HELENA — In this week’s edition of Out and About, the Helena Capital Bruins and Helena Helena High Bengals both open their playoffs at home on Friday night and it’s never too early for Christmas shopping, especially if you’re buying locally.

2W) Helena High vs. 3E) Bozeman-Gallatin, 11/4 at 3:30 p.m. (Gates open at 2:45 p.m.)

The Helena High Bengals finished the regular season as the second-best team in the Western AA, only short of their crosstown rival, but still good enough for a first-round playoff bye and home-field advantage to open their portion of the playoffs. However, with the Helena Capital Bruins also securing home-field advantage, the Bengals were forced to cede the Friday night lights to the Bruins.

Kickoff for the quarterfinal matchup between the Helena High Bengals and the Bozeman Gallatin Raptors is set for 3:30 p.m. with the gates opening at 2:45, however the main parking lot at Helena Middle School will not be open until after 3:30 to allow for traffic related to HMS Dismissal to clear.

Last season, the Bengals and the Raptors opened the first round of the Class AA playoffs against each other with the Bengals coming out on top 42-28.

1W) Helena Capital vs. 5W) Butte, 11/4 at 7:30 p.m. (Gates open at 6:45 p.m.)

The Helena Capital Bruins were the only team across the Class AA to go undefeated, good enough to earn a first-round bye to open the playoffs and home-field advantage all the way through assuming they win. For the Bruins’ first game of the AA Playoffs, Helena Capital will welcome the Butte Bulldogs to town. The Bruins and Bulldogs met in week six of the 2022 season at Vigilante Stadium in Helena, with the Bruins walking away from the night with a 41-0 romp.

Helena Gift Show, 11/5 from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m., Helena Civic Center

With Halloween in the rearview, it may be a bit early to put up Christmas decorations, but it’s never too early to do some Christmas shopping especially if you’re planning on putting some local gifts underneath the tree.

The Helena Gift Show will be at the Helena Civic Center on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. with over 50 local vendors on display to help you fill out all of your Christmas shopping needs filled. Tickets will cost $4 for anyone over the age of 10, 10 and under will be free.

If there’s something you’d like to see in this week’s edition, or next week’s edition of Out and About, be sure to send us all of the details in an email to outandabout@ktvh.com.