Business Bites: Play It Again Sports; local grants; GFPS job fair; Fox Farm Zip Trip closed; Alliance for Youth craft fair; Touro opening; new welding program; Second Saturday at The History Museum

Play It Again Sports

Play It Again Sports is planning a new store at 1115 10th Ave. S., according to the company website.

NeighborWorks Great Falls

NeighborWorks Great Falls recently received a $25,000 check from First Interstate Bank as part of their “Believe in Local” grant campaign.

NeighborWorks was nominated by local First Interstate employee Nathan Reiff, and then selected from a pool of more than 500 submissions.

These funds will help NWGF further its mission of creating strong neighborhoods and successful homeowners by promoting quality, affordable housing services in Cascade County.

Business Bites: Pizza Hut closes westside location; Korean Cup Bop open; American Bar reopens; downtown events; Paris Gibson Square wine tasting; UP adding health concentrations; GFDA awards; new Carnivorium open; Touro ribbon cutting; construction updates

TDS

To address community workforce needs, TDS Telecommunications LLC has awarded $10,000 to the Central Montana Works Worlds of Work Career Expo 2023.

WOW is an immersive and interactive expo providing local middle and high school students with hands-on introductions to career pathways within the Great Falls area.

Hosted at Great Falls College MSU and the University of Providence, the WOW Career Expo will be held Sept. 26, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., for central Montana students in grades 8 10.

The event also includes an open house from 3-5 p.m. for members of the public to see what career opportunities are available.

Park and Rec rejects plan to place telcom nodes on park property

TDS is currently hiring throughout Montana. Positions are now posted on the company’s website. TDS has hired 80 associates in Montana since announcing two years ago it was building a fiber network in the state.

City approves agreement for new cable service provider

TDS is currently building its fiber network in Helena, Helena Valley, Butte, Missoula, and Billings, with plans to begin construction in Great Falls soon. TDS will deliver up to 8Gig symmetrical internet speeds for businesses and residents, along with a variety of phone and digital TV options. Area residents can visit TDSFiber.com to register for service, monitor the progress of the build, and sign up for notifications about the new service.

GFPS Job Fair

Great Falls Public Schools is hosting a job fair Aug. 17 from 3-5 p.m. at the Paris Gibson Education Center, 2400 Central Ave.

The event includes on-the-spot interviews and information from the district human resource department.

The district is hiring for substitute teachers, teacher aides, paraprofessionals, food service staff, crossing guards, custodians and more.

Business Bites: Linda Michaels gets grant; The Wild Hare happy hour, brunch; Baatz building cleanup meeting; new bar; Rib and Chop progressing; The Gibson opening; TroyStrong blood drive

Touro

Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine-Great Falls campus is hosting a ribbon cutting at 2 p.m. Aug. 7 at the new campus, 2801 18th Ave. S.

The 100,000 square-foot building with state-of-the-art labs, a simulation lab and a strictly kosher cafeteria will host up 125 students and 60 faculty in its inaugural year and up to 500 medical students at full capacity. Touro will partner with several area medical providers, including Benefis Health System, to serve the local Great Falls community and address the larger physician shortage in Montana, according to the college.

City zoning board votes to recommend Touro parking permit

Touro University President Dr. Alan Kadish and Gov. Greg Gianforte are among the speakers planned for the event.

Fox Farm Zip Trip

Yes, we’ve also been told the Zip Trip at 1608 Fox Farm Road has closed and is for sale.

According to several sources, there’s a pending sale but no word yet on what the new owners intend to do with the property.

Touro College now accepting applications for Great Falls medical school [2022]

We’re still checking and will report what we find out.

Alliance for Youth

Registration for Alliance for Youth’s second annual Youth Craft Show is now open.

This event is free to youth up to age 20 who wish to sell their handmade trinkets, creations and baked goods.

The application is here and the deadline is Sept. 30.

The Montana Department of Labor and Industry, Great Falls College MSU, ADF, Allied Steel, and Montana Vocational Rehab have partnered to launch the first 10-student cohort of an accelerated, six-week structural welding course.

The comprehensive program is designed to equip individuals with essential skills and qualifications to build careers in the critical welding industry. Students will engage in hands-on training, gaining practical experience and building a strong foundation in structural welding techniques. Upon completing the program students will be eligible to test for welding qualifications.

Business Bites: Bar S sale; new café; Peace Place; A Kids Nest Childcare; GFPS book giveaway; apartment renovation; West Bank development; Pride festival; Juneteenth; UP award; childcare website; Municipal Band concerts

The effort was spearheaded by DLI’s newly-formed business engagement tam, which partners with private-sector industry and educational institutions to address critical gaps in the state’s workforce. With demand on the rise across Montana for skilled professionals in the welding industry, this course will serve as a model for how cross-functional partnerships between state agencies, private-sector employers and educators can help bridge the skills gap and empower Montanans to pursue rewarding careers in dynamic fields, according to DLI.

DLI is projecting that Montana will need 220 new welders annually in the next three to five years.

Business Bites: Silhouette Bridal Studio opening; Mrs. Wrights Pastys moving; new dispensary planned; Luna Coffee has new owner; NeighborWorks Week

The History Museum

The History Museum is hosting “Substitute for the Saloon: The Drug Store during Prohibition, 1920-1933” with Mark Johnson at 1 p.m. Aug. 12.

“With the removal of the saloon as a social gathering place during Prohibition, drug stores across the nation added soda fountains and adapted to become a welcoming, wholesome places for folks to gather. Serving ice cream sundaes and soft drinks instead of beer and hard liquor, the drug store soda fountain filled the void left by the elimination of the saloon as a social gathering place. Interestingly, during the same time, the drug store also served as an alternative source of alcohol in various forms. Join Mark Johnson for a multisensory exploration of how the unique business of the drug store/soda fountain served as a substitute for the saloon during the era of prohibition,” according to the museum.

The museum has free admission Tuesday through Friday and second Saturdays from noon to 5 p.m.

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