Post Falls Looks To Germany For Its Identity
Don’t be surprised to hear “Wie gehts?” in downtown Post Falls soon.
In its ongoing search for identity, that amorphous town by the Spokane River has zeroed in on its German heritage.
“We are what we have been. History repeats itself,” said Mayor Jim Hammond days before he and his wife, Cyndie, left for Herborn, Germany.
Herborn is Frederick Post’s birthplace. Post Falls, of course, is Post’s namesake.
Businessman Bob Templin, Post Falls’ biggest booster, has encouraged the Herborn relationship for years like a father who has found the perfect match for his daughter.
Bob visited Herborn and made friends. But he learned the fledgling relationship wouldn’t move to the next level until Post Falls sent over a bona fide city official. So businesses chipped in to send the mayor.
“I just don’t want to screw up,” Jim said, frowning with worry. “I want them to see us as sophisticated and intelligent people, someone they want to be associated with.”
He was a tad intimidated, but forgive him.
“Diplomatic protocol is relatively new for a town of 10,000,” Cyndie said.
Herborn’s archivist planned a blue-ribbon tour for the Hammonds this week and even introduced them to another branch of the family: French sister city Pertuis.
Jim hoped to carry home from Herborn Post Falls’ soul and unite the people in his community.
“I want to woo people away from thinking of themselves as taxpayers and develop some community pride,” he said. “Giving them their history could help.”
That history will permeate Post Falls through an interpretive center, maybe in a new town square, in microbreweries and, possibly, in some German industries.
“You need to know where you come from to develop a sense of community,” Jim said. “Maybe this is the key to tying people together in the future.”
Go for the green
Dozens of people descend on Kootenai County’s Farmers Market at the stroke of 8 each Saturday morning to get the freshest fruits, vegetables, flowers, herbs and baked goods.
It’s no wonder the market is so popular. The redwood booths are set up on a tree-shaded corner at Prairie Avenue and U.S. Highway 95. Everything is home-grown or handmade, including dresses, ceramics and jewelry. The vendors are so relaxed that it’s easy to forget they’re there to make money.
People like the market so much that they have begged it to expand. So now, some of the vendors are setting up on Wednesday afternoons from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. in a corner of the Third Street parking lot in downtown Coeur d’Alene. The shade is the only thing missing.
Oh, those tourists
I usually find the summer tourist traffic in and around Coeur d’Alene more entertaining than irritating. Maybe that’s why I laughed so hard last week after my lunch-time bike ride.
I was two miles up the five-mile-long hill to Fernan Saddle, sweating liberally and panting like a steam engine when a car with Washington license plates pulled alongside me. I was ready to hear some smart remark about how slowly I was moving.
Instead, a man poked his head out the passenger side window and politely asked me if I could tell him the way to Cave Lakes.
All I could do was shake my head, pant out “no” and try to keep pedaling. I was so astonished that anyone thought I could talk at that moment that I wasn’t really thinking. By the time I realized he was going the wrong direction, he was long gone.
He passed me later heading the other direction, I hope toward the interstate to Rose Lake.
How have tourists made you laugh? Chuckle out your story for Cynthia Taggart, “Close to Home,” 608 Northwest Blvd., Suite 200, Coeur d’Alene 83814; or send a fax to 765-7149 or call 765-7128.
, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Color Photo