In brief: Coeur d’Alene Christmas Parade to start early

The Christmas Parade in Coeur d’Alene today will start earlier than in previous years.

The annual parade will step off at 4:30 p.m. Some publicity materials for the event gave a later start time, and for several recent years the parade has started at 5 p.m.

The parade will begin at Eighth Street and Sherman Avenue and proceed along Sherman to Government Way. It will be followed by fireworks and a holiday lighting ceremony at the Coeur d’Alene Resort at 6 p.m.

49 Degrees North opening today

Winter resort 49 Degrees North will open to skiers and snowboarders today.

Chairlifts 1, 3 and 5 will be running, and snow at the summit is well packed, the resort announced Thursday. Conditions deteriorate further down toward the base of the mountain, the resort warned.

Schweitzer Mountain Resort announced Wednesday that it will open Saturday. Other area resorts have yet to announce opening dates for skiing and snowboarding.

“There’s still a chance we’ll open this weekend” if forecast snows materialize tonight, the Lookout Pass website said in a Thursday post.