Inspiring adventure at home and abroad

Wild and Scenic Film Festival to benefit Friends of Scotchman Peaks Wilderness

By Lyndsie Kiebert-Carey Reader Staff

For the fourth year, local conservation nonprofit Friends of Scotchman Peaks Wilderness is hosting the Wild and Scenic Film Festival — a collection of 10 films focused on wild places and the people who aim to keep them that way.

Topics represented in the 2023 films include female pilots, stand-up comedians who fly fish, scientists battling microplastics and representation in the world of outdoor recreation.

“The theme of this year’s Wild and Scenic Film Festival — ‘Inspiring Adventure’ — appeals to folks from all backgrounds,” said FSPW Executive Director Phil Hough. “Inspiring, entertaining and thought provoking, the WSFF helps us to bring together a community of people passionate about our area’s wild lands.”

The Wild and Scenic Film Festival will screen Thursday, March 2 at the Panida Theater, 301 N. First Ave. Doors open at 6 p.m. with films starting at 7 p.m. General admission tickets are $15. There is also a ticket option for “Super Star

Wild and Scenic Film Festival

Thursday, March 2; doors at 6 p.m., films at 7 p.m.; $15 at the door or online. Panida Theater, 301 N. First Ave., 208-263-9191, panida.org. Call FSPW at 208946-9127 for more info. Get tickets at scotchmanpeaks.org/ event/wild-scenic-film-festival.

Supporters” — for $200, these attendees receive two tickets in reserved seating, access to a VIP pre-showing event at Eichardt’s Pub and $30 in raffle tickets.

Gear from Six Moon Designs, a springtime flyover of the Scotchmans, baskets from Evans Brothers Coffee Roasters and Outdoor Experience, and original artwork will all be up for grabs in the raffle. According to organizers, money raised through ticket and raffle sales will go toward funding trail building, outdoor education and “helping to keep our local wildlands open for hikers, hunters, anglers and everyone else looking to explore our rugged backyard.”

Hough called the FSPW Trail Ambassador Program, in particular, “hugely successful.” As part of the program, volunteers sign up to hike the trail on certain days and engage fellow hikers in conversations about how to admire the peaks’ mountain goats from afar. The goal is to avoid any human-goat confrontation, which has been known to shut down the trail in years past.

“Every summer the ambassadors talk to 1,000 or more hikers,” Hough said, “providing important information to keep them safe around mountain goats. This helps keep the mountain goats wild and the Scotchman Peaks summit trail open for all.”

The 2023 Wild and Scenic Film Festival is made possible, in part, by local business sponsors including Idaho Forest Group, Blue Sky Broadcasting, Evans Brothers Coffee Roasters, KRFY 88.5 FM and more.

To learn more about Friends of Scotchman Peaks Wilderness’ mission and other upcoming events, visit scotchmanpeaks.org

By Marcia Pilgeram Reader Columnist

Last week was abuzz with activities in Sandpoint. Of course, the Winter Carnival was a highlight for many, and my favorite — the annual Feb. 19 countdown to 2:19 p.m. at the 219 Lounge — was the icing on my fun-activity cake. But when fellow 219 revelers revealed that our hometown state champion Lady Bulldogs basketball team would soon pass by with a police escort, my oldest child, Ryanne, was adamant that we take to the street to cheer on her alma mater.

It was worth the half-hour wait to witness the parade-like affair. We weren’t many, but we were mighty, cheering the motorcade of a dozen police escorts, the Northwestern Stages motorcoach filled with our local champions and their mighty proud coach, Will Love. They were followed by a string of cars filled with a whole lot of equally proud parents.

Elsewhere in the world, there were other celebrations taking place. For example, in the Piedmont region of northwestern Italy, the Carnival of Ivrea celebrates the locally famous Battle of the Oranges. It involves thousands of townspeople, divided into nine combat teams, who throw oranges at each other — with considerable violence — during the traditional carnival days: Sunday, Monday and Tuesday.

The carnival takes place in February (occasionally in March), ending on the night of Shrove Tuesday with a solemn funeral and silent march — after which, the ceremonial “general” discharges the combatants with the phrase, Arvedse a giobia a