Contact: Aaron Pruitt

Date: Thursday, February 02, 2012

This listing can be found at

www.montanapbs.org/Montana/MonthlyHighlight/

Arranged by date of first airing

Backroads of Montana “Harlo to Huntley” (No. 134)

The Backroads crew attends the annual threshing bee in Huntley to visit a simpler era when hay wagons were piled high and steam ruled the prairie. At the Harlo Theatre in Harlowton, students run everything from popcorn sales to projectors, proving there's more to this little theatre than box office returns. In Grass Range, we'll meet a group of folks who come from miles around one Sunday every month for a sense of community and nostalgia - and because they love to dance. Pressroom at: http://montanapbs.org/BackroadsofMontana/episode134/pressroom/

Airs Thursday 3/1 at 7:30pm,

repeats Monday 3/5 at 11:45pm, Wednesday 3/14 at 11:30am, Sunday 3/18 at 4:30pm

Backroads of Montana “Coffee Creek to Haugan” (No. 135)

Travel to the bucolic town of Coffee Creek for a stop at the only business in town, Nemec's Parts and Repair. Then, take off to Montana's western border and the small town of Haugan to visit the Savenac Historic Tree Nursery, one of the oldest U.S. Forest Service nurseries in the West. We'll sample a slice of one of the best pizzas in the world in Bigfork and wind up at the Nevada City Music Hall to listen to the largest public collection of automated music machines in North America. Host William Marcus shares a close-up view of Our Lady of the Rockies high above Butte. Pressroom at: http://montanapbs.org/BackroadsofMontana/episode135/pressroom/

Airs Thursday 3/1 at 7pm, repeats Monday 3/5 at 9:30pm, Wednesday 3/14 at 12:15pm, Sunday 3/18 at 5:15pm

Celebrate America Across Montana: Tim Janis with State High School Choirs (2011) (No. 301)

High school choirs from throughout Montana will perform with Tim Janis in this special program, created by Janis to spotlight our nation’s youth, and to pull communities together in an uplifting and inspiring celebration of music. The program was taped in November, 2011, at the KUSM-MontanaPBS studio in Bozeman. School buses brought hundreds of students from Montana high school music programs from communities including Anaconda, Belgrade, Big Timber, Billings, Corvallis, Florence, Frenchtown, Great Falls, Libby and Livingston to Bozeman. Arriving well-prepared and very professional, each choir came into the studio to record their performance. Tim Janis, familiar to public broadcasting audiences from programs such as An Enchanted Evening, Beautiful America, and Coastal America, is well known for his “Music with a Mission” philosophy, and has worked on many philanthropic projects. Airs Monday 3/5 at 6:59pm, repeats Wednesday 3/7 at 1am, Wednesday 3/7 at 3:30am, Friday 3/9 at 11:30am

In His Own Words: Walter's Great Falls

Walter Breuning (Sept. 21, 189 6- April 14, 2011) was an American super centenarian. This film chronicles his early life in Great Falls, Montana. Pressroom at: http://montanapbs.org/InHisOwnWordsWaltersGreatFalls/pressroom/

Airs Monday 3/5 at 8:29pm, Friday 3/9 at 1pm, Sunday 3/18 at 3:30pm, Saturday 3/24 at 5pm

Montanapbs Presents: The Montana Experience

For the past 17 years, MontanaPBS producers have crafted a variety of historical and public affairs documentaries about important events and interesting people in Montana. They took us on a roller coaster ride at the Columbia Gardens, focused on the life and photographs of Evelyn Cameron, chronicled the writing of a new Montana constitution, pedaled with the Bicycle Corps: America's Black Army on Wheels, and investigated the Power Brokers behind electric power deregulation in the 1990s. Don't miss this opportunity to see how your support can bring great Montana stories to life on MontanaPBS. William Marcus hosts this special 2-hour event.

Airs Monday 3/12 at 6:59pm, repeats Wednesday 3/14 at 2am, Wednesday 3/14 at 4am, Saturday 3/17 at 12:30pm

3 Miles An Hour

It is the speed of a horse and some folks say the best way to see and savor a life well lived. This is the story of retired back-country outfitter Smoke Elser. His vision of wilderness has always included people. This program takes you into the Bob Marshall wilderness as Elser shares his history, passion and connection to the outdoors. Pressroom at: http://montanapbs.org/3MilesAnHour/pressroom/

Airs Tuesday 3/13 at 7pm, repeats Thursday 3/15 at 1:30am, Thursday 3/15 at 4:30am

Glacier Park's Night of the Grizzlies.

On the night of August 12, 1967, grizzly bears in Glacier National Park killed two young women and severely mauled one man. For everyone involved, it remains an unforgettable night of crisis, intense fear, bravery and, ultimately, grief. This dramatic and tragic story, and how it eventually influenced the fate of the grizzly bear in the continental United States, takes center stage in the historical documentary, GLACIER PARK'S NIGHT OF THE GRIZZLIES. Archival material, photographs, re-creations and gripping on-camera interviews with survivors, witnesses, family members journalists and biologists, provide a complete account of those events. Veteran film and television actor J.K. Simmons (Law and Order, Juno, Up in the Air, The Closer) narrates. Pressroom at: http://montanapbs.org/GlacierParksNightoftheGrizzlies/pressroom/

Airs Thursday 3/15 at 10:29pm

Never Long Gone: The Mission Mountain Wood Band Story

In 1971, two young musicians from Missoula, Montana, took a trip in a van and began a journey that continues to this day. Against the backdrop of cultural change that swept the nation, a group of Montanans with talent, big dreams and a tremendous sense of fun explored a sound that defied category and captivated audiences at home and across the country. As the band shares stories about working alongside musical greats like Bonnie Raitt and Charlie Daniels, playing to crowds that numbered in the tens of thousands, and surviving long years on the road, Never Long Gone offers an intimate portrait of a journey full of hope, loss and perseverance. With never before seen archival footage, national television performances and scenes from recent reunion concerts, this documentary tells the story of a musical family that embodied the magic of an era and remains as a centerpiece of Montana's musical tradition. Pressroom at: http://montanapbs.org/NeverLongGone/pressroom/

Airs Friday 3/16 at 12:30pm

Butte, America

Grounded in the dramatic personal stories of five generations of mining families, and narrated by Irish actor Gabriel Byrne, this program tells the tale of Butte, Montana, once the world's largest producer of copper -- the "Richest Hill on Earth," the town that "plumbed and electrified America," the Pittsburgh of the West. Butte forged a community whose toughness, vitality and solidarity speak to what's missing in America today, while raising profound questions about the costs and consequences of industrialization and use of natural resources. "Butte, America" is an unsentimental and moving tribute to working class life and to the never-ending labor of achieving fairness in a world where powerful, destructive forces are always at play. Pressroom at: http://montanapbs.org/ButteAmerica/pressroom/

Airs Saturday 3/17 at 8pm, repeats Sunday 3/18 at 3am

11th & Grant with Eric Funk “Tra Le Gael” (No. 701)

Old Country Celtic comes to 11th & Grant with the authenticity and passion that is central to the Irish tradition. Tra Le Gael is a four piece Celtic string, wind and vocal ensemble based in the Flathead Valley. They perform traditional ballads and soaring airs to driving, energetic reels and jigs. Pressroom at: http://montanapbs.org/11thGrantwithEricFunk/episode701/pressroom/

Airs Thursday 3/22 at 7pm, repeats Saturday 3/24 at 10:10pm, Monday 3/26 at 3am

Backroads of Montana “Roundup to Nine Mile” (No. 114)

We get to know a rural mail carrier in Roundup, a veteran firespotter near Nine Mile, and the creator of Glasgow's giant metal animals; then we head out for a look at the Red Sun Labyrinth near Victor and at Native American pictographs and petroglyphs in a canyon near Forest Grove.

Airs Saturday 3/24 at 5:30pm

Montana Ag Live “Poisonous Plants and Their Effect On Livestock” (No. 3510)

Mark Mattix, Consulting Veterinarian, will discuss plants in Montana that are a danger to livestock and cause everything from miscarriage to death.

Airs Sunday 3/25 at 11am

Global Positioning “Webb Brown” (No. 110)

This episode features Montana Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Webb Brown.

Airs Sunday 3/25 at 10:30am

Montana Ag Live “Spring Vaccinations” (No. 3701)

Dr. Robert Keene, the Technical Development Veterinarian with Boehringer-Ingleheim Corporation, joins the panel to talk about spring vaccinations and new developments in the vaccine industry. Pressroom at: http://montanapbs.org/MontanaAgLive/pressroom/

Airs Sunday 3/25 at 6pm

Business: Made In Montana (No. 1801)

This episode features Quadrocopter, a Flathead Valley business that mixes technologies to market a new product. The show also profiles the people behind Montana's longest running microbrewery, a talented Missoula tattoo artist who has overcome his medical condition and a fourth generation Montana couple who started Montana's only whiskey distillery in Bozeman. Airs Saturday 3/31 at 5pm

*Quality television has the power to elevate our understanding of the world, encourage respect for one another, and influence our lives in a positive way. MontanaPBS shares diverse stories; connects our citizens; discovers common ground; and celebrates the independent spirit and beauty of Montana.

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Montana State University • Bozeman

Visual Communications Building 172 • P.O. Box 173340 • Bozeman MT 59717-3340

Phone 406.994.3437 • Fax 406.994.6545

University of Montana • Missoula

Broadcast Media Center • PARTV 180 • Missoula MT 59812-4146

Phone 406.243.4101 • Fax 406.243.3299

www.MontanaPBS.org