Rathdrum schedules Fall Festival
Mountain men, Dutch oven cookers and bluegrass musicians will rekindle memories of days gone by during Rathdrum’s Fall Festival.
The fourth-annual event, scheduled for Sept. 22 and 23, is the closest thing in the area to an old-fashioned rendezvous. It will be held at the Rathdrum Lion’s building, just west of Super 1 on Highway 53.
“This is the first time at the Lion’s Club, so we are kind of excited to see how it works out with more space,” said festival promoter George Holcomb. “We had to move from the park because the event just outgrew the space.”
That additional area will be put to good use, according to Rathdrum/ Westwood Historical Society president Ellen Larsen. There will be displays inside the Lion’s building, additional vendors on the grounds, and more room for the mountain men to perform activities like tomahawk- and knife throwing, which they couldn’t do at City Park due to lack of space.
“The Fall Festival gives us a connection with history, an opportunity to see how things were done back then, and a chance to have fun,” said Larsen.
Members of the Coeur d’Alene Muzzle Loaders group will again hold a two-day encampment and show how early trappers lived. The entertaining group dress in character and delight crowds with their tall tales, demonstrations, and periodic parade salutes (with no balls or bullets in their muzzleloaders).
The Inland Empire Dutch Oven Society and the newly formed North Idaho Dutch Oven Group will be cooking both days, sharing their knowledge of centuries-old cooking techniques and samples of their dishes.
Dozens of vendors will show homemade wares and demonstrate crafts, including old-fashioned ways of making popcorn and soap; and 19th century sewing, weaving, spinning and leather-working methods. Storytellers include a Native American narrator and an outreach person from the Kootenai-Shoshone Library, who will distribute books and historical information. There will be a gem and mineral display, and representatives of Pleasantview Equestrian Center will share information about their plans for development.
Larson is especially excited about the lineup of bluegrass and Celtic musicians. They will include Rathdrum’s own Little family with the Panhandle Polecats; the Kettle Creek Band from Kettle Falls, Wash.; Legal Limit; Molly and Tenbrooks; Clair and Grant Lundin; and Turning Tides.
Historical Society members will give tours of the 1890 Kootenai County Jail, and members of the Hayden Genealogical Society will take visitors through the city cemetery, adjacent to the Lion’s property. They will share cemetery history and tidbits about the early inhabitants buried there. in the cemetery.
Other planned attractions include a display of antique engines, and panning for garnets and gold