New faces at Old places

A Pair With A Heart For History

Growing up, Hannah Combs envisioned a life in the creative realm, like Julia Morgan, the pioneering designer of Hearst Castle in the early 1900s. After completing her bachelors degree in theatrical design from Indiana’s Ball State University, Combs realized that what she did was only as important as where she did it.

Cosmopolitan life, said Combs, “wasn’t for me and my heart would always feel freest in a small town.”

Sandpoint has fit the bill since 2015, when Combs began volunteering with the local library, theater groups, and schools. Arts lovers know Combs from her work with the Pend Oreille Arts Council, first as a program administrator, then as its executive director from 2019–2020.

Since 2020, Combs has been at the Bonner County Historical Society Museum, initially serving as program administrator and more recently as its executive director.

The job is a perfect fit, she said.

“The constant sharing of knowledge and stories always leaves my brain and heart full at the end of the day,” Combs said.

“Every day, I witness how experiences at the museum add meaning to visitors’ lives. Accessibility to this opportunity is one of my perpetual goals; history is made from us—all of us—and is for all of us too,” said Combs of the museum, which was incorporated in 1972.

Another historic Sandpoint venue has new leadership who shares Combs’ passion for community. The Panida Theater welcomes Lauren Sanders as its new managing director, who will be integral to the organization’s ongoing preparations for an impressive 100-year anniversary in 2027.

Sanders is a seventh generation Idahoan with a public relations degree from University of Idaho and more than 30 years visiting the Sandpoint area with her husband’s family. Sanders relocated to Sandpoint in 2021 as marketing manager for Kaniksu Community Health and joined Panida in February 2023.

Like Combs, Sanders is over the moon about her new job.

“I’m excited about building upon what the Panida stands for, a place for our community to come together in shared experiences,” she said.

“I’m looking forward to curating programs that are unique and captivating so our community members and other people in our region are drawn to visit the Panida,” she added.

Her immediate goals include learning from people and organizations like Friends of the Panida, growing the volunteer base, resurrecting the Little Theater, and continuing to lay the foundation for “community support and involvement so we can all be involved in stepping forward together.”

– Carrie Scozzaro