How special.

Seems over the weekend, while Marx and I were busy busy with Evel Days and everything else in our full, rich lives in Butte, ButteTalk had its first troll.

See, when a new person posts a comment to BT, we have to approve it before it appears on the site. Sometimes, when we’re not around, we don’t get to it right away. Friday, our visitor made his first appearance and left us this interesting little missive in the comments on the About page.

Typically BUTTE that there is a Jon Tester DEMOCRAT for Senate advertisement at the top of this BUTTE blog. Too bad so many people in Butte who calls themselves DEMOCRATS cannot admit that in the year 2006 that they are really Republicans!

Harry Truman and Franklin Roosevelt and many good old Irish Catholic hard rock miners would not support Gay Marriage and Abortion and ILLEGAL immigration and these are the issues of today’s DEMOCRATIC party among other morally banktrupt ideas of these New England elitists!

I am a UNION member and I left the NEW Democrtic Party in 1994. It is not what it used to be and it does not represent todays working Americans. It lacks values and cares more about ILLEGALS then we citizens! I will vote for BURNS thank you very much and so should Butte AMERICA!

Where to begin? How about with “Butte AMERICA?”

One of the most awesome things about Butte is that it’s part of America and here in America, we still have the freedom to have our own political viewpoints.

Well, let me tell you something, JP. (Oh did I mention his name is JP?) I am not a registered Democrat. As a party, they tend to be too conservative for me. All of those issues you list, like gay marriage, and my reproductive rights? You may be downright appalled to learn that my opinions GREATLY, VASTLY differ from yours. And so do the opinions of many, many of the people who live right here in my dear Butte. Believe me, “New England elitists” are much more likely to agree with you than I am.

Actually, when it comes to illegal immigration, our viewpoints probably intersect more than you would expect–but since it’s often used as a racist’s code word, I am fairly wary of actually agreeing with you since you vehemently CAPITALIZED the word “illegal” to make a point.

Then on Sunday, our good friend JP was back again. When he found that his comment was not visible on the About page, he tried it again. This time he used a different aol.com email address though.

If this is a Butte Blog than remove the TESTER for Senate ad. at the top of this page? My sister lives in Butte and my mother was raised in Butte and my grandfather worked the “Power” company and I was thrilled to see a Butte resident with a Burns for Senate yard sign a few weeks ago!

The Democratic Party no longer cares for we union members as they once did for hardrock union members in Butte!

Strange…. I notice that he says that his sister lives here, his mother was raised here but he made no mention of living here himself. Odd…. Could it be because his IP address traces back to Illiniois? And not only that–he’s been posting these comments from – *GASP* – his work computer. I won’t say who his employer is, but I will say that he works in a bankruptcy-ridden industry.

In any event, I’m your typical Butte native this way: I don’t like out-of-town or out-of-state numbnuts telling me what I should think or what Butte should think or how Butte should be.

Besides. Butte-Silver Bow is the bluest county in the state. Who is shocked when a Butte blog supports a Democrat? Apparently just JP.

I’m going to go ahead and give JP the benefit of the doubt here. I guess he could live somewhere in Montana and plan on voting for Conrad Burns. Surely he wouldn’t live in another state and continue to absentee vote in Montana? That would be wrong.

JP, I’m going to point you to a post we made here on BT when we first added the Tester for Senate banner to the site. Basically what it says is that we put that there of our own volition because we believe Jon is the best option for this state in this election. It is not a paid advertisement. It is an independent endorsement reflecting our personal opinions as protected under the Constitution of the United States of America.

So yeah, we’re not going to remove it.

I have met both Jon Tester and Conrad Burns in person. I have shaken their hands. I have spoken with each of them. And I offer up my endorsement based on my prior knowledge of their positions, the impressions I got at those meetings, and on their respective records of conduct and decorum. (Notice how Jon’s wiki page doesn’t even have a subheading called Criticism and controversy?)

It is a rare and unique thing about Montana that a young woman such as myself has had the chance to meet both these men and even get to walk away with an impression. Yet I have, and I stand by my opinion that Jon is the man I hope Butte chooses on election day.

So, JP. If you’re wondering why your comments never showed up on that page, I hope that explains why. Feel free to comment on this post. Maybe I’ll even approve your comments. Guess that will just depend.

We pay for this website and we reserve the right to decide on the content it contains.

Edit: Apparently JP is hard at work trolling over at the Montana Standard’s website too.

The link has been fixed–the Standard moved the article.

Butte Talk’s back to normal and crews are working to get uptown Butte back to normal as well.

Hopefully everyone had a safe and awesome Evel Knievel Days!

Congrats to John Larsen from Kenmore, Washington for winning the 2006 Custom Harley Super Glide signed by Evel Knievel.

We wish to see everyone back in the Mining City for Evel Days next year!

Rivaling St. Patrick’s day in sheer size and celebration, with as much noise as the Fourth of July fireworks display, Evel Knievel Days kicks off Thursday for three days of motorcycles, hotrods, delicious food, vendors, death defying stunts, and so much more, right in the heart of Uptown Butte. For the fifth year in a row, people from all over the United States, and many coming in from all over the world, will come together to celebrate the legacy of one man in his hometown.

A motorcycle daredevil and legend in his time, Evel will hopefully lead the honorary ride around the Evel Loop that goes through the entire town, followed by the melodious tones of motorcycle after motorcycle, keeping the rhythm of the entire event going halfway through the celebration, and setting the tone for the rest of the festival to come. Live music will engulf the Uptown area with bands such as Jim Montana, Too Slim and the Taildraggers, The Devonshires, and many more. To complement the excellent music, there will be food vendors catering to everybody’s tastes spread out along the streets all celebration.

The celebration kicks off Thursday morning with the opening of the Vietnam Memorial Traveling Wall at nine a.m. A Wall of Death, the Cossacks Precision Motorcycle Drill Team, a freestyle motorcycle competition, a Poker Run, and a fireworks finale wrapping up the entire event are some of the highlights that you can look forward to this Evel Knievel days. Many more events are happening during the festivities, so be sure to take more than a few showcases.

If you need souvenirs to commemorate your adventure, authentic riding gear, or new parts to pimp out your hog, you’ll find everything you need from companies such as Harley Davidson. Many Uptown businesses will also be selling their merchandise, and the downtown shopping area will be open as well.

Other than that, life around the Mining City will operate as normal. Restaurants, stores, bars, and historic sites will all be open for your dining, shopping, and viewing pleasure. Take a walking tour of Uptown Butte, visit the Berkeley Pit, or hitch a ride on the historic trolley. No matter your pleasure, Butte has something for every taste.

Please drink responsibly and remember to have a great Evel Knievel Days 2006!

Related Links & Info

• A map of events and entertainment
• Complete Schedule of events

Butte Talk has recently added its newest writer, Murphy. Murphy is a friend of both Delaney and I and we invited him to blog with us. He’s an excellent writer and will make great contributions to this website and to this town. Welcome Murphy!

Butte firefighters will be in front of the Butte Plaza Mall (3100 Harrison) Friday between noon and 5 PM filling up their boots for the Muscular Dystrophy Association. Please have some spare change ready when heading down Harrison and support this good cause.

The brand new publisher of the Montana Standard has spoken and Bill Foley has apparently been told that his column Tap ‘er Light is finished because it’s “dividing the community” so it’s gone. This is supposedly after meeting with the Leipheimer family.

Personally, I can’t believe there is this much controversy from either side. I’m a very diplomatic, anti-confrontation person, and I have a very live-and-let-live philosophy so the whole thing baffles me. Plus, I can probably count the number of times I’ve read something in the sports section on one hand, so I’m probably the wrong person for this post.

I did dig up the offending column (from July 4) on the Montana Standard’s website and I found the response from the Leipheimer family in Our Readers Speak (from July 9) and both seem fairly innocuous to me. Maybe I’m just naive.

I certainly don’t see any reason to kill a column entirely over it. I believe strongly in the freedom of the press, but I also think that a column in a daily newspaper is something that needs to be handled with reverence. After reading that column, I think it was.

I’ll let you guys in on a little secret–most of the time I love Butte. But sometimes I don’t. We are certainly capable of taking something small and blowing it way out of proportion here in the Mining City, aren’t we?

Anyway, what’s your stance?

Is the community really divided? Do you, like so many, think that Levi has done Butte wrong by not shouting the word Butte from the rooftops and ESPN every chance he gets? Do you think the Standard has done the right thing by ending Tap ‘er Light? Do you think that the whole thing is being blown WAY out of proportion? Do you think it is a sign of the times that a big name can have a big influence over the press?

Related Links

• The Butte Rats thread

As you can see, BT is back to normal after another awesome Fourth of July in Butte, America. Hopefully all of your celebrating went fantastically and no problems arose.

I’d also like to take a moment to thank Brooks Hanna for the awesome firworks display.

I think we’ll keep up a tradition in changing the layout every once and awhile for different things going on around town. Feel free to tell us what you think. We really appreciate comments and stuff.

That’s it for now.. Have a great day!

We got a question from reader Kathy about a local business.

I’m reading the label on the last can of Gourmet Truzzolino Turkey Tamales I have (about 10 years old!) We ate them as children and I ordered them for years for mine. Nine ingredients: turkey, cornmeal, flour, lard, chili pepper, salt, spices, garlic. Has the company re-opened?

Truzzolino Tamales has been back in operation in Butte since 2002 and even moved to a new location on Harrison Avenue in the old Domino’s Pizza location since 2004.

They are listed as a “Food Manufacturer” on the Butte Chamber of Commerce website:

Truzzolino Tamales
1921 Harrison Ave.
Butte, MT 59701
John Truzzolino
Tel 782-0374
Fax 782-0374
ttamales@msn.com

The story of the Truzzolino family’s history with Butte and food is particularly fascinating.

This year’s fireworks display was nothing short of awesome.

I recorded the finale, although it’s a bit bumpy in places and I did not have it framed right at first. Here it is anyway for you!

What did you think of the fireworks this year?

It’s that time of year again! Music, fireworks, and so much more… Freedom Fest 2006!

BT has the full lineup for all of your red, white, and blue celebrating.

Monday, July 3, 2006

• The pre-fireworks concert at Chester Steele Park begins at 6pm. The Edmonton Bag Pipers will start at 6, followed by the Butte Community Band at 7, and then The Standards will close up the night at 8. There will be lots of vendors for your taste buds and kids games that will start at 7pm. Don’t forget that Chester Steele is a great place to watch the Brooks Hanna Fireworks Display from Big Butte. A big thanks to the sponsors St. James and KBOW/KOPR along with Butte Celebrations! Come out and have some fun at Chester Steele Park.
• Most of the floats that will be in the parade on Tuesday will be parked outside of the Civic Center for viewing at 9:30pm.
• The Brooks Hanna Ford fireworks display will start from Big Butte/The “M” at around 10:30pm.

Tuesday, July 4, 2006

• The Independence Day Parade begins at 10am from the Butte Civic Center and continues along Harrison to Elizebeth Warren. The theme for this year’s parade is “A Salute to Volunteers” with the Grand Marshall being Dallas Doyle of Shepherd’s Fold. Evel Knievel will be honored as a special guest and will be riding in the parade.
• Butte Celebrations will hold a Buffalo Barbeque from 2pm to 5pm at Snookums. The cost will be $5 per plate and the menu will be delicious.

Have fun, stay safe, and please if you’re going to drink while having fun, please designate a sober driver! Happy 4th of July everyone!