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Vol. 18, No. 51
September 7, 2022
Arlee CDC honors founder, anniversary at upcoming celebration Story and Photos by Taylor Davison Valley Journal
Council pg. 2
Sports pg. 13
Co-op pg. 15
ARLEE — The Arlee Community Development Corporation will celebrate its 20th anniversary on Saturday, Sept. 10. Founded in 2002 and housed in what was originally the Hangin’ Art Gallery and Café, the CDC will pay homage to those early businesses by offering carrot cake, a specialty item of the original café, and opening a brand new gallery hosted by the Killdeer Artisans Guild and several other local artists. “The walls have come back to life,” Executive Director Marie Hirsch commented. “It’s absolutely amazing in here.” The building in which the CDC is housed was originally known as the popular regional restaurant the Log Cabin. Gutted by fire and reconstructed as the Log Cabin Bar, that business also burned on July 4, 1987. The building then sat abandoned until it was bought by local Dennis Nault in 1991. “Denny had been a part of this community and really wanted the building to serve the community. A big part of this celebration will be honoring him,” Hirsch explained. Nault boarded up the front windows where the building had burned, and spent the next
several years reconstructing the establishment with his own money and labor. Finished in July of 2003 and opened as the Hangin’ Art Gallery, the building also became home to the Arlee CDC, which Nault had cofounded the year prior. “He always allowed the organization to use the building to house the programs that were being developed to really enrich the Jocko Valley community,” Hirsch said. Nault made it happen. In the 20 years since its reconstruction, the building has been used for community meetings and classes, youth camps, writing workshops, festivals and w w w.va l le yj our na l.net
even farmers markets. Nault passed away in 2015. His wife Donna took over the businesses until 2019, when she closed shop and put the building up for sale. The Arlee CDC was granted the first right of refusal and in the fall of 2020, the CDC board of directors voted to purchase the building and return it to a gathering place for the community. The Arlee CDC, following the example made by Nault and other community members, works to create activities and funding for local undertakings. It was run entirely by unpaid volunteers until the fall of 2019.
“I was hired as the executive director and my goal here is to help them … I provide access to funding and pathways to develop community leadership and engagement and a membership drive that’ll kick off with this event,” Hirsch explained. A membership-driven organization, member fees get put toward general funding and grant matching for local programs. Those who sign up for the $10 CDC membership during the anniversary celebration will receive a free tote bag. “The Arlee CDC, through see page 2