Reader_June24_2021

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PEOPLE compiled by

Susan Drinkard

watching

“What do you appreciate about your father?”

“My father encouraged me to try new things. He said not to measure yourself against others because there will always be people greater or lesser than you, but if you do your best, your best is good enough. He was an artist, a risk taker—after calculation—and a sky diver. My father was great.”

Johna Diderich Retired Sagle “I appreciate his commitment to always doing the best job he could for his family. He taught me commitment, and we also played a lot of baseball together.”

Mark West Quality and Safety manager Sagle

DEAR READERS,

I had several people reach out to me in the past week telling me to “lay off” criticizing the newcomers to this area because it wasn’t a “nice” thing to do.

If you feel I have been harsh, I wish you could read the versions I wrote before I edited out most of my temper. What you are reading now is Polite Ben. You probably don’t want to read the Not-So-Polite Ben write about what has happened to this town.

I, like many of you, have developed quite thick skin over the years when it comes to the growth and overdevelopment of Sandpoint. I witnessed the influx of realtors and developers cashing in during the mid-2000s before the housing market collapsed.

I saw the potential in a college proposed on the U of I extension property fall by the wayside, and now look what is happening to it: Just another giant housing development. I’ve heard firsthand from other longtime locals about how their rents were increased dramatically, how their landlords sold out and they were given 30 days to pack their shit and leave a place they have lived for 20 years, how there is literally nothing to rent right now for an average Sandpoint resident who didn’t bring in all their money from out of town. I hear others living in fear that their own longtime rentals will sell and they’ll be forced to leave. I hear business owners complain that they don’t see a recognizable face for weeks on end in the summer, how they have at least a dozen rude customers every day, how they wish they could just get away from the chaos.

I rarely see a day that passes without some asshat in Texas plates laying on his horn because someone committed a minor traffic faux pas, or had the audacity to cross the street at an unmarked crosswalk. I see the idiots with their Confederate battle flags driving around blasting black smoke at anyone who doesn’t look conservative enough. I see campsites filled with garbage, once-quiet trails clogged with so many cars you can’t even park to take a quick hike, and entitled people who moved here recently and think we all owe them something. We don’t owe them a damn thing.

Someone has to stick up for the locals every once in a while. It’s time we start standing up for ourselves and pushing back when our town is being sold out to the highest bidder and transformed into something that only caters to the out-of-town rich and the politically bankrupt. We’re nice here, but we’re not dumb and we’re not doormats. When will our elected representatives and community leaders start really advocating for the locals? Hear that sound? It’s me not holding my breath.

– Ben Olson, publisher

“I appreciate the efforts he puts into our relationship. He tries to meet me halfway after arguments.”

Julia Wisdom Sophomore Denver, Colo., and summers with grandparents here

“I appreciate that he raised me to think I could do anything I set my mind to do.”

Nick Belfry Sandpoint Worm Project Arborist Sandpoint

“His hard work and dedication to his family.”

Tabitha Long Caregiver Laclede

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: Cadie Archer (cover), Ben Olson, Susan Drinkard, Lyndsie Kiebert, Zach Hagadone, KLT, Sam Owen Fire District.

Contributing Writers: Zach Hagadone, Ben Olson, Lyndsie Kiebert, Lorraine H. Marie, Brenden Bobby, Emily Erickson, Jeff Bohnhof, Carrie Logan, Mike Wagoner, Shelby Rognstad.

Submit stories to: stories@sandpointreader.com Printed weekly at: Tribune Publishing Co. Lewiston, ID Subscription Price: $135 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 Cadie Archer on Lake Pend Oreille.

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NEWS

‘Active’ fire season shapes up in Bonner County From Hope to Priest River, state and local fire crews have been busy

By Lyndsie Kiebert Reader Staff An extremely active electrical storm in the early morning on June 15 saw lightning strikes all over the county, with one bolt making contact with tinder and sparking a wildfire on U.S. Forest Service land in Hope.

The Sam Owen Fire District shared the events that led up to the location and containment of the burn on its Facebook page, reporting that — with the help of the local USFS fire crew — the fire was limited to one-tenth of an acre.

Since the fire was burning in such rugged terrain, the SOFD used one of its firefighters’ personal utility terrain vehicles to drive the fire crew as far as it could up the mountain, from which point firefighters “hiked the remaining 800 vertical feet and were on scene at approximately 11:30 a.m.”

The fire was contained within that same day.

“A huge thank-you goes out to those who spotted the smoke through the low clouds and the help we received from the community in locating and accessing trails to get the USFS crew up to the fire,” SOFD officials shared on social media.

SOFD Co-Chief Tim Scofield told the Reader that while his district has been “fortunate” to see very few wildland starts so far this summer, the same is not the case across North Idaho. Co-Chief Stu Eigler said that “county-wide, it has been a lot more active than prior years.”

While lightning started the Hope fire, another current North Idaho wildland burn has no known cause as of June 23. The Little Pine Fire, located on Idaho endowment timberland seven miles north of Priest River in Pine Creek, was spotted the afternoon of June 22, and grew from just a dozen acres to about 320 acres overnight.

The Idaho Department of Lands reported June 23 that no structures were currently threatened, and no evacuations or road closures were in effect. USFS and Idaho Department of Lands fire crews were on scene, totaling 120 personnel, and the fire was 0% contained at last report before press time.

“Fire crews are on the ground,

dozers and excavators are establishing fire lines, and aircraft pilots are collecting water from the Pend Oreille River to drop over the fire,” IDL shared in an update, noting that high winds were to blame for the rapid fire growth.

“Extreme weather is in the forecast,” officials stated. “Please do your part to prevent wildfires. Make sure campfires are

Firefighting crews work on mopping up a fire outside of Hope. Photo courtesy Sam Owen Fire District. completely out, do not park on dry grass and check vehicles for dragging chains.”

Keep track of state fire updates at idl.idaho.gov. View active fires on a map by visiting idfg.idaho. gov/ifwis/maps/realtime/fire.

Ammon Bundy announces gubernatorial campaign State GOP: ‘Bundy is not suited to call himself an Idaho Republican let alone run for governor’

By Zach Hagadone Reader Staff Celebrity anti-government activist and serial Statehouse arrestee Ammon Bundy is officially running for Idaho governor, according to a report from the Boise-based Idaho Capital Sun news service.

Bundy threw his cowboy hat into the ring for what is shaping up to be an historically contentious Gem State Republican primary May 2022, announcing his candidacy before a crowd of “several hundred people” in Meridian on June 19, the Sun reported.

“I know that securing liberty for the people of Idaho is what I was built for,” said Bundy, who moved to the state in 2015 — one year after he, his father and brother famously led an armed standoff with federal law enforcement officers over grazing rights at their Nevada ranch.

A year later, Bundy and his brother, Ryan, again made 4 /

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headlines by initiating another high-tension confrontation with law enforcement at the Malheur Wildlife Refuge in eastern Oregon — not far from Bundy’s adopted hometown of Emmett, Idaho.

While the 2014 Bundy standoff ended without bloodshed, the Malheur occupation — which attracted far-right conservative activists and militia groups from around the country to rural Burns, Ore., including District 1 Reps.

Heather Scott, R-Blanchard, and Sage Dixon, R-Ponderay — ended as federal officers shot and killed occupier Robert LaVoy Finicum as the latter attempted to draw a gun on them after a backcountry road pursuit.

The Bundy brothers and several other participants in the occupation were ultimately acquitted of conspiracy charges by a Portland judge in fall 2016. He, his brother and father, Cliven, were likewise acquitted of conspiracy and firearms charges stemming from the 2014 standoff in 2018.

Since then, Ammon Bundy has cut an outsized figure in far-right Idaho politics. His profile notably rose during the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent state-ordered lockdowns, during which his protests against Gov. Brad Little’s coronavirus orders led to his being arrested twice at the Capitol in 2020. As part of his punishment for the disruptions he was banned from the Statehouse grounds for a year.

More recently, in April, Bundy was arrested twice in the same day for suspicion of trespassing after violating his prohibition from Capitol grounds, according to the Associated Press and the Sun. His candidacy adds a further level of drama to an already fraught gubernatorial race, which features current Lt. Gov. Janice McGeachin — who has in the past supported Bundy’s activism — vying for fellow Republican Little’s job for the highest office in the state.

The Little-McGeachin contest

has already revealed deep divisions in the Idaho Republican Party, with the former representing the more “traditional” wing of the party and the latter running an insurgency campaign on behalf of its hard-right “liberty” faction.

Bundy’s official entry into the field — hinted at for months, yet delayed by the fact he initially filed with himself as campaign treasurer, though he’s not a registered voter — brings another element, especially as he’s been officially denounced by Idaho GOP Chairman, and former Superintendent of Public Instruction, Tom Luna.

In a statement issued June 4, the Idaho Republican Party — in a statement attributed to Luna — rejected Bundy’s “antics” and “chaotic political theater.”

“That is not the Idaho Republican Party, and we will not turn a blind eye to his behaviors,” Luna stated, adding later, “Ammon Bundy wishes to divide our party, openly supports defunding the po-

lice and has known alliances with the radical factions of the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement.

“Republicans are the party of law and order, and Ammon Bundy is not suited to call himself an Idaho Republican let alone run for governor of our great state,” Luna stated.

Sandpointians may remember their brush with Bundy’s so-called “People’s Rights” organization, sporting black armbands and trying to force entry to the East Bonner County Library’s Sandpoint branch in summer 2020.

The People’s Rights group’s demonstration attracted participants from as far afield as Seattle to protest the Sandpoint library’s COVID-19 face covering policy, which was lifted earlier this month.

“As the Republican nominee, I will clean up the party and I will get it united once again in a direction that will protect the people’s rights again,” Bundy said, according to the Sun.

NEWS

MickDuff’s awarded ‘Orchid’ for new renovation

By Carrie Logan Reader Contributor Preservation Idaho has awarded The MickDuff’s Brewing Company in Sandpoint an “Orchid” for Excellence in Historic Preservation for their recent preservation and restoration of the historic Federal Building. Building owners and brothers Mickey and Duffy Mahoney have a deep commitment to the preservation of historic architecture and how buildings can be given new life that continues to center around the community. The Excellence in Historic Preservation award is given to projects that have demonstrated outstanding adherence to the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards in preservation, restoration, renovation, or adaptive reuse (residential or commercial).

Mickey and Duffy Mahoney purchased Sandpoint’s Old Federal Building, located at 419 N. Second Ave. in September 2019. They spent the next 15 months restoring and preserving the building to the highest standards. The Old Federal Building is one of the most historic buildings in the area and was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2001.

When the building was completed in 1928, it housed the Post Office, Forestry Service, Civil Services, Internal Revenue, Agriculture and War Recruiting.

In the late ’60s, the city of Sandpoint purchased the building and converted it into the city’s library.

In 1999, the library moved into its new location and the building was sold to a private party. The new owner renovated the main floor and leased the space to the First American Title Company. First American moved when the Mahoney brothers bought the building.

The preservation and restoration completed by the Mahoneys was worthy of an award because of the time and effort that went into the lengthy project. The Mahoney brothers like to preserve rather than replace. It is much easier to replace building pieces with cheaper modern alternatives that are usually inferior in many aspects. Some of the necessary renovations included modernization — the Mahoneys tried their

best to hide these modern additions. HVAC, electrical, sprinkler system, sound system and plumbing were installed, hidden in the catwalks and voids throughout the building. New floor coverings, paint colors, plumbing fixtures, lighting fixtures, bar, tables, chairs and booths, were all chosen because they matched the look of the late 1920s.

Exterior work included: replacing sidewalks, replacing dangerous front stairs, window restoration, roof repair, landscaping, installation of an outdoor patio and exterior paint. Interior work included: new ADA bathrooms, new tile floors, original wood floor restoration, original concrete floor restoration, updated electrical, updated HVAC, plaster repair, painting of all walls and ceilings, window restoration, lighting restoration and installation of a commercial kitchen.

The window restorations, installing of interior doors that matched originals almost exactly, installation of door hardware that was missing throughout the building with used and new old stock, and replacement of the front stairs to match the 1928 originals while also being safe and up to current building code were alone worthy of an award.

The window restoration took nine months and employed at least four people. Most window sashes were removed and taken off site where they were stripped, sanded, repaired and painted.

Rotten wood was replaced, broken glass panes were replaced and all windows were re-glazed. Window casements were stripped, sanded, patched and painted on site. When the restored window sashes were installed, new weatherstripping was added.

Three interior doors were missing when the brothers purchased the building. They hired local woodworkers to build exact replicas. One door replacement was even found and purchased from an architectural salvage company from the East Coast. The interior doors from the second story all have half glass. Over the years, many of the glass pieces were replaced with less attractive glass when they were broken. Mickey sourced and replaced

the non-original glass with cross reed architectural glass that matched the originals.

Over the years, most of the basement door hardware was removed and used in other parts of the building. The Mahoneys spent countless hours searching the web for used and new old stock hardware. Now all doors have the correct hardware and are fully functioning.

When the community heard that MickDuff’s had purchased the building, many people voiced concern about the front stairs and

their safety. The stairs were steep, and the rise and run were not up to code. At first, the brothers were apprehensive about replacing the original stairs but that soon changed once they learned the staircases were not original (thanks to the Bonner County Museum for providing photos of the original staircases). The Mahoneys’ architect drew up stair plans that matched the originals while following modern safety codes.

A large portion of the renovation budget went into the replacement stairs.

The exterior of MickDuff’s Brewpub, located at 419 N. Second Ave. in Sandpoint.

Photo by Ben Olson.

An event to honor the award will be announced in early July.

Carrie Logan is a member of the Historic Preservation Commission and, along with fellow commission member Steve Garvan and Mickey and Duffy Mahoney, submitted the MickDuff’s nomination to Preservation Idaho.

Sam Owen Fire District commissioners ban fireworks within district

By Reader Staff The Board of Commissioners of the Sam Owen Fire District reminds the public that fireworks of any kind are permanently prohibited in the entire fire district. A state of moderate-severe fire danger continues to exist in the Sam Owen Fire District (located in the Hope area) due to potential uncontrollable forest and wildfire potential. Extended drought and potential high temperatures as reported by National Interagency Fire Center create

conditions that constitute a severe fire threat based on the vegetative conditions within the District during the current fire season.

The board unanimously passed a resolution which prohibits the use of fireworks within the Sam Owen Fire District, stating: “It shall be unlawful for any person to use any fireworks ... within the Sam Owen Fire District from June 15, 2021 until Nov. 1, 2021.”

This prohibition does not apply to any person or corporation who holds a permit issued by Bonner County for a public fireworks display.

The Board of Commissioners of the Sam Owen Fire District and co-fire chiefs are asking for everyone’s cooperation to ensure a safe and forest fire-free Fourth of July and summer season in 2021.

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NEWS

USFS issues decision on Bonners Ferry Westside Restoration project

By Reader Staff The Bonners Ferry Ranger District of the Idaho Panhandle National Forests has prepared an environmental assessment along with a draft decision notice and “finding of no significant impact” for the Westside Restoration Project.

The project would conduct a variety of natural resource management activities within a 60,000-acre project area that includes the Cascade, Myrtle, Snow and Caribou Creek drainages. Ninety-eight percent of the project area occurs within the wildland urban interface of Boundary County, and includes all of Myrtle Creek — the current source of surface drinking water for the city of Bonners Ferry.

“We appreciate all the assistance we have received from the Kootenai Valley Resource Initiative and the public during the planning and analysis phases of this

collaborative project,” said District Ranger Kevin Knauth. “This public engagement and enthusiasm have been critical to the overall project design and in writing this draft decision.”

The project includes about 7,152 acres of commercial vegetation management, using mostly ground-based and skyline equipment. Non-commercial vegetation treatments include about 2,482 acres of prescribed burning and 1,730 acres of pre-commercial thinning. Additional activities would be implemented to improve the aquatic habitat, road safety, provide recreational opportunities and control noxious weeds, according to USFS officials.

A copy of the decision, maps and other supporting documents are available on the IPNF website at fs.usda.gov/project/?project=56888.

For more information, contact Jennifer Anderson, Interdisciplinary Team Leader, at 208-6108800 or jennifer.anderson3@usda.gov.

BNSF announces North Granite Loop Road closure dates

By Reader Staff Rail company BNSF will be closing the north end of Granite Loop Road at the railroad tracks for repairs on several upcoming dates.

The road will be inaccessible Wednesday, June 30 at 8 a.m., reopening on Thursday, July 1 at approximately 4 p.m.

In addition, the road will be closed Friday, July 9 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Physical notices will be posted by Friday, June 25.

Those with questions can contact the Bonner County Road and Bridge Department at 208-255-5681, extension 1.

BoCo Solid Waste to pursue compost program

By Lyndsie Kiebert Reader Staff Bonner County commissioners gave unanimous approval June 22 for the Solid Waste Department to pursue a grant for a pilot compost program funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The grant, made possible through the federal Community Compost and Food Waste Reduction project, would land somewhere between $45,000-$90,000 and require a 25% in-kind match from Bonner County. The grant would provide the initial investment for equipment necessary to compost local food waste and potentially sell the resulting product as garden compost.

“This would reduce the amount of waste going into the landfill and reduce cost of transportation and disposal,” said Bonner County Solid Waste Director Bob Howard.

“It would also generate income from selling the compost to the public.”

The pilot program would use food waste from local restaurants, grocery stores and Schweitzer Mountain Resort, which Com6 /

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missioner Dan McDonald said was already seeking out such a compost program.

“This is a really nice, self-perpetuating deal that will save us money both going out and make us money on the back end,” McDonald said, noting that the county is considering various waste digester models for the project.

“We’re not reinventing the wheel here.”

Howard said that Spokane-based Resource Synergy recently brought the idea before the Bonner County Solid Waste Advisory Committee. Kevin Fagan, a project associate with the company, has been working with the county to research the compost start-up’s feasibility.

“We project that this will not only eliminate a significant amount of food waste, but also save the county money in hauling its food,” Fagan told commissioners and members of the public at the board’s June 22 business meeting.

“Ideally this pilot project is successful and economically feasible for the first two years,” he said, “and it can continue to make the county money after that.”

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: Following two dry winters, low water levels are killing more than half of juvenile salmon in the Klamath River, SFGate.com reported. The condition allows proliferation of a native parasite.

The Yurok Tribe fisheries director regards it as a “climate catastrophe.” Impacts will include water allocations cuts to farmers and ranchers, as well as long-term crippling of fish runs. For the Klamath Basin community the low flow is an emergency, with an urgent need for a federal disaster relief bill that should include a foundation for building a more resilient ecology and economy in the Basin area.

The U.S. Supreme Court, in a recent 7-2 vote, rejected a third challenge to the Affordable Care Act. The Court stated those bringing suit had not suffered direct unlawful injury and had no standing to sue. The Urban Institute estimated that if the ACA had been struck down there would have been a 70% increase in uninsured people — particularly harsh for those with pre-existing conditions.

Why Social Security solvency is threatened: According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, SS solvency was last addressed in 1983, but since then the program’s tax base has eroded due to inequality (such as slowing of wage growth) and the rising cost of fringe benefits, such as health insurance.

The center proposed several remedies, including increasing or eliminating the cap on taxable wages.

Incomes have grown among wealthier earners, but contributions into the program from that source have not. Eliminating the SS payroll tax cap entirely would result in all workers and their employers contributing 6.2%. Currently the figure is lower for high earners, which comprise 6% of the population.

The current “shrill” around inflation is being used by some in political and business arenas to undermine pandemic relief efforts, according to Josh Bivens, with the Economic Policy Institute. Bivens noted rising prices in some sectors are due to “lots of pent up demand for things we couldn’t do during the pandemic,” but, “there’s no indication we’re facing widespread or long-term inflationary pressures.”

In a noticeable departure from past high-level meetings, Russian President Vladimir Putin did not leave President Joe

By Lorraine H. Marie Reader Columnist

Biden waiting for his arrival when they met last week; rather, Putin showed up early, Politico reported. The two spent several hours in private conversation. Putin said the meeting lacked hostility, and both sides strived to understand the other. Biden is a “very experienced politician,” Putin said, and their talk was “constructive.”

The meeting was a stark contrast to the 2018 Trump-Putin meeting, CNN said, when the U.S.’s top Russia adviser, Fiona Hill said things were going so poorly for former-President Donald Trump that she was looking for a fire alarm to pull to end the meeting.

The U.S. House voted to award Congressional Gold Medals to law enforcement officers who defended the Capitol against rioters on Jan. 6; it passed 406-21.

Commenting on the “no” votes, Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) declared, “How you can vote no to this is beyond me.” The Washington Post reported that some who voted “no” objected to using the words “temple” or “insurrection” in the resolution.

U.S. Senate will soon consider the For the People Act. It aims to protect the right to vote, end partisan gerrymandering, put more limits on the influence of money in politics, and more clearly define ethics rules for presidents and federal officeholders. The FPA has faced opposition from Republicans and two Democrats.

One of those Dems, Sen. Joe Manchin, says he can only vote for a bipartisan FPA. Political commentators say Republicans know they can’t win with their ideas (they had no presidential platform in 2020), and are looking beyond the ballot box for ways to win and hold power.

Blast from the past: Juneteenth, now a federal holiday via a recent bipartisan vote of 415-14, commemorates the day the last U.S. slaves were freed — when news of the Emancipation Proclamation reached Texas on June 19, 1865.

And another blast: Critical Race Theory contradicts the idea that sheer will and money can create success in the U.S., historian Heather Cox Richardson points out.

She says CRT emerged in the late 1970s “in legal scholarship written by people who recognized that legal protections for individuals did not, in fact, level the playing field in America.” That’s nothing new to serious historians, and today critics of those railing against CRT see opposition as a deliberate political distraction that attempts to whitewash the nation’s history of abuse of minorities.

PERSPECTIVES

Emily Articulated

A column by and about Millennials

Small town rules meals for new parents.” There are a lot of ways to say “welcome,” “I’m sorry” or “congratulations” in a small town, but unsolicited food delivery will always take the (not-so-metaphorical) cake.

By Emily Erickson Reader Columnist

With several recent iterations of “guidelines for smalltown living” popping up in this publication and elsewhere, I wasn’t able to resist writing a few rules of my own. Growing up in a small, rural community and leaving to explore new cities and far off destinations — all just to land in a different small town, with all the same rules — I feel more than qualified to offer my two cents on small-town life.

Although no two places are exactly the same, there are a few truths that seem to be universal for communities with low populations and limited city limits: 1. Don’t go to the grocery store on a Sunday if you aren’t in the mood to be seen. Someone you know is at the grocery store on a Sunday — even if you go early enough or late enough, or if you have to just grab one quick thing. Sundays at the grocery store are where hungover folks, post-church brunchers, Sunday picnickers and beginning-of-the-week preppers buzz around the aisles, queue in checkout lines and are generous with their quick “hellos.”

2. There’s always a “local’s deal.” From a casually discounted meal or free beer from that one bartender, all the way to a before-market listing on a friend-of-a-friend’s old home, there’s a small-town

Emily Erickson. insiders’ hookup to be found somewhere. The only caveat is, local’s discounts are only to be offered and accepted, not ever to be expected or requested.

3. Don’t be an asshole unless you want to be known as the town asshole. Forget Yelp reviews and Google star ratings — the news of your shitty behavior travels fast and far all on its own. An asshole badge can be earned from all the regular types of egregious asshole behavior, as well as consistent engagement in more minor ugly behaviors, like yelling at customer service employees, not tipping waitstaff and being road-ragey (no, your car is not anonymous).

4. Major life events are always followed by meal trains.

Did a new neighbor just settle in down the block? You better pull the casserole dish out from under the stove. Was there a death in someone’s family?

That’s a signal to roll out the cling-wrap. Was there a new baby in your friend group? It’s time to ask Siri to serve up recipes for “the best freezable

5. Don’t expect to date someone you’ve never met before, or who hasn’t also dated someone within one degree of separation to you. Yes, you went to the same high school, work in the same bar as their ex, know their parents or have kids in the same class. You’ve heard their name around town, recognize them from the corner coffee shop or have been on a date with their cousin (unless you outsource, of course).

remember your name.”

8. The more you participate in the good parts of small-town living and avoid the negative bits, the better, more fulfilled your life will be. This is the Golden Rule; the rule to end all other rules. Be kind, shop local, tip your bartender, help your neighbor move their couch and rent your duplex at an affordable rate.

Don’t gossip, tailgate, sell cars with a nearly-blown engine or avert your eyes at strangers’ waves. Because for all that gets complicated by living in a small town, there is one absolute: The more you put good into your community, the more good comes back to you in beautiful, unexpected and absolutely precious ways.

Retroactive

By BO

6. Restaurants and stores are not just places to visit — they are establishments to which you swear allegiance. It’s not “the print shop” or “the pizza place,” it’s “my printer” and “the only pizza in town worth ordering.” These allegiances are forcefully interjected into conversations; debated with vehemence between friends, family members and acquaintances; and are passed like nuggets of golden wisdom to newcomers and passers-through.

7. You can only forget someone who remembers your name two (maybe three) times before it’s considered rude — unless, of course, you’re in the service industry or hold a public-facing position. Then, it’s perfectly acceptable to say things like, “You’re oat-milk-latte-guy,” or, “I’m sorry, I recognize you from our last meeting, but can’t June 24, 2021 /

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Brighten Sandpoint with rainbow crosswalks...

Bouquets: GUEST SUBMISSION: • To the lady, with children and a friend at the Trinity restaurant last Friday, who first noticed my Air Force cap and then found that I was celebrating our 61st wedding anniversary with my wife Pat — paying for our lunch before she left. God bless you, whoever you may be!

— Submitted by Jim Ramsey GUEST SUBMISSION: • Someone dumped a couch and recliner into and onto Fry Creek, under Bottle Bay Road bridge. It made me sad and it looked so trashy! I posted pictures of the couch on Sandpoint Local Forum around midnight last night and by 11 a.m. this morning, Tyler Case and his son went down there and hauled both pieces away on his truck. I swear this just made my day.

Tyler is what Sandpoint is all about.

—Submitted by Susan Rambus Francis.

GUEST SUBMISSION: • It is our normal routine to walk to the grocery store with a cart for the return trip home with our purchase. Today my husband was unable to join me due to a very important meeting. I wanted to get a early start due to the warm summer day, so I headed out alone. At the checkout, another shopper approached me; offered me a ride home, as she saw me walking to the store when she was picking up a friend.

I thanked her for her kindness, but finished my walk knowing I was prepared to keep my food fresh with insulated bags and ice packs.

I hope to be aware and kind in return to meet the needs of the people that cross my path. Walking home I witnessed another “Bouquet”: two boys on bikes crossed the street at the traffic circle [and dropped some money]. The driver of the Waste Management truck stopped, hopped out of his truck, picked up the money, called to the boys and returned their money.

—Submitted by Donna Branstetter 8 /

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Dear editor, In honor of Pride Month and riding the bandwagon it’s time to revisit the idea of brightening up our town with rainbow crosswalks.

We’re seeing color pop up all over the place as Sandpoint blossoms into a beacon of diversity. My old neighbor with the MAGA hat grumbles about seeing “Commie Central” downtown and “Man Bun Park” during the Farmer’s Market. The saying goes “everybody likes progress but nobody likes change,” but if the culture supports $10 cups of coffee, then count those beans and be happy! If you can’t stop the power of progress, pronouns and pride you can at least profit from it, right?

Other cities celebrate their diversity and so can we, with a color other than red or blue. Join me in painting a rainbow across Sandpoint’s streets so everybody knows “Love Lives Here at the end of the rainbow.” I also propose a rainbow banner spanning First Avenue to welcome everybody to our city every month of the year.

Kenny Fearer Cocolalla

Is it safe to walk in Sandpoint?...

Dear editor, The “People Watching” section on “Is it safe to drive in Sandpoint” (June 17) called attention to the fact that there are some bad drivers in Sandpoint. While drivers can drive defensively, pedestrians are more defenseless. It is more difficult to “walk defensively.” In other states, you can get a hefty fine for entering a crosswalk while a pedestrian is in it. I’ve never seen that enforced in Sandpoint.

I was once almost run over by someone turning into a crosswalk while I was crossing it. Someone excused the driver by saying, “she just had a medical procedure and is a little woozy.”

Well, then she shouldn’t be driving. Even with the flags, one takes one’s life into one’s own hands when crossing Fifth Avenue. While the cars in the outer lane usually stop, drivers in the inner lanes often do not.

So, I have to thank my still fortunately rather good reflexes for not having yet been run over in Sandpoint. It is definitely not safe to

walk in Sandpoint.

Donald L. Kass Sandpoint

Yes, I was required to teach critical race theory...

Dear editor, I am a retired teacher, with 20 years at the elementary and 20 at the secondary levels. One of my favorite subjects to teach was history.

When I began teaching in 1972 the phrase “critical race theory” didn’t exist. But history was an established subject, and for me it was fascinating and exciting and full of lessons to be learned.

In my opinion, the most important lesson to learn about history is: There’s always more than one side to the story.

I remember the first time the history lesson introduced the term “conquistador,” referring to the Spaniards who “conquered” the New World, according to the history book.

I remember my students asking questions, doing research and giving reports about these conquistadors, who murdered and enslaved millions of the native peoples. It was quite a different story than the textbook.

I also remember a textbook lesson that referenced “The Battle of Wounded Knee.” Discussions and questions led to student research that revealed the “battle” was actually a massacre of unarmed Indigenous women and children.

Likewise, presenting history lessons on the Chinese Exclusion Act, the Japanese internment camps during World War II and the 200

years of legal slavery in the U.S., have led to students doing compelling and comprehensive research into the facts surrounding these subjects.

Critical race theory is a phrase that means an honest look at history. Our country is strong and a significant part of that strength is our diversity.

Our country has a history of overcoming hate and discrimination.

We can learn from the mistakes of our past and continue on the path to a more perfect union.

Yes, I was required by my moral conscience to teach “critical race theory” — which is another term for the significant and comprehensive lessons of U.S. history.

Steve Johnson Sagle

CAL gives $118K in grants, $37K in scholarships to support local organizations, students

By Zach Hagadone Reader Staff For 42 years, the Community Assistance League has been supporting vital Sandpoint organizations — from cultural linchpins like the Pend Oreille Arts Council and the Festival at Sandpoint — as well as area families and students with financial support.

At its 2021 general meeting June 18, the service group gave out $118,000 in grants to 30 local organizations and $37,000 in scholarships to 56 students.

“This is what we do — what you do,” said longtime CAL member Maribeth Lynch, addressing the packed meeting room at the Sandpoint Center.

Among the grants awarded for 2021 included funding for replacement computers for Kinderhaven; construction of a new dock at the Kiwanis Club’s Camp Stidwell; musical instruments and equipment for the Music Conservatory of Sandpoint; visual art education for all Lake Pend Oreille third- through sixth-graders; an interactive children’s learning center for the West Bonner Library District; the Village Green Project, which supplies students in grades K through third with books for their home libraries; and lab work, imaging, referrals and medication for the Bonner Partners in Care Clinic.

As well, CAL grants will support replacement of the upper floor

Scholarship recipients (L-R) Annaby Kanning, Annaka McLelland, Connor Bird and Ellen Clark, all Sandpoint High School students, were on hand June 18 to thank CAL members for their generosity. Photo by Zach Hagadone. from Forrest Bird Charter School. of the Hope Memorial Center; carAmong those awards were nine pet and seat cleaning at the Panida renewals and one that had been Theater; an HVAC air ventilation system for Sandpoint Area Seniors; delayed from a previous cycle.

Funds to support CAL’s giving food purchases and COVID-19 come from purchases at the orprotection supplies for the Bonner ganization’s all-volunteer-staffed Community Food Bank; gas and “upscale resale” shop, Bizarre grocery vouchers for Community Cancer Services; vouchers for rent, Bazaar (502 Church St.), which organizers said has been doing utilities, gas and insurance probrisk business — pulling in more vided by Helping Hands Healing than $1,000 per day about 40% of Hearts; and food purchases at the the time.

Priest Lake Food Bank.

CAL also is soliciting contriAdditionally, Idaho Hill Elemenbutions to the Idaho Community tary, Sandpoint High School and Foundation, which organization Southside Elementary schools all member Carolyn Gumerman dereceived direct financial support for scribed as a “forever fund” to help STEM education, a senior finance further CAL’s mission. Gumerman fair and a program to teach students has personally pledged to match research skills, respectively. up to $5,000 to the effort, which Of the 56 local students who she’ll be helming until December. received CAL scholarships, 36 “We’re in this together and we were from Sandpoint High School, have a big job ahead of us,” Lynch seven were from Clark Fork, two were from Priest River and one was said.

PERSPECTIVES

Mayor’s Roundtable: The housing problem — Part 3

By Mayor Shelby Rognstad Reader Contributor This piece is the third in a series to address the issue of housing availability and affordability in the greater Sandpoint region. Find Parts 1 and 2 at sandpointreader.com.

In last month’s article I introduced the 2019 housing assessment conducted by the city of Sandpoint to begin to understand the problem of housing availability and affordability. The study provided an overview with demographic data and a broad market analysis that painted a picture of a problem brewing.

This problem has become more apparent as the median price for a home is up nearly 60% over last year, according to Realtor.com. Market prices for lumber, and most other commodities, drive up costs when supply shortages caused by a pandemic, inflation and other global factors come into play.

While we can’t substantially affect national market prices, we can create a comprehensive land use plan and zoning code that encourages more housing options and lower cost. Providing more inventory across a range of housing types improves access

Shelby Rognstad. to housing and supports more affordable options.

Other cities like Boise and McCall have found ways to reduce housing costs permanently through a variety of mechanisms. By contributing public lands for development of residential properties, cities are able to take the cost of the land out of the development equation.

This typically can reduce the cost of construction by 10-15%.

This savings then can be passed on to the consumer, renter or homeowner. Projects like this can be rentals or for-sale units or any combination thereof. Furthermore, public entities don’t pay property taxes, so there is no ongoing tax required to support

the development.

Municipalities can bring other subsidies into play, as well.

Impact fees and other development fees can be reduced or eliminated for projects that meet the target for affordability.

Other public agencies like HUD or Idaho Housing and Finance Association can contribute to a project through tax incentive programs and grants. Collectively, these efforts can work together to further bring down the cost of development.

In home ownership, when the market determines the housing cost but only applicants that meet the area median income (AMI) criteria are eligible buyers, it is called a market-based approach. Non-market-based approaches can include an appreciation cap, often in the 2% range, that restricts the annual value of appreciation after original ownership so that the reduced housing cost is carried forward beyond the original owner Increasingly, public-private partner-

ships are becoming common as cities and businesses recognize their fate is inextricably linked to workforce access to housing. A city may contribute land and other reduced fee incentives while an employer can contribute cash, land or other resources. This kind of collaboration can attract grant funding and other state and federal subsidies that can all work together to further drive down the development cost and ultimately the cost of housing.

Employers can require, based on the value of their contribution, a certain portion of the project to benefit their employees. Projects can be tailored to meet the needs of specific partners and/or the needs of the workforce at large.

Public-private partnerships are a powerful model because this kind of collaboration can bring vast resources to bear

when a community is working in synergy to ensure that housing is developed to meet the needs of the community. The first step in developing this kind of solution is to assess the needs of the community. The next step is to assess what resources we can marshal to address the issue.

To this end, the city has created a survey, available on EngageSandpoint, that was emailed to all businesses in the city and other employers in the Sandpoint metro area last week. The results will be tabulated to help us identify partners and develop potential solutions to improve access to workforce housing Please join me for the Mayor’s Roundtable to discuss these issues and more next Monday, June 28, at 4 p.m. at Tasty’s on the Cedar St. Bridge.

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Mad about Science:

Brought to you by:

medieval misconceptions

By Brenden Bobby Reader Columnist I’m a massive nerd when it comes to anything in the fantasy genre. Lord of the Rings, Dungeons & Dragons, Game of Thrones — well, maybe just the first five seasons. I’ll be the first to admit that many fantasy tropes have corrupted our understanding of the medieval period.

It’s understandable how we may have modified history to suit our biases; the time in which we live now is so completely different from what the world was like back then that we feel we have to inject parts of our modern lives into the settings for them to make logical sense.

Today, we will take a look at a few common ideas in the fantasy genre that have warped our understanding of history.

Inns and taverns Every fantasy story has featured the small-town tavern or inn — it’s the place where adventurers go to kick up their feet after a long battle, or is commonly where they’ve gathered to meet. All differences are set aside at the table behind a flagon of ale and, once they’re done, they can head upstairs for a good night’s rest.

The most common misconception about inns and taverns is that every town had one. While pilgrimages were common during the medieval period, it was often the poorest members of society or members of the clergy that were traveling. It wasn’t very Christian of anyone to charge either party for room and board, so it was more likely for people to stay with relatives along the road. Occasionally, 10 /

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they would stay with complete strangers in their homes.

Additionally, inns and taverns were almost never under the same roof. They were frequently different businesses altogether.

Owning a tavern would have been a full-time affair, as liquor and food were extremely difficult to transport over long distances. Managing an inn would have been quite similar to being a modern-day property manager, rather than a hotel mogul. It would have been the establishment owner’s job to make sure people were paying their rents and not trashing the building in the process. Inns were generally just a few large rooms with a shared sleeping space per room, as it was easier to build one big bed than a dozen smaller ones.

The kingdom comes to the king It’s often displayed in fantasy that the king sits upon his throne, and his subjects come to him to pay their tributes and respects, as well as bring him their disputes. The first few moments of Game of Thrones actually held more truth to how a king operates than virtually the entirety of the rest of the series. The life of a king was often spent traveling — going to his subjects to make sure they were behaving and still loyal.

Having a king visit a noble’s home was seen as both an honor and a burden. House guests, much like dead bodies, begin to stink after a few days, and the king would often bring hundreds of guests wherever he went. The burden of feeding and boarding all of these guests fell squarely on the shoulders of whomever it was the king was visiting — and if the king liked it there, he

would stay for weeks at a time.

This was likely more than simple mooching, as it could be a supreme test of loyalty. Those who had considered betraying their king and pledging their allegiance to another could be pushed as they watched their food and drink stores dwindle away. It would be much easier for the king to deal with a traitor when his entire retinue was currently occupying the castle.

Additionally, all of this traveling around and living his best life at his subjects’ expense allowed the king to both keep an eye on his kingdom and maintain his own coffers while he was at it.

There were few classes, and they were set for life Societal class is a tricky subject, no matter what culture you are a part of. It’s common in fantasy settings to see a division of two classes: the peasantry and the nobility with no crossover between them. In actuality, there was believed to be considerable crossover, and even a host of other classes thrown in between.

Social class in the medieval period — much as it is to this day — was dictated by three factors: wealth, education and influence.

Much of these three factors could be bypassed to a degree if one were to devote themselves to the clergy, which consisted of its own complex social class system and frequently interjected itself into the daily lives of nobles, peasants and everyone else.

Social classes were frequently shaken up during times of conflict, such as the Crusades, when tens of thousands would march off to war and sometimes never return. Frequent rebellions also led to the destruction of noble houses, allowing for other

social classes to rise in their place. This was especially true during the Wars of the Roses in England, from 1455 to 1487.

The conflicts are quite dense and difficult to summarize, but they encompass a number of bloody rebellions, executions and middle-class nobles rising to the English throne through treachery, ambition and marriage. If you’re curious, there are

volumes of information and four seasons of The Tudors on DVD at the library.

It might not seem like it sometimes, but we really have evolved as a society in the past thousand years. We’ve gotten better at many more things than simply killing each other; though, I believe we can always improve.

Stay curious, 7B.

Random Corner fashion?

Don’t know much about

We can help!

• In the 1940s to 1950s, “bullet bras” became a fashion trend popularized by Hollywood actresses of the time. The bras were coned-shape, stiffer and had pointed ends.

for commoners, 1 inch for the bourgeois, 1½ inches for knights, 2 inches for nobles and 2½ inches for princes. Butchers also wore heeled shoes to keep their feet out off pools of blood on the floor.

• It was unusual to wear a “white” wedding dress before Queen Victoria made it fashionable.

• The Japanese have been wearing surgical-style masks since 1918 and it has since become a part of social etiquette. It is also worn as a fashion item and serves as a defensive barrier due to social awkwardness. Total sales of disposable face masks amounted to almost $325 million in U.S. dollars in 2018.

• Limping was a fad in Victorian England. Young women admired the genuine limp of Alexandra of Denmark — bride of the Prince of Wales — and so went around affecting a limp, dubbed the “Alexandra Limp.” Shopkeepers at the time sold pairs of shoes with one high heel and one low.

• High heels were originally worn by men, as they were found to be extremely effective in keeping a horse rider’s feet in the stirrups. Then the shoe style evolved into a social status symbol and, finally, a fashion statement.

By the 1700s, King Louis XIV began wearing high heels as a sign of status. Soon their popularity and a race for increasingly higher heels required regulation: 1/2-inch

• The Beastie Boys coined the term “mullet” to refer to a hairstyle in their 1994 song “Mullet Head.” No earlier use of the term “mullet” in reference to a hairstyle has been found.

• Bell-bottomed pants originated as part of the uniform for the U.S. Navy. The reason they were “belled” all the way up was to allow the wearer to easily remove them in case they ended up in the sea, and to use them as a flotation device.

PERSPECTIVES

Pride in my town

By Jeff Bohnhof Reader Contributor

Coming out as an older person has been a bit of a challenge as well as a bit of a disappointment; or, I guess better yet, it comes with feelings of regret. Regret that I did not come out in junior or senior high school — sometimes I feel like I’ve missed an entire lifetime of being myself.

Six years ago, some friends and I started the most recent chapter of PFLAG Sandpoint. It’s been a struggle at times, with the ebb and flow of people attending the support meetings and at times there being only two or three of us at a meeting.

Occasionally we had thought about just closing the chapter but have kept at it.

In the past few years — aside from last year, with things shut down because of COVID-19 — we have been steadily growing. As president I’ve made connections all over the country. One such connection gave me a fresh insight and fervor to keep going.

The gal from Texas who was trying

to make connections with us for friends she had in the area said, “Think of your PFLAG chapter as a bus on a route; it follows the same route everyday, even when there might only be one or two riders on the bus.”

Along those lines, we’ve held various events trying to gain members and become more visible. This year we are jumping in with both feet. Over the years I have attended various Pride events in other cities and have wanted our community to have the same experience. For one reason or another it just never happened until now.

A few months ago, I approached the owners of Matchwood Brewing and Evans Brothers Coffee about having an event here in town. Andrea Marcoccio, of Matchwood, told me that they had been thinking about doing the same thing, but felt that it should be led by someone in the LGBTQ community. With that initial meeting, Sandpoint Pride Festival was born.

So Sandpoint, buckle up, because on Saturday, July 17, come down to

FSPW announces 2021 scholarship winners

By Reader Staff

School is out for summer, and that means a new class of budding scholars is on its way to bigger and better things.

Friends of Scotchman Peaks Wilderness is happy to support college-bound students graduating from North Idaho and northwest Montana high schools — and seven regional students are heading to college with a little extra support thanks to their winning essays in the FSPW scholarship program.

“Nature helps me to see our world from a different perspective,” wrote Isabelle Kapan, of Libby High School, in her essay. “It reminds me to never take the wilderness we are surrounded by for granted.”

This year, winning students included Kapan, Gabrielle Pallister of Troy High School, Josey Laine Neesvig of Thompson Falls High School, Wesley Simko of Clark Fork High School, Olivia Lynch of Sandpoint High School, Madeline Wuthrich of Forrest Bird Charter School and Halie Moore of Priest River Lamanna High School.

Students earned their scholarship awards by writing essays about wilderness or nature-related experiences, encompassing topics centered on activities like hiking, hunting or fishing that don’t rely on motor vehicles or other disruptions to the natural world. Winning writers also reflect on how those outdoor experiences shaped them as people.

“Lots of us today like to be in control and in our comfort zones, but what exploring the backcountry has taught me is that the unplanned things make you feel alive,” wrote Wesley Simko, of Clark Fork High School.

Essays covered a diverse range of themes, capturing the experience of getting caught outdoors in a hail storm, embarking into the wild for conservation education and hitting the lake in search of largemouth bass — just to name a few.

Selected students will record themselves reading their winning essays for episodes of FSPW’s Your Wild Place podcast.

Visit scotchmanpeaks.org for podcast episodes featuring the scholarship winners and all other upcoming FSPW events.

Matchwood Brewing and Evans Brothers Coffee (both located at the Granary District between Oak and Church streets) and help celebrate Sandpoint’s inaugural Pride Event.

Along with Matchwood Brewing and Evans Brothers, other sponsors include Ting Sandpoint, Schweitzer, The 219, Tervan, Outdoor Experience, Upside Kombucha, Le Chic Boutique, Misty Mountain Furniture, Innovia Foundation, Bluebird Bakery, The Fat Pig, Beet and Basil, and Syringa Cyclery.

The day will consist of booths from various groups in town, a face painter, bouncy house, music, speakers, a drag show and, to round out the night, a dance party in the parking lot DJ’d by Sandpoint’s own Coral, a music producer who has performed at shows all over the world.

I am beyond proud of how our town has stepped up and offered such amazing

support. Yes, I know there will be those who frown upon this event, but I believe Sandpoint is better than that.

We live in an amazing community in one of the prettiest parts of this amazing country. Our diversity is what makes Sandpoint the unique beautiful town that it is.

Let’s celebrate that diversity together.

Jeff Bohnhof is president of PFLAG Sandpoint, a support/educational/advocacy group for the local LGBT community.

It is a donor-supported national nonprofit organization with more than 400 chapters throughout the U.S. Follow the local PFLAG chapter on Facebook and send a message for phone number and P.O. box.

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COMMUNITY

Sandpoint Lions Club Independence Day to celebrate essential workers This year’s theme is ‘It Takes a Community’

By Ben Olson Reader Staff

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The Sandpoint Lions Club Fourth of July celebrations are back this year, and organizers promise they will be better than ever.

After taking a year off in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Lions will again host the Independence Day parade and fireworks show, as the service organization has for almost seven decades in Sandpoint.

The theme this year is, “It Takes a Community,” which Lions’ Vice President Janice Rader said was chosen both to show community spirit, as well as give a nod to the long road traveled by the community during the past year-and-a-half amid the pandemic.

“We didn’t want to focus on the pandemic, but at the same time, it took a community to survive this,” Rader told the Reader. “It had a ring to it, so we thought it would be the perfect theme this year. We survived and we’re better than ever.”

The grand marshal of this year’s parade will be a departure from the norm, with the Lions Club honoring all essential workers and representatives from various essential careers taking the lead in the parade.

The parade schedule will follow the same time and route as years past: the Children’s Parade will start at 9 a.m. and the Grand Parade will kick off at 10 a.m., with the route beginning at Fifth Avenue and Church Street, winding down Church to First Avenue and up Cedar Street back to the starting point.

“We have already had a huge amount of signups for parade floats,” Rader said.

“People are going above and beyond to build some amazing floats this year. We’re excited to see what our community is bringing out.”

Float registration is open until the day of the event and applications are available on the Lions’ Facebook page at facebook.com/ SandpointLionsClub. Registration is $25 or $35 if registering on July 4.

A new offering this year will be a small number of souvenir T-shirts, available at the registration table on the corner of Church Street and Fifth Avenue. Anyone who donates $20 or more gets a free T-shirt while supplies last.

Starting at 1 p.m. the Lions will give away free ice cream at Sandpoint City Beach — just look for the area roped off under tents. The one major change this year / June 24, 2021

Spectators gather along First Avenue in Sandpoint to watch the Sandpoint Lions Club parade on July 4, 2019. Photo by Ben Olson. will be no raffle, but Rader said that will return next year.

The annual fireworks display will begin at dusk at Sandpoint City Beach, which usually occurs between 9-10 p.m.

“We are planning an extraordinary display,” Rader said.

All proceeds earned from the Lions Club’s festivities on the Fourth of July will help fund the group’s ongoing philanthropic community projects, including the annual Easter Egg Hunt, a sight and hearing program providing eyeglasses and hearing aids for the community, the annual Halloween Haunted House, books provided to local day care centers, support for the Canine Companions for Independence program, Toys for Tots and raising the U.S. flag on participating businesses during federal holidays, to name just a few.

Visit the Sandpoint Lions Club’s Facebook page for more information.

It’s been a real pleasure being out and about the past few weeks. Here are a few photos from our little town.

To submit a photo for a future edition, please send to ben@sandpointreader.com.

Top: The hot weather has made for some stunning sunsets on Lake Pend Oreille the past couple of weeks. Here a swarthy sailing crew gathers to watch the sun go down on the lake. Photo by Ben Olson.

Bottom left: City of Sandpoint staff met Tuesday, June 22 at 9 a.m. with representatives of the local pickleball club to officially open a new set of pickleball courts. The courts are located on the old asphalt basketball court behind War Memorial Field. There are now three newly surfaced and striped pickleball courts with portable nets for use by the public. When not being used for pickleball, the courts will also be an improved surface for basketball. The city provided a statement: “Under the vision and hard work of Sandpoint resident Tish Litven, over 60 private donors participated in this project donating over $10,000. The city worked with Asphalt Pro USA for the work and very much appreciated the hard work of their dedicated crews and contribution of waiving travel and mobilization costs. This is yet another example of a successful public-private partnership which is the preferred means of funding park improvements based on community surveys completed as part of the city’s Parks and Recreation Master Plan adopted in 2019.”

Photo courtesy city of Sanpdoint.

Bottom right: Jake Hagadone, right, sits with his nephew John, middle, and niece Eleanor, left, in what will now be known as the “North Idaho Recliner.” Photo by Zach Hagadone.

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FEATURE

Stewards of the saw

By Lyndsie Kiebert Reader Staff

When the infamous March 2020 windstorm ripped through North Idaho, Kaniksu Land Trust’s community forest, Pine Street Woods, suffered the effects of Mother Nature’s wrath.

KLT Conservation Director Regan Plumb recalled that “hundreds of trees blew down” on the 180-acre property in west Sandpoint.

“I think we sent five truckloads to local mills, but there were quite a few logs on the ground that we couldn’t sell,” she said, noting that at the time, pine wasn’t sellable and many trees were oversized.

With wood on the ground and ample clean-up ahead, Bonner Soil and Water Conservation District and KLT teamed up to purchase a portable sawmill, in the process creating Kaniksu Lumber.

“It dovetailed perfectly with their mission,” Plumb said of the BSWCD, which is one of 50 conservation districts across Idaho charged with helping people manage and utilize the area’s natural resources.

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Plumb calculated that about 80 volunteer work hours went into assembling the sawmill, which arrived at her house on three separate pallets from Tonawanda, N.Y.-based manufacturer Norwood Sawmills.

The mill began its work in Pine Street Woods this past spring, and KLT has slowly been building an inventory of lumber available for purchase online.

Special orders for fence posts and other home project needs have also come in, and volunteers are currently working to provide wood materials for local biking and trail building group Pend Oreille Pedalers to use in improving area trails.

Plumb said Kaniksu Lumber serves the community forests’ goals as outlined in the organization’s Forest Management Plan, a guiding document created by KLT’s forestry committee, composed of career foresters, an arborist and wildlife expert who teamed up to create a long-term plan for the property.

“That plan is guided by principles of healthy forest, wildlife habitat and fire mitigation,” Plumb said. “It’s not

Kaniksu Lumber puts responsible forest management into the community’s hands at Pine Street Woods

profit driven at all — it’s just about taking care of this land.”

Part of that care now comes in the form of on-site lumber production. While an outsider unfamiliar with the importance of responsible forest management might see trees being cut up as counterproductive to KLT’s mission, Plumb said Kaniksu Lumber is just another facet of the group’s conservation efforts. Cleaning up dead and downed trees helps protect the land from disease, infestation and fire danger.

“I think of conservation as meaning just to take good care of something and, of course, when you manage a forest — even when you’re logging it — you’re taking care of it, so you’re helping to conserve it,” Plumb said.

While Kaniksu Lumber is not driven by profit, the prospect of channeling money from lumber sales back into the community forest is exciting.

KLT currently relies on fundraisers and donations to pay thousands of dollars for annual road maintenance, signage, trail work and more.

“We’re very intentional

about not charging a fee [to use Pine Street Woods],” Plumb said, “because we want anybody to be able to come up here and use it whenever they want to.”

The sawmill also serves as a reminder of what built North Idaho communities in the first place: the forest product industry.

“Rapid growth of our rural communities, largely derived from urban areas, is fueling a widening disconnect between local residents and the natural world around them,” KLT officials stated in a press release announcing Kaniksu Lumber.

“Rural communities such as ours, established a century ago to serve a forestry-based economy, are increasingly filling with residents who neither recognize commercial tree species nor understand the value of sustainable timber management and the ecosystem services derived from healthy forestlands.”

Through educational opportunities — and by simply offering the opportunity to buy local lumber straight off the land where it grew — KLT

Left: KLT staff and volunteers assemble the sawmill. Photo courtesy KLT. Right: Regan Plumb stacks finished boards at Pine St. Woods. Photo by Lyndsie Kiebert.

hopes to bring that historial character to the forefront of its milling operations.

“We want to keep that legacy alive, and we also want to be reminding visitors to Pine Street Woods of all the ecosystem benefits that derive from healthy, working forests,” Plumb said.

The portable, volunteer-run mill is a small but significant call to Bonner County’s past, and a beacon of hope for what can be done through collaboration and hard work in the future.

“For me,” Plumb said, “this sawmill represents education, innovation and partnership perfectly.”

To shop Kaniksu Lumber’s current inventory, visit the online store: kaniksu.org/kaniksulumber. Those with questions or who hope to order custom cuts can also call 208-2639471. Learn more about Kaniksu Land Trust and the Pine Street Woods at kaniksu.org.

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SPORTS & OUTDOORS

Parks and Rec. programming for June and July

By Reader Staff Sandpoint Parks, Recreation and Open Spaces will be offering the following programming in June and July. Online registration is currently open for: Adult Doubles Tennis League Subs.

The league plays through Sept. 22. Warm up begins at 5 pm. Match play begins at 5:30 p.m. Fee: $5 ($1 non-resident fee) to join the sub list.

Ultimate Frisbee League (ages 16+).

League play begins Thursday, June 24 and will continue through Oct. 28. Play is 5:307 p.m. every Thursday at War Memorial Field. Fee: $20.

Youth Tennis Lessons (ages 4-18 broken out by age). Weekly sessions meet one hour a day, four days a week, through July 29. Fee: $23 ($3 non-resident fee).

Session 3: Monday-Thursday, June 28July 1; Session 4: Tuesday-Friday, July 6-9; Session 6: Monday-Thursday, July 26-29.

Tiny Tots ages 4 and 5 meet twice a week for 45 minutes, fee $13 ($2 non-resident fee).

Times vary based on age group. Rackets are available to borrow at no charge for all youth tennis lessons and partial scholarships are available. Online registration deadline is the Friday prior to session start date.

Youth Tennis Match Play (ages 8-12) at Travers Park. The week-long league will focus on match play and take players through the fundamentals of playing in match formats. Skills taught will include the basics of scoring, singles and doubles matches. Fee: $31 ($3 non-resident fee).

Registration deadline: July 16.

Session 5: Monday-Friday July 19-23.

Beginners play 9:30-10:30 a.m., intermediates play 10:30 a.m.-noon. Tournament (all levels) play is Friday, July 23 from 9 a.m.-12:30 p.m.

High School Teen Tennis Camp at Travers Park Courts, Monday-Friday, July 12-16 from 10 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Run by Sandpoint Varsity Tennis Coach Kent Anderson, participants will get the opportunity to work out with some of the best college coaches and pros in the state. Camp is open to existing/incoming high-school players or by special permission of instructors. Fee: $120 for the week. Registration open to the public through Thursday, July 1.

Family Fun in the Forest (FREE to the entire family), Sunday, June 27 from 2-4 p.m. at the Lakeview Park Pavilion. Learn more about getting the most from your hiking and camping experience and brush up on safety and First Aid skills. No registration required.

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Jr. Beginner Sailing (ages 10-18).

Classes meet Monday-Thursday, July 12-15. Two times available: 10 a.m.-noon or 1-3 p.m. Students will learn sailing and safety basics and then head out on the water for hands on experience. Registration Deadline: Tuesday, July 6. Fee: $45 ($4 non-resident fee).

Jr. Lifeguarding (ages 12-15). Level 1 meets Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, July 19, 21 and 23, and 26, 28 and 30 at the City Beach Lifeguard Shack from 9-10:30 a.m. Classes are designed to give youths the opportunity to learn what it is like to be a lifeguard in an open water environment while improving swimming ability and stroke mechanics.

Registration deadline: Sunday, July 11.

Fee: $27 ($3 non-resident fee) Ladies Golf Clinic. Session 2 meets Monday nights July 26-Aug. 23 at the Elks Golf Course from 5:30-6:30 p.m. Registration deadline: July 22. Fee: $100 ($5 non-resident fee)

Adult Beginning Tennis Lessons.

Session 4: Thursday and Friday, July 8 and 9 from 5:30-6:30 p.m. at the Lakeview Park Tennis Courts. Fee: $22 ($3 non-resident fee). Registration deadline: Friday, July 2.

Adult Intermediate Tennis Lessons.

Session 3: Monday, June 28 and Thursday, July 1. Registration deadline: Friday, June 25. Session 6: Monday, July 26 and Thursday, July 29. Registration deadline: Friday, July 23. Classes are 5:30-6:30 p.m. at the Lakeview Park Tennis Courts. Fee: $22 ($3 non-resident fee).

The City of Sandpoint Outdoor Shooting Range, located at 113 Turtle Rock Road, is currently open for the season.

Range hours of operation are available on the Parks and Rec. website on the most currently posted range calendar.

The City of Sandpoint Parks, Recreation and Open Spaces Department also acts as a clearinghouse to connect the public with other recreational opportunities in the community. Visit the online activity catalog to view listings in this category. Outside organizations and individuals wishing to list their activities are encouraged to contact Parks and Rec. with their program information at recreation@sandpointidaho.gov.

For Parks and Rec. program registration, shooting range hours of operation and other community programs, visit the Sandpoint Parks, Recreation and Open Spaces website at sandpointidaho.gov/parksrecreation, visit the department’s office at 1123 Lake St. or call 208-263-3613.

Panhandle Health District recommends following CDC guidance: stay home if sick, reduce physical closeness when possible, wear a mask if possible and clean hands often.

Bonner Co. Garden Tour slated for July 3

By Reader Staff The Bonner County Gardening Association is hosting its annual self-guided Garden Tour after putting the event on hold last year. The 2021 tour features six residential gardens in the Sandpoint area, along with showcasing one community garden in town.

“Whether you are a gardening enthusiast or just enjoy strolling through and viewing the various landscapes, don’t miss this year’s tour,” the group wrote in a news release. “Besides the beautiful flower and vegetable beds, these residences also have unique architectural features and artistic structures. There are many eye-catching flowers and complementary features in each

garden that can’t be missed.”

BCGA’s Garden Tour will take place on Saturday, July 3 from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Tickets are $15 each and are available on the organization’s website, BCGardeners.org along with the addresses to each of the gardens. Tickets can also be purchased the day of the event at any of the tour’s residences.

Bonner County Gardening Association is a nonprofit organization that has operated for more than 10 years, focused on education, community outreach and camaraderie. For more information about BCGA, gardening information or to ask a gardening question, visit BCGardeners.org, call 208-265-2070 or email bcgardeners@gmail.com.

Green Monarchs Futbol Club to play Spokane United June 25

By Reader Staff The Green Monarchs Futbol Club - a soccer team made up of former players and aficionados of the sport - will play a men’s premier exhibition game against Spokane United on June 25 under the lights on the new turf at War Memorial Field on Friday, June 25 at 7 p.m.

The Futbol Club, which plays under the banner of the Sandpoint Soccer Association, features many former Strikers players from years past.

Kids 12 and under attend free, and tickets are only $5 for those 13 and up.

Visit sandpointsoccer.com for more information.

Meditation and mindfulness classes offered

All proceeds will benefit mental health through NAMI Far North

By Reader Staff Sandpoint Medical Massage and Bodyworks is offering meditation and massage classes by donation, with the goal to give all proceeds to support the goal of NAMI Far North — the local chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness — to raise $500 in the month of June.

The following classes are available: Full Moon Alignment Meditation — Thursday, June 24 at 5:30 p.m.

Anne Baggenstoss will be offering a

class on meditation and gentle breath work for regulating and soothing the nervous system. This class will also be held on the full moon.

Loving Touch for your Nervous System — Wednesday, June 30 at 5:30 p.m.

Kirsten Longmeier will be offering a one-hour workshop on specific holds and techniques that stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system to help aid restfulness and connection. This class is appropriate for all ages.

RSVP: sandpointmedmassage@gmail.com.

NAMI offers seminar for family and friends affected by mental illness

By Reader Staff NAMI Far North — the local chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness — is offering a 90-minute seminar titled NAMI Family and Friends on Friday, June 25 from noon-1:30 p.m. at the Community Resource Envision Center, 130 McGhee Road, Suite 220.

The seminar intends to inform and

support people who have loved ones with a mental health condition. Participants will learn about diagnoses, treatment, recovery, communication strategies, crisis preparation and NAMI resources. Seminar leaders have personal experience with mental health conditions in their families.

The seminar takes place in person at the address listed above, or to register for a Zoom link, visit bit.ly/NAMI-sandpoint.

COMMUNITY

Sandpoint Beerfest returns to Trinity at City Beach

By Reader Staff

The Greater Sandpoint Chamber of Commerce is bringing back its beer bash at City Beach on July 10 from noon-5 p.m. Tickets include a commemorative glass and access to more than 20 regional beers, ciders and seltzers.

Bring a chair and sunshade and enjoy the views from the lawn at Trinity at City Beach. In a must-see (or listen) bonus, Sandpoint’s favorite dance band, Tennis, will be playing live from 1-4 p.m.

“It doesn’t feel like summer in Sandpoint until Tennis is back in town,” said Ricci Witte of the Sandpoint Chamber.

“Beerfest wouldn’t be the same without them.”

General admission tickets are a $40 flat fee now until Thursday, July 1, then $50. For tickets, visit tickets.beerfests. com/event/sandpoint-beerfest or find the event on the Sandpoint Chamber Face-

Participants at the 2019 Sandpoint Beerfest, held outside of Trinity at City Beach. Courtesy photo. book page. Attendance will be limited to the first 750 people, so get tickets early.

This is an 21-and-older event, and you must show a valid ID at the gate. Organizers stressed that it is illegal to serve an

intoxicated person, so moderation will be strictly enforced. Also, while they love your furry friends, dogs are not permitted inside the event.

Lenny Hess honored as June Business and Volunteer of the Month

By Reader Staff

In an unprecedented ceremony on June 10, the Greater Sandpoint Chamber of Commerce honored Lenny Hess as Volunteer of the Month as well as his company, 7B TV, as Business of the Month at its General Membership Luncheon.

In recognition of both Hess’ personal volunteerism and professional donations, the chamber board and ambassadors chose to honor him with both awards. Hess has served on several nonprofit boards, most recently the Panida Theater in the role of board president. He has supported a variety of others, including the Festival at Sandpoint, Kinderhaven, and Underground Kindness through monetary and inkind donations. Through the “Dish Cares Initiative,” Hess donates a portion of his business’ advertising to various nonprofits and causes in the community.

Hess was born in Redwood City, Calif., and moved to Sandpoint in 1960

Bob Witte, left, presents Lenny Hess, right, with dual honors. Courtesy photo. at the age of 2. He grew up in Sagle and, while attending Sandpoint High School, held jobs at the Alpine Shop, Schweitzer and the Panida. After graduating in 1976,

Hess attended NIC and majored in music.

After college, Hess spent six years working at Pacific Gas and Electric in California before returning home to Sandpoint and beginning his career in television, working at Karli’s TV. He gained knowledge and experience working with satellite TV companies, which sent him all over the country.

In 1997, Hess translated those skills into his own company, Hesstronics and Sandpoint Satellite. He became a Dish dealer, sold Sandpoint Satellite, started 7B TV and added smart home services.

This move earned Hess the distinction of Premier Plus Retailer for excellence in customer service.

The business has moved and changed with the ever-evolving market over the years, but Hess has come full-circle — location-wise — and is currently located at 105 S. Third Ave., adjacent to the former Karli’s TV building.

An avid skier and boater, Hess keeps a beautiful home with his wife, Nancy, and their pets in south Sandpoint. You can reach 7B TV by calling 208-263-7288, emailing lhess@hesstronics.com or stopping by the showroom.

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events

June 24 - July 1, 2021

THURSDAY, June 24

Fundraiser for CCS 1-3:30pm @ Suzuki String Academy With Simon Pranaitis. For registration, email info@suzukistringacademy.com Live Music w/ Alex & Maya 7-9pm @ The Back Door

Live Music w/ Chris Lynch 6-8pm @ MickDuff’s Beer Hall Trivia Night at the Longshot 7-10pm @ The Longshot Prizes awarded to the winners!

FriDAY, June 25

Live Music w/ Bright Moments Jazz 7-9pm @ Matchwood Brewing Co.

Live Music w/ Berx Records Duo 5-8pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery Family-friendly acoustic music Live Music w/ Kevin Dorin 8-10pm @ The Back Door Wild Idaho Rising Tide rally 10am-12pm @ Farmin Park 10am sign creation, 11am gathering and speakers. Keystone XL Pipeline

Green Monarchs vs. Spokane United 7pm @ War Memorial Field Watch Sandpoint’s soccer club represent! $5 for 13 and above, kids under 12 free DJ Dance night 8-10pm @ The Longshot DJ Spicy Ketchup from Spokane playing indie, electronic, hip hop and house vibes Art as Theater (June 25-27) Various times @ Panida Theater Five original one-act plays inspired by works of local artists. Ad and story ------>

SATURDAY, June 26 MickDuff’s BBQ Cook-Off Championship @ MickDuff’s Beer Hall Live Music w/ Pamela Jean 2:30-5:30pm @ MickDuff’s Beer Hall

June Bug Ball 7-10pm @ Sandpoint Community Hall Learn the Country Two-Step from 7-8pm and open dancing after. 208-699-0421

Live Music w/ Maya & Alex 6-8pm @ Idaho Pour Authority

Outdoor Jazz Concert 8-10pm @ The Longshot Mik Johnson 10-Piece Jazz band playing Live Music w/ Zachary Simms original works and classics 5-8pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery Sandpoint Farmers’ Market Singer-songwriter hailing from Kansas City 10am-1pm @ Farmin Park Live Music w/ Benny Baker Produce, arts, crafts and more. Live music 8-10pm @ The Back Door

by Truck Mills

SunDAY, June 27

Sandpoint Chess Club 9am @ Evans Brothers Coffee Meets every Sunday at 9am Interactive Bingo 6-7:30pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery

Live Violin Music / Max Reed 3-5pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery Max plays everything from the Beatles to Michael Jackson in his own style

monDAY, June 28

Monday Night Blues Jam w/ Truck Mills 7pm @ Eichardt’s Pub Lifetree Cafe • 2pm @ Jalapeño’s “The Majesty and Mystery of Nature”

Outdoor Experience Monday Night Group Run – All levels welcome 6pm @ Outdoor Experience

wednesDAY, June 30

Live Music w/ Samantha Carston 7-9pm @ The Back Door Live Music w/ Steven Wayne 7pm @ Eichardt’s Pub

Benny on the Deck live music 5-7:30pm @ Connie’s Lounge Benny Baker and guest Jake Robin Sandpoint Farmers’ Market 3-5:30pm @ Farmin Park

Community Cancer Services fundraiser and Live Music w/ John Firshi 5-9pm @ Idaho Pour Authority Pelican tap takeover and CCS fundraiser from 5-9pm, music from 6-8pm

ThursDAY, July 1

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STAGE & SCREEN

Beyond the frame

Series of one-act plays, Art as Theater, brings local fine artists’ work to the stage

By Zach Hagadone Reader Staff Artistic inspiration can come from just about anywhere. For playwright Teresa Pesce, it came after looking at a selection of paintings by local artists. From their images she conjured up characters and settings — whole relationships — that ultimately resulted in five one-act plays that explore her interpretation of what is happening both inside and outside the frame.

Presented by the Pend Oreille Arts Council and Panida Theater under the overall title Art as Theater and due to appear on the Panida stage Friday-Sunday, June 25-27 each 15- to 20-minute play conjures a world in miniature, packed with meaning.

Pesce calls it “sequential magic” — a multimedia melding of visual, performance and musical art.

“An artist imagines and projects an image; a writer imagines and projects that into a story,” she said. “The director brings the magic, the actors bring it to the stage and the music projects all of it.”

While Pesce wrote and directed each of the plays, the music has been provided by Dave Gunter and Dave Hussey, a.k.a., The Paranormal Daves, who have created an all-original score based on their interpretations of the pieces. The artwork — so critical to the production — came from POAC artists Suzanne Jewell, Scott Kirby, Patricia Ragone and Connie Scherr.

Each piece, with three from Ragone, will be projected on a screen above the stage to imprint the visual inspiration for the dramatic act in the audience’s mind before the players begin their own work. The visuals — which include the slideshow and only special effect, an introductory video projection of an artist’s hand painting “art as theater” — were provided by Russ Sabin.

Pesce is enthusiastic about the work her actors have put in, noting that while some names will be familiar to Sandpoint theatergoers, several others are brand new.

Tari Pardini, Ron Ragone, Ashley Shalbreck and Dean Thomas are all veteran area performers, but in their debut local roles are Kelly Draggoo, Ashley Lopez, Frytz Mor and Joe Woodruff.

“They are astonishing. They’re just astonishing in their ability,” said Pesce. “The people in the theater world should come out and see this and see these amazing new finds that are in fact recent arrivals.”

The entries in Art as Theater are “like espresso,” she said — short but powerful snapshots of individuals at specific moments in their lives.

The play Taxi came from Pesce’s associations with Ragone’s painting “Taxi,” which features a young woman stepping out of a cab on a busy city street. Pesce wondered why she would be stepping out of a taxi, and from there flowed a story about a daughter going to find her father, who left when she was 2 months old. If audiences expect a pat, tidy ending, they’ll be surprised.

Elvis Has Left the Building took as its cue Kirby’s piece “Nocturnal Barnscape” — a wistful image of the interior of a red-painted barn. There are boards missing from the walls and roof, while no glass remains in the windows. A single light bulb on the far wall casts a conical point of illumination opposite a vast door that opens on a nighttime scene: a road winding off into the distance through darkened fields dominated by a star-pocked sky and crescent moon. A shimmer of light along the horizon suggests either a distant city or the final tired moments of the gloaming after a long, hot day.

From that piece, Pesce wrote a play about a mother with alzheimers and her children’s differing ideas about how to approach the fact she is “anywhere but where she is.”

Of the five plays, Pesce said Furry Friends, inspired by Patricia Ragone’s works “Kitty” and “Taz,” is the most lighthearted.

The portraits of a vibrant blue-eyed cat and a friendly pup inspired in Pesce the notion of two pets who help their owner find true love.

She promised that the actor who plays the dog — Mor — “will steal every scene, and that’s just fine.”

Three Houses is based on Jewell’s piece titled “The Green Shed.” Pesce said that looking at the painting, which depicts a

The pieces of art that inspired the plays, from top left to right: “Kitty” and “Taz” by Patricia Ragone, “Nocturnal Barnscape” by Scott Kirby. Bottom left to right: “Taxi” by Patricia Ragone, “The Bridge” by Connie Scherr and “The Green Shed” by Suzanne Jewell. Courtesy photos. number of sloping roofs in descending height from a house at center-frame, “triggered the thought of a family” — the two smaller ence’s attention on the actors’ performances. structural elements representing children “It’s character-driven, it doesn’t rely on who have built their own lives while the the set,” she said. “I wanted them [the audilarger structure stands as their mother, who ence] to be focused on the work of art — to no matter what will always be “home.” have that in their mind, then the story plays For The Bridge, Pesce took as her inspiout via the characters. It’s not about the set.” ration a painting of the same name by Scherr After many years as a contributor to the that depicts a red wooden bridge spanning a local theater scene, Pesce feels the time is creek somewhere in the forest. In the play, right for a resurgence, as more and more two friends meet on the bridge at a series new residents come to the Sandpoint area, of critical junctures — from childhood to bringing their talents and showing up to the adulthood and (literally) beyond. theater as audience members.

“The plays are really about the arcs of re“These are the wonderful blessings to the lationships,” Pesce said. “The dialogue is not growth of a town — there’s new businesses canned; it is not trite, it is not even expected. that can open, more restaurants, more art … It’s not sitcom characters; it’s real people.” galleries, more opportunities,” she said.

True to its title, Art as Theater is inOne of those opportunities, which Pesce tended to be as stripped down as possible hopes might be expressed with the mingling to focus exclusively on the of longtime local stage acart and the theater it has tors and newcomers in Art Art as Theater (PG) inspired. The set consists of as Theater, is the cultivaFriday-Saturday, June 25-26, a basic living room scene, tion of a new wave of arts 7:30 p.m.; Sunday, June 27, 2 p.m.; which will be used for evleaders — “someone else $15, $12 for Sunday matinee. ery play, other than in The to put their shoulder to the Artists’ reception on opening Bridge — of course, taking night, 6:30 p.m., at the Little wheel and put Sandpoint on Theater, featuring artists and their the map.” place on a bridge.

Pesce described it as akin work. Doors open 30 minutes “I would love to see unity prior to curtain Saturday and to “a black-box approach,” with the arts,” she said. “We Sunday. Panida Theater, 300 N. referring to a form of theater First Ave., 208-263-9191. Get want people to know how space typified by its simplic- tickets at Eve’s Leaves (326 N. talented Sandpoint is and this First Ave.), at the door or online ity: four black walls and a is a fantastic time to do it.” at panida.org. floor, focusing all the audiJune 24, 2021 /

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COMMUNITY

By Mike Wagoner Reader Contributor

Badass robin or what the? - or I thought all robins were mellow So… I woke up this mornin’ to a weird, mellow banging sound. It was happening fairly regularly and seemed to be nearby or maybe in the house. I came out of the bedroom and found the source… it was a robin tryin’ to beat up my cabin. It was hurling itself over and over right into my front picture window… and usually hittin’ the same spot.

I stayed well back so it wouldn’t see me. It would retreat briefly to one of the front deck posts, then attack again.

Well, I sat and decided this was time for some serious reflection.

Wait a minute… reflection! Robins have nested before on the high beam that supports the roof over my front deck and I’m thinkin’ this one has decided to do just that but keeps bein’ hassled by another robin tryin’ to move in on its turf… except it’s not another bird… it’s itself.

The window is acting like a mirror and this bird’s brain thinks it’s an intruder. So I’m sittin’ inside wonderin’ why it doesn’t get a clue

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and realize it’s beatin’ up itself?

Oh… probably cause it’s never seen itself… only other robins. Bummer.

This went on for a while and I needed to leave. I went out the front door and started headin’ for my truck… I turned to see if it was still hangin’ out on the post just in time to see it headin’ straight for my face like a fighter plane… it veered off about three feet from me, landed in a nearby tree and started bitichin’ at me. As I reached the safety of my rig I was thinkin’, “Now that is one badass robin.”

MUSIC

Festival announces 2021 poster artist

By Reader Staff The Festival at Sandpoint announced Connie Scherr as the 2021 poster artist for its annual concert series, July 29Aug. 8 at War Memorial Field.

Connie was selected by past poster artists as the 2020 artist; but, unfortunately, was unable to showcase her talent when the COVID-1 pandemic spurred the cancellation of the Festival. Meanwhile, Scherr is looking forward to showcasing her work this summer.

“I want to express how honored I am to be chosen as this year’s poster artist for Sandpoint’s unique and beautiful Festival,” said Scherr, whose work is also featured as part of the Panida-POAC presentation Art as Theater (see Page 19).

Born in Minnesota, Scherr grew up and studied art in southern California before moving to Sandpoint in 1977.

Scherr and her husband chose Sandpoint partly because its beauty reminded her of her visits to Minnesota, “minus the dripping humidity, massive mosquito population and eyeball-freezing winters.” Scheer and her family also enjoy the

Connie Scherr. Courtesy photo. pace and sense of community Sandpoint offers.

Scherr started out painting in watercolor and, when she moved to Sandpoint, continued her study under Al Knoke, Katherine Haynes, Zolton Zabo and others. In 2005, Scherr decided to study oil. Her first workshop was in Taos, N.M., and she returns to the Southwest every year with a group that calls itself the “Ghost Girls,” painting the pueblos and ruins plein air-style.

Having lived in and traveled to different places, Scherr finds herself wanting to “dig a little deeper” into each place. It is this desire to know more that

The Festival at Sandpoint in 2019. Photo by Ben Olson. influenced her Festival poster artwork.

Scherr realized that for the past 20-25 years she has been trying to capture the “mood” of North Idaho. When conceptualizing the poster art, Scheer thought about the “community, past and present” including the Indigenous tribes, early explorers, and settlers that may have camped along the shores of lake Pend Oreille — sharing the same sense of community and tradition Scherr experiences in Sandpoint. She imagines early residents and visitors trading, sharing food and drink, swapping stories and playing music.

The Festival, she said, is the cur-

rent embodiment of this history.

Scherr said being chosen to create the Festival poster art made her realize just how much she loves Sandpoint.

Unfortunately, there will be no public poster unveiling, as is tradition, due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic — however, the Festival will share photos on social media, festivalatsandpoint.com and the Sandpoint Reader in July. The original artwork will also be on display at the Festival and available for purchase by the highest bidder.

To learn more about Scherr and see her work go to conniescherr.com.

A snapshot of notable live music coming up in Sandpoint

Pamela Jean, Davis Market & Cafe, June 25 Pamela Jean will be bringing the party to the patio at Davis Market in Hope on Friday, June 25, playing her signature blend of country rock and “sharing the highs and lows of her life through her music,” as stated on her website, pamelajeanunlimited.com.

As a traveling singer-songwriter, the Nashville recording artist has called many places home, but is now settled in North Idaho.

Through heartfelt lyrics, lively mel-

odies and the occasional hard edge of rock ’n’ roll sass, Pamela Jean lends her passionate voice and honest recollections of life’s trials and tribulations to the ever-expanding world of women’s country music.

— Lyndsie Kiebert 5-7 p.m., FREE, Davis Market & Cafe, 620 Wellington Place in Hope, 208-264-0539, davismarktecafe.com.

Zachary Simms, Pend d’Oreille Winery, June 26 Singer-songwriter Zachary Simms recently relocated from Kansas City to Sandpoint, making him one of the area’s newest musical additions. North Idaho will find him to be a source of peaceful but powerful melodic folk rock.

With 20 years of experience in the genre, Simms is seasoned in the art of understated but emotive music. He shares his sound through both original work and some familiar cover songs.

Find Simms’ music on Spotify and follow his work on Facebook: facebook.com/zacharysimmsmusic. Singles “Giving Up” and “Come Out From Your Hiding Place” are recent — and poignant — examples of his latest work.

— Lyndsie Kiebert 5-8 p.m., FREE, Pend d’Oreille Winery, 301 Cedar St. in Sandpoint, 208-265-8545, facebook. com/ThePenddOreilleWinery.

This week’s RLW by Ben Olson

READ

You may have seen the movie starring Matt Damon, but the book The Martian by Andy Weir is one hell of an adventure.

Utilizing a casual, off-handed writing style, Weir embodies the character of Mark Watney, a botanist who was inadvertently marooned on Mars during a space mission. It has a bit of everything: sci-fi, humor, survival and a realistic look at how a human could possibly survive being stuck on the red planet for years.

LISTEN

Billie Holiday’s The Essential Brunswick Recordings — a three-album set — is guaranteed to have you dancing in the backyard for hours on end with your loved one.

Clocking in at more than four hours of material, the set features a softer side of Holiday, with numerous tracks recorded without her signature orchestra, but a more stripped-down backing band that gives the entire collection an intimacy you always wanted out of her music. Special guests like Teddy Wilson and Louis Armstrong add verve to this phenomenal recording.

WATCH

When you see graffiti, it’s often an annoying cluster of letters from some vain artist whose idea of art is putting his or her name on the wall in stylized script. But there is something deeper and more visceral about the art of graffiti. Before there were artists like Banksy putting their stamp on the walls of the world, there was Jean-Michel Basquiat, who drew under the name of SAMO in New York City in the 1980s.

One of the best portraits of Basquiat is a 2010 documentary called The Radiant Child, which explores the depth of Basquiat’s art and how he dealt with acclaim, scrutiny and fame. It might just change the way you look at graffiti.

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BACK OF THE BOOK

Carry out conundrum

How much, exactly, are you supposed to tip on to-go orders?

From Northern Idaho News, June 24, 1913

LUMBERJACK SHOT IN A DRUNKEN BRAWL Apparently following a drunken row, Chris Quinn was shot in the ribs last Friday near Laclede and is now lying at the City hospital recovering from his wound. Quinn, Joe Richardson, who shot him, and two other men - John Dolan and Dominic Broughton by name - had been spending the morning drinking in Campbell’s saloon at Laclede, and shortly before noon left for the hobo camp, a half mile west of town, known as “Jungletown.”

It was about 12 when a party of Italian section hands picked Quinn up from where he had managed to drag himself on the track and took him to Dr. Ridler’s hospital at Laclede. A number of men went at once to where the shooting took place and word was sent to Constable Wertenberger. When the latter arrived he found the place surrounded by citizens and entering the thicket, he discovered Richardson and the other two men all lying down.

Richardson pretended to know nothing of the affair as did also Dolan and Broughton. The latter were so drunk that their statements were doubtless true. Richardson was taken to the hospital and Quinn, supposed to be dying, rose on his cot and said: “You are the man that hit me on the head with the gun and then shot me,” exhibiting a disposition to close with Richardson right there despite his condition.

Richardson and the two drunks were brought to the county jail and Quinn was taken to the City hospital where it was discovered that his injuries were not so serious as at first feared, the bullet entering just above the pit of the stomach and below the lungs, striking a rib and coming out on the right side.

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By Lyndsie Kiebert Reader Staff

It is said that one reliable way to judge someone’s true character is to watch how they treat their server at a restaurant.

I’ve long held this belief, and it helps that I’ve long been a server.

Part of treating a server well is respecting tipping etiquette. Federally, tipped employees are only required to make $2.13 per hour. Tipping is not “extra” — it makes up most of a server’s wages. It is generally agreed that 15% is a minimum tip, while 20% is normal in instances of good service.

Tipping 10% or less is a pretty solid signal that someone is a jerk, and I say that as both an objective journalist and part-time restaurant worker.

But what about to-go orders? When you order food over the phone and drive to the restaurant to pick it up, interact with a server for two minutes or less, and then leave to enjoy your meal at home, how much do you tip?

As it turns out, there isn’t a hardand-fast rule when it comes to tipping on to-go orders. Some sources try to say that 10% is fair, while others argue a flat $5 — no matter the ticket amount — is good.

I decided to take the question to my most reliable test subjects: the group text messages I have with my family, my fiance’s family and my two best friends.

As I suspected, the results varied.

STR8TS Solution

One admitted that she “rarely” tips on to-go orders. Another shared that she hardly ever ordered to-go before the pandemic, but over the past year she has consistently tipped 15% “because I felt like they really needed the tips.”

My fiance, who is generous to a fault and regularly drops 30% tips, tells me that he does not tip a full amount on to-go orders, but still gives “a couple or few bucks.”

One said that it depends on whether or not she knows the server. One adheres to the $5 rule, while another aims for about 7-10%, since there are no drinks or face-to-face relationship building.

This brings us to the core of the issue: Tipping culture is tied not to the server’s right to earn a living wage, but to the server’s ability to build rapport.

With to-go orders, the window for charming and caring for a customer is severely shortened. However, as former New York City waiter and author Steve Dublanica told Mental Floss: “To get $100 worth of food, it takes more time to pack up an order like that than it does to plate it and serve it. You need to put sauces in separate containers, arrange it so things stay warm. There’s labor

involved.”

The difference? That labor is out of sight, out of mind.

There is no moral to this study in to-go order tipping etiquette.

Even the experts don’t agree. All I know is that when a customer orders $200 of food and leaves no tip, it stings a little bit. On the flip side, others will nonchalantly leave a $10 tip on a $20 tab. In the end, I’m sure to-go tips even themselves out, just as kind acts ultimately make up for the middle fingers in traffic and the rude comments on Facebook.

For what it’s worth, this moonlighting server is an advocate for leaving something on the to-go receipt.

Your local service workers will thank you, and karma will be on your side.

Crossword Solution

Sudoku Solution

If you saw two guys named Hambone and Flippy, which one would you think liked dolphins the most? I’d say Flippy, wouldn’t you? You’d be wrong though. It’s Hambone.

Solution on page 22

Solution on page 22

estivate

Woorf tdhe Week

By Bill Borders

/ES-tuh-veyt/ [verb (used without object)] 1. to spend the summer, as at a specific place or in a certain activity.

“I plan to estivate in the Hamptons with my family, like I have every year since I was a boy.”

Corrections: Nothing to see here, folks. — BO

Copyright www.mirroreyes.com

Laughing Matter

CROSSWORD ACROSS 1. Make less sharp 6. Intestine 11. Eagle’s nest 12. Median 15. Slender 16. Peed 17. A Hebrew letter 18. Distinguished 20. Little bit 21. Historical periods 23. Man 24. Novice 25. Ethereal 26. With competence 27. Visage 28. Boys 29. Type of airplane 30. Anagram of “Blade” 31. A distinctive characteristic 34. Contemptuous look 36. Thorax protector 37. Midmonth date 41. Grave 42. Despicable 43. 3 times 3 44. “____ and crafts” 45. Boohoos 46. Sharp intake of breath 47. Derisive laugh 48. Altar boy 51. Ribonucleic acid 52. Blanched

Solution on page 22 54. A type of discrimination 56. Order 57. Less friendly 58. Ganders 59. Stage

DOWN 1. A German state 2. Upwind 3. Website address 4. Anagram of “Tine” 5. Swarm 6. In a scanty way 7. Sheeplike

8. Left 9. Historic period 10. Framework of strips of wood 13. Adjusted 14. Cocoyam 15. Pilfer 16. Changeless 19. Insert 22. Schemes 24. Conversing 26. Not fully closed 27. Not near 30. Baseball great, ____ Ruth 32. Confederate soldier

33. Young lady 34. Layers 35. Zero 38. Personal journals 39. Capture 40. Flower part 42. Baby slipper 44. Throat-clearing sound 45. Skedaddles 48. Wings 49. Journey 50. Every single one 53. Lyric poem 55. Spy agency

June 24, 2021 /

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