Festival Provides A Sense Of Place
Filled with stories, songs, sunshine and mouth-watering grub, the Festival of the Falls this weekend entered its second year.
All the festival needed was a few more people.
“I sold as many as I sold yesterday,” said one vendor of black-and-white photographs at noon Saturday. “Zero.”
The numbers of visitors started to climb gradually in the afternoon, however.
Still, organizers recognized that it might take a little time for the region’s newest festival to catch on and become a reputable event.
It may be young, but it’s also one of the most unique festivals around, organizers point out.
Not only does the festival include the usual array of arts and crafts booths, a variety of food booths, and a stage for musicians, but it’s steeped in local history and culture.
The centerpiece of the festival is “The Story of Q’Emiln,” a play written by Tim Rarick that tells the story of Post Falls and its people. The play was commissioned especially for the festival, and debuted last year.
The play is a series of stories, from the Coeur d’Alene Indian legends of how the falls were formed, to when Post Falls founder Frederick Post met Coeur d’Alene chief Andrew Seltice, to when electricity came to Post falls.
New this year is another Tim Rarick play, a one-man historical piece called “Noah Kellogg Story.” Performed by actor Dennis Redford, the story tells the life of historical figure Noah Kellogg, a miner in the Silver Valley.
“Post Falls is kind of seeking who it is,” said organizer Betsy Bullard. “We’ve always been the step-child of Coeur d’Alene and Spokane. … Coeur d’Alene’s (Art on the Green) is a wonderful festival, but it doesn’t necessarily have a sense of ‘where is this place.”’
Organizers also try to invite vendors who reflect the arts and crafts of the community. And central to every festival will always be the beer garden, in honor of Post’s German heritage.
The festival offers a number of activities for children, too.
Just after Saturday morning’s teepee raising, children joined a storyteller in the teepee to hear Native American stories.
The Post Falls Art Guild’s art table hosted a steady stream of children and teenagers who made Indian headbands and necklaces with paper beads.
Trevor Owen, 9, accidentally glued the wrong side of his construction paper.
“I messed up,” he said, as he tried to straighten out the twisted piece of paper. The next attempt fit perfectly. “I was just guessing, too,” he said, pleased.
, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Color photo