Rotary Club ‘Run for the Roses’ gala to benefit the Sandpoint community

By Reader Staff

It’s almost time for the annual Kentucky Derby, with this year’s “most exciting two minutes in sports” set to take place Saturday, May 6 at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky. Local celebrants won’t have to travel nearly so far — nor only be entertained for two minutes — at the Sandpoint Rotary Club’s “Run for the Roses” gala on derby night.

Hosted at the Sandpoint Events Center (102 Euclid Ave.), the event will kick off at 5:30 p.m. with a signature cocktail provided by the 219 Lounge and photo opportunities to show off attendees’ best Kentucky Derby attire.

A family-style meal, provided by Chef Gabe Cruz, will follow at 6:30 p.m., featuring Southern-inspired classics like “Kentucky-fried” chicken, dirty rice, Kentucky hot browns, spoon bread, pork belly and more. Meanwhile, participants can pick up a ticket for a high-end Kentucky Bourbon tasting flight, or take their chances on a bottle of wine from the wine wall. down to the species level is called Seek, part of the iNaturalist family. Any nature photo taken during the 4-day period of the CNC and posted to iNaturalist is automatically entered into the CNC project.

The gala includes live auction items such as Seahawks, Zags, Mariners and Chiefs tickets. Attendees can also bid on a round of golf — with top-secret tips from the pro — at the Idaho Club; an apple cider press party with gourmet food and wine for 16; a small-batch Tequila Casa Dragones tasting and Dutch oven cooking experience; a Southern-style seafood boil, brought right to the winner’s house; or a luxury vacation in Mexico.

In addition to Rotary community projects, a portion of the evening’s proceeds will benefit local nonprofit organization Food for our Children, which for nearly 10 years has fought to lessen the impact of youth hunger in our community. Run and staffed entirely by volunteers, Food for our Children also provides children with backpacks full of food for the weekend.

Tickets range from $125 for a single entry to $2,000 for a premier table of eight. Get tickets, find more information or make a donation at sandpointrotary.ejoinme.org/derby.

To participate, download the iNaturalist (must be 13 years old or older to register) and Seek (no age limit) apps and get out in nature and take pictures to post.

For some added fun while hitting the trails in search of species to document, keep an eye out for Sassy, the CNCBC’s sevenfoot-tall female sasquatch mascot. Rumor has it that Sassy will be in these areas over the weekend:

Friday, April 28: Sassy will be at the Pend Oreille Wildlife Management Area off Trout Creek Road (east side of Pack River, north of Highway 200)

Saturday, April 29: Sassy will be at

Pine Street Woods (on West Pine Street, 2.5 miles west of Division Avenue in Sandpoint)

Sunday, April 30: Sassy will be at Round Lake State Park (on Dufort Road, 1.9 miles west of Highway 95)

Monday, May 1: Sassy will be at the Albeni Falls Dam Visitor Center (on Highway 2, 3.7 miles west of the stop light in Priest River)

Aside from the CNCBC taking place April 28-May 1, there are also the Northern Rocky Mountain Biodiversity Challenges June 8-11 and Sept. 14-17, during which local naturalists hope to gain extra data on summer and fall species.

Learn more by finding Pend Oreille Chapter Idaho Master Naturalists on Facebook.

Race toAlaska film screening at the Panida

By Reader Staff

Sailing crew members with Dogsmile Adventures are preparing to race from Port Townsend, Wash. to Ketchikan, Alaska in June, with nothing but wind and human power to propel them. Ahead of their epic journey, the therapeutic sailing nonprofit — based on Lake Pend Oreille — will be the guest of honor at a special screening Saturday, April 29 of the documentary film The Race to Alaska at the Panida Theater.

The event is free, though with a suggested donation of $10, and features beer and wine for sale, as well as a raffle and prizes from local merchants, restaurants and event sponsors. Doors open at 6 p.m. and the program starts at 7 p.m.

Dogsmile Adventures founder Capt. Jon Totten will also be available to answer questions alongside Gabe Mills, the skipper of the boat the team will race, a Corsair F-27 named Mahana.

Hosted by the Sandpoint Sailing Association, the screening and event showcases the race, which covers 750 miles of cold water with “no motor, no support” and requiring “physical endurance, saltwater know-how and bulldog tenacity,” according to organizers.

Described as “the Iditarod on a boat with the chance of drowning or being eaten by a grizzly bear,” the Race to Alaska is billed as “the first of its kind and North America’s longest human- and wind-powered race,” also boasting the largest cash prize for any race of its type: $10,000 for the boat that finishes first. Of the 41 teams accepted in 2022, 19 finished.

“We are stoked for the opportunity to join this epic challenge, and are super excited for the support from our community,” Totten stated.

If all goes according to plan, Team Dogsmile Adventures will depart Port Townsend with the race on June 5.

“Come see the film, and definitely follow the race as it happens,” Totten added. Team updates will be available on Instagram @dogsmileadventures and their progress can be tracked at r2ak.com.

Meanwhile, event sponsor Sandpoint Sailing Association hopes The Race to Alaska will inspire locals to learn how easy it is to go sailing in Sandpoint.

“If you have an interest in sailing but aren’t sure where to start, this is a great opportunity,” stated SSA Commodore Chris Ankney.

The Sandpoint Sailing Association focuses on providing a welcoming environment for individuals and families with sailing education, racing, community inclusion and stewardship of Lake Pend Oreille.

“Come join us and find out how to get involved with a fun, local nonprofit group,” Ankney added.

Get more information at panida.org, sandpointsailing.org and dogsmileadventures.org, or on Facebook at Sandpoint Sailing Association and Dogsmile Adventures.

April 27 - May 4, 2023

Community

Spring derby promises $20K in prizes, priceless fun on the lake

Aaron Golay & the Original Sin

7:30pm @ Heartwood Center

An album release party for Aaron Golay & the Original Sin, featuring Sam Parker. $12/adult, $8/kids

Live Music w/ Truck Mills and Cary Rey

5-8pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery Strings, harmonica, blues duo

Live Music w/ Ken Mayginnes

5-8pm @ Drift

THURSDAY, April 27

Trivia Night

5-8pm @ Paddler’s Alehouse

Cribbage Night

7pm @ Connie’s Lounge

Game Night

6:30pm @ Tervan Tavern

FriDAY, April 28

Scott Pemberton in concert

8pm @ Heartwood Center

Scott Pemberton O Theory power trio brings the fun, blending deep jazz, blues, rock/grunge, funk and psychedelia. $18/advance, $10/kids

SATURDAY, April 29

Live Music w/ Ian Newbill

5-8pm @ Barrel 33

Sandpoint Farmers’ Market

9am-1pm @ Farmin Park

Opening Day! Fresh produce and artisan goods, every week! Live music by Oak St. Connection

Live Music w/ John Firshi

5-8pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery

Live Music w/ Jacob Robin

7pm @ Connie’s Lounge

Old Time Fiddler’s Assoc. jam

3-5pm @ Sandpoint Senior Center

Free and open to the public

Race to Alaska sailing club film

7pm @ Panida Theater

Sandpoint Sailing Association hosts The Race to Alaska, a film about the power of humans (and the wind). Fundraiser for the sailing club. $10 suggested ticket price

Drink in History

3:30-6pm @ The Hive

A history presentation of fascinating stories of early Bonner Co. railroads with special guest speaker Will Valentine. 21+ only

Live Music w/ Ken Mayginnes

5-8pm @ The Hereford

Sandpoint Street Scramble • 10am @ Litehouse YMCA

A fun bike event where you plan a route and visit as many mapped checkpoints as you can in 3 hours. Maps distributed at 9:45am. Finish at 1pm. $10 fee. Pre-register: jwharbuck@hughes.net. Info: ewoc.org

SunDAY, April 30

Museum extended hours

10am-7pm @ BoCo History Museum

The Museum will be open for extended hours on Thursdays so everyone has a chance to visit

Live Music w/ Ian Newbill

6:30-9:30pm @ MickDuff’s Beer Hall

Suzuki Strings Celebration

6pm @ Panida Theater

Enjoy a performance by young musicians on the violin, viola, cello and piano

Bingo and taco dinner

4:30pm @ The Center (Clarkfork)

Support the 2023 Clark Fork Senior HS Grad Night with bingo, raffles, silent auction and live dessert auction. $7/person or $25/family of 4

Queen B. Drag Show

9:30pm @ Eagles Club

It’s back with the spring edition! This 21+ event is an annual favorite in Sandpoint. 1511 John Hudon Ln.

Neighborhood Watch Priest River

2-6pm @ Edgemere Grange

A meeting about fire safety and finalizing first aid and emergency classes to start in May at the Grange. 3273 Bandy Rd. Priest River

By Reader Staff

North Idaho springs are notoriously unpredictable. On the other hand, the Lake Pend Oreille Idaho Club’s annual spring derby is just the opposite, marking its 75th year in 2023 as anglers compete from Saturday, April 29 to Sunday, May 7 to catch some of the lake’s biggest and baddest rainbow and mackinaw trout.

The top five rainbows caught will earn cash prizes, with the top trophy being $4,000. There is also the potential for a catchand-release bonus of $500 — an incentive the club has adopted in recent years to encourage the release of the iconic trout back into local waters.

There will also be cash to be earned for the top 10 mackinaw trout, including a $150 prize for the largest mack caught each day of the derby.

Junior (ages 13-17) and youth anglers will also have the chance to win money in their own rain- bow and mackinaw categories. In all, LPOIC will give out $20,000 in cash and prizes over the course of the spring derby.

Weigh stations will be located at Holiday Shores Resort in Hope, the Garfield Bay public boat ramp and at MacDonald’s Hudson Bay Resort in Bayview.

Pre-registration is required, with adults paying $50 and junior anglers paying $10 to participate. Youth fish for free.

To get tickets, visit one of the following outlets: Holiday Shores Resort, Black Sheep Sporting Goods, Captn’s Table, Odie’s Bayside Grocery, MacDonald’s Hudson Bay Resort, Priest River Ace Hardware, Ralph’s Coffee House, North 40 in Ponderay, Fins and Feathers Tackle Shop, Bayview General Mercantile, North Ridge Outfitters in Oldtown, Sandpoint Marine and Motorsports, Mark’s Marine or Superfly Tackle. More derby information and updates are available at lpoic.org or facebook.com/lpoic.

Sandpoint Chess Club

9am @ Evans Brothers Coffee

Meets every Sunday at 9am

Magic with Star Alexander

5-8pm @ Jalepeño’s Up close magic shows at the table monDAY, may 1

Monday Night Blues Jam w/ John Firshi

7pm @ Eichardt’s Pub

Lifetree Cafe • 2pm @ Jalapeño’s “Practicing Resurrection”

Sandpoint Farmers’ Market

3-5pm @ Farmin Park

Group Run @ Outdoor Experience

6pm @ Outdoor Experience 3-5 miles, all levels welcome, beer after wednesDAY, may 3

Pool League

6pm @ Connie’s

Bike to School Day with Lake Pend Oreille School District

LPOSD invites local families to bike to school today!

Line Dancing Lessons • 6:30pm @ The Hive (held the first and third Wednesdays of every month)

The Hive is starting line dancing lessons every Wednesday (and partner dances and some swing). Lessons will run through the night, leaving time for dancing, eating and some drinks. 21+. $10/person.

ThursDAY, may 4

Protect Your Net, presented by Ting: @ Pend Oreille Event Center

Discover how to optimize your internet’s performance and security for your business. Register now at tinginternet.com/protect-net.

Trivia Night

5-8pm @ Paddler’s Alehouse

Cribbage Night

7pm @ Connie’s