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PEOPLE compiled by

Susan Drinkard

watching

“Tell us about your first car.”

“A 1971 yellow VW Bug. We had it for years in San Francisco and here. I was a hippie back then and it was the car to have. When we had our second child it became too small.”

Bernadette Stinson Retired from AT&T Sandpoint

“It was a blue 1968 custom Pontiac Tempest. It had a big engine and it went fast. The police had a hard time catching me. I learned you don’t pass the state patrol on the Long Bridge!”

Jeff Buck Construction Sandpoint “I had a 1975 Renault LeCar. It was a really small car. I took it to work at Grand Targhee Ski Area and I learned to drive it in the snow. Then I went to college in Montana and my family said I needed a four-wheel drive vehicle.”

Kim Batchelder Massage therapist Sandpoint “It was a blue 1962 Ford Mercury Monterey. It was a goodsized car. In its day it was a pretty classy car.”

Jim Hickey Hickey Farms Sandpoint

“It was a 1996 Dodge Stealth. I bought it with cash when I was 17 and it was way too fast for a first car, but I never got a speeding ticket.”

Chris Olson Hardware sales Sandpoint

DEAR READERS,

Our News Editor Lyndsie Kiebert wrote a humorous story about cleaning out her first car in this edition, so I thought I’d share a tale about my own first vehicle.

After receiving my driver’s license at 15 years old, I bought a 1990 Acura Integra with the money I earned washing dishes at the Garden Restaurant (anyone remember that place?) and as a cart boy at Hidden Lakes Golf Resort. I loved this car more than life itself, eventually taking it to college with me. During my freshman year, the brakes started grinding, then one day eventually went out completely. Being broke, I drove it the entire semester without brakes, stopping with a combination of downshifting and parking brake. Needless to say, this led to some hairy trips around my college town.

Nobody wanted to ride with me.

After driving it all the way home – mind you, without brakes – I finally made an appointment to get a brake job. On the way to the appointment, the Second Avenue Pizza delivery vehicle ran into me, totalling my beloved car. I remember feeling vindicated that I hadn’t spent the $750 on new brakes and rotors. What a stupid kid.

– Ben Olson, publisher

READER 111 Cedar Street, Suite 9 Sandpoint, ID 83864 (208)265-9724

www.sandpointreader.com Publisher: Ben Olson ben@sandpointreader.com Editorial: Zach Hagadone (Editor) zach@sandpointreader.com Lyndsie Kiebert (News Editor) lyndsie@sandpointreader.com Cameron Rasmusson (emeritus) John Reuter (emeritus) Advertising: Jodi Berge Jodi@sandpointreader.com Contributing Artists: Jeffrey Kreulen (Cover), Ben Olson, Susan Drinkard, Bill Borders, Lyndsie Kiebert, BoCo Museum, KNPS, Racheal Baker, Ed Van Vooren Forrest Schuck, Welch-Comer.

Contributing Writers: Zach Hagadone, Ben Olson, Lyndsie Kiebert, Lorraine H. Marie, Ranel Hansen, KNPS, Brenda Hammond, Brenden Bobby, Chris Corpus, Hannah Combs, Marcia Pilgeram.

Submit stories to: stories@sandpointreader.com Printed weekly at: Tribune Publishing Co. Lewiston, ID 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 300 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 Check us out on the web at: www.sandpointreader.com Like us on Facebook.

About the Cover

This week’s cover photo was taken by Jeffrey Kreulen.

August 13, 2020 /

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NEWS

Lawyers, guns and money

As one lawsuit surrounding The Festival gun policy sees its first anniversary, another is just beginning

By Lyndsie Kiebert and Zach Hagadone Reader Staff As Bonner County’s lawsuit against the city of Sandpoint regarding The Festival at Sandpoint’s weapons policy approaches its first birthday, a second suit — filed by local gun rights activists and out-of-state gun rights lobby groups — has its first day in court scheduled later this month.

Both cases are slated to go before Kootenai County District Court Judge Lansing L. Haynes on Tuesday, Aug. 25 at 1:30 p.m., as they are part of the same docket of cases the judge is set to hear that day via Zoom video conference.

According to court administrators, the judge will hear cases in an order which gets simpler matters out of the way first, and more complex cases are heard thereafter. While Haynes will hear motions for summary judgement in the Bonner County v. Sandpoint case on Aug. 25, the second Festival-related lawsuit will see a status conference.

According to the most recent records requests obtained by the Sandpoint Reader from the county and city, expenditures have continued to rise for both municipalities in the ongoing lawsuit.

Bonner County reported Aug. 6 that $117,631 in legal fees have been paid to New Orleans-based Davillier Law Group for work on the case. Meanwhile, the city of Sandpoint logged invoices from Coeur d’Alene-based Lake City Law totalling $24,950.55, combined, payable July 31 and Sept. 2.

According to city officials, Sandpoint has spent a total of $87,114 on the case, which has been in the judicial system for a year without a ruling, though, as Sandpoint City Administrator Jennifer Stapleton told the Reader in an email, “we are looking forward to a resolution [at the Aug. 25 hearing].”

The total expenditures for county and city in the case have now crested $200,000 since last summer.

In a declaration filed July 24, Bonner County Sheriff Daryl Wheeler detailed expenses incurred 4 /

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in an effort to curb “planned protests” by armed citizens outside The Festival gates should the court not issue a ruling before the next event, and the “risks inherent in that situation.” Between batons, shields, helmets and overtime pay, Wheeler contended that “these non-budgeted costs exceed $15,535 and my costs are ongoing and will continue in the future.”

“I consider the need to be prepared for a protest and the likelihood of disruptive elements or flash points occurring to be absolutely necessary for both officer safety and public safety,” Wheeler stated.

The city pushed back against Wheeler’s intimations of “disruptive elements” necessitating crowd control training for his officers.

In a response to questions, City Hall was adamant that, “We have no reason to believe that a violent confrontation will take place [at the 2021 Festival].”

“This is pure speculation on behalf of Sheriff Wheeler and we believe it is insulting to the parties on both sides of this dispute,” city officials stated to the Reader. “Scott Herndon and another individual [Jeff Avery] attempted to enter the Festival last year and notified Festival security at the front gate that they were carrying.

They did not raise their voices, make threats or otherwise incite a riot. To suggest that there will be an armed confrontation at a Festival event is irresponsible.”

Yet, Wheeler said the BCSO has retained Richard Dave Welts, “the foremost expert in crowd control in this area to handle the training and prepare for the planned protests at the Festival.”

Wheeler told the Reader that Welts, a retired Los Angeles police officer, will be providing training starting Aug. 13 as an unpaid volunteer. The Reader filed a records request Aug. 11 for any contract or agreement between BCSO and Welts, and was told there is none.

In a separate declaration filed in July, Welts said that the curriculum for training will include “crowd control positioning, Tactical Operations Center (TOC), tangle team instruction

used for sit-down protestors, baton training, crossbow maneuver, and how to be an instructor on these techniques.”

Once SWAT team members are trained, Welts said two officers — who are already Peace Officers Standards and Training (POST) trainers — will submit the course to the POST academy for approval. If approved, those SWAT members will then train the rest of the department’s deputies over a five month period.

Welts said he anticipates it will take six to eight months to complete training, not including time needed for recommended interagency training with the Sandpoint Police Department.

It’s unclear whether the city of Sandpoint and its police force will participate in the training regimen proposed by Wheeler and Welts. Regarding the 2021 Festival and its security, city officials stated that, “The Festival has been responsible for providing security at its events and will be required to do so in the future if it continues to hold events on City property. They are responsible for crowd management. The City of Sandpoint does not use or direct the Festival’s private security.

The private security firm is under contract with the Festival at Sandpoint, not the City of Sandpoint.

The Sandpoint Police Department does not arrest people for carrying weapons and has not asked a third party to do so. We have stated our position repeatedly — we do not regulate guns.”

Stapleton, in an email that included Sandpoint Police Chief Corey Coon, told the Reader that SPD provides “ongoing, annual training” for its officers, “including de-escalation training.”

“This training reinforces our policy to de-escalate situations, where possible, by communicating with the subject(s), maintaining distance and otherwise eliminating the need to use force,” she stated, going on to list examples of the policy, including a number of protocols intended to lessen tensions in situations that — as Wheeler’s filing suggests — could lead to violence.

Regardless, the city maintains

that Wheeler’s fears are unfounded and security plans for the 2021 Festival are well in hand.

“At no time, has any Sandpoint city official said that we will not have law enforcement present at the Festival. It is irresponsible to suggest that we have,” the city told the Reader in direct reference to one of the points in Wheeler’s filing, which alleged that, “The City of Sandpoint plans to use Festival security to arrest any protestors attempting to assert their Constitutional rights and enter the Festival. I find the City’s plan to be unconstitutional and to increase the safety risks and concerns.”

The city stated: “The Sandpoint Police Department is responsible for keeping the peace within the boundaries of the City of Sandpoint. That responsibility is not taken lightly. It applies to large events, including the Festival at Sandpoint.”

Referenced in Wheeler’s declaration are Second Amendment Alliance members who have also filed a claim against the city — a case taking its first steps during the Aug. 25 series of hearings.

Sagle man Scott Herndon, referred to by the city in its communication with the Reader and a plaintiff in the suit, who attempted to enter The Festival with a firearm in 2019, said the Aug. 25 hearing will most likely be used to determine court dates moving forward.

Herndon, along with area

An unnamed armed individual who showed up to the 2019 Festival at Sandpoint and attempted to gain entry. Photo

by Racheal Baker. resident Jeff Avery, Boise-based gun rights lobby group Idaho Second Amendment Alliance and Bellevue, Wash.-based Second Amendment Foundation, argue that The Festival’s policy violates state firearms preemption law and corporations code, and abridges the Second, Fourth and 14th amendments.

Herndon, who has been a critic of the county’s pivot from a legal argument to one of public safety, said he has not read Wheeler’s most recent declaration, but has read local media coverage regarding the purchase of crowd control equipment and training to face what the county believes to be an imminent threat should the court fail to rule before the next Festival.

As of presstime, the city of Sandpoint had no comment on the Herndon suit.

“When The Festival resumes at some point in the future, I do not personally plan to protest,” Herndon said. “Rather, our team will pursue our suit in the district court and will follow through until we have a final decision on our case from the judiciary. In the meantime, we certainly wish the county well and hope they achieve a successful outcome in their suit.”

NEWS

County weighs mining code change

Area residents concerned rule will open the door to industrializing rural neighborhoods

By Lyndsie Kiebert Reader Staff On the Bonner County Planning and Zoning Commission agenda for Aug. 27 is a code change that, if enacted, would streamline and simplify the permitting process for certain types of mining operations, opening the way for a proliferation of industrial operations in rural zones throughout the county.

The ordinance change would put in place a regulatory instrument called a “certificate of zoning compliance,” which the planning director could issue administratively. According to the draft changes, the director could issue certificates for “batch plants; temporary mining stone quarries, gravel pits and stone mills; and open pits” in forest, agricultural and rural zones — though batch plants will need to exist “outside of city impact areas.” Currently, such operations are only allowed in industrial zones.

Opponents see the ability for the planning director to approve such operations administratively as opening the door to batch plants across the county with little to no public input. Sagle resident Susan Drumheller said the proposed code change is an example of rural areas being treated as industrial areas across the county — something she believes most residents do not want.

“This is completely disregarding what the county officials have been hearing from people at many, many meetings over the last three years as the county develops the subarea plans,” Drumheller said.

“I participated in several of those subarea plan meetings for the Sagle area, and it came through loud and clear that Bonner County citizens want to preserve the rural character of their rural neighborhoods. They did not say they wanted industrial uses allowed next door. It appears the county’s outreach has solicited input that they are just choosing to ignore.”

Leading the way in opposition to the code change are the same

people who are in the midst of a court battle against the county regarding a proposed asphalt batch plant: a group of Sagle residents organized as Citizens Against Linscott/Interstate Asphalt Plant. The group has been fighting against an Interstate Concrete and Asphalt plant proposed to be moved from Sandpoint to Frank and Carol Linscott’s gravel pit in Sagle since the project permit was submitted late 2018.

Though the lawsuit regarding the legality of the Linscotts’ conditional use permit is still playing out in appeals court, the county did concede to a separate complaint by the plaintiffs: the Bonner County revised code that allows batch plants outside of industrial zones wasn’t properly noticed back in 2018, and therefore is void.

Both parties came to an agreement on the latter complaint in mid-July, and the District Court executed the agreed upon judgment.

Ollerton told the Reader that “the code change will address what was voided, but will also update a code that addresses an essential industry in the future of Bonner County,” referring to mining.

“This mining ordinance could lead to many asphalt plants in Bonner County, [and] in turn, many lawsuits, which would ultimately fall back on the taxpayers,” Jonna Plante, a member of Citizens group, told the Reader. “We must do something now, before our county becomes known for one thing: batch plants.”

New permanent gravel pits will still be required to go through the conditional use permit process, Planning Director Milton Ollerton said, but “temporary gravel pits are allowed with a zoning certificate in order to allow for projects that are limited in scope such as building roads in a subdivision or repacking miles of roads.” Permanent pits are defined as having been in operation for more than five years, while temporary pits have been in operation for fewer than five years.

Ollerton said certificates of zoning compliance come with a list of specific standards, while

conditional use permits allow the planning commission to “negotiate” standards.

“For example, with the zoning certificate, the setbacks for a batch plant would be 200 feet from the property line. With a CUP, the Planning Commission may determine that the gravel pit is surrounded with large-acre open fields and choose to allow the setbacks to be 50 feet,” he said.

“With the certificate of zoning, [the] only negotiation on the standards would be through a public hearing.”

Ollerton said the county “continually gets asked to move out of the way of private property owners and the way they choose to use their property.”

“In continuing that effort, re-

search around the state brings ideas on how to lessen government oversight and allow property owners the freedom they are looking for,” he continued. “The zoning certificate is one of those ideas.”

Zoning certificates, if made part of the county revised code, would be appealed to the Bonner County Board of Commissioners.

The planning commission will workshop the code change on Thursday, Aug. 20 at 5:30 p.m., though the commission has five files to work through before the workshopping will begin, likely around 7 p.m. The Aug. 27 public hearing is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.

Both meetings will take place at the Bonner County Administration Building, located at 1500 US-2 in Sandpoint.

Instructions for how to join and comment during meetings via Zoom or phone are available at bonnercountyid.gov/PZHearings. For watching and listening purposes only, both hearings and workshops are live streamed through YouTube on the Bonner County Planning channel. The board chairman may allow comments from those joining remotely during the workshop, but does not have to.

Comments can be submitted ahead of the hearing by emailing planning@bonnercountyid.gov.

Frank Linscott declined to comment for this story, referring the Reader to Interstate Concrete & Asphalt. Interstate did not respond before press time.

TURF INSTALLED AT WAR MEMORIAL FIELD

Kids ran and played ball, some turning cartwheels and kicking up bits of cork in the process, on the new War Memorial Field turf Aug. 7, as city dignitaries milled about in preparation of the official ribbon cutting to signify the opening of the refurbished artificial grass surface — a day that, as Sandpoint Mayor Shelby Rognstad noted, Sandpointians would typically be gathered “under the stars, enjoying a beautiful night” of music at The Festival at Sandpoint, which has been canceled owing to COVID-19 public

health concerns.

Rognstad nodded to the yearslong debate over what shape the field would take — as controversial a decision as any in the history of the Sandpoint City Council — recollecting his tie-breaking votes last autumn to approve the artificial turf design as “the most difficult decisions we’ve ever had to make — politically, for sure.”

Sandpoint Parks and Recreation Director Kim Woodruff took in applause for his role in shepherding the project, referring to it as his longtime

dream and legacy.

“I can’t believe that we’re here today, finally, after all these years,” he said. “This project has been a long time coming.”

Phase II of the field work will continue into the fall.

“It’s super, super exciting for me to see how we’re positioning ourselves for the future,” Woodruff said.

— Words by Zach Hagadone, photo by Ben Olson August 13, 2020 /

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NEWS

County seeks input on Rapid Lightning Creek bridge rebuild

By Lyndsie Kiebert Reader Staff Bonner County Road and Bridge is seeking input from motorists who travel Rapid Lightning Creek Road, as the department plans to replace the upper bridge in coming years.

According to Road and Bridge Director Steve Klatt, the county has two options: build a separate bridge alongside the old one to the north or south, or replace one lane of the existing bridge at a time.

Travelers would experience little to no delays during construction of a new bridge; however, the county will need to secure new right-of-ways and possibly face “streambed alteration issues and permit issues,” if they were to pursue that option, Klatt said.

Klatt said rebuilding one half of the existing bridge at a time is the more cost-effective option, and will keep the project limited to a single construction season. However, travelers will experience delays, as a signal light will be

The Rapid Lighting Bridge. Photo courtesy Welch-Comer Engineers. necessary to maintain traffic safety on the single open lane.

Klatt said his department is leaning toward the second option, keeping the bridge in its current location. He said the project is likely four to five years away, but he hopes to make a design decision by the end of August.

To provide comment on the project, contact Bonner County Road and Bridge at 208-255-5681 ext. 1, or via email to roads@bonnercountyid.gov, matt. mulder@bonnercountyid.gov or steve. klatt@bonnercountyid.gov.

N. Idahoans respond to Avista long-term energy plan

By Reader Staff Dozens of North Idaho Avista customers, some waiting more than three hours, testified at the Idaho Public Utilities Commission telephone public hearing Aug. 5 .

All who spoke shared with the PUC their hope that the state commission and electric utility address climate change in a meaningful and responsible way, including a quicker transition to 100% clean energy.

Many also requested that the PUC require Avista to account for the social cost of using electricity from coal-fired power plants when making decisions about the energy mix in Idaho. It’s currently Avista’s practice to do so for its Washington customers, when making energy resource decisions, but not for those who live in Idaho.

Matt Nykiel, ICL’s North Idaho conservation associate, said, “ICL deeply 6 /

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thanks all the Idahoans who spoke last night and those who tried but may have dropped off because the meeting lasted so long. We also want to thank the PUC for holding this public hearing to listen to the concerns of Idahoans who unanimously support clean energy.”

Although the PUC has held public hearings during a utility’s Integrated Resource Plan discussions in the past, the practice, in general, is to accept written comments only. The deadline to provide written comments to the PUC on Avista is August 19. To learn more and submit a personal comment visit: p2a.co/Xj9wg4U Over the next few months, all three of Idaho’s electric utilities (Avista, Idaho Power, PacifiCorp) will come before the PUC to unveil their new long term plans.

These Integrated Resource Plans, as they’re called, examine the costs, reliability, and risks of the utility company’s energy sources and new resources over a 20-year period.

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: Median farm income was negative $1,569 annually between 1996 and 2017, according to the American Farm Bureau Federation. To keep their farms, many farmers have outside jobs. In 2016 farmers received 13 cents for each dollar’s worth of food sold. From the 1960s to the 1980s they received 33 cents. The squeeze on farmers can largely be attributed to the weakening of anti-monopoly laws and how corporations have taken advantage of them, according to The Nation.

World Beyond War shares figures from the U.N.: 3% of the U.S. military budget could end world hunger, 1% could provide clean drinking water for the world, and 7% could wipe out U.S. poverty.

In Eugene, Ore., non-police first responders go to disturbance areas where crimes are not being committed, freeing police for other duties. Trained responders can include medics and mental health workers; they show up to listen, empathize and discuss ways to access resources with people facing mental health crises, substance abuse problems or homelessness.

Fewer than 1% of calls to Crisis Assistance Helping Out On the Streets (CAHOOTS) need police assistance, according to a report in High Country News. No guns or uniforms are used. The organization is funded at what amounts to 2% of the police department’s budget. CAHOOTS addressed 24,000 calls last year.

Heat kills farm workers at rates 20 times higher than the average of all other occupations, according to the Union of Concerned Scientists. As well, heat stress increases health risks from exposure to pesticides and the stress increases when protective clothing is worn to avoid pesticides.

Politico reports the Republican National Committee filed suit against Priorities USA, an organization working to prevent voter suppression by helping voters submit absentee ballots or transporting them to polling places. The RNC said its organization aims to stop fraud and thinks transport should only occur when voters are unable to walk to vote. Voter access has become a priority issue for Democrats since COVID-19 raises the issue of avoiding polling places to avoid infection.

Meat inspectors have been sending whistleblower calls to the Government

By Lorraine H. Marie Reader Columnist

Accountability Project. GAP says the calls revolve around both the public’s safety and safety of meat plant workers, who labor in crowded conditions and have high rates of COVID-19 infection. As well, the USDA is pushing faster line speeds for poultry and pork plants, a plan in place prior to the pandemic.

A 2013 study from Penn State College of Medicine found that postpartum depression rates for new mothers is around 6%, while postpartum anxiety rates are around 17%. Author Sarah Menkedick explores the topic in her book Ordinary Insanity: Fear and the Silent Crisis of Motherhood in America.

Brazil is filing homicide charges against Vale company executives and auditors over the world’s deadliest mining disaster last year, Earthworks Journal reports. A tailings dam at Vale’s iron mine gave way and killed 300 people, destroyed a community and flooded the Paraopeba River with toxins. The disaster resulted in a group of investors with $10 trillion in assets, led by Church of England’s pension fund, to ask 680 mining companies to disclose their dam failure risks.

According to an investigation by In These Times, police kill Native Americans more than any other racial group, and Native Americans are 3.2 times more likely to be killed by police than are whites. As well, those with untreated mental illness are 16 times more likely to be killed by police, as compared to others.

There are those who take advantage of protests and loot, and there are those who are sanctioned to loot, says Robert Reich, former secretary of the U.S. Department of Labor. Reich says the latter entities engage in wage theft, corporate tax havens, predatory loans, bail bonds and crooked Wall Street strategies.

Blast from the past: The World Health Organization sounded a global alert 17 years ago about SARS (Acute Respiratory Syndrome), a coronavirus strain never before seen in humans. It was an unusual pneumonia and symptoms resembled the flu. By July it was declared “contained” after killing 800 and infecting 8,000. The infection rate from that virus was 4% to 10%, as compared to 3% from the Spanish Flu. The quick demise of SARS is attributed to both international cooperation and fast moves to track and isolate those infected. George W. Bush was president in 2003.

PERSPECTIVES

FESTIVAL MEMORIES

From the Reader staff

Full circle at The Festival Though I’ve lived in Bonner County all my life, I’d attended The Festival maybe once before I was asked to walk onto its stage in 2014. I’d won a scholarship from The Festival and Angels Over Sandpoint meant to encourage area youth to explore the arts. The scholarship rotates its focus each year and, when I was a senior, it happened to be focused on my passion: writing.

Festival organizers invited my parents and me to the Family Concert and asked me to be introduced onstage. I was terrified.

I’d never stood before such an expanse of people. I don’t remember if I said anything, or what was said about me, but I remember thinking that I much preferred hiding

By Lyndsie Kiebert

behind the written word.

Since then, my Festival at Sandpoint memories have piled up considerably. It’s always an exciting time of year for the Reader staff, as we hand out those weeks’ newspapers to attendees waiting in line and take photos of the performers from the press pit. I’ve seen some of my favorite artists perform — the Head and the Heart, Nathaniel Rateliff, The Avett Brothers — and have been able to share those experiences with the people whom I love.

My sisters and I enjoyed Gavin DeGraw together, and I brought my now-fiancé Alex along for Jake Owen in 2017. That was Alex’s first concert, ever, and now he’s a Festi-

val veteran — a professional at choosing the perfect spot for our blanket and willing to wait in line for curry while I run around with my camera.

My mom recently found the program for the 2014 Family Concert. Inside, my senior photo is printed beside my biography. I wrote about my upbringing and my plans to study journalism in college.

“I am full of uncertainty and anxious to see where the world takes me, but of one thing I am sure,” I wrote, “I have always been and I always will be a writer.”

I guess I had that right. From nervous on stage to awestruck in the press pit, things appear to have come full circle.

The biggest stage in Sandpoint

I have been attending The Festival at Sandpoint since I was a snot-nosed little kid hanging on the chain link fence to listen to some of the greats, such as Johnny Cash and June Carter, the Beach Boys, Willie Nelson, John Prine and so many more. My summers are filled with warm memories of War Memorial Field as fellow concertgoers gathered for the coolest annual cultural event in this town’s history.

To pick just a few of these memories is a difficult task, but two distinct experiences remain at the top of my list: In 2017, I was honored to be chosen to play one of Charley Packard’s songs at the 7B Stars Memorial Concert. It was the first

Courtesy kids

Courtesy Kids. Does anybody remember this program? I do. I was one of the proud and brave youngsters who donned the white Festival at Sandpoint T-shirt and helped concertgoers run pell-mell to their preferred blanket spots. Talk about a work out. My first year, in 1991, when I was 11, I remember standing on the balls of my feet at the gate, jumpy and eager for anyone to hand me their cooler and hump it at high speed across the then-bumpy grass field.

For a brief moment, I was on their team — competing against the other Courtesy Kids (in my own mind, at least) to get my person to their optimal spot. If I carried your cooler between 1991 and 1994, I can assure you, I cared about nothing more in that animal sprint than making sure you sat where you wanted to sit.

One memory of that time that sticks out is when I cajoled my childhood chum, Brandon, to join the Courtesy Kids squad and we

time I had played a song on The Festival stage, and it could not have gone better. The crowd was mostly locals, and everyone was gathered to pay tribute to Charley and his wonderful music that has touched so many of us here in North Idaho. I was so honored to play among so many of Charley’s friends — each of them amazing musicians in their own right.

The following year, much to the surprise of my band — Harold’s IGA — we were asked to open for a group that helped define my adolescence: Sublime. We had about 12 days notice before the show, so we rented a studio space and practiced every day to make sure we didn’t make fools of our-

By Zach Hagadone

partnered to carry the bigger coolers. Well, we had a big one this one time, and had to carry it side by side. As we huffed and puffed along, I felt something hit my right shoulder, which I can only describe as a sopping wet roll of toilet paper. I jerked my head to see what hit me, and saw Brandon looking across like he’d been hit by a drywaller’s roller. He was spattered white from forehead to waist.

Osprey shit.

God, it stunk, but we kept on keeping on and apologized to our person when we arrived at their spot. See, the bird had planted its crap dead center on the lid of the cooler and those fine early-August zephyrs of wind that came off the river had swirled its fishy leavings into a splat pattern that tagged us with at least a six-foot radius. Needless to say, Brandon and I got a tip when our patrons saw the state we were in.

My Festival memories are too many for this space, which include the time my dad

By Ben Olson

selves in front of the whole town.

On a sweltering 102-degree day in August, we emerged from our band trailer (!) and took the stage to play our 45-minute set. It was — and remains — the best time I’ve ever had playing live in front of people.

The Festival stage crew members were so accommodating and nice to us, even though we were just a no-name band from Sandpoint. The sound on stage was amazing, and we even got to say a brief “hello” to Sublime with Rome backstage.

As I told my bandmates as we were being introduced before our set, “It’s all downhill from here, guys.”

broke out of a family camping trip to Priest Lake and drove me all the way to see Booker T. and the MG’s, from whom I wangled a signed copy of “Green Onions”; meeting Gunther Schuller, after which I seriously contemplated a career as a conductor; and slinging drinks alongside my dearly departed uncle, John Conlan, whose mayoral candidacies I wholeheartedly supported.

One that sticks out is when, as a Courtesy Kid, I had the good fortune to haul the photography gear of the legendary Cap Davis.

He let me second him all night — no more plebeian coolers for me that night — teaching me about his art, telling me stories of the places he’d been and events he’d captured; he even bought me an ice cream cone.

The Festival organizers gave out little star pins with the year of our service emblazoned on them, and, of all the honors I’ve received in the intervening years, these remain among my favorites.

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OUTDOORS

Dirt-y Secrets The birds and the bees (and flowers)

By Ranel Hansen Reader Columnist Let’s call this midsummer since it really only began in July. This year we must be careful and be responsible. Luckily, we can garden and now is when our gardens are at their peak. I call it therapy.

Last month we talked about slugs and weeds.There are fewer of each now but keeping up with your eggshell/salt regime is still important for the slugs and pulling weeds is still a thing. Go get ’em!

In August we water and deadhead.

As a general rule, it is better to water less frequently but more deeply. Pots and hanging baskets are the exception and are especially thirsty now. Most do need daily water and fertilizer about once a week. I use Mary’s Alpaca Poop (maryspoop.com) dissolved in a watering can. But, Miracle Gro is fine. So is fish emulsion. Flower beds need deep watering. Every other day if it is hot, less if we get rain or cool weather. The same is true for trees and

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shrubs, but less often. Let your hose run very slowly for an hour or so once every week or two, depending on the weather.

Deadheading is just getting rid of spent flowers in order to prolong blooming and prevent seed formation — later you can let them form seed pods if you want seeds for next year. As an example, roses need a good snipping when the flowers fade and you may even get a second bloom. The same goes for Oriental poppies.

Most flowers won’t bloom completely again but will reward you with more blooms for a longer time. There are exceptions, of course, like hollyhocks, clematis, crocosmia, delphiniums, Shasta daisies, black eyed Susans, nasturtiums, gerbera daisies, sweet peas, cosmos and others, which bloom only once. All of these will need lots of trimming of spent flowers.

When flowers start to droop and fade, snip them off a few inches down the stem. This tells the plant to “make more flowers.”

Now is also a good time to fertilize in order to encourage robust bloom and foliage growth.

With the housekeeping out of the way, let’s talk about the birds and the bees.

You have probably heard that bees of all kinds are struggling to survive; and, boy do we need bees. They pollinate most of our food crops as well as trees and flowers. In fact, were there no bees, we would starve. So, good to feed them, right? And by feeding them I mean giving them lots of buds to visit and pollen to collect.

Not all bees make honey but they all rely on pollen to nurture their young. So, if a healthy food supply interests you, include lots of bee-friendly plants in your garden. I’ll name some of my favorites here, but the varieties are endless. My top five: nasturtiums (particularly the deep red variety), petunias, crocosmia, fruit trees, bee balm and all the mints. Mint is incred-

A hummingbird in the garden, visiting a flower.

Courtesy photo. ibly invasive so plant in pots. Peppermint, spearmint and catmint are bee magnets.

Oh yes, sedums and lavender, too. Of course there are lots more. Go to town at one of our awesome nurseries next spring.

Birds are also here to help. Even crows and ravens, I’m told. Swallows eat mosquitoes (2,000 a day!) so attracting them is key. Luckily that’s easy. Put up lots of nest houses on trees, fence posts, etc. Be sure the hole to enter is the right size — about 1 1/4- inches. Put your houses up in early spring — around March — so that they are ready when swallow couples are looking at real estate.

Sparrows often nest in these same houses and, I am sorry to say, so do yellow jackets. Usually the birds take care of yellow jacket extermination but, toward the end of the season when birds have vacated, they build nests inside. Beware.

You can clean your bird houses in the fall, but I usually leave it to spring birds to eat the larva.

Now my favorite: Hummingbirds are delightful pollinators and endlessly entertaining to watch. They love the same flowers that bees do and you can put up a feeder for close up viewing. They appear suddenly in May if you have a feeder.

Then, they generally disappear in the first part of July to take care of babies for a bit.

Then, lucky you, they bring their babies back for eating and flying lessons.

Truly: “A garden is a friend you can visit anytime.”

PERSPECTIVES

Got stress?

Take a hike in the Arboretum

By The Kinnikinnick Native Plant Society Special to the Reader If you’re feeling stressed or out of sorts, a 20-minute walk in a natural, forested setting can produce positive changes in your body and your mood.

Plants produce oxygen, so take a few deep breaths. They also produce phytoncides — natural chemicals that can reduce blood pressure, heart rate and stress hormones while increasing vigor. Some of the best phytoncide producers are located in an evergreen forest — a forest that contains trees such as pine, cedar, spruce and fir.

Finding this healthy habitat is easy to do. Created and managed by the Kinnikinnick Native Plant Society, the North Idaho Native Plant Arboretum is located in Lakeview Park. Bike, walk or drive (parking is available, 611 S Ella Ave., by the Historical Museum) to this oasis of nature in the middle of Sandpoint for an all natural de-stresser. Among the eight different habitat areas in the Arboretum, you will find an assortment of phytoncide-producing evergreens. Visit the Arboretum for some tree therapy. Ahhhhhh.

While you stroll the shaded paths, inhale the fragrance of the Ponderosa Pine on a warm day. Get a whiff of the Syringa (mock orange). Feel the cool breeze on your skin and the warmth of the sun on the rocks. Listen to the birds overhead.

The trees, shrubs, flowers, berries and ground covers offer an array of colors and textures to delight and rest the eye. The natural surroundings will stimulate and soothe all your senses, reconnecting you to our natural world. Ahhhhhh.

For centuries, artists have drawn inspiration from nature. Early botanical books are filled with detailed sketches of different plant species. Eighteenth-century writers illustrated their letters with drawings of plants. Today many artists enjoy painting local landscapes outdoors in natural light. If you’re of an artistic bent, grab a sketchbook or canvas and head for the Arboretum to relax with a bit of “plein air” art. It’s a great stress reliever. Ahhhhhh.

Painting or drawing not your thing?

How about a camera? Look closely and focus on the details found in nature. Observe the diversity of various plant parts: their textures — smooth, hairy, sharp, bumpy. What is thick, thin, dry, wet, upright or wandering, soft or hard. Describe the leaves, petal colors. Get up close and personal with nature. Write down your observations. Try translating the different personalities of plants by journaling or in poetry. Notice as the chatter in your mind slides into a restful calm. Ahhhhhh.

Working in a garden can help you relax, too. In addition to providing exercise, a bacterium found in the soil may stimulate serotonin production, which makes you relax and acts like an antidepressant. Mycobacterium vaccae has been found to mirror the effect on neurons that drugs like Prozac provide. The Arboretum welcomes volunteers who enjoy pruning, raking, weeding and digging in the dirt.

The good feelings are a bonus. Ahhhhhh.

Spend just a few minutes or a luxurious afternoon in the Native Plant Arboretum to restore your being and lighten your mood.This gift to the community from the Kinnikinnick Native Plant Society is available all days, all hours to all who wander there.

A map of the Arboretum at Lakeview Park courtesy of KNPS.

A map and pertinent information about the Arboretum and KNPS can be found at nativeplantsociety.org and on the KNPS Facebook page : facebook.com/NativePlantSociety.

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‘We need to THINK’...

Bouquets: • I was saddened to hear a former Sandpoint Reader columnist has passed away. Barb Fears wrote a column for the Reader called “Barb Fears Nothing” during the first iteration of the paper (in the late 2000s, early 2010s) and was also the owner of Stage Right Cellars by the Panida Theater. Barb passed away on Friday, according to a friend of the family. Wishing you peace and comfort, Barb.

Thanks for all the words.

Barbs: • There is a law concerning bicycles known as the “Idaho Stop” that everyone should know about. Enacted in Idaho in 1982 and subsequently picked up by several other states and cities around the U.S., the Idaho Stop is a way to help bicyclists avoid repetitive stops, while also improving safety when traveling on roadways with vehicular traffic.

The law essentially allows cyclists to treat stop signs as a yield sign and red lights as a stop sign.

That means if a bicyclist comes to a stop sign and sees the way is clear, they can roll through (note: this is not to be confused with the informal “California stop” which is a local pejorative term that means rolling your car through a stop sign without stopping). Same goes at a red light, except the bicyclist must come to a stop before proceeding if the way is clear.

The reason I write this is to help drivers to understand that cyclists are not breaking the law or being unsafe when they roll through a stop sign — they are actually following Idaho Code. I have been hollered at by perturbed motorists more times than I can count when rolling through a stop sign, or stopping and proceeding through a red light.

Also, please don’t stop to allow cyclists to cross a street when it’s your right of way. It causes confusion and can sometimes be dangerous when other drivers are unaware of why a car is stopping.

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Dear editor, A common local’s conversation starter is, “What brought you to Sandpoint?” My standard answer was, “A big lake, a big ski hill and a small friendly town.” Sadly, I must change my answer; we are no longer the friendly town of just a few years ago. What has become of us? We shout at each other for wearing masks, we don’t care about other people’s health, we value our personal convenience over the wellbeing of our neighbors and we disguise it all as righteous liberty. We have armed vigilantes in our streets and many people are so paranoid that they carry a gun everywhere.

It has even affected our places of worship. Supposedly pro-life Christians won’t do a simple polite gesture of wearing a mask that will protect the little old lady battling cancer in the next pew. Shame on us!

So what do we do? We need to THINK. THINK is an acronym to remember before we spout off again. Will our words be Thoughtful, Helpful, Informed, Necessary and, mostly, Kind. So please, let’s all THINK, be Kind and wear a mask!

Daniel Haley Sandpoint

Rethinking The Festival’s long-term vision…

Dear editor, Regarding the article in the last issue, “Funding the Festival” [Aug. 6, 2020], please lay out the vision its board has for the future. It may be an appropriate time to reconsider the scope of events and the mission this venue strove for in the past.

Also, the location should come up for consideration.

I always appreciated the conductors school held at Schweitzer and the 20 pianos spread throughout the mountain dwellings for the fine jazz musicians that Gunther Schuller was able to entice to our town.

Zuill Bailey is providing wonderful guidance in Spokane, not only with the Northwest Bach Festival, but with the range of musicians with whom he is acquainted. It may be that we have some regional resources and a wide range of talented Northwest musicians to explore. Affordability of events should also be part of the discussion in the goals. Rather than “fundraise” solely, it would do us well to know our desired direction. A smaller and tighter venue that combines “up

close and personal after concert” sessions at our restaurants and bars, similar to Kaslo’s Jazz Festival, would make for a lively and vibrant summer.

Barney Ballard Sandpoint

Activist mayor should do his job or step down...

Dear editor, I am weary of Sandpoint’s activist mayor, Shelby Rognstad, using his office as a self-righteous bully pulpit. Rognstad’s multiple, sanctimonious proclamations have been nothing but divisive. His latest, in a city-approved proclamation — an alignment with the Love Lives Here movement — is inappropriate.

“Love Lives Here” sounds good on paper, but when you take the time to examine the words and actions of those involved with the organization, you’ll see that the Love Lives Here crew is filled with the intolerant and hate-filled.

Further, Shelby’s constant ranting about gun-toting, racist “vigilantes” in our area is a fabrication and thus alienates a large swath of Sandpoint’s good and decent residents.

So, Mayor Rognstad, get off your high horse of moral superiority and do your job, like focusing your energy on the Sandpoint city sewer plant that regularly spills sewage into our river. Or you can resign, and let someone who wants to do the job of mayor, and represent all of Sandpoint’s residents, step in.

Debby Trinen Sandpoint

Paulette Jordan prioritizes Idahoans over partisanship...

Dear editor, With 30 million people unemployed across the country, our president and Congress have allowed the CARES Act, which was

providing desperately needed unemployment benefits for many jobless Americans, to expire. Republicans in the Senate are currently preventing any meaningful legislation to extend this aid, which allowed many Idaho families to pay their rent and buy groceries.

So how does our Idaho Sen. Jim Risch respond? “When we passed the first bill, before it was even voted on, people realized that $600 thing was a mistake.” This from our senator — well known for falling asleep during the impeachment proceedings.

Paulette Jordan, who is running against Risch in the November election, says “that $600 ‘thing’ is how

multimillionaire Senator Risch refers to critical, in some cases life-saving aid, going to Americans who need it to provide for their families.

“As your senator, I would stand up for Idaho families and work tirelessly across the aisle to get an emergency aid package passed.

For the GOP to even allow this aid to expire signals that the wellbeing of the American people is not their top priority. They would rather play partisan games with the lives of American people.”

Remember this and vote for Paulette Jordan for the U.S. Senate in the upcoming November election.

Pat Ramsey Sandpoint

OPINION

Laying down the law?

Constitutional sheriffs, like BoCo Sheriff Wheeler, are part of the anti-government ‘patriot’ matrix

By Brenda Hammond Special to the Reader

Do you know what a “constitutional sheriff” is? And do you know if we have one? It’s important to go back a bit in order to put these questions into context.

In June 1995, when the Bonner County Human Rights Task Force was still young, Bill Wassmuth spoke urgently and forcefully at what was then the Sandpoint High School gym, about the “patriot movement” that was becoming prevalent in this area at that time. Bill had been a priest living in the rectory of the Coeur d’Alene Catholic Church 10 years before when it was bombed by members of the Aryan Nations. He had since become director of the Northwest Coalition Against Malicious Harassment, a true human rights hero in our region — and he knew a threat when he saw one.

He told the almost 500 people in attendance about the anti-government “patriot” movement that began in the 1990s and saw a number of armed militias being formed around Montana, the Northwest and the rest of the country. The Militia of Montana claimed a following of thousands at its peak in 1996.

The patriot movement in our region was fueled by the standoff at Ruby Ridge, and began to be framed at a meeting in Estes Park, Colo. This meeting was attended by leaders of groups with their roots in white supremacy and anti-Semitism. But they looked

to found a movement that would be more mainstream, playing on anti-government sentiment and one-world conspiracy theories and focusing on issues like gun rights and taxes. It gained more followers after the federal siege at the Branch Davidian compound in Waco, Texas. Timothy McVeigh blew up the federal building in Oklahoma City on the second anniversary of that event.

By 2001, the number of patriot groups as well as their membership, were in rapid decline. However, the ideology behind them is appearing in other forms, and still going strong. In fact the “patriot” movement and the anti-environmental movement came together as the Bundy family engaged in armed standoffs with the government in both Nevada and at the Malheur Wildlife Refuge in Malheur County, Ore. Both movements share a belief in “county supremacy.” The anti-environmental, or “Wise-Use” groups support the concept of the county commission having ultimate jurisdiction over all the land within the county. The “patriot’ ideology focuses on the role of the county sheriff — seeing them as the highest legitimate law enforcement officer and rooted in Posse Comitatus beliefs that the sheriff has the task of defending citizens from the federal government.

A new iteration of the Posse Comitatus belief in county supremacy is the Constitutional Sheriffs and Peace Officers Association. Formed in 2011,

by Richard Mack, a former

Arizona sheriff who had been recruited by the National Rifle Association in the 1990s to organize opposition to the Brady Handgun Violence Act, the CSPOA was formed to recruit sheriffs and police officers to “stand as an army to set our country free.” It calls itself, “the last line of defense standing between the overreaching government and your Constitutionally guaranteed rights.” The CSPOA website states that the county sheriff is “the one who can say to the feds, ‘Beyond these bounds you shall not pass.’”

The CSPOA has claimed more than 400 members — and according to several other sheriffs, and the Southern Poverty Law Center, our Sheriff Darryl Wheeler is one of them.

As voting citizens of Bonner County we should know where our sheriff stands — and understand its implications. Ask Sheriff Wheeler yourself — and see what he says.

The Center for Public Integrity has reported that the CSPOA’s “ambition is to encourage law enforcement officers to defy laws they decide themselves are illegal.”

There has been opposition from fellow law enforcers who see resisting the federal government as undermining the rule of law. The legal authority they cite, the U.S. Constitution, established a court system to interpret the law and decide what statutes violate its provisions. It does not grant this authority to sheriffs, and they have no legal basis for their belief otherwise.

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Mad about Science:

Brought to you by:

megafauna that ate your family

By Brenden Bobby Reader Columnist If that subhed doesn’t catch your attention, I have no idea what will. Earth has hosted countless giant predators, from the Tyrannosaurus to the Megalodon, a shark that made Bruce, the shark from Jaws, look like a bumbling koi. Very few members of these colossal predators ever crossed paths with our ancestors, however — and none of them survived to the present day.

Perhaps I should have titled this article: “Your Family Ate The Megafauna.” Ancient humans were believed to have first crossed from Asia to North America around 30,000 years ago, utilizing the Bering Land Bridge. Earth was in a glaciation period around this time, leading to lower sea levels and higher sea ice levels, which made it possible for curious and migratory humans to travel from Asia to North America by foot, though this journey must have been fraught with unimaginable terrors— among them: birds. Aptly named terror birds (scientific name: Titanis) were a species of flightless birds that inhabited North and South America for millions of years before going extinct around 15,000 years ago — or so we currently believe.

Science changes, folks. It’s part of the process. Terror birds stood around eight feet tall and weighed as much as 350 pounds — about half the weight of a vending machine — but with a giant beak for tearing flesh from prey. Given the size of their massive beaks and shape of their skulls, it was believed that terror 12 /

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birds pummeled prey into submission and, ultimately, death.

Luckily for most of our ancestors, the terror bird was going extinct because of other, far more terrifying predators around the same time the first humans were setting foot into what is now Canada and the United States. You may find it interesting, albeit unrelated, that the terror bird was going extinct at the same time the great Missoula floods were carving out Lake Pend Oreille. Stop and think about that for a second: all it took for you to get your boat out on the water and enjoy a nice day on the lake was the extinction of an entire species of killer avian.

Unless you have an indigenous American lineage (including Native American and Mexican ancestors), it’s likely that your ancestors never encountered any entry on North America’s utterly terrifying roster of megafauna. American lions (Panthera atrox), felids that grew up to 600 pounds, are believed to have stalked some humans’ ancestors. Smilodons, better known as saber-toothed cats, competed with our ancestors in the Americas and Eurasia, with some species capable of reaching up to 1,000 pounds.

If your genetic lineage is primarily Caucasian, your ancestors likely faced off with some pretty nasty megafauna in Eurasia, including the aforementioned Smilodon.

Many people’s ancestors also must have encountered the aptly named dire wolf (Canis dirus), huge wolves that could grow up to 150 pounds. Some current dog breeds, such as the English and Tibetan mastiffs,

great Dane and St. Bernard can easily exceed these weights, but you also don’t have to compete with packs of feral great Danes trying to disembowel you while you shop for quinoa at the grocery store.

Furthermore, one of the freakiest ancient predators of Eurasia was the cave hyena (Crocuta crocuta spelaea), which was discovered to have hoarded more mammalian bones in their caves than any other ice age predator. Remember the best song from The Lion King? Yeah, that was pretty accurate for the cave hyena. We know ancient humans crossed paths with these psychopaths, because there are 20,000-year-old cave drawings of cave hyenas.

It just wouldn’t be a successful article about terrifying animals if we didn’t talk about Earth’s crown jewel of ferocious fauna: Australia. Humans have lived in Australia for at least 40,000 years, but the Australians you’re probably thinking about have only been there since 1788. This means a very, very small percentage of the modern human population has ancestors that survived the world’s most killer continent on hard mode.

Among Australia’s insane number of man-eating megafauna was the Wonambi, a 30-foot snake that ambushed prey and crushed it to death via constriction, like a boa constrictor, which can exert up to 12 pounds of pressure per square inch — more than enough to rupture blood vessels. Keep in mind, the Wonambi was three times the size of a boa. Yikes!

Megalania was likely the closest thing to a dinosaur

The 23-foot long, 1,300-pound Megalania coming to wreck your prehistoric day. Photo courtesy YouTube.com. ancient Australians ever faced.

A massive monitor lizard that grew up to 23 feet long and weighed 1,300 pounds. Komodo dragons, though not directly related to Megalania, are the closest thing we can envision to these prehistoric titans, and Komodos only get up to about nine feet long and 200 pounds at their largest.

Somehow, the first Australians are believed to have

contributed to the extinction of Megalania, by hunting or out-competing it for food sources, though we aren’t sure on the details.

Unfortunately for present-day humanity, we will never know what a Megalania steak tastes like. It must have been pretty vital to their diet if ancient humans cleared them out like toilet paper at the grocery store. Stay curious, 7B.

Random Corner Don’t know much about beer?

• At any given time, 0.7% of the world is drunk, which means 50 million people are likely drunk right now.

• Cenosillicaphobia is the fear of an empty beer glass.

• You can swim in pools of beer in Austria.

• About 162,719 pints of Guinness beer are wasted each year due to mustaches.

• President Jimmy Carter signed a bill that created an exemption from taxation of beer brewed at home for personal or family use, opening the door for today’s craft beer brewers.

We can help!

• John Evans is the only person on Earth capable of balancing 237 pints of beer atop his head.

• In 1956, the U.S. exploded atomic bombs near a few beers to see if they are safe to drink. They are indeed.

• The Danish government crafted Carlsberg Special Brew for Winston Churchill in 1950.

• Table beer (1.5% alcohol) was served in Belgian schools until the 1980s.

• A traditional beer tap will not work on an airplane, as it will only dispense a huge amount of foam.

• Beer was illegal in Iceland until March 1, 1989. Now, the date is celebrated every year in Reykjavik as Bjordagur, or Beer Day.

• The first known straws were made by the Sumerians in 3000 B.C., and were used for drinking beer.

• Beer cans in Japan have braille on them so blind people don’t confuse alcoholic drinks with soft drinks.

• The first Olympic disqualification for drug use was against a Swedish pentathlete who drank two beers before his shooting event to calm his nerves.

COMMUNITY

Bonner County Fair is a go 2020 fair events slated for Aug.19-22

By Lyndsie Kiebert Reader Staff The 2020 Bonner County Fair will showcase the best of the community’s animals, projects and garden bounty from Wednesday, Aug. 19 through Saturday, Aug. 22.

The fair will also play host to its traditional events: the concert — this year featuring the Miah Kohal Band and Devon Wade Band — on Aug. 20; the Challenge of Champions Bull Riding on Aug. 21; and the Demolition Derby on Aug. 22. All of those main events will take place in the outdoor arena, with gates opening at 6:30 p.m. and the action starting at 7:30 p.m. each night.

Featured contests throughout the 2020 Bonner County Fair include best beard, a cast iron skillet throwing competition, a mac ’n’ cheese cookoff and more.

A full schedule of those contests and more can be found online at bonnercountyfair.com or inside the fair book.

Fair Director Darcey Smith said organizers will be taking precautions in response to the ongoing novel coronavirus pandemic. She said volunteers will be given masks and gloves, hand washing and sanitizing stations will be

Two young fairgoers wash up between events at a Bonner County Fair from years past. Photo courtesy Bonner County Fair. provided, and visitors are encouraged to wear face coverings.

“We recommend but will not require Fair patrons to wear masks,” Smith wrote in a COVID-19 update on the fair’s website. “Coming to the Fair is your decision, please plan to stay home if you are feeling sick or have been in contact with someone who has been sick.”

As for her favorite thing about the annual celebration of all Bonner County has to offer, Smith said she loves to watch people of all ages take part in fair activities.

“I love seeing the kiddos get excited about what they see in the display cases and the animals in the barns,” she said, “but my guilty pleasure is the Demolition Derby. There is something about grown adults fixing up cars for the sole purpose of destroying them in front of a crowd that I find absolutely fantastic.”

The Bonner County Fair buildings, vendors and barns are open 10 a.m.-8 p.m. each fair day. Learn more at bonnercountyfair.com.

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COMMUNITY

Angels Over Sandpoint present ‘Best of Follies’ drive-in movie

By Reader Staff

Although their wings have been clipped a bit due to safety concerns created

by COVID-19, the Angels Over Sandpoint have organized a fun, adults-only (21+) “Best of the Follies” drive-in movie.

The event will start with gates opening at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, August 22 at The Dover Barn in Dover Bay. The show will begin at 8 p.m.

Alcohol will not be served, but popcorn and non-alcoholic beverages will be available for purchase. Audio will be a radio broadcast accessible inside

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vehicles.

Tickets are available for $10 and are limited, so they must be purchased in advance.

To join the fun, visit follies-movie. eventbrite.com, or find the link on the Angels’ website angelsoversandpoint. org/events, or on their Facebook page.

LITERATURE

A bookstore and a safe haven

Letter praising Corner Bookstore earns Sandpoint native Milinda Driggers a meetup with Twilight author Stephenie Meyer

By Lydnsie Kiebert Reader Staff The Corner Bookstore in downtown Sandpoint is receiving national kudos after local book-lover Milinda Driggers won a contest with a letter to Twilight series author Stephenie Meyer.

The contest, titled “How to Win An Intimate Evening With Stephenie Meyer, Your Favorite Bookstore, And Twenty Of Your Friends,” asked people to write about why they love their local bookstore in 500 or fewer words. Driggers penned a moving letter about how the Corner Bookstore served as a “safe haven” for her growing up, and Meyer chose it as the prize entry.

Driggers, currently studying English at North Idaho College, said she’s “exceedingly grateful” to have been chosen as the contest winner, and hopes to write a book of her own someday.

“Reading and writing is a major passion of mine, and it always has been,” she said. “It gives me so much joy, and feels like something that I excel at.”

For her prize — modified due to COVID-19 pandemic restraints — Driggers and friends will take part in a virtual meetup with Meyer, and each will receive a personalized bookplate for Meyers’ new book, Midnight Sun. Corner Bookstore owner Jim Orbaugh will receive several signed copies of Meyer’s work.

Orbaugh said he was honored and excited when Driggers called him with the news. He said it’s been a joy seeing many children in the community grow up — some of them now old enough to bring their own kids into the bookstore.

“It means a lot to me, of course,” he told the Reader.

In a blog post naming the winner, Meyer said: “Picking a winner was torture, but there was one letter I came back to again and again.”

Here is Driggers’ letter about the Corner Bookstore, as it was shared on Meyer’s blog July 31: I love my local bookstore because it was a safe haven for me. I grew up in the Foster-Care system which was most definitely not easy; there weren’t a lot of constants in my life, and it was a scary time. Luckily, I never had to move towns

… only homes.

While it became normal to sleep in a different bed every few weeks, or sometimes even days, it was comforting to be surrounded by places I knew and people I love. And if I’m being completely honest, one place I felt the most comfortable and at-home was my local bookstore. Books were my escape and one of the few constants in my life, and the little bookstore on the corner of downtown Sandpoint was a place of happiness for me.

The owner of the bookstore was always incredibly kind to me. If I didn’t have enough money while buying a book, he would always let me take it anyways and let me pay it back the next time I came in. He wasn’t bothered about the amount of time I would spend wandering around the store, and was always ready to share any book recommendations.

The large selection of used books was a dream come true, and the pricing was very generous. The owner would actually bargain with you if you could make a good argument as to why a book price should be lowered.

I vividly remember when I bought my Twilight series from the bookstore… I had earned $25, and immediately decided to bike across town to spend it on the

Left. Contest winner Melinda Driggers is all smiles after author Stephanie Meyer selected her winning letter.

Middle: Meyer’s latest installment in the Twilight saga, Midnight Sun. Right: Stephanie Meyer. Courtesy photos. series. When I left it had been cloudy, and by the time I arrived it was raining.

But my love for Edward wouldn’t let bad weather stop me! Afterall, the weather just had me looking forward to my reada-thon even more; one of the greatest feelings ever is when it’s raining outside while you’re wrapped up in a warm blanket reading a good book. The happiness I felt in my heart while purchasing those books, and awkwardly attempting to bike back home in the rain with a bag of books on one handlebar, was immense.

A kinship for the love for books is one of the best things, and I felt that when I

went into my local bookstore. So many thousands of stories in one small place, with so many worlds to explore and people to meet. My local bookstore was just so much more than a regular bookstore.

It wasn’t all shiny and new and perfectly organized. It was small and crowded, and a bit messy. It was imperfect. But it had character, and it was easy to see the time, love and care that was put into it. I am incredibly grateful for my local bookstore, and that it gave me a safe and comfortable place to go to.

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HISTORY

Mysteries of the deep The Pend Oreille Paddler: Fish story, secret stuff or creature from the deep?

By Chris Corpus and Hannah Combs Reader Contributors

The early morning light bathed the trees in light on the shores of the Pend Oreille River, and Kristoffer Solheim relaxed in the stern of his eight-foot rowboat. He hoped a Dolly Varden would nibble on his bait, but he wasn’t in a rush to land one.

Only chores awaited him at the house if he came home, victorious, too early. He daydreamed of his record-breaking catch, gazing at the light playing off the water. Suddenly the ripples shuddered and broke his reverie.

A dark shape rose to the surface.

“It had a bumpy back and was longer than the rowboat,” he remembered.

Up came his tackle, and his oars hit the water. He wasn’t going to tangle with “that monster.”

Reports of encounters with a mysterious creature of the deep started appearing in the early 1900s, when fishing from boats on the lake became as common as fishing from shore. For many fishermen sitting in small rowboats on top of an unimaginably deep lake, it didn’t take long for mystery and a touch of fear to turn into fantastic stories. Since the Big Hole, the nickname for Lake Pend Oreille, is larger and deeper than Loch Ness, it provides a canvas for locals and visitors alike to imagine the unbelievable.

Solheim most likely encountered a white sturgeon, a prehistoric-looking fish that can grow to be nearly 1,800 pounds, 20 feet long and more than 100 years old. White sturgeon prefer deep pockets of inland rivers where they migrate upstream to spawn, and rare occasions when they rise to the surface can be legend-making.

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Three men pose near Laclede with their 320-pound sturgeon, a fish sometimes mistaken as the Pend Oreille Paddler. Photo courtesy Bonner County Historical Society and Museum. dissolved into local lore as a big fish tale; but, starting in 1944, sightings of a monster serpent in the lake made its way back into conversation. Around the same time, the U.S. Navy had a vested interest in keeping the deep waters of the south end of the lake secret. Its consistent 39 degrees Fahrenheit water in the deepest parts of the lake provided perfect conditions for scientific research in building the quietest submarines in the world, and in a landlocked body of water, the Navy could easily control access to its base. At the Navy Acoustic Research Center, military researchers built, launched and tested scale models of submarines, torpedoes and rockets. (Which they continue to this day.)

During Farragut’s heyday, a civilian Bayview resident reported that, using his “spyglasses,” he watched a sea serpent move through the lake for 15 minutes.

Other reports described a dark green, almost black, creature with shiny scales, moving with an undulating motion and creating a large wake in front of it.

It’s possible that these sightings were of military submersibles, which would have looked quite alien to residents of the time.

For a while, there were few reports of sightings. Perhaps the Navy quashed them, or the K&K Fishing Derby had everyone focused on other big denizens of the Big Hole: kamloops, Dolly Vardens, cutthroats and schools of kokanee. Sightings trickled in, but had lost steam. Divers working on a railroad bridge reported seeing big objects underwater. The sonar company, Lowrance, tested their equipment in the deep and varied terrain of Lake Pend Oreille.

Navigating between Trestle Creek and Anderson Point, they encountered “very large blips,” but passed them off as sub-

merged logs. Strangely, the blips did not reappear on subsequent passings. The Lowrance employees conjectured there were very large fish swimming below 200 feet and weighing well over 200 pounds.

After a sighting in 1977, the creature was officially dubbed the “Pend Oreille Paddler,” which may have been a clever tourism hook more than anything. The name and subsequent cartoon renderings lent a benevolent characterization to the formerly unsettling sightings and spurred a renewed fascination with the creature.

Eventually, the monsterfrom-the-deep enticed a group from North Idaho College to undertake an investigative study.

An English professor, James McLeod, and an anthropology/ archeology professor, Richard “Duke” Snyder, tasked a group of students called the Cryptozoology Club to get to the bottom

Part 2

of the lore. They spent several months interviewing locals and chased down the origins of all documented sightings. Then they charted the various sightings on maps, designating fin sightings, submerged logs, boats dragged by large fish, large humps and powerful wakes caused by unknown sources.

Although spread throughout the lake, the majority of the pinpoints were from the Green Monarchs to Bayview, the deepest parts of the lake.

After three years of research, they reached a definitive conclusion: maybe the Paddler does exist. But the group also concluded that human nature tends toward storytelling and tales of the unknown. They also concluded that the Navy knew more than they shared since they operated in the deepest part of the lake for a long time.

Though the Navy kept quiet about its own doings in the lake, strangely enough, officials released their own report of an encounter — perhaps the most credible of all. While mapping the lake depths below the Green Monarchs, one of the government’s submersibles logged an encounter with something 30 feet long, alive and moving. An impossible length for even the most ancient of sturgeons.

On your next quiet morning on the lake, when the water is calm and the horizon is clear, look across the black waters.

You might just see the Paddler greeting the dawn.

This article is Part II in a series brought to you by the Bonner County Historical Society.

Part I appeared in the Sandpoint Reader on July 30. Research provided by the Bonner County Historical Society and Museum archives.

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events August 13-20, 2020

THURSDAY, August 13

Live Music w/ Pamela Jean 6-8pm @ MickDuff’s Beer Hall

FriDAY, August 14

Live Music w/ Turn Spit Dogs 6:30-9:30pm @ MickDuff’s Beer Hall Live Music w/ Chris Lynch 6-9pm @ Arlo’s Ristorante Live Music w/ Okay, Honey 5-8pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery Guitar, fiddle and dynamic harmonies

Early Bird Paddle Plus 6:30-8am @ Outdoor Experience Free class, rentals available, meet out back on Sand Creek behind OE

Sandpoint Farmers’ Market 9am-1pm @ Farmin Park The Market is back at Farmin Park!

Live Music w/ Chris Lynch 8-10pm @ The Back Door Live Music w/ John Firshi 8pm @ Eichardt’s Pub

Live Music w/ Turn Spit Dogs 6-8pm @ Idaho Pour Authority

Live Music w/ Kevin Dorin 8-10pm @ The Back Door

SATURDAY, August 15

Live Music w/ Luke Yates & Christy Lee 6:30-9:30pm @ MickDuff’s Beer Hall Saturday Movie Night Dusk @ The Longshot Field of Dreams

SunDAY, August 16

Piano Sunday w/ Peter Lucht 3-5pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery

monDAY, August 17 Monday Night Blues Jam w/ Truck Mills 7pm @ Eichardt’s Pub Monday Night Run Posse (free) 6pm @ Outdoor Experience Lifetree Cafe 2pm @ Jalapeño’s Restaurant “Reboot Your Life: The Art of Turning Your Life Around.”

NAMI Far North Virtual Family Support Groups 7:30pm @ Via Zoom meeting Email namifarnorth2003@gmail.com for more info about joining this free support group every first and third Monday

Group Ride + Mini Clinic 5:30-7pm @ Pine St. Woods Intermediate edition, hosted by Outdoor Experience. Free event

NAMI Far North Connection Peer-Led Support Group 7pm @ Via Zoom meeting Email namifarnorth2003@gmail.com for more info about joining this free support group every third Wednesday

tuesDAY, August 18 wednesDAY, August 19

Bonner County Fair (Aug. 19-22) 10am-8pm @ Bonner Co. Fairgrounds See bonnercountyfair.com for a full listing of all events at the 2020 Bonner Co. Fair

Sandpoint Farmers’ Market 3-5:30pm @ Farmin Park The Market is back at Farmin Park!

ThursDAY, August 20

Live Music w/ John Daffron 6-8pm @ MickDuff’s Beer Hall

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August is a busy month in Sandpoint. Whether you’re out swimming in the lake to cool off or creating public art out of repurposed instruments, there’s always something interesting to photograph. Here are a few shots that made the cut this week. If you’d like to submit a photo for a future issue, please send to ben@ sandpointreader.com

Top left: A moment before sunset from halfway up Gold Hill. Photo by Racheal Baker.

Top right: A beautiful rainbow above Dub’s in Sandpoint after a storm. Photo

by Ed Van Vooren.

Middle right: “In our house, everyone loves the Reader.” Photo by Forrest Schuck.

Bottom right: A woman and her dog sit outside Idaho Pour Authority in Sandpoint. Photo by Racheal Baker.

Bottom left: A unique view looking up from the “Graffiti Alley” in dowtown Sandpoint. Photo by Racheal Baker.

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FOOD

The Sandpoint Eater Cheese stands alone

By Marcia Pilgeram Reader Columnist

I’m back from my second road trip to Chicago in as many months. This time I had company: my daughter, Ryanne, and her 5-year-old daughter Fern.

We’re still practicing stringent COVID-19 protocol, and though we stayed a couple of nights in carefully selected hotels, we always packed our meals and stopped primarily for fuel. However, traveling with a 5-year-old increased the frequency of our “other stops,” and it was there, at a Wisconsin state rest stop, that I found the ultimate vending machine.

I was so slow returning to the car that Ryanne and Fern came back looking for me; there they saw me, lingering over a vending machine filled with nothing but varietal, five-ounce packages of Wisconsin cheese curds, including flavors such as taco, dill, ranch and cheddar. I was still examining the selections when I received the “daughter look” and departed with my limited selection.

Since we were trying to reach Chicago before nightfall, we passed up all the remaining cheese factory and cellar opportunities — though, I can’t lie, thoughts of those cheese curd vending machines carried me for the next 300 miles.

Before we knew it, the magical week of sister-time for my girls, surrounded by their little ones, came to an end. It was time to depart the Windy City and head west. As hard as I tried to act calm and composed, as we drove past miles and miles of pastoral dairy scenes, Ryanne knows me well: “Mom, I know 20 /

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you want to stop at the rest area for cheese, so go ahead and stop,” she said.

We learned that not all the rest areas in Wisconsin are equipped with those cute-little bags of cheese vending machines. After three empty-handed attempts, I gave up and tried to make up for lost time on the freeway. I must have looked somewhat forlorn because at the next gas stop, when I eyed Woodman’s — a huge grocery store — Ryanne gave me the “go-get-your-damn curds” nod. With a promise to be quick, I was off!

Woodman’s was bigger than a warehouse-box store, and with directions I made my way back to the dairy section where I came upon more cheese than I have ever seen under one roof. I could have spent an hour perusing the tempting selections and another hour loading a cart, but visions

of Ryanne counting off the minutes brought me back to reality.

I grabbed what I could — standard white and yellow cheddar curds — and then feeling the pressure of time, I grabbed a few hybrid curds, like Blood Mary, ghost-pepper and, for good measure, a package of goat cheese curds as I made my way back to checkout, where I dropped my massive armload of curds.

The young lady bagging my curds was mightily impressed with the quantity of my barearmed cache, and I was pleased when she assured me that I’d made great choices, including her favorite.

Luckily, I’d prepared and hauled lots of family-favorite foods to Casey and John, so a big empty cooler was more than ready for my two bags full of curds.

Only a couple of times along

the way did Ryanne mention the driving time we’d lost on my curd missions. She was also an outstanding sport when I tried to act very calmly about hauling a massive cooler into our hotel room for the night.

The next day, driving past miles of North Dakota fields, bursting with bright sunflowers, I was curious about their purpose. Wondering aloud if they were for human consumption, she responded to my question with one of her own: “Mom, do you ever quit thinking about food?” Fair enough.

Luckily for those obsessed with cheese curds, you can find them right here in Sandpoint at the Litehouse Specialty Food Store on Second Avenue. Store manager Autumn Inman reports that among the most excellent curds in the U.S. (including Wisconsin), Litehouse cheese-

maker Marvin’s cheddar curds took third place in 2019 at the American Cheese Society competition (I’m wondering if they need judges). Marvin makes 155 pounds of cheddar curds every other Monday, with a third of the batch going right across the street to The Hydra for their fried curd appetizer.

Nearly 20 years ago, Litehouse leased the Pend Oreille Cheese Company — and many of us are grateful they have continued the Beyer family tradition of making delicious — squeaky cheddar curds. Some of us are even card-carrying members (buy 10 bags and get one free).

Though most curds are fried and eaten as a snack, or served as a staple in poutine, I like them cold in salad or as garnish for Bloody Marys. Or just by the squeaky handful, this is a cheese that stands alone.

Cheese curd and tomato salad Nice flavorful salad that can be served as a side or a stand-alone. For a heartier meal, add salami, green olives and artichokes. Use the freshest curds available. Serve with fresh baguette.

INGREDIENTS: Salad: • 3 cups watercress, well rinsed and tough stems removed (Yokes almost always has fresh watercress) • 1 lb heirloom cherry tomatoes • 1 cup thinly sliced red onion • 8 ounces fresh cheese curd Vinaigrette: • 2 cloves garlic, minced • 1 tsp Dijon mustard • 1 tbs red wine vinegar • 1 tbs fresh squeezed lemon juice • 1/2 tsp sea salt • 1/2 tsp cracked black pepper • 1/4 cup good quality extra-virgin olive oil •3 tablespoons chopped parsley

DIRECTIONS: Place all vinaigrette ingredients (except oil) in a small bowl. Slowly add the oil, whisking, until it emulsifies.

On a platter, arrange the watercress, tomatoes and the onions. Sprinkle the cheese over the onions.

In a small bowl, whisk together the garlic, mustard, vinegar, salt and pepper.

Drizzle salad with the vinaigrette, and top with the fresh parsley.

Serves 4

MUSIC

Dream Festival

This week’s RLW by Ben Olson

READ

Lyndsie’s picks

From the time I could read to the present day, I have been a fan of Bill Watterson’s legendary comic strip Calvin and Hobbes.

More than just fodder for the funnies page, Calvin and Hobbes is a philosophy, a saga, a statement on life and — more than anything — downright pleasurable to look at. You can enjoy each strip at any age, gathering a different glimpse at Watterson’s brain each revisit.

I still have all the books I bought with my lawn-mowing money as a kid and it’s always a joy to return to them.

By Lyndsie Kiebert Reader Staff Last week, Reader Publisher Ben Olson and Editor-in-Chief Zach Hagadone shared their “dream” Festival at Sandpoint lineup in lieu of a real 2020 schedule, since the event has been canceled for the year.

This week, it’s my turn.

Week 1 Thursday My dream Festival opens with a double-whammy of timeless indie rock sound.

Dawes kicks off the night with easygoing guitar riffs and crystal clear lyrics, thanks to frontman Taylor Goldsmith and his smooth-as-butter voice. Upand-coming five-piece Mt. Joy draws from folk and jazz for a unique sound sure to appeal to Festival-goers of all ages and tastes, and is sure to bring the energy necessary to ring in Festival season.

Friday You would find me sleeping in my car outside the Memorial Field gates three days in advance if The Killers were ever slated to grace The Festival stage. In reality, this won’t happen until it’s my children asking, “Mom, who the heck are The Killers?” In this scenario, it’s happening while the band is still creating rock music that feels like an invention each time an album drops. Hearing “When You Were Young” live on the lake would be a religious experience.

Saturday It’s country night, and more importantly, it’s ladies’ night.

Mark my words — Tenille Townes will be a mainstay of country radio in coming years.

Her debut album The Lem-

LISTEN

The Festival at Sandpoint during a simpler time in the past. Photo by Racheal Baker. onade Stand is gaining steam thanks to her classic country voice and gift for storytelling.

Headlining this dream country night is incredible songwriter, vocalist and funny woman Kacey Musgraves. She’s trailer trash in her soul, but rhinestone-studded country royalty on the surface.

Sunday Pedro the Lion is back from the dead and performing my dream Festival. The first part of that sentence is true — David Bazan has the band back together after more than a decade of solo recording.

Pedro the Lion’s 2019 studio album Phoenix is a well-rounded compilation of stories from Bazan’s early life, and tracks like “Yellow Bike” and “Model Homes” would fit perfectly beneath The Festival tent.

Week 2 Thursday There is no world in which rising pop star Halsey would play Sandpoint on a Thursday

night, but this is my dream Festival, so she is. Coming off of her third studio album, the sassy, sad and strikingly honest artist is hitting her stride. I envision a live performance full of jubilant dance jams and angry sing-alongs — a detox for the soul, if you will. War Memorial Field wouldn’t know what hit it.

Friday This has to be my favorite night of Lyndsie’s Dream Festival: female indie rocker night. Australian singer-songwriter Angie McMahon would open with her deep vocals and catalog of songs full of angst and light. boygenius would headline — the ever-so-magical combination of Phoebe Bridgers, Julien Baker and Lucy Dacus. Why choose just one incredible woman of rock when you could have all three?

Bonus: They could also cover each other’s solo tracks. I’m on the verge of tears imagining it.

Saturday Rockabilly artist Chris Sta-

pleton would bring down The Festival tent with his infectious energy and powerful vocals.

As a veteran behind-the-scenes Nashville songwriter, Stapleton penned tunes for George Strait, Luke Bryan and Adele, among many others. I have a hard time believing he couldn’t have given each of those songs a life all their own. It seems everything he touches turns to guitar-shredding, chorus-shouting gold.

Sunday In closing, I choose an artist who was meant for the idyllic scene of The Festival at Sandpoint: Florence + the Machine. I actually saw Florence Welch and her band in a fancy concert hall in Phoenix in 2012, and I can confirm — that woman is a force. She belongs under the North Idaho stars, unencumbered by walls, and her listeners deserve plenty of space to dance and sway and feel all that her eclectic, soaring music has to offer.

Jason Molina is one of those tragic tales in music.

Like Elliott Smith, he was almost too beautiful for this world.

This prolific performer died in 2013 from alcoholism and organ failure, but not before leaving more than 20 albums and some of the most beautiful songs behind.

Whether it’s his work under the band name Songs: Ohia, or his solo work on albums like Autumn Bird Songs, Molina is a gem and his songs deserve to live on.

WATCH

This is really more of a listen than a watch, but it can count for both. If you haven’t checked out the “From the Basement” series on YouTube, put this paper down and look it up for crying out loud.

The U.K.-based concert series is a hybrid model intended to bring out the best live performance possible from bands by putting them up without an audience. The result is some of the most intimate, rewarding concert videos of all time.

There are a ton of artists who have recorded sets, but my personal favorite is when Radiohead performed their album In Rainbows. It was a flawless, hauntingly perfect performance.

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BACK OF THE BOOK

Adventures in ar-car-ology

Unearthing the long lost treasures and trash of my first car

By Lyndsie Kiebert Reader Staff

From Northern Idaho News, August 24, 1920

ROOSEVELT HERE FOR A VISIT When it became known that Franklin D. Roosevelt, democratic nominee for vice president, would pass over the Northern Pacific from the east lake Thursday, a few of the democrats of Sandpoint decided that they would have him stop here at least long enough to make a 10-minute speech from the rear end of the observation car. The committee got in touch with him and he sent a telegram saying he would gladly make a short speech if the train should stop long enough. As is often the case when people are on the qui vive to meet a friend of a distinguished man, the train was late and many waited at the station for two hours to see it come in and hear and see and shake hands with the distinguished candidate for vice president.

Under the leadership of Mrs. Nell K. Irion a beautiful basket of sweet peas was prepared and presented to Mr. Roosevelt when he finally arrived. Hidden in the bouquet was an appreciation of Mr. Roosevelt, written and printed in the office of the Northern Idaho News. ... The gift seemed to take the recipient by surprise but he thanked the donors very heartily and said it would give him pleasure on his journey. He held the basket in his right hand for a time as he stood on the platform and began his speech. If some enterprising camera fiend did not get a snapshot of his in that pose he missed a delightful occasion for a good picture and a memento that might be both interesting and valuable in coming years.

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I’ve had my first car, a sporty little Ford Focus hatchback, for four years. It’s served me well as a reliable commuter, but I decided this year it was time for something bigger; and, with all-wheel drive. One too many hopeless phone calls to report I was “stuck in the driveway” last winter made the decision easy: I would trade in the Focus for a pre-owned SUV. Before any trade-in could take place, my car was overdue for a serious interior cleaning. I discovered many treasures the afternoon I began the process. I found my glasses, which I hadn’t seen since last August. I found CDs spanning every genre and mood one could possibly feel in the car, from Snoop Dogg to Matchbox Twenty.

There were perfectly good pens, notebooks and hair ties. I even found four unopened AirHead candies in the back of the glovebox. They’d changed temperature so many times that they no longer resembled taffy and had to be thrown away, but I was grateful to my past self, nonetheless.

I learned a lot about myself while sifting through my car’s contents. I discovered I was a thief, having found three of those complimentary leashes they hand you at the veterinarian’s office. I might have also appeared to be a transient if a passing stranger were to peer into my trunk to discover two pairs of pants, four pairs of shoes and a dozen jackets and sweatshirts. As it turns out, I just like to be prepared with whatever outfit the day demands.

Perhaps most disturbing was the number of drinking receptacles hiding beneath the seats — most of them empty, thank heavens. I curse every time over the past four years I bought a new water bottle or coffee mug, seeing as there were 10 perfectly good ones rolling around beneath me.

I’ll admit that my car also revealed some of my — to put it lightly — pigsty ten-

STR8TS Solution

dencies. I found enough Goldfish crackers to fulfill a day’s necessary caloric intake, alongside an apple that — upon blind touch — I assumed was a balled up pair of nylon tights. I also removed enough dog hair to build an artistic reconstruction of my dog, and so many napkins that I’m now positive the people in the Taco Bell drive-thru know my face and order by heart.

Most of all, I found stories — both literal (I unearthed at least 50 copies of the Reader) and abstract. Press passes told stories of basketball games I covered in college and concerts where I was fortunate enough to stand stageside. I found receipts from grocery trips when I first moved out of my parents’ house, and from gas stations between Hope and Boise — the farthest my car had ever been from home.

There were thank-you cards, coffee punch cards and scribbled story ideas on scratch paper tucked into every nook and cranny that Ford Focus offered. I drove 78,000 miles in that car, all the while graduating college, finding jobs, nurturing relationships and figuring out how, exactly, to be an adult.

Lyndsie Kiebert sent this “guilty” photo to her mom after telling her that she’d definitely lost her glasses. Photo by Lyndsie Kiebert.

Family members refer to my new-to-me SUV as my “grown-up” car, but it was in my little Focus that I grew up.

Crossword Solution

Sudoku Solution

Whenever I see an old lady slip and fall on a wet sidewalk, my first instinct is to laugh. But then I think, what if I was an ant, and she fell on me. Then it wouldn’t seem quite so funny.

Laughing Matter

esurient

Woorf tdhe Week

CROSSWORD

By Bill Borders

/ ih-SOOR-ee-uhnt / [adjective] 1. hungry; greedy.

“Beware the legion of esurient, untrustworthy politicians in this race.”

Corrections: In a letter to the editor from Betty Gardner in the Aug. 6 edition of the Sandpoint Reader, the writer referred to the “Chief of Police” supporting “militia” members when she was actually referring to Bonner County Sheriff Daryl Wheeler. Gardner wanted to make sure to correct this reference in this week’s edition.

ACROSS 1. The yarn woven across 5. First Greek letter 10. Automobiles 14. Dogfish 15. Flies alone 16. Double-reed woodwind 17. Buxom 19. Central area of a church 20. French for “Summer” 21. Corrodes 22. Not before 23. Break 25. Panache 27. Frozen water 28. Type of parallelogram 31. Wuss 34. Menial laborers 35. Actress Lupino 36. Prima donna problems 37. Foolishness 38. Engendered 39. Arrive (abbrev.)

40. Fat 41. Civet-like mammal 42. Repairman 44. Tin 45. A red fluorescent dye 46. Anticipate 50. Circumscribe 52. Solidifies 54. Historic period 55. 1 1 1 1 56. Deaths 58. Leave in a hurry 59. An elastic fabric

Copyright www.mirroreyes.com

Solution on page 22

Solution on page 22

Solution on page 22 11. Slaughterhouses 12. Wander 13. Clairvoyant 18. Expensive 22. Charity 24. Quarries DOWN 26. Hyrax 1. Have second thoughts 28. Museum piece 2. Overact 29. Midmonth date 3. Dossiers 30. 20th-century 4. Letter after sigma art movement 5. Keen 31. Where two 6. Wingless pieces meet bloodsucking insect 32. Monster 7. Conspiracy 33. Finely chopped 8. Family meat or fish 9. Donkey 34. Egotists 10. Chitchat 60. A single time 61. Makes lace 62. Doorkeeper 63. Animal companions

37. French for Finished or Done 38. Part of a skeleton 40. Not first 41. The language of Persia 43. Lifting devices 44. Take into custody 46. Emergency signal 47. A river through Paris 48. Construct 49. Relieves 50. Misplaced 51. Ancient Peruvian 53. Carve in stone 56. Grippe 57. Not bottom August 13, 2020 / R / 23