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The Psounbality with Per FRESH FOOD LIVE MUSIC THE BEST NW BREWS
212 Cedar Street Downtown Sandpoint
208.263.4005 A SandPint Tradition Since 1994
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(wo)MAN compiled by
Susan Drinkard
on the street
Does Sandpoint feel as though everyone is in a hurry? Is the pace faster than, say, 10 years ago? “Absolutely! It feels like the businesses are turning over at a fast pace and there is construction going on everywhere. There are definitely fewer open spaces in town.” Lacey Inge Creator of earrings from recycled bike tire tubes—Averi Naturals Sagle
“It is much faster [paced] than it was 10 years ago because there are more people involved in all kinds of activities that we didn’t have years ago, and these take time— so much time that people don’t watch the sunset or visit with friends. And there is so much to see just outside your door—if you slow down and take the time.” Fred Omodt Assistant bucket washer at Shingle Mill blueberry farm Sandpoint
“I live in Clark Fork and I always think Sandpoint is in a hurry.” Breigh Peterson Mountain Cloud Farm Clark Fork
“I have lived here for 14 years and it is definitely faster now. It feels like the drivers are on speed and being a pedestrian doesn’t feel safe. I can’t keep track of the businesses, but one positive is my business is doing better than ever at the Farmers’ Market. It is busier with lots of new faces.” Emily LeVine Farmer Seller Valley
READER 111 Cedar Street, Suite 9 Sandpoint, ID 83864 (208)265-9724
www.sandpointreader.com Publisher: Ben Olson ben@sandpointreader.com Editorial: Zach Hagadone zach@sandpointreader.com Lyndsie Kiebert lyndsie@sandpointreader.com Cameron Rasmusson (editor-at-large) John Reuter (emeritus) Advertising: Jodi Berge Jodi@sandpointreader.com Contributing Artists: Alicia Reed (cover), Ben Olson, Bill Borders, Racheal Baker, Susan Drinkard. Contributing Writers: Zach Hagadone, Ben Olson, Lyndsie Kiebert, Shannon Williamson, Steve Wasylko, Rachel Castor, Dinah Rawson, Brenden Bobby, Marjolein Groot Nibbelink, Jason Welker, Marcia Pilgeram, Ed Ohlweiler Submit stories to: stories@sandpointreader.com Printed weekly at: Griffin Publishing Spokane, Wash. Subscription Price: $115 per year Web Content: Keokee The Sandpoint Reader is a weekly publication owned and operated by Ben Olson and Keokee. It is devoted to the arts, entertainment, politics and lifestyle in and around Sandpoint, Idaho. We hope to provide a quality alternative by offering honest, in-depth reporting that reflects the intelligence and interests of our diverse and growing community. The Reader is printed on recycled paper using soy-based ink. Leftover copies are collected and recycled weekly, or burned in massive bonfires to appease the gods of journalism. Free to all, limit two copies per person.
Sandpoint Reader letter policy: The Sandpoint Reader welcomes letters to the editor on all topics. Requirements: –No more than 400 words –Letters may not contain excessive profanity or libelous material. Please elevate the discussion. Letters will be edited to comply with the above requirements. Opinions expressed in these pages are those of the writers, not necessarily the publishers. Email letters to: letters@sandpointreader.com
“Yes, Sandpoint is the busiest place I’ve ever been!”
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Avi Corsini 3 months old Sandpoint
About the Cover
This week’s cover photo was taken by Alicia Reed. It’s Weezil, the artisan who makes chain-mail and metal crowns at the Sandpoint Renaissance Faire. August 29, 2019 /
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NEWS
County votes to proceed with suit vs. city over Festival gun-ban Commissioner McDonald: ‘We have an obligation’
By Zach Hagadone and Lyndsie Kiebert Reader Staff The Festival at Sandpoint had barely opened its 2019 season when open carry and concealed firearms advocates took aim at the event’s weapons ban. “The Festival doesn’t have the right to negotiate away my right to carry a firearm on city property,” Selle Valley resident Craig Frick testified at the Aug. 7 Sandpoint City Council meeting. Now, only a few weeks after the close of the summer concert series on Aug. 11, the city of Sandpoint is being sued by Bonner County over the Festival’s policy barring weapons. Conflict over the no-weapons policy has centered on the fact that the Festival leases War Memorial Field from the city. As such, Idaho Second Amendment Alliance President Greg Pruett fired off a series of emails to Sandpoint City Attorney Will Herrington in early August, claiming that the Festival was in violation of the United States Constitution and Idaho statute by banning guns from the field during concerts. According to Idaho Code, “no county, city, agency, board or any other political subdivision of this state may adopt or enforce any law, rule, regulation, or ordinance which regulates in any manner the sale, acquisition, transfer, ownership, possession, transportation, carrying or storage of firearms or any element relating to firearms and components thereof, including ammunition.” Exceptions to that rule are jails and detention facilities, courthouses, school grounds and other locations where school activities occur. Herrington, both at the Aug. 7 council meeting and in an email response to Pruett, which was later published online by Redoubt News, said, “There is no violation of the 2nd Amendment to the US Constitution or any Idaho Statute by the City because the City has taken no action to regulate 4 /
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firearms.” Rather, Herrington said at the council meeting, “we will be supporting [the Festival’s] rights as the lessee to govern who is admitted to the park and who is not admitted to the park … [W]e simply leave it under their prerogative to not allow people with weapons to be on the premises.” There the issue simmered until, on Aug. 22, Bonner County Commissioner Dan McDonald posted to the Sandpoint Local Forum Facebook group a letter from local firm Davillier Law Group, drafted on behalf of the county in opposition to the Festival’s weapon ban. The letter, addressed to Herrington, followed the same legal argument as Pruett’s that allowing the Festival as a lessee of city property to prohibit firearms ran counter to the Constitution and Idaho law. Colton Boyles, the lawyer with Davillier who wrote the letter, suggested Sandpoint legal counsel review the Festival policy and respond with “an analysis regarding the source(s) of authority relied upon by your client, the City of Sandpoint, in regulating and enforcing a prohibition of lawful firearms possession on public property.” The letter closed by requesting the analysis be concluded “as soon as possible, preferably by Monday August 26, 2019.” “County taxpayers paid for this? A city issue?” commented local resident Sandi Nicholson on McDonald’s Facebook post. “It’s like double taxing the citizens on this issue?” “We take an oath to uphold the US and State Constitutions as well as the laws,” McDonald replied. “What took place was a clear violation of State Statute. We have an obligation to protect the rights of the citizens in Bonner County and to follow the law.” Once Aug. 26 passed without a legal analysis by the city, commissioners voted unanimously to move forward with filing suit against Sandpoint. “The city’s attorney had until yesterday to respond with their
position and make the move to follow the law,” McDonald told the Reader on Aug. 27. “Instead, they chose not to answer to the clear violation of state law. Our attorneys tried to start a dialogue but got nothing but stall tactics.” Jurisdiction in instances that involve both the county and city do not have clear boundaries. In trying to find those boundaries, the Reader reached out to the Idaho Association of Counties and National Association of Counties. Neither organization would weigh in on the issue. McDonald told the Reader he’s sure the county has cause to be involved. “Since the city is a municipality within the county and all residents are county residents and based on our oath of office, clearly we have standing,” he said. When asked why the county used Davillier — a third-party law group — to file the suit, McDonald said that if a citizen were to be arrested for refusing to hand over a firearm at the Festival, both the county prosecutor and sheriff, who have come out in opposition to the Festival firearms policy, would encounter a conflict of interest and be unable to keep that citizen in county custody. “As the chief law enforcement officer of Bonner County, it is my duty to protect our established constitutional and statutory rights,” Sheriff Wheeler wrote in a statement released Aug. 23, adding that should the county proceed with litigation, he “would request to be added as a plaintiff participant.” BCSO officials confirmed Aug. 28 that Wheeler has formally requested to join the suit as a plaintiff. Meanwhile, City Administrator Jennifer Stapleton reiterated the city’s position “that we have leased the space to a private entity and while under the terms of that lease the private entity has the ability to set the rules for its events.” In a statement released late Aug. 28, the city expressed its support for the Constitution and
Second Amendment, while underscoring that it had enacted no policies prohibiting citizens from carrying guns on public property — nor did the Sandpoint Police Department enforce the Festival’s weapons policy. According to the official statement, “The Festival has banned weapons at their event as required by their artist contracts. That is within their rights as a private lessee.” City officials would not comment further on the record — while calls to the Festival office and Festival Board President Grant Nixon went unanswered as of press time — but they did confirm that the lawsuit could have ramifications for other private entities and organizations that lease city property. Biomedical Innovations signed a five-year lease with the city at its property near the Sandpoint Airport in 2016. Litehouse Foods also operates a warehouse on cityowned property on North Boyer Avenue, alongside MakerPoint Studios and Panhandle Special Needs Inc. Finally, the portion of the Bonner General Health campus on Alder Street between Second and Third avenues is located on city property. How the county’s lawsuit might
An unidentified individual carrying a firearm outside the gates at the Festival at Sandpoint in 2019. Photo by Racheal Baker. affect weapons policies at those sites remains to be seen. Clearer are the potential impacts to the Festival should it be forced to open its concerts to firearms. If the organization opts to stay at Memorial Field, it would need to negotiate with artists, whose contracts frequently include gun-free riders. Mixing guns with alcohol is also a concern for many, both from a safety and enforcement standpoint — Idaho statute clearly stipulates it is illegal to carry concealed weapons under the influence of drugs or alcohol. The other alternative, and one suggested by Pruett and other opponents of the Festival weapons ban, is for the event to relocate to private property. Regardless, from the city’s perspective, Memorial Field becomes the Festival’s venue for the duration of its lease. “It’s just the nature of doing a lease,” Stapleton said. “They’re leasing the property, they have essentially control of that property during that time.”
NEWS
County adopts $63M budget
Meeting set for Albeni Falls Dam operations
Commissioners Connolly and Bradshaw opt out of salary increase
By Lyndsie Kiebert Reader Staff Bonner County commissioners adopted a $63 million fiscal year 2020 budget Aug. 26, following two public hearings in which increased revenues, spending and salaries dominated the discussion. Despite budgeted expenditures being about $6 million more than last fiscal year, Bonner County will not raise property taxes in 2020. Instead, it will rely only on new construction, increased fees and cash carried forward from the FY2019 budget to account for that increase. As for reasons behind the spending increase, rising
salaries account for a sizeable portion. While regular employees will receive a 3% “cost of living” merit raise, elected officials are seeing higher increases. Department heads received raises after AmeriBen, a third-party human resources consultancy firm, performed a wage study for the county in 2015. The study revealed workers in similar positions across Idaho took home larger paychecks. At the time, elected officials in the county — including commissioners, the clerk, treasurer and assessor — made $58,000 annually. In order to keep commissioner salaries above those they supervise, the county imple-
mented changes suggested by AmeriBen. Human Resources Director Cindy Binkerd recommended substantial raises for the board to be implemented over several years. Commissioners made $68,000 in 2016 and 2017; $72,800 in 2018; $78,000 in 2019; and, under the 2020 budget, commissioners will make $84,500 — a 68.6% increase since 2014. Commissioners Jeff Connolly and Steve Bradshaw have announced they won’t take the raise, claiming it is too high, leaving Commissioner Dan McDonald as the only member of the board to opt for the salary bump. Meanwhile, Binkerd is slated to make $83,430 in
Brick by brick By Lyndsie Kiebert Reader Staff Though long a vital part of downtown Sandpoint, the Panida Theater went into a twilight period toward the end of the 20th century. Years of disuse and neglect threatened to relegate the Spanish Mission-style building to the dustbin of history. Yet, Sandpointians rallied to buy the Panida and return it to its former glory. The donations rolled in and, by 1985, the future of the theater was put in the hands of community members committed to seeing it reborn. To commemorate that Herculean effort — and raise more money — theater supporters purchased bricks etched with their names. Those bricks have
since comprised the sidewalk beneath the Panida marquee; but, as the downtown Sandpoint revitalization project enters into Phase II — during which First Avenue will receive a huge facelift — the fate of the bricks is in question. Panida Director Patricia Walker announced Aug. 27 that construction crews will attempt to save each of the more than 300 two-inch-thick bricks to give them back to the individuals, businesses and families who bought them. However, the lack of an adequate stormwater drainage system combined with wear and tear from winter snow removal have made the bricks brittle and easily susceptible to crumbling. “As hard as this is on our
2020. The clerk, treasurer and assessor will make $80,340. The 2020 budget is also accounting for $2 million in revenue by raising the annual solid waste fee from $115 to $185. Commissioners will vote on the fee increase at a Wednesday, Sept. 4 public hearing. If the increase is denied, the budget will be adjusted accordingly. The higher revenues — and, in turn, spending on the part of solid waste to upgrade its waste transfer station — are reflected in the 2020 budget because once a budget is adopted, it can be lowered but not increased. To review the FY2020 Bonner County budget, visit bonnercountyid.gov/departments/commissioners.
By Reader Staff
Representatives from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers are hosting a public meeting Wednesday, Sept. 11 in Priest River to inform the public on Albeni Falls Dam operations. Topics to be discussed include current and upcoming dam operations — including the fall draft — as well as lake level coordination, weather forecasts and a topical question-and-answer period. The meeting will take place at the Priest River Event Center, 5399 US-2, from 6-7:30 p.m. Those with questions should contact Army Corps Public Affairs specialist Scott Lawrence at 206-764-6896 or aaron.s.lawrence@usace.army.mil.
Downtown construction means removal of commemorative Panida bricks
hearts, the [city’s] sidewalk and street project helps the Panida financially,” Walker said. To commemorate those who stepped up to save the Panida by purchasing a brick, Walker said her team is cataloging the engraved names and intends to include them on a plaque to hang at the theater. She said anyone who would like to contribute to the plaque project should reference “Bricks” on their donation. The city will also help memorialize the bricks by including a decorative ribbon in the new sidewalk that reads “Panida Theater – Community Supported – Mission Driven.” “The bricks and many other tributes are public acknowledgement of the tremendous support the theater has re-
ceived,” Walker said. “Each engraved brick represents a story and a family name.” To capture those memories, Walker said people can send stories about their brick to events@ panida.org or submit them through an online form that will soon be active at panida.org. Walker also said the Panida will host an event after the last brick is removed, giving sponsors the opportunity to collect their brick if it remained intact
The commemorative bricks outside the Panida Theater. Courtesy photo. during removal. She emphasized that crews will do their best to remove bricks in one piece, so people should not attempt to do it themselves. Creating premature holes in the sidewalk is a safety risk, Walker said, and the sidewalk needs to remain accessible until road and stormwater drainage work is finished. August 29, 2019 /
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OPINION
Considering a run for public office? Please read By Shannon Williamson Reader Contributor The city of Sandpoint is one of a kind. I would like to say that we have it all here. That wouldn’t necessarily be true, but we have a whole lot to offer. We have incredible natural resources that provide lots of recreational opportunities. We have a vibrant culture that embraces the arts — from award-winning films at the Panida to undiscovered, yet uniquely talented musical performers. Most importantly, we have a community of people that is quick to lend a hand to those in need, either through their own sweat equity, by providing resources and connections, or just being there to lend an ear. I’m not here to convince you that everything is all sunshine and roses. Sandpoint has its challenges, for sure. Lack of affordable housing stock — for sale or rent — is real. Replacing and repairing aging infrastructure, such as our wastewater treatment plant and streets, is expensive. Providing opportunities to land a good paying job is challenging. Over the last few years, the current City Council has worked hard at identifying our strengths and challenges through the strategic planning process, and we now have well-informed and agreed upon priorities that will make us a more proactive governing body. We are in the middle of multiple master planning efforts from parks and recreation, water, arts and culture, transportation and our comprehensive plan. The city wants to provide a unified community vision for our future and effectively manage the change and growth that is coming to ensure it aligns with that vision. We want and need your help. So, what’s my story? I first ran for City Council in 2013. I’m now midway 6 /
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through my second four-year term as your City Council president. I was still relatively new to the community when first elected, having moved to Sandpoint in 2011 to be closer to family. I was (and am) a single mom with a 3- and 6-yearShannon Williamson. old at the time. My kids’ wellbeing was and is my single highest priority, and if I was going to raise them in the Sandpoint community, I wanted to help make it the best it could be. Not just for my family, but my friends and neighbors as well. Every council member brings a unique passion and skill set to the table, and we need that. I am passionate about clean water and I’m oddly educated in wastewater microbiology. What are you passionate about? What are you really good at? What kind of changes do you want to see for Sandpoint, and what are your ideas around how to make that happen? There are three City Council seats and the mayor up for election this year. I encourage every city resident who is invested in Sandpoint’s future to consider running for an elected position. If you are interested in learning more about how you can make an impact in our city as an elected official and what that entails, you can: The city is holding a workshop on this very topic on Wednesday, Sept. 4 in the Sandpoint City Council chambers at City Hall at 4:30 p.m. We’ll cover a variety of topics that we truly hope will be helpful to anyone considering running for city elected office. Bring your questions — I hope to see you there. Shannon Williamson, Ph.D., is Sandpoint City Council president and executive director of the Lake Pend Oreille Waterkeeper.
Bits ’n’ Pieces From east, west and beyond
East, west or beyond, sooner or later events elsewhere may have a local impact. A recent sampling: MRI scans indicate that some people have brains that make them prone to lying, according to a new study from University of Southern California. The study involved 108 subjects, the Los Angeles Times reported, and noted that those inclined to lie also had less ability to feel remorse. Finding a decayed human body on a wild landscape would seem like one psychological scar too many, but a judge in Arizona has charged members of No More Deaths for littering. The group picks up litter, leaves full bottles of water for migrants attempting to enter the U.S. through desert land and also reports bodies found. One defendant stated that, “I didn’t understand humanitarian aid was criminal.” Why it’s a no-no: pulling a cat’s tail can stretch or tear nerves and can cause temporary or permanent inability to walk, incontinence or chronic pain, says Catster Magazine. Currently, almost 7,000 U.S. businesses are all or partially owned by a trust called the Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP). Advantages: more efficiency, better pay, fewer lay-offs and more wealth build-up for employees. The movement has been enhanced by the 2018 Main Street Employee Ownership Act. John Case, editor of Employee-Owned America, says when a company sells to an ESOP, usually shares are paid with borrowed funds and the loan is repaid from the business’ pre-tax earnings, not from employee contributions. There are also tax advantages for those selling to an ESOP. Fifteen immigrants, represented by five justice organizations, have filed suit against the Trump administration to prove delays or denial of medical care, failure to provide mental health services and discrimination against those needing disability accommodations. According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, instead of seeking damages, the plaintiffs are asking for better policies so other immigrants won’t share their experiences: blindness due to delayed care, lack of treatment for a severe brain parasite and denial of treatment for heart conditions. The plaintiffs note that many held could have been released via bond or parole, but ICE instead keeps them at a cost to taxpayers of $208 a day.
By Lorraine H. Marie Reader Columnist
The federal deficit will reach $960 billion in 2019 fiscal year, says a recent Congressional Budget Office report. CBO blames trade wars and tax cuts for the deficit, but Wyoming Republican Sen. John Barrasso says President Donald Trump wants to reduce the deficit with cuts to Social Security and Medicare, a “second term project.” Prior to his first term, Trump firmly stated he would not allow cuts to either program. A combination of faulty decisions has fueled the Amazonian wildfires: a new president that wants to remove environmental barriers from the area, an inordinate appetite for meat and soybeans, and unscrupulous lenders who ignore environmental consequences. The World Bank says cattle ranching is responsible for 91% of Amazon deforestation since 1970. Because the Amazon alone has provided 20% of the planet’s oxygen, the region is called “the lungs of the planet.” Compared to this time last year, the Amazon has 80% more fires, according to the National Institute for Space Research. Several clean water organizations sued the EPA for allowing the dumping of coal ash into U.S. waterways and won. Coal ash contains arsenic, lead, mercury and other chemicals that poison wildlife, cause birth defects, cancer and other health problems in affected communities. The EPA was court ordered to draft a rule protecting the public and waterways from coal ash, says the Waterkeeper Alliance. A special August issue of High Country News took fake news to new heights: each article imagined the future from the perspective of failures to adequately address climate change. Topics included how the Forest Service became the U.S. Fire Service, hunting down prominent climate deniers to put them in front of climate tribunals for crimes against the environment, and how the Great Plains were restored, suitable for habitation by 2 million bison. Blast from the past: “When I give food to the poor they call me a saint. When I ask why the poor have no food, they call me a communist,” Brazilian Archbishop Helder Camara, 1909-1999. Camara worked for social progress and criticized dictatorial leadership that bred poverty and injustice. He defined his socialism as a quest for justice and respect for humans, as based on the Gospels. Another blast from the past: In 1916, anarchist political activist and writer Emma Goldman was arrested for distributing birth control information.
POINT / COUNTERPOINT
gun rights: Would you feel safe at the Festival knowing fellow concertgoers were potentially armed?
Carrying in public places: ‘Better There’s no way around it: Fewer guns means less gun violence to have it and not need it’ By Steve Wasylko Reader Contributor The short answer is “yes,” I would feel safe at the Festival knowing concertgoers were potentially armed. I believe the real question for people on both sides of the issue is, “Would I feel safe anywhere in public knowing that my fellow citizens were potentially armed?” For myself, the answer is a resounding “yes.” There have been many studies that show that concealed weapons permit holders are less likely to commit a crime than the average citizen (see the article “Report: Concealed Carry Permit Holders Are The Most Law-Abiding People In The Country” at dailywire.com). In fact, there are studies that show that CWP holders are less likely to commit a crime than even police officers are. I believe that those on the other side of this issue are probably not comfortable with their fellow citizens being armed in public, period. As far as private citizens carrying a firearm, I fail to see the difference between the Festival and any other public place. As The New York Times reported in June 2005, the Supreme Court has ruled that police officers do not have a constitutional duty to protect a person from harm. We have already seen instances in mass shootings, such as Parkland, where an officer failed to act. I am very pro-law enforcement and believe that the majority of officers would take steps to protect someone. That still leaves the fact that the chances of an officer being there when a crime is being committed are slim to none. I carry a gun everywhere I legally can, every day. I do so because I know that if something happens I am the only one who can protect myself and my family. It costs me nothing to carry a gun. It could cost myself or my loved ones our lives if I do not. It’s no different to me than having a fire extinguisher in my kitchen, a first aid kit in my car or wearing my seatbelt every day. The chances of needing those things are low, but the costs of not having them when needing them is very high. To use a cliche,
“Better to have it and not need it, than need it and not have it.” Much of what I have written above is in reference to “normal” violent crime. Robbery, assault, etc. What we have unfortunately seen over the past couple of decades is that large public gatherings can be targets for deranged individuals looking to cause massive harm. The vast majority of these mass public shootings have occurred in places where private citizens are prohibited from carrying firearms. It is not a coincidence that these places are picked for these heinous crimes. They are choosing the place where they are least likely to encounter any armed resistance. That makes the answer to the question of carrying at someplace such as the Festival even more of a definitive “yes.” Not only are you still at risk for “normal” crime, but you are now in a place where there is a much greater risk of a mass shooting event. Knowing that the Festival is someplace where guns are not allowed makes the chances of it being a target even higher. (For more information on gun-free zones and crime, see recent data on crimeresearch.org: “Breaking down Mass Public Shooting data from 1998 though June 2019” and “Mass Public Shootings keep occurring in Gun-Free Zones”). This is North Idaho. Many people carry guns every day and no one knows, due to the fact that most people carry concealed. What many on the opposite side of this issue may not know is that up until last year, people have been carrying at the Festival since its inception. As far as I know, there has never been an incident where a Festival attendee with a weapon has caused a problem, and I have spoken with people who have worked security there for over a decade. I have zero concern about my fellow citizens carrying firearms at the Festival or anywhere else for that matter. Steve Wasylko is a firearms instructor who teaches the enhanced concealed weapons permit class and a federally licensed firearms dealer through his business, Sandpoint Arms.
By Rachel Castor Reader Contributor The more guns there are, the less safe we are. As much as I understand the fear of government overreach that necessitated the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution, there is no way around this statistic. Before I moved to Sandpoint, I lived in Canada for five years. I still joke that the only unifying theme of Canadians’ culture is the glee with which they make fun of Americans or opine about the barbarity, corruption, lack of morals and general hypocrisy that routinely characterize the United States of America. In typical “you-can’t-talk-about-mymother-that-way” fashion, I found myself constantly defending the very worst of our country’s failures, including and most often, the United States’ obsession with guns. I didn’t grow up around guns. They were never a part of my community. I have never hunted. I have never wanted to own a gun. Last year, a prowler tried every door in my house while I stood inside in the dark, sweating and shaking. I didn’t even want a gun then, because if I had pulled a gun on him, who knows who would have fired first? He left and no one was hurt. My culture is science and not belief. The numbers tell me that the more guns we have, the more people are wounded, accidentally and on purpose, by guns. Statistics show that brandishing a weapon escalates situations into inevitable violence. According to Everytown For Gun Safety, a nationwide gun research and litigation organization (everytownresearch.org), 100 Americans are killed by guns every day, and hundreds more are wounded. Firearms are the second-leading cause of death for children and teens in America. Nearly 1 million women alive today have been shot at by their partners, and every month 52 women are shot and killed by their partners. The terrifying statistics go on and on. Still, I spent five years defending gun rights because I also understood how integral to the American story and American ethos guns are, and likely will be forever.
The school shooting at Columbine in 1999 happened during my senior year of high school and changed my life. It changed my politics. It left me sad and scared, worried and wondering. In high school, I befriended several exchange students from the UK; they told me that the first school shootings in their countries resulted in the immediate ban of all firearms except those used for hunting and on farms. They said they had no more mass shootings or school shootings after that. My senior class’ gift to the school was a memorial to the students killed at Columbine. “Never Again” was the message on the memorial. Instead, it has happened over, and over, and over again. In 2018, after the horrific shooting in Parkland, Fla., I felt that it would take senseless gun deaths and random acts of violence making victims, widows and childless parents of us all before we would have the political will to make a change. I understand why the right to bear arms was so important in our Constitution. I know our country has always, and justly, valued individual freedom over government hegemony. I also know that the fewer guns we have, the fewer gun deaths we will have. The fewer guns at the Festival at Sandpoint, the less likely my kids — or your kids — will be shot. Rachel Castor is the facilitator of Sandpoint Indivisible, a writer, a mother and works full time as an appraiser.
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COMMUNITY
Make The Festival classical again...
Parks and Rec round-up By Ben Olson Reader Staff
Bouquets: • A man named Rick just sent us an enormous donation check. I don’t want to embarass him, but I feel compelled to thank him in print for the amazing show of support for the Reader. We really appreciate all of you, dear readers, who respond to these annoying, hateful attacks with love and support. Someday, I hope, we’ll get past all this B.S. Barbs: • There is a lot of debate going on right now about pay raises for county commissioners. Whatever side of the argument you land on, I think a 68.6% salary increase since 2014 is a tad high. Kudos to Commissioners Jeff Connolly and Steven Bradshaw, who have both stated they would not take the latest bump from $78,000 to $84,500. All in all, I’d be a lot more receptive to raises of this magnitude if I didn’t see certain commissioners spending a large portion of their time feuding with people on social media. I counted 28 comments — many of them quite lengthy — from Commissioner Dan McDonald about this issue just from our one Facebook post over the past four days. On the post he started on the Sandpoint Local Forum regarding guns at the Festival at Sandpoint, McDonald posted 52 individual comments over five days. I totally understand defending yourself from criticism, but I don’t think goading people on social media is a productive use of our elected officials’ time, nor does it seem to fit with the county’s social media policy, adopted in October 2018. One section of that policy reads: “Employees are free to express themselves as private citizens on social media sites to the degree that their speech does not impair working relationships of the County and its Elected Officials ... or negatively affect the public perception of the County.” 8 /
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Youth Co-Ed Flag Football Set! Hut-hut! It’s time for youth co-ed flag football for kids in 3rd through 8th grades. Play will be split into co-ed 3rd/4th grade, 5th/6th grade and 7th/8th grade teams.Play is based on sixman alligator format. One mouth guard will be provided to each player. A red/white reversible jersey is required and available for $14 at the Sandpoint Parks and Rec. office, 1123 Lake St. Registration fees will be $38 for county and $33 for in-city residents. For two players, $66 county and $56 for in-city residents. Three players will be $89 for county and $79 for in-city residents.The deadline to register is Sunday, Sept. 8. Practices will start the week of Sunday, Sept. 15. Coaches will call players about practice days and times. Games will begin Sept. 21 and play through Oct. 26. Practices will be held once a week and games will be played Saturday mornings at Travers Park. Adults interested in coaching the philosophies of fun, funda-
mentals and sportsmanship are needed. Coaches meetings will be Thursday, Sept 12 or Friday, Sept. 13 (only one session required) at 5:30 p.m. at the City Hall council chambers. Rails to Resort Hill Climb Join Sandpoint Sports, Syringa Cyclery, Sports Plus and Sandpoint Parks and Rec for the Rails to Resort Hill Climb (aka Schweitzer Hill Climb) on Saturday, Sept. 7 at 9 a.m. Although this is a competitive event, it is also open to bike riders of all skill levels who like a challenge. The participation fee is $20. The online registration deadline will be Thursday, Sept. 5. Late registration will be offered from 8-8:45 a.m. at the event. A pre-race meeting will be held at 8:45 a.m. at the Red Barn parking lot at the base of Schwetizer. Post-race rewards will be at Sandpoint Sports, 476930 US-95 A in Ponderay, at 1 p.m. after the event. For information about these and other Sandpoint Parks and Recreation events, call 208263-3613 or visit sandpointgov. parksrecreation.
Find your special treasures at the Museum Yard Sale By Ben Olson Reader Staff If you’re seeking something unique, head to the Bonner County Museum’s second annual Fundraising Yard Sale Saturday, Sept. 7 from 8 a.m.-3 p.m. in front of the Museum, 611 S. Ella Ave., in Lakeview Park). The sale is made possible by generous patrons who have donated items to be sold at the sale. The sale’s slogan: “Not from the Museum, for the Museum,” assures customers that the museum will not be including any items from the collection in the sale. Anything for sale has been donated to help raise money for the museum.
Have something to donate? Declutter and help the museum at the same time by donating your stuff. All proceeds will benefit the museum and all donations are tax deductible. No item is too big or small. Staff members will accept donations from Tuesday, Sept. 3 to Friday, Sept. 6, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Unsold items after the sale will be donated to various second-hand stores around Bonner County. The museum staff thanks the city of Sandpoint Parks and Recreation Department for the use of Lakeview Park. For more information, call 208-263-2344 or stop by the museum.
Dear editor, It was disappointing to have read recently of the circumstances that will cause the executive director of the Festival at Sandpoint to be leaving her position. However, I feel that the Festival’s board of directors took the correct approach to an unfortunate situation. Now, in a “lemons-to-lemonade” opportunity, it may be time to take a good look at The Festival; steering it back toward its original focus. As a Festival board member (during the second through fifth seasons) I have watched the Festival at Sandpoint change. Originally, its orientation was much more toward classical music awareness and performance. The Festival had a world-renowned artistic director in Gunther Schuller, chamber music workshops with numerous public performances and a conductors training program that gave its attendees the opportunity to conduct a symphony orchestra. The Festival had the potential to become a preeminent institution in the world of classical music. Over the years, the focus has shifted toward popular music. There are undoubtedly viable, practical reasons for the shift. I feel, however, that the shift has gone too far astray from the original intended purpose of the Festival at Sandpoint. While I have enjoyed many of the popular programs, I hope the Festival’s board will take this opportunity to reorient the focus of The Festival and find a more even balance between classical and popular music performances. Perhaps, in its search for a new executive director, such a balance should be a consideration. I would encourage other Festival-goers, who may feel as I do, to express their opinion directly to the Festival at Sandpoint. George Loustalet Priest River
Thanks for jazz and foreign movies... Dear editor,
Sandpoint has a fantastic library. I would be willing to bet that there isn’t a city in America with a population of 30,000 or less that can compare with our East Bonner County Library. Now I’m going to toot my horn a little, so please forgive me. If you are enjoying the library’s foreign film collection, you have me, and mostly Dann Hall, to thank for that. About 25 years ago when the library was still on Second Avenue, several times I had talked to its staff about adding foreign films to its collection. I finally realized my request was falling on deaf ears as I had no credibility. Knowing that Dann had the same passion for foreign films, but more importantly credibility in the community, I asked him to help me make the case. He did and the library asked me to draw up a list of films. Sometime later the library had added several of ’em to its collection. About three months after the library had added these foreign films, a librarian came up to me and said, “I’m sure glad you talked us into getting those foreign films as we’re really enjoying them.” My riding on Dann Hall’s coattails now gave me some credibility with the library. I then decided to address the library’s CD jazz collection, which consisted of only one CD. I was told to draw up a list, which I did. The list had 100 of my favorite jazz albums on it and the library purchased 50 of ’em for its collection. A few years ago, when visiting my mother near Sacramento, I visited several libraries in the area. The library in Elk Grove, a city of about 300,000, did not compare to our library’s foreign film and jazz CD collections. With respect to foreign film and jazz CD collections, our East Bonner County Library put all the library branches I visited in the Sacramento and Elk Grove area to shame. Lee Santa Sandpoint
Laughing Matter
By Bill Borders
PERSPECTIVES
Starting high school The many pressures of an incoming freshman
By Dinah Rawson Reader Contributor
I’m starting classes at Sandpoint High School next week and, honestly, I’m terrified. There is so much pressure we face as teenagers — from the mysterious world of social media, to thinking seriously about your future. High school is a place where all these pressures and expectations hit you at once. During eighth grade, we were expected to choose the classes that best suited our future. Future? How am I supposed to know what I want to do at this point in my life? So I spent sleepless nights contemplating what classes to take in high school. Now I want to change my schedule again. I’ve always gotten straight As, but now my grades hold a higher level of importance. I’m afraid that I won’t be able to uphold my previous standard. I have so many passions and, suddenly, there is pressure to choose one and stick with it for the rest of my life. There was quite a lot of peer pressure in middle school and I expect the same or more in high school. As a girl, there is pressure to walk a fine line between sexuality and innocence. If you step off the line at any point there is name calling. I hold my head high and dress in a way that makes me feel comfortable, not in a way that best suits my peers. There’s pressure to conform to society’s idea of “cool.” There’s also your relationship status to think about. Previously, I was in a seven-month relationship and I felt like I lost myself, forgetting what was most important to me. Despite being kind, this guy mostly wasted my time. No matter what, there’s so much drama in school. There always has been, but it multiplies when you add pubescent humans. Instead of worrying about my grades, I find myself worrying about keeping my friends and whether or not people like me. In high school, there are twice as many people,
Dinah Rawson. Courtesy photo. so one can assume that the drama will also be twice as much. How will I be able to focus on my goals and my future with this upcoming mess? I’m an aspiring flutist, artist, writer and mathematician. With all this pressure, it’s no wonder my peers inflict self-harm and suffer from nicotine addictions. On top of that, everyone communicates electronically. Like everyone else, I have social media. This is a huge pressure by itself. There are pages on Instagram that glorify suicide. With social media, girls compare themselves to countless versions of our society’s idea of beauty. I confess, I have been swimming in self doubt and insecurity at times. Making things more difficult, it’s normal for guys to ask for nudes. I’ve been asked by over 20 guys. It’s almost common knowledge that if a guy says “hey” on Snapchat after 10 p.m., then he wants nudes. My usual procedure is to block whoever is asking so I won’t be harassed anymore or shamed for saying no. In eighth grade, I was asked for nudes by a junior in high school and I sent him a naked baby picture. He was pissed. Most of the guys who ask me for naked pictures are people I barely even
know. Sometimes, however, they are friends that I thought I could trust. I thought I had a platonic friendship with one boy until he sent me a text saying, “Hey, I’m horny, send nudes.” It was frustrating how rude and demanding he was. I blocked his number and ignored him in person. Of course the incident ruined our friendship. Another guy suggested that it would benefit me to practice sending nudes to him. Since my goal in life isn’t to be a porn star, I didn’t take him up on the offer. Clearly social media is full of pressures and hard to navigate, so why use it? Beyond the fact that it’s how everyone communicates these days, it’s a great way to express yourself. I love social media because I can use it as a platform for activism. I can show the world my music and art. There is something incredibly thrilling about putting yourself out there. I enjoy spreading love and positivity to multiple people at a time. Social media isn’t all bad. However, it’s wise to take breaks. It can be positive and uplifting as long as you use it correctly. Overall, I’m afraid of high school because of the immense amount of pressure. Not only do I have to worry about my grades and schoolwork, but also things like reputation and social status. I have to try my best to remember what is really important to me and not get lost in the drama. My goal is success, but the obstacles can feel quite overwhelming. Dinah Rawson will be a freshman at Sandpoint High School in the 20192020 academic year. August 29, 2019 /
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Mad about Science: asteroids
By Brenden Bobby Reader Columnist
Apocalyptic science-fiction scenarios are in the headlines again as a giant chunk of rock is expected to whizz by Earth in September. Some people, including everyone’s favorite electric car manufacturer Elon Musk, have found a prime opportunity to jump on humanity’s fear of death-rocks and grab some spotlight in the shadow of a potential planet killer. Lucky for us, we have very little to worry about… for now. The rock causing so much buzz, 2000 QW7, is an asteroid that sports some pretty big dimensions for a hunk of flying stone: just shy of 2,000 feet wide and 2,700 feet long. It’s scary because it’s screaming by Earth at a blistering 14,361 miles per hour and getting as close as 3 million miles from our pale blue dot. In astronomical terms, that’s pretty dang close, but in sky mountain-obliterating-all-life terms, that’s pretty far away. To put it into perspective, that’s more than 13 times the distance between the Earth and the moon. Asteroids like 2000 QW7 can be a scary prospect, but it’s important to know that asteroids in general aren’t rare. Aside from being “a rock in space,” have you ever wondered what an asteroid is or why it’s there? Asteroids are classified as any piece of rock or metal floating around in space that’s between three feet and 500 miles in diameter. Anything smaller than that is considered a meteoroid, while anything larger would be classified as a dwarf planet. Asteroids don’t have tails like comets do, and that’s because comets are made up of fine dust particles and ice, while 10 /
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asteroids are primarily minerals and rock. Scientists believe that asteroids are the remnants of planets that didn’t fully form during the solar system’s infancy. Huge chunks of molten rock formed in protoplanetary disks (the loose, hot material that would eventually form the planet itself). These chunks were slung around the infant cores of the planets and smashed into each other like colossal bumper cars, flinging bits and pieces out in all directions, which would later cool down to form the asteroids we know and fear today. The game of celestial bumper cars didn’t end once the planets formed. Most asteroids now encircle the sun in a huge asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. Asteroids in the belt have been observed bumping and smashing into each other, with some getting large enough to attract other space rocks with their own gravity. If you thought 2000 QW7 was massive, you’d be shocked to know the size of the biggest asteroid we’ve ever observed. 4 Vesta holds the title of king of asteroids with a mean diameter of 326 miles. This titan is so huge that if you were to gently set it down on the surface of Earth, it would cover Idaho, Oregon and Washington. It’s also flying through space at approximately 721 miles per hour. That’s faster than a cruising airliner. 4 Vesta is also the only remaining rocky protoplanet in our solar system, which gives us a unique peek into the conditions of the early solar system. Another massive asteroid we’ve observed is 2 Pallas. We believe it’s about 312 miles in diameter and contains a bare minimum of 7% of the entire mass of the entire asteroid belt.
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That’s astounding when you consider the asteroid belt is composed of untold millions of individual space rocks. 2 Pallas also possesses a high orbital eccentricity, meaning it has an unusual elongated orbit similar to that of Pluto. While most planets have an egg-shaped orbit, this asteroid’s orbit looks like a pill from the pharmacy. Unusual and elongated orbits are a staple for asteroids. They’re in a unique position, wedged between the gravitational pull of the sun and of Jupiter, which can cause some weird things to happen to such small bodies — especially after an impact occurs in the asteroid belt. Asteroids with long elliptical orbits are the ones humans worry about the most, because these orbits have the chance to intersect with the Earth’s orbit. Kepler’s Second Law of Orbital Motion states that the closer an object is to the sun, the faster it will travel. When an object is ejected from the asteroid belt and travels toward the sun, it speeds up considerably. Unfortunately for us, Earth is also relatively close to the sun, and when an object’s orbit intersects with Earth’s, the object can be traveling as fast as 64,000 mph, as was observed with the Sutter’s Mill asteroid that exploded over California in 2012. It was the fastest asteroid we’ve ever clocked and was about 13 feet in diameter, projected to weigh about 40 tons. The asteroid that wiped out the dinosaurs and created the 93-mile-wide Chicxulub Crater in Mexico could have been as small as 6.8 miles wide, yet its impact released the energy of more than 21 billion atomic bombs. That said, planet killers are
An artist’s rendition of the Chicxulub Crater in Mexico which could have wiped out the dinosaurs. Photo courtesy Wikipedia. extremely rare, and our technology for detecting them is improving with every passing day. What’s more, for the first time in human history, we’ve witnessed scientists landing probes on moving asteroids. That’s like scoring a three-point basket at Madison Square Garden, except you’re shooting from Mars. Does the awesome power of
space rocks intrigue you? You can find a boatload of information on asteroids, meteorites and comets at the Sandpoint library, especially in the junior nonfiction (JNF) section. You can find the astronomy books in the 520 section of any library that uses the Dewey Decimal System. Happy hunting.
Random Corner Don’t know much about Mount •Officials in Nepal concerned about trash on Mount Everest are implementing a ban on single-use plastics. The ban will be enforced in January 2020. Everest’s trash problem has been in the spotlight recently, as officials in June confirmed that a cleanup campaign on the mountain had removed over 24,000 pounds of garbage. • About 300 human corpses lie frozen on Mount Everest, serving as macabre landmarks on the way to the summit. Most remain on the mountain, as it’s often too difficult to bring the bodies down. Historically, 6.5% of wouldbe Mount Everest climbers have died. • In 2013, Yuichiro Miura, an 80-year-old Japanese, became the oldest person to both ascend and descend Mount Everest. • Climbing Mount Everest costs around $65,000, which includes training, equipment, permits and fees for sherpas. • In 1996, a man rode his bike from Sweden to Mount Everest and
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then tried to summit. He turned around 300 feet from the top. • Mount Everest grows 0.1576 inches each year. However, it shrank one inch in 2015 due to an earthquake in Nepal. • In 2011, two men paraglided from the summit of Mount Everest, arriving at a village in 42 minutes and avoiding the dangerous conventional three-day descent. • Mount Everest is pronounced “Eve-rest”, not “Ever-est,” as it is named after George Everest. • The rock at the summit of Mount Everest is marine limestone and would have been deposited on the seafloor around 450 million years ago. • The average temperature at the summit of Everest in July is -2° Fahrenheit and -36° F in January. • From bottom to top, Mount Everest is not the world’s tallest mountain. Mauna Kea in Hawaii is about 3,280 feet taller.
DOWNTOWN
Get ready to rubble
Downtown Sandpoint construction work on First Ave. and Cedar Street gets underway Sept. 3 By Zach Hagadone Reader Staff
Crews led by city-contracted construction firm Sonray Enterprises will close Cedar Street from Second Avenue to First Avenue and Main Street beginning Tuesday, Sept. 3 — the first section in an estimated 13-week project to rebuild street infrastructure in the downtown core. Meanwhile, the City Parking Lot and parking areas along Sand Creek will be closed to the public as construction staging areas. Week 1 of the project includes the installation of a pedestrian fence and removal of street furniture, roadway asphalt and street trees. Weeks 2-3 are slated for installation of pipes and utilities followed by road construction in Weeks 3 and 4. The first section is planned for completion by Sept. 23, after which time crews will move on to First Avenue from Main to Church streets, with those roads closed to motorists starting Sunday, Sept. 15. Following an identical order of operations for Section 1, the roadway in Section 2 is due for construction by Week 5, which begins Monday, Sept. 30. The remainder of the project, running from Oct. 7-Nov. 26 focuses on curbs; crosswalks; paving, striping and signage; sidewalk demolition and reconstruction; swales; pavers, planting and utilities; installation of street furniture and clean-up. Roads in Sections 1 and 2 will be reopened as single-lane beginning Oct. 30. No thru-traffic or parking from First Avenue and Church Street to Cedar Street and Second Avenue will be allowed until paving is completed after Oct. 30. Delivery times and locations have been identified for merchants affected by the construction: 6 a.m.-8 a.m. and 11 a.m.-1 p.m. at Second Avenue north of Cedar Street, on Main Street east of Second Avenue, on First Avenue south of Church Street and at Gunning’s Alley. According to construction planning
documents, the Nov. 26 completion date is based on an accelerated schedule. Wrapping up the project by Thanksgiving 2019 will earn contractors a bonus, though it is not required under the terms of their agreement with the city. Lead contractor Sonray and its subcontractors have until May 14, 2020 to achieve “substantial completion,” and planning documents caution that, “Many factors may impact and change this initial schedule.” While early completion brings with it incentives, liquidated damages are in the offing for missing the spring 2020 deadline. To accommodate the accelerated schedule, crews are tentatively slated to work 6 a.m.-6 p.m., Monday-Saturday each week. Planners set this phase of downtown construction to coincide with the off season — unlike the most recent round of road work,
which focused on Cedar Street from Second to Fifth avenues during the summer of 2018 — to hopefully lessen the impact on the tourist trade and local summertime events. The current phase of the project is paid for with $2.55 million in the fiscal year 2020 Sandpoint city budget, which council members approved Aug. 21. Drawn from the Capital Project Reserve Fund and including monies carried over from Phase I, project costs are to be reimbursed by the Sandpoint Urban Renewal Agency through FY2029. Among the improvements planners intend with the project are enhanced pedestrian crossings at Main Street; stormwater treatment via planters; 50 new street trees; 50 standard parking spaces, as well as compact spaces, five ADA parking spaces and four motorcycle parking zones; three loading zones;
A projected timeline of construction events for the Downtown Revitalization Phase II in Sandpoint. Courtesy image. 16 bike racks and seven new benches; new lighting at intersections; and the groundwork for a fiber internet backbone downtown. For more information and to follow the project, which will include weekly updates and monthly public meetings, visit sandpointstreets.com and click on the “Phase II” tab at the top of the page. View a video of the project kickoff presentation on YouTube: search “Downtown Revitalization Phase 2 Meeting The Little Panida - Sandpoint, ID.” For questions, contact project manager and Sandpoint City Engineer Dan Tadic at 208-263-3577 or via email at dtadic@ sandpointidaho.gov. August 29, 2019 /
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Dollar Beers! 8pm @ Eichardt’s Pub Good until the keg’s dry Live Music w/ Scott Reid 6-9pm @ Matchwood Bluegrass, Deadgrass, etc.
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Live Music w/ The Working Spliffs Live Music w/ David Walsh 9pm @ 219 Lounge 5-8pm @ Connie’s Lounge Five-piece Spokane band playing regLive Music w/ Baker Thomas gae, ska, blues R&B, psych rock and jazz 6:30-9:30pm @ MickDuff’s Beer Hall Two of the biggest names in quality Sand- Live Music w/ Erisy Watt Trio point music. Good times and good vibes 5-8pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery Live Music w/ Turn Spit Dogs Nashville-raised indie folk artist 5-7pm @ Idaho Pour Authority
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Yappy Hour 4-7pm @ MickDuff’s B Bring your four-foo down for a fundraiser handle Animal Shelter. sic w/ the Baldy Mount
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Live Music w/ Casey Ryan 8-11pm @ 219 Lounge Casey has toured with Third Eye Blind, Dashboard Confessional and more. In 2015, he was a top 200 contestant on NBC’s “The Voice.”
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Live Music w/ Mike and Sadie 5-8pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery Father-daughter duo playing blues, Live Music w/ Red Blend folk and rock with lovely harmonies 6:30-9:30pm @ MickDuff’s Beer Hall Live Music w/ David Walsh A blend of soul, pop, blues 5-7pm @ Idaho Pour Authority Live Music w/ Bright Moments Jazz Diggin Dirt Band in concert 8-11pm @ 219 Lounge 9:30pm @ The Hive Everything from jazz to ska to blues A heavy groove Calif. band Mugs and Music w/ Johnny Guitar 4-6pm @ Laughing Dog Brewery
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Sandpoint Chess Club 9am @ Evans Brothers Coffee Meets every Sunday at 9am Monday Night Blues Jam w/ Truck Mills 7:30pm @ Eichardt’s Pub Night-Out Karaoke 9pm @ 219 Lounge Join DJ Webrix for a night of singing, or just come to drink and listen
Trivia Night 7pm @ MickDuff’s Show off that big, beautiful brain of yours
Wind Down Wednesday 5-8pm @ 219 Lounge With live music by blues man Truck Mills and guest musician Andrew Browne Dollar Beers! 8pm @ Eichardt’s Pub Good until the keg’s dry
Lifetree Cafe 2pm @ Jalepeño’s Mex An hour of conversation week’s topic: “True Bea
Djembe class 5:45-7:30pm @ Music Conservatory of Sandpoint Join Ali Thomas for this djembe (drum) class
Magic Wednesday 6-8pm @ Jalapeño’s Enjoy close-up magic shows by Star Alexander right at your table
Funky Junk S 10am-4pm @ B The biggest a antique and cr is back for its 1 Day Weekend Schweitzer Fa 11am-5pm @ S
Funky Junk Sho 10am-4pm @ Bon The biggest and antique and craft
Live Music w/ Ken Mayginnes 4-6:30pm @ Matchwood Brewing
Schweitzer Fall Fest (8/30-9/2) 11am-5pm @ Schweitzer Mtn. Karaoke 8-close @ Tervan
Queen 9pm @ Come a are not ... and a you to b others t
Bonner Mall Se 9am-12pm @ Bo All are welcome will be a featured free refreshmen Bring a friend a and counting for
Wednesdays with Benny 6:30pm @ Connie’s Lounge Weekly music event with Benny Baker, and special guest Baker/Thomas/Packwood
Winery Back to School party 5-8pm @ Pend d’Oreille Celebrate going back to school with a special night of music with the talented singer-songwriter John Daffron
Fundrais 5-7pm @ With Kett sic by Ma es and sil will be se
Alzheimer’s Supp 1-2pm @ Sandpoin Celebrate going ba a special night of m ented singer-songw
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Aug. 29 - Sept. 5, 2019
kDuff’s Beer Hall four-footed pals undraiser for Panl Shelter. Live mudy Mountain Boys
Queen B. Drag Show 9pm @ The Hive Come as you are ... or are not ... or aspire to be ... and all they ask is for you to be you and allow others to be themselves
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
Utara After Hours: The Last Revel 9pm @ Utara Brewing Co. Front porch Americana from this acclaimed Minnesota-based trio
Reader Reel: “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” 7:30pm @ Panida Theater Quentin Tarantino’s ninth feature film. This one’s a doozy, too!
Live Music w/ Ron Keiper Jazz Trio 7-10pm @ Eichardt’s Pub Dig it, baby. Movie in the Park: Night at the Musuem Campfire Song Party Dusk @ Lakeview Park 8pm @ Round Lake State Park Free to attend. Bring a chair or blanket Bring an instrument, sing along! Free Schweitzer Fall Fest (8/30-9/2) DJ Skwish 11am-5pm @ Schweitzer Mtn. Resort 9pm-cl @ A&P’s End of the summer season festival with Live Music w/ David Walsh 5-8pm @ Connie’s Lounge live music all weekend long!
ky Junk Show (8/31 & 9/1) m-4pm @ Bonner Co. Frgrnds biggest and longest-running ue and craft festival in Idaho ck for its 13th year as a Labor Weekend tradition! weitzer Fall Fest (8/30-9/2) -5pm @ Schweitzer Mtn.
Junk Show (8/31 & 9/1) pm @ Bonner Co. Frgrnds ggest and longest-running and craft festival in Idaho
e eño’s Mexican Restaurant nversation and stories. This “True Beauty”
Trout and About Festival 11am @ Matchwood Brewery Kids of all sizes will rock down with Missoula-based Cowboy Andy and The Salamanders, who bring big music to little people of all sizes. An event where parents and their kids can socialize, listen to great music, learn some fun facts about trout, dance it up, and have fun. Live music by Shakewell at
Karaoke DJ Exodus 8-close @ Tervan 9pm-cl @ A&P’s Sandpoint Farmers’ Market 9am-2pm @ Farmin Park Produce, starts, crafts and more! Live music by Oak St. Connection
Schweitzer Fall Fest (8/30-9/2) 11am-5pm @ Schweitzer Mtn. End of the summer season festival with live music, food and drinks all weekend long!
Book Signing 12-2pm @ Vanderford’s Join author Jack Parnell and illustrator Bonnie Shields signing “My Name is Ramsay.”
Outdoor Experience Monday Night Run 6pm @ Outdoor Experience A chill, three-mile(ish) group run with optional beverages to follow
r Mall Seniors Day 2pm @ Bonner Mall welcome to walk the Mall, plus there a featured speaker or entertainment, freshments, games and a drawing. a friend and join the fun – 10 years unting for this great local event!
Live Music w/ Jake Robin 7-10pm @ Eichardt’s Pub Local singer-songwriter
Fundraiser for Habitat for Humanity 5-7pm @ Idaho Pour Authority With Kettle House Brewing beer on tap. Live music by Marty Perron and Doug Bond. Raffle prizes and silent auction. Complimentary appetizers will be served. Support Habitat for Humanity!
er’s Support Group Sandpoint Senior Center e going back to school with night of music with the talger-songwriter John Daffron
Yoga on Tap 10:45am @ Laughing Dog Brewery
Sandpoint Farmers’ Market 3-5:30pm @ Farmin Park Locally grown produce, starts, crafts and more! Live music by Ian and Dynah
Sept. 6 Pato Banton in concert @ The Hive Sept. 7 Injectors Car Show @ downtown Sandpoint Sept. 7 Utara After Hours: Forest Beutel
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TRAVEL
Jet lag day
‘Tourists don’t know where they’ve been. Travelers don’t know where they’re going’ By Marjolein Groot Nibbelink Reader Contributor
Photo by Marjolein Groot Nibbelink.
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grew up in the Netherlands and have traveled to 20 countries between 2006 and 2016, but it’s been at least five years since I traveled to a place where I did not know the language. My work takes me to the west coast of Portugal (bummer). On my most recent visit, before heading to the Hotel Palacio in Estoril, I stayed in Parede for a few days, a small town 18 miles from Lisbon. The Airbnb housecat was named Puski, which I’m pretty sure is funny in any language, and the Russian women in the room adjacent to mine hung their underwear to dry in the shared bathroom. The house on a dead-end street was a confusing mix of granite busts, antique oak beds and battery-powered strings of LED lights. Here’s my jet lag strategy: Don’t sleep on the plane. Instead, watch all the new movies that looked good, but you didn’t want to pay to see in the theater. Every three hours get up to stretch for 10 minutes by the bathrooms in the middle of the aircraft (that’s the most spacious place). Stay up until at 14 /
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least 9 p.m., local time, take a walk or a run and do not drink any coffee or alcohol. The worst jet lag I ever had was after enthusiastically trying all the local beers at the hostel bar in Iceland. I did not recover for a week. You’ve been awake for nearly 30 hours. Take a melatonin, go to sleep and make yourself get up no later than 10 a.m. If you wake up at 5 a.m. feeling fresh as a hen, don’t be fooled and stay in bed. Next day take it easy — walk around, read a book. Some books are so good they make you want to read the whole thing out loud. Before Page 25, Theroux’s The Happy Isles of Oceania had me laughing and crying and dreaming and remembering. Lo sad Paul Theroux How I have missed you so Many times you have met The thoughts in my head And rekindled memories With your musing and stories “Tourists don’t know where they’ve been. Travelers don’t know where they’re going.”
I didn’t want to put it down, but I was so very hungry and wanted to kill the dogs downstairs in retaliation for barking from 7 to 10 in the morning, which to me felt like midnight to 2 a.m. Instead, I set out at the break of mid-afternoon to see parks, ocean and people. Under a Segafredo sign a few blocks off the beach, I joined the old men (best sign of a good place to eat) to order a cappuccino and the only distinguishable thing on the menu called “hamburguer.” The waiter explained that it contained an egg and fries, which sounded about right. What turned up was a shallow soup bowl with a meat patty swimming in a light brown cream sauce and a runny egg topped with a heap of fries. Brilliant, this was exactly what I wanted. Europeans, for a lack of great cuisine, have resorted to making inspired sauces and this one is incredible. In true American fashion I eagerly dug in, eating the fries with my hands. I quickly reminded myself this is when those strict table manners my parents insisted on come in handy. One
day you might dine with the queen, they would say when an 8-year-old version of me asked them what was the point of eating clumsily with a knife and fork. My hands seemed perfectly suitable for the job of transporting what was on my plate to mouth — soup being an exception. What if I don’t want to dine with the queen? was my defiant reply. Allow me this opportunity to praise the elegance of European waiters. They see you sit down but will give you a few minutes to settle in. You may eat in peace. I will never miss being interrupted three times to make sure I am loving my meal and the insistent waste of free drinking water. You need to signal them to pick up your plate by laying your silverware together to the right. If left “open” with the fork handle to the left and knife to the right, you imply you are not yet finished. It is profoundly pleasant and a refreshing change from seeing your dishes plucked away while you’re still chewing — the bill slid under your nose with the most saccharin expression of gratitude as you
are considering desert. When you are ready to pay, you flag down the waiter or walk up to the register. Charge: €7,80. I forgot how windy it is on the Atlantic coast and skirts are not the most practical thing if you’re not a flasher. Tomorrow, I told myself, I’m wearing pants. Trying to retain decency, I stood clumsily on the sidewalk as a car encroached, seemingly wanting to run me over very slowly. I guess this counted as a parking space. At 5 p.m. I walked to the beach and lay in the sun for a few hours. The water looked, felt and smelled just as I remembered it on the Dutch coast 1,500 miles to the north. A cute, casual restaurant hung from the cliffs and offered relief from the wind. There, I successfully ordered dinner and a caipirinha, one of my favorite drinks. I ambitiously considered getting a second one, and even though it was only a three-minute walk down quiet streets, it would have brought me home pretty well drunk at 9 p.m., so I decided against it. These are the long lazy days I cherish and chase.
COMMUNITY
Katie Begalke: Reaching out to women in need REturn REtreats aims to provide healing and support on the shores of Lake Pend Oreille By Cameron Rasmusson Reader Staff The road to healing from personal trauma is a long one. And for Katie Begalke, it led to Sandpoint. The survivor of an abusive marriage, Begalke understands how lonely the recovery process can be for women who don’t know where to turn. It’s what inspired her to found the organization REturn REtreats, which recently received nonprofit status. Begalke hopes that the retreats hosted by the organization will help women who have suffered similar trauma to find their peace along the shores of Lake Pend Oreille, just as she did. “You have the four seasons here,” she said. “And I went through four seasons of healing in this unbelievably glorious environment. … Just seeing and being in nature was so restorative, and I want to recreate that experience for other women.” The inspiration for REturn REtreats was born from a painful past. Begalke had given up her steady job in her home state of Wisconsin to Katie Begalke stands on her balcony in front of the lakeside pursue a freelance graphic design career view that helped her own healing process. Courtesy photo. in Seattle. She met a man and eventually go? She knew she didn’t want to move married. Six months later, he was in jail back to Wisconsin. Through happenfor attempting to strangle her. stance, the perfect rental opened up in “It was frustrating and sad and inSandpoint, and before she knew it, two credibly life-altering and shaking. And and a half years had passed. embarrassing,” she said. “I didn’t know During that time, she received supwho to talk to, so I hid it.” port and compassion from Priest River She gave him another chance. They went to counseling. He stopped drinking Ministries for Women, a small faith-based organization. But the ministry is largely and, in a gesture of support, so did she. run by one woman, Rhonda Encinas, who Three months later, the cycle started is looking to retire eventually. That was over again. “Now that I’m out of it and done some motivation enough for Begalke to lay the groundwork for what would become learning on the topic, it’s all very textREturn REtreats. book,” she said. “But when you’re going While Begalke is inspired by her own through it, you don’t know … that you’re not responsible for his actions. I thought I Christian faith, she envisions REturn REtreats as a resource for women of all was pushing buttons or somehow debackgrounds and beliefs. served it, which is a bunch of crap.” The idea is to provide women with Thanks to family support, some careful planning and an uncle armed with weekend retreats built around on several pillars: yoga and meditation, outdoor bear spray and a baseball bat, Begalke experiences, spiritual renewal, skill-buildfinally moved from her Seattle home, ing workshops and more. She also aims leaving the city and abusive relationship to establish a respite suite on the property, behind her. where women seeking to escape abusive The only question: Where should she
or otherwise difficult circumstances can find shelter. “It’s a great opportunity to give love to somebody in a really concentrated way,” Begalke said. She also sees the retreat organization as a way to funnel money toward organizations that assist women in need. Her plan is to direct 30% of annual income toward Priest River Ministries’ support services for victims of domestic violence, sexual assault and trafficking; 25% to Life Choices’ post-abortive and sexual assault counseling programs; and 20% to Panhandle Animel Shelter. “A lot of people don’t leave their domestic abuse situation because they’re too afraid of what will happen to their animal. ... We’re in the midst of talking about how we can start a fostering program for those women’s animals while they need to get out of a crummy situation,” Begalke said. Begalke hopes to have property for a retreat center purchased and weekend experiences ready for the public within three years. In the meantime, she is focused on raising funds and organizing the support necessary to get the project off the ground. That means pursuing grant funding and hosting special events. An easy way to get connected while enjoying a fun night out is Begalke’s female-focused trivia night, which takes place the third Thursday of the month from 6-9 p.m. at the Back Door, 111 Cedar St. You may even catch Begalke costumed as a historic figure of female empowerment — she’s already attended as Annie Oakley. With REturn REtreat’s nonprofit status acquired, Begalke sees a new road ahead of her — but it’s markedly different from the one that brought her to Sandpoint. That was a journey of healing and self-discovery. Now she hopes to walk alongside other women as they find their own way forward from a traumatic past. And she can’t wait to see where that road leads. “I think a lot of the healing process for individuals is helping others,” she said. “That’s the biggest healer, and this is an opportunity to lend my experience to others.” Begalke welcomes any questions or suggestions for REturn REtreats. Email her at katie@returnretreats.com. August 29, 2019 /
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OUTDOORS
Schweitzer Alpine Racing School open for registrations By Jason Welker Reader Contributor It’s hard to imagine, but ski season is right around the corner. With two new lifts to shuttle skiers from Cedar Park to the top of Lakeside Chutes — along with El Nino predictions for the upcoming winter — local skiers have much to look forward to. If you’re a parent, like me, it’s also time to start thinking about the best options for building young skiers’ skills and confidence on the slopes. Fortunately, there are lots of options for parents interested in ski instruction for their kids. Of course, Schweitzer Mountain Resort offers its own in-house ski instruction, but there is another option for families who are interested in a more competition-oriented program for their kids. The Schweitzer Alpine Racing School is a non-profit, independent ski program that is licensed to operate on Schweitzer but is unaffiliated with the resort. SARS has operated for more than 50 years and
has grown into one of the top ski racing programs in the United States. Each year, more than 200 athletes from ages 5 to 19 participate in programs ranging from Saturday-only training to full-time competitive race programs for high-school-aged students. In addition to the youth programs, SARS also has the only organized Masters program in the Inland Northwest. SARS Masters racers range in age from mid-20s to over 80. Each year, a handful of first-timers work toward improving their skiing skills up to Masters National Champions. Similar to its youth programs, SARS also hosts several training options to support a variety of interest and commitment levels for adults. As a non-profit, tuition in SARS programs covers less than half of the club’s operating costs, while fundraising covers the rest. From the Sandpoint Ski Swap each November to a robust sponsorship program to our annual dinner auction held on Schweitzer, community support allows SARS
to keep its tuition low enough to be within reach of any family interested in their kids receiving topnotch coaching on the mountain. SARS programs have grown in popularity in recent years, and due to popular demand it has recently added a competition-based Freeride program for athletes aged 12 and up. The Freeride team trains every Saturday and athletes travel to three or more Big Mountain Freeride competitions around the region each season. For the first time, Schweitzer will be hosting its own Freeride competition this season, giving SARS athletes the chance to compete in front of a home crowd. The STARS — Schweitzer “Tiny” Alpine Racers — program offers capable 5- and 6-year-old skiers the chance to be introduced to the world of ski racing. All SARS programs include a threeto five-day holiday camp between Christmas and New Year’s, plus a minimum of one full day of instruction each week from early December through the end of
With a boulder on my shoulder By Justin Henney Reader Contributor I like to ride my bike uphill. But, since someone told me about an app with which you can compete against yourself or other riders who have done the same segments of trail or road, my behavior has changed a little. I ride three times a week from my house and during each ride I have specific segments in mind that I want to improve on. Sometimes I am trying to move from second into first or from fifth into something better. Mostly I am getting therapy from the scents and scenery of Syringa Heights and Pine Street Woods, but I love going uphill as quickly as I can. The harder I push, the better chance of a powerful endorphin rush. When that happens I notice I am kinder to my family and have more patience and forgiveness for things that sometimes frustrate me. I have been told that I am too competitive and should slow down and smell the roses more often. 16 /
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Recently, I was thinking about where the source of my motivation comes from and I thought of a girl from my grade-school days. Liz Kulick was in my 5th grade class in Ridgewood, N.J. She did not disguise her dislike for such a slacker and poor reader as myself when I arrived in her class from a little farm town in Illinois. I remember her asking me — in front of the whole class — why I could barely read if I did not have dyslexia. I remember her laughing and making it all right for others to laugh at me. Although I had wicked ADD and had done very little reading as a result, prefering to shoot spit balls at friends and girls in previous grades (and getting really good at it), I started to feel stupid for the first time in my life. Months after school started, I began breaking out with stress-related pimples and shaved them off one night in a hasty, impulsive decision. The results left me bloody, with scabs all over my face the next day. Liz Kulick had a field
March. Registration opens on Sunday, Sept. 1 at our website, sars. net. Programs fill up fast, so if it is something you may be interested in, then consider signing up early. For more information about SARS programs, visit sars.net or
Some of the SARS all-stars on the mountain. Photo courtesy Jason Welker. contact the club’s program director, Jamie Landwehr, at jamie@ sars.net or SARS Administrator Jason Welker at jason@sars.net.
Finding the fire for a record-breaking bike ride
day with me. I am thankful to Liz Kulick and others who joined in the ridicule. They lit a fire under me that still burns a bit today when I ride. It was also the impetus for me to go to college, where I majored in English, then go on to graduate school and an advanced degree in American Studies. The criticisms also made me want to do my best at work or in any situation where someone might say, “Who did that?” Related to that, last year, I was told by a bike mechanic at a local bike shop that one of my mountain bikes, a 17-year-old Klein Palomino, was no good and she should be put down and sold for parts. It was as if he were telling me the Palomino was stupid, couldn’t read and would never amount to much. Her shifting was such that only half her gears were working, the rear shock only held air for about an hour and her bushings were so bad that a mechanic told me recently she is not safe to ride. Perfect. Like me, she is flawed
Justin Henney at work on the bicycle. Photo by Angela Henney. and damaged. So, on my 53d birthday on Aug. 1, I drove her to within a few miles of the trailhead of Clifty in Bonners Ferry. After parking and getting the bike off the back of my car, I realized that my daughter had used the old mare last and put flat pedals on her. “Crap!” I yelled to no one but the pines. Then I laughed. I was here to challenge the fastest times recorded by overly competitive cyclists with chips on their shoul-
ders — like me — and I had running shoes and could not clip in. Too funny. I got on my bike and rode hard, thoroughly enjoying the 12% grade, and beat the fastest time by more than five minutes. If I was on my other bike with bigger tires, a newer carbon frame and respect from other cyclists, I don’t think I would have had the same chip or fire. Thank you Liz Kulick and others who give me the drive to go hard and do well.
STAGE & SCREEN
‘I call drag an act of bravery’
Queen B Drag Show brings sass and sexiness to The Hive
By Lyndsie Kiebert Reader Staff
“We’re really excited to be downtown in a really great venue,” Boxx said. Queen B Drag Shows first Thicke said drag is simultanetook Sandpoint by storm in 2012 ously creative and playful while in an effort to give members of also functioning as a revolutionthe local LGBT community a ary form of identity expression. space and a night to call their “I call drag an act of bravery, own. That vision originated with because we hold onto things drag queen Misty Boxx and that we may be afraid to present drag king Corbin Thicke — a in our everyday lives, and drag married, local drag duo who gives people a space to try out dreamed of creating that space. something that they’ve been “We figured the best way to thinking about for a while, or get people together is to entermaybe it just struck them and tain them,” Boxx said. “Once they are willing to jump in and we established ourselves as drag try it,” Thicke said. performers, we wanted to estabBoxx said taking part in lish that community.” drag — either as a performer or The result has been nearly a audience member — is all about decade of Sandpoint drag shows, leaving insecurities at the door the latest of which is slated for and being entirely authentic. Friday, Aug. 30 at The Hive 8:30 Sometimes “being yourself” p.m.-12:30 a.m. The next Queen means taking the stage as someB Drag Show will be the group’s one else. eighth annual Halloween show “Drag creates an accepting at the Sandpoint Eagles Lodge. environment The Reader will I think peoQueen B Drag Show that share more details ple are drawn about the event as at The Hive to, and when it comes closer. you’re around Friday, Aug. 30, 8:30 p.m.; $5 This is the first general admission, $15 VIP drag performtime the group seating; 21+. The Hive, 207 N. First ers you don’t will perform Ave., 208-457-2392, get tickets have to worry at beeswaxsystems.com/thehive at The Hive — about being the or on Facebook under the event weirdest one in something Boxx “Queen B Drag Show presented and Thicke said the room,” Boxx by Dig Beats Productions.” they’re looking said with a forward to.
laugh. “You can just be yourself and have fun for the night.” That fun translates into lasting connections between attendees from Sandpoint to Spokane to Moscow and beyond, Thicke said. “[The best part is] the energy and the bridges that are built within the community and out in the audience,” Thicke said. Queen B shows are known for comedy and, since attendees to The Hive show must be 21 or older, Thicke said there will be a lot of sass and sexiness. “[The Queen B drag performers are] mostly comprised of gender queer people performing a varient character on stage just for the fun of it,” Thicke said, adding that the night will include drag queens, kings and even a female burlesque performer. “There really is something for everybody.” Ultimately, Boxx and Thicke agreed that drag culture works to break down the assumptions and barriers surrounding gender. “As soon as you see someone you want to put them in a box,” Thicke said. “Drag just blows all those concepts out of the water,” Boxx added.
Panida Theater seeking roles for upcoming holiday plays By Reader Staff The Panida Theater is seeking budding thespians for an upcoming play called “Hearthside Stories: Two Holidays, Two Acts, One Weekend,” which is slated to hit the Panida main stage Nov. 21-24. Those interested in acting in the upcoming play are invited to attend open auditions Sept. 10-11 from 5:30-7 p.m. at the Panida’s Little Theater. The Panida Theater is looking
to cast the following roles: • Two males who look 20s • Two males who look 30s or 40s • One male who looks 50+ • One female who looks 20s The Panida Theater’s main stage. Courtesy Panida Theater. • Two females who look 30s or 40s time with material to read. Direct • One female who looks 55+. any questions to panidatheater@ Please come to auditions on panida.org
Misty Boxx, left, and Corbin Thicke, right. Courtesy photo.
Angels Over Sandpoint grant application period opens By Reader Staff The Angels Over Sandpoint have opened the application process for their annual grants. Grants for $250 to $2,500 are available to charitable and educational organizations in Bonner County. All services must be for the benefit of Bonner County residents. Those interested in applying are asked to download applications from angelsoversandpoint. org under the “grants” tab. Instructions and a complete description of the grant are under “Community Grants.” Grant requests for eligible applicants will be considered until the deadline on Sunday, Sept. 15. To be eligible, organizations must meet one of the following criteria: •An organization holding a current tax-exempt status under
Section 501(c)(3), (4), (6) or (19) of the Internal Revenue Code; •A recognized government entity: state, county or city agency, including law enforcement or fire departments, requesting funds exclusively for charitable purposes; •A pre-kindergarten to grade 12 public or private school, charter school, community/junior college, state/private college or university; •A church or other faith-based organization with a proposed project that benefits the community at large; •A children and/or youth program. “The Angels Over Sandpoint look forward to your wonderful ideas on how to enhance the life of our children, seniors, veterans and all Bonner County citizens,” the organization wrote in a press release. “Each request will get careful consideration.” August 29, 2019 /
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COMMUNITY
YMCA offers free memberships to all seventh-graders School-year memberships aim to provide healthy activities to local youth By Ben Olson Reader Staff
Beginning Sunday, Sept. 1, all students entering seventh grade in the Inland Northwest will have free access to YMCAs in the region through Aug. 31, 2020. “At the YMCA of the Inland Northwest we understand the challenges youth face during adolescence and the need for supportive role models to help them during this time, and beyond,” YMCA stated in a press release. “The YMCA provides a safe space for pre-teens to build character, engage in healthy activities and build meaningful relationships with peers and caring adults. Our goal is to encourage teens to maintain and/or adopt healthy habits to last a lifetime.” According to YMCA, statistics show that seventh grade is a critical time in a young person’s life when exposure to risk factors greatly increase. The seventh-grade initiative will kids an opportunity to learn, grow and thrive by participating in healthy, confidence-building activities and programs in a safe environment. “The YMCA is dedicated to providing vital resources for all ages, and
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this new initiative will help local youth discover their passions and help them succeed in school,” said Christine Brischle, vice president of membership operations with YMCA of the Inland Northwest. “We look forward to being an important piece of the larger framework that contributes to the success of all children in our region. We can’t wait to get started and welcome our new youth to the YMCA.” Included with the free membership is access to the teen/youth activity centers; the climbing wall and skate park (Memorial Day through Labor Day) at the Spokane Valley Y; and all aquatic centers including lap pools, recreation pools, lazy river, water slides and more. Also included is access to the gymnasium and wellness floors, group exercise classes
and discounts on selected programs. Some amenities may not be available at all locations. Those interested in the free membership program are encouraged to visit any regional YMCA to complete a membership application while accompanied by a parent or guardian who must also sign. All youth must adhere to the member code of conduct and YMCA values of caring, honesty, respect and responsibility. The YMCA is a drug, alcohol, weapons, tobacco and vaping free zone. Regional YMCAs include: Central Spokane, North Spokane, Spokane Valley, South Spokane and Litehouse YMCA Sandpoint. Visit ymcainw.org for more information.
STAGE & SCREEN
Prepare thyselves for merriment
The third annual Sandpoint Renaissance Faire promises to be a mix of fun and fantasy
By Ben Olson Reader Staff Hear ye! Hear ye! Damsels, lords and ladies, knights, knaves and wenches. Her Royal Majesty Queen Elizabeth I is most excited to welcome all to the splendor and enchantment of the Sandpoint Renaissance Faire. Back for its third year, the two-day celebration will take place from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 31 and Sunday, Sept. 1 at Wild Hearts Equestrian Connections, 784 Shingle Mill Road. It promises to be an event filled with history, fantasy and merriment. Visit with local Faire-goers, shop at period-correct artisan booths, experience the olde world camaraderie and feast on turkey legs bigger than your head. The Faire was co-founded by Anita Pew and Tanya Anderson, who serve as president and vice-president of the Faire group, respectively. “We started originally [three years ago] with a board group of four people,” Anderson said. “Now, to have a few dozen people volunteering to make this happen, it’s inspiring.” Anderson said her annual transformation into Queen Elizabeth is something she truly appreciates about the Faire. “I think there’s something very powerful about playing her,” Anderson said. “She was such a kind and just ruler.” Faire-goers may pose for pictures with the queen and the royal court. They can also meet a newcomer to this year’s Faire: the Amazon parrot “Gus the Pirate Bird,” who loves meeting new friends and telling stories. Children can visit the upgraded Faerie Realm, where there are crafts and activities to spur their imaginations. Anderson said it’s a blessing to have the Faire in the same lo-
cation as the previous two years. “It’s so perfect, with horses in the background,” she said.” It really gives the Faire a Renaissance theme.” The day’s festivities are a thoughtful mix of history, fantasy and fun. Children’s activities include painting shields, creating masks, crown-making, beading, face painting and even meeting Mother Goose to hear the stories she has to share. More than 30 vendors will be on hand selling everything from soap to battle axes to magic wands. Food and drink vendors will offer items like kettle corn, snow cones, ale and many fine grilled treats. “It’s a whole village,” Anderson said. “Imagine going to a farmers’ market in 1577. You’ll find jewels, handmade items, there’s a chain mail artisan — some of his crowns and ornaments are just fascinating.” Along with food, drink and artisan vendors, a regular schedule of entertainment is scheduled for both days of the Faire. Anchoring the events is the Spokane-based Epona Equestrian Team, which will put on two
jousting shows a day at 12 p.m. and 5 p.m. “When you see them play the games on the horses, jousting, it’s authentic,” Anderson said. “That hit is real.” Tickets are $10 for adults, $5 for seniors and kids under 18. Children 4 and under attend free. Bring non-perishable food
to donate to the Food Bank and receive a $2 discount at the gate. The Sandpoint Renaissance Faire, a nonprofit organization, will give a portion of proceeds from the Faire to Bonner County
Ren Faire damsels dancing around the May pole in 2018. Photo by Alicia Reed. Food Bank and the Vietnam Veterans Association Chapter No. 890.
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FOOD
The Sandpoint Eater
Farewell old friend By Marcia Pilgeram Reader Food Columnist
This past weekend, after nearly 40 years together, I said goodbye to a constant companion. I never dreamed I’d cry over the loss of a kitchen appliance, but in fact, I did. I remember that first Christmas on the ranch like it was yesterday. I unwrapped the cumbersome, heavy box and beamed at the shiny, white KitchenAid stand mixer within. It came fully accessorized with a stainless-steel bowl, flour shield, paddle, whip, dough hook and grinding attachment. I don’t remember the rest of that day, but I do remember that I had a batch of bread dough clinging to the hook before nightfall. Watching that mixer magically knead dough was a marvel, and even though I felt a tinge of guilt that my elderly mother-in-law was still kneading her doughs by hand, I never offered to share my new K5-SS model for even a day. A couple of years later, with the cattle and timber markets financially strong, we built a beautiful custom home where we planned to raise the next generation of Montana ranchers. I designed every inch of the kitchen. It was magazine-beautiful and ever so functional. My mixer had its own sturdy pop-up shelf and, in two swift moves, it could be stored under an old slab of marble made into a countertop (which I also used for candy making). Life on the ranch was a dichotomy. I loved everything 20 /
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about rural life except the isolation, and nothing made me happier than weekend visitors. I loved entertaining and my K5SS took my dinner party skills to new and daring levels. Bravely, I whipped up chilled soups and palate-cleansing sorbets to boost the multi-course dining experience for my guests. That faithful mixer never let me down as I blended, kneaded and whipped my way through cake and waffle batters, then progressed to Italian and Swiss meringues and silky mousses. Not every recipe was a piece of cake, but I spent hours pursuing my passion and became quite adept at whipping up some pretty tasty concoctions. I kneaded more batches of salt dough than I can count and learned from a salt dough artist friend to add a dash of olive oil, which made it more pliable for
artistic little fingers. Many rainy days at the ranch were dedicated to crafting creatures and baking them into immortality. With the workhorse grinder attachment, I made wild game burgers to feed the ever-present ranch hands and apple gruel to nourish orphaned fawns. I came up with a few half-baked ideas too, like the time I tried to grind up a bucket of wild horseradish root. The smell was so overpowering that the kids and I had to evacuate the house. There wasn’t a day that went by that my dependable mixer stood idle. Then, over the next few years, life took many turns as we left the ranch, moved to town and resettled. Then we moved again and resettled. More than once, I packed up a few prized possessions and started over. From designer kitchens to chipped counter
tops in bad rental homes, the moves always included my beloved mixer. Looking back, I don’t know where the time went, but we’ve been comfortable in our current space for nearly 20 years. I can’t count the batches of wedding cake batters that I whipped up and turned out for my girls and all the other girls I have loved as my own. Or the countless batches of dough for cookies, shipped first to college kids scattered across the country, and now packaged with love and mailed to my own eight grandchildren. For the past couple years, I have been painfully aware that my mixer’s top speed produced a groan of sorts, and I’ve done my best to keep her oiled. I’ve also applied appliance paint to cover her now-worn and chipped enamel. This past Saturday, while
whipping up some savory ingredients to prepare wedding appetizers for a local young man I adore, my beloved old mixer said enough and froze up on the spot. I was on a tight deadline, overseeing a wedding meal for 300 guests, so there was no time to mourn her loss. Until the next morning. Through many tears, 40 years of mixer memories flashed through my mind. One especially poignant memory made me laugh out loud, remembering the scornful look on my aged mother-in-law’s face when I served lemon sorbet between courses. She suggested I ought to save it for dessert. You can serve it as you wish. We had a good run. Now, rest in peace, K5-SS.
Tart and Light Lemon Sorbet Recipe
Makes 2 cups
A lovely palate cleanser between courses
INGREDIENTS:
DIRECTIONS:
• 1 cup sugar • 1 cup water • 3 tbsp finely grated lemon zest • 3⁄4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
Place sugar and water in a small saucepan; bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, 2 minutes. Cool completely. Pour into large bowl of standup mixer. On low speed, pour in lemon zest and juice and mix for a minute. Freeze, in mixing bowl, until firm, about 1 1/2 hours. Return bowl to mixer and use whisk attachment, on low, for a minute or two - incorporating more air, results in a lighter sorbet. Freeze until firm, about 4 hours.
Serve or move to a freezer storage container until ready to use.
Garnish each serving with a twist of lemon peel, mint or fresh berries.
MUSIC
This week’s RLW by Ed Ohlweiler
Trout & About Festival
Shakewell and Cowboy Andy and the Salamanders to play family-friendly Trout Unlimited event
By Lyndsie Kiebert Reader Staff The Panhandle Chapter of Trout Unlimited will bring two live music performances Saturday, Aug. 31 to Matchwood Brewing — both in the name of protecting bull trout. Shakewell and Cowboy Andy and the Salamanders will supply the tunes at the Trout & About Festival, an all-ages, all-afternoon event meant to rally the community behind trout identification and habitat. Missoula-based Cowboy Andy and the Salamanders kick things off at 11 a.m. with family-friendly and educational tunes geared toward kids and kids-at-heart. By 3 p.m. funky favorites Shakewell will take the stage. Also based in Missoula, Shakewell is known to play other all-ages shows in Sandpoint, including Mattox Farms’ Jack Frost Fest. The band — which calls itself a “funk brotherhood” — is known for groovy, horn-heavy soul music with an R&B touch. “As a band born and raised in rural towns around Montana, we understand the importance of building a strong community and the impact art has on all ages,” said Cove Jasmin of Shakewell. “Most of us grew up attending events very similar to the Trout &
Shakewell. Courtesy photo.
About fest, and you could argue that seeing live music in these scenarios pushed many of us toward Aside from teaching people a career in art. Why not make about the trout themselves, Trout learning a party, right?” Unlimited also stresses the imporThe event will take place tance of clean and cold water in outside, rain or shine, and atour area. When it comes to bull tendees are encouraged to bring trout habitat, Glenn Lefebvre, who camp chairs and serves as bull trout blankets. education coordiLive music is Trout & About nator for the Trout certainly a highUnlimited PanhanFestival light of Trout & dle Chapter, said, Saturday, Aug. 31, 11 a.m.; About, but at its “the cleaner, the $3 suggested donation core, the festival clearer, the colder, for adults, kids get in FREE. is meant to eduthe better.” Matchwood Brewing Comcate kids — and Lefebvre said pany, 513 Oak St., 208-718the parents they bull trout are an 2739, matchwoodbrewing. inevitably bring indicator species com, panhandletu.org. in tow — about — when they’re how to identify having a hard time and properly release endangered in an environment, other species bull trout if they are caught. are sure to follow, which makes
BAND WAGON
Cowboy Andy. Courtesy photo. them an important part of the local ecosystem. Festival-goers will learn about that and much more at Trout & About, and the more knowledge they collect, the better chance they have at earning raffle tickets to then put toward fly rods, Yeti coolers and other swag up for grabs. Lefebvre said he is most looking forward to the live music, as well as checking out the various information booths at Trout & About and getting to work with the volunteers who are staffing them. “These people are really dedicated to the trout, and really knowledgeable,” he said. “I couldn’t do it without them.”
A snapshot of notable live music coming up in Sandpoint
The Last Revel, Aug. 29, Utara Brewing Co. Casey Ryan, Aug. 29, 219 Lounge They call it “front porch Americana” and Twin Cities-based trio The Last Revel is bringing it from their front porch to ours with a long-awaited show in Sandpoint. Fresh from tour dates in Montana and ahead of an appearance at The Bartlett in Spokane, The Last Revel brings its folk-inflected Upper Midwest sound to Utara Brewing Company on Thursday, Aug. 29. Described as a “collective of songwriters,” the group falls somewhere on the spectrum of folk, rock and old-timey string band, yet with a decidedly contemporary feel. Three-part harmonies,acoustic and electric guitar, upright bass, fiddle and five-string banjo come together in a robust medley that has driven The Last Revel’s success — releasing four full-length albums, including the most recent, “Fool’s Spring,” behind which the band is currently touring. Catch the band here or you’ll have to travel to their front porch in Minneapolis. —Zach Hagadone 8 p.m., $10, 21+. Utara Brewing Co., 214 Pine St., 208-627-5070, utaraidaho.com. Listen at thelastrevel.com.
Indie singer-songwriter Casey Ryan — formerly known as Hymn & Her — will bring his thoughtful blend of emotive acoustic rock to the 219 patio Thursday, Aug. 29 from 8-11 p.m. Hailing from Coeur d’Alene, Ryan has performed and toured with some big names in music, including James Bay, Third Eye Blind and Dashboard Confessional. Ryan also cracked the top-200 on NBC’s “The Voice” in 2015, a stint he said was “definitely a good learning experience, because it showed me how to harness my own individuality.” Ryan said some of the biggest influences on his sound came from early ‘90s alternative rock bands like Matchbox Twenty and the Goo Goo Dolls. — Ben Olson 8-11 p.m., FREE. 219 Lounge, 219 N. First Ave., 208-718-2739, 219. bar. Listen on most streaming services.
READ
We’re all mostly adults here; so, let’s talk old-school erotica. Like Anais Nin and Milan Kundera. Both are expansive well beyond the genre: Nin was also a philosopher and, writing 75 years ago, inspired future generations of feminists (though her erotica was written for a mainly male audience at the time). While no one could write about the sensual feast like Kundera, he was also a gifted novelist who could turn his pen toward revolution and struggle, anything really, in a visceral and compelling way.
LISTEN
Involuntary goosebumps used to be my litmus test for good music before that day back in the ’80s when I listened to Joni Mitchell’s “Blue” CD, not even for the first time. Two songs that recently moved me that deeply were Kevin Brown‘s “Medicine Bow” and Driftwood’s “Santa Fe.”
WATCH
The rise in popularity of Brené Brown‘s new book, “Braving the Wilderness,” brought me to revisit her TED talks. The one on vulnerability, “The power of Vulnerability,” is especially interesting. It takes a while to build with the backstory, but she does arrive at some great insights by its end. Specifically, how our determination not to show weakness may be holding us back and sabotaging our potential.
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OUTDOORS
Pend Oreille Pedalers hosting trail work day on Watershed From Sandpoint News-Bulletin, Aug. 28, 1949
MATRON IS KAYOED BY LIGHTNING BOLT The thunder and lightning storm of Saturday evening is one Mrs. Matilda Cast will never forget. It is her good fortune that she is here today to recall what it feels like to be struck by lightning. Mrs. Cast was in the back yard of her home at 717 N. Ruth, bringing in clothes from the line as the electric storm broke over the city about 6 o’clock. Just as she reached for the last towel a blinding flash of lightning seemed to burst all around her and her last recollection was falling, Mrs. Cast said. She thought she got right up and went to her next door neighbor, but they told her it had been a good 10 minutes since the flash and deafening thunder clap. It was them Mrs. Cast realized she had been knocked out by the electricity because she had not heard the thunder. “My right arm was paralyzed,” she said. “There was no feeling in it for almost an hour Sunday. It was still sore and lame.” Investigation showed that the lightning had followed down an aerial to where it entered the house through a window and had splintered off a bit of the window sill. Mrs. Cast is an employee of the Bonner General Hospital. 22 /
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By Ben Olson Reader Staff
The Pend Oreille Pedalers, a local trail-building and bicycling club, has put out the call for help completing its newest trail. Members of the Pedalers have been putting in long hours on a mini-excavator out on Uleda Ridge as part of the Watershed Crest trail system and need help buffing out the trail into a sweet single track. Those interested in lending a hand should meet at the Great Escape Quad at Schweitzer Mountain Resort on Saturday, Aug. 31 at 8:45 a.m. Trail workers will load their mountain bikes at 9 a.m. sharp and ride the quad to the summit, then ride down to the Highpoint Connector Trail and out to the work area on Uleda Ridge (a ride of three to four miles). From there,
volunteers will work their way to the mini-excavator using hand tools provided by the Pedalers. Once they’ve thoroughly buffed out the trail, everyone will hop on their bikes and head down the Highpoint Trail to Schweitzer Village just in time to join in on Fall Fest. Please note: no “joyriders” on the lift at 9 a.m. If you load on the lift, plan on working. The lift will open for regular service at 11 a.m., in case trail workers want to spin some victory laps after their work. The Pedalers encourage volunteers to park at the Red Barn and carpool to the Village if possible. Each volunteer needs to bring a mountain bike, helmet, gloves, sunglasses, covered shoes, sunscreen, bug spray, lots of water and snacks. For more information, visit pendoreillepedalers.org.
Crossword Solution
Instead of putting a quarter under a kid’s pillow, how about a pine cone? That way, he learns that “wishing” isn’t going to save our national forests.
Copyright www.mirroreyes.com
CROSSWORD ACROSS
Wortdhe of
Week
xeric
/ZEER-ik/
[adjective] 1. of, relating to, or adapted to a dry environment.
“He stumbled across the xeric plain, searching the horizon for signs of water.” Corrections: In the Aug. 21 story “MickDuff’s brewpub will move to historic Sandpoint Post Office building,” we incorrectly stated that the brewery will have to work with the local historical society to approve changes to the building. Rather, to qualify for a historic tax credit, MickDuff’s has to gain approval for changes from the Small Business Administration, state of Idaho and National Parks Service. The Reader regrets the error.
1. Sharp intake of breath 5. Wedges 10. Curve 14. Against 15. Synagogue scroll 16. Type of sword 17. Letterhead 19. Bloodsucking insects 20. Eastern Standard Time 21. Put on clothes 22. Swells or expands 23. Schemes 25. Habitual practice 27. Fodder 28. Tombstone inscriptions 31. Artist’s workstand 34. A woody place 35. Faucet 36. Apothecary’s weight 37. Tapestry 38. Briskly (music) 39. 3 in Roman numerals 40. Drop to one’s knees 41. Walked nervously 42. Gifted 44. Bother 45. Iron 46. Let loose 50. Alit 52. Slight color 54. Ribonucleic acid 55. Attired 56. Acquiescence
Solution on page 24 58. Melody 59. Erase 60. Stitches 61. Sow 62. Homes for birds 63. If not
DOWN 1. Oxygen and helium, for example 2. Jittery 3. Statistics 4. A sizeable hole 5. Tempestuous 6. Sharpens 7. Angers 8. Pouched mammal
9. Timid 10. Small northern whale 11. Seizure sufferer 12. Make out (slang) 13. D D D D 18. Something to shoot for 22. Shower alternative 24. Not us 26. Seats oneself 28. Made a mistake 29. Despise 30. Hurried 31. Modify 32. Diva’s solo 33. Glider 34. Not a clingstone
37. Picnic insects 38. Sheltered spot 40. Was cognizant 41. Heaps 43. Worn away 44. Cherubim 46. Full-length 47. Disney mermaid 48. Flurries 49. A German medieval guild 50. Does something 51. Adhesive 53. Hotels 56. Tin 57. South southeast
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FUN TIMES
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