Bringing a bit of the south out west at Bad Betty’s Barbecue

“If loving lard is wrong, I don’t want to be right,” reads the sign on the counter, a not so subtle indicator that at Bad Betty’s Barbecue flavor comes first.

Fiercely regional and deeply debated, for true devotees, barbecue is practically a way of life. One built around community and tradition, elevating the lowest meats to the highest levels of flavor through time-tested techniques. It’s edible alchemy, transforming the toughest cuts into the tastiest, the most tender.

Text by Claire Baiz

It’s been less than twenty-four hours since Josh Parocai got out of the Cascade County Detention Center, and he’s sweating it out with a heavy implement dealer, a retired lawyer, a senior airman, and the Director of Development at the University of Great Falls.

Half of them have their shirts off. For a few, it ain’t pretty.

By 12:30, sixteen players have joined Parocai on the basketball court at the Great Falls Rec Center, 801 2nd Avenue North. There are four black guys, at least two Native Americans, a handsome dark skinned blue-eyed guy, a spectrum of Christians and Agnostics, a second-generation American Muslim, and a woman. Their ages range from 20 to 66.

“It’s the best pickup game in town,” says Kylie Diedrich, a former UGF Lady Argo. Diedrich is just another player—except, in a game of shirts and skins, you can be pretty sure which team she’s on.

By Hayley Leray

“It’s spring fever. That is what the name of it is. And when you’ve got it, you want—oh, you don’t quite know what it is you do want, but it just fairly makes your heart ache, you want it so!” — Mark Twain

I adore spring! It’s like Christmas in March with nature offering up an abundance of gifts that quietly awaken and unfold before our eyes. From the budding trees, the blossoming flowers, the birds serenading from the treetops to longer, brighter and warmer days. Spring is green, gentle and alive. It’s the infant stage of the seasons of transition where innocence and purity resonates throughout the landscapes. It’s a season of hope and renewal that encourages months of optimistic dormancy to awaken while gently nudging the seeds of new beginnings to burst into fruition. How can you not love spring?

Gear Up at Helena’s Bicycle Haven

Text by Claire Baiz • Photography by Nicole Keintz

The Garage, 334 Jackson Street

The moment you walk in, it’s obvious The Garage isn’t just a retail store—it’s a working part of central Montana’s cycling community, offering local art, a meeting space with a full-on DJ studio, and even beer on tap, along with custom bicycles, accessories and fine repairs.

“The Garage grew out of…my own garage,” owner Steve Coen grins at the metal overhead door that opens onto North Jackson Street.

A bike shop can be like a classic art studio, where personalized craftsmanship is the result of years of apprenticeship. With a little help from Steve, Cole and Evan, you’ll pedal out of The Garage on the bike of your dreams.

His Look

Text by Claire Baiz | Photography by Garrett Thompson

Matthew Nottingham’s best advice for the well-dressed outdoorsman: “Never underestimate wool socks.”

This avid hiker and fisherman knows Big Sky Country: sunny one second, snowy the next. Nottingham encourages people to dress in layers, with a quick-dry base.

Montana’s own Simms and FishOn Energy companies are this Helena native’s go-to sources for gear.

Dr. Nottingham, an optometrist with Helena Vision Center, advises polarized lenses for outdoor activity—even for kids. He wears Maui Jims, which protect the eyes and don’t have to darken the terrain. “They really help me see into the water,” he says.

Neonatal Nurse Practitioner

Text by Claire Baiz • Photography by David Rabenberg

Beckett Perkins knew by the time she was in junior high that she wanted to help sick babies.

This Missoula native was well on her way to becoming an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN) when her own premature twins began their lives in Salt Lake City’s Neonatal ICU.

Perhaps because she’s “been there,” Perkins’ compassionate professionalism inspires everyone—especially her twins Alissa and Ainsley, who are nursing students, and daughter Brianna, who is working on her pharmacy degree. Perkins, a Benefis employee since 1997, says there’s no such thing as a typical day. “I couldn’t do it without my husband and family.”