Festivals Add Final Touch On Perfect Cda Summer

It’s a nice town by anyone’s standards, but never prettier or more fun than it is on this weekend of arts, crafts and gourmet food festivals.

Starting Friday, three entertaining marketplaces will stretch along Lake Coeur d’Alene from Fort Sherman Park through City Park to the city’s tidy downtown.

“The whole town’s in a festive mood,” says Suzanne Kaderka, director of the Coeur d’Alene Downtown Association. “People make a lot of money and everyone smiles and that’s what counts.”

Art on the Green in shady Fort Sherman Park reigns as the dowager queen of the lot. In its 28 years, the dignified festival of performing and visual arts has earned a reputation for quality that more than 50,000 eager shoppers a year can’t ignore.

The festival’s 125 booths are filled with ceramics, jewelry, leather and woodwork, candles, paintings, photography, pottery, stained glass and other artwork. The juried show attracts work from artists nationwide.

The festival keeps its shoppers happy with succulent German sausages, corn-on-the-cob, sandwiches and ice cream - all for sale - and a full schedule of performing art on two stages. The entertainment is free.

Friday’s highlights include the Spokane String Quartet, Four Babes (an East Coast vocal quartet) and the danceable Coeur d’Alene Marimba Band playing music from southern Africa.

Among the eclectic lineup for the weekend is La Clara y Arte Flamenco, a Spanish dance troupe from Alhambra, Calif. They’ll perform flamenco and other classical Spanish dances in colorful costumes Saturday night.

Festival hours are noon to 8 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday, and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. There’s no admission charge.

A short walk along the lake or free shuttle ride from Art on the Green is A Taste of the Coeur d’Alenes in City Park. The food and fine arts festival features 17 food booths with burritos, baklava, Italian sausages, pizza, stirfry and more.

Diners can wander through 16 artists’ booths displaying paintings, pastels, duck carvings and jewelry or sit under the trees and enjoy free music and dance.

Performers range from the Coeur d’Alene Jazz Band at 1 p.m. Friday to Atahualpa, South American folk music, roving throughout the grounds Friday and Saturday.

A few blocks from City Park is the downtown street fair, a relaxed mix of handmade crafts, street performers and a sidewalk sale.

The fair features 110 booths with soaps, jewelry, canned jams, birdhouses, toys and more. Fifty-three downtown stores put out racks of discounted clothes, books and merchandise. Through it all, magicians, fiddlers, Incan flutists and drummers, guitarists, clowns and poets put forth their best efforts on the street corners.

Free air-conditioned shuttles will circulate between the three fairs throughout the weekend.

They’ll stop at North Idaho College’s Student Union, Memorial Field, the North Idaho Museum, Third and Front, Third and Sherman, and Fourth and Sherman.

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MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: ART ON THE GREEN ENTERTAINMENT Friday North Stage 1 p.m. - ArtShop 4 p.m. - Spokane String Quartet 6:30 p.m. - Four Babes 8 p.m. - Coeur d’Alene Marimba Band

South Stage 1 p.m. ArtShop 3:30 p.m. - Art on the Edge Puppet Show 5 p.m. - Coeur d’Alene Youth Symphony

Saturday North Stage 10 a.m. - North Idaho Dance Ensemble and Creative Impact 11:30 a.m. - Wildwood Recorders 1:30 p.m. - Erdely Ensemble (dance) 3 p.m. - Camille Peterson (harp) 4 p.m. - Dueling Divas (opera) 6:30 p.m. - Alex Bedini (jazz) 8 p.m. - Clarita & the Arte Flamenco Dance Theater

South Stage 10 a.m. - Moments of Clarity noon - Robin Marks (jazz vocalist) 1 p.m. - Steve Schlough (folk) 2 p.m. - Lake City Rhythm & News (blues) 3 p.m. - Bryan Bowers (auto harp) 4 p.m. - Matt Smith (classical guitar) 5:30 p.m. - Amy Read (acoustic pop) 7 p.m. - Double Helix (jazz and blues)

Sunday North Stage 10 a.m. - Westwind Quintet 11:30 a.m. - Full Gospel Mission Choir 1:30 p.m. - Coeur d’Alene Youth Symphony 3:30 p.m. - Sisters of Selket (belly dancing)

South Stage noon - Altered Aire (acoustic blues) 1 p.m. - Chris Cook (yo yo) 2:30 p.m. - Kathy Colton (folk)