Finding summer employment was difficult for Carroll College junior Bill Wagner this year.

Wagner, a Havre native, is walking on to the Carroll College football team this fall.

In previous years he's opted to return to his hometown for the summer, but this year he wanted to say and workout with his teammates.

"It was very hard to find a summer job," Wagner, 20, said.

He applied at more than 10 places, and after a couple of interviews couldn't land a job.

It's been difficult finding summer jobs for many young people in the area. And for some area businesses, it's hard giving them shifts since business is down as community members tighten their belts in this economic climate.

Patience and perseverance paid off for Wagner. Scott Longnecker, golf pro at Bill Roberts Golf Course, offered Wagner a job in the city course's pro shop.

"When he called, it was a relief because I couldn't find a job anywhere," Wagner said. "I just think it's because the way the market is. It seems like nobody is hiring. It's tough."

Longnecker said he hires a handful of high school and college students to work in the driving range, the pro shop and in the maintenance department. A larger number of his workers are semi-retired residents who work the full season.

Adults are fighting for some of the serving positions at the Silver Star Steak Company. The restaurant boosts up the number of employees during summer tourist months, general manager Jeff Hiel said. Hiel trained six new servers at the end of April in anticipation of tourist time, but those servers aren't getting to work as much as he anticipated.

Hiel said he expected to be busier.

"We are still a busy restaurant, but not quite to last year's numbers," he said. "We just send people home or they lose shifts because business dictates everything."

It's hard to know for certain what's caused the decrease, but Hiel can't help but peg it on the recession.

"Tour season has broken, but people are afraid of the economy and maybe afraid to spend money," he said.

The City of Helena doesn't depend on people eating out and it probably is one of the area's larger employer of seasonal help. That number grew this year with the expansion of the Memorial Pool. Last year the pool employed about 30 and this year that number is closer to 75, according to Rae Lynn Nielsen, human resources director for the city. The city also hired seasonal help in the maintenance, open space and parks departments.

Tashina Waltz, 15, is a recreation leader with the City's Kay McKenna Parks Program, supervising children dropped off at Memorial Park Monday through Thursday.

"I enjoy being with the kids and I wouldn't want to do anything else for the summer," she said. "I think I was more excited than some of the kids."

The Broadwater Athletic Club also increases its staff during summer months for the waterslide at the Westside Club.

This year the BAC hired 12 new employees, and Lianne Ewals, president and CEO, said they would still hire a couple more.

"There are challenges sometimes because they have to be certified through the American Red Cross," she said.

Ewals said the club doesn't only hire high school and college students, but they are the majority of the applicants.

"The job is very appealing to younger people because it's active and they get to be outside," she said.

Faith Cronin is working at the Great Northern Carousel for the second summer.

Cronin, 19, is studying broadcast journalism at the University of Montana and is home for the summer.

"I like this job a lot," she said. "It puts you in a really good mood. If I'm grumpy these kids do crazy and silly things and you have to laugh. It's a great work environment."

Kathy Mortimore, manager of the Carousel, said she's hired all the staff she'll need this summer and trains one new employee every week.

"There's a waiting list of people waiting to get on the schedule," she said. "A lot of our help are actually kids that have worked here in the past and have gone to college and are back for the summer."

Reporter Alana Listoe: 447-4081 or alana.listoe@

helenair.com