Teacher Finds Sad Singles Scene

Let’s get something straight: Dave Dust isn’t desperate.

Sure, he considered solving his dating blues by volunteering for a recent bachelor auction. But, give the guy a break - he lives in Coeur d’Alene where the singles scene stinks.

“There aren’t a lot of places to go and when you do go out, you see the same people,” Dave says. “Coeur d’Alene is so small, you have to be very careful. I don’t want the wrong reputation.”

Of course he doesn’t. His mother lives in town. He teaches art to 150 Lakeland High School students and coaches freshman boys’ basketball. He’s attended the same church since boyhood. He has a lot at stake.

It’s not just his reputation he worries about. His thoughts lately have turned to his future - and it’s not quite as freewheeling as his past.

“At 29, I have no reason just to date,” he says. “I’m looking to settle down, start a family.”

Dave had no reason to expect dating problems when he returned home to Coeur d’Alene from Boise last summer. There was no dearth of winsome females in high school or college for the tall, blue-eyed basketball player.

“When you play a sport, it’s not hard to get a date,” he says. He’s not cocky. He’s stating fact. “They see your face all the time. They know you even though you don’t know them.”

But he didn’t find his soulmate among the women at Boise State University. Big mistake. The well dried up soon after graduation.

Dave eagerly returned to his family and friends in Coeur d’Alene and landed the teaching/coaching job at Lakeland. He expected to slip right back into the social stream. But it had aged.

His friends who were still around had married. Some had kids. Dave needed to meet new people, but he’s had few opportunities.

Work consumes 12 hours a day. He spends most of his time with teenagers. Common sense also tells him he shouldn’t do anything his students might question.

“How can I be a role model and go to bars to find a date?” he says. “I’ve never been in such a predicament.”

Besides, Dave wants true love. He doesn’t expect to find it in a bar. But where do single women gather? Dave plays basketball with friends, but they’re men. He sits in the back pew and scans the congregation at church, but it doesn’t change much from Sunday to Sunday.

A friend convinced him to volunteer for a bachelor auction this month, but Dave was too late.

“I guess I am desperate,” he says with a small smile.

He doesn’t want much from a woman - good conversation, nice smile, sense of humor, love of kids, maybe a little appreciation for basketball.

Seems reasonable. But Dave has decided he’ll have to look for her in Spokane where the singles waters run deeper.

“I really wanted to come back here,” he says. “But it’s a tough place to be single.”

Lookin’ good

Here’s your chance to see your work on posters, T-shirts, programs and pins. Nothing is out of the question, unless it’s not original. Coeur d’Alene’s Art on the Green needs a design to represent the 1997 summer festival.

Get out the paint, brushes and your imagination. The festival chooses its annual design from contest entries. Contest guidelines are minimal. Artwork should be finished and unframed and have room for some printed information.

Your work is worth $300 if it wins. Entries are due March 20. Call 667-9346 for details.

Latte laughs

Some espresso-vendors rival radio personalities for morning energy and chitchat. Who’s the liveliest vendor in your area and what does he or she do to wake you up?

Point out the live wires to Cynthia Taggart, “Close to Home,” 608 Northwest Blvd., Suite 200, Coeur d’Alene 83814; send a fax to 765-7149; call 765-7128; or e-mail to cynthiat@spokesman.com.

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Color Photo