Community Corner

🌱 Patch AM: How busy are Bozeman’s favorite shops on Christmas Eve?

Be sure to catch Open Gym Girls Basketball on the Bozeman Patch calendar

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Greetings Bozeman! We’re your go-to source for what’s happening in town. Read on to get plugged in! ☕️️

In today's newsletter:

  • How busy are Bozeman’s favorite shops on Christmas Eve?
  • How is Bozeman’s Reach Inc. keeping vital services afloat into 2026?
  • How Bozeman is shopping while remembering Gallatin Valley’s beloved Santa

Today's riddle: What did the little needle say to the mother needle when it brought home a failing report card? 🤔 (Answer below!)

Find out what's happening in Bozemanfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

Weather forecast:

  • Thursday: A couple of morning showers, with a high of 52 and low of 36 degrees.
  • Friday: A bit of snow and rain, temps: high: 47, low: 29.
  • Saturday: Colder; a little morning snow, with a high of 31 and low of 8 degrees. ⛄️ Brr!

📰 News we're reading

1. Christmas Eve rush: Bozeman's shopping for last-minute gifts (kbzk.com) — Last-minute Christmas Eve shoppers are packing Bozeman staples like Cactus Records and neighboring Rook's Games, hunting for records, quirky gifts, and board games before stores close. Both long-time local businesses say foot traffic and gift certificate sales are brisk, with staff highlighting affordable stocking stuffers and family-friendly games as Bozeman residents finish their holiday lists.
   

Find out what's happening in Bozemanfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

2. Bozeman nonprofit Reach Inc. navigates funding challenges while serving adults with disabilities (kbzk.com) — Bozeman nonprofit Reach Inc. is closing out 2025 juggling funding challenges while still housing and employing 91 local adults with developmental disabilities. Executive director Dee Metrick says state grants and SNAP changes have strained budgets, but community and corporate donations, including Scripps Howard support, now cover a crucial share as their holiday fundraising campaign pushes toward its year-end goal.
   

3. 'His love': The Legacy of Stan Veltkamp, Santa in Gallatin Valley for 40 years (kbzk.com) — Bozeman shoppers are packing stores on Christmas Eve while the community also reflects on the legacy of longtime Gallatin Valley Santa, Stan Veltkamp, who spent four decades delighting kids from Manhattan to local schools. His widow Marty shares how his gentle humor, snowy beard, and devotion to children, especially those with special needs, kept him donning the red suit even through serious illness.
   

4. What's the latest upgrade at Big Sky Resort? The Explorer Gondola opens (bozemandailychronicle.com) — Big Sky Resort has finished its decade-long Big Sky 2025 plan, adding the new Explorer Gondola that links directly to the Lone Peak Tram and sits just south of Bozeman. The upgrade lets even non-skiers reach Lone Peak’s summit and showcases how luxury investment and soaring property values near Bozeman are reshaping this corner of the Yellowstone region.
   

5. Gallatin Range geology reveals stories of volcanoes, uplift and 'mass wasting' (bozemandailychronicle.com) — The Gallatin Range that stretches to Bozeman Pass holds billions of years of geologic history just beyond town, from ancient metamorphic rocks to younger volcanic layers. Scientists explain how uplift, past volcanism, glaciers, and ongoing seismic activity shape today’s landscape and potential landslide and earthquake hazards that matter for communities along I‑90 between Bozeman and Livingston.
   

📸 Around Bozeman

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🗓 Upcoming Events in Bozeman

Add your event to our calendar and newsletter!

    Monday December 29
  • Open Gym Girls Basketball
    Anderson 7-8 Bozeman, MT 59718
    4:30 pm

📣 Bozeman Shout Outs!

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🗓 Events Nearby

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Thank you 👏👏👏 to the local businesses for making Bozeman PatchAM possible:

Click here to show your appreciation! 💚

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💬 Chatter

What your neighbors are talking about on social media

  • A heads up on the trash schedule this week: no collection will occur on Thursday, Dec.
    25. Thursday route customers will have their trash picked up on Friday, and Friday routes will be picked up on Saturday. Thanks and Merry Christmas! (Nextdoor )
  • Anyone want a free live Christmas tree?
    On boulevard at 716 South Tracy. I have to leave town unexpectedly so I’m undecorating my house. It’s about 4-5 feet tall. Please help yourself. (Nextdoor South Central Association of Neighbors)
  • Kelley Create posted a job opening for Strategic Account Executive-Shipping/Sending in Bozeman. Apply here.
  • Ted's Montana Grill posted a job opening for Front of the House/Hospitality Manager in Bozeman. Apply here. You can search for other jobs near Bozeman here.

Ok Bozeman! So now you're in the loop about what's happening today. Thanks for reading, and see you in your inbox next time! Oh -- and if you like what you're reading, invite a friend to Patch AM!

-- The Patch AM Team

P.S. The answer to today's riddle: I guess I’m not as sharp as I thought.
Got a good riddle for PatchAM? Send it to us!

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