Voice - Spring 2019

V

Spring 2019

oice

Of the Pend Oreille River Valley

Time to get outside HORSEBACK RIDING • FARMERS MARKET • THRIFTING

Paid for by Newport Hotel/Motel Tax

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Spring Voice

Editor’s Note:

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Spring is finally here ... we think. While yards and gardens are still drab, and the streets still piled high with gravel, we are on the brink of sunny days, colorful flowers and green yards. And it’s time to get outside!

The Pend Oreille River Valley is full of activities and events in the coming months. Some are expected, such as the Back Country Horsemen and their work, but some are not so expected, such as shopping for vintage clothing. We cover all that and everything in between in this issue of Voice.

We talk with those who care of community gardens in both Newport and Priest River - gardens that are used for growing food and gardens that are used to sit and relax.

Farmers markets are gearing up for a busy season, and a busy season of events are starting up in May, such as the Rotary Club’s Drags and Drinks, the Newport Rodeo and county fairs.

So check it ou and get out of the house.

-MCN

Voice: Published: April 2019 Publisher: Michelle Nedved DESIGN: Brad Thew Writers & editors: Caneel Johnson, Sophia Aldous and Don Gronning Advertising: Lindsay Guscott, Cindy Boober and Micki Brass About the Cover:

VOICE is published quarterly as a supplement to The Newport Miner and Gem State Miner, 421 S. Spokane, Newport WA 99156.

TELEPHONE: 509-447-2433 E-MAIL: minernews@povn.com FAX: 509-447-9222 Reproduction of articles & photographs is prohibited without permission of the publisher. See all issues at The Miner Online: www.pendoreillerivervalley. com

What’s Inside:

Have you some fun

Cure for cabin fever

Back Country HorsemEn Hit the Trail

With spring comes thrifting season

Page 4

Page 8

Page 19

Page 22

New Changes for newport farmer’s market Page 14

Spring Voice

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Voice photo|Sophia Aldous

A comical tragedy is headed to Circle Moon Theatre with Romeo and Harriet, a youthful twist on the classic William Shakespeare play Romeo and Juliet.

Have you some fun

By Sophia Aldous

“There’s nothing to do around here.”

You hear that statement thrown out a lot about small towns and that is just not true. Trust us, as reporters out and about in our communities you could easily fill your calendar with events in the Pend Oreille River Valley every week. No need to sift through social media looking for something to do, because we’ve already done it for you. Whether it’s the arts or athletics, fun at fundraisers, groups looking to have good times, or all of the above, here are some events coming up in the next couple of months.

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Take a walk, be a hero

You don’t have to be super to be a hero. That’s the motto behind the annual Child Abuse Awareness Walk Saturday, April 27, 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. at Newport City Park. The event is hosted by Family Crisis Network and is open to anyone wanting to participate. T-shirts are $5 and sweatshirts are $20. Superhero costumes are encouraged. Raffle items include a 250-piece tool kit, a family fun pack including movie tickets, food vouchers, hero swag and more, gift certificates to local restaurants and more. Reg-

ister online at www.eventbrite.com or in person at Family Crisis Network at 730 W 1st St. in Newport.

Are you ready for Mud Cup?

Get dirty at Mud Cup 2019, the adult volleyball tournament at Klondyke Café Saturday, April 27, 10 a.m. – 12 p.m. Cost to play is $40 per team with six players on a team. Must be 21 or older to play. If you don’t fee like getting muddy, come be a spectator Continued on page 5

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and enjoy some food and drink. The Klondyke is located on Highway 2 in Laclede.

Grizzlies know how to have a good time

It’s time for the Great Grizzly Dinner and Auction Saturday, April 27 at Beardmore Bistro Wine Bar and Tap House in Priest River at 6 p.m. The annual fundraiser benefits Newport School District extracurricular and academic programs and is organized by the Maws and Paws Booster Club.

Auction items include a restored 2003 BMW, Seahawk football weekend with tickets and hotel included, a Schweitzer Mountain chalet weekend getaway, and more. Doors open for the event at 6 p.m. and hors d’oeurves and silent auction are 6:30-8 p.m. Live auction starts at 8 p.m.

Tickets are $25 each and can be purchased at Newport school offices, Nomad Coffee, Golden China restaurant and Owen’s Grocery and Deli.

A love story retold on stage

Mountain Harmony Show Choir’s (MHSC) spring musical, Romeo and Harriet: A Musical Comedy in Two and a Half Acts, is coming to Circle Moon Theatre May 2, 3, 4 and 9, 10.

Performances start at 7:30 p.m. and a May 11 matinee is at 3 p.m. The play is a New York, comedic twist on William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet.

Dinner and show tickets are $25, the show only is $12, and youth under 18 tickets are $5.

For more information, call 208-4481294.

Time to go picking

The Priest River Chamber of Commerce is hosting the annual Pickers Day, Saturday, May 4, and is accepting donations to raise funds for the an-

nual Fourth of July fireworks show.

Pickers Day is from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. in downtown Priest River. Residents can either donate their items to be sold by the chamber to raise funds, or can rent a space for $15 to sell their own items.

Pickers Day is held in conjunction with the annual May Day sales held in the communities of Newport, Oldtown and Priest River, when many households and organizations hold yard sales.

Direct questions, donations or space rental to the chamber at 208-4482721 or stop by the office at 119 Main St., Suite 102 of the Beardmore Building.

Go back in time with good tunes

Allen McCully brings his musical styling to The Cutter Theatre in Metaline Falls Sunday, May 5 at 2 p.m. Prepare for a performance of the greatest songs of the 50s and 60s. Songs of the great Elvis Presley, Patsy Cline, Roy Orbison, Johnny Cash, Dean Martin, Simon and Garfunkel, The Platters and many others, all being performed in their style and sounds that you remember. Tickets are $10 at the door.

For more information, call the Cutter Theatre at 509–446–4108 or go online at www.cuttertheatre.com.

Eat, drink and be merry with mom

The Newport/Priest River Rotary Club’s Mother’s Day Eve Dinner and Auction is Saturday, May 11 at Oldtown Rotary Park. Bring mom out for a nice dinner and help raise money for a scholarship program that benefits students in West Bonner and Pend Oreille counties.

Social hour starts at 5 p.m. and dinner is at 6 p.m. Auction and activities starts at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $25.

Continued on page 6

Courtesy photo|The Cutter Theatre

The Cutter Theatre is one of the jewels of Pend Oreille County. Not only is the historical building still standing, but it houses the Metaline Library, concerts, plays, classes, and an art gallery.

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Besides fitness classes, the Blanchard Community Center is home to a slew of events and activities, including art classes. Check it out at www.blanchardidaho.net.

Spring Voice

Visit our website for current schedule and departure times

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Local fellows don dresses as drag queens for the annual Rotary Drinks and Drags fundraiser at Top Frog Brewery.

Among items to be auctioned are a weekend stay at Northern Quest Casino and Resort.

RSVP by calling Micki, 509-671-6333 or Michelle at 509710-9379.

each, and include food and a complimentary beer or wine.

Tickets can be purchased from any Newport, Priest River Rotary member or by calling 509-710-9379 or 509-6716333.

This event is open only to those 21-years-old and older.

Cut loose with the girls

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The annual Drags and Drinks fundraiser returns to Top Frog Brewery on Saturday, May 18. Doors open at 3:30 p.m. and show starts at 5 p.m. The event benefits Festivities in The Park during Newport Rodeo Weekend.

Tickets to Drags and Drinks are two for $50 or $30

Fitness classes are gong on at the Blanchard Community Center every Thursday at 9:30 a.m., promptly. Classes are an hour long and participants are asked to bring a water bottle, yoga mat, and lightweights, if they have them.

Classes are $5 per person.

The Blanchard Community Center is located at 685 Rusho Road.

Continued on page 7

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Get historical and hysterical at Pend Oreille Playhouse

Coming to America: An American Vaudeville is coming to the Pend Oreille Playhouse June 14,15,16, 21, 22, and 23. Performance times are 7 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 3 p.m. on Sundays. The musical focuses on the lives of immigrants who came through Ellis Island from 1893 through 1916, presenting a poignant, sometimes humorous picture of the melting pot that was the American experience at the turn of the century.

The score features landmark American songs by such iconic composers as Cole Porter, Irving Berlin, George Gershwin, Jerome Kern, Scott Joplin, and George M. Cohan.

For more information including ticket prices, times, upcoming shows and theatre membership, go to www. pendoreilleplayers.org or call 509447-9900.

Be a Road Rebel

The Road Rebels Newport Running Club meets every Thursday afternoon through the spring and summer for fitness and socialization. Any fitness level can join. Participants meet at The Club – Total Balance Fitness in Newport and run or walk a new route every week then meet at Kelly’s Bar and Grill. Volunteers are needed to help coordinate events.

For more information, go to www. facebook.com/roadrebelsnewport or email kristal3585@yahoo.com.

Spring Voice

Courtesy photo|Klondyke Café

The annual Mud Cup adult volleyball tournament in Idaho gets right into the spring season, literally.

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Back Country Horseman hit the trails

By Caneel Johnson

Courtesy photo|Jim Hudkins

Kids from the Kalispel Tribe trail ride through Missile Site Park with the Northeast Back Country Horsemen of Washington in 2018.

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Northeast Back Country Horseman of Washington are blazing trails and getting things done. The NEBCHW has some big plans for the Pend Oreille County Park. They discovered the park when Vicki Gish, one their members came up to ride.

“We are missing out on this,” said Jim Hudkins, NEBCHW member, remembering Gish tell him about it.

“This area has a lot of what we like.”

NEBCHW will be on the trails at the Pend Oreille Park, Rustler’s Gulch and Gypsy Meadows maintaining trails and making improvements this summer. Starting at the beginning of May they will double the equestrian

parking area at the park to allow horse trailers to turn around more easily. They will install a handicapped mounting station and a foundation for a porta-potty that will stay on site during the riding season.

Future plans include improvements to the walking trails that will make them handicapped accessible. There will be the addition of an equestrian campground along the power lines that will include four pull-in-pull-outs that will allow two 50 foot trailers to be there, an area for camping and high lines to tether horses to for the Continued on page 10

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Courtesy photo|Jim Hudkins

Eric Gordon on his Tennessee Walker cross the Little Spokane River on a Northeast Back Country Horsemen of Washington trail ride in 2018.

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Courtesy photo|Jim Hudkins

Northeast Back Country Horsemen of Washington member Jim Hudkins eats lunch on the bench he helped build on Big Sky Loop Trail.

night.

NEBCHW has already made a lot of improvements to the trails and grounds in both the Pend Oreille Park and Rustler’s Gulch. The NEBCHW began in 2000 and soon after that began working with the Pend Oreille County Park and Recreations Board to make improvements to the park. Bob Gish and Tryge Culp cut the first equestrian trail in 2002 at the park.

Until then the Big Sky Trail was just a scenic route for hikers and ended at an overlook. Gish and Culp extended the trail to complete a threemile loop around the park.

Pend Oreille County Park host Todd Rahoun and his wife Christine helped map the trails in a collaborative effort with the county GIS technician Cesar Stoddard to build a map of all the trails. The maps can be found at the community development building located at 418 S. Scott Ave., Newport and at the Kiosk built by an Eagle Scout earning his

Explorer Scout badge at the entrance to the park.

Last year, Pend Oreille County received a grant to put in an equestrian trail from Fertile Valley Road to the east entrance of Rustler’s Gulch.

NEBCHW installed a water spigot at the equestrian parking area. Inland Empire and NEBCHW upgraded the parking lots along Horseshoe Lake Road to access Rustler’s Gulch at Holly Lane and Beaver Creek. NEBCHW packed in wood and supplies to build a bench at the overlook at the top of Big Sky Loop Trail.

“When we got to the top, Darrel Wallace realized we forgot the hammer,” Hudkins said. “We used a rock and got it done. We came up at a later time and put in screws to make it more secure.”

Wallace, a long time member of NEBCHW, was elected the Chairman of the Back Country Horsemen of America this year.

NEBCHW is not just about work, every year the NEBCHW teaches kids from the Kalispel Tribe horsemanship and take them on a trail ride. Horsemanship includes trailriding etiquette, riding techniques and safety. They used to trail ride out at Priest Lake, but the last couple of years they have done things a little differently. They start out at the home of Doug and Traci Stewarts, members of the chapter. The Stewarts have an indoor arena that is perfect for instruction. The trail ride is done at Missile Site Park in Deer Park.

The NEWBCH ride trails all over Continued on page 13

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Courtesy photo|Back Country Horsemen of Washington

A fairy sits atop a fire-breathing dragon at the 17th annual winery and costume trail ride in Zillah, Wash., in 2017.

Spring Voice

Courtesy photo|Jim Hudkins

Members of Northeast Back Country Horsemen of Washington Stuart Nieman, Doug Stewart, Darrel Wallace and Bob Williams build the bench on Big Sky Trail at the Pend Oreille County Park.

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the state. The first trail ride this year is the ‘Dust off the Rust’ ride in Rustlers Gulch. The NEBCH will have the opportunity to brush up on their packing skills. They will begin at the Holly Road trailhead the NEBCHW renovated last year.

The next trip will be a special tour of Free Rein, a facility in Spokane that provides horseback riding therapy to people with physical, mental or emotional challenges.

Then they will provide a trail ride clinch for 4-H in Chewelah. May 18 they will travel to Ellensburg to ride the 25 miles of trails in the Joe Watt Canyon.

In June there will be a defibrillator fundraiser and the annual Vicki Gish memorial camp and ride. Vicki Gish and her husband Bob were two of the founders of the NEBCHW chapter of BCHW. Vicki died in January of 2017. The Gishs received the BCHW life time achievement award in 2016.

The last scheduled ride is an annual winery and Halloween costume prize ride in October. The group rides from winery to winery in costume in Zilla, Wash.

“They used to have covered wagons that followed them around to collect all the rider that fell off their horses,” Hudkins said.

The Back Country Horsemen of America was founded in 1973 in Montana. There are 204 chapters in 31 states across the country. According to the BCHA website, in 2018 volunteers spent 322,125 hours working to maintain trails on public lands, which is equal to a value of $12.1 million in trail work donated to local and federal land managing agencies. Since 1995, their members have contributed a about $140.2 million in volunteer hours.

“We are devoted equestrians who love to ride and explore new trails,” the website states. “We assist with trail maintenance and improvement projects, keeping trails clear for all user groups.”

The NEBCHW chapter has 111

members. Meetings are every third Saturday at the Clayton Grange. To become a member visit www.NEBCHW.com.

Membership fees are $41 for a singe membership or $54 for a family membership.

Priest River also has a chapter of Back Country Horseman. The Priest River Valley chapter was founded in 1986. They have a poker ride in June.

The PRVBCH meetings are held the second Wednesday of the month at the Riverbank Restaurant in Oldtown.

Dinner is at 6 p.m. and the meeting starts at 7 p.m. PRVBCH memberships are $35 for single and $45 for family memberships. To join go to www.PRVBCH.com.

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Courtesy photo|Jim Hudkins

Stuart Nieman carries wood for a bench the Northeast Back Country Horsemen of Washington built at the lookout on Big Sky Loop in the Pend Oreille County Park in 2018.

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New changes Newport Farmers

Jean Wakeley of The Artful Farm looks after her booth at the Pend Oreille Valley Farmers Market Saturday, May 26, 2018. The market is located in the parking lot of the Pend Oreille Playhouse o

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for Market

By Don Gronning

Voice photo|Sophia Aldous

For many people, the Newport Farmer’s Market is part of their Saturday routine.

“We’ve been coming since it was the Earth Market,” says Liz Krizenesky of Newport. She and her mother, Cathi Rawley, make a morning of it.

“They open at 9, so every Saturday, we get ready and head out of the house at 8:45 a.m.,” Krizenesky says. “We want to be there when they open, just in case.”

Just in case there are some blackberries, or some tomatoes or some spinach greens available. Those go pretty fast when they are there, she says.

Rawley says sometimes she and Liz arrive too early.

“Sometimes we have to sit and wait for them to open,” Crawey laughs.

The wait is worth it, both for the items they buy, but also for the people.

“We’ve established relationships,” Crawley says.

That’s part of the point of farmers markets.

on Union Street in Newport. The market is open Saturdays May through September, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

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Continued on page 16

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Voice photo|Don Gronning

Priest River artist Betty Gardner in her booth at the Farmers Marker last year. Her pottery is made with clay from the Priest River that turns an attractive brown when fired.

She also does some metal sculptures and jewelry.

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“Not only do they generate income for small and direct farmers, independent entrepreneurs, and local communities, farmers markets serve as community gathering places,” according to the state farmers market association website www.wafarmersmarkets.org.

Colleen Donovin is executive director for the Washington State Farmers Market Association.

Donovin says one of the most important reasons farmers sell at farmers markets is because of the relationships they develop.

“The communication goes both ways,” Donovin says. “One of the most important reasons farmers are at farmers markets is to build relationships with customers.”

It also helps people know where their food comes from and the importance of agriculture.

For customers, it is a chance to find out about new items and get recipes on how to prepare them.

“Nowhere else will you get information from someone who grows your food,” she says.

Jean Wakeley of The Artful Farm agrees.

“This is my ninth year at the Newport Farmers Market,” she says. She sells bedding plants, baked goods and some crafts, such as aprons, in addition to her produce and apples and pears. Among the produce she sells is kohlrabi, also called German turnips.

It is a low, stout cultivar of wild cabbage.

“People ask me what to do with it, or tell me what they do with it,” Wakeley says.

She says she enjoys coming to the market. She meets people from throughout the area and even some international people.

“We get people coming down from Canada,” she says.

Wakeley says she enjoys talking with people. She says farmers markets do a lot of educating.

“If you don’t grow plants, you probably don’t know what a corn plant

looks like when it’s small,” she says.

Wakeley says people don’t realize how much work goes into farming.

Even coming to the farmers market takes some doing.

“You have to plan your whole week to be here Saturday,” she says.

But it is something she likes.

“I do enjoy it,” she says. The Newport Farmers Market is the only one she sells at.

“I’ve checked out others, but they’re no draw for me,” she says.

The Washington State Farmers Market Association has been around since 1979, Donovin says. It’s celebrating its 40th anniversary. Donovin says there are 170 farmers markets in 28 counties and 80 cities or towns represented by the organization. Each year tens of millions of dollars of goods are sold at farmers markets. In 2017, more than $51 million of goods were sold at farmers markets.

The Newport Farmers market has been around for more than 20 years.

It is thought to be among the oldest farmers markets in the state. Pikes Place Market, established in 1907, is the first, year-round farmers market in the state. But what about seasonal markets? Was Newport among the first?

“Funny you should ask,” said Donovin when asked about how old the Newport Farmers Market is. She pulled out the association’s first directory.

“It lists the Pend Oreille Valley Earth Market as one of 21 markets listed.”

Robert Karr was the contact and it was located at Walnut and Washington Avenue, she said.

Donovin says she guesses the list came from 1984.

“That’s my best guess,” she says, noting the directory wasn’t dated.

But Saturday, May 5 was listed as the opening day, so she went back through old calendars until she found a Saturday that lined up.

The Newport Farmers Market is in Continued on page 17

Voice photo|Don Gronning

Farmers Market Manager Michele Masuen of Blue Slate Ranch talks with a customer last year. She sells meat and eggs. Last year she sold out at about 12 dozen chicken eggs each week. She will have more eggs this year.

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the midst of a revival, with music, a better vendor layout and children’s events planned for each Saturday when the farmers market gets underway Saturday, May 4. The Newport Farmers Market will take place each Saturday, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., through September.

Michele Masuen of Blue Slate Ranch is the manager for the Newport Farmers Market.

“We’re trying to get more activity, so we’ll have a children’s booth each month,” Masuen says. The arts group Create will have a monthly activity for youngsters. Rusty Stewart made a cutout photo frame, where people will be able to pose with their faces in the agricultural themed wooden cutout, something that has been popular with kids. Washington State University (WSU) Master Gardeners are expected to appear regularly.

Each month will have a special event. For instance, June will highlight low-income people and September will be for veterans.

This year the market has applied to accept SNAP payments, which used to be called food stamps. It is becoming involved with the Women, Infants and Children’s program (WIC) that provides vouchers for families with children and pregnant women to purchase nutritious foods. The market is involved with the Senior Nutrition Program, in which eligible seniors can buy eggs and meat.

The Newport Farmers Market is located in the parking lot of Pend Oreille Players, at 236 South Union St. The market moved there last year. They were formerly located at Gazebo Park near the Big Wheel and the visitors’ museum, but when the city proposed substantially raising the rent, farmers’ market members said they couldn’t afford the increase and moved to their new location. Last year was their first year at the Playhouse site.

Masuen says Pend Oreille Players have been great, letting the market use their building to store items so they don’t have to be brought to the site each Saturday.

Masuen says the configuration of the vendors will be different this year.

“You won’t be able to drive though the market,” she says. Organizers want to encourage people to walk through the whole market. This year the booths will be closer to the Play-

house building.

That’s just one of the changes, which started at the end of last year’s market with the addition of the photo cutout.

Masuen says there will be a few more vendors this year, including some male produce farmers.

“It’s nice to have men,” she says.

“We were getting to be a market of women.”

Doug Bickford is one of those men.

While he and his wife have an underground greenhouse and will have some farm items at different times during the year, what Bickford is really known for is being “The Hotdog Man,” singing and playing his guitar and slinging hotdogs.

“I’m really looking forward to it,” he says.

Last year the Newport Farmers Market averaged about a dozen vendors each Saturday, a mix of farmers and artisans.

The state farmers market organization has requirements about what can be sold at one of their member markets.

There are not supposed to be imported or commercial items, no franchises, no second hand items (unless they’re recycled into a new use), and no nonowner operated businesses.

“We want to make sure farmers markets are committed to local agriculture,” Donovan says.

Masuen offers a variety of farm goods from her Blue Slate Ranch, including eggs, beef, pigs and chickens.

She is upping her egg production from last year.

“I sell out the eggs every week,” she says. She sold 12 dozen eggs each week. Her chickens are pasture poultry, she says, which differs from “free range” chickens.

“Free range just means they get to go outside,” she says. Her chickens not only go outside, they eat bugs and are generally free to roam around as they want until nightfall, when they come in.

“Chickens are easy to work with,” Masuen says. “They even load themselves in at night.”

Masuen also has turkey eggs, which are bigger but have a mild taste.

“The biggest complaint is that the shells are tougher,” she says.

She increased her flock to 75 hens.

Voice photo|Sophia Aldous

Handmade fiber arts adorn a vendor’s stall.

Continued on page 18

Voice photo|Don Gronning

Michelle Wilks of Davenport buys some ears of corn at the Pend Oreille Farmers Market in Newport last summer. Wilks stopped by on her way to a family reunion at Priest Lake.

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Voice photo|Caneel Johnson

The Hotdog Man, Doug Bickford, will play at the Newport Farmers Market every Saturday.

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In addition to the eggs, she sells fryers and meat chickens, as well as turkeys.

Blue Slate Ranch is a 480-acre ranch where she raises cattle, pigs, chicken and turkeys. Not all the animals she sells get eaten.

“One lady bought a turkey for a pet,” she says. A pet turkey sells for $50.

Masuen has a bull and five cows. She raises natural, grass fed, hormone and antibiotic free beef and pork, along with the poultry.

Newport Farmers Market dues are $40 a year for vendors, with a $10 charge for each stall. For non-members, it costs $15 a stall.

“That’s cheap,” Mausen says. Some markets charge a percentage of the gross sales. There is a parking lot across the street from the Newport Farmers Market where people can park. There will be various signs showing the way and people can check out their Facebook page, where most information is distributed. Mausen says Newport’s new city manager, Russ Pelleberg, came to the market last year.

She says she hopes the city and farmers market can work together again. She learned at a farmers’ market conference she recently attended that most farmers markets have some sort of city involvement.

Farmers, especially small farmers, don’t make much money, says Wakeley.

“It’s definitely a labor of love,” she says.

Check out the Facebook at www. facebook.com/Newport-FarmersMarket.

Spring Voice

Miner photo|Caneel Johnson

Weezil Samter, cooper ring class instructor, shows off some of his other art.

Cure for cabin fever

By Caneel Johnson Spring is here and after the long cold snowy winter, everyone is itching to get out of the house, but with spring comes rain and that can make it difficult to fully cure the cabin fever that has built up. Fear not, there are plenty of classes available to help get out of the house and do something new.

Create Art Center has a variety of activities for all ages. For adults there is adult painting and drawing every Tuesday at 10 a.m. The fiber

Spring Voice

studio teaches the art of spinning various fibers every Wednesday at 9 a.m. Donations are $3.

“Bring your spinning wheel, fiber and wonderful personality and join the fun of working with fiber,” according to the Create website. “No wheel? Then bring your yarn, knitting needles or crochet hooks and enjoy the company of fellow fiber lovers.”

The hand stitchery group meets every third Wednesday from 1-4 p.m.

to discuss various kinds of handwork. They cover knitting, crochet, embroidery and any other form of handwork. The meeting is open to everyone and costs $25 a class.

The North County Weavers Group meets the second Wednesday of the month to ‘share the love of weaving.’

They have show and tell, do demonstrations, and have group projects.

People are advised to bring a sack lunch.

There is a basket making class for

beginners starting May 18 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. with Olivia Giannasi.

Registration is required. Classes are $20. Bring a lunch and needle nose pliers.

Learn to make copper bands and wire wrap rings with Weezil Samter Thursdays from 3-5p.m. Classes are $10 and registration is required. The minimum age is 8 and additional classes can be scheduled.

Continued on page 20

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Miner photo|Caneel Johnson

A group of adults forge copper rings at the copper band and twisted wire ring class taught by Weezil Samter at Create Thursday, April 18.

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Need to do something more active to chase away the winter blues?

Create has dance classes every Friday at 6 p.m. with Anne Wilder Chamberlain. A four-week course is $25, registration is required, but a partner is not. There is no age limit.

Create has a yoga class for all ages and levels every Monday at 5:30 p.m. for $10 per class.

Music classes for all ages and most instruments are available at Create as well. Mila Gilberte and Ben Kardos are available for private lessons.

“We’re never too old to learn,” Gilberte says.

Gilberte offers lessons in guitar, mandolin, bass, lap steel, ukulele, tenor banjo, keyboard, voice and more. Lessons are $30 an hour.

Kardos offers classes in violin, percussion and piano and more for ages 6- adult. Students must provide their own instrument. Kardos teaches fiddle lessons every Saturday for ages 6-adult from 1-3 p.m. Kardos also has a free class for ages 6-12 provide by the Kalispel Tribe every Thursday from 3-4 p.m.

“Snacks and refreshments are provided, thanks to the tribe,” according to the Create website.

The tribe is sponsoring other free classes for children at Create. Tots Messy art for ages 7 and under is the second and fourth Wednesday from 9-11 a.m. The class is messy so bring children in play clothes.

Beginning painting classes in basic color, watercolor, acrylic and more are available for ages 7-16 from 3-5

p.m. every other Friday.

For more information, to register for classes or to set up lessons call 509-447-9277 or email create@ createatrs.org Cuppa Tea offers quilting classes on a variety of machines for $25 and up. For more information call 509589-1350 or visit Wanderland Mall 306 S. Washington Ave., Newport.

Master Gardens offers classes at the Washington State University the Pend Oreille Extension located at 227 S. Garden Ave., Newport. They offer classes on berries and small fruit, drip irrigation, make and take fairy gardens, harvesting vegetables, floral arrangements, gardening with wildlife and others. Times, dates and costs vary. For more information call 509-447-2401 or email Dixie Chichester at d.chichester@wsu.edu.

The Pend Oreille County Library offers a variety of free programs to get out of the house. Every thing from Crafty Kids where children go to learn and make a craft to Hooked on Yarn where adults can get together to trade knitting, embroidery, or crocheting secrets. Come play pinochle or take the kids for cereal and cartoons Saturdays. There are branches in Metaline, Ione, Calispel Valley, and Newport. Programs and times vary depending on location.

For more information or for locations call 1-800-366-3654 or visit www.pocld.org.

The West Bonner Library offers a Continued on page 21

Spring Voice

variety of programs for adults and children as well. Kids Krafternoon is the fourth Thursday of the month at 3 p.m. for kids grade K-4.

Registration is required, supplies and snacks are provided.

For kids grades five and up, Artists at the Library is the second Thursday of the month at 3 p.m.

Registration is required, supplies and snacks are provided.

Adults can attend Live and Learn classes the third Thursday of the month at 5:30 p.m.

May’s class will teach adults how to prevent fraud and identity theft.

Activities and times may vary depending on location.

Some classes charge for materials. For locations and programs visit www.westbonner.lili.org or call 208-448-2207 for the Priest River branch or 208-437-0801 for the Blanchard branch.

The Blanchard Community Center offers a variety of art classes for kids and adults.

Adult classes in drawing and painting are offered monthly.

Blanchard Community Center offers kids and art camp six days this year starting in June.

The Blanchard Stitchers offers classes in quilting and sewing at the community center.

Times and costs vary depending on the classes. For more information call 208-437-1037 or visit www. blanchardidaho.net.

Miner photo|Caneel Johnson

Ben Kardos gives Willow Rennels, 6, a ukulele lesson free, courtesy of the Kalispel Tribe, at Create Thursday, April 18.

Crushed Rock Ready Mix Concrete Sand • Gravel

Courtesy photo|Kaite Crill

Lynn Walters helps Helena White decorate her pysanky egg at the Priest River Library, April 18.

Spring Voice

Airway Heights, Elk in Washington Post Falls, Idaho Main Office - 208-765-1144 21

With spring comes thrifting season

By Sophia Aldous

“Did you wear tights to match your shirt?” asks my coworker after complimenting me on my outfit, which consists of a white Joan Jett concert tee over a black dress, black jacket and fake snakeskin boots.

“Those are just my legs,” I reply. We have a good laugh over that one. My limbs haven’t seen the sun in the past several months, but with the arrival of spring comes the opportunity to change up one’s style and peal back the layers that make me feel like the Michelin Man, but keep me warmish when snow and ice are the norm.

However, now is the season to go a’thrifting. Warmer weather means yard sales, estate sales, racks of secondhand clothes inadvertently placed in my path on sidewalks. I’m not the only one with the passion for secondhand fashion. According to the World Economic Forum, the secondhand clothes market in the United States has

Courtesy photo|Sydney Salesky

Sydney Salesky, a 2016 Newport High School graduate, has found fashionable pieces looking for secondhand clothes in the Pend Oreille River Valley and Sandpoint.

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Continued on page 23

Spring Voice

Miner photo|Sophia Aldous

The Goodwill Outlet in Spokane charges by the pound, so you can practically get clothes on the dime, like this reversible vintage shirt. Jeans are from Goodwill Outlet.

grown 21 times faster than retail sales of new clothing over the past three years. Currently, it’s estimated to have a worth of $24 billion and is expected to reach $51 billion by the middle of the next decade.

Perhaps I am reaching, but to me it feels good to see the rest of the populace catch up with what people in rural communities have known for a long time: Use what you have and hunt for bargains. Why spend $60 on a t-shirt when you can find one of similar quality for $5 or less?

Admittedly, even in small town Northeast Washington where I grew up, there was a wee bit of stigma attached to getting your clothes secondhand when I entered junior high.

There were a couple sideways glances and pointed questions from peers like, “Can’t your parents buy you new clothes?”

For the most part though, we live in an area that is not too concerned with expressions of personal style, which is honestly sometimes frustrating, but mostly liberating. You’re not a slave to trends or brand names, so how you choose to dress yourself can be a fun experiment, if you’re willing to give it a go and look at style as something to play with, as opposed to the very definition of who you are.

Don’t get me wrong: I have an appreciation for well-made garments, particularly when they are crafted in the good ol’ U.S. of A. I’m a sucker for comfortable, quality footwear that doesn’t look like they only serve an

Spring Voice

orthopedic function. I just don’t think that it makes me more “stylish” if I pay $298 for a pair of designer jeans as opposed to perusing through thrift and charity shops for a similar look at even a fraction of the price.

I know I am not the only one who harbors those sentiments. Sydney Salesky, a 2016 graduate of Newport High School who is currently working on her degree in Business Management at Western Washington University, is an enthusiastic thrift shopper.

During high school she also worked at Shanty, a women’s clothing retail store in Newport. Though the store specializes in new items, Salesky credits owner Maggie Christie for passing on an affinity for secondhand clothes to her.

“She was kind of a mother figure to me,” Salesky says. “She has a really keen eye for secondhand things, so I learned a lot of what I know from her.”

Another influence that guided her towards thrifting was her grandparents, who grew up during the Great Depression.

“They were brought up to be very smart with money and that ethic has been instilled in me,” Salesky says.

“Thrift shopping makes you smart that way. Not only is it practical, but it’s really fun to save money and get great deals.”

Some of the area stores Salesky searched through to develop her own style besides Shanty were Into The

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The wins.

The losses.

The stats.

The people.

The politics.

The economy.

The births.

The deaths.

The arrests.

People depend on newspapers.

The schools.

The roads.

The truth.

Our towns.

Our lives.

Our news.

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Spring Voice

Garden Up To The Lake in Oldtown, Azalea Handpicked Style in Sandpoint, and The Clothing Closet in Priest River.

“I wish our society wouldn’t bend to follow trends,” she says about people cultivating their own aesthetic. “If you fall into trends, you lose your individuality, and where’s the fun in that?”

Perseverance pays off, after all.

Salesky says one of her best finds at a secondhand store was a true Prada belt for only $8.99.

“Authentic Prada for only $8.99?

That’s riveting!” she says.

Considering new Prada belts can run as high as $440 or higher, I would have to agree.

Besides clothes, thrift stores are an economic way to decorate your home without breaking the budget and looking like every IKEA or Pier 1 Imports cloned living space. Granted, if you like that aesthetic, that’s all well and good, but the process of hunting through shelves and tables at yard sales or secondhand shop feels more personal to me. There are those that feel daunted at the prospect of walking through store after store, yard sale after yard sale, sifting through what seems like chintz and junk in an effort to find that gem. Thrifting is not everyone’s cup of Folgers and it’s understandable.

However, it doesn’t have to be a chore. There are a few strategies you can employ to make the experience enjoyable, like a scavenger hunt where the experience is the reward. For those looking to dip their toes into the metaphorical water, or jump right in the pool, here are a few suggestions to make your thrifting forays pleasurable ones.

What do you like? Write it down.

Whether you want a new look for your wardrobe or living room, be honest with yourself about what you like. Yes, it never hurts to get a second opinion, but sometimes too many cooks spoil the broth, so to speak, and this is about what appeals to you.

Make a list of pieces you’re interested in, whether it’s boots or bookends, pants or wall hangings. Sometimes I’ll save photos of style inspirations on my phone as a reference to find clothes and items that look similar. Don’t have a Smartphone? That’s okay. I have a notebook filled with clippings from magazines of outfits, art, photos of architecture, even poems and song lyrics that sometimes accompanies me on thrift excursions. Having a more concentrated idea of what you want helps you from becoming overwhelmed Continued on page 26

FREE recycling of: COMPUTERS MONITORS LAPTOPS TELEVISIONS PEND OREILLE COUNTY SOLID WASTE E-CYCLE Courtesy photo|Sydney Salesky

Wearing items she purchased from Azalea and Into The Garden Up To The Lake in Oldtown

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Salesky wears an outfit she put together from secondhand pieces at Azalea Handpicked Style.

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Find out what your local thrift stores carry If a local charity shop does mostly clothes, it doesn’t make much sense to go searching for a love seat or lamps.

Depending on what you’re interested in, calling ahead to ask some general questions can save you some time.

Know when to dicker and when to not My rule of thumb is that if it’s a yard, garage, or estate sale, haggling is on the table. Those are material goods that people usually want to get rid of, so you can pick things up for at good prices. Yeah, you might run into that one person who thinks their commemorative Garfield plate is worth the price of a Labradoodle puppy, and refuses to budge on price, but usually people are more than willing to bargain.

As for charity or consignment shops? Don’t do it. It’s kind of tacky, and the folks behind the sales coun-

ter don’t control the pricing. I recall overhearing a customer at a Habitat for Humanity thrift store scold the poor clerk because she felt they were changing too much for a shirt. In that case, put the shirt back where you found it, and go shop someplace else.

Stores have to keep the lights on and pay employees.

Give your clothing a once-over If you’re looking for clothes, be sure to inspect it before you buy. Most thrift stores don’t give refunds, though they might give in-store credit. One of the great things about buying used is that you’re buying a bit of history, something with a story. Sometimes, that story comes with rips and scuffs.

Check for stains, loose threading, missing buttons, linings, etc. I have made the mistake of not doing this, only to get a vintage dress home, unfurl it and realize it needed more maintenance than I was willing to do.

Patience truly is a virtue Continued on page 27

Spring Voice

Think of thrift shopping as a leisurely stroll, not a sprint to the finish line. You probably won’t find a personal treasure at every place you go (if you do, please let me know your method), but that’s okay. If it was easy, it would be online shopping, and not nearly as fun.

Relax; it’s not a competition I take this piece of advice very seriously. Yes, I see the contradiction in that, but hear me out: I don’t care how old you are, what you normally wear to work, or what gender you are, if you wake up tomorrow and decide you want to do testing with style, go for it, and don’t be afraid to make mistakes (you probably will).

The wonderful thing about clothes is that we can change them; we can adopt new ways of expressing ourselves just by what we take out of the closet. There are so many different genres, historical eras and cultural influences to draw from, never has creativity had such an open canvas.

“I believe everyone’s personal style is what reflects them as an individual,” Salesky says. “It can reflect our strengths or our weaknesses, we can hide behind it, or we can be noticed by it and dress to feel good about ourselves.”

Miner photo|Sophia Aldous

Don’t be afraid to look outside your traditional shopping route when it comes to style. Swiss military denim jeans and jacket (right) are from Army Surplus in Sandpoint and the coat was only $4 at Priest River Community Church Thrift Store.

Miner photo|Sophia Aldous

It’s fun and easy to mix secondhand pieces with new ones. Boots are from Shanty and the dress is from Priest River Ministries Advocates for Women’s clothing closet. The leather jacket was only $20 from a now closed thrift store in Priest River.

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