The Point is a Magical Place to Live
Finley Point is an extremely desirable lakefront community. It is a quiet, peaceful retreat with limited supply, completely surrounded by water, yet it is also convenient to town and offers amazing vistas from the entire shoreline. Another desirable aspect of the Point is the strict zoning standards. As a result, the Point retains a beautiful pastoral look and feel. As one person put it, “you feel like you are at summer camp the minute you turn off of Highway 35.”
Finley Point Breeze Web Exclusives...
The Watkins Host Another Season at the Finley Point State Park - By Claudia Barry
When you’re launching your boat or picnicking at the Finley Pt. State Park, you’ll probably see Karilyn and Elmer Watkins, the Park hosts. They are from South Sioux City, Nebraska, and have 6 children, 13 grandchildren, and 4 great grandchildren. Karilyn and Elmer have been hosting the campgrounds since 2003. That year they were coming down from the Calgary stampede and ended up substituting at Logan State Park on Highway 2. They also hosted at Big Arm before coming to Finley Point. This is their fourth summer here, and their favorite place.
Their duties as campground hosts include maintaining the grounds, cleaning the bathrooms, doing the paper and book work, and helping the campers. They are assisted by Bob Scott, who is a relief host for the first half of the summer and hails from Billings, Montana.
The State Park is open from May 1 to September 30, the busiest times being Fourth of July and Labor Day. There are 16 sites and 2 more sites just for tents. Sites are open on a first come, first serve basis.
According to Karilyn and Elmer, not only do campers come from different parts of Montana and other states, but also from all over the world, including Switzerland, Australia, British Columbia, and Germany. There are a lot of repeat campers, and Karilyn and Elmer have made many friends who come back to camp at Finley Point every year. They report that almost all campers are co-operative and friendly. When occasional difficulties do arise, local authorities are quick to respond.
According to the Watkins, passing wildlife includes whitetail deer, turkeys, and an occasional black bear. At this time there are no plans for further development or expansion the facilities at the Park.
As campground hosts the Watkins are very willing to assist campers and boaters in any way they can. Next time you're in the Park, be sure to say hello to Karilyn and Elmer.
Random Thoughts of an Empty Nester - By Jan Irwin
SIDE LINE PIRATES Excerpt
Long before our boys were old enough to play sports, they were “side-line” Pirates, the name by which our local school’s sports teams are known. Their Dad was the team doctor, so they were privileged to have the best seat in the house from his backpack carrier. I can still picture their little heads bobbing from side to side to get a better look at the action on the football field as Steve walked up and down the sidelines. On several occasions, people in the community have come up to the boys and said “I remember when you used to ride on your Dad’s back at the football games.”
But this is really a story about their Dad, who is still a sideline Pirate, though he has turned over the team doctoring to other physicians in the past few years. People often commented to him, when our boys were in school, “You are so busy with your office practice and the emergency room! I think it is amazing that you never miss anything! That always astounded him, and he would say “Believe me, this is no sacrifice; I would not miss it for the world. There is nowhere else I would rather be!” I remember that he would first look at the boy’s schedules whether they were sporting events, band performances, or any other school-related function before going to the person who made out the ER schedule and saying to them, “These are the times I cannot cover.” In spite of his very busy schedule, he always made his family top priority. The value of that can’t be measured, but I know that it will reap on-going dividends. When Tyler and Spencer become parents, I know they will emulate what their father modeled and be actively involved in their children’s lives. Though I sometimes hated not being able to sit with them at the games, I am so grateful to be wife and Mama to those sideline Pirates
If you are interested in purchasing a copy of Jan’s book, please send your contact information to fill out this order form and send to: Jan Irwin * 29882 Smuggler’s Pt. Rd., Polson, MT 59860
Talent Abounds on the Point - Interview by Claudia Barry
Seattle native Karla Gallatin fell in love with Montana while hiking and horseback riding here with friends nearly twenty years ago. She has since then made Montana her home, but only found her way to Finley Point two years ago and is so happy she did. “I love where we live. The views are great and I like running along Finley Point Road,” Karla comments. She is currently training for a half marathon race in June.
Karla's talents go beyond athleticism however, as she is an accomplished Pianist and composer. At the age of seven, she started taking piano lessons. Like so many performers before her, she got her first experience playing in front of an audience at the the church where her Dad was the pastor. Karla attended Seattle Pacific University with plans to pursue a career in music. After moving to this area, she got involved with Polson High School concerts and helps out with their state competitions.
Recently, Karla teamed up with Polsonite, Megan Gran, and formed the musical group, Mega Karma. Karla plays the keyboard and sings back up vocals to Megan's acoustic guitar and lead vocals. The Duo have worked together on many projects before so it was a natural move to join forces.
“Like most bands, we struggled with a name,” Karla explains. “It was Troy Ricciardi who actually suggested the name Mega Karma and it really clicked with me. Not just for the obvious reasons but because I believe if you put good karma out there, that's what comes back to you. And of course, the name conveys the mood of our music.”
When asked how they decide what songs to play, Karla admitted they are still trying to find their way. “There is so much good music out there. We try to choose songs that fit us and that we enjoy playing.” They have certainly accomplished that objective. I heard them play at the Smokehouse and it was a real treat. The music ranged from Patsy Cline to Norah Jones and a little Johnny Cash thrown in just for fun.
In addition to her live performances, Karla has composed a CD of all original music that she has released entitled “Peaceful Expressions”, available through Facebook.com (Search “Mega Karma”).
Karla will be performing with Mega Karma every 2ndThursday at the Smokehouse from 7:00 – 9:00 P.M., throughout the rest of the summer. You can get info on upcoming Mega Karma events on Facebook.com. Make sure you go see this top rated talent and support your local Finley Point artisan at the same time. It's good Karma!
Finley Point Statistics
Click on the following link for information on the point:
www.city-data.com/city/Finley-Point-Montana.html
July 2010 Addition of the Finley Point Breeze
Click on the following link for the July Issue
sites/contentman/siteimages/file/July Breeze.pdf
