creating a sense of community a passion and a philosophy · a passion and a philosophy bruce first...

vinyl flooring, shower curtains, etc., because soft vinyl continuously out-gasses into the air forever, and because the manufacturing and disposal of vinyl and PVC is very unhealthy as well. “What studies have de-termined recently, world-wide, is that we’re finding PVC molecules in fish living in the deepest depths of the ocean… in high con-centrations in the breast milk of European women… and even more so in American women. It should be outlawed immediately. Even the disposal of discarded PVC products is a problem. We’re finding PVC molecules leaching out of landfills. We’ve been using it for 50 to 60 years in buildings that are now being torn down, creating huge problems with PVC waste. To me, Poly Vinyl Chloride is worse than asbestos… close to nuclear… that’s my instinct from what I’ve read.” Fortunately, due to market demand,

we now have many people-friendly, and earth-friendly alternative building materials available to us, including low VOC paints, he tells me.

Creating a Sense of Community

A good example of sustainable architec-ture designed to help enhance a sense of commu-nity is Park Cottages, an award-winning, sixteen-unit project that Bruce designed for Sandpoint City Councilman Steve Lockwood, located in Sandpoint, next to Hickory Park. Although the project is designed using “intelligent” materials… and the main living ar-eas and windows of the units are oriented to take advantage of the sun, especially in winter, when the maximum possible light plays an important role in chasing the winter blues away, and in-cludes such features as in-floor radiant hot-water heating, it is also designed with the intention of fostering an enhanced sense of community. According to Bruce, “A community is more than just buildings. It’s people. The prem-ise here is to build small units arranged in a way to create a sense of community by creating places of communication... of contact. “So much of American design today de-feats the concept of community, because it iso-lates people from people. If you drive around Sandpoint you’ll see this. The older buildings have nice porches that face the street. But, with most new housing in this town, you’ll see two and three-car garages facing the street, and a four-foot-wide porch that’s set back. You can’t find the door. “What does that say to a community? ‘I don’t care about you. We don’t relate to each oth-er. We only relate internally to ourselves.’ You’ve got to get through the security system, the barking dogs, and the fear of terrorism to get in the door. In a sense, that’s where America has taken itself since WWII. It’s put itself in isolation because of

the automobile maybe… and because of design-ers and builders not thinking community. “So, the whole premise of this proj-ect—one of the main reasons Steve is develop-ing it—is to make an example of community and what could happen.”

A Passion and a Philosophy Bruce first arrived in Sandpoint some 20 years ago, drawn to the region by an ad in the back of a macrobiotics magazine called East West Journal, and a desire to leave urban Philadelphia for a community with clean water, clean air and an elevation higher than the population. “I screwed up on that one,” he says, “But at least I came close.” “I’ve always wanted to do buildings that are more congruent with my life at home. I am very lucky now to be here, and working in a straw-bale studio, doing work that is as intel-ligent and green as I can get it.” Amen to that.

Bruce Eugene Millard is President of the NorthwestEcoBuilding Guild: www.ecobuilding.orgFor more information on his work, contact info or other resources, you can visit Bruce’s website at: www.bemarchitect.com

home sweet home

31

Continued from Page 29

Today, Sam’s dream of building a righteous “ski hill” in Kimberley is reality. North Star has become a world-class ski resort, employ-ing more than 500 people, and attracting skiers from the world over. Sam stayed on as resort manager until 1963, when the founders of a brand new ski resort under construction above the sleepy little logging town of Sandpoint, Idaho approached him. The challenge was more than Sam could resist. Off to Idaho he and Elsa went. Upon arrival, he found that the road up to the resort had been completed, and construction of the Riblet chairlift underway, but there was still a lodge to be built, parking concerns to be dealt with and downhill ski runs to be laid out and cleared before there could be any hope of reaching the resort’s goal of a Thanksgiving Day grand opening. “We had to go like hell to make it happen,” Sam says.

As regards the naming of Schweitzer Moun-tain Resort, Sam states that although he had not yet heard the story of Ellie Farmin and her bizarre encounter with the hermit Schweitzer (after whom both Schweitzer Creek and Sch-weitzer Basin were named), he thought that

Schweitzer was a fitting name since it was syn-onymous with “Swiss.”

Sam managed the resort for the next 14 years, see-ing much growth and many changes, before finally leaving in 1977. After Schweitzer, Sam continued to turn his love of skiing into a paycheck, building ski lifts in such diverse locations as Washington, Oregon, Virginia, British Columbia and Alaska. In 1980, Sandpoint’s Selkirk Press published his book, “The Ski Race”, a fascinating look at the evolution of skiing from the Bronze Age to mod-ern times, with a focus on the history of ski resorts in the Columbia River Basin.

Today, Sam still spends much of his time on the snow-covered slopes of Schweitzer Basin, train-ing his beautiful Czechoslovakian shepherd Astra, a search and rescue dog adept at locating victims of both avalanche and drowning. He has also been featured in numerous Canadian Broadcasting Company TV specials, and last year saw him in Holland, looking fit, trim and youthful as ever in his WWII uniform, exuberantly marching at the front of a parade celebrating the Dutch liberation from Nazi Germany by allied troops.

So, if you see Sam around town, be sure to stop

and say hello. He is always ready for some con-versation and has a wealth of fascinating infor-mation to share on the world of skiing, and life in general.

To sum up Sam’s love of skiing, I cannot resist quoting a comment I recently overhead him make while enjoying a cup of brew and conver-sation with a beautiful young lady on the patio at Monarch Mountain Coffee: “Skiing—it’s better than sex.”

*************************************NILM Correction

In the article that appeared in our spring issue on how Schweitzer Mountain Resort got its name, the author incorrectly identified the resort’s first manager as Sam Worthington. The correct spell-ing of Sam’s last name is Wormington (see our article on Sam in this issue). Dr. Fowler’s pri-mary partner in the founding of the resort (and the architect who designed the first lodge) was also misidentified as “Jerry” Groesbeck. His correct first name is Grant. The author’s apolo-gies to you both. - Robert Easton

Sandpoint area residents take a special pride in knowing that Coldwater Creek’s world headquar-ters is right in their midst. In fact, this catalog-turned-retail mogul was born and raised here, and went on to make it big. Starting with mainly women’s apparel, it’s branched into jewelry, accessories and gifts. “I like their jewelry,” said customer Randy Bews. “It’s classy, but it’s hippie-classy. It’s got that earthy feel to it. A lot of stones, a lot of natural woods and leather. I like to think of it as Bohemian bling-bling.” Coldwater Creek’s success has been mete-oric. Starting out as a mail-order company in 1984, “The Creek” was operated out of the home of found-

ers Dennis and Ann Pence. A short four years later they opened their first retail outlet on the Cedar Street Bridge; and, as the pub-lic went crazy for their products, in 1995 they leased the entire build-ing’s 15,000 square feet. Straddling Sand Creek made Coldwater the only retail store in America to reside on a bridge. After conquering the Cedar Street Bridge, the company set out to conquer the country; it now boasts locations in 48 states. But with growth, comes change. After 22 years of near constant expansion, Coldwater’s flagship store has moved across the street. For several months, major renovations to the beautiful, old brick building on Sandpoint’s historic

First Avenue blocked traffic in one lane. Cranes were brought in to lower steel girders and other building supplies through the roof, and a steady stream of workers labored constantly to totally re-make the interior. A slightly smaller space than the almost cavernous Cedar Street Bridge, Coldwater’s new hometown location totals 9,300 square feet and includes an upstairs wine bar. “We thought it was an appropri-ate time to move into a store that repre-sented more closely what we’re doing across the country, while still keep-ing the amenities and attributes we’re known for here in Sandpoint,” said David Gunter, Divisional Vice Presi-

dent of Corporate Communications & Investor Rela-tions. “The bridge was a great home for us for a lot of years, but at this point in our evolu-tion, it’s much more space than we need. I think folks are really going to like the new location.” That evolution got a jump start when Cold-water Creek’s management found the retail stores were incredibly popular. Taking the hint, they shifted the company’s focus from catalog- and Internet-based sales to building a major retail chain. Although cus-tomers can still order from catalogs and the Web site, retail stores are expanding across the United States. “We have approximately 185 stores now and we’ll hit the holiday season at 239 locations,” Gunter says. “In 2006 alone, we’ll add 65 new stores, so that’s a pretty fast growth mode.” That number will more than double in the next few years, with 450 to 500 new stores opening around the nation. Check out the new Coldwater Creek store at 311 First Avenue in Sandpoint. To request a cata-log, call 1-800-510-2808 or go online to www.cold-watercreek.com.

Colossal changes for

Coldwater Creek

Sam Wormington Continued from page 14

32 www.nilifestyle.com

By Sherry Ramsey Photos © AMG

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Bonners Ferry, IDWelcome to Bonners Ferry, Idaho. Nestled in the heart of the beautiful Kootenai Valley - just 30 minutes south of the Ca-nadian border - this quaint, his-toric lumber and farming commu-nity is a favorite destination of visitors and lo-cals alike.Surrounded by old growth forest and abun-dant wildlife, the area is an out-door enthusiast’s dream. From fishing, to hiking, to camping or mountain biking, Bonners Ferry offers the finest in outdoor recre-ation. If you ar-rive in the spring or early summer, when the moun-tain snows melt to feed rushing streams and riv-ers, be sure not to miss a visit to the area’s water-falls, some of the most beautiful in the entire region.

Bonners Ferry, ID

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But, no matter what the season, the whole family will be sure to enjoy the yearound outdoor recreation and old-fashioned down-home hospitality this North Idaho gem offers. For more infor-mation on Bonners Ferry go online to www. BonnersFerry.com

I’m not sure how cold it was outside, but sit-ting in my truck watching the hail hit the wind-shield, I’ll admit I was having second thoughts about my decision. Leaving the warmth of my truck to slip on a wetsuit and brave the wind and the 40 degree water (not to mention the wind chill) seemed like fool’s play. The guy in the ad said he was happy with this wetsuit, said it was “awesome.” He said it handled this type of situation, and even worse. Was I naive for believing him? Was I crazy? Who would go windsurfing in weather like this? Would anyone? Really? Pessimis-tic thoughts were creeping into my head when, suddenly, coming out of the old van parked in front of me were two scuba divers, all suited up and ready to go. At least they’re not scared by the cold, I thought to myself. After talking with them shortly about how our wetsuits were simi-lar and I should be fine, apprehension turned to adrenaline; and, the next thing I knew, I had suited up, rigged my board and sail and was shooting across the lake hooting and hollering to myself, leaving the divers far behind. The next two hours were spent on a solo mission. Nature assaulted me with wind, rain and hail, while I carved, slashed, jumped and basically fought back with everything I had. As I was making my way upwind, I be-came aware that I was being watched. I may have been alone on the water, but a crowd of spectators was growing on shore, each individ-ually framed by their picture windows, cozy in their homes and unaffected by the weather. Then I saw one person braving the elements; walking down her steps toward the water and excitedly waving her hands. I was curious why she was reacting like this, so I sailed over to investigate. To my surprise, it was Jackie, a friend who used to take me sail-ing on her catamaran from the beach at North Idaho College (NIC).

“What are you doing, are you crazy?” she cried out, a sentiment I had shared myself a bit earlier. “Come in for a cup of coffee and warm up,” she said. Her invitation seemed more like a order, so I figured, “What the heck, it’s a good time for a break; and, besides, I haven’t had a chance to see her new house on the lake.” As I sat sipping coffee and convers-ing with Jackie in some spare dry clothes she offered, we enjoyed the view of the lake; white caps on the water and trees swaying heavily in the wind. After a while we realized the wind was dying, so I hurried off to catch the last gusts back to my truck. On the way home, thinking about the day, I real-ized how unique windsurfing in North Idaho is; wherever I sail I find pristine locations, uncrowd-ed waters and warm, friendly people with “that small town vibe.” While it’s true you can windsurf on just about any wa-terway, you’re best served to chase the wind a bit if you want

By: Scott OwebridgeEndless Summer


Photo by miguel lagos kushner www.lakes.cl

I woke up quite early this morning to the wap wap wap of the dog licking my face. Assuming she had to go to the bathroom, I stumbled bleary-eyed, half-na-ked, to the door and pointed, “Go quick.” Instead, she sat at my feet, wagged her tail and pleaded with me to go to college.

“For God’s sake,” I said, shuffling straight back to bed, burying myself in the blankets, my head completely under. “Dumb idea. You’re not going.” She whined, nosing her snout in the sheets, trying to find my face.

I barricaded the covers around my head. “I don’t want to talk about it. I’m sleeping.”

She insisted it was what she wanted. She’d made up her mind to go back to school.

“In case you haven’t noticed. You are a dog.”She pounced on me and left the room.

The quiet was blissful for a minute or two until I re-alized it was too silent. I lifted up the cover to peek. There she was in the corner, chewing on my “Anatomy Of The Psyche” book. “No! Get this ridiculous idea out of your head.” I threw a pillow at her and she dropped the book, tail between her legs and bounded up to lick me again.

I accepted her apologies. “Listen sweetheart.” I pet-ted her beautiful proud chest. “The other students will laugh at you. You won’t be able to keep up. It’s expen-sive and they don’t give student loans to canines.”

She brought forth the concept of going to the junior college: cheap, getting a job: she’d pay for it, and her high self-esteem: who cares who laughed at her.I pressed my forehead to hers. “I think we should stop talking about this now.”

She lay at the end of the bed and let out the biggest world-weary, I’ve-had-a-humongously-stressful-day, the-weight-of-the-world-is-on-my-shoulders, sigh.I fell for it. I got up, noting the clock was an hour ear-lier than a decent wakeup time, and brought her the green bone-shaped cookie she loves. Her eye peeked at it, her tail slightly wagged, as if driven by a separate brain, and she eased sideways, without raising herself and took the treat gently in her mouth.

“See, this is what dogs do.” I smiled and hopped back in bed. Glorious bed! I had one hour left to snooze.She crunched that cookie louder than necessary, mum-bling in between about how she spends her days in the house watching me write, she’s not feeling stimulated, not getting what she wants out of life, wants to try and search for her purpose.

That one got to me. “Your purpose is to be a dog. Man’s best friend. Except in my case, woman’s best friend. That’s it. You accompany me, I take care of you; you give me unconditional love; we’re happy. The End.” I found myself shouting and dropped my voice down a few notches. “Listen. I need sleep. You aren’t going to college. Drop it.”

She did. She dropped the cookie on the floor and let her head droop over the side while she stared at the half-eaten delicacy, willing it to jump back on the bed. Small whines emitted from her throat.

“Very funny.” Realizing it was quite possible my delicious hour wouldn’t be happening, I grabbed a magazine to luxuriously read in bed before the alarm. “Get your bone.”

She jumped off, retrieved her noisy cookie and leaped back up to continue crunching. In that instant, I did feel sorry for her, an intelligent, furry creature wanting to better herself, rise above her station, but relegated to green dye #7 bone-eating. She caught me watching and moved away so I couldn’t observe her cookie-feasting project.

“You’re trying to make me feel guilty.”She grunted.

“We’ll go to the dog park more often.”An ear perked.“I’ll take you for an extra evening w-a-l-k more of-ten.” (I’m smart enough not to say the “walk” word unspelled unless I’m prepared to be run over on the way to the front door.) “I’ll buy premium dog food?”

She lay down flatter.“What do you want me to do? Enroll you in Algebra 1A?”

She turned around and panted with a smile, green crumbs decorating her tongue.

“They’re not even going to believe me.” I threw the magazine down. “Ma’am. My dog here would like to audit Intro to Oceanography. No, she doesn’t re-quire a seat. She’ll just sprawl on the floor.”

She licked my face like mad, scratching me with those green crumbs. I laughed and hugged her back. She cleaned the back of my ear and investigated the rest with loud sniffs.

I held her away from my face. “Where did you get this idea anyway?”

She shyly explained that yesterday, while I took a shower, she saw a cat on a commercial spelling the words on a cat food box. And cats are notoriously dumb. It was humiliating to be a dog and be out-done by a lesser-species feline. She lay between my feet, soulful eyes boring into mine and confessed that she couldn’t even read.

“Oh honey.” I leaned over to hug her. “When are you going to realize you can’t believe everything on TV?”

She humbly licked my foot and I studied those nim-ble paws while making a plan to at least familiarize her with the alphabet.

THE END

IN DOGGED PURSUIT OF HIGHER EDUCATIONA Short Story By Stefanie Freele

to maximize you’re sailing time. You have to educate yourself on which lake will be hit by which direction of wind best. The two most pop-ular local destinations are Coeur d’Alene, and Pend Orielle lakes. When the winds are from the north and east, I head to Sandpoint‘s Lake Pend Oreille. Here you’ll find not only a huge expanse of wa-ter, but a beautiful city beach to sail from. When you’re ready for a lunch break, a short walk up into town will reveal streets lined with fantastic restaurants; or, just stay at the park and bring your own lunch, maybe complimenting it with a soda or an ice cream for dessert from the con-cession stand. Coeur d’Alene is the place for me on the south to west winds. Relaxing on NIC’s beach all day, sailing occasionally and people watching. It reminds me of one of those old surf movies where people just hang out together telling surfing tales and time seems irrelevant. When I’m really feeling that old school vibe, I’ll take my lunch break and ride my long skate-board over to the Shred Shed, the local skate board shop on North West Boulevard, just above the skate park. There I’ll hang out with Tom, the owner, and a good friend of mine. When you stop by the shed, it feels like summer vacation, even if it’s cold and gray out-side. While there, you’re sure to run into some of the talented locals, checking out the latest in skateboard gear; and, after a while, you’re bound to hear some of the tales we all tell, since there’s always spare time in the summer.

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41

Photo by miguel lagos kushner www.lakes.cl

V iewing a Robert Grimes piece is like interacting with a living being; one gets the sense that the viewer is meant to look past their first impression to get at the heart of what it really means. Dissecting a work of art may be instinctual; human beings want to know exactly what the artist is trying to say. This is always difficult, but more so with Robert Grimes. His work is almost dream-like, a surreal landscape of half-images that spur one association just as they call to mind other, totally unrelated reactions. “I use form and figurative elements as a vehicle for further fantasy and imagination – the subject is the color, the composition, the light,” Grimes says. In short, he’s not giving anything away. His method entices the viewer into a collaboration with him, as if we are working together to decide the Meaning of Art. That’s a tall order, and Grimes suggests that, like a dream, meaning can only be found somewhere within the inner-space of individual perception. “Every piece is really a self-contained thing,” he says, “if you are looking for meaning outside of what’s there you may be missing the experience.” If this obscure language is frustrating, it’s because there’s really no way to capture exactly what he’s trying to do in words. It seems to transcend language, or, rather, speak its own. Like a bird’s song, it’s a language we can only half understand. “I would have to be a poet – it’s difficult, I’m so visual,” he says. Despite his claims to the contrary, Grimes is powerfully eloquent when describing his work to the uninitiated; a skill developed, no doubt, after years of providing “clear explanations” about the “significance” of his art. Truly his creations, which are impressionistic and figurative, illogical, illusionary and whimsical, are meant to be suggestive

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Robert GrimesBy: Jenna Bowers

www.nilifestyle.com

Photos on this page by J Vouk

Robert Grimes working in his studio.

Current piece (unnamed) under development, sketch at right

Predella II, 2004 oil on wood 48 x 85 x 9 1/2 inches

43

rather than descriptive. He wants us to draw our own conclusions. Grimes is also an accomplished sculptor. Rendering his dream-scapes in three dimensions, the construction is nearly as impressive as the finished piece. Elaborate figures twist and turn over amorphous structures. They could be ships, scaffolds, balconies or palaces. The figures could be human, animal or pure form. His sculptures are every bit as surreal as his paintings and painstakingly created. He begins with an abstract sketch, which becomes an elaborate drawing. From that he develops the dimensions and proportions that he would like to adhere to. Then the sculpting begins. He uses several methods of creation, though at present wood is his favorite medium. “I’ve become addicted to it – I am truly inspired by the desire to discover what the medium will give me, it’s just so limitless, sometimes the greatest difficulty is that there are too many choices,” Grimes says. At the time of our interview he was working on about 15 pieces, a heavy workload for any artist. “Sometimes I need to take a break from one and work on another; coming back gives me the fresh perspective I need.” He carves shapes out of large planks of bass wood, often slicing into a figure, twisting it around to fit his desired result, then gluing it back together. “Every attempt is a decision, a hypothesis – I never know what the outcome will be, but if it isn’t right, I just cut the part off and keep moving-every piece sets me off in a different direction so I have to keep things going.” He will go through many involved stages – relief, carving and painting – before a piece is complete, usually a month or more of work. “When I finish it better have an exuberance, it has to really affect me before I can quit, it has to look vital.” Though Grimes has been an artist for his entire life, it only recently became his profession. He’s been an auto mechanic, teacher and jeweler – experiences that have contributed greatly to his incredible work ethic and meticulous attention to detail. Even now, with so much recognition, one gets the feeling that Grimes doesn’t see his artistic life as a “job”. He, like his work, exudes an exuberance and enthusiasm only found in those who have meshed “work”, and “life” with “purpose”. He seems humbly in awe of his success, because, for him, art has always been such an integral part of his being. “I am in a realm where I use art as an adventure, and I never know where it will take me.”

Robert Grimes now has shows regularly around the region, with a big opening coming up in August at The Art Spirit Gallery’s Second Friday Art Walk. (August 11 – September 2, 2006) The Art Spirit Gallery, 208-765-6006, 415 Sherman Avenue, Coeur d’Alene, ID 83814

Photos on this page by J Vouk

Photos on this page are compliments of The Art Spirit Gallery

The Return, 2003 oil on carved wood84 x 31 x 13 inches

Three Chairs, 2003oil on canvas48 x 96 inches

Predella II, 2004 oil on wood 48 x 85 x 9 1/2 inches

Daphney, 2005oil on canvas36 x 48 inches

Dorian, 2005oil on wood construction 12 x 5 x 8 inches

Hero, 2004oil on wood construction12 x 6 x 8 inches

Red Goddess, 1980oil on cast sawdust and glue release

Not Juliet’s Balcony, 2004oil on wood84 x 30 x 16 inches

Spud’s Rotisserie and Grill

Spud’s Rotisserie and Grill is located in the heart of downtown, serving lunch and dinner. The restaurant specializes in American Regional Cuisine featur-ing all-natural steaks, fresh seafood, and rotisserie meats. Dinner also has a particular focus on Pacific Rim fla-vors. Located over the water and ma-rina, Spud’s has a large, colorful out-side deck, a street side patio, beer and wine and a period yacht club motif. A fantastic spot for a bit of lunch or a romantic dinner. 102 N. First Avenue, Sandpoint (208) 265-4311.

Power House Grill

Located in the historic Old Powerhouse at the Sandpoint Marina, enjoy wa-terfront dining inside or out with pan-oramic views of the Selkirk Mountains and the Sandpoint waterfront. Featur-ing Modern American Cuisine, including BBQ Ribs, Prime Rib, Fire Grilled Burg-ers and Steaks and Fresh Seafood. A full Bar with 4 large plasma screens and an extensive appetizer menu. Open at 11 a.m. seven days a week. 120 E. Lake Street, Sandpoint (208) 265-2449.

Dining on Sand CreekBy: Jeremy Holzapfel Photos By Jessica Vouk

Dining on Sand Creek

A s the seasons change and weather heats up, there is nothing more enjoyable than sitting waterside sipping a refreshing cocktail and enjoying a meal from one of the many amazing restaurants along Sand Creek in Sandpoint, Idaho. With summer under way the decks are set and the umbrellas are

up, creating a small piece of paradise for boaters and land-lovers alike. Starting at the Old Powerhouse and going north all the way to the Cedar Street Bridge you will find a vast array of flavors to satisfy your cravings. Most of the restaurants in this section are along the public mooring or at the Sandpoint Marina for easy access from land or water. So enjoy the tour and don’t waste another minute away from the water.

Cafe Trinity

Located in the Old Lantern District, next to Starbucks, Trinity features Southern Inspired Cuisine, along with steaks and fresh seafood. The dining room is beautifully decorated in French Louisiana style. As for the food, Chef Gabriel and his staff create dishes with the perfect combination of spice, flavor and texture. Serving lunch and din-ner daily. Beer and wine. Deck seat-ing available. Exhibition kitchen. Live music Friday and Saturday evenings. Catering available. 116 N. First Ave-nue, Sandpoint (208) 255-7558.


The Sand Creek Grill

This restaurant offers you fantastic views, romantic ambience, an extensive wine list and an incredibly delicious menu of Pacific Northwest fare. If you are planning a trip to Sandpoint, call ahead for dinner reservations and check out The Inn at Sand Creek for a roman-tic suite to make it a perfect weekend. Serving dinner from 5 p.m. till closing on Wednesday through Sunday, with a fabulous Sunday brunch from 10 a.m. till 1 p.m. 105 S. First Ave. Sandpoint (208) 255-5736. www.innatsandcreek.com.

MickDuff’s Brewing Company

FC Weskil’s

FC Weskil’s is a cute little European-style coffee shop. They are always serv-ing homemade fresh baked pastries, delicious soups, sandwiches, salads and desserts. A perfect stop for a cup of coffee and a snack before any show at the the Historic Panida Theater. FC Weskil’s also has a full espresso and smoothie bar. Open from dawn till des-sert. 300 N First Avenue, Sandpoint (208) 263-6957.

Downtown Crossing

Check out the fantastic cocktails and wonderful food at one of Sandpoint’s new-est restaurants. They are open at 4 p.m. daily, bringing you fresh, made-from-scratch cuisine and (seriously) the best martinis in town! They offer happy hour specials from 4 to 7 Tuesday through Saturday on appetizers and drinks. A wide variety of live music is happening almost every day of the week. Enjoy a seat on their comfy leather couches and, especially, enjoy the fresh air on the pa-tio above Sand Creek. 206 N. First Av-enue, Sandpoint (208) 265-5080.

Arlo’s Ristorante

Enjoy New York-style Italian cuisine at this restaurant that also offers an ex-tensive wine list to complement your meal. They are open Monday through Saturday for lunch and dinner; closed on Sunday. 330 N. First Avenue, Sand-point (208) 255-4186.

MickDuff’s is Sanpoint’s only brewpub that brews its own beer. Stop in and enjoy one of their fine, handcrafted ales in a family dining atmosphere. From their variety of fruity blondes to their seasonal porter to their unique brewed root beer, MickDuff’s offers a fresh brew for all tastes. The menu is packed with toasted sandwiches, hearty soups, gourmet hamburgers, individual piz-zas and much more. 312 N. First Av-enue Sandpoint Phone: (208) 255-4351 www.Mickduffs.com.

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The whole idea of an open mic night is risky. The concept is that anyone – and I do mean anyone – is welcome to share anything from a poem to a drum solo with the audience. The only prerequisite is that you be able to get your name written on the performance list; simply a matter of talking to the master of ceremonies. It’s risky, but if you pull it off it can be one of the most fulfilling artistic experi-ences you’ll ever have. Lucky for us, in Sand-point we’ve got a bona fide, grade “A” open mic that does work, every Wednesday night at the Downtown Crossing on First Avenue. Like any good open mic, it’s an ar-tistic buffet. No one wants to sit all night and hear the same type of poetry or the same type of music; you’ve got to have diversity. But, like any buffet, you can come out feeling like: A.) you’ve eaten too much, B.) you’ve eaten something that didn’t agree with you or C.) you want more of a particular dish. I’ve heard vocal soloists with and without accompaniment, singer/songwriter style performances, soothing poetry, abrasive spoken-word, prose, bass guitar solos, electric guitar solos, well-rehearsed collaborations,

spur-of-the-moment covers, somebody’s kids banging on the drum set, songs so long that I left out of boredom, songs so good that I was sad the artist wasn’t playing to a sold-out sta-dium and songs so bad that for the next week I told everyone I talked to just how bad they were. When you’ve got that kind of vari-ety, you’re guaranteed that people will stick

around; just waiting for what comes next. Downtown Crossing’s Open Mic Night has plenty of top-notch acts, and they keep me – and dozens of others – coming back week after week. One of my favorites is singer/song-writer Josh Hedlund, who, under the cryp-

tic “band” name Adam Needs More, plays

the acoustic guitar, tuned down to give the whole thing a mellower-than-normal timbre. He plays with a glorious simplic-ity that immediately catches your ear. When he sings, the magic really starts: his voice is throaty and round with a unique sound. It’s slightly reminiscent Owen Ashworth of Casiotone For the Painful-ly Alone, though Casiotone lacks Hedlund’s acoustical warmth. He’s got a MySpace account (www.myspace.com/adamneedsmore) where you can hear a few of his tunes, but Josh admits to be-ing frustrated with their re-cording quality. When I asked about future recording plans, he said he had to make a de-cision earlier this year about whether to buy a P.A. or recording time; he opted for the P.A.,

but plans to be ready to go into the studio late summer or early fall and focus on capturing the essence of his live music. You can catch Josh pretty regularly at the Pend d’Oreille Winery on Cedar Street and the Downtown Crossing’s Open Mic Night each Wednesday around 9 p.m. Now’s the time to catch up with him, before he gets really, really popular. Another Open Mic Night “find” is Brian Hibbard. Born in New York and hailing from Pennsylvania by way of Boston, Brian and his wife, Loni, moved here a couple years ago to open the Downtown Crossing. Still twenty-somethings themselves and art lovers both, a big part of their strategy was to make live music an every-night institution. They’ve accomplished that, build-ing a clientele of musicians and music-lov-ers with bona fide live acts like Sandpoint’s Inbred Goat Ropers and Couer d’Alene’s Melefluent. At the center of the jams (both the Open Mic Night and Open Music Labo-ratory on Thursday nights), Brian holds the anchor on keyboard, piano or drums. With a Master’s Degree in percus-sion, Brian’s one of the most technically-skilled musicians in town; and, as anyone who’s played with him can attest, his talent and amiable personality make for a fantastic playing and listening experience. More recently, Brian has been playing with a new band called Tennis (with Craig Baldwin on bass, Jeremy Kleinsmith on drums), and their originals really cook. Another open mic staple – which means that when they’re announced as the next act, the crowd buzzes with anticipation – Tennis can rock anything from Young MC’s “Bust a Move” to Radiohead’s “My Iron Lung”.

Tennis manages to have a great time playing fun music without getting caught up into the virtuosic vortex that has claimed so many great musicians.

I’ve seen them take the stage at 12:30 a.m. (the fifth or sixth band to play that

night) and watch an exhausted crowd find its second wind to dance through the whole set. Look for these guys, they’re sure

By: Justin Landis Photos By: J. Vouk

Tennis in rare form at the DTC..

Josh Hedlund shares a selection.


to be popping up all over town. Right now, catch them on Wednesday and Thursday nights at The Downtown Crossing. This isn’t to say that all Open Mic Night acts are musically-oriented; artists like Jenna Bowers lead the vanguard of lo-cal performance poetry. With sensual slam-style poetry that ranges in subject matter from sex to travel to personal fulfillment, Jenna commands the crowd’s total attention whenever she’s on stage. The organizer of both Open Mic Night-inspired “Behind the Mic” variety shows at the Panida (held in June and De-cember of 2005), Jenna is actually a relative newcomer to public performance. After tak-

JULES! performing spoken word at the DTC.

Jenna Bowers sharing her flavor of poetry.

Continued on Page 54

Rock radio has found a home in North Idaho at KTPO 106.7 “The Point”. Dylan Benefield, general manager of Blue Sky Broadcasting, and Richard Voit, Jr., also of Blue Sky, have teamed up to bring a new sound to the north country. KTPO will be a live and local station covering community events. “It’s going to be a classic rock station from the 60’s on up,” Voit says. “We’ll be unique because we’ll not only play hits, but other songs on the album as well.” But how does a radio station come to be? The FCC (Federal Communications Commission) periodically holds online auctions for radio station frequencies in different cities across the United States. It’s strictly governed and bidders jump through high hoops to participate. “Nobody can fathom how stringent it is,” Benefield says. “They do it from time to time to generate money and it brings in millions of dollars.” In fact, this auction was the first of its kind and brought in over $146,000,000. One of the allotments or stations offered was for Kootenai, Idaho. “Somehow we were going to try and get this new station,” he says. “The auction was froze in 1998 which gave me time to build a game plan as to how we were going to get it. Rich and I hooked up and made a partnership to go after this allotment.” Before they could apply to join in the bidding, they had to develop a company, and came up with Hellroaring Communications. Oddly enough, they ended up bidding against the Calvary Chapel in Sandpoint. “They probably thought we were devil worshipers with a name like Hellroaring Communications,” Voit says. The name actually came from a popular recreation area near Pack River. Years ago, during catastrophic wildfires, locals nicknamed it Hellroaring. A base price was set for each allotment that could range from $20,000 on up to hundreds of thousands of dollars,

depending on the population of the area. This had to be wired into the FCC account before the bidding started. Not wanting the big conglomerates to buy up all of the stations, the FCC came up with bidding credits to give the little guy a chance. “We qualified for the no ownership bidding credit since neither of us had ownership in broadcasting,” Benefield says. “So we knew going into it that we’d get a 35 percent credit on the total amount we’d have to pay, which is huge.” The bidding started in November 2004, and out of 456 bidders, 54 of them were shooting for the Kootenai allotment. “A guy out of Walla Walla took us to the very end,” Benefield says. “But we knew he didn’t have the bidding credit and we did.” In the most intense two weeks of their lives, Benefield and Voit sat in front of their computers with over $100,000 on the line, constantly trying to judge how much to bid the next round. They watched as one bidder after another dropped out. “We made it through 38 rounds, and won at well over $200 thousand,” Benefield said. That credit gave the duo almost $90,000 of extra bargaining power. “We were ecstatic,” Voit says. “It was down to the wire with us. We were at our limit and then some. But with the credit we were able to compete with some big dogs, and get some real cash out there.”

Hellroaring Communications now owns KTPO, but the win of the auction only got them one thing – a license. They still had to come up with a station, tower and all the necessary equipment. From the time the FCC issued the permit, Benefield and Voit had three years to get it up and running, or lose it. With heavy ties to Blue Sky Broadcasting, they had the advantage of a ready-made studio. They’ll co-locate on a tower on Gold Hill, south of the Long Bridge. “KTPO will sign a joint sales agreement with Blue Sky Broadcasting to manage the station; traffic, accounting, production, as well as sales,” Benefield says. “At the onset we’ll use one of their studios.” Voit and Benefield plan to be on the air by the Fourth of July, barring any complications. “This signal will go to north Kootenai County, Sandpoint, Bonners Ferry and up the Priest River valley. We’re hoping to make it as far as Priest Lake, but this is the first time we’ve run anything off of Gold Hill so we’ll be very interested to see how the coverage is,” Benefield says. You may be surprised just how affordable it is to advertise through radio. The base price is $7 dollars for a 30 second slot, and $11 for a 60 second slot. For more information about advertising on the radio with KTPO, call 208-263-2179 or check out their website at www.1067thepoint.com.

KTPOBringing Rock to North Idaho!

A Behind the Scenes Look at the Birth of a New Station


From the beaches of southern California to the mountains of central Idaho - and now perpetually touring the western states and beyond - Frame Of Mind is a band not to

be missed. More than just a band, Frame Of Mind is a concept, whose very limits can-not be defined. FOM serves up an original blend of Newjam-Rock, infusing elements from a wide variety of styles including: funk, rock, reggae, Latin, fusion, psychedelic, blues and more. Their distinctive blend makes for a dynamic, danceable live music experi-ence. Interweaving epic songwriting with improvisational exploration, catchy melodies with complex rhythms and thoughtful lyrics with skilled instrumenta-tion, FOM’s eclectic sound shines through in the extended musical excursions and percussion breakdowns that highlight not only their live show, but the very essence of live music.

Known for their ongoing and highly successful western states tour -- playing more than 250 shows a year for the past five years -- FOM is quickly climbing the list of must-see, modern day traveling rock bands. In order to accommodate a wider range of venues, Frame Of Mind travels

with an acoustic and an electric set-up. In smaller, more intimate, settings the acoustic set is still a high energy performance in a more relaxed atmosphere. The electric set-up is perfect for larger venues and festivals, and is in high demand.

Drawing on their love of travel, meeting new people, seeing new places and a fierce dedication to music, FOM has seen much success in the past and is all but guaranteed to stand the test of time.

Inspired by legends like The Grateful Dead, The Allman Broth-

ers, Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, Pink Floyd and Bob Marley, these guys jam in the classic styles of old. For tour dates and more on the band go online: www.frameofmindlive.com.

Frame Of MindJosh Scott - Vocals, Keyboards, Harmonica, Flute, Tenor and Alto Saxophones, Percussion and Acoustic Guitar.Obie Scott - Vocals, Lead and Rhythm Guitars, Bass and Percussion.Nimai Pickup - Vocals, Bass, Guitar and Percus-sion.Ryan Russell - Vocals, Drums and Percussion.

Josh Scott jammin’ acoustic at Eichardts’.

Nimai on the Bass at Synergy.

Josh on the Harmonica.

Ryan pounding the drums at Synergy.

Photos by: Chris Guibert

By: Frame Of Mind and Jeremy Holzapfel

49

The Coeur d’Alene Jazz Festival has been resurrected. This jazz festival was an insti-tution to the residents of Coeur d’Alene in the 1980s. The festival went through several homes year after year inside Coeur d’Alene, and after years of venue instability the festi-val coordinators of the time decided to take a break and in 1989 after the last festival it was put into hibernation.

Today, Carmine Conti, Chris Martin, Jason Schroeder, and Terry Orr of The Gem City Group have taken the reigns of this mighty sleeping giant and they are bringing it back, albeit with a few changes. To start with the name has evolved into Coeur d’ Jazz, or the “Heart of Jazz”. The event will also boast a new, larger location; this year, and in the years to come, Coeur d’ Jazz will be held at the Greyhound Park & Event Center in Post Falls. “Why, “you may ask,” is Coeur d’Jazz being held in Post Falls?” The answer comes down to two basic reasons: The first factor is the shear magnitude of the expected atten-dance. There are not any venues in CDA large enough to hold such an event anymore. The next factor is parking, which also refers back to the first issue. With the Greyhound Park comes a unique bonus: the ability to have a large outside stage as well as inside stage per-formances.

As you know, in August, it can be a bit un-bearable out in the heat all day; this venue allows attendants to relax in a temperature-controlled environment while they enjoy refreshments and meals from many of the area’s fine restaurants; including the White House Grill, Joey’s Smokin’ BBQ, La Cabana / La Cocina, Fugazzi, Luigi’s, as well local as wineries, and breweries, and also spirits from Hood River Distillers. This year’s jazz festi-val will truly live up to its name, “The Festi-val of Spirits”. With performances from many world-renowned jazz musicians, Tom Scott,

and using events such as the Winter Fantasy Ball, in Spokane; the Festival at Sandpoint; Jazzfest, in Coeur d’Alene; and The Win-throp Blues Festival, and numerous other events that I have participated in, led me to believe that it was time to make this cock-tail party a ‘Celebration of Spirits: music, art, drinks, cigars, and a epicurean array that only would be marveled t by the likes of a Parisian Art Gallery Opening. A little jazz, a little wine, a little epicurean delight, an after-dessert smoke, and a snifter of brandy, then step back and let your eyes and ears celebrate art, and music.

Jeez I have had worse days, and paid more money to have’em.

So where is there such a thing this side of Paris, Rome, New York or Seattle? Look no farther than The Greyhound Park & Event Center, located at the State Line (between Washington & Idaho). This is a world-class facility, and when I’m done making it an art gallery, music venue, wine tasting, epicu-rean hospitality, you’re never gonna’ want to miss a moment of it.

I grew up in a small but entertaining com-munity (Laguna Beach, California) where art and music were always top priority year round, and we’re now watching a art and music’s sterilization. Culture is based off what we interject into our communities, and art and music have become second to land developments, golf courses and health spa’s. Well, I’d like a nice house on a golf course, with a spa, but I’d also like to fill that house with music, art, some good food, a wine cellar and a humidor.

Build your own dream if you will, but mu-sic and art must be present, or you just have a sterile environment with some fancy toys to accent your surroundings.

Inside Stage and Seaing @ The Greyhound Park

Top center and right: Concessions area : Food, Wine , Cocktails @The Greyhound Park

August 19th & 20thCoeur d’ Jazz Festival

Diane Schuur, Voice Trek and Tom Grant as well as locals and up-and-coming national tal-ents. Throw in an Art Gallery, courtesy of The CD’A Art Association, and you have the area’s largest gallery of music and arts. Coeur d’Jazz looks to be a great weekend for all ages.

Great food, great music, great art and beverages are a perfect combination for all jazz fans.

For information on tickets and performances call 1-888-GEM CITY or go online to www. coeurdjazz.com.

A personal note on Coeur d’Jazz from Festival producer Carmine Conti:

Conceptually, I wanted to throw the Inland Empire’s biggest cocktail party, but I decided that my friends wouldn’t be apt to just havin’ a few drinks and chit chattin’. This wouldn’t be enough fun to pencil me in for the afternoon. So I remembered that a lot of my acquain-tances over the years knew me as a visionary,


As a not-for-profit organization, “Coeur d’ Jazz” (Heart of Jazz) will donate all proceeds from this festival, and many years of fes-tivals to come, towards the arts, performing ands non-performing as well. Schools need our help (sure, you heard that one before), but not for a new gym or soccer field. The Idaho High School Activities Association and the Washington High School Activi-ties Association support all High School Activities, not just the “Milk Bowls” that feed High School Athletics. This is way more than Chapter 9 my friends, it’s the whole book, and it does feed all activities. So when you support the arts, you are supporting a cast of potential composers, and artists, wine makers, epicurean purveyors and potential farmers.

Now you have the idea of what the biggest cocktail party might provide in the way of entertainment, education and support; my question to you is “Why haven’t you made reservations for this year’s casual, but formal, Coeur d’ Jazz, ‘A Celebration of Spir-its’?”

As producer of Coeur d’ Jazz, I welcome any insights and sugges-tions that benefit the well being of music & art, and any activities that will help make this truly a Celebration of Spirits.

Thank you for your years of support, and I hope I can make this an event you’ll cherish as much as I cherish those who support the arts. www.coeurdjazz.com

Always, Carmine M. Conti

The ourdoor stage on the grass infield at The Greyhound Park

51

“Sandpoint, Idaho is way over due for a film festival.”

Many will agree, and for the first time in our burgeoning little mountain village, filmmakers and appreciators will gather together to celebrate the magic of the mov-ies, at the first annual Idaho Pan-handle International Film Festival (IPIFF).

Father and son team Fred and Trevor Greenfield are the conceptualizers and actualizers of this incredible endeavor. It is evident within five minutes of con-versation with the excited duo that the motivation behind the undertaking lies within their passion for film. Both are themselves filmmakers, and have been on the submission side of many festi-vals. There are upwards of 2500 in the United States, and they have experi-enced the good, the bad, and the ugly faces of many of them. They are ada-mant about the fact that the filmmakers and their art will be of the up most pri-ority, treated with respect and apprecia-tion. They are looking first and foremost for quality storytelling, directing, and acting, and place far less importance on works that depend on special effects, budget level, or star power to carry the film. They are confident that films that feature cinematic skills, story, and in-trigue will capture their audience, and

are worthy of a chance to be screened at the IPIFF. The Greenfields have chosen Sand-point for its incredibly supportive and progressive population, as well as its fantastically situated location. The natural beauty, along with the way of life that celebrates and promotes the arts, makes Sandpoint an ideal place to begin what the Greenfields hope to be an annual or even bi-annual event for many years to come. They are thrilled by the reception they have had so far, and are ultimately committed to putting on a high quality show that the whole town will benefit from.

Response from the film making com-munity has been encouraging as well. Since they opened up their online sub-mission a few days before our meet-ing, they had already received dozens of entries, and were especially excited about the international and regional re-

plies. They are looking forward to showcasing as much local talent as possible, with the hopes of raising the profiles and exposure of prom-ising producers, directors, writers, and actors.

The IPIFF will take place in the heart of Sandpoint, at the historic Panida Theater, August 24-26, With an encore showing on the

27th featuring the award winning films at “the best of the festival”. There will be 30+ hours of outstanding indepen-dent cinematic entertainment, most of which has never been seen before and may never be shown again in any the-ater. A wide variety of genres will be shown, mostly in the PG 13 range with “spicier” material shown later in the evenings. There are 400 3 day passes available, and with so much enthusiasm building, they are anticipating selling out quickly. Pend d’Oreille Winery and Laughing Dog Brewery will be pouring beverages at the event.

Sandpoint is sure to be bustling with excitement during the IPIFF, with peo-ple joining us from around the world to be captivated and enchanted by the illu-sion, power, and charm of film. To learn more, contact the Greenfields, or make a submission, go to www.ipiff.com.

See you at the movies!


By Jenna Bowers

Phone: 208-255-7801 • e-mail: [email protected] • website: panida.org

May 25, 26 & 27; 7:30 pm…………..…. “Sophie Scholl: The Final Days” German film & winner of the German audience award for best film of 2005, Global Cinema Café series

June 1, 2 & 3; 7:30 pm...….. “The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada” Tommy Lee Jones Cannes Best Actor award Global Cinema Café film series

June 4; 7:00 pm………..………..……….Curtis Salgado Blues Concert Benefit for Salgado’s medical fund

June 8; 6:00 pm………………… Sandpoint High School Choir’s Annual “Spring Fling” Concert

June 9 & 10; 7:30 pm……………….……….. “Tsotsi,” South African film Best Foreign Film Oscar Global Cinema Café series

June 11; 7:00 pm……..……..….........…………………… “Arabian Nights” Studio One’s annual dance performance

June 16; 7:00 pm....................................................…“Danceworks 2006” Annual spring dance performance, Danceworks

June 17; 6:00 pm……….… “The Visibility Project of the 911 Truth” with Speaker Webster Tarpley

June 22 & 23; 7:30 pm…….........…..………….… “L’Enfant” (“The Child”) Palme d’Or winner at Cannes, French language film Global Cinema Café series

June 24; 7:30 pm……….…… “Jazzy Cabaret,” Diva Night at the Panida fundraiser for Cancer Care & Angels Over Sandpoint

June 29, 30 & July 1; 7:30 pm…….......…….…….. “Thank You for Smoking” Global Cinema Café film series

July 3; 7:00 pm………............… “A Spiritual Heritage Tour of the US Capitol” Greater Sandpoint Crusade for Christ, Inc., free

July 7, 8, 14 & 15……..........….. “The Laramie Project” in the Little Theater Presented by The Looking Glass Theater Co. Produced by PFLAG & BCHRTF

June 14; 7:30 pm…..…..…… “The Complete Works of Wm Shakespeare, Abridged,” Ain’t It Good Productions & the

GALAL Foundation

July 29; 9:00 am………....…….. “Play It Again, Panida” video, DVD, CD, & cassette sale to benefit Panida’s scholarship fund

August 24, 25, 26 & 27…...…Idaho Panhandle International Film Festival (day & night, times differ)

September 15 & 16; 7:30 pm….....................film, Global Cinema Café series

September 22 & 23; 7:00 pm…………….......……… “The Miracle Worker” Monarch School play

September 29; 8:00 pm…………….........……..…….. “Big Band Broadcast” Pend Oreille Arts Council season opener

September 30; 7:30 pm….........…………………………..Vaudeville Show Jean Peck Variety Show

Summer Lineup

Curtain Call

Buffalo Bill’s Wild West ShowJuly 21, 22, 23

Newsies ReviewAugust 11, 12, 13

America’s Most Wanted KidsAugust 25, 26, 27

The GuysSeptember 8,9,10, 11, 15, 16, 17

Bee HiveSeptember 23, 24, 25 29, 30October 1, 2, 6, 7, 8, 14, 15, 16

See website for ticket prices Lake City Playhouse 1320 E. Garden Avenue Coeur d’Alene, ID 83814 www.lakecityplayhouse.org (208) 667-1323

53

4th AnnualAntique Wooden Boat Show Sand Sculpting Competition

Location: The Old Powerhouse and Sandpoint MarinaDate: Saturday July

During this year’s Antique Wooden Boat Show you’ll find sculptors from around the Northwest taking to the sand to see which team has the most imagination and the most skill. Adult teams consisting of two to five members will be facing off to win the coveted “Golden Shovel” Award. This year the winners will be determined by originality and technical difficulty. Also, this year welcome’s back the youth divi-sion (under 13). Youth teams must consist of three members or more.

For all information on competing, team re-quirements, application deadlines, compe-tition schedule and other Alyption- spon-sored community events, visit us online

4th Annual Wooden Boat Show & Festival

at: www.NILifestyle.com or call (208) 263-5886

Castle pictured above: 2005 sculpting demonstration by Scott Dodson of The World Champion, Sand Castle Engineers. Scott will be be doing sand sculpting-demonstrations this summer at:

ART on the Green Coeur d’ Alene, ID - August. 4-7South Wa. state Fair Chehalls Wa - August 15 - Aug 19Long Beach Wa Sandsations Festival - July 16

Sandpoint is pleased to host, for the fourth year in a row, the nationally-sanctioned Inland Empire Chapter of the Antique & Classic Boat Society (ACBS) Wooden Boat Show. The dates for the show are July 8 and 9 although the boats will be arriving throughout the day on July 7. All festivi-ties will happen at or near the City of Sandpoint Boardwalk and the Sandpoint Marina.

While last year there were many options for week-


All Photos by J Vouk

end activities, this year the show will be the only major event happening in the area. Historically the show has brought approximately 10,000 spec-tators to downtown Sandpoint and to the docks of the City Boardwalk and Sandpoint Marina. Orga-nizers of the show expect to meet or exceed that number this year with the event commencing three days after the Independence Day celebrations.

With over 50 boats expected to be on display, other activities are being planned around the water dis-play. Locations for these activities are yet to be established although plans are in the works and details will come as soon as these plans are firmed up. “The planning process for this year’s show is getting exciting with the projected new activities.” said Kyler Wolf, chairman of the Wooden Boat Show committee, a committee of the Downtown Sandpoint Business Association. “As with last year, the focus will be on activities for children and also activities that will attract people to remain in downtown longer than just looking at the boats on display.”

Coming back this year will be the activities that are sponsored and hosted by the Power house Sports Bar & Grill, which are the Sand Sculpting Contest, the Spokane Radio-Controlled Boat demonstration and the visit from the Auxiliary Coast Guard. Also planned are the activities by the Young Skippers group, which is made up of youth from Bonner County that make wooden boats and display them at the Wooden Boat Show.

To get involved with this committee, to register for the show or for more information, please contact the Downtown Sandpoint Business Association for meeting dates and time, (208) 255-1876.

ing part in The Follies less than three years ago, she got the bug and started looking for more opportunities to share her art. The very first Open Mic Night was her first public per-formance. She found artistic company and inspira-tion with other slam-poetry style performers like Jules Nathan, Emily Baker and Erin Bran-nigan – nearly all of whom remain consistent performers at Open Mic Night. Look for her on Wednesday nights and keep your eye on the Panida schedule for a possible three-peat of Behind the Mic. Do yourself a favor and go out for dinner or drinks at the Downtown Crossing on Wednes-day night; you’ll find plenty of great artists (and plenty who are developing), but in my experience, a good open mic is greater than the sum of its parts. It’s not just great art, it’s great people bringing what they have and sharing it with the group; it’s a sense of acceptance for every performer, regardless of ability or experience; it’s having a drink with friends; it’s a sense of community that develops when people come together to share a part of themselves. That’s what I call an evening well spent.

55

Open Mic continued from page 47

“Hmm – That’s weird.” You’re checking out a bunch of snapshots – nothing special, maybe a shot of some deer in the yard or wildflowers – and there they are: glowing spheres or wispy, bright shapes of… something.

When photographer Curtis Kitchen took his camera to Denton Slough on Lake Pend Oreille’s eastern shore in 2004 to capture nature, he ended up with, well, maybe the supernatural. A chance exposure while his telephoto lens was pointed toward the ground produced an image with a series of strange, neon-blue trails winding around his ankles. He says he didn’t hear or see anything extraordinary that day, and filed the slide away as a curiosity.

It wasn’t to be Kitchen’s only brush with paranormal photography. In 2005, a visitor took several photos inside his home near Hope, Idaho. Bright white orbs showed up in some of her images, apparently floating near the ceiling.

“They looked about the size of a grapefruit, glowing with the intensity of a 100-watt bulb and surrounded by a radiating aura,” Kitchen says. “When she showed me the photos, she said she gets those objects all the time.” A female journalist friend of mine also says she gets those pesky orbs, “all the time.”

A few years ago, high school students from Sandpoint noticed white spheres in digital photographs they took in the old Farragut Naval Training Station brig at the state park near Bayview, Idaho. The only original building left from a large World War II facility, the brig is rumored to be the scene of ghostly apparitions, and Farragut is tied to unsubstantiated rumors about suicides, murders and fatal medical experiments there during the war years.

Glowing orbs in photographs often are linked to past tragic deaths. But why would

the departed assume spherical shapes instead of their own? Easy, say some spirit photography experts: It takes less energy to form a ball than a fully modeled human figure.

It’s somehow comforting to know that shortcut-taking can continue on

into the next life, but some believe the photos don’t show ghosts, but instead beings from other dimensions.Orin Bridges moved from California to a rural cabin near Dover, Idaho, in 1987. He already was deeply involved with “channeling” and other metaphysical interests when he bought a camera in 1988 to take nature and wildlife photos. Almost from his first roll of film, strange shapes appeared in random frames as flame-like arcs and columns of light.

Bridges called the shapes, “Devic energies” – after the Hindu gods – “Nature Spirits” and “Beings of Light.” He said he could sense their intelligent presence and receive messages from them. Eventually, he compiled his experiences and theories into a 1993 book, “Photographing Beings of Light,” that has become a staple guide for spirit photographers.

The book contains just 11 black-and-white examples of Bridges’ images, and all would have been easy to fake using double-exposure, aiming through a glass pane or other techniques of the

In fact, Bridges’ genial descriptions of life in North Idaho and the outdoor beauty of the area has inspired people to relocate here, hoping to find for themselves some of the magic he discovered.I set out to do just that. My property would seem to have all the basic ingredients necessary to get an orb or deva to make an appearance: Some woods with really big trees; a wetland; a cascading mountain stream; a 19th-century pioneer cabin where at least two people have died; and even a rock-covered rectangular depression that looks an awful lot like an old grave.

Camera in hand at dusk, I obeyed all the spirit photography rules my research turned up – slow shutter speeds; calling out to whoever or whatever might be present before taking the image; pointing the camera in random directions. Nothing.

This wasn’t exactly unexpected. Bridges wrote that the few times he set out on purpose to capture spirit images, he failed. All of his

energy-formation photographs were surprises, accidents – just like Curtis Kitchen’s and those of others I talked to. According to tips on metaphysical Web sites, your chances of a spirit photo are improved if you’re already a devout believer in such things. Hmm.

A few scientists are hard at work trying to find a rationale for the spirit image phenomenon. One theory posits that localized, low-frequency electromagnetic fields can fool the brain into thinking it’s in the presence of a ghost or spirit, and also may show up on images taken with a film or digital camera. Ironically, Bridges mused on the nature of his images in the last chapter of his book, thinking it might all be linked to the electromagnetic spectrum.

Want to photograph an invisible being from another dimension? A Hindu deity? A ghost that can’t be bothered to look better than an electric grapefruit? If you’re in the Idaho Panhandle, you’re in the right place.

Have you had an encounter with the uncanny in North Idaho? Do you have an overwhelming desire to make my job easier? If your answer to either of these questions is “YES!”, contact Mike Gearlds, Seeker of the Strange, the Unexplained and the Strangely Unexplained, at [email protected].

The aXe FilesThe truth is up here – in North Idaho

“ Photographing the unseen “


Photo By Curtis Kitchen

pre-digital photography era. And there are tons of alternate explanations that don’t involve any dishonesty, such as light leaks in the camera, a dusty or faulty lens, old film or just plain photographic incompetence.

But Bridges, who died several years ago, comes across as a genuinely nice man who believed in what he was doing. Aside from some notoriety among the crystal-and-vortex crowd, there was little gain to be had from a fraud. There’s a picture of him on his book’s back cover, and he looks every bit like the slightly offbeat, interesting neighbor you always wished lived next door.

By Mike Geralds

Coeur d’Alene

Weekly:

Wednesdays

Kootenai County Farmers Market Corner of Hwy 95 and Prairie Ave. 208-772-6608 [email protected].

Fridays

Wine Tasting at Daanen’s Deli8049 Wayne Blvd, Hayden. Call 208-772-7371

June

25Ford Ironman Coeur d’Alene Tri-athlon. 7 a.m. to midnight. Call 877-782-9232 www.ironmancda.com for more information.

July4 First Bank 4th of July Celebration 208-664-3194 ext. 170 www.cda-chamber.com for more details.Fireworks Extravaganza at Silver-wood 208- 683-3400. www.silver-woodthemepark.com

14Monster Truck Show by Nitro Productions Kootenai County Fair-grounds. 360-785-4976

16Opera on the Lake, aboard the Mish-an-nok with Opera Plus! Opera Cruise on the Lake - Coeur d’Alene Resort boat Mish-an-nok. 208-664-2827 www.operaplus.org

Harvey Phillips Northwest Big Brass Bash

On the green at the Coeur d’Alene Resort. 12:00 p.m.253-770-3200. hpnwbb.org or e-mail, [email protected].

Steve Omi Memorial Open Water Swim Call Margaret for more infor-mation (208) 762-493922Inland Empire Dog Show At the Kootenai County Fairgrounds. 509-465-4143.

Excelerator at Silverwood Theme Park Carshow from 11 am-10p.m. 208-683-3400, ext. 121 w w w .exceleratorcarshow.com.

23Coeur of the Cowboy Fundraiser At the Kootenai County Fairgrounds. 208-765-4969.

August

4-6Downtown Street FairFri and Sat 9am-9pm, and Sunday from 10am-5pm. www.cdadown-town.com.

4-6Art on the GreenNorth Idaho College Campus. Call 208-667-9346 www.artonthegreen.org. Friday Noon-8pm, Saturday 10am-8pm, Sunday 10 am-5 pm.

4-6 A Taste of the Coeur d’Alene CDA City Park 208-664-4808

5-6Kids Consignment Sale-Just Be-tween Friends Kootenai County Fairgrounds 509-255-5237

11Art Walk April thru December, The Art Walk is free, and held the second Friday of every month at participating galleries. 208-664-3194

12Coeur d’Alene Triathlon and Du-athlon Race www.cdatriathlon.com

13Coeur d’Alene Triathlon Youth Race Starts at Sanders Beach. www.

cdatriathlon.com for registration and details.

19-20Coeur d’Alene Wooden Boat Festi-val Coeur d’Alene Resort. Call 208-664-3194 ext. 170 www.cdachamber.com.

19-20Round-Up Productions North-west Soiree` 2nd Annual Old West Collectable Show and Sale. Coeur d’Alene Casino. 406-834-3603 www.roundupproductionsllc.com

23-27North Idaho Fair and Rodeo Koo-tenai County Fairgrounds. Call 208-765-4969 for tickets and informa-tion. www.northidahofair.com

September

1-3Lake Coeurd’Alene Balloonfest in-clude: N.I.C Campus, Resort Plaza Lawn, Greyhound Event Center. www.cdaballoonfest.com or call 208-667-2314

4 Labor Day Concert in the Park Coeur d’Alene City Park from 1-3 pm. 664-2827 www.operaplus.org

9Rubber Stamp and Scrapbook-ing Show At Kootenai County Fair-grounds. 951-689-2530

Fountain of Wishes Auction 208-691-7797 or www.fountainsofwishes.com

5th Annual Tour de Coeur Bicycle Ride and Family Fun Day Starts at Higgins Point, Coeur d’Alene at 8 or 9 a.m. depending on the length of your ride. 208-772-8105 or 1-800-537-7710 option 3, ext. 295. www.acsidaho.org or E-mail [email protected]

10Stars Over Napoli Opera at a private estate. Call 208-664-2827 for loca-tion and info.www.operaplus.org

30Oct 1Opera Plus! presents The Marriage of Figaro Sat at 7:30pm and Sunday at 2pm. Tickets at NIC Box Office. North Idaho College Campus at Schuler Auditorium208-664-2827

Post FallsJune

27Concert in the Park Q’emiln Riv-erside Park 208.704.3692

July

3Demolition Derby FireworksStateline Speedway 208-773.5019 7-9River City Hot Rod Run Hot Rod Cafe, Post Falls, ID 208.777-1712

21-23Cd’A Tribe July-amsh Pow WowGreyhound Park 800-523-2464

25Concert in the Park Q’emiln Riv-erside Park 208.704.4411

August

3Post Falls Community Picnic Q’emiln Riverside Park 208-704-3692

4-6Idaho 200 Super Stock Tour State-line Speedway 208-773-5019

19-20 Coeur d’Jazz “ A Celebration of Spirits”

22Concert in the Park Q’emiln Riv-erside Park 208-704-3692

September

11American Freedom FireworksStateline Speedway 208-773-5019

Sandpoint

Weekly:

Saturdays and Wednesdays

Farmers Market. At Farmin Park, on Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., and on Wednesdays from 3 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.

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Sandpoint Cont.

Saturdays

Summer Sounds at Park Place. Free concert series sponsored by POAC. 12-2 p.m. at Park Place stage on the corner of First and Cedar. 208-263-6139 or ArtinSandpoint.org for more information.

June

24Antique & Tailgate Extravaganza Sale. The Memorial Community Center in Hope 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. 208-264-5481

24Schweitzer Summer Celebration. Noon to 5 p.m. 208-263-9555

July

Daily:

ArtWalk I. Revolving art exhibits at the 20 or so gallery locations down-town, including at the Old Power House, home to the event’s sponsor, POAC. Self-guided art tours for the first exhibit continue through July 18. 208-263-6139

Weekly:

Sundays

Concerts on the Lawn (July 2, 9, 16, 23 and 30). Free live concert se-ries in front of the Edgewater Resort at City Beach, 2 p.m., sponsored by POAC. Look up ArtinSandpoint.org for more information. 208-263-6139

1Sandpoint Airport Fly-In. Aircraft display 7 a.m. to noon. 208-255-6201

4Fourth of July. Morning parade and concerts and fireworks at City Beach. 208-263-0887

8-9Sandpoint Wooden Boat Festival. Old Power House. 208-255-1876

21-Sept. 1ArtWalk II Opens on July 21 with art receptions at the 20 or so gallery locations downtown, self-guided tours. Sponsored by POAC. 208-263-6139

21-23Artists’ Studios Tour. 208-265-4380

22 Schweitzer Bluegrass Festival. On Schweitzer Mountain 208-263-9555

29Crazy Days. Downtown sidewalk sale. 208-255-1876

August

3-13Festival at Sandpoint. Memorial Field. 208-265-4554

5 Long Bridge Swim. 2-mile swim across Lake Pend Oreille. Info for registration for swim at www.long-bridgeswim.com 208-265-5412.

12-13Arts & Crafts Fair At City Beach 208-263-6139

18-19Bonner County Rodeo Bonner County Fairgrounds. 208-263-8414

23-26Bonner County Fair Bonner County Fairgrounds. 208-263-8414

24-26Idaho Panhandle International Film Festival. First annual film festival at the Panida Theater. 208-263-9191

25-26Ponderay Days 208-255-2414

September

2-3Schweitzer Fall Fest On Schweitzer 208-235-9555

4-6 Bonner County Horse Show An-nual show at the Bonner County Fairgrounds. 208-263-8414

9-10 Harvest Party Pend d’Oreille Winery’s 11th annual festival. 208-265-8545

21-24Idaho Draft Horse and Mule International. Bonner County Fair-grounds The annual sale will be held on September 25. 208-263-8414

Newport - Oldtown

Saturdays

Earth Market 9AM-1PM @ Cen-tennial Plaza Newport and Oldtown

June

23-25Newport PWRA Rodeo Newport Rodeo Fairgrounds. Family night is on the 22nd. (509)447-5812

July

15-1625th Annual Pend Oreille River Poker Paddle. begins at Usk on Saturday morning and finishes Sun-day afternoon at the Ione City Park 208-447-4812

August

4-6Traditional Salish Fair Kalispel Ceremonial Grounds @ Usk (509) 445-1147

17-20Pend Oreille County Fair & RodeoCusick. Info: Kay Driver (509) 445-1157

September

14-15Pend Oreille Heritage Days Pend Oreille Historical Society grounds (Museum) Pawnee 208- 437-1144

Harrison

July

3Fireworks on the Lake208.689.3711

28-30Old time Picnic & Parade. Parade downtown at 9 am. 208.689.3323

Wallace

July

17-22ATV Jamboree call 208-512-2269 www.highmountainatv.org.

August

8Good Sam Bike Jam Begins at 4:30 p.m. (from Silverton) and 5:00 p.m. from the Mullan Trailhead. Con-tact: Silver Wood Good Samaraitan Center 208-556-1147 [email protected]

18-19Huckleberry/Heritage Festival & 5K Fun Run 208-753-7151 or email [email protected]

Kellogg

July

4Independence Day Fireworks Spectacular - Pinehurst

29-30Silver Hoops 3 on 3. Teeters FieldFireman Fun Fest Mullan

Bonners Ferry

July

21-22Kootenai River Rodeo .(Selkirk Saddle Club). Contact Renee Mur-phy 208-267-8986

August

16-19Boundary County Fair 208-267-7041


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208.265.8648 | 30410 Hwy. 200 | Ponderaywww.myammara.com

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Photo?

The Festival at Sandpoint August 3 - 13, 2006 in Sandpoint, Idaho

Quench Your Musical Thirst!Thursday, August 3

opening nightHOORAY FOR HOLLYWOOD!

with theSPOKANE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRAconducted by MAESTRO GARY SHELDON

Tickets $26.95 adult / $9.95 youth • at 6:30 pm

Friday, August 4TANYA TUCKER

All tickets $32.95 • at 7:30 pm

Saturday, August 5 SUPER SURFIN’ SATURDAY

with LOS STRAITJACKETS at 6pm starring DICK DALE at 8 pm

All tickets $34.95

Sunday, August 6 FAMILY CONCERT

“Mighty Rivers of the World!” featuring

THE SPOKANE YOUTH ORCHESTRA

All tickets $5.00 • at 4:30 pm

Thursday, August 10THE WAILIN’ JENNYS at 6:30 pm

starring NICKEL CREEK at 8:30 pmcomplimentary microbrew tasting at 6pm

All tickets $31.95

Friday, August 11PHAT PHRIDAY

with JACKIE GREENE at 7 pmstarring DAVID GRAY at 9pm

All tickets $49.95

Saturday, August 12SUPER SOUL SISTER

SATURDAYwith RUTHIE FOSTER at 5:30 pm

SUSAN TEDESCHI at 7 pmstarring ETTA JAMES at 9pm.

All tickets $49.95

Sunday, August 13GRAND FINALE CONCERT

“Happy Birthday to Mozart”with the

SPOKANE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRAconducted by MAESTRO GARY SHELDON

“Taste of the Stars” Wine Tasting starts at 4:30 pmTickets $29.95 for adults, $9.95 for youth • at 7:30pm

InForMATIon & TIckeTS

888.265.4554All TIckeTWeST locATIonS or By pHone AT

800.325.SeATFor more information or to order online visit us at: www.FestivalAtSandpoint.com

creating a sense of community a passion and a philosophy · a passion and a philosophy bruce first...

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