Sharp Shooters (No. 142)

First Aired May 23, 2016

Since 1991, the Backroads crew has traveled across Montana visiting its unique people and places. The series airs regularly on MontanaPBS.

We’ll meet Leah Walbon, a remarkable Great Falls woman with a sharp eye at the pool table. She’ll sink a few shots and share stories from her incredible 100 years of living. In Lincoln we'll meet members of the Sitch family, who run a fun co-ed basketball tournament that keeps their late father's memory alive. Pete Sitch, who died in a logging accident, was a strong supporter of local sports. The tournament celebrates athletics and good sportsmanship. In Billings, we meet Lou Adler, the “King of the One Armed Bandits.” He buys, sells and restores antique slot machines. At any one time, he has nearly 300 machines, in what his wife calls “a hobby gone wrong.” The Alberton High School Panthers might be the most-photographed team in Class C. For more than 40 years Rae Deschamps has patrolled the sidelines, snapping big plays, small miracles and thousands of memories. With Alberton combining with Superior for sports, Rae’s career may be coming to an end. William Marcus hosts the program from the historic M&M Bar in uptown Butte.

Program Update

Lou Adler, who claimed his interest in slot machines was a “hobby gone wrong,” died in 2020 at age 85.