Reader april2 2015

READER April 2, 2015 / FREE / Vol. 12 issue 11

Religious Extremism The Sandpoint Eater

Happy Easter!

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(wo)MAN

Susan Drinkard on the street compiled by

Do you think people in Sandpoint are tolerant of spiritual paths other than Christianity?

“Yes, definitely. I work in four towns and Sandpoint is the most open and tolerant.

I’m a Christian and that is my path, but we should honor and respect others’ viewpoints.”

Angela Day Employee Management Sandpoint

DEAR READERS,

When I was 11 years old, I remember the whole nation had tuned in to watch the standoff at Ruby Ridge. Then came all the trouble with Richard Butler’s Aryan Nation compound in Hayden Lake. All of a sudden, North Idaho was unwittingly cast into the spotlight. Stereotypes were thrown about by the national media. We were labeled as racists, survivalists, white supremacists. Thankfully, we’ve come a long way since then.

For this issue, as Easter Sunday approaches, we’ve decided to cover religion and faith in north Idaho from all angles. Special thanks goes out to Stephen Drinkard, who wrote a great piece featuring individuals of different faiths in the region.

Also, as a fun bonus to this issue, I’ve hidden Easter Eggs all over the paper, from the front cover to the back. There will be a message posted on Facebook announcing the issue on Thursday morning. The first person to reply to that post with the correct number of eggs hidden in the Reader wins a $25 gift certificate to Eichardt’s Pub. The one on the top right is a freebie; you’ll have to hunt for the rest. Any part of the paper is open game, including the advertisements. Happy hunting, and thanks for reading the Reader.

-Ben Olson, Publisher

FIDDLIN’ RED

“Oh, definitely. I’ve experienced various types of holistic healing such as Reiki and I built a $24 million dome house for someone who trains doctors in holistic medicine.”

Music Store

Instruments Repairs Lessons

Dave Parkison Driver Sandpoint

Jack Bell Maintenance Sandpoint

“Yes. In this area there are a lot of different kinds of people and I don’t hear judgmental opinions about others’ spiritual choices.”

Brittany Smith Child Behavior Specialist Priest River

www.sandpointreader.com Publisher: Ben Olson ben@sandpointreader.com Editor: Cameron Rasmusson cameron@sandpointreader.com Zach Hagadone (emeritus) Contributing Artists: Scott Kirby (cover), Daniel Cape, Ben Olson, Susan Drinkard, Robert Wakeley, Southern Poverty Law Center.

Contributing Writers: Cameron Rasmusson, Louie de Palma, Claire Honsinger, Eric Rust, Stephen Drinkard, Marcia Pilgeram, Patrice Webb, Robert Zweifel, Ben Olson Submit stories to: stories@sandpointreader.com Printed weekly at: Griffin Publishing Spokane, Wash.

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“No. My synagogue, Beth Yeshua in Priest River has been targeted by the Aryan Brothers and the Hillsboro Pentecostal group for our beliefs.”

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About the Cover This week’s cover is a piece by composer, pianist and visual artist Scott Kirby done with brush ends. Scott will be appearing at the Panida Theater April 9th for his show “Main Street Souvenirs” which is a multimedia journey through the American Heartland that will benefit the Panhandle Animal Shelter. You can find more of Scott’s work at www.scottkirby.net.

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Our esteemed cabbie columnist talks about cavemen, jinx, our inner childhood and Taxi child care

By Louie de Palma For SPR I want to be a caveman.

That’s what I told my mother I wanted to be when I grew up when asked for the first time. I was probably around three or four and under heavy influence of “The Flintstones.”

I didn’t realize that being a caveman would make you almost as unemployable as a history major. But that didn’t stop me from living like one years later in college. I spent years living in underground basements with little to no lighting, carrying on a like a Cro-Magnon, grunting to convey my needs and emotions and completely disregarding the existence of fire for cooking. Eventually I moved above ground and transformed into something of an adult with a job.

Or I drive a taxi at least. It’s not what child me or teen me or even college me would have chosen, but no one can be a child forever.

As I grow as an adult and

shed many of the childlike aspects of myself, I continue to learn valuable lessons on a daily basis.

Much of my education of late comes from the customers I drive in my cab, many of whom are inspired by children or child-like behavior.

When driving a cab many things become routine. You get used to certain routes, personality types and you establish regulars. On one average evening I set out to snag a regular patron.

As he entered the vehicle we both happened to ask each other the same exact question, “How’s the night?” Being in playful mood I said, “Jinx,” seeing as we’d said the same sentence at the same time. This was not a common practice for me, but I hoped it would keep things lively and extract a small chuckle.

He did not chuckle. In fact, he said nothing.

I paid no heed and drove on in regular fashion, not thinking too much about the incident.

Several minutes went by, and I tried to make small talk with the customer, but he was tightlipped and deadpan, only nodding or shrugging here or there.

I wrote off his cold demeanor, chalking it up to his being drunk or perhaps feeling quiet. Suddenly, out of nowhere he jabbed me, trying to get my attention.

He frantically started pointing towards the rapidly approaching

gas station. “Do you need to go to the gas station?” I asked, figuring he needed to vomit and had kept his mouth closed for that reason. He nodded vigorously.

So I pulled in, and he promptly speed-walked into the store.

I patiently waited for the poor man to purge himself. A few minutes later he was back in the cab with a huge grin, presenting me a cold 16-ounce can of Coca Cola. “Man, I haven’t been jinxed in years,” he said. “Finally I can talk.”

We both busted up laughing.

He had completely taken me by surprise. I set out once again in complete admiration of his discipline and dedication to a child’s game.

Another fine afternoon I was picking up a woman and a child from the hospital and began the usual rigmarole of letting the larger of the two passengers install the car seat in the van, usually a pretty simple task. This time, the woman seemed to be having some trouble, so I crawled back to see what the issue was. It seemed a the buckle was stuck in a crack, and no matter how hard she tugged, it would not free itself. Using my supreme powers of deduction, I was able to ascertain that the buckle needed to be turned slightly to slide through the crack. The parent was one of those people that usually hail from North California or Portland and know more about GMOs and the emotions of crystals than is typically comprehen-

sible for the normal soul. Even so, they still struggle with things like buckles and Gmail.

The first go around with safety harness tech must have left the mother discouraged. When we stopped at a grocery store, she just jumped out without taking her baby, asking me to drive around a bit until her shopping was done. Leaving a baby with a strange cab driver seemed a bit odd to me. If this had been a drunk in the back, it would have seemed normal, although then again, the baby was similar in demeanor: whiny, hungry and inarticulate. I circled a few times and just when I began considering baby names and college savings, the mother returned.

We made it back to their house, wrestled with the high-tech buckles and got them unloaded.

I left confused but glad I did not end up with an unplanned baby.

My parents had always warned me about that, but I think they got the mechanics of how it happens wrong.

Finally, I encountered one lady who appeared to be some sort of baby in a grown woman’s body. We met shortly after she was released from the county daycare, where she had been for months after a teething incident in the back of a patrol car.

To the eye she looked like a grown woman, but if you looked for the right signs, you could tell this was some sort of Benjamin Button situation, or at least like that Tom Hanks movie “Big.”

She had an obvious oral fixation and always was sucking at a bottle or can while making odd dee dee diddly deet da noises between sips or intermittently throughout conversation.

She also collected horses like a child would stuffed animals. I’d drive her out to her abandoned play house complete with a burned-down barn where she kept them. She’d stay for a bit, telling them how she loved them. Then she’d quickly get bored and abandon them to play in their barbed wire hazard-ridden field with downed fences along the road, going back to her bottle and leaving them to fend for themselves. Eventually, we took the lady-child to the Amtrak and haven’t seen her since, leaving her horses like Buzz and Woody in “Toy Story” to fend for themselves.

Ultimately, I’m not a caveman like I wanted to be when I was a child. I’m a grown-up cab driver, but I like it and I learn a lot from the people I drive—the grownups, their children, and the grown-up children alike. It’s important to keep track of your inner child, not just because it’s a true cliche but also because it might take you out of your routine and score you a cola. Also keep in mind that using a cab driver as a babysitter is genius (in a small, community-minded town, anyway). Lastly, it’s cool to be a child at heart, but if it directly relates to animal cruelty, you’re just dysfunctional.

Walking with the birds at Memorial Field

By Claire Honsinger For SPR

We may or may not have more cold weather ahead, but one thing is for sure: The birds have come back to town.

The bare birch tops by the park are filled with robins singing as if their species depends on it. They spurt from one tree to the next, and sometimes swoop down to the ash tree by the sidewalk. Along the lakeside of the park, a fresh, sprin4 /

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kly breeze blows off the choppy water, and seagulls squawk from the shore.

A tall cottonwood hosts an eagle with plumped-up feathers and half-extended wings, trying to evaporate the rainwater that has dampened this side of the lake. A crow dives at the huddled raptor, who tolerates the attacks for several minutes. He then launches out of the tree and glides along the shore, settling in a more empty cottonwood where he can dry

in peace.

The victorious crow crows.

Two of his kind sit together briefly in a low birch by the marina parking lot. One flies across the lot and the adjacent playing field unsteadily, with a stick in its beak, landing in one of the tall pines behind the bleachers.

Canada geese graze on the playing field on the other side of the park path. Under the robins’ birches, heartfelt calls fill the air to capacity. Anoth-

er flock gathers underneath an overgrown apple tree across the street, and a lone blackbird perches there, letting loose a solitary song. He is far from his cattails, his frogs and mosquitos. The robins’ song opens briefly for his, then closes around it like a wave.

Farther down the street, starlings swarm and loudly inhabit the large fir trees. Two sparrows chase each other into a hedge, and a flicker pokes a hole into a lawn.

Inside my house, I don’t hear the birds, but I know they are back. Winter, such as it was this year, is on the out.

PERSPECTIVES A local pastor’s thoughts on Easter

By Eric Rust, Cedar Hills Church For SPR I’ve crossed a lot of bridges in my life, but I only remember crossing a few for the first time.

I’ve never forgotten my maiden voyage across the Long Bridge into Sandpoint. It was a foggy morning in October 1993. As you read this, I imagine you are recalling your first trip across the long bridge—and for good reason. It’s a part of our identity in the northern counties of Idaho.

Bridges are all over the place, and we rarely think about why they exist when we cross them.

No matter their size or architectural design, all bridges fulfill the same purpose—they bring two separated things together.

They “bridge” some gap, some impassable barrier, and make a

Dear Editor,

In your piece on public art, you have my mural on your cover, yet you don’t mention me or the Arts Alliance anywhere. I am the one who founded the City Arts Commission, when Ray Miller adamantly opposed it. I wrote the public art policy. I pushed for public art when business and city reps had no interest in art whatsoever. I had a project funded by the state and the city returned the funds because they were opposed to public art. I sought and secured funding for the bronze pieces in Farmin park, the mural on your cover, the mural inside Sandpoint High School, the mural on the post office, the mural inside the Charter school, and the mural on Washington school. These were my ideas, my work. Sandpoint doesn’t love public art—I love public art and my work is why it’s there.

Of all media sources, I thought at least you guys would have called me. So glad I left that unappreciative town.

Lizzy Hughes (formerly of Arts Alliance) We never would deliberately leave anyone out, Lizzy. Sorry for that. But calling the whole town unappreciative for our oversight is a bit much, don’t you think? [BO]

connection possible.

Easter is really the story of a bridge. Think about it—it’s the story of two separated things being brought together. From Good Friday (the day of Jesus Christ’s death) to Easter morning (the day of Jesus’ resurrection), God built a bridge between himself and humanity.

When you survey religion, you find that almost every world religion shares a fundamental concept. They communicate it different ways, but it comes down to this: God and humans are separated from each other.

God is on one side, and humans are on the other side. God’s standards are perfect and holy.

We are broken and inadequate.

We fall short—we can’t cut it.

So, humanity began to think up different approaches, differ-

Dear Editor,

Christian Fioravanti stated in the Reader (3/19/2015) that, “I do not believe our founders ever intended for government to be involved in such a role (funding public art).” Christian is factually wrong. From the earliest days of our country, our founders built ornate, expensive and enduring public buildings: A few examples include the Capitol, the Washington Monument, the Supreme Court, and numerous early courthouses and post offices across the land. These buildings are not just functional—they are art.

Further, our founders created public spaces and decorated them with large and expensive statues. Who hasn’t circled a statue of a general on horseback in a public plaza? That public plaza is actually public art and valued by our founders as a place for the citizens of a democracy to gather.

Our founders largely came from Europe. Many of us have visited Europe to admire elaborate (expensive) historic buildings, statues, murals and official paintings funded by governments. This history was

ent religions as a way to try to close that gap. And that’s what religion is—a bridge building attempt from the human side to God’s side. We think that if we could act a little better, treat people just a little better, jump through one more hoop, maybe we can win God over and come out okay. “Gotta work harder, gotta build faster, need to get better tools.” That’s religion, and it’s not what God originally had in mind.

Biblical Christianity is totally different than religion. The Christian faith says that God saw the human condition—how messed up we are, how incapable we are to bridge the gap.

God saw our brokenness and he felt love towards us. So he did something about it.

He built a bridge. He sent

Jesus. And through him, God spanned the gap between us— he built a bridge from the divine side to the human side. We didn’t initiate it. He did! That’s why Easter isn’t about religion—it’s about relationship.

It’s not about what we have done or can do. It’s about what Jesus has done for us.

Jesus once said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6, NLT) What Jesus was saying was, “I am the bridge. Not just a bridge—the only bridge!”

No matter how hard you and I try, we can’t construct our own bridge to God. The gap is just too big. That’s why God gave us the gift of the cross. That’s the story Easter tells us.

But here’s the thing—you

have to choose to walk the bridge. God won’t drag you across. He designed it, he built it, he did all the work. All you and I choose to do is walk across it. We make a decision to move towards God and receive the new life he offers us.

This Easter, I invite you to join me in no longer trying to build your own bridge. Just decide you are done. Take off your tool belt, ditch your hard hat. Jesus died so that we could live—forgiveness is found in the cross, and life is found in the resurrection.

The bridge has been built, and it’s the most memorable bridge you will ever cross.

Eric Rust is the pastor of Cedar Hills Church. www.cedarhillschurch.com.

embedded in our founders, and they embraced it. Today, our country boasts citizens from far-flung continents and eclectic backgrounds, but all hark from civilizations that have public art of one kind or another.

So, perhaps it is in our DNA to have art in our common areas that help remind us that our public spaces are for all to enjoy. Perhaps these locations help us celebrate the democratic values we have in common.

Molly O’Reilly Sandpoint

Dear Editor,

Karen Seashore drew my attention to your mention of “Logbook for Grace” in a recent column.

As it happens, Robert Cushman Murphy, who wrote the book, was my grandfather. I was delighted to see that you enjoyed his story. All my life I’ve heard responses like yours as people stumble upon the book and are pleasantly surprised.

If you do indeed want to see pictures related to his voyage, you might want to take a look

Men at the forward end of the Daisy, working the windlass, and the Old Man hustling toward them to supervise. Photo courtesy of Ellie Mathews. at my re-telling of his story in “Ambassador to the Penguins: A Naturalist’s Year Aboard a Yankee Whaleship.” At one time the Sandpoint Library had a copy. Perhaps it’s still on the shelf. The photographs that Murphy took during his voyage on the Daisy are a fantastic historical record, and I was able to include quite a few.

Best, Ellie Mathews Port Townsend, WA

Ellie, thank you so much for sharing the photograph (above). Your grandfather was a talented man. I thoroughly enjoyed reading his book, and, after checking with the Library, they do not currently have a copy of yours, but readers can find “Ambassador to the Penguins” on Amazon. I’ve ordered my copy. And thanks to Karen Seashore for sharing with you. [BO] April 2, 2015 /

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NEWS

ITD gives city street change green light

The proposed change to 5th Ave. between Pine and Cedar Streets

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By Cameron Rasmusson For SPR Get ready to rethink the way you navigate Sandpoint, because 2016 is looking like the year the town returns downtown streets to two-way traffic.

The Idaho Transportation Department board confirmed an agreement with the city last week outlining responsibilities on the project. The agreement lays out the terms by which the city will regain control of streets under ITD control, including First Avenue and portions of Pine and Cedar streets.

The heart of the change is the conversion of Fifth Avenue to two-way traffic.

This will allow U.S. 2 highway traffic to stay off the innermost downtown Sandpoint streets. In addition, two-way traffic will be implemented on First Avenue and Church and Cedar streets.

While Sandpoint Public Works director Kody Van Dyk said the ITD board has not yet appropriated funding for the project, city officials have received guarantees from District 1 board member Jim Coleman that the project is cleared to move forward.

“We’ve received assurances it’s on a

ISIS threat to Bonners Ferry

By Cameron Rasmusson For SPR

Boundary County authorities are taking caution with Bonners Ferry’s inclusion on a hit list issued by Islamic militant group ISIS last week.

The list, which urges violence against U.S. military service members by lone-wolf operatives, includes home addresses where servicemen and women purportedly live. The list also includes residents of Colton and Spokane.

According to a report by the Lewiston Tribune, many of the addresses are wrong, but that isn’t any comfort to Boundary County officials or the Federal Bureau of Investigation. In fact, the idea that random civilians could be targeted is even more disturbing. Law enforcement officials say they’re taking every precaution to protect those affected and have notified the individuals specified in the threats.

The FBI is taking point as investi6 /

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gations move forward with full support from the Boundary County Sheriff’s Office. Following the reports of the threats on Thursday, the FBI also released the following statement: “The FBI is working with various military law enforcement agencies on this matter. We take all threats to U.S. military members seriously and will continue to work in concert with our federal, state and local partners to address these online posts.”

Anyone with questions, comments or information should contact the Boundary County Sheriff’s Office at 267-3152.

[state transportation improvement plan] and will be built in 2016,” Van Dyk said.

That’s good news for the city, as the nod of approval from ITD opens doors to more intensive planning. For example, Van Dyk has been working on the problem intersection of Church Street, Bridge Street and First Avenue for months now. Already an awkward intersection filled with motorists, pedestrians and vehicles, it stands to become an even more complicated space once two-way traffic is introduced on Church and First. With guarantees from ITD in place, Van Dyk said Sandpoint Urban

911: Not for bar tab complaints You know the feeling: You’ve had one or two too many, wandered your way home and now have the urge to call up 911 to get something off your chest. It’s a proven formula for a great end to the day, but it landed one Post Falls man in trouble this week.

According to KHQ, Post Falls resident Phillip Poissonnier faces up to $1,000 in fines or a year in prison for misusing 911, a misdemeanor offense, after he called 12 times to complain about his bar tab.

The trouble began when Poissonnier got kicked out of Club Tequila at around 1 a.m. Monday. A police officer gave him a ride home, at which point Poissonnier called 911 a dozen times to complain about his $30 bar tab. He hung up on operators repeatedly, only to call back and compare them to his ex-wife. Now he can potentially add $1,000 onto that $30 bill.

The best lesson to extract from this modern day parable is that 911 is for real emergencies only, and no, that intense 2 a.m. pizza craving probably doesn’t qualify either. [CR]

Renewal Agency is ready to clear funds for an expert visit town and develop a solution.

“This relinquishment agreement from the state was what SURA was waiting for,” Van Dyk said.

Once the state officially hands control over to the city, local officials can begin implementing the more intensive changes recommended by the Sandpoint Downtown Streets Plan. These changes include increased parking spaces with diagonal striping, beautification and outdoor seating options, infrastructure improvements and more.

Democrats oppose proposed tax plan Looks like a fight is brewing in Boise between Democrats and Republicans over taxation. Also, water continues to be wet and Michael Bay’s next movie will reportedly feature explosions.

Partisan strife may not be anything new, but this particular fight centers on a tax hike plan that’s already proven controversial. While the proposal to end grocery taxes, raise the gas tax by 7 cents and slash tax rates on Idaho’s highest income brackets comfortably passed the House 53 to 17 Monday, even some Republicans are opposing the tax package.

Democrats particularly oppose the tax cut from 7.4 percent to 6.7 percent for Idaho’s top earners, saying the proposal unfairly shifts a tax burden to the middle class. Republican supporters, meanwhile, say the tax changes will make Idaho more economically competitive, while the gas tax hike will help address road and bridge repair. [CR]

FEATURE

Unlike a Bird: Spiritual Paths in Sandpoint

By Stephen Drinkard For SPR

Easter Sunday is around the corner and a majority of people in our community will celebrate the resurrection of Jesus at some 35 evangelical and mainline Protestant and Catholic churches.

In varying degrees and ways, each celebrant looks to the story of Jesus’ resurrection from the dead as a story that informs their lives and helps them answer the question many of us ask: Who am I and why I am here?

Just as we have seen in the past two decades an increasingly diverse population, so too are the numbers of people who are skipping Easter services for alternative spiritual paths growing.

Here are five examples of people whose spiritual paths are walked outside the mainstream churches in this area.

Emerging Christianity The Rev. Bob Evans, ordained United Church of Christ pastor, came back to the Sandpoint area after years of commercial fishing and playing guitar professionally to start a new church with about 20 congregants thus far. Called “Emerge N’ See,” the church expresses a new theology that is “emerging” across the nation.

As a child, Evans wondered who it was he was taught to pray to and what the “soul” was—as in, “I pray the Lord my soul to take.” Rev. Evans says, “This prayer did its job by drawing me into the mystery of the divine from which I could not break free. In my search, I became a Christian Buddhist. Buddhism shined its light on my Christian tradition, and I saw a whole new reality. Through Buddhism, I found the Jewish mystical path known as the Kabbalah. Now the path to the cross of Jesus and the resurrection takes on a whole new meaning. Now I seek to nail those things in me that keep me estranged from God to that cross, so that a new being might rise and stand up with the Anointed One.” Quaker As a Quaker, a Jew and the director of the Sandpoint Senior Center, Ellen Weissman’s spiritual path has always been intertwined with social justice.

Both faiths are action oriented.

Growing up Jewish, she saw disparities between wealth and poverty and treatment of others based on race and other “isms”. As coordinator of the Sandpoint Jewish Community, Weissman still continues the Jewish traditions with 50 to 100 others in the area during holidays such as Passover and Chanukah.

Not having a local temple or synagogue, she attends the local Quaker Meeting with 15 to 20 other locals. The group includes those raised in Quaker families to those with Christian-based views to alternative and even atheist perspectives. Sitting in silence during the first hour until “spirit” moves someone to speak, the local group is an “un-programmed” meeting. The guiding principle of “finding an inner light” allows for diversity and a shared ministry while walking the talk with social justice.

The Course in Miracles Local recording singer and songwrit-

er Charley Packard and long-time director of the Panida, Karen Bowers, have joined in many paths. One path they both found is The Course in Miracles.

The Course in Miracles is a set of three books that comprise a self-study curriculum of spiritual transformation.

One of the authors, Helen Schucman, believes that Jesus guided her writing.

Both Packard and Bowers come from Baptist backgrounds, and both lost touch with the divine for a long time. But now they join other people in Bonner County in learning who we all are: “Spirits in physical bodies,” says Packard. There is a study group that meets once a week.

Packard and Bowers hold these faiths to be truth: “The work is to remember your connection to the highest part of yourself, since most of the time we don’t remember that we are sons and

daughters of God. This requires work to see miracles every day.”

Baha’i Faith Brenda Hammond, local therapist, first learned about the Baha’i Faith as a young person in college.

Its teachings appealed to her rationally because they were counter to so much of what seemed to be wrong with the world. Baha’is believe that the world’s religions are all inspired by the same spirit and unified in justice; that prejudice should be abolished; that men and women are equal; that universal education is critical; that science and religion must agree and that it is the responsibility of each individual to seek out truth for him or herself.

Brenda says, “The Baha’i writings contain many prayers that help me answer those age-old questions: ‘Why am I here?’ and ‘What is my purpose?’ We are here to serve each other, to use our gifts and talents to make the world a better place and in this way grow closer to God.” About eight people meet in homes in the area every 19 days, according to the Baha’i calendar.

Gurdjieff Study Group Susan Drinkard was raised in a Southern Baptist Air Force family; her father was also a revival preacher.

She spent most of her first 17 years in church.

“I’ve been blessed to be a part of the G.I. Gurdjieff Work groups in Sandpoint for the past seven years. He was a spiritual teacher who taught that our three centers—mind, body, emotional—are out of balance.

We pay attention to how we squander energy in agitations and in the noise of our minds with the goal of finding connection with the divine. There are two small Gurdjieff groups meeting weekly in Sandpoint.

It is through the Gurdjieff Work, writings by Ravi Ravindra, as well as the local United Church of Christ, that

I have a new understanding of scripture as metaphor rather than literal. It just makes more sense to me.”

These are but a few of the people in our area who, like the people attending Easter service, are trying to grow as human beings and to see themselves from a larger, indeed infinite, dimension. Some of us call that Jesus or God or Yahweh or Holy Spirit. Some call it the “Ground of Being” or “The Divine” or “Higher Energy.”

There are Buddhists here in this area, Mormons, Jehovah Witnesses, perhaps even a Hindu or a Muslim. Each of us has our own path to follow, guided inevitably by our own spiritual DNA and willingness to work. Sometimes some of us forget that the paths guided by love and compassion and taming of the ego all lead to the same place. Who am I and why am I here? Paraphrasing the famous anthropologist, Margaret Mead: “A bird grows up inexorably to be a bird. But a human has to make conscious decisions every step of his or her fitful way to become a human.“

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A Benefit for Sandpoint Waldorf School

Tickets $20 Available at: •Ticketswest.com •Eichardt’s •7B Boardshop •Waldorf School •Bonner County Bicycles

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Doors @ 7pm Show @ 8pm 21+ 207 N. 1st Ave Sandpoint

www.livefromthehive.com / April 2, 2015

t h u r s d a y

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Easter Egg Hunt & Gatherin 6pm @ Cedar Hills Church Traditional Easter Egg Hunt

by Thursday gathering at 7:07 Hills will also have an Easter on Sunday, April 5th at 8, 9:30

Live Music w/ Britchy Venus in Fur 5:30pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery 7pm @ Hope Marketplace, Hope, ID Missoula’s acoustic Americana duo feaAnother great Tony-Award-Winning tures fine pickin’ and timeless songwritplay by American Laboratory Theatre, ing by Richie Reinholdt and 907Britt directed by Jesus Quintero. Tickets “Paper Planes” film $15. Not intended for all audiences 1:30pm @ Panida Theater (that means it’s GOTTA be good) “Black or White” film 7:30pm @ Panida Theater Live Music w/ Harold’s IGA Community Na Spt. Lions Club Easter Egg Hunt 7pm @ La Rosa Club 9am - 12pm @ M 9:45am @ Lakeview Park Join Ben, Cadie, Jesse and Twin Eagles Wil This is the big one. The annual Easguests Jenna and Matthew for ploring natural m ter Egg Hunt by the Lions Club. a night of indie folk rock Age range from toddlers to 11 years Hunting up B old. Hunt begins at 10pm sharp, so 9am (10 MST) make sure you’re there early Live Music w/ Flying Mammals Free, a chance

“Paper Planes” film 1:30pm @ Panida Theater

s u n d a y

t u e s d a y

Open Mic w/ Scott Reid 6pm - 9pm @ Monarch Mountain Coffee Held every first and third Thursday of the month, all are encouraged to attend “Paper Planes” film “Black or White” film 1:30pm @ Panida Theater 7:30pm @ Panida Theater

f

“Black or White” film 7:30pm @ Panida Theater

5:30pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery Inland NW-based trio of brothers Venus in Fur 7pm @ Hope Marketplace

birds of prey w Friends of Sco Live Music w/ Jus 5:30pm - 7:30pm @

Happy Easter!

Monday Night Blues Jam w/ Truck Mills 7:30pm @ Eichardt’s Pub Weekly infusion of blues from the Man

Learn the Cha Cha! 7pm @ SWAC (but you don’t have to be a member) Call Diane at 610-1770 to sign up or for more information

Karaoke Night 9pm - Midnight @ 219 Lounge

Trivia Night 7pm - 9pm @ MickDuff’s Test your useless knowledge and watch how it flitters away after your fifth beer Bingo Night 6:30 @ MickDuff’s Beer Hall Cards Against Humanity 7pm @ Neighborhood Pub Triple dog dare you

Relay for Life Kick-Off P 6pm - 8pm @ Calm Tiger Free and open to the publi

Seniors Day 9am - 12pm @ Bonner Mall A monthly get-together for seniors includes “walking the mall,” plus speakers, games, prizes and refreshments. Free and open to the public

First T 7pm @ Live m special mantha (happy

Pints for Clear Water Fundraiser 4pm - 7pm @ Idaho Pour Authority Join Lake Pend Oreille Waterkeeper, Rive kane Riverkeeper to celebrate our shared cal waterways at the Pints for Clean Wate Marty Perron and Doug Bond. And beer.

Scott Kirby Benefit Concert 4pm & 8pm @ Panida Theater “Main Street Souvenirs” is a multi-media stage performance featuring live piano mus ken narrative, and a video presentation. Funds raised will benefit the Panhandle Anim This visual “projected” dimension of the program will accompany both the narrative music throughout, and will consist of Kirby’s original artwork, his video footage, his phy, and archival photos. Kids attend free at matinee @ 4pm, 8pm show - kids $10, a

ful

ng

t, followed 7pm. Cedar r gathering 0 and 11am

April 2 - 9, 2015

A weekly entertainment guide to keep you on your toes. To list your event free, please send an email to calendar@sandpointreader.com.

Reader recommended

Open Mic Night 7pm - 9pm @ The Pearl in Bonners Hosted by Quarter Moon band, free admission and food served by the cafe. Come on down and show us what you’ve got!

Dinner & Music w/ Ben Baker 8pm @ Arlo’s Ristorante Come down to Arlo’s for authentic Italian favorites, and listen to Ben Baker live. That’s amore!

Live Music w/ Marty Perron & Doug Bond 5pm - 7pm @ Idaho Pour Authority Music + beer = happy

Alzheimer’s Support Group 1pm @ Sandpoint Senior Center Held on the first and third Thursday of each month.

Free respite care available during group session with advance reservations. Contact Jan Griffitts for more information at 290-1973 or email jan@looptravel.com Firkin’ Friday Fundraiser 5pm @ Laughing Dog Brewery Fundraiser for Team Laughing Dog’s Race Across America. Play the ring toss (which gets progressively more difficult the more beer you drink), buy bicycle pint glasses, and raffle tickets for a seasons pass at Schweitzer.

Good beer for a good cause. Good on ya!

ature Connection Day Mickinnick trailhead lderness School sponsors a day of exmysteries. Learn more - 406-595-4707

Lou Domanski Chess Festival Sandpoint Street Scramble 9am @ Spt Community Hall Register @ 9am @ SWAC Chess aficionados unite. Three A fun navigation race with divisions, from the young to the 30 fun checkpoints around not so young. Call 263-3613 to our fair city.

Cost is $5 club Birds that Hunt register or for more info members, $7 non-members. ) @ Heron Community Center To pre-register and get a map e to learn about native and migrating The Easter Bunny! beforehand, e-mail John Harwith naturalist Brian Baxter and the 10am - 3pm @ The buck at harbuck@norlight.org otchman Peaks Wilderness Bonner Mall Free First Saturday The Easter Bunny will stin Lantrip 10am - 2pm @ BoCo History Museum be appearing in per@ Idaho Pour Authority All are welcome to visit the museum free of son... er in bunny, at charge; sponsored by Jack and Shirley Parker the Mall to greet children with Easter treats Annual Easter Egg Hunt 11am @ The Bridge / Life Care Party & Poker Run Dinner & Music w/ Ben Baker Free and open to the public. All 8pm @ Arlo’s Ristorante Media (301 N. 1st Ste 204) proceeds go to Relay For Life ic, and all ages are welcome!

!

Tuesday w/ Jake Robin @ Eichardt’s Pub music from Jake Robin, with l guests Brian Jacobs, Saa Carston, and Chris Lynch y birthday, Chris!)

Upcoming Events

April 10 - Shook Twins @ The Hive April 23 - Justin Lantrip - “Live @ The Office” May 1 - Charley Packard Benefit Concert @ Panida t I see you go ...

The lazy kid bummer.

er City Brewing and the Spod vision for clean, healthy loer Fundraiser! Live music by Did we mention beer?

Learn the Tango 7pm @ SWAC sic, a spo- Call Diane at 610-1770 mal Shelter. to sign up or for more and the info. You don’t have to photogra- be a SWAC member to adults $15. take the class.

Find out why we’re a

A DOWNTOWN FAVORITE! Wake up with a delicious latte!

sandpoint’s premier

craft beer store

OVER 3OO BEERS IN STOCK PLUS 12 ROTATING TAPS

The Conversation 6pm - 8pm @ Ivano’s Ristorante Featured artist: sculptor Steve Gevurtz. The intent of the Conversation is to enrich our artist community by cultivating conversations on and about the creative processes for all the visual, literary, and performing artists in and around Sandpoint

located on the historic

CEDAR ST. BRIDGE in Sandpoint, Idaho

k www.cedarstbistro.com

2O3 CEDAR STREET DOWNTOWN SANDPOINT, ID

2O8.597.7O96 | IDAHOPOURAUTHORITY.COM

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Religion can be seen as an amplifier.

For some, it makes their goodness louder and more pronounced. Others use religious rituals, symbolism and language to justify their worst and most destructive impulses.

North Idaho got its own glimpse of the destructive religious forces dominating international relations last week. The Boundary County Sheriff’s Office announced it was working with the Federal Bureau of Investigation to assess a North Idaho connection to an ISIS hit list published online. An Islamic militant group that has developed a notorious reputation for torture, murder, brutality and destruction, ISIS proved that their terror tactics could even reach the relatively isolated spaces of rural Idaho.

But religious extremism also worked its way into a much more homegrown brand of terror and destruction. For nearly four decades, North Idaho governments and citizens have struggled against a small but dedicated collection of white supremacists, who utilized religion in its most twisted form to justify their bigotry and attempt a fanaticism-fueled revolution.

Mark Potok, famed reporter and anti-racism advocate for the Southern Poverty Law Center, has spent much of his career watching and writing about white supremacy groups. The religious underpinnings to many of these movements fascinate him, especially the surprisingly theologically sophisticated Christian Identity movement.

“Many people want to write off [Christian Identity] as half-baked theology, but a lot of thought has been put into this,” Potok said.

While the minds behind Christian Identity have put a lot of mental energy into developing the movement’s theology, it’s also a bizarre interpretation of Judeo-Christian scriptures, Potok said. In essence, adherents of the philosophy endorsed by infamous racist Richard Girnt Butler believe that the 10 /

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Israelites of the Old Testament were, in fact, the white race, and the Jewish peoples of the modern age are impostors and usurpers.

The “lesser races” have their origin in the Garden of Eden, where Eve had sex with the serpent, became pregnant and gave birth to Cain. Thus, Christian Identity adherents believe non-white races are literally the spawn of Satan. What’s more, they believe Christ cannot return for his millennial reign until the other races are erased from the earth. While softer versions of these racist doctrines exist, Potok said they aren’t attractive to the most prominent white supremacists groups like Butler’s Aryan Nations.

“Aryan Nations don’t play around,” Potok said.

Christian Identity is the most important religious factor in Idaho’s history with racist groups. However, Potok has seen two other prominent faiths used to justify hatred: Odinism and Creativity.

Odinism is a neopagan religion based on the Norse pantheon of pre-Christian Scandinavia. For white supremacists, praying to Odin or Thor rather than the Christian God is a more logically consistent approach, as Odinism emphasizes destruction and domination rather than peace and love.

“It’s a kind of barbarian’s religion associated with a Viking’s way of life,” Potok said.

Then there’s Creativity, founded in 1973

by Ben Klassen. At one time a Florida state legislator, Klassen was a tinkerer who invented an electric can opener. His second contribution to the world, the Church of the Creator, was markedly less useful. Creativity, at its core, gives the white race credit for every advancement in human history.

In contrast to Christian Identity, it’s a halfbaked religious philosophy, Potok said.

“It’s a complete joke,” he added.

The impulse to link religion with American white supremacist movements goes

all the way back to founding of the American Nazi Party in postwar America. Party founder George Lincoln Rockwell, Potok said, was at heart a nonbeliever. However, he cynically recognized that for a true fascist movement to spread in the much more religious U.S., it needed some kind of religious connection.

“Selling those ideas were greatly eased by incorporating religion,” Potok said.

The intellectual line of white supremacy then traces toward Butler founding the Church of Jesus Christ-Christian in Hayden Lake. He was later implicated in plots to overthrow the U.S. government perpetrated

by The Order, a neo-Nazi group utilizing a plan detailed in the racist novel “The Turner Diaries.”

Those were days attorney Ron Howen remembers well. During the ‘80s and ‘90s as a U.S. attorney, he worked on several prosecution efforts against alleged acts of white supremacy terrorism. Howen sees a direct line of dominos leading from the establishment of racist religious ideas to the Weaver family’s deadly confrontation with federal law enforcement at Ruby Ridge in Boundary County.

“Vicki Weaver had a vision that they should move to Idaho, where she believed Christ would return,” Howen said.

It’s impossible to know the full extent of death and suffering that’s been caused by the melding of religion into racial and cultural hatred. But it’s certainly left its scars on Idaho, which still struggles to reform its national image. While Potok sees racist religion proliferation calming somewhat today, he doubts it will ever disappear entirely. For people like Butler or Rockwell, who wish to exploit anger with a doctrine of hatred dressed in religious vestments, it’s too valuable a tool. “[They] need to make hate holy,” he said.

Above, a building at Richard Butler’s Aryan Nations compound in Hayden Lake burns shortly after the group lost a $6.3 million lawsuit to the Southern Poverty Law Center, forcing the forfeiture of the property. The site of the compound was sold to a philanthropist, who later donated it to North Idaho College, who designated the land as a “peace park.” Photo courtesy of SPLC.

STAGE & SCREEN

Easter movie picks

By Cameron Rasmusson For SPR

Once upon a time, I was a theology student with a secondary focus in media studies. Consequently, I’ve seen dozens of cinematic Biblical adaptations, from D.W. Griffith’s “Tolerance” (1916) to the recent, abysmal History Channel miniseries, “The Bible” (2013). In light of this, and in honor of the Easter season, here are a few of the most fascinating movies ever made about the life of Jesus Christ.

“The Gospel According to St. Matthew” (1964): As the 1960s dawned, Biblical stories were big, bright and loud. Films like “Ben-Hur” (still excellent, slightly flabby pacing notwithstanding), “King of Kings” (unremarkable but inoffensive) and “The Greatest Story Ever Told” (dire) adapted the gospel narrative to allow for hundreds of extras and huge sets.

By contrast, “The Gospel According to St. Matthew” stripped the story down to its bare essentials, adapting the first gospel almost word-for-word in stark black-and-white images. Director Pier Pasolini was, first and foremost, a poet, and his filmic language reflects that instinct, portraying Christ as a common man driven by righteous purpose.

“Jesus of Nazareth” (1977): This miniseries delivers what I still consider to be the best screen adaptation of the gospels available. It achieves this primarily on two qualities: The breadth of the narrative and Robert Powell’s spellbinding performance as Jesus.

The series blends the gospel accounts with a few narrative contrivances (some of these, like the use of the Prodigal Son parable to reconcile the disciples Matthew and Peter, are strokes of minor brilliance). Over four parts totaling six hours, the miniseries achieves a narrative flow contrasting the meandering feel of many gospel adaptations.

In my book, Powell is the single best reason to recommend this series. Blueeyed and lily white with a posh British accent, he’s almost laughably inaccurate as a First Century Jew. But the intensity and power he brings to his performance is still unmatched.

“The Last Temptation of Christ” (1988): This deeply personal film by genius director Martin Scorsese was immediately controversial upon re-

lease. Based not on the gospels but on a novel, the film explores the tension between Christ’s divinity and humanity. If the devout were annoyed by Jesus’ portrayal as self-doubting and battling temptations, they were outraged by the extended sequence where the crucified messiah is tempted to abandon his mission, instead living a life as a normal man married to Mary Magdalene.

“Temptation” isn’t for everyone, but I think the emphasis on Christ’s human frailty makes the final utterance, “It is accomplished,” all the more powerful.

Indeed, the most offensive thing about the movie to me is Harvey Keitel’s barely suppressed New York accent in his role as Judas Iscariot.

“The Passion of the Christ” (2004): The problem with most Biblical film adaptations is that the creative team, terrified of offending anyone, makes the final product hopelessly bland. Mel Gibson’s blood-soaked epic, also intensely controversial, certainly isn’t that. Essentially a modern passion play,

A scene from 1964’s “The Gospel According to St. Matthew” directed by Pier Pasolini. the movie follows Christ’s condemnation, torture and crucifixion in excruciating detail.

“Passion’s” alleged antisemitism is not entirely without merit from a visual perspective. Some members of the Sanhedrin do skirt the line of historically antisemitic imagery. Narratively, however, we see many scenes of the Jewish community divided by its reaction to

Christ’s condemnation.

The movie’s savage violence is also deeply disturbing. But for those with an existing knowledge of Christianity (the movie provides very little context into Christ’s message or ministry), I think the central theme of noble self-sacrifice ultimately wins out. Love it or hate it, “Passion” remains a cultural phenomenon that still fascinates.

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FOOD The

Sandpoint Eater

In the last Sandpoint Eater, our food columnist Marcia Pilgeram explored the broad strokes of Sandpoint eating. Now she digs into her featured restaurants in greater detail. Bon appétit!

By Marcia Pilgeram For SPR Sandpoint has been dealt a spate of bad luck in the recent year, from the closing of Coldwater Creek to less than stellar ski conditions. This economic turbulence has had a profound effect on the local economy.

Historically, restaurants are a sort of economic bellwether, so the fact that three local restaurants, The Hoot Owl, Joel’s, and Trinity continue to flourish despite recent events is perhaps a good omen for Sandpoint.

On the surface (and the plate), these eateries have little in common. Restaurateur Justin Dick, of Trinity at City Beach, owns the best waterfront dining experience for miles

around. The seasonal American fare menu is stylish, with an extensive list of fine wines to complement the array of choices. Joel Aispuro has seating in his “new” Joel’s, but not nearly enough to house the long line of customers who show up for the fresh, fast and affordable burritos, so lots of them will grab and go. And if Guy Fieri of “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives” ever shows up in Sandpoint, you know darn well he’s headed to Wendy Sater’s Hoot Owl, where she’s been dishing up delicious, man-sized breakfast and lunch plates for more than 20 years.

Different? Yes. Yet, despite these differences, they all have a number of important things in common.

For example, they all take great pride in their craft and the quality of product they turn out, day after day, year after year. In my interviews with each, they all emphasized the importance of delivering delicious food over profit.

In fact, not one of them talked much about their food costs, and I never heard any discussion of profits. Of key importance to them is sourcing, preparing and serving the best

possible food as reasonably as they can. Sater states, “We purchase some of our meat here locally, and try to keep our business in Sandpoint as much as possible.”

They’re all conscience of changing lifestyles, and all are serving healthy and alternative choices for vegetarian, gluten intolerant and vegan diners.

Dick’s menu selections are as diverse as our community, and he tries to please every palette by offering substitutions.

If he doesn’t have exactly what you want, he’ll work hard to deliver the next best thing. He serves a broad collection of eaters, transcending every generation. Local foodstuffs are important at Trinity, and they continue to incorporate more fresh garden crops from nearby farms and even some from their customers. He summarizes his mission succinctly: “Happy customer in and happy customer out.”

Aispuro found a niche for his dream of building a family legacy by working long days alongside his family as they prepare and sell their delicious Mexican food.

He’s worked hard to raise his family and be a good provider. He’s still working hard, and the restaurant, he explains, “is like a second marriage.”

Cape Cod Cowboy Cakes con chips ‘n Choy

By Robert Zweifel For SPR

Ever tried frying bok choy?

With the winter weather fading away, a plate of the tender cabbage, paired with a generous helping of fish and chips, is just the thing to welcome the spring.

I picked up my bok choy from Yolks, combining it with a mysterious wild rice pancake mix from unexplained origins.

If you’re having the oven fries, get those started first. Preheat an oven to 400 degrees, then wash and slice mixed colors of local smallish potatoes into quarter-inch slices. I end 12 /

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up with silver dollar-sized round chips and that’s fine, but by all means, julienne if you prefer.

Drizzle a bit of oil and toss with salt and pepper, then arrange them in a glass or metal pan—one layer only—that goes into the hot oven. Turn them over in about five minutes, then five or so more until they’re golden brown.

Fry up the fish next. Combine four cups of wild rice or any pancake mix—or even just flour—with one tablespoon of baking soda, one teaspoon of salt and one egg. Combine with

+ white wine or beer and enough water to make a pancake batter consistency. Cut a halfpound cod into strips of varying lengths. Put a three-quarters cup of sunflower oil or other highheat oil into medium-hot in a skillet. Dredge the fish pieces in flour, then dip them into batter and place in hot oil (tongs are nice at this point). Turn over after about a minute and a half,

Every day at 5 a.m. he’s prepping the food (and hoping he’s prepared enough for the rush of the day), and he’s still there at 4 p.m. mentally preparing for the next busy day.

To deal with the ramping up of the summer season, Dick will be doubling the staff. After sifting through more than 150 applications and lining up a hundred or so interviews, he’ll hire 40 of the best who’ll complete a rigorous training program before serving the summer swarm.

Ultimately, the one common element is that people in our community love to eat at these places. This is perhaps exemplified by Amber, the mother of a young family who was enjoying their meal at a table not far from mine at Joel’s. When I asked them what their favorite food was, Amber quickly rattled off family members’ preferences. Because it’s so darn affordable, she told me, they eat there a couple of times a week (make that six times a week for Amber when she was pregnant). She’s such a regular that when she phones in an order, they recognize her voice.

But it’s also bigger than that. As Sater notes: “We strive to make every single customer feel special, welcome and comfortable. We give back to the

+ when nicely browned, but don’t go away yet. Check for doneness after about 30 seconds and when evenly browned, lift the fish out using a slotted spatula onto paper towels. You might wish to keep the fish sticks warm in your oven while you whip up a quickie tartar sauce.

Repeat the dredging, dipping and frying process with the bok choy, washed well and removed from the base of the stalk. Cook

community every chance we get and we work together as a family. We support and respect each other, and our dedication to our guests is proven by our success.”

Though each spot depends on some tourist trade, the local community environment is evident. While Joel’s matriarch, Rebecca, is taking your order with her million-watt smile, the guys on the line are bantering about Bulldog sports with a bunch of home-grown youth. My coffee at the Hoot Owl counter has been topped off more than once by another morning regular. And even on a busy summer evening, you’ll find lots of locals vying with tourists for their preferred patio table at Trinity.

So speaking of community, what did each of our restaurateurs say keeps them up at night? I was surprised to learn it’s the virtual communities of social media. It’s definitely a double-edged sword, and Sater, Dick and Aispuro all wonder why someone will walk out the door without so much as a word, only to leave a complaint on a social media site. “Let us fix it before you leave,” is the common refrain among them.

I couldn’t agree more, and I’m happy to help spread the word.

= lightly for only 20 seconds or so per side.

Now for the tartar sauce: Combine a half-cup of mayonnaise, a third-cup of catsup, one diced pickle, one tablespoon lemon juice, one tablespoon Tabasco or horseradish or chili pepper sauce. I like to add a few capers, if available.

A quick estimation puts this meal at about $10, serving one adult and two children with some left for papa’s lunch. Buen provecho!

MUSIC

This week’s RLW by Ben Olson

A community of poems, stories and song

By Patrice Webb For SPR

North Idaho is home to many who follow the arts as their path in life, and all who create have started locally and organically. For a musician, a songwriter or a writer of poetry and short stories, the journey often starts with an open mic, for it is here they overcome the fear of performing and hone their skills. For most, sharing something new can inspire a wide spectrum of feelings. On one hand, there is the excitement of that new song or poem that is waiting to make its way into the world, yet at the same time it’s a difficult bridge for an artist to cross.

Fortunately, whether it is music or spoken word, the area is rich with options to share poetry, song, and storytelling.

They come in the form of several open mics that are offered on a regular basis at locations from Sandpoint to Bonners Ferry.

The idea of “artistic discovery that fosters a sense of community” is what spurred Shelly Wilson, owner of Sandpoint’s Monarch Mountain Coffee, into opening up her space to those who love the arts. Wilson, who purchased the café three years ago, has always had as her vision a place where artists and supporters of the arts can gather in a sort of “community hub” where all are welcome. It is in this idea of a community hub that café manager Claire Christy describes as “other artists creating an inspiring place that is accepting to all”. To that purpose, local art adorns the walls, and music, poetry and film has become as big of a staple as the local wines, coffee, beer, and food items.

The café has three open mics a month, all on a Thursday night. The first Thursday of the month, local musician and music teacher Scott Reid hosts an open mic where those who play but don’t write can try their hand at cover tunes. Of course, whenever two or more musicians gather in one place,

READ

I love reading about the west coast before it was filled with us loonies.

“Two Years Before the Mast” by Richard Henry Dana, Jr. is a factual account of a learned man who joined a trade ship in 1834 as a common sailor.

The shipboard politics are intriguing, but my favorite part of the narrative was the year Dana spent shuttling hides and goods up and down the California coast, which at that time, was a quiet, unpopulated place. He describes now bustling cities like Los Angeles, San Diego and San Francisco as lonely, sparsely populated hide collection points, with a few houses scattered along the coast and not much else. What a coast it must’ve been.

LISTEN

Local songwriter / musician Andy Rising. Photo by Robert Wakeley. this means that the evening often turns into a joyous jam of guitars, banjos, mandolins, fiddles and hand drums, making each night different and fresh.

Reid also hosts a singer-songwriter night on the third Thursday of the month, and this is where Sandpoint’s singer-songwriters come out to play, sharing their new songs with a supportive crowd of café patrons.

The fourth Thursday finds local poet Shana Poissot hosting poetry night. Poetry night at the café features a wide range of poetry both original and by recognized authors in an unplugged, intimate environment.

Listeners can expect anything from the heartfelt to the humorous with a wide range of styles demonstrated by Sandpoint’s poets and storytellers.

The third Wednesday of every month brings writers, as well as the occasional musician together at Café Bodega located in Foster’s Crossing.

In an environment of antiques and rustic décor, many local writers share their works in an atmosphere like that of a family gathering. This gathering of writers is affectionately known as “Five Minutes of Fame” and is coordinated by Tom and Ro-

bens Napolitan, who are both writers with long standing ties to the community of Sandpoint.

The Napolitans set up a small sound system and encourage writers of all ages to come out and share their original poems, stories and songs.

Five Minutes bears the distinction of being the oldest running open mic in the area, and many of the people who have passed through its doors have gone on to publish works of their own.

The café offers up a nice selection of sandwiches, salads, coffee and sweet treats that are made by the café’s owners, the husband and wife team of Dave and Kate Luers. Offerings range from traditional fare to vegetarian and gluten free menu items.

Approximately 45 minutes north of Sandpoint in Bonners Ferry sits a little gem of a theater that was started in an old church in 2012. During its short life, the theater has earned a reputation for providing first class entertainment from theater to musical performances to dance. In keeping with the theater’s mission statement to “foster performing arts throughout Boundary County,” the theater hosts two monthly events that are open to

writers and musicians.

The first Thursday of every month finds local musicians and Bonners Ferry residents Trenee Solt and Mike Meier of the band Quarter Moon hosting an open mic that puts participants up on the Pearl Theater’s big stage and professional sound system.

Many of the area’s songwriters and musicians turn out to play in front of an enthusiastic group of local theater-goers.

The fourth Friday of the month, the theater hosts a “performers’ circle” where people pass songs around from person to person. Spontaneity is the key here, as the circle frequently turns into a jam session among instant friends.

Performers’ Circle has quickly become one of the theater’s most loved events, with many nights boasting as many audience members as performers. Attendees end up singing along while enjoying the array of goodies the theater offers up in its little café.

For more information, call Monarch Mountain Coffee at 265-9382. Learn more about Five Minutes of Fame at www. fosterscrossingantiques.com or the Pearl Theater at www. thepearltheater.org

Paleo (aka David Strackany) is one of those lucky bastards who is so prolific it almost makes you sick.

He tours the United States relentlessly, bringing his brand of folk music to new levels with every stop. At times moody, at others bright and full of vitality, Paleo combines strange and beautiful into a new form... Brange?

Streautiful? Whatever, it works.

In 2005, he embarked on a 50,000 mile quest around the nation, writing a song a day for an entire year. Dick Cheney even wrote him a note of congratulations for the project, shortly before shooting his hunting companion in the face. I’m sure Paleo wrote a song about that, too. I would have.

WATCH

A documentary called “Finding Vivian Maier” by John Maloof and Charlie Siskel recently captured my attention. Maier was a strange, unknown nanny who left behind tens of thousands of amazing photographs, mostly street photography that had a unique humor and commentary about the world she watched from the shadows.

Maloof unearthed her unknown work and delved into who Maier was, and has since brought her fantastic collection to the world.

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w o N & Then compiled by

Ben Olson

c.1940s

Lloyd Larson (right), and Thor Larson (left), co-founders of Larson’s Men’s and Boy’s Wear, stand with longtime employee Royel Brixen (middle) at the first iced boot contest.

Corrections: In last week’s story about “Venus in Fur” we listed the showtime as 8pm when it was actually 7pm. Sorry guys. Great job selling out the opening night! You can catch the play at the Hope Marketplace for its closing weekend Friday and Saturday night at 7pm.

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This week, we’re featuring a special Then & Now, featuring Larson’s in Sandpoint. They are celebrating their 75th Anniversary with a special promotion started in the 1940s. Drop by and guess when you think the block of ice encasing the boot will melt! You could win a free pair of White’s boots.

2015

Dick Larson (right) and daughter Lindsey Larson (left), stand with longtime employee Bonnie McEwan (middle) at the iced boot contest on April 1, 2015.

Go and make a guess when the boot will melt, you could win a pair!

If you go flying back through time, and you see somebody else flying forward into the future, it’s probably best to avoid eye contact.

DAN - (208)597-5339

TIM - (208)304-7868

521 B, North 4th, Sandpoint (right behind Horizon Credit Union)

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