Summer's Coming to North Idaho!

North Idaho is a tough place to top for friendly people, natural beauty and recreational activities, just to name a few.  But throw in a bus load of special events scattered throughout the year and you'd be hard pressed to find a place more fun to live or visit.

Summer is right around the corner, even if the end of April did seem like a return to winter.  And summer means a long list of events and festivals with such variety that there is literally something for everyone.  Let's take a peek at a few celebrations coming up in the next few months.

Depot Days, May 7-8 in Wallace, kick off car show season with vehicles of all types, makes and ages lining the downtown streets.  It's a family festival celebrating the Northern Pacific Railroad Depot with live music, kids activities, vendors and of course the historic Depot.

If you like car shows you'll want to be in Sandpoint the next weekend for Lost in the 50's.  The whole town goes retro with rock and roll, dances and car parade and show.  Herman's Hermits headline Saturday night's festivities.

The Priest Lake Spring Festival on May 28-30 has arts & crafts, live music, history, pancake breakfasts, silent auction, a parade on Saturday and fun run on Sunday.  Here's a schedule of events.

Post Falls Days, June 4-6, are always fun with vendors, kids activities, a fishing derby and a parade.

The Big Back-In is lawnmower drag racing in Rathdrum on June 20.  Yes, lawnmower drag racing!

The 4th of July finds celebrations in almost every community and fireworks from Bonners Ferry to Harrison to Murray.  Here's a list.

The Coeur d'Alene Tribe hosts it's annual Julyamsh July 23-25 at Greyhound Park and Event Center in Post Falls.  It is the largest pow wow in the Pacific Northwest and celebrates Native American culture with song, dance, drumming, games and spirituality. 

Coeur d'Alene is a busy place from July 30 to August 1 with Art on the Green, Street Fair and Taste of Coeur d'Alene, three events all within walking distance of each other.

Return to the 1880's at Gold Rush Daze in Murray August 20-22.  The fun includes a parade, live music, car show, Saloon Girl Pagent and an old west shootout.

These are just a few of the many events that make summer in North Idaho a don't miss.  Get a complete list at FYI North Idaho.

This Day in History, Dec 18, 1975 Playland Pier Burns

On the night of December 18, 1975, the vacated Playland Pier (known as the Barbary Coast for the previous few years before it went out of business) accidently on purpose burnt down.  It was the end of an era and forever changed the face of Coeur d'Alene's waterfront and City Beach.

In 1941 the Coeur d'Alene Lakeside Development Company introduced plans to build an amusement park on the east end of City Beach.  Over 20,000 cubic yards of fill had been hauled in and in the summer of 1942 Playland Pier was open for business.

Playland Pier offered a number of rides and attractions including (over it's tenure) a Merry-go-round, Ferris Wheel, bumper cars, miniature train, small roller coaster called the Hey-Day, revolving swing ride, Loop-o-plane and a penny arcade. Between Coeur d'Alene's history as a tourist and vacation destination and with the opening of Farragut Naval Training Station, Playland Pier became a hugely popular place.

The rides, while by today's standards are now considered pretty tame, were grat thrill rides of their day.  The Merry-go-round (which still exists and was once, and may still, be considered for a return to CdA) was always popular with kids of all ages.  Bumper cars didn't often run in later years but caused a line when they did.  And what may have been the most popular was the Swing (far right in the abve photo) which, when operation, swung the riders out over the waters of Lake Coeur d'Alene.

In the arcade were a couple Mutoscopes (hand cranked "motion" picture viewers) featuring things like a fan dancer and a snake eating a chicken, .02 cent vending machines where you could get post cards of movie stars and custom cars, skee ball machines and shooting games where, when hit, the bear would stand, growl and turn around.  My favorite was a penny-a-ball soccer game with steel balls (which, try as we may, never broke the glass case).

There was also a snack bar, souvenir stand and carnival games like balloon darts.  Below the pier and facing the lake were changing rooms that could be rented although those were removed in the late 50's.

 

By the mid-60's Playland Pier started to run down and in the early 70's was known more for a place the deliquent kids hung out.  Most days only a couple rides were running and many amusements had been hauled away or were broken.  Ownership had changed as did the name to Barbary Coast.  Little was done in the way of upkeep and the owners slowly started to cherry-pick what they wanted and took it away.

In 1973 the City of Coeur d'Alene was beginning a park improvement plan.  The land never belonged to the concessionaires and when they finaly pulled the plug the land, and remaining buildings, returned to The City of Coeur d'Alene.  The timing was perfect.

The City slowly started to dismantle Playland Pier and after everything of value (copper pipes, etc.) was removed the buildings were left for the wrecking ball.  On December 17 a small fire broke out in a building but went out.  The next night the whole place went up in flames.  The fire department sort of eyed it as a practice burn when they arrived, what was there to "save"?  In the end, the City was saved thousands of dollars just cleaning up after the fire rather than have it torn apart and hauled away.

America's Bi-centennial was 1976 and what is now known as Independence Point was dedicated.  The spot is now as popular as it ever was and is a prime location to soak up the sun, watch fireworks and view the swim portion on Ironman CdA.

But the memories live on.

North Idaho Urban Legends, Underground Rivers

Is there really an underground river between Lake Coeur d'Alene and Hayden Lake?  Or is it between Hayden and Pend O'reille?  Or is it just a really great old story?  Decades ago the story was heard a lot.  Perhaps science has quelled the mystery, bummer.

If you were a kid growing up in the 50's or 60's you knew the tale.  Or at least one version of it.  Yes, it was lore and legend of how the body of a man who drown in Lake Coeur d'Alene was discovered in Hayden Lake.  Or drown in Hayden and found in Pend O'reille?  Or any combination of these. Sometimes Priest Lake was even thrown into a version.

Now it s true that these lakes are connected in a way.  It's called the Rathdrum Aquifer.  Doubtful a body could move from one lake to another, but, the water itself is a different story.  There has to be H2O molecules that have seeped from Hayden into the aquifer.  Perhaps that same molecule is picked up by a City of Coeur d'Alene water pump.  And that same little molecule comes out a hose to wash a car.  Then that water flows down the gutter and into the storm drain where it eventualy ends up in Lake Coeur d'Alene or the Spokane River.

It could happen.

Ho Ho Ho!

Tis the season to get your festive on, an there are plenty of ways to do it in North Idaho.

Last Friday, Downtown Coeur d'Alene kicked the season off with a parade and fireworks. The Coeur d'Alene Resort continues their largest "on he water" holiday light show and nightly boat trips to the North Pole.

Sandpoint also had their lighting ceremony last week and the Christmas spirit continues through the end of the year.

Wallace has their Yuletide Celebration this Friday and Saturday. Hayden, St. Maries and Rathdrum will kick off the season on Saturday with parades and lighting. Harrison's Winter Fest is Dec. 12. And there is a Holiday Party at Priest Lake State Park on the 20th.

Now that leaves you no excuse why you can't get into the yuletide attitude.