To celebrate this momentous occasion the library is offering a summer filled with author events and reading programs. The Anniversary kick off began on may 21st  and will continue throughout the summer.

Originally the library was located in Last Chance Gulch and was the first library in the state and was opened even before Montana became a territory.  In 1874 the library was destroyed by fire. Today the library is housed on on the south end of the walking mall since 1976.

In 2003 the library was renovated.  The face lift included a new computer lab, in 2005 the library created the new Ambrose Reading Room, a cozy private reading room on the second floor of the building.

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Bizjournals.com has ranked Helena Montana as one of America’s top 10 "Dreamtowns".  Helena was ranked fifth out of 140other cities wit a population between 10,000 and 50,000 people.

So what make these towns so dreamy? These communities have light traffic, healthy economies, a moderate cost of living, adequate housing, strong educational facilities and and easy access to big-city amenities.

Montana has three different cities in the Top 10, Bozeman, Helena and Kalispell. This just proves what Helena residents have always known, that this is a great place to love. Last year the Helena Chamber of Commerce mailed out more than 6,000 relocation packets to people interested in moving to this wonderful town.

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Labor Day will feature the brand new Madison Marathon, the highest marathon to take place in the greater Northwest.  This marathon will boast an average elevation of 8,500 feet and will be one of the nation’s very highest races.

Both professional and amateur athletes are encouraged to attend. The course begins at 8,000 square feet and goes to way above 9,000 square feet and offers breathtaking scenery and abundant wildlife,birds and a huge variety of wildflowers. It is one of seven marathons that take place in Montana and combines a full length marathon and extreme features such as extremely high elevation, and gravel roads instead of a dirt trail or asphalt.

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Just minutes outside of Helena you will find dozens of places to view animals in their natural habitat.  Mount Helena is the city’s largest park and is home to deer, and countless types of birds.  If you are searching for elk, Beartooth’s Wildlife Management Area lies at the higher elevation where the elk like to spend their summers.  This is also a great place to view bighorn sheep and black bears.

Avalanche Gulch on Canyon Ferry Reservoir is another place to view elk or mountain goats.  Their is also a wetland area at the south end of Canyon Ferry Reservoir  with a series of ponds and a nesting area for many kinds of geese, ducks, pelicans, cormorants, pheasants, wild turkeys and ospreys.

Check at the Helena Forest Service for more information about wildlife viewing in the Helena area.

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The Upper Missouri Artist Gallery is a Helena gallery known for its incredible display of "originals only" art. Come and visit this memorable gallery and enjoy one-of-a-kind works of art by Montana artists.  Artwork inside consists of some of the finest oils, watercolors, mixed medias, pastels, pottery and sculptures.

All disciples are also found ranging from photo realism to abstract art and subjects that feature Montana historical and geographical points of interest.  Many of these artworks include depictions of ranching and rural life in Montana. There is also floral still-lifes including the the popular Plein Aire.

Members of the Missouri Artists Gallery regularly submit artwork so every month the gallery offers a new and fresh exhibitions to visitors. This is one of many wonderful cultural opportunities in Helena.

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This year’s Last Chance Stampede will be held July 23-27 at the Lewis and Clark County Fairgrounds. Every year Helena hosts this wonderful classic western rodeo and fair complete with parade, trade shows, food booths and art shows.

This year’s Stampede will have something for everyone including traditional favorites like livestock exhibits, dog showmanship events, cat showmanship, kiddie parades, stick horse rodeos, carnival rides, cowboy rodeo, equine exhibitions and much more.  There will also be no shortage of musical talents including Earl Wear & Coltrain and Bobby Chitwood.

Beer and wine will be available for purchase and their will be loads of children’s activities as well as educational programs.  The fairgrounds also offers handicap accessibility, pay telephones, parking and public restrooms.

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This year’s concert theme for the popular Helena Symphony is "Out of this World" and will include music from "2001 ; A Space Odyssey, "Star Wars" and others and will be narrated by Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin.

Aldrin comes to Helena for the first time on his 39th anniversary of the 1969 flight to the moon.  Mr. Aldrin will be at ExplorationWorks, the interactive museum of science and culture at the Northern Town Center in downtown Helena. He will be signing his autobiographical book "Reaching for the Moon" while at the museum, the book can be bought at the bookstore.

Aldrin is the featured guest artist at this wonderful annual symphony.  The concert will be performed by the Helena Symphony Orchestra and Choral while Aldrin narrates Gustav Holst’s"The Planets", it takes place at Carroll College.

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The Spokane Bar Sapphire Mine in Helena Montana offers a great way to discover valuable gems. This lovely, historic mine sits on the banks of scenic Hauser Lake beckoning to visitors to come and sift through gravel to look for sapphires.

The Mine is open year round but digging and sifting is easier during the warmer months of the year. Visitors today  can find sapphires of every color but the most common color is green-blue.  Blue Sapphire is best known but Ruby Red Sapphires are the most prized.

Sapphires commoly average .5 carats up to a whopping 10 carats, the largest sapphire found at the mine was a huge 155 carat sapphire! Other gems can also be found, diamonds, topaz, citrine, ruby and garnets.

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The Helena Bicycle Club focuses on recreation and fitness and offers fun and exciting club bike rides.  Its members celebrate bike riding whether it be mountain biking, road biking, commuting, bike racing or bike advocacy.   Get out there and enjoy Helena’s great outdoor recreation opportunities.  Here is a sampling of some of the rides available with the Helena Bike Club.

One Hundred Helena is an annual 100 mile or 100 kilometer bike ride

Double Divide Ride is an annual two-day road bike ride that takes cyclists over two mountain passes.

The club also offers Monday Night Mountain Bike Rides and Thursday Night Road Rides as well as Weekend Rides.

The Park-2-Park Montana is a multi-day ride in support of the charity CASA of Montana.

The Helena Bicycle Club is also a champion  of the creation of the Corridor of Discovery Trail between Helena and Great Falls.

The Club also offers conditioning and cycling tips.

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The Adult Learning Center offers helps to assist literacy need of adults in the Helena community.  Literacy includes reading, writing and computation skills.  By improving the literacy skills of adults in Helena, the Learning Center improves the lives and helps achieve career goals of each student.  Students are encouraged to reach their highest potential and strives to promote a life-long love of learning.

To enroll in the Adult Learning Center you must be 16 years or older and are currently not enrolled in high school. The Learning Center also offers additional program such as basic computer literacy, improvement of language, writing and math skills, preparation for Technical College, Universities or the award-winning Carroll College.

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