In brief: Fly-fishing clinic scheduled

North Idaho College’s Outdoor Pursuits is leading a clinic and weekend trip to teach participants how to fly-fish.

The Introduction to Fly Fishing Clinic will be held from 5 to 8 p.m. Tuesday on the lower level of NIC’s Edminster Student Union Building. The clinic will be followed by a weekend camping and fly-fishing trip on the St. Joe River next Saturday and Oct. 14.

The clinic is designed as an introduction to fly-fishing for the novice. A variety of topics will be covered, including casting, fly selection and stream geography.

A $45 fee covers transportation and instruction. Gear is not provided, but can be rented from Castaway Fly Fishing Shop at 1114 N. Fourth St. in Coeur d’Alene. Space is limited. For more information, call 769-7809.

NIC choirs to perform

The North Idaho College choirs will present a preview of its fall season during a free performance at 3 p.m. Oct. 14 at the Coeur d’Alene First Presbyterian Church, 521 Lakeside Ave. in Coeur d’Alene.

“A Fall Choral Preview” is part of the Coeur d’Alene Arts and Culture Alliance’s fourth annual fall arts festival “Art from the Heart” celebration in downtown Coeur d’Alene Wednesday through Oct. 14.

For more information, call 769-3276.

Reading programs begin at library

Fall reading programs for children up to 8 years old will be begin Oct. 16 in the newly opened Coeur d’Alene Public Library, 702 E. Front Ave., adjacent to City Hall.

The library will also be the site of a new book discussion group for ages 9 through 13. Registration is required for this free book club that will meet Thursdays, from 5 to 6 p.m., through Oct. 25. The second session of the book club will meet beginning Nov. 29 and continue through Dec. 20. To register, contact the Youth Department at 769-2315, ext. 438.

With the theme “New is Nice” the free weekly programs for younger children will continue through Nov. 16. Each program offers age-appropriate stories, poems, songs, puppet shows, experiments and a craft. Registration is not required for these programs.

The Seagrave’s Children’s Library – on the Parkside Level of the new building – offers a room separate from the shelving area for storytimes and a separate craft area.

Age groups are:

“Book Babies Lap-Sit: Fridays, 10:30 to 11 a.m., for ages birth to 2 years, accompanied by a parent or other adult caregiver.

“Tales for Twos and Threes: Tuesdays, 10:30 to 11 a.m..

“Preschool Storytime: Tuesdays, 1 to 1:30 p.m. and Wednesdays, 10:30 to 11 a.m., for ages 3 to 5.

“Extreme Readers: Wednesdays, 4 to 5 p.m., for ages 5 to 8.

Area Boy Scouts who want to earn the Reading Merit Badge may do so at the library by contacting registered BSA counselor David Townsend, library communication coordinator.

‘This Child’ auditions planned

Children and adults are encouraged to audition for the production of “This Child,” a Christmas-themed play in its second run at North Idaho College this year.

Auditions for children 8 to 11 years old, will be from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Oct. 20 in NIC’s Boswell Hall. Adults will audition that afternoon from 2 to 4 p.m. Those auditioning will meet in the lobby of Boswell Hall and be directed to an assigned room for the auditions.

Auditions will continue for children from noon to 2 p.m. Oct. 21. Adults will audition that day from 3 to 5 p.m. in NIC’s Boswell Hall.

Auditions are open to everyone and experience is not required.

A total of 15 children are needed for the play. Each of the children will be expected to learn and sing a Christmas carol during the audition and, in most cases, read from the script. Ten adults are needed to play characters such as a priest in his 30s, nuns and a boy in his early teens. Those auditioning for an adult role will read from the script. No roles are available for people 15 through 24.

Scripts are available for three-day checkout in the office of Boswell Hall between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. weekdays.

Production dates for “This Child” are Dec. 19 through 23. Rehearsals will be weekdays in the early evening for children and the later evening for adults.

Former NIC theater director and playwright Tim Rarick wrote the Christmas play based on a story he was told about his mother’s past. “This Child” centers around the life of a 7-year-old girl named Moira whose family began to crumble after the stock market crash in 1929. Her father had recently died and her mother was fighting depression. A group of nuns decide to bring Moira into their convent and ask her to participate in their Christmas pageant, as a way of caring for the girl and helping boost her self-esteem without offending her mother.

Information: 769-3424.

NIC hires new American Indian student adviser

North Idaho College recently hired Evanlene Melting Tallow as its new American Indian student adviser. In this role, Melting Tallow will be responsible for providing support services to American Indian students on campus through academic advising and educating about the college system. As American Indian student adviser, Melting Tallow will also focus on building relationships with area tribes and advocating for American Indian students.

Melting Tallow holds a bachelor’s degree in finance with a minor in economics from Eastern Washington University and an associate’s degree from Spokane Community College.

Melting Tallow most recently worked as a human resource specialist at The Healing Lodge of the Seven Nations, a residential substance abuse treatment center for Native American adolescents and their families. The agency is a collaboration of the seven tribes east of the Cascade Mountains, including the Colville Confederated Tribes, the Kalispel Tribe and the Spokane Tribe in Washington; the Nez Perce Tribe, the Kootenai Tribe and the Coeur d’Alene Tribe in Idaho; and the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Reservation in Oregon.

For three years, Melting Tallow worked as a tutor and culture specialist for the Central Valley School District’s Native American Program, during which she gave cultural presentations to students in four school districts. She provided college and financial aid information and organized culture workshops and powwows in addition to tutoring students.

Melting Tallow has also worked as an employment specialist/counselor for Educational Service District 101 and as a mortgage specialty lender in the financial field.

“I am looking forward to working with students one-on-one and helping them to be successful in their goals by overcoming barriers,” Melting Tallow said. “Working with students is where my passion is.”

Melting Tallow began at NIC Sept. 17. Her office is on the lower level of NIC’s Edminster Student Union Building.

– From staff reports