For two weeks, Jeff Ward rubbed shoulders with Pierce Brosnan and other stars of “Dante’s Peak”
Many of you know Jeff Ward, of Coeur d’Alene, as the co-founder of the Kootenai County Reagan Republicans. Or as an aide to former Washington Congressman George Nethercutt. But 20 years ago this week, he and fellow actor Jhon Goodwin of Spokane were at Universal Studios attending the premiere of the only movie that Jeff has appeared in, “Dante’s Peak.” The stars of that otherwise forgettable movie were Pierce Brosnan (volcanologist Harry Dalton), Linda Hamilton (Mayor Rachel Wando) and the city of Wallace. Jeff earned one of the “principal” roles after answering a casting call for extras in Coeur d’Alene in the spring of 1996. Jeff was cast as Jack Collins, a pharmacist and city council member of a town that would be destroyed by a nearby volcano. He had a one-word line that was left on the cutting room floor: “Rachel!” But for his efforts, he was treated well, with a dressing room in a trailer, his name on the door, catered food, and legendary actors to hang with. He spent about two weeks on the set and appears in three scenes. He received a warm hug from actress Hamilton after his last scene, Screen Actors’ Guild pay – and still gets a small, annual residual for the movie. What does he think of the movie? Not much. And he believes the other actors felt the same way.
Poet’s Corner
“The Bard of Sherman Avenue: Poems by Tom Wobker” was well received at its Big Reveal at Huckleberries Online Blogfest 2017 Saturday in Coeur d’Alene. Washington Poet Laureate Tod Marshall attended the annual blog event at the Fort Ground Tavern, read some of Tom’s poetry to the gathering, and sold some 40-50 books – a quarter of the first press run. The books are now available for sale at The Well-Read Moose in Coeur d’Alene’s Riverstone and Auntie’s book store in downtown Spokane. To whet your appetite again for Tom’s poetry, Huckleberries will provide the first of 200-plus poems in his book. Titled “The Linguistics of Snow,” the poem reads: “Although it’s reported the Eskimo/has two hundred words he can use to say snow/she has just one, with no ifs, ands or buts:/when she sees it falling she simply says ‘nuts’.”
Huckleberries
Sign of the Times: Worrying does not take away tomorrow’s troubles. It takes away today’s peace” – Thought of the Day on a white board at the entrance to The Leather Works in downtown Coeur d’Alene … Another sign: “Eating food is nourishment to the body. Preparing it is nourishment to the soul” – white letters on front window of The Culinary Stone in Coeur d’Alene’s Riverstone … Poll: Only 15 percent of HucksOnline blog readers refer to this newspaper as “Socialist Review.” Which may say more about the politics of those particular readers than the paper’s.
Parting Shot
About two dozen knit hats in plastic bags were hanging from the Giving Wall rail between Dike Road and North Idaho College beach during the noon hour Tuesday. The message on one bag says all you need to know about this labor of love: “I am not lost! If you need me to keep warm, I’m yours. Be warm, be happy & share kindness wherever you can.” That’s what you call paying it forward.