21st Annual Holiday Stroll in Downtown Billings

Don't miss the 21st annual Downtown Billings Holiday Stroll on December 2 - it's positively brimming with good cheer!

MSUB Hosts Healthcare Career Summit for HS Students

On Friday, December 2, Montana State University Billings, in partnership with the Montana BioScience Alliance, is hosting a Healthcare Career Summit for local high school students interested in a care...

City of Billings & DBA Bring Back Free Holiday Meter Parking

Don't let parking hold you back this holiday season! The City of Billings and Downtown Billings Alliance are giving the gift of free holiday meter parking!

2022 Christmas Eve Worship Directory

Billings' and Laurel's 2022 Christmas Eve Worship Directory.

The Message of Christmas

This issue is filled with Christmas magic. From our highly anticipated Holiday Gift Guide, recipes and traditions, and a look at navigating the holidays while grieving, we know you’ll find inspiration...

2022 Holiday Gift Guide

Our highly-anticipated 2022 Holiday Gift Guide is here, and there’s something for everyone on your list! Support our local businesses and families this season.

Twinkling Lights at Holiday Nights

There’s even more to love this holiday season with the addition of Holiday Nights in Billings. A visit to ZooMontana for the event will immerse you in a world of twinkling lights and holiday cheer as...

Billings, Montana: A Gold AND Green City

The city of Billings applied for LEED for Cities certification and was assessed and scored by a third party in seven measurable categories: Integrative Process, Ecology and Natural Systems, Transporta...

Stay Connected through the 2023 Legislative Session

One of the Billings Chamber of Commerce’s priorities is to advocate for our member businesses and the Billings community, and the upcoming legislative session is no exception.

Crafting a New Kind of Holiday Fun

The Billings Chamber of Commerce is excited to introduce AR Workshop - a locally owned DIY studio and boutique offering an array of hands-on classes in a comfortable, welcoming space perfect for folks...

Billings Chamber Staff Spotlight: Hannah Olson

Meet Hannah Olson, Billings Chamber's Communications and Marketing Director.

Look Up: 3 Stargazing Destinations in Southeast Montana

The best part of stargazing is that it’s a year-round activity; some of the best stargazing is done during crisp, cool nights when the skies are exceptionally clear. With a bit of luck and some planni...

When the Holidays Aren’t Merry & Bright

Grief is such a tricky little monster. It ebbs and it flows, it is at times painfully sharp and others a dull ache, yet there are times when we might think we’re more prepared to encounter waves of gr...

Gifts of Gratitude: Top Gifts for Teachers

It can be difficult to find the perfect gift for teachers. The stakes feel high: you want to show them how much you appreciate their work, but you may not know them well. Check out our Gift Guide writ...

MSUB MINUTES: Enrollment Up in Key Areas for MSU Billings

Montana State University Billings welcomed its largest freshmen class in three years this fall with increases in military-affiliated, Hispanic, and Native American student enrollment.

STEM Under the Tree

Making lists and checking them twice? This Christmas, consider giving gifts that will boost their brains. We’ve got you covered with our list of STEM-based toys and gift ideas.

Gingerbread Meets Sourdough

Bye-bye sourdough scaries and hello sourdough made easy (and sweet)! Amanda Flann touches on the sourdough science, health benefits, and tips to transform your gingerbread recipe this season.

A Sweet Tradition

When my kids were little, my best friend Julie and I would always find excuses to gather together with our children. We soon discovered we shared the same love for gingerbread houses, so we started a...

Bake This: Christmas Cookies

Just in time for Christmas, we offer a couple of ideas that are simple and fast: a traditional shortbread cookie that comes together in minutes, and a vegan chocolate cookie that is based on ripe avoc...

Merry Grinchmas! Bringing Whoville to Your Home

Whoville Christmas decorations even the Grinch can appreciate with a fun color palette, standout tree, and just a few tabletop decorations. Check out these holiday décor ideas sure to make your heart...

On Parade with Branding Iron Construction: The Montana Empty-Nester of Your Dreams

Not only are Jarrett and Karen Smith of Branding Iron Construction the builders of a West End home featured in the 2022 Parade of Homes, but they are also the homeowners. As recent empty nesters, lear...

ChristMIX; Fusing Christmas Past and Present

ChristMIX-It's quite apparent how skillful Lynda Berg is in fusing the old with the new. You are greeted by classic and old-fashioned displays and ornaments when you walk through her front door. It fe...

Connect All Month | December 2022

Peep the featured events in December's calendar!

One Class at a Time: Honor Teachers Who Make a Difference

Hardworking teachers and school staff deserve our thanks, and One Class at a Time is focused on doing exactly that. Check out the program that grants $500 to classrooms across the community and learn...

Backyard Exploration Series: Hit the Dino Trail

Rain, snow or sun, there are dinos all over Montana waiting to be discovered! Check out the Montana Dino Trail to learn more about dinosaurs found throughout the state in charming small towns and awes...

MSUB Partnership with Tribal Colleges Eases Student Transfer Process

MSU Billings continues making access easy! They’ve recently added Fort Peck Community College and Chief Dull Knife College to their partnership list, meaning graduates with certain degrees can transfe...

2022 Holiday Happenings

Check out what's happening this holiday season in and around Billings.

Thanksgiving How-To: Gratitude through Sharing, Food and Intention

Giving thanks is the name of the game this time of year, but sometimes we just go through the motions. Here’s a list of easy and impactful ways you can show gratitude - and encourage gratitude in othe...

ZooMontana Debuts Born Learning Trail

Come explore ZooMontana's new Born Learning Trail, making its debut on November 10. This new, interactive trail is brought to our community in a collaborative effort between the Zoo, United Way, and P...

MVSC at MSUB Connects Veterans & Military Affiliated Students to Resources

When Veteran and Military affiliated students come to MSU Billings, the Military and Veterans Success Center (MVSC) is not only a critical resource, but a warm welcome. And MSUB’s center is widely rec...

BPL Hosts 'Americans and the Holocaust' Traveling Exhibit

Billings Public Library is one of 50 public and university libraries included in the American Library Association's Public Programs Office traveling exhibition, the Americans and the Holocaust. The ex...

2022 Non-Profit Guide

Our community has many amazing nonprofit organizations! Here in Simply Local Magazine's 2022 Nonprofit Guide you can find many of them. A year-long resource with their story, services, and contact i...

101 Ways to Be the Change 

November is a time to show gratitude and give thanks. It’s also the perfect time of year to practice good deeds and random acts of kindness. Whether you have a little spare time give, a unique skill...

A Community Giving Back: Supporting Billings Clinic Classic and Lifesaving Healthcare

The 2022 Billings Clinic Classic made a triumphant return to Downtown Billings on August 27, with proceeds benefiting the Clinic’s work to begin Phase I of a multiyear effort to become a Level 1 Traum...

Vero Sé Hypnosis: Finding Your True Self

Although it has been in practice for hundreds of years, Hypnosis is an often misunderstood treatment modality. Tamara Boggio is the owner and founder of Vero Sé Hypnosis, a Red Lodge-based practice th...

A Dream That Lights the Way

Local entrepreneur Veronica Zimmerman shines with hand-poured scented soy candles. Available in a clean concrete vessel design as well as whimsical shaped candles and wax melts, this company is sure t...

Businesses Benefit by Shopping Local

Shopping local increases the quality of life, boosts the economy, and supports our friends and neighbors. Choose to support the very businesses that help make Billings such an amazing place to live an...

Crime Prevention Training Sticks with You

CPTED is crime prevention through environmental design, and it is the effective use and proper design of the built environment that can reduce the fear and incidence of crime and improve quality of l...

4 Ways NextGEN Engages Young Professionals

Check out 4 ways that NextGEN engages young professionals.

Empathy & Entitlement

Living in a time that seems to be low on empathy and high on entitlement has us asking how to cultivate empathy in our children while eliminating entitlement issues. (Spoiler alert: it starts with us)...

The Final Countdown: Billings Voters to Approve Multi-generational Sportsplex

For years, the city has been working to address the need for a multi-generational, community-oriented Billings Community Recreation Center on the South Side, adjacent to Amend Park. After collecting p...

A Lesson in Compassion: Babulis

I catch myself counting how often little things throughout the day trigger memories of her. Cigarette smoke seems to be one of them. As much as I can’t tolerate it, I feel like Babulis earned the ciga...

A Three-Legged Stool: Connecting Teachers, Students, & Parents for Success

A lesson Tegan Leffler learned early in her teaching career was the importance of communication and connection. Her teaching partner in her first year described building a three-legged stool for each...

Discovery Abounds at Wise Wonders

Wise Wonders, a local hands-on museum, has been growing and expanding since its inception. But did you know it is also home to a wide variety of educational science programming for students of all age...

Breaking Bread: The Gift of Social Eating

The act of communal eating is universal, whether in feasts or everyday meals. Our culture sees the value and importance of breaking bread with one another. It is a simple way of bringing people togeth...

Meet the Chef: Lisa Rembold of Seconde Pasta

Chef, restaurant owner, teacher, pasta maker - Lisa Rembold of Seconde Fresh has worn many hats during her culinary journey.

Pumpkin Pappardelle with Brown Butter, Prosciutto, Goat Cheese, and Pecans

All the late autumn vibes in this colorful pasta and roasted veggies dish from Chef Lisa Rembold of Seconde Fresh. @stories_yet_untold, @secondefresh

5 Easy Ways to Cozy Up Your Home

It’s the most wonderful time of year… cozy season! Creating a cozy home is not as hard as you may think with these 5 easy tips from Cassie @carmichaeldesign_

Get the Look: Cozy Season

It’s cozy season and @carmichaeldesign_ is bringing us some local inspiration for bringing comfort home.

Custom Craftsmanship

Take a tour of Ban Construction’s 2022 Parade of Homes build, located on Billings’ west end in The Nines. From its roomy kitchen to its garage designed to be the ultimate hang-out space, this home has...