Montana
Presentation looks at family history of beer brewing in Montana
Steve Lozar isn’t a big beer drinker. Other than a beer at dinner, he’d rather have a Diet Coke. But his lifetime fascination with the history of beer brewing in Montana led him to build a private beer museum over his business in Polson.
He will share stories about Montana breweries in a presentation on March 18 before the Northwest Montana Westerners in Kalispell.
Beer was always part of the pioneer West, Lozar said Though few realize it, communities as small as Creston and Egan had their breweries. To prove the point, he pulls out a page from the 1892 Inter Lake where Lang & Tiedman advertise their “Flathead Shingle Mill and Brewery” east of Egan.
At one time, Butte had 39 breweries, and Deer Lodge had four, he said. Kalispell had a major brewery district, with the buildings still standing on Fifth and Sixth avenues west. But in the 1970s, before the craft beer explosion, the United States was down to 17 commercial breweries.
Beer brought Lozar’s family to Montana. His great-grandfather was recruited from his native Slovenia in 1887 for his brewing expertise. Beer was part of the family dinner, children and all. “No matter how old you were, we all got a pint,” he said.
He also recalls the ethnic neighborhoods of Butte, where not only did each nationality have their own variety of beer, but the delivery horses were distinct colors.
Lozar’s family moved to the Flathead Reservation, and intermarriages resulted in enough native heritage that he was elected to the Tribal Council. Among his relatives was the feisty, and one-eyed, Sophie Morigeau of Eureka. She smuggled her bootleg liquor from Canada throughout western Montana in a wagon with a false bottom.
Lozar’s museum is hidden away near the intersection of Highways 93 and 35 in Polson, above a screen printing business. His collection not only includes beer bottles and memorabilia dating back to his great-grandfather’s time, but the ceilings are covered with advertisements from the past. About every year he gets out a ladder and replaces the ads with more from his collection.
The talk is the monthly presentation of the Northwest Montana Westerners, a local history group. It starts at 7 p.m. on the second floor of the Northwest Montana History Museum, at 124 Second Ave. East in Kalispell. Cost is $5 for the general public, with members and youths under 16 admitted free.
Where Khloe Kardashian Stands With Ex French Montana More Than 10 Years After Breakup
French Montana is done keeping up with reality TV.
In fact, he only agreed to appear on Keeping Up With The Kardashians and Kourtney & Khloé Take the Hamptons over a decade ago as a favor to then-girlfriend Khloe Kardashian.
“She said to get on the show,” he exclusively told E! News at the BET Awards on June 28. “And I got on the show. Shout out to Khloe.”
The “Ever Since U Left Me” rapper, who split with Kardashian in December 2014 after eight months of dating, said the experience was “fun” because her family kept it real.
“They filmed their real life,” he continued. “And we were part of something together that one time. So it felt great. It didn’t feel like work because they film what they do everyday.”
As for his future in reality TV, the 41-year-old said those days are over, shutting down any prospective offers with a simple, “Negative.”
Although the “Unforgettable” artist—whose real name is Karim Kharbouch—may not be returning to television anytime soon, he has no problem hanging out with his ex-girlfriend these days.
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GREAT FALLS — For Staff Sgt. Brianna St. Lawrence-Brody, service does not only happen in uniform.
Outside the gates of the base, she works at Benefis as a nurse, Great Falls Public Schools as a school nurse, and comes home as a wife and mom of four. For the Montana Air National Guard, she serves as a command post controller with the 120th Airlift Wing in Great Falls.
(WATCH: Montana nurse and Guard member earns national Air Force recognition)
Montana nurse and Guard member earns national Air Force recognition
This year, St. Lawrence-Brody was named the U.S. Air National Guard’s Outstanding Airman of the Year in the Non-Commissioned Officer category.
She said the recognition came as a surprise, especially because her path into the Guard started later than others.
“I joined very late in life,” St. Lawrence-Brody said. “I joined the Guard right before I turned 40. So for me, every opportunity that’s presented, I want to take the bull by the horns and just run with it and do the best of my ability.”
During the COVID-19 pandemic, she joined the Guard after finishing nursing school. She said she went straight from nursing school into helping open a COVID unit, while also working at Benefis.
She said that experience was the start of one journey, but not the whole of what she wanted to accomplish.
St. Lawrence-Brody joined the Guard for the opportunities, the challenge and to help build a future for her four children.
“It’s a little bit of a competition for myself,” she said. “Like, if I can do it, why not try my best to achieve it?”
120th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
As a command post controller, she assists in helping move information during emergencies and major events.
“Outside, obviously, I’m a nurse. Inside the Guard, I have nothing to do with the medical field, which is kind of amazing,” St. Lawrence-Brody said. “It keeps me on my toes.”
She explained balancing the Guard, two civilian jobs and four children takes support from her family, her employers and her unit. She said Benefis and GFPS have been supportive of her military service.
Her nomination included her deployment experience, training work overseas and involvement across the wing. St. Lawrence-Brody said she deployed to Ramstein Air Base in Germany, where she worked with an operations center supporting entities connected to Africa.
But, she says this recognition is not the finish line.
“This award, it’s not necessarily a landing pad for me,” St. Lawrence-Brody said. “I want to use it as a springboard.”
120th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
St. Lawrence-Brody hopes her story encourages others to keep taking on new opportunities, even when they feel uncertain.
“Get comfortable with being uncomfortable and be okay with doing things afraid,” she said. “I think when you get to be okay with doing things afraid, that’s where you’re going to find the growth.”
She has already won at the Air National Guard level, but she recently traveled to Washington, D.C., as part of the broader Air Force Outstanding Airman of the Year process, which includes nominees from the Guard, Reserve and major commands across the Air Force.
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