Marx and I took a great walk through uptown Butte today to kill some time and get some exercise. We took some photos for you guys to see, especially those of you who are far away and don’t get back to Butte too often.

Check out the whole set.

And if you’ve got a flickr and have some pictures of the Mining City, don’t hesitate to add them to our Butte, America Pool. Let’s show our Butte pride!

The Butte Silver Bow Arts Foundation is having a Poetry Palooza tonight at the Venus Rising which will feature area poets exhibitioning their skills.

It begins at 6 pm at the Venus Rising Coffee House (124 S. Main in Butte). Come on out and enjoy some excellent coffee while listening to great local poets.

The Montana Gaelic Cultural Society is spreading the word that the Trinity II Irish Dancers are headed to Butte next Saturday for a performance at the Mother Lode that will benefit this year’s An Rí Rá and the Tiernan Irish Dancers in Butte and Helena.

If you have enjoyed the An Rí Rá outdoor performances by the Trinity Irish Dancers, you will be astonished at the stage production the company will bring to Butte’s Mother Lode Theatre on Saturday, May 6. This presentation, entitled “Celtic Thunder,” brings world-class Irish Dance to Western Montana in a theatre setting.

The World Champion Trinity II Irish Dancers are students under the direction of founder and artistic director, Mark Howard. His company has performed all over the world, and created the style that was later seen in such productions as “Riverdance,” and “Lord of the Dance.” The audience is transported as the company appears in stunning costumes, with mesmerizing energy and talent. Their brilliant execution and remarkable strength, agility, grace and showmanship make it hard to believe these performers are only in their late teens. This company has achieved the World Title in Irish dance – not just once, but 22 times and counting.

In describing the revolutionary style set by Trinity, Howard says, “There is an ocean of difference from Irish step dancing in competitions to what Trinity does. But if you think about America as the melting pot, it makes sense. Without Irish step dancing, there wouldn’t be hoofing. Without Irish music, there wouldn’t be bluegrass. Years from now, we’ll look back and realize we were at a crossroads for Irish dance.”

Howard describes Trinity’s mission as follows: To have the integrity to matter, to push dance by expanding its vocabulary, to make it accessible and cerebral. We did not create the genre, but we are elevating the form.

Trinity II dancers have performed on Good Morning America, the Tonight Show, Late night with Conan O’Brien and Live with Regis. They have appeared in numerous feature films and before many foreign dignitaries. Trinity dancers continue to win the highest level dance championships, and have performed at the An Rí Rá Montana Irish Festival for three years. The company agreed to present this single Montana performance, sponsored by the Montana Gaelic Cultural Society. Proceeds from this event benefit An Rí Rá and the Tiernan Irish Dancers in Butte and Helena. It will be the only performance in Montana, and is not to be missed..

“Celtic Thunder will be presented at 2 p.m. on Saturday May 6 at the Mother Lode Theatre in Butte. Reservations can be made by calling (406) 723-3602.

This is going to be the only show in Montana so this is your only chance to get a spring dose of Irish culture!

I told you yesterday that Butte’s main energy source provider, NorthWestern Energy, has been sold to a company from Sydney, Australia called Babcock and Brown Infastructure. It turns out that NorthWestern Energy will keep that name.

It was announced today that Butte’s main supplier of natural gas and electric utility NorthWestern Energy is being purchased by Babcock & Brown Infrastructure – based in Sydney, Australia. NorthWestern is the largest natural gas and electric utility in the state of Montana and purchased the Montana Power Company a few years back.

Babcock & Brown is purchasing Northwestern for $37/share (about $2.2 billion). It should be noted that the company’s stock closed at just over $32/share today.

Mike Hanson, NorthWestern’s president/C-E-O, says that they chose Babcock & Brown because it was a good value for NWE’s shareholders. Babcock & Brown plan to manage the utility on a long-term basis, and expect to keep the current NorthWestern employees in place. Before any of the final paperwork can take place, the deal has to be approved by shareholders and regulators. Greg Jergeson, the Public Service Commission Chairman says that the commission doesn’t know much about the new company as of yet.

Informational Source: Associated Press of Helena

The 2006 American Cancer Society Relay-For-Life fundraising kick-off will be tomorrow at noon at the Butte Plaza Mall.

Mr. Relay is a beauty contest for the men. There’s a $10 donation each man pays to participate, and the audience votes the Mr. Relay winner by how much cash he earns. Men wear wigs, makeup, jewelry, skirts/dresses, heels and carry a purse.

Swing on by the mall at noon and vote for your favorite man for Mr. Relay.

P.S. Check out the contestants from some other Mr. Relay contests we dug up on the web (click to view in more detail):

Casting reps from the Discovery Kids show Endurance will be in the Mining City tomorrow, trying to find the next big star of their reality show.

Endurance, which airs locally on KTVM Saturday mornings, is kind of like a mini-Survivor without all the starving and nakedness.

Twenty kids are sent off to a remote destination to spend two weeks competing in a series of tough challenges that test your strength, stamina and strategy. The kids will be divided into teams of two to compete in two types of games. In the Endurance Missions, physical endurance and mental strategy are tested as kids accumulate pyramid pieces to complete the 12-piece “Pyramid of Endurance.” Teams who win the mind-bending Temple Missions earn ultimate control and choose which team to send home. The last team standing will win the trip of a lifetime!

Tina Buckinham will be at the Butte Plaza Mall Friday from 3-5 p.m. in the open area outside JC Penney and the old Stage store. Kids between 12 and 15 are invited to this open casting call. They’re asked to bring a photo and a parent.

With the news in today’s paper that Universal Athletics will be moving to its own store on Harrison Aveune and the recent announcement that Sam Goody is pulling out of the mall, Butte residents are starting to wonder if the mall will survive the next few years.

It’s widely discussed that mall space is dispropotionately expensive and mall rents are pushing people out. The old “Stage” store at the south end of the mall has been empty for years (except for the occasional formals, spay/neuter clinics, and Rudolph’s fire sales :-)). The wing that includes The Book Exchange is sparingly empty these days with the closing of the novelty knife store a few years back and the relocation of the wireless store to the old optical store location next to Payless.

What can the mall management do to foster more business within the mall and keep the current stores open? Is it just a matter of out-of-state management or is it just Butte residents following the big-box-stores or going elsewhere (Missoula, Bozeman, or even Spokane) to get the designer clothing they desire?

Is it something local government can do more about or does it lie in the hands of the mall owners?

What would it take to get you back to shopping at the mall?

Hey fellow Butteians! We wish you and your family the happiest of Easters! Enjoy the egg hunts!

Did you know that the Butte Central Maroon Softball Team now has a weblog of their own? The site is managed by the coaches and is a place where players and fans can stay informed throughout the season and off-season. Check it out! MaroonSoftball.com