Fall Back

Set your clocks back one hour tonight when you go to bed. And while you're at it, don't forget to replace batteries in your smoke detectors!

Frightening Finale`

Halloween night is the last chance to experience the award-winning Post Falls Lions Haunted House. Open from 6 p.m. to midnight and guaranteed to scare your socks off. Post Falls High School senior Brock Sherman along with Chris Harris and Justin Hughes are just some of the spooky characters you'll see inside the house.

Big Monster

Dozens of cute costumed kids trick or treated a day early at Post Falls City Hall Friday afternoon. In the Community Development Department, Harmony Conley poses with a giant Frankenstein monster who awaited the trick or treaters.

Farewell to Frannie

In August I visited with Francis (Frannie) Wilhelm on the occassion of his 97th birthday. Joined by retired City Clerk, Chris Pappas, (also pictured) whom Frannie hired when he served as mayor of Post Falls from 1976 to 1980. It was a fun and festive visit with old friends. A few weeks after his birthday, Frannie became the oldest person to parasail over Lake Coeur d'Alene. He had an incredible and extraordinary life for nearly a century with most of those years spent in Post Falls. His granddaughter, Linda Wilhelm, followed in his footsteps and serves on the Post Falls City Council.

Main Street in Print

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

Team Work

Read why the Post Falls Trojans and Coeur d'Alene Vikings are all cheering on rivals, Lake City Timberwolves tonight in high school football action ... HERE. If Lake City beats Lewiston then all bets are off and the rivalry is back on big time!

Well-Deserved Award!

Marge Chadderdon was named Coeur d'Alene's Citizen of the Year at the Chamber's annual luncheon today. She's a businesswoman, philanthropist, patriot, volunteer and an elected Idaho State Representative. Not to mention the proud mother of Julie, Jan, Jodie and Doug and doting grandma to her exceptional grandchildren. This award couldn't have been more deserved. Congratulations Marge!

Mark your calendar ...

October 29, 2009 ... first measurable snowfall of the season! Email a photo from your neighborhood and I'll post it here.
This photo is from Cynthia Pischner-Raynor's Dalton Gardens garden this morning.

Soup Brigade

Kootenai County Assessor Mike McDowell and (clockwise) staffers Beckie Williams, Jack Christianson, Jan Lindquist and Eileen Hoffman as the annual Soup and Bread Contest wrapped up on Monday. Click on COMMENTS to see list of winners!

Strawberry Sunset

My friend Don Sausser captured another great sunset over Lake Coeur d'Alene from his 10th floor condo in downtown Coeur d'Alene.

Honoring Sgt. Avriett

The Coeur d'Alene Police Department will hold a Service Banner ceremony on Thursday, Oct. 29 to honor Coeur d'Alene Police Officer and USAF Tech Sgt. Shane Avriett, who is currently serving in Iraq. The public is invited, 4:30 p.m. at 3818 Schreiber Way.

Perfect Day for Soup

As the rain poured down and the cold winds blew on Monday, the Kootenai County Administration Building meeting rooms were a sea of crock pots filled with 43 homemade entries in the 9th Annual Soup and Bread Contest. Hosted by the Assessor's office, the popular event drew nearly 200 people who happily forked over five bucks each to sample the entries. My favorite, the Southwestern White Chicken Chili, is pictured here. But the best part of the event is that the proceeds are used by the Assessor's department to provide several holiday baskets to randomly-drawn recipients of the Circuit Breaker* program. Kudos to the great cooks from all of the county's departments who participated and to Mike McDowell's staff who make it all happen. *low-income taxpayers who are 65 and older, disabled or widowed.

Get Out! North Idaho

Patrick Jacobs has a great list of places to go for the Halloween holiday HERE.

Cast of Curse

High school students/actors in the Curse of Pirates Island haunted adventure at the Kootenai County Fairgrounds take a break from the action. Pictured (l-r) Michaela Allen and Zina Maek-Lakeland High School and Elizabeth Stadley, Cameron Crandall, Elizabeth Gleixner and Alyssa Kimm of Coeur d'Alene Charter Academy. The show runs through Halloween.

Flu Season

Beginning Monday, Kootenai Medical Center will expand its recently-tightened visitor policy to all patient care areas. The expanded policy is intended to help stop the spread of flu to patients. The change is expected to remain in effect during the heightened portion of the flu season.New patient protections:*Children under the age of 18 will not allowed to visit any patient care areas.*Adults with coughs, colds, fevers and other flu-like symptoms will not be allowed to visit patient care areas*Adult visitors must be immediate family members and must register at the nurse’s desk before entering a patient’s room.Guidelines on flu care can be found HERE.

Bus Parade

Big yellow busses head down Poleline Avenue in Post Falls at the end of the school day, dropping off their charges along the way. October 18-23 is National School Bus Driver Appreciation Week.

Let the Screams Begin!

The Post Falls Lions Haunted House opens Thursday, Oct. 22 and runs through Halloween. Nightmare on 4th Street is the grand daddy of local haunted houses, operated for nearly four decades by volunteers and benefitting local scholarships and sight and hearing programs.

Spare shovel?

My buddy Bob Driscoll, of the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare, is the best connected guy I know. He shares information with probably thousands of people in the community and I'm glad to be one of those people. This notice from Bob in the in-box yesterday caught my eye, "If you have an extra shovel, know about an extra shovel, have friends who have an extra shovel, please consider donating them to the homeless. For some, this will be a major source of income. What kind of shovel? I was told that if it looks like a shovel it's a shovel, whether for snow, trenching, coaling, or etc. etc."
All donations can be taken to Fresh Start at 1524 East Sherman, Coeur d'Alene. *photo of Bob from the Idaho National Guard "Boss Lift" this summer.

Main Street in Print

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

Cat Walkers Wanted

No, this isn't a call to take Tabby for a stroll on a leash, it's the more glamorous kind of walking. The Kootenai Health Festival of Trees is coming up the end of next month and auditions for fashion show models, both men and women, over the age of 18 are on Sunday, November 1. Check the link HERE for details.