Business Bites: new Indian restaurant; Malmstrom exercise; community concert series; food hub meeting; Many Rivers leadership change; AA band festival concert; Great Falls students win national app contest
Indian Restaurant
Annapurna Indian and Nepali Restaurant is opening soon at 1220 9th St. S., the former Maria’s Mexican Restaurant location that closed about two weeks ago.
“Get ready for butter chicken, tandoori, biryani, momos, fresh naan, and many more authentic Himalayan flavors. We are preparing everything carefully and plan to open within the next month or so. Stay tuned for updates and grand opening details,” according to the restaurant’s page.
Malmstrom exercise
The 341st Missile Wing at Malmstrom Air Force Base will conduct a base-wide training exercise on Feb. 25 for multiple agencies to practice contingency operations in response to a simulated incident on base.
Visitors should expect delays at the gates, facility lockdowns and traffic detours on base.
There may also be increased alarms, sirens, notifications and security measures during the exercise.
Community Concert Series
The Great Falls Community Concert Association has three upcoming community concerts for its 2025-2026 season in the Mansfield Theater at the Civic Center.
- She Gees: Feb. 23
- TAKE3: March 23
- Buzz Brass: April 16
All shows are at 7:30 p.m.
Tickets are $115 per person for a season package.
Purchase tickets here.
AA Band Festival Concert
The AA Band Festival concert is 6 p.m. March 3 in the Davidson Family Auditorium at Great Falls High School.
Featured bands include those from C.M. Russell and Great Falls high schools, plus visiting bands from Kalispell Flathead and Billings West High Schools.
The distinguished guest conductors this year are Dr. Mark Thiele from the University of Idaho, Dr. Debra Confredo from Temple University and Dr. Hannah Ransom from the University of Montana.
Admission is free.
Food Hub Meeting
The Montana Food Hub Cooperative is hosting its first annual members meeting from 5:30-7 p.m. March 16 at the Fresh Rescue Kitchen, 513 2nd Ave. S., and online.
The co-op is working to build a coordinated system that connects Montana producers with wholesale buyers, value-added businesses, and local-food supporters, keeping more food dollars circulating in-state.
Members are encouraged to attend to hear updates, learn what’s next and help shape the co-op’s direction.
Many Rivers Whole Health director transition
Sydney Blair is stepping down from her role as Many Rivers Whole Health chief executive officer this summer after 15 years of service.
“This planned transition reflects a thoughtful and collaborative process designed to ensure continuity of leadership and ongoing stability across the organization’s programs and services,” according to a press release.
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Under Blair’s leadership, Many Rivers “expanded access to both mental health and substance use services, strengthened the quality of care, and was selected as one of four agencies in the state to become a regional certified community behavioral health clinic providing integrated behavioral health services across 13 counties, deepening its commitment to the communities we proudly serve,” Cyndi Johnson, board chair, said in a release.
Code Girls
Three high school students from Great Falls are heading from the classroom to the national stage after their app, developed through a STARBASE Montana Advanced afterschool program, was named a Congressional App Challenge winner, according to the Montana National Guard.
Lily Kirkaldie, Charlie Kotthoff, and Danica Sabo created “Cursive Create,” a community-focused app that helps users practice reading and writing cursive.
Cursive Create was developed last spring at East Middle School through a partnership between STARBASE Montana and Code Girls United and won a $4,000 scholarship at the 2025 CGU Annual App Challenge.
STARBASE Montana is a hands-on STEM education program administered through the Montana Department of Military Affairs and supported by the Montana National Guard.
Through its partnership with Code Girls United, STARBASE Montana helped launch CGU programs in Helena and Great Falls, working directly with local school districts to organize programming, teach computer science curriculum, and recruit and train STEM coaches who guide students each week.
Using a computer science curriculum provided by Code Girls United, students first learn coding fundamentals using MIT’s App Inventor, then transition into team-based projects—identifying community needs, building solutions, and developing functional apps, according to the Montana National Guard.
Those apps are submitted to the Congressional App Challenge, a nationwide competition led by members of Congress to inspire innovation and creativity in young coders.
A STARBASE Fort Harrison team was also selected as a Congressional App Challenge winner last year, and CGU
representatives report that STARBASE-affiliated programs consistently show some of the strongest student retention rates in Montana.
The Great Falls team is fundraising to travel to Washington, D.C., where they will showcase their app alongside student innovators from across the country.
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