial "Big Fish" Bartenders; Celebrated Celebrities, Carefully Concocting Copious Cocktails with a Commanding and Quite Carnival Contrivance. Majestically Mixing Merriment and Melange for the Merit of North Valley Music School.




We appreciate the Boat Club for holding such a wonderful event and the crowd who participated so enthusiastically in the evening's festivities. A great time was had by all!

Special Guest, David DeVore on "Rob Quist Live!"

Rob Quist Live! kicked off his debut show on March 6, with special guest, John Dunnigan. If you missed it, catch it On-Demand.

This week, Rob's guest is Music Producer Extraordinare, David DeVore. David's list of credits include musical icons like, Fleetwood Mac, Elton John, The Grateful Dead, REO Speedwagon, Foreigner, Santana, Ringo Starr, and Survivor. Catch special guest, David DeVore live in the studio with Rob Quist this Thursday, 10AM MST and On-Demand exclusively on WhtiefishRadio.com, The Big Fish. You don't want to miss it!

The Royal Treatment

Whitefish Winter Carnival XLIX is in full swing, with the Royalty selected for this year. Congratulations to the new court, King Ullr XLIX, Jerry House; Queen of the Snows, Terri Muraoka; Prime Minister Walt Chauner; Duchess of Lark Lynn Grossman; Harold the Hark Rick Donahue; Prince Frey Anders Hanson, and Princess Freya Jane Hansen. The Big Fish was privelaged to be the first to interview the court. Check out carnival photos, listen to interviews, see our events page for a look at upcoming carnival activities, and visit the news page for updated carnival stories. Watch for our parade entry with Alpine Theatre Project during the Grand Parade on February 2, in Downtown Whitefish.

WhitefishRadio.com is celebrating our first year of worldwide webcasting. With the New Year, comes many new changes for The Big Fish. Look for exciting announcements coming soon to a computer near you!

In the meantime, don't forget to check out the variety of awesome programs we offer live and on demand; something for everyone. Like what you see and hear? Tell a friend.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO ALL OUR FRIENDS!

We are truly blessed here at WhitefishRadio.com, as we close in on our first year on the internet. Thank you to everyone who has helped our endeavor become a success. From our web people and employees, to our many contributers, advertisers and faithful listeners, we 'Thank You!' May each and everyone of you enjoy a wonderful and safe Thanksgiving weekend.

Watch for many exciting new changes coming to The Big Fish soon. In the meantime, catch an all new 'Where in the World is Jack Hanna?', 'Lights, Camera, Ackroyd!', and John Dunnigan's show with The Singing Sons of Beaches. Next week; new holiday specials from Health Quest, and Mac Bledsoe. There are many great holiday events coming up in the near future, many of which are posted on our events page, so check back often!

The Big Fish, Live on Location!

A Big Fish First! WhitefishRadio.com hits the streets of Downtown Whitefish Tuesday and Thursday, October 9th and 11th, with David Ackroyd and John Dunnigan. David's show, Lights! Camera! Ackroyd! will be live at The Loft (above The Toggery), on Tuesday with special guests, John Zoltek from the Glacier Symphony and Chorale, Betsy Morrison, Luke Walrath, Nick and Rebecca Spear, from Alpine Theatre Project, and a special surprise guest, from 10AM to Noon MST. Then on Thursday, The John Dunnigan Show, goes to the Buffalo Cafe' during his regular show time from 10AM to Noon. John will be joind by musical guests for entertainment and great food. Stop by and join us in Downtown Whitefish or listen live at http://www.whitefishradio.com/. As always, both shows will be available on demand.

Falling Back Into The Swing

Summer flew by, school is back in session, and visitors to our beautiful state of Montana, for the most part, have returned to their homes. Fall is nipping at our heels as we settle back into a routine and prepare ourselves for the winter ahead. As everything around us seems to be slowly winding down, WhitefishRadio.com is full-speed ahead.

Getting back to school is a very positive change for most, but with it comes many challenges for our kids. Mac Bledsoe, features an all new series titled Back to School right here on The Big Fish. This series is full of wonderful advice for parents, students, and teachers on subjects like homework, better grades, following the rules and the importance of kids getting involved with school activities.

More often than not, school activities include a heavy emphasis on sports, which led The Big Fish to fulfill a community request by adding an all new Flathead Valley Sports Page. Here you can keep up with all the latest scores on our sports ticker, view game schedules in one convenient location, hear coach and player interviews, news and more.

Because you can get the hard-hitting news anywhere, WhitefishRadio.com is committed to maintaining a news page that brings positive, community interest stories to the forefront. If you have a story of interest that you would like to see on our site, please contact us here.

It was another great week with our local celebrities, David Ackroyd, John Dunnigan, and Jungle Jack Hanna. The week started off on Tuesday with Lights! Camera! Ackroyd! where Jungle Jack made a special appearance to talk television with David about his upcoming new series Into the Wild. This week David delved into "Bad Career Moves," and Jack was up to his usual animal antics while also discussing his "bad career moves." Back by popular demand, Jerry Clemmens was John Dunnigan's guest on Thursday. During the show an old friend called in, all the way from Austin, Texas to say "hi" to his friend Jerry. Jerry was in prime form with great tunes, crazy jokes and commentary. David, John, and Jack are all available 24/7, on demand.

The Big Fish will be out and about in Whitefish this weekend as Ross Strauser MC's the Two Bear Marathon. Come out and cheer on over 120 runners from all over the world as they participate in this 26.2 mile run. For more on this story, visit our news page where you can hear an interview with Brad Seaman, Co-Director of the event. Hope to see you at the race!

Have a great weekend!

What a Summer It Has Been!

Where to begin....?

It has been a fantastic first summer for us here at WhitefishRadio.com, and we'd like to thank all our listeners and sponsors for making our first months so successful. We appreciate each and everyone of you. If you like what you see and hear, tell a friend.

There is so much to catch up on, so let's start with our good friend, John Dunnigan. John is back LIVE! Yes, live in the studio this Thursday! He has returned from his summer fair tour and will be sharing new music from new artists he met on the road; and we are sure he will be telling many other stories you won't want to miss. John writes:

Greetings to all.
Hope you had a safe and smoke free summer?
We are not out of the woods yet!
But at least I can see across the street into my neighbors house..oops.
I had a very eventful summer playing all over the Northwest, opening and
playing with some very cool acts!
Saw old friends and made a ton of new ones.
Had a fishing license in four different states...but believe me the fish populations are the same when I leave as when I got there?
I will be back on the air LIVE this Thursday morning....where I will elaborate a bit more on the travels of a Whitefish guitar player
Thursday at 10 a.m.

Let's shift gears a bit, but stay with the entertainment theme. David Ackroyd has been with us all summer each Tuesday morning from 10 am to Noon MST. In the midst of his insanely busy summer, he managed to bring in special guests each week. If you missed any of the Lights! Camera! Ackroyd! shows, catch them on demand. What a phenomenal summer Alpine Theatre Project has had! There are still a few days left to see "Moonlight and Magnolias." The Big Fish went to all three plays and thoroughly enjoyed it all. David, Luke and Betsi together have brought something so fantastic to this community. Thank you ATP for entertaining us this summer. We are so fortunate to have you here in the Flathead Valley.

Summer has passed in the blink of an eye, as school gets underway. As another school year begins The Big Fish is gearing up to unveil our all new Flathead Valley Sports Page. Whitefishradio.com will be your connection for all the area school sports, scores, calendars, coach and player interviews, and more. So stay tuned...

Along with the new shcool year comes many fun fall events and activities...

Don't miss the "Back to School Bash" presented by Whitefish CARE and Whitefish School District on September 5th from 5-8pm at the Smith Soccer Fields. There will be activities for all ages including a BBQ, dunk tank, games and more. Visit their website here for more detailed information.

The Whitefish PTA is holding the 1st Annual Stumptown Scramble Golf Tournament at the Whitefish Lake Golf Course on Monday, September 10th. The Big Fish is proud to be involved with this event. We will have our very own team with Ross Strauser, John Dunnigan, Mike Hodges and Mike Dowaliby. Hopefully the "Old Pro" Mike Dowaliby will be able to make the others look like they know what they're doing on the course! Following the tournament, John Dunnigan will be performing during the BBQ. Also, team players will automatically be entered to win one of several prizes from The Big Fish. For more information about this funfilled Whitefish PTA event, to sign up, be a helper, or sponsor, visit their website here.

We are your hometown internet radio station and are here to serve our community in the beautiful Flathead Valley. If you have an event or organization that you would like post on our website, please contact us and let us know what we can do to help.

WhitefishRadio.com Takes Flight!

Thursday's John Dunnigan Show with special guest Jack Gladstone is now On Demand. And now some musical notes direct from John's computer:
"Here are a few gigs basically covering the Flathead Valley from one dusty road construction end to the other! As a kid I loved giant rock filled dump trucks..that of course was before I started paying for broken windshields and headlights...
But the widening of Highway 93 as painful as it is, is a GOOD THING. Big Thunder as I'm writing this. Don't forget to check out the Whitefishradio.com site. My guest this week is...Jack Gladstone! Getting Jack on the show is as likely as Paris Hilton becoming a pre-school teacher on a reservation in South Dakota! He has been a great friend of mine for years and a great artist! You can also listen to 5 different shows that we have done. My guest have included Doug Rommerim, Rob Quist, Jerry Clemens, Tim Togerson, The Bad Larry's, Paris Hilton, Jay Diapllo, David Walburn, Shauney Haveman, Sonny King, Jarrod Grubb (Baseball guy), Deidre Heaton, Paula Dunk, Wayne Murphy & Steve Sikniecht (?). Love you Steve but man what a last name! Anyway it's a BLAST! And I get to play with them all. A few guest that we have waiting in the wings are...Christian Johnson and all his "buddies," Jerry Fletcher, Marc Morvia, Jerry Springer...and many more that we are not allowed to mention at this time. Hope to see you around this week...Every Wednesday at The Frontier Roadhouse, across from Woody's country store at 6:30pm (755-0111). Every Thursday at the Great Northern in Beautiful Downtown Whitefish, MT at 9:30 (862-2816), Saturday, June 9th and 16th 6:30pm, I will be at Meadowlake Golf Resort in Columbia Falls. A great place to eat and enjoy some tunes (892-8700). Drive careful and watch for fallen rocks!"

On Friday morning, Ross Strauser Live visits with life-long Whitefish resident and Delta Pilot, Curt McIntyre about his maiden voyage on the new non-stop, Tuesday and Saturday flight from Kalispell, Montana to Atlanta, Georgia. We who live in this beautiful area have, at one time or another experienced the difficulties of flying out of the Flathead Valley. This is a great addition to our area flights.

The Kalispell Center Mall is the place to be this Saturday. WhiefishRadio.com will be there for all the festivities. Our very own news man, Mike Hodges will be taste-testing as a judge during the Battle of the Broilers. Stop by our table at the Housing Fair, where Shane Dowaliby and Kirt Lindblad from the Big Fish will be available to talk about Montana's only all-internet radio station. Pick up one of our brand new Big Fish bumper stickers to show your support for the community radio station that supports our local musicians, artists, non-profits and area businesses. Both Mall events begin at 10 AM!

Have a great weekend!

Big Fish Update

On June 7th, the Big Fish will be broadcasting a very special John Dunnigan show, featuring the one-and-only Jack Gladstone. There's something for both kids and adults tomorrow. There will be live performances, as usual, followed by a reading of "Old Shep" story and a performance of Jack's song. Catch it tomorrow at 10 AM and any time after that On Demand!

If you're a fan of "Iron Chef" you won't want to miss the Battle of the Broilers. It's this Saturday from 11 AM until 4 PM at the Kalispell Center Mall. The Affordable Housing Fair is also going on at the Mall on Saturday, and WhitefishRadio.com will have a table with information about our station. Come check it out! Click here for more information.

Big Things Happening on The Big Fish!

The John Dunnigan Show is live, local, and having fun with special guest Jerry Clemens, this Thursday at 10:00 AM on WhitefishRadio.com. Looking ahead to next week, John's guest will be Shawnee Haveman. John is always available 24/7 on-demand if you can't join the show live.

Whitefish High School students showcase their movie-making talents this Thursday, May 24th, 7:00 PM, at the O'Shaughnessy Center in Whitefish. Several student projects will be shown on various subjects, includng soccer and skiing. WhitefishRadio.com's very own Shane Dowaliby took part in producing two of the entries. This is a great opportunity to see the creativity of our youth in our community. Tickets are $2.00 each and all proceeds go to the WHS Literary Arts Class. Bring a friend and join the fun!

Coming next Tuesday, May 29th, at 10:00AM, the long anticipated debut of Lights! Camera! Ackroyd! with your host, the one.. the only... Actor Extrodinare, David Ackroyd! You won't want to miss this. David will be sharing stories about his 40+ years in the entertainment world, both locally and around the globe. Find out about the latest Alpine Theatre Project productions, and many other fascinating tid-bits involving the sometimes funny and sometimes very bizarre world of show biz! As always at WhitefishRadio.com, if you miss it live, it will be available on-demand 24/7.

Tell all your friends to check out the fun, unique, local programming at WhitefishRadio.com.

All of us at The Big Fish wish each of you a safe, eventful, and happy Memorial Day Weekend!

The New Voices of WhitefishRadio.com

Today's blog is dedicated to learning a bit more about some of the artists featured on The Big Fish!

Tim Torgerson was born and raised in Whitefish, and lived in Las Vegas for a while before moving back home in 2005. When describing his performance style, he says "I kind of have a thing for handmade acoustics and I love to play electric guitars too." His repertoire consists of original songs and instrumentals and also twisted arrangements of classic and current cover songs. Tim enjoys using alternate tunings, standard and custom-designed capos, and electronic gear to get his one of a kind sound. Check out his website here.

The Mission Mountain Woodband has been a Montana favorite since its inception. The Band first came to national prominence in the 70s, touring nonstop and playing over 250 dates a year. Although the band isn't together anymore, they are still on best seller lists of record stores around the state. They seem to attract more fans during each reunion show. During the Reunion Tour in the Summer of 1992 they played for over twenty thousand people in Polson, Missoula and Helena. They also had a reunion concert in Libby in 2003. Check out their website here.

Kyle Archer began recording his first CD at the age of 17 at the Hit Factory in New York City. After graduating high school, Kyle enrolled at Chapman University in California, where he appears in class films, radio shows, school benefits and theater productions. Kyle is continuing performances around the Los Angeles Area, and is currently writing material for his next CD. See his website here.

These are just a few of the many local, Montana, and independent artists heard on WhitefishRadio.com!

In other news, the newest John Dunnigan show with guest Sonny King is now available On Demand...Check it out here! New shows are coming soon to The Big Fish, including David Ackroyd's Lights, Camera, Ackroyd! and Kjersti Cote's Health Quest. Check back often for more updates.

WhitefishRadio.com Is Now Streaming Live ~ 9 AM -6 PM!

All new programming is now available on WhitefishRadio.com; streaming live, Monday through Friday from 9 AM to 6 PM MST. Check out our unique blend of music heard nowhere else, featuring local, Montana, and independent artists.

The John Dunnigan Show is live this Thursday at 10 AM with special guest Sonny King of the Blue Moon Band. Past shows are now available On Demand. If you can't catch John's show live at 10 AM, don't worry, because it, too, will be available On Demand.

Are you a musician who'd like to get your music played on WhitefishRadio.com? Click here to see how to submit your recordings.

Stay tuned for all new programs coming soon!

What's New on WhitefishRadio.com?

There are many new features available on WhitefishRadio.com! New audio is being added daily to our On-Demand feature. Listen to Mac Bledsoe's Parenting with Dignity 7 part series on pro-active parenting, or the newest John Dunnigan Show featuring Tim Torgerson.

Do you think your mom is the "Mother of All Mothers?" Email us and tell us why! We'll chose the best Mom story on Friday, May 11th, and our special Mom will receive gifts from Montana Tom's chocolates, Hooper's Garden Center and Mother's Day Brunch for two @ the Whitefish Lake Restaurant! All courtesy of The Big Fish! Visit the homepage for more information!

Student Reporter Emma Dowaliby continues to call in from the road on the 8th Grade History Trip. Go to the kids & family page to check it out.

And don't forget local news and weather, available on-demand at WhitefishRadio.com!

Important Announcement on Tomorrow's John Dunnigan Show

Tomorrow on WhitefishRadio.com there will be an important announcement regarding some exciting changes you'll see and hear at the Big Fish in the coming weeks. John will also be doing his usual show, complete with local musicians and local entertainment news. Catch the Big Fish, tomorrow at 10 AM on WhitefishRadio.com.

Tomorrow's John Dunnigan Show

Tomorrow on WhitefishRadio.com John Dunnigan won't have any special guests, but don't worry, he'll be performing LIVE in the studio. Don't miss it!

Spring sports are underway! The tennis team is taking on Bigfork tomorrow, in Whitefish at 3:00 PM. The softball team is also at home, they're playing Columbia Falls at 3:30. Get out there and support your local Whitefish High School athletes! For complete sports schedules click here.

The John Dunnigan Show for March 15

Tomorrow John will be joined by Thomas Marriott. Thomas is the "young lion of jazz trumpet players." They will be discussing the upcoming "Four Evenings of Irrepressible Jazz" presented by Simpson Subaru, and also the free trumpet clinic Marriott will be holding on March 23rd. The Jazz concerts will be on March 22nd at the Frontier Road House, March 23rd at the Whitefish Lake Golf Course, March 24th at Red's Wines and Blues, and March 25th at the Bigfork Inn. The clinic will be held at Whitefish High School at 4 PM on the 23rd. Listen tomorrow at 10 AM for all the details!

Also, Doug Betters will be back to discuss the upcoming Winter Classic. Tomorrow he'll be talking about all the celebrities scheduled to come, as well as the upcoming events for the weekend.

Per YOUR Requests: The Real Estate Song

John Dunnigan debuted The Real Estate Song today on his show, and it has already been requested by multiple people. You can listen to the track here. The song will be featured on his upcoming untitled album due out in May. The John Dunnigan Show airs every Thursday at 10 AM on WhitefishRadio.com.

Tomorrow Jungle Jack Hanna will be chatting with Ross and Janet, giving us his first installment of "Jack's Furry Friends." Interested in adopting a pet? Visit Jungle Jack's Page for more information and be sure to listen tomorrow during the 10 AM hour on The Big Fish.

WhitefishRadio.com Blog for March 7

Ross and Janet spoke with WHS Varsity Band Director Mike McCrady today. They were discussing the upcoming Battle of the Bands Fundraiser to be held on Saturday, March 10th at 7 PM at the Whitefish Armory. Tickets are $5 in advance and can be picked up at Whitefish High School or the Red Caboose in downtown Whitefish. You can also get tickets for $7 at the door. The interview can be heard here.

Tomorrow, John Dunnigan has a very special guest...himself! Catch the show tomorrow at 10 AM! John will be playing an assortment of intstruments, don't miss it!

Baseball Camp in Whitefish, Montana

Musician. Songwriter. Entertainer. Funny man. Pancake maker. Lawn mower. John Dunnigan is all of these and more - including a baseball fan. John has been a baseball coach for many years, and baseball season is right around the corner. Tomorrow John will be joined on the Big Fish by Josh Fields and Jarod Grubb. Josh Fields is a player for the Chicago White Sox, and Jarod Grubb is the head coach for the Glacier Twins AA team, and also an associate scout for the Boston Red Sox. They will be discussing the upcoming Baseball Camp in Kalispell, Montana. It will be held at the Kalispell Athletic Club Tennis Bubble in Kalispell, Montana. The camp will focus on hitting, pitching, and fielding instruction.

Ages 10 - 12
Registration Time: Saturday, February 24th @ 9 AM
Camp Time: Saturday, February 24th from 9:30 to 12:30
Sunday, February 25th from 9:30 to 12:30
Cost: $50/player

Ages 13-15+
Registration Time: Saturday, February 24th @ 12:30
Camp Time: Saturday, February 24th from 1 to 4 PM
Sunday, February 25th from 4 to 7 PM
Cost: $50/player

Call Jarod @ (406) 249-2703 to reserve a spot, space is limited.

Tomorrow's John Dunnigan show will be getting everyone in the baseball mood! Listen tomorrow and every Thursday at 10 AM for the John Dunnigan show...Live, Local, and Havin' Fun!

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Also, check out today's Where in the World is Jack Hanna? It can be heard here (Please be patient as it loads)

Thursday in Whitefish, Montana

On Thursday John Dunnigan will be joined in the studio at 10 o'clock by Jay DiPaola. Jay is a local musician and artist, and also the host of Tuesday Night Open Microphone Night at the Great Northern in downtown Whitefish. John will be giving the local entertainment update, talk about who's playing and where, and John and Jay will be performing live in the studio. The John Dunnigan show airs from 10-Noon every Thursday on WhitefishRadio.com.

In Whitefish High School News...

• The 2007 Girls State A Divisonal Basketball Tournament will be held on February 15 - 17 in Eureka, Montana. Good luck to the lady Dogs!

• The PTA is planning their 1st annual Golf tournament and they need help! The tournament does not yet have a name, so the PTA is taking suggestions from all students. A suggestion box is located at the front office and the PTA would like any WHS student to drop off suggestions for a tournament name. Boxes will be picked up on Feb 16th.

• Calling All Hockey Fans! The Glacier Avalanche will be playing Cranbrook at home on Friday night at 9 PM. Admission is free! Get out there and support your local athletes!