Memories

If you're like me, you've passed by this statue near the Third Street boat launch without paying much attention to what it represents. Lt. Col. Warner Gardner is the memorial's namesake and his story can be found HERE.

Like a rolling stone ...

Bob Dylan will perform in Post Falls on Sept. 1 at the Greyhound Park with John Mellencamp as a bonus. On Tuesday afternoon the stage crews dealt with wind and rain during set up for the concert.

Demo Derby

For decades the final grandstand event of North Idaho Fair week is the demolition derby. This year's rock 'em, sock 'em free for all didn't disappoint. Plenty of action to go around!

Saturday at the Fair

It was a great day to be at the North Idaho Fair ... not too hot, not too cold and no rain or wind! During my appearance in the Coeur d'Alene Press booth I met a lot of long-time Main Street readers and gathered nearly 50 names to add to the Main Street Birthday Club. After my stint there Bert and I strolled through the vendors and booths, seeing lots of familiar faces in our travels. Fairgrounds Manager Chris Holloway was also photographing fairgoers, finding me in my corn shirt in of all places, the Ekness booth with a bowl of North Idaho Beer Balls. :) Check out the album HERE to see some of the people I met in my travels at the fair, including the newest Birthday Club members!

The Great Fair Beer Debate

The new and relaxed rules at the 2010 North Idaho Fair regarding where beer can be consumed by those in the 21-over crowd has generated much debate. After the Friends of the Fair dinner on Thursday night I spent a few hours strolling around the fairgrounds. Note the dust-filled sky created by high winds. I ran into my friends, Tom Messina and Robert Cliff, who were enjoying a beer with their German sausages. I saw a few more people with beer in hand during the evening and they, too, were consuming food at the time. As I mentioned on the air on KVNI this morning, hopefully people will reserve judgement on the impact of the new rules until this year's fair is in the books.

Blue Ribbon Grilling

On Sunday, the final day of the North Idaho Fair, amateur grillers will fire up the barbeques and smokers at 10 a.m. Fairgoers will be able to buy sample plates throughout the day, with proceeds going to the North Idaho Fair Foundation. At 5 p.m. the winners will be named in the categories of ribs and chicken. The winning ticket for a Weber Smokey Mountain grill will also be drawn at 5 p.m.
The 1910 Smoking Wood Company, Tim's Custom Meats and Sysco Foods are sponsoring the grilling competition. Me? I get to judge! :)

Show Time!

Tom and Teresa Capone run one of the most popular watering holes in the area, there are actually two Capone's Pub and Grill locations ... in mid-town Coeur d'Alene and in Post Falls. On Monday a Food Network luminary paid the Capones a visit in their Coeur d'Alene pub. Main Street print column with the details HERE.

*thanks to Tom for the photo!

We all win!

The bond election for the Kootenai Technical Education Campus passed in all three school districts on Tuesday. No matter where you stood on the issue, we all win when voters show up at the polling place. For an August election with a single issue on the ballot, the voter turn out was phenominal. Take a bow, all of you who cast a ballot!
Story from Coeur d'Alene Press HERE.

KTEC Election

On Tuesday, August 24, vote from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Polling locations for the school district of your residence:
Post Falls
Frederick Post Kindergarten
Ponderosa Elementary School
Prairie View Elementary School
Lakeland
Athol Elementary School
Betty Kiefer Elementary School
Garwood Elementary School
John Brown Elementary School
Spirit Lake Elementary School
Twin Lakes Elementary School
Hauser Fire Station
Bayview Community Center
Coeur d'Alene
Lake City High School
Coeur d'Alene High School
Lakes Magnet Middle School
Project C.D.A. High School
Hayden Meadows Elementary
Ramsey Elementary School
Information on the Kootenai Technical Education Campus HERE.

Rooster Tail

Mother Nature put the kibosh on the running of the thunderboats Sunday afternoon, but the Miss Wahoo made about four spins on the course to the delight of the diehard spectators lining the shore. I watched the last Diamond Cup races in 1968 on Lake Coeur d'Alene and this exhibition brought back some great memories. Photos HERE.

Racing Rock Star

Mira "the flying Czec" Slovak, 81, is still as handsome and charming as he was back in the 1960s when he ruled the Diamond Cup hydroplane races on Lake Coeur d'Alene. What a treat to meet him and see my high school classmate, Doug Miller, who organized this weekend's Diamond Cup Regatta ... a fundraiser for the Museum of North Idaho!

We can't afford to forget ...

Two steel beams from the World Trade Center will be on display in Post Falls on Saturday, Aug. 21 in front of Road House Cycles and the Hot Rod Cafe. The truck with the two 5,000-pound steel beams, will arrive at 10 a.m. and be escorted by Post Falls Police and Kootenai County Fire and Rescue ladder truck where it will remain on display until 6 p.m. A public welcome ceremony will be held upon the truck’s arrival at 10 a.m. The beams are being transported from New York to Silverdale, WA for the Kitsap 9-11 Memorial Project in Kitsap County. On Sunday, Aug. 22 the Patriot guard Riders of Washington State will escort the beams from the Washington/Idaho state line to its final destination. More photos HERE.

Votes for Women

Rep. Marge Chadderdon and actress/historian Tames Alan at the Soldiers in Petticoats presentation Wednesday evening. About 200 people attened the event to hear about the stuggles and victories of the Women's Suffrage movement. In addition to Marge and me, other women holding elected office in the area who attended were Coeur d'Alene Mayor Sandi Bloem, Post Falls City Councilor Betty Ann Henderson, former state senator Kathy Sims, and the only two women to have served on the Kootenai County Board of Commissioners, Evalyn Adams and Katie Brodie.

Big Checks

New Post Falls Walmart GM Joey Smith presented community checks totalling $15,000 on Wednesday to Mike Baker/Dirne Clinic, Ryan Davis/Boys & Girls Club, Dave Fair/Post Falls Recreation, Sherry Wallis/Post Falls Food Bank and John Chambers/KTEC.

Soldiers in Petticoats

Wednesday, August 18, a celebration of the 90th anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment will be at the Coeur d'Alene Resort at 7 p.m. This living history presentation by actress/historian Tames Alan will bring the Women's Suffrage movement to life. My friend, Rep. Marge Chadderdon is hosting this free and open-to-the-public event and will also give an overview of Women's Suffrage in Idaho's history. I'm honored that she's invited me to emcee the evening.

The Beatles!

The Wednesday concerts at the Post Falls Library in August are a real treat. This week Tribute to the Beatles drew quite a crowd on a perfect summer night.

road trip

We had a great time visiting friends and family in Montana and North Dakota but sure won't be missing all the bugs out there!

CHS Class of 1960 Reuniting

Coeur d'Alene's Class of 1960 will mark a half century since graduation. Dick and Nona Kay (Shern) Barclay provided some information about the festivities: "The Coeur d' Alene High School Class of 1960 will be celebrating their 50th class reunion August 12,13,& 14th. On Thursday we will all meet at the Eagles Dance (which was a weekly event in 1960), on Friday there will be registration and gathering at the Eagles Pavilion on 15th St. and then we will have the banquet at the Elks on Saturday."
Interesting who's who trivia from the class ... Sandi (Crimp) Bloem is a member of this class as is Dixie (Johnson) Reid. Chairing the reunion are Dick Jurvelin and Betty Gaye (Bennion) Hartz with Butch Stoddard as e-mail guru. Nat Pieper, now of Tampa, Florida, was the Class President.

August 11 Main Street

This week's print column from the Coeur d'Alene Press HERE.