READER February 12 / FREE / Vol. 12 issue 4
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Kochava Mobile Summit
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Winter Carnival Highlights
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The anatomy of a Live Music scene
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DITCH THE FLAME
PONDERAY, ID 110 TIBBETS DR. #3
263-1972
VAPING OPPORTUNITIES FOR EVERY BUDGET THE LARGEST SELECTION FOR THE BEGINNER TO THE MOST ADVANCED
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(wo)MAN compiled by
Susan Drinkard
on the street
Does the community have the right to require that all children be vaccinated against childhood diseases or should this be left up to individual parents? “I believe it’s a parent’s choice. My husband and I went back and forth about it, but after we became more educated about it through information provided by my sister, who is an R.N., we decided to vaccinate.” Ashley Fredricks Stay-at-home mom Sagle
“Growing up in the 1950s and ’60s everyone I knew had those diseases. I lost significant hearing due to a high fever with the measles. I still think it’s the parents’ right to make the decision on whether or not to vaccinate, but I would hope that decision would be an informed one. What happens when unvaccinated children grow up and get one of these diseases?” Maggie Mjelde Daycare Owner Kootenai
“My daughter is vaccinated. Everyone should be.” Mike Wallace Log house builder Troy, Montana
“I know some people who don’t vaccinate, but I do.” Amanda Daniels Stay-at-home mom of three Elmira “No child is an island unto himself or herself. We live in communities. We need to be mindful of others and not infringe on the health of others. I think there should be a choice, but when you make a decision, you must be aware of the repercussions.” Elizabeth Glidden CNA Sandpoint
DEAR READERS,
The Sandpoint Winter Carnival arrives this week, and with it a whole bevy of entertaining events for you to kick the rainy winter blues. The Parade of Lights will take place downtown, kicking off at 5:30pm on Friday the 13th (cue scary music), following by the ever-popular Cirque de Sandpoint (which I have somehow been talked into being the MC for) at the Jeff Jones Town Square and Pend d’ Oreille Winery. President’s Day Weekend will host Pardi Gras up at Schweitzer, just as our Founding Fathers would’ve wanted it. Don’t miss the Laser Light Show on Sunday the 16th at sundown. The Taste of Sandpoint is back, now called Winter Bites. It’s only $1 to get in, and features great sample dishes and drinks from local restaurants at bite-sized prices. Finally, we’re still seeking artists to help us generate these great covers every week. Do you have an idea for a cover? Send an email to ben@sandpointreader.com and tell me about it. This week’s cover by Whitney Palmer is another example of the great talent that comes from this town. -Ben Olson, Publisher
TABLE OF CONTENTS commentary
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Scotman Peaks Retirement? By Doug Scott
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Cabbie Column By Louie De Palma
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News By Reader Staff
news
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Kochava Mobile Summit By Cameron Rasmusson Winter Carnival has arrived! By Cameron Rasmusson
calendar
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The Event Calendar
arts & culture
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111 Cedar Street, Suite 9 Sandpoint, ID 83864 (208)265-9724
www.sandpointreader.com Publisher: Ben Olson ben@sandpointreader.com Editor: Cameron Rasmusson cameron@sandpointreader.com Zach Hagadone (emeritus)
feature
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READER
‘The Clink’ in review By Kate McAlister Dine Around Sandpoint By Reader Staff What makes a local music scene? By Sarah Berentson Then & Now, sudoku, classifieds
Contributing Artists: Whitney Palmer, Daniel Cape, Susan Drinkard, Monte Dodge, Ben Olson, Sonny Moeckel, Irene Weit, Mark J. Anderson Contributing Writers: Cameron Rasmusson, Ben Olson, Doug Scott, Louie De Palma, Kate McAlister, Sarah Berentson Submit stories to: stories@sandpointreader.com Printed weekly at: Griffin Publishing Spokane, Wash. Subscription Price: $75 per year Advertising: Jen Landis jen@sandpointreader.com Andrew Sorg andrew.c.sorg@gmail.com Clint Nicholson clint@keokee.com 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.
Sandpoint Reader letter policy: The Sandpoint Reader welcomes letters to the editor on all topics. Requirements: –No more than 500 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 was painted by Whitney Palmer, a Sandpoint native. Whitney received a BA from the University of Oregon. To see more of her work, login to www.fineartamerica. com/art/all/whitney+palmer/all
READER February 12, 2015 /
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COMMENTARY
Scotchman Peaks: a different kind of retirement community
By Doug Scott For SPR
Irv and Carol Jenkins lived in Houston. Like many, they looked at many communities, wanting nothing to do with anything called a “retirement community.” Both found that Sandpoint offered a welcoming community with a wealth of new friends and volunteer opportunities. It was close enough to Spokane for the airport, yet far enough to be sheltered in the shadows of Scotchman Peaks. Likewise, the wild glory of the Western Larch lured Marilyn McIntyre here 35 years ago. She has since helped plant thousands of little leafless sticks into old clear cuts. It was, she says, “my first acquaintance with these deciduous conifers.” “It didn’t take me long to appreciate the bright green newly needled giants that I saw all around the edges,” she said. “When the fall came, I was a mountain dwelling landowner with golden larch surrounding my cabin. Soon the needles fell in the wind and snow, leaving the dark green conifers— so a collage of white, yellow, brown, and green—the palette of wilderness!” A love for the colors of the wilderness is what drives conservation activists like McIntyre and the Jenkins. They have been instrumental in supporting the soon-to-be announced final forest plan and its recommendation of the Scotchman Peaks Wilderness Area. This wonderful area seems to me to be the capstone of your community, anchoring the wild end of the spectrum of our natural environment. The hikes there are awesome. A walk up through the forest is a trip northward, for we pass through life zones that are found up toward Canada. Friends has free hikes every weekend, snow or no. Check out the hike schedule and their many other activities and the details about the proposed wilderness area—it’s important for our future: www.scotchmanpeaks.org. Getting to the top is a push, but the rewards are a great view, and if you are fortunate, some face-time with a mountain goat or two. Spring is coming; the lambs are beyond adorable. They’re creatures that depend upon two things: their ancient wild home and our forbearance in not screwing it up. Fortunately, it appears the fortress of 4 /
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Doug Scott crossing a fallen log over the East Fork of Lightning Creek. Photo courtesy of Monte Dodge and Friends of Scotchman Peaks Wilderness. the goats will remain. The first week of January, the U.S. Forest Service recommended that Congress protect the majority of the Scotchman Peaks Area as wilderness. Wilderness is the strongest form of protection our society can confer on the most natural of our national forests and other federal conservation lands. Once Congress passes the law, only another act of Congress can move the boundary, even a bit. While we can’t foresee any threats to the Scotchman today, we are only being prudent, for who knows what may come around the corner. This is real progress. It is the next to last step. We now need the members of the Idaho and Montana congressional delegation to introduce and champion the necessary legislation. All of us, especially constituents, must put our shoulders to the wheel, organizing an outpouring of grassroots support. It’s always the fuel for this kind of legislation. That is exactly why in Montana, they are celebrating a federal law passed in December establishing new wilderness along the east flank of the northern Rockies—additions to the Bob Marshall and Scapegoat Wilderness Areas. That was the work of conservationists, local dude ranchers and other small business
owners, and outfitters and guides. The upshot: not only Senator Jon Tester, the Democrat who had long led the way, but then-Congressman Steven Daines, Republican, who joined him and who is now a member of the Senate. This is the proven way to gain the proven protection of the 1964 Wilderness Act for our area. This is the way more than 109,750,000 acres in 44 states have been protected. Hard to visualize? Well, that is just shy of five percent of the entire landmass of the United States! Thanks to our community and the
leadership of Friends of the Scotchman Peaks Wilderness, this is what we can do for the goats, and the flowers, and the larch of the Scotchman. Join in! Doug Scott is a former national parks and wilderness lobbyist who has worked for The Wilderness Society, the Sierra Club, and the Campaign for America’s Wilderness and more. He now works as a motivational speaker on Wilderness issues and as principal of Doug Scott Wilderness Consulting.
PERSPECTIVES It’s not heaven, but it is a clean ride A local cabbie’s perspective on squirrels, sorcery, dental hygiene, and life in general
By Louie De Palma For SPR Illustration by Daniel Cape If someone told me 10 years ago that I would be getting paid to sit in a car waiting for excitement to come my way, I would have called it some science fiction voodoo. Yet here I am, driving a taxi every night, and sure enough, excitement is quick to follow. How exciting, you ask? I’m talking close encounters with three very real Bonner County sorceresses who taught me three valuable life lessons. The first sorceress was a little old woman who needed a ride a few blocks away to the grocery storm during a snow storm. At first glance, she had all the normal characteristics: frail, shaky and very polite. It wasn’t until the grocery checkout line that she revealed her occult powers. It started out innocently enough, with the usual guess-your-sign song and dance. “You’re a fire sign and a Scorpio at that,” she said. “I’m a Virgo,” I politely corrected. “That’s what I thought,” she said with confidence. I was taken aback by her uncanny abilities of divination, but like any self-respecting cabbie, I remained calm in the
face of the inexplicable. But that was just the beginning. She then regaled me with tales of the powerhouse celebrities she’d rubbed elbows with years ago. The names included Marilyn Monroe, Etta James and even Jimi Hendrix, who was the only man to make her toes curl without touching her by playing the “Star Spangled Banner” with his teeth. Rubbing elbows with the big wigs wasn’t all she did. She also rubbed their palms, and read them, too. The most important palms belonged to John F. Kennedy. She said she served as his personal psychic, which frightened me. Either she read him as inaccurately she read me, or she purposely hid his unfortunate fate from him, thereby changing history. This was terrifying and powerful magic indeed. That wasn’t the only time I encountered magic in my journeys. En route one afternoon from the bar to the food bank, as one often is, I met another woman with the ability to speak with squirrels. “I’m a squirrel whisperer,” she said with all the authority it warranted. “So you’re kind of like the Snow White of Ponderay?” I asked. She agreed with that description and then educated me on regional squirrel commu-
nities. You see, the Ponderay squirrels, or country squirrels as she affectionately calls them, are very nice and friendly. She feeds them cakes from the food bank, and they rightly adore and respect her for this. Yet the urban city squirrels are apparently very aggressive in nature, preferring a diet of trash. I wasn’t convinced until I pulled into my driveway and encountered one of these ruffian urban squirrels for myself. It nearly bluff-charged me atop my trash can, chirping in what could only be rude squirrel slang. I am now an advocate of gentrifying the urban squirrels and am a firm believer that we must let them eat cake. They deserve the same rights as the well-to-do Ponderay country squirrels. Everyone, please feed them cake as much as possible. My last experience with a magic woman began with a startling voicemail. “Hello. I’m going to take a bath, then I need you to pick me up from my home in Naples and take me to the dentist to have all of my teeth pulled out. It’s an emergency.” I set on my way, wondering what kind of tooth-pulling emergency allowed for a bath beforehand. The woman turned out to be a humble crystal shaman who simply needed routine complete-tooth-pulling. In the cab, we discussed how she hadn’t seen a moose yet but very much wanted to, so I showed her a picture on my phone. She declared the photo her first moose sighting and blessed me on the spot. But the real magic started in the most unlikely of places: the Burger King drive-through. “The dentist told me to get a Whopper for energy, because I haven’t eaten anything solid in three days,” she said. “I’m
normally a vegetarian, but I get a Whopper from time to time.” Given that the Whopper is a widely-prescribed remedy, I didn’t bat an eye. It was then she donned her magic crystal necklace that, as she explained, had been blessed by natives in Seattle. “When I put it on, I always have a good day,” she said. I didn’t think much about it until the shaman began squealing and shaking with such glee that two tomatoes fell from her burger into her lap. There, on the side of the road, was a moose. “My second moose! I told you the necklace made good days,” she croaked Damned if she wasn’t right. I dropped her off at home to
revel in her moose-sightings. She told me I had earned a spot in heaven next to Jesus. Not bad for a day’s work. All in all, magic has taught me some valuable lessons. First: Don’t think too much about the influence of the past on the present. It’s not like you let JFK die or anything. Second: Sometimes you gotta give a trash squirrel some cake. Finally: Always look for the moose in your day. I look forward to meeting more sorcerers and sorceresses. I may not be Jesus, but you’ve all earned a seat next to me. It’s not heaven but it is a clean ride.
North Idaho Cupid By Daniel Cape
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NEWS
News in Brief
Two-way traffic ahead for downtown Sandpoint
rerouting project. Similar to the abandoned Curve project, it will use right-of-way already owned by ITD. Another open question is how the city will resolve the tricky intersection at Church Street, Bridge Street and First Avenue. Van Dyk said the city is hiring an expert consultant to resolve the issue.
According to Van Dyk, the service levels should only be noticeable under the busiest traffic times. Furthermore, he’s not confident that Sandpoint traffic will increase to the level ITD is projecting. Only time will tell whether the city will need additional rerouting work sooner or later.
While the resort has closed off the North Bowl area, they’re still committed to a full season’s activity, Mirus said. They’re anticipating a drop in temperature after this weekend, at which point they’ll begin making snow once again. “We’re committed to daily operations through Sunday, April 5 even if we’ve got lim-
ited open terrain,” Schweitzer CEO Tom Chasse said in an email to staff. “If we have an opportunity, we will begin snow-making efforts to help fortify our base to ensure we meet our target of April 5.” According to Mirus, the closest precedent to this year’s weather is the 2004-’05 season, which
still saw more than 100 inches of snow in March. Resort staff hope winter sports fans make the trek out and try conditions out for themselves.
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struction and equipment installation will likely begin in 2016. The proposed reconfiguration has support from several local business owners, including Pend d’Oreille Winery owners Steve and Julie Meyers and Cedar Street Bridge owner Jeff Bond. They say the new traffic plan will improve safety, boost business and clear the way for highly anticipated improvements along First Avenue, including increased parking. On the other hand, some residents are wringing their hands over ITD engineers’ projections that a few Sandpoint streets intersecting the new U.S. 2 will fall to a service level of “D” during peak hours. Under the agreement council members approved, ITD representatives note that the reconfiguration won’t meet the state’s design standards. Should traffic levels fall to “F” level, the agreement necessitates development of a new
Av e
Get ready to reconsider your driving habits, because big changes are likely on the way for Sandpoint’s downtown streets. City Council members approved an agreement with Idaho Transportation Department Wednesday night that will convert Fifth Avenue to two-way traffic. East of Fifth, Cedar and Church streets and First Avenue will also utilize two-way traffic following the changes. With U.S. 2 traffic flowing directly onto Fifth Avenue instead of routing through Pine Street, First Avenue and Cedar Street, the city will regain control of downtown streets operated by the state. The changes are contingent upon approval from the ITD board, which Sandpoint Public Works Director Kody Van Dyk said is meeting next week to discuss the issue. Assuming board members clear funding and approve the project, con-
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By Reader Staff
Schweitzer staying the course By Reader Staff
No two ways about it—the winter weather this year hasn’t exactly lit the fire of regional skiers and snowboarders. But the folks at Schweitzer Mountain Resort aren’t throwing in the towel just yet. According to marketing director Sean Mirus, resort officials are pushing back against rumors they’ll be closing early.
Calm days in the Village before the Winter Carnival begins. Photo courtesy of Schweitzer Mountain Resort 6 /
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Sasquatch Music Festival announces lineup
Sasquatch Music Fesitval, held over Memorial Day weekend at the Gorge in George, Wash., announced its lineup last week, and man, is it a doozy. Headliners include Kendrick Lamar, Robert Plant, Modest Mouse, Lana Del Rey, Ryan Adams, Of Monsters and Men, The Decemberists, Tame Impala, St. Vincent, Flume, Spoon, James Blake and Chromeo. The undercard is just as solid. Me? I’m digging The New Pornographers, The War on Drugs, and Sharon Van Etten to name a few, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Check out www.sasquatchfestival.com for the full lineup, and start saving those clams if a ticket is in the cards. A weekend pass costs $350, and camping isn’t included in the cost this time around.
Big Bang or barely a whimper?
So, about the origins of the universe—would you believe it if I told you we still haven’t reached a consensus on this one? Never mind religion and science advocates’ frequent fisticuffs over whether that transitional fossil is really transitiony enough or whether Noah was truly the world’s first zookeeper-turned-mariner. Fans of extremely angry YouTube comments will continue to be entertained for the foreseeable future. Turns out, though, that some within the scientific community are rethinking this whole Big Bang thing, too. Phys.org is reporting that a new quantum equation suggests the universe has always existed. The new model apparently has the potential to address astrophysicist bugaboos like dark energy and dark matter. Pretty nifty. As always, with new ideas comes the potential for new arguments. That’s good news for YouTube user Asrat Mengesha, who can continue to weigh in with comments like, “What is (sic) that idiots are evolved from? thanks.”
Kochava Moblle Summit: A window into the future Consider the phone sitting in your pocket or purse right now. Chances are it’s a smartphone, packing more computational power than NASA needed for the moon landings. And if you think your life revolves around it now, baby, you ain’t seen nothing yet. Local software developer and mobile advertising analytics company Kochava is primed to ride the digital wave as mobile devices becomes increasingly ubiquitous. The company is also guiding the industry conversation with the Kochava Mobile Summit, now in its second year. The three-day conference is envisioned as the premiere event for companies invested in mobile advertising. “[This year] has already been much better,” Kochava CEO Charles Manning said. “We’ve got great content lined up. We’re a bit larger, but we’ve capped it off intentionally.” Limiting attendance with an invite-only system imbues the mobile summit with an air of exclusivity. According to Kochava leaders, the aim is to make invitations a highly-desired and prestigious offering. Sure enough, it’s hard not to be impressed by the lineup of guests and keynote speakers. Representatives of massive companies like Pandora, Google, Priceline and more arrived in Sandpoint to participate in the conference. Sessions kicked off Wednesday with the kind of crackling energy only seen among professionals motivated by the same passions. And all were eager to discuss the coming trends of a very lucrative industry. “We’re seeing a greater maturation [of mobile advertising],” Manning said. “We want to have a deeper conversation about what ... mobile marketing means to our audiences.” According to Rob Griffin, director
of digital media innovation for Havas Media Group and a summit keynote speaker, the mobile device is taking an increasingly central place in the average person’s life. Smartphones, tablets and other mobile tech, for instance, are usually the first of many devices people check in their day. Within the past several years, companies have made tremendous strides in providing a cohesive experience over those devices, whether it be a streaming Netflix movie picking up on your tablet where you left off on your TV or Dropbox keeping all your work files at hand. Advertisement, one of the most lucrative revenue streams for mobile content publishers, is becoming similarly sophisticated. With more data increasingly available in digital platforms, the business is ceding from the television model of putting ads in front of as many eyeballs as possible to targeted ads that know who you are, what you enjoy and what products might appeal to you. Kochava is positioning itself as a global leader in providing publishers and advertisers the data they need to make smart choices. Knowing who is looking at your advertisements and whether or not they’re giving you sales or downloads is critical information, and Kochava helps companies navigate that data in what many consider the most comprehensive platform available. “Kochava is essentially the Switzerland between me as a publisher and them as advertisers,” said Richard Rabbat, who runs advertising through the Tango messaging app. With more scrutiny than ever before on corporate and government access to sensitive data, managing personal information responsibly and safely is a tricky balance to maintain. Rabbat relies on Kochava’s highly-secured system to keep that balance in check. “For us, the security of data is critical,” he said. The fact that so much of your personal information floats around in cy-
Isabella found it easy to sit for her portrait with her new smartphone to pass the time
berspace is more than a little creepy. However, with more and more technology and software companies offering a great user experience in exchange for that information, many find the tradeoff worthwhile, according to Griffin. And while the Internet is the most trackable form of media yet realized, he said it’s also one of the most controllable on an individual level.
In the end, mobile advertising keeps the money behind the ongoing digital revolution flowing. A future where almost every aspect of your personal and professional life is managed through the device in your pocket may well be on the way. And Sandpoint, Idaho, of all places, provides the setting where industry leaders imagine what that future could look like.
Get a taste of the mobile summit—not to mention a high octane blast of aural energy—with a show by Brooklyn-based soul band The Pimps of Joytime tonight. One of Kochava CEO Charles Manning’s favorite bands, The Pimps of Joytime are flying in as a special attraction for the second day the mobile summit conference. The public is invited to attend the performance at The Hive for what promises to be a cracking good time. Doors open at 8 p.m. and the show starts at 9 p.m. Tickets cost $10 and are available in advance at www.livefromthehive.com or at the door. February 12, 2015 /
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By Cameron Rasmusson For SPR
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LOVE... we have a flower for that
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Live music from Marty Perron & Doug Bond 5pm @ Idaho Pour Authority Parade of Lights and Bonfire 5:30pm @ Downtown Sandpoint The annual snow shovel brigade and zany floats take the downtown by storm! DJ Cakemix 9pm - Midnight @ 219 Lounge
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Chocolate Extravaganza 6pm - 9pm @ Cedar Street Bridge Hosted by the Lake Pend Oreille Waterkeepers Live Music by The Pimps of Joytime 9pm @ The Hive - tickets $10 Presented by Kochava and Pandora
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Live Music with Ron Criscione 7pm @ La Rosa Club Plays an eclectic mix form the 60’s to present. Covers peppered with originals and obscure tunes you haven’t heard in a long time
Northwest Handmade 5pm - 8pm @ Northwest Owners Dan and Pam M of doing business in San to Pam’s daughter Lauri All are welcome. Food,
Cirque de Sandpoint 6:30pm @ Jeff Jones T High-flying, fire-breath bling extravaganza wit
Live Music with One 5:30pm @ Pend d’Ore Father-daughter duo fr
Live Music with Be 5pm @ Idaho Pour
Live Music with Ja 5:30pm @ Pend d’ O
First Saturday @ Bonner Co. History Museum 10am - 2pm FREE - unveiling of 4 new exhibits
2nd Annual Fat Bik 1pm @ Western Ple Riders are invited on poker hand in an att 265.4496 or www.g Dine Around Sand Schweitzer Mountain Resort Passport Event Diners, start your e 10am - 2pm @ Schweitzer participating restau Complimentary Nastar Runs with a winter passport. name in the hat for For more info, call the activities center @ SchMonday Night Blu weitzer Mountain Resort. 7:30pm @ Eichard Laser Light Show! 7:15pm @ Schweitzer Mountain Resort A mesmerizing laser show set to music over the village & onto the ski runs
Karaoke Night 9pm - Midnight @ 219 Lounge You are the wind beneath my wings
KPND Ski & Board Party 5:30pm @ Kootenai River Brewing Co. Food, prizes, BEER!
Trivia Night 7pm - 9pm @ MickDuff’s Impress your friends with u
Bingo Night 6:15 @ MickDuff’ Bingo was his nam
Cards Against Hu 7pm @ Neighborh
Winter Bites (formerly the Taste of Sandpoint) 5pm - 8pm @ Sandpoint Events Center Over a dozen local restaurants offer their best fares at bite-sized pri Admission is $1 at the door, most sample dishes / drinks are $3-$7 The Annual 219 Party From 2:19pm on @ the 219 (see the ad below for more info)
ful
Open House t Handmade Mimmack celebrate 20 years ndpoint and pass the baton ie Huston, the new owner. drinks, giveaways.
Town Square hing, hula-hooping, tumth the S.T.E.P. gymnasts
Street Over eille Winery rom Nashville
en & Cadie Authority
ake Robin Oreille Winery
February 12 - 19, 2015
A weekly entertainment guide to keep you on your toes. To list your event free, please send an email to calendar@sandpointreader.com. Reader recommended
Exploring the Ice Age Floods by Bruce Bjornstad 7pm @ Sandpoint Community Hall - FREE Lecture by the author of field guides on the Ice Age Floods. Presentation will include video images and refreshments. (Note: this is not a lecture about those silly movies, but about the actual Ice Age. You know, the one that actually happened)
Sandpoint Contra Dance 7pm - 10pm @ Sandpoint Community Hall
McManus In Love - 7:30pm @ The Pearl Theater, B. Ferry One-man comedy by humorist Patrick McManus, $22 at door Guest Ranch Valentine Dinner 5pm - 10pm @ Western Pleasure Guest Ranch Call 263-9066 for reservations
McManus In Love - 7:30pm @ The Pearl Theater, B. Ferry One-man comedy by humorist Patrick McManus, $22 at door DJ Cakemix 9pm - Midnight @ 219 Lounge Pardi Gras Weekend @ Schweitzer Live Music from Miah Kohal Band @ Taps
ke Poker Ride Sponsored by Greasy Fingers. easure Guest Ranch $10 entry fee. n the groomed trails at Western Pleasure, stopping at four locations as they build a tempt to win a grand prize. Hot drinks and refreshments after the ride. greasyfingersbikes.com for more info dpoint Begins engines. Drop into a urant and enter your one of many prizes
Upcoming Events
ues Jam w/ Truck Mills dt’s Pub
Feb 26 - ‘Live @ The Office’ with Cedar & Boyer Feb 28 - The Princess and the Pea @ The Panida
’s Beer Hall me-o
ices. apiece.
Feb 21 - Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe @ The Hive Feb 22 - K9 Keg Pull and Neighborhood Coffee Tasting and Family Faire @ The Granary
useless knowledge
umanity hood Pub
Feb 20 - LeRoy Bell @ the Panida Theater
Mar 6-7 - The Follies @ The Panida Theater Five Minutes of Fame 6:30pm @ Cafe Bodega in Foster’s Crossing Writers, musicians, listeners... lend me your ears!
Wine Dinner with Morgan Winery 6:30pm @ Forty-One South Full five course dinner paired with Morgan Winery selections. Cost is $75/person, including tax and gratuity. Live Music with Ben & Cadie 5pm @ Idaho Pour Authority
Live Music with Harold’s IGA 9pm @ 219 Lounge
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42nd Annual Winter Carnival Highlights Cirque de Sandpoint
K-9 Keg Pull
While the Sandpoint Winter Carnival offers its share of spectacular events, there might be no better-loved attraction than the K-9 Keg Pull. There’s just something about families getting together and competing their dogs in a keg pulling competition that brings out the best in everyone. Managed by Eichardt’s Pub, the keg pull takes place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 22, at the Granary near Evans Brothers Coffee. The location is a change implemented last year, replacing the alley near Eichardt’s as the venue. According to Eichardt’s owner Jeff Nizzoli, the keg pull simply outgrew the alley’s limited space that left people lining up down the street. The new location allows for beer sales on-site, which is no doubt good news for both Eichardt’s and several parents in attendance. It also pairs nice10 /
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ey Wathen and Kaylee Tillberg should have a few tricks up their sleeves as well. According to S.T.E.P. director Bo Whitley, the guiding idea behind Cirque de Sandpoint is to provide all the excitement of Cirque du Soliel in a much smaller package. While limited in what they can do for insurance and logistical reasons, the team still provides plenty of thrills with the equipment at hand. “We’re big into props,” Whitley said. “We want to take the skills we have and apply them to something bigger.” S.T.E.P’s name is derived from their motto: Seeking To Encourage People. The Whitleys believe that gymnastics can be a tool to inspire discipline and community activism in young people.
Sun. Feb 22nd @ 10am
Photo courtesy of Mark J. Anderson and EzyDog
Try not to hold your breath when the S.T.E.P. crew does its thing at the Cirque de Sandpoint, one of the highlights of the annual Winter Carnival. Suspended in the air by nothing more than a thin band of ribbon, the ensemble of gymnasts prove that discipline and athleticism can seemingly defy gravity itself. The spectacular displays of agility are all thanks to painstaking practice at the S.T.E.P. training center, located in Kootenai. Starting around 6:30 p.m. Friday by Jeff Jones Town Square, Cirque de Sandpoint utilizes gymnasts of all ages. S.T.E.P. trainer Chantel Whitley is back to climb to dizzying heights with her ribbon gymnastic routine, while Annika Hinds shows off her skill with a rhythmic hoop display. Autumn Whitley, Alex Brown, Lilliahna Aimes, Lac-
Fri. Feb 13th @ 6:30pm
ly with Evans Brothers’ coffee tasting event, which runs from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. and features hot chocolate, live music, crafts and other activities. The K-9 Keg Pull’s popularity is no mystery to Nizzoli. After all, no one can deny the charm of a dog pulling a beer keg in a variety of breed-appropriate sizes while their owner cheers them on from the finish line. It’s something everyone from kids to grandparents can enjoy. Managed by Eichardt’s since 2002, the K-9 Keg Pull is a distinctly Sandpoint event that shows the town at its most charming. Even better, the $5 entry fee goes to benefit Panhandle Animal Shelter, so there’s a lot of reasons to feel good about potential canine confusion. “It’s the last day of the Winter Carnival, so we want to make it a real Sandpoint finale,” Nizzoli said.
Chantel Whitley doing what she does best: wowing the crowds with her high-flying athletic ability
Photo by Ben Olson
By Cameron Rasmusson For SPR
They back up their beliefs by requiring participants to perform several community service projects every year, a policy they strictly enforce. “We want to reach out to kids to be athletic and be involved,” Whitley said. Cirque de Sandpoint is preced-
ed by the Winter Carnival Parade of Lights, which starts at 5:30 p.m. at Pend d’Oreille Winery. According to Business Improvement District manager Kim Queen, the parade should be bigger than ever this year with twice as many participants.
Schweitzer Glow Parade and Fireworks Sat. Feb 21st @ 6pm
Need a good reason to ascend the mountain during the Winter Carnival? Look no further than the glow parade and fireworks show. Starting at 6 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 21, the evening kicks off with the famous parade, a glowing snake of skiiers descending the mountain in tight formation. A fireworks show follows the parade. And lest you think the evening is over, there’s plenty of beer waiting you at the Taps blacklight party. Vintage, neon-colored ski apparel is encouraged, so go raiding your closet for the most cringe-worthy get-up you can find.
2:19 at the 219 Thurs. Feb 19 @ 2:19pm
Drop by the 219 on—when else?— Feb. 19 for the most calendar-appropriate celebration of the year. The craziness kicks off at 2:19 p.m. (are you detecting a trend, yet?), with food available from 5-7 p.m. and live music from 9 p.m. to midnight. Here’s where the 219 theme should really catch your interest—all draft beers will be $2.19 a pint, and several drink specials will be going for the same price.
Life lessons learned in ‘The Clink’ By Kate McAlister For SPR
One of the great artistic triumphs of our little village is how we support up-and-coming playwrights. Consider “The Clink,” for instance. Coeur d’Alene native Kristin Cooper-Herby teamed up with her father, Tom Cooper, to write the book, lyrics and music for this jailhouse musical. Cooper-Herby even handled the spotlight during the show, a detail local community theater lovers will be sure to appreciate. Meanwhile, theater veteran John Allred directed and designed the artistic jailhouse set. Even the musicians were behind bars. Very clever. Based on Cooper-Herby’s own life experiences, the storyline revolves around Fifi (Anika Bryceson) and her inability to conceive. Her desolate mood one particular day leads to drinking and a DUI arrest. She is sentenced to two days in “the clink,” where she joined three other cellmates who gave her a dose of reality and change her life for the better. Faith Mitchell as Norma Rae Strong—Norm for short—is bearing
A theatrical review
the burden of not coming out to her family as a lesbian. Her incarceration starts after she becomes a heroine addict and is caught robbing a store. The most poignant song of the play is Norm singing “True To Myself,” which the audience greeted with zealous applause and shouts of support. Deana LaCoco, played by Stacia Bruner, brings a delightful hard shell exterior and colorful vocabulary into the mix, not to mention an amazing singing voice. Her crime: attempted murder. She catches her husband sleeping with her mother and attempts to stop him from cheating ... forever. She’s promptly arrested. In the song “The Queen of Mean,” she describes her husband as a “mother-f’er,” which in all fairness is true. Lula (Morgan Keller) is bi-polar and thinks she’s French. She’s been in and out of the system her entire life, running mostly from abuse. She is fond of Fifi’s French-sounding name. During intermission, I was delighted to meet Cooper-Herby. I asked her
how it felt to see her story on the stage. “Surreal and nerve-wracking,” she said. “I got the DUI 24 years ago and my dad kept encouraging me to write about it. We started working on the musical about two and half years ago and to finally see it on stage is remarkable.” The play’s second half focuses on Fifi’s infertility and her relationship with her husband Dan (Martin Sanks). The drama culminates in a jailhouse visit where she admits the problem is hers. A sweet moment happens between husband and wife as they sing “Sweet Baby.”
In the end, Fifi is released, and she and her cellmates sing the finale, “Home.” This poignant and lovely song had some of the most beautiful harmonies I’ve heard in a long time. The precise blending of the cast’s four voices was a feast for my ears. Although “The Clink” will be gone by the time you read this, I recommend you see it if it comes back around. The music is fabulous and makes me want to have a soundtrack to my own life. Brava! Kate McAlister, better known as the Queen of Ireland, is no stranger to theater. She has played several roles in local productions, and is the president of the Greater Sandpoint Chamber of Commerce.
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FOOD
Participating Restaurants:
Dine Around Sandpoint kicks off month-long event
Local restaurateurs Dave Vermeer (left) and Justin Dick
By Reader Staff For SPR
Most people don’t need an excuse to dine in Sandpoint. For such a small town, the level of culinary talent packed into its borders give foodies enough intriguing menus to keep busy for a while. Then again, a little extra incentive doesn’t hurt to push families out the door. And starting this Monday, there’s no better opportunity than Dine Around Sandpoint, arguably the best time of the year to grab dinner at your favorite restaurant. Not only do you get to enjoy the best of Sandpoint cuisine—you also have a chance to win some pretty great prizes, including a free dinner for two every month of the year. “Our hope is it does what it’s designed to do and get people out into our local restaurants,” said Dave Vermeer, co-organizer of Dine Around Sandpoint. Participation couldn’t be
simpler. Individuals who grab breakfast, lunch or dinner at any of the participating restaurants receive a raffle ticket. All it takes is writing down your contact information to be in the running for daily prize drawings. The prizes, donated from local retailers and merchants, keep coming until March 16, after which the grand prize winner will be chosen. This year, the event is bigger than ever. While Sandpoint oftentimes hogs the culinary attention, Bonner County is filled with a smattering of great restaurants, and more of them than ever before are par-
ticipating. That gives regional residents more options when choosing where to grab breakfast, lunch or dinner. “Since this was pretty successful last year, the only thing we wanted to change was adding more restaurants and more prizes,” Vermeer said. Now in its seventh year, Dine Around Sandpoint started as the brainchild of Claudia Dick. Her husband Mel Dick took the idea and developed it, bringing in the initial group of participating restaurants. Now in the hands of restaurateurs Vermeer and Justin Dick, the event has well eclipsed its
original incarnation. “I think it’s really built some positive momentum over the past few years,” Vermeer said. Dine Around Sandpoint organizers are confident it will stay a success as long as community support is there. So when the inevitable 5 p.m. dining room debate of, “What do you want to do for dinner? There’s always that week-old stroganoff to eat up,” just remember: There’s a far more appealing option just outside your front door. And it could end up making your lucky break.
A&P’s Bar and Grill Arlo’s Ristorante Bangkok Cuisine Thai Restaurant Baxter’s on Cedar Bistro Rouge at the Pend d’Oreille Winery Burger Express Cafe Bodega Cedar St. Bistro Chimney Rock Grill Common Knowledge Bookstore and Teahouse Connie’s Cafe Di Luna’s Cafe Eichardt’s Pub & Grill Evans Brothers Coffee Fiesta Bonita Forty-One South Hydra Steakhouse Ivano’s Ristorante Jalapeño’s Joe’s Philly Cheesesteak Joel’s La Rosa Club Kokanee Coffee MickDuff’s Brewing Company Miller’s Country Store Monarch Mountain Coffee Powder Hound Pizza Second Avenue Pizza Serv-a-Burger Shoga Sushi Bar Spud’s Waterfront Grill Stacey’s Country Kitchen Sweet Lou’s Tango Cafe Thai Nigiri Tierra Madre The Neighborhood Pub Trinity at City Beach Winter Ridge Natural Foods
Slow-Cooker Overnight Breakfast Casserole: a breakfast revolution -2 packages (12 oz. each) of Johnsonville Hot & Spicy Breakfast sausage
-1 package (30 oz) frozen shredded hash brown potatoes
-1 cup chopped green onions
-1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
-1 sweet red bell pepper, chopped
-12 eggs
-I can (4 oz.) diced mild green chilies
-1 cup milk -salt & pepper to taste
-1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
By Ben Olson For SPR
As I grow further from my twenties, I’ve become excited by things like crossword puzzles, moments of solitude, quiet evenings at home... and slow cookers. Last year, I became absolutely enamored with the slow cooker. I looked up all sorts of recipes, and tried as many as I could. Some were 12 /
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great, some not so great. This breakfast casserole that you make the night before is one that I can’t help but pass along. The genius of this recipe is in the timing. You can prepare this dish while cleaning up after dinner, or right before bed. In the morning, bound out of bed and dig right into a hot, steaming breakfast. It’s great for ski weekends, big families,
and for people who don’t want to spend an hour or more making breakfast. With the leftovers—you will have leftovers—re-heat them the next day and wrap in a tortilla to have a breakfast burrito variation. Prep: 30 mins Cook: 8 hours on low Yield: 12 servings
1. Cook sausage according to package directions, cut into 1/4 inch slices; set aside.
mixture and cheese into crock.
2. In a bowl, combine green onions, red pepper, chilis and cilantro; set aside.
6. In a bowl, beat the eggs, milk, salt and pepper. Pour over layered ingredients.
3. Spray the interior of a 5 to 6 quart slow cooker with vegetable cooking spray.
7. Cover and cook on low for 7-8 hours or until thermometer inserted into the center reads 160F.
4. Layer one-third of the hash browns, sausage, green onion
5. Repeat layers twice.
8. Wake up and enjoy!
No one knows how to ask for art:
The anatomy of a local music scene By Sarah Berentson For SPR
Marshall McLean isn’t just a musician—he’s an entrepreneur. He knows full well that music doesn’t always pay the bills. In fact, you’re lucky if it does. You’re even luckier if you find yourself in a city where like-minded artists flourish and build and grow the arts together. McLean, front man of the Marshall McLean Band, has participated in his entrepreneurial community for ten years as a Spokane-based singer, songwriter and musician. He’s watched the city grow its music scene into a creative community with tangible energy and excitement. “There’s a resurgence of Spokane arts, Spokane creatives, and younger people accepting Spokane and taking a stand in a city that’s finally trying to choose its own identity,” he said. With the recent opening of The Bartlett, the Spokane music and art scenes have a new rallying point. Owners Karli and Caleb Ingersoll crafted a venue that exposes audiences to new music and facilitates artistic collaboration. The Bartlett creates a space for Spokane’s artistic network to flourish, giving people a chance to create and connect with art. “[New artists] come with a story of people they are connected to,” McLean said. “So every piece they put out is connected to that fabric of their network. The more complex the network becomes, the more people try their hand at music or painting.” As talent builds up within a network, so do the opportunities to compete, thrive and collaborate—all of which stimulates and enriches the scene. Thanks to the resurgence in art and culture, Spokane is seeing huge success in events like Terrain, a multimedia art and music event celebrating young and emerging artists in the Spokane area, and Volume, a block party inviting local musicians to fill the venues for a weekend that’s extensively promoted. Events that have been developing for years are seeing a surge in participation and support from the city. Music and art events and spaces like The Bartlett encourage new artists to
Marshall McLean (right) and Justin Landis live at The Bartlett in Spokane. Photo by Sonny Moeckel.
surface and participate; producing interconnectedness in the community that creates the foundation of a strong arts scene. While Spokane is embracing a resurgence of the arts, nearby Coeur d’Alene remains quiet. Even with a population of 46,402, the city struggles to find identity in the arts community. Angela Marie, of the Angela Marie Project, lives just outside of the city, but has found more success in Spokane. That’s partly due to Coeur d’Alene’s lack of venues open to original music, but Marie sees better times on the horizon, particularly with the efforts of the Coeur d’Alene Arts and Culture Alliance. Despite the progress, the city lacks a nurturing musical community or an identity outside of a resort town. “Resort towns don’t bear the marks of their community,” said McLean. “Resorts are meant for vacation, an escape of culture, making the job hard for artists and supporters of art in the city.” Fifty miles north, Sandpoint has a leg up on music culture. Like Coeur d’Alene, Sandpoint is a resort town, but smaller and quirkier. The difference lies in the community. Even with a substantially smaller population, Sandpoint manages to draw regional artists, as well as encourage the growth of local musicians. Jen Landis, a Sandpoint native and accomplished musician, admits Sandpoint is lacking the more traditional aspects of a music scene. There aren’t many options
for bands that don’t already have a draw, although there are a handful of both small and larger venues. “It’s an enthusiastic arts community, but it’s still not very big,” Landis said. While Sandpoint may not be ready for a venue like The Bartlett, it has cultivated its own way of sustaining music—a dedicated audience eager for good music and art. “People in Sandpoint are good listeners and engagers, and they really appreciate art,” Landis said. “They are interested in supporting it as much as they can. The people that are drawn to this city … value art and live music.” McLean says they started playing in Sandpoint mainly because of band bassist and vocalist Justin Landis, a town resident. However, it isn’t why they originally came that’s telling of Sandpoint’s enthusiastic community—it’s why they continue to come back. “There’s deep connection, and almost a rallying in that community,” McLean said. “[Audience members at a recent show] were cheering in the middle of the songs; they were singing along, they were gasping when the tension builds. What more do you want as a musician? There’s no inhibition when it comes to support for music that they like.” Sandpoint not only generates local artists—it also supports them. A tight-knit community clusters together to find comfort and to promote growth much like the environment created by The Bartlett.
“We feed off each other and are inspired by each other to keep playing and writing,” Jen Landis said. Though it’s easy to cast blame when a community fails to support local music culture, remember that music isn’t a basic need for a city to function. Its merit must often be proven time and time again. “No one knows how to ask for art,” said McLean. “Doctors, lawyers and thousands of other jobs … cities are asking for those jobs. They need those jobs to function. But the job of an artist is to give the community this thing they aren’t asking for, and make them love it and then prove to them that it enriches their life.” Musicians and artists alike work to create a bond with their community, to show them the significance of the arts in a city, and to connect them to it. Others picking up on that passion is what affects a city, inspires other artists, and stimulates a scene. No matter the challenges a city faces, it’s the drive of the artists, the entrepreneurs, that can begin to make a difference. “A real entrepreneur,” McLean said, “will find a way to create the things that they’re lacking to help themselves succeed. Passion finds a way to do whatever you need to do.” Sarah Berentson is a writer and musician based out of Spokane. She’s best known for her work in the bands Mama Doll and the Terrible Buttons.
READ
David Sedaris is one of those writers you wish would write more. I have read and re-read his story collections so many times, I have dreams about them. Strange, visceral dreams. My favorite is Me Talk Pretty Someday, released in 2000. When Sedaris writes about his awkward childhood and his kooky family, he always has me in stitches. From travails with his speech therapist in “Go Carolina” to his struggles trying to flush down a big turd at a party left by the previous bathroom user in “Big Boy,” I guarantee this book will bring a smile to your face. Also check out Naked, my other favorite.
LISTEN
I always hate to see bands split apart before they have fully explored their sound. The Whitest Boy Alive recently announced that it was no longer playing together, leaving behind just two albums, Rules and Dreams, the best of the two. Norwegian Erlend Øye, of the band Kings of Convenience, (who indeed looks like the whitest boy alive) started the band as an electronic dance project. It starts at whisper-folk and steps it up a notch, resulting in a tight, rhythmic sound, complete with metronomic percussion and quintessential guitar fills. Imagine funk for nerdy white kids.
WATCH
I don’t watch much TV these days, but I have been known to catch Bob’s Burgers on Fox from time to time. The brainchild of Loren Bouchard, the animated series follows the Belcher family as they run a burger restaurant and generally get on each other’s nerves. The comedy is sometimes wickedly low-brow, but still manages to be endearing. You can also stream it on Netflix.
By Ben Olson February 12, 2015 /
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w o N & Then compiled by
This Week’s Sudoku - Medium Skill 4 6
Ben Olson
Each week, we feature a new photograph taken from the same vantage point as one taken long ago. See how we’ve changed, and how we’ve stayed the same. Historical information provided and verified by Bonner County Museum staff and volunteers (special thanks to Olivia Morlean, Will Valentine, and Allen Robertson). If you have any scrapbooks or old photographs taken in Bonner County that you would like to see Then & Now’ed, please submit them to the Museum so they can digitize and return the photographs to you. The Museum is located at 611 S. Ella — (208) 263-2344.
Northwest corner of Cedar Street and First Avenue, looking west down Cedar Street. This is believed to be the new sewer installation. “The Hub” (Ripke’s Food Market) is on the corner. The Farmin Building is further down, on the left past the alley (on the corner of Second and Cedar).
1948
The same corner today. Weekends and Company kitchen supply is now in the space on the corner. The Farmin Building houses Baxter’s Restaurant on the ground floor. Upstairs in the Farmin Building is the Sandpoint Reader office, where we work tirelessly to bring you, fair reader, the Reader.
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If you’re a cowboy and you’re dragging a guy behind your horse, I bet it would really make you mad if you looked back and the guy was reading a magazine.
New listings from SandpointClassifieds.com. Login to find more classified ads. STUFF FOR SALE: 20” Grind Stone Old Grind Stone on hand made stand.$50. Posted Feb 9 by jlenna ANNOUNCEMENTS: Belly Dance Lessons - All Ages Learn belly dance, the ancient art of movement and flexibility with step by step instruction. Classes starting Friday afternoon 3-4:00. $40/four weeks. This month only: 2/$60 Mother/ Daughter. For more info call 208-263-0550. Posted Feb 9 by Evangelina HELP WANTED: Experienced Nurse Experienced perioperative registered nurse needed for ambulatory surgery center in Ponderay. Must have operating room circulating experience in acute care hospital or surgery center. 30 to 36 hours per week, days only. No nights, weekends or holidays. Excellent compensation package and hiring bonus upon completion of orientation period. Posted Feb 6 by Speedo79 VEHICLES FOR SALE: Subaru Forester 2007, 72,000 miles, automatic transmission. Great clean car, very low miles, all service work is current. Car had the 60,000 mile service at Parker Subaru. This car is like new. $11,500. Posted Feb 9 by boomer
FOR RENT: One Bedroom House Cozy and clean 1 bedroom plus office/ laundry room approx 5 miles north of town. Great location in a tranquil parklike setting. Wonderful place to live. $550 per month and $750 security deposit to move in. No Pets, No Smoking. Looking for a responsible tenant who values peace and quiet. Contact Suzie. Posted Feb 7 by mriach STUFF FOR SALE: Photovolataic (Solar) Panels 4 Kyocera 51-watt and 2 Siemens 75watt solar panels. All used and in excellent condition. $400 or best offer. Posted Feb 9 by Psyborg57
A book by Allan Bopp “There’s thinking inside the box and then there is thinking outside the box. And then there's the world of Bopp, no box. Or more appropriately, what if there was no box? This book takes you on a journey of how consciousness, which never dies, actually crea creates the universe not the other way around.” -Grant Darrow, Amazon Review “Unexpectedly cool and insightful.” -Richard Lane, Amazon Review “Do not rush through this book.” -John B. Moss, Amazon Review Now available at Vanderford’s, Common Knowledge, Bonner’s Books and Amazon
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Nothing says
I LOVE YOU Like an Early Bird Season Pass!
FesTival aTsandpoinT The
augusT 6 - 16, 2015
229*
Early Bird Season Passes
$
* Plus sales tax and city park fee
www.festivalatsandpoint.com or call: (208) 265-4554 February 12, 2015 /
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