Shouldn’t get a big head over awards
So, how did the talented journalists from Sandpoint High’s Cedar Post celebrate after their prep paper was judged eighth best in the nation at a national confab in Atlanta? First, they led the 4,000 assembled young J-schoolers in an impromptu rendition of “Na, na, na, na, hey, hey, hey … goodbye.” Then, Assistant Editor Casey Pilgeram got her head stuck in the Hyatt Regency balcony 15 stories above Atlanta. According to a Berry Picker, Casey encountered problems during a contest to see who could stick her neck out the farthest over Georgia’s capital city. Observers theorize that Casey’s neck was skinnier on the way in because she was laughing so hard. When she relaxed … well … as one eyewitness put it … “Everything went to hell.” Luckily, Photo Editor Yarrow Frank had a cool head – and hair conditioner. Yarrow greased Casey’s pumpkin with the conditioner and rescued the suddenly distressed damsel.
This spud’s for you
Folks from Blue State Taxachusetts may not share Red State Idaho’s prez preference. But they can’t resist its candy. Jonathan Cohen of Brookline, who almost voted for Dubya and colors himself Purple, discovered Idaho Spuds in the “gourmet candy” rack at his local video store. “I picked one up and studied it as if it were an expensive wine bottle,” Jonathan e-mails from JFKerry Country. “Let me say that the Spud’s unique, with distinct coconut/mocha/maple overtones. The filling, however, feels like soap bubbles. Happily, it doesn’t taste that way.” So, who tipped Jonathan off about the Potato State confection? None other than the author of an entertaining book called “Candy Freak” who discovered Idaho Spuds during a quick stop at a candy shop in Boise – the appropriately named Steve Almond.
Country cousins
First, you should know that I once told a New York cabbie that I lived in the city of Coeur d’Alene. And that he asked how many people resided in my city. At the time, Lake City contained about 30,000 souls. When I mentioned the number to him, he laughed and pointed at a skyscraper floating past the window. “Probably 30,000 people work in that building,” he said. Why am I telling you this? Well, the Rex Theater in Bonners Ferry is presenting its annual free Christmas movie for local children. “Shrek 2” is the fare this year. In announcing the holiday treat, the Kootenai Valley Press online reported the Rex will stage two shows Dec. 18, at 9:30 a.m. for the city kids and 2 p.m. for the country kids. This, in a county with a population of 10,000 or so. Beauty isn’t the only thing in the eye of the beholder.
Huckleberries
And the answer is – “I grabbed a ref’s butt at a basketball game.” The student-on-the-street question posed to Sonja Brekke, 18, Wasilla, Alaska, by the North Idaho College Sentinel? “What’s the craziest thing you’ve ever done for money?” … Prior to the big holiday light show on Lake Coeur d’Alene Friday, Coeur d’Alene Press Publisher Jim Thompson went on and on thanking everyone from boss Duane Hagadone to the light show techs, which prompted a woman in front of me to say: “This is just like the Academy Awards” … Before she started the countdown for the fireworks show, longtime Hagadone secretary Berni Dami acknowledged the biggest crowd ever, and told her husband standing next to her: “This is as close as you’ll ever get to feeling like a rock star” … The latest quote from Post Falls Uncensored e-zine: “They used to think that women’s uteruses would fall out if we ran more than fifty yards” – Mrs. Worley … Also, Post Falls Uncensored decided to drop its “events” section “until further notice because of a lack of interesting events going on around here.” Harsh.
Hot potatoes
You might be an Idaho redneck if you’ve ever decked yourself and your two kids out in camouflage to shoot a buck from the side of the road. Hey, don’t laugh. It happened earlier this month on the 3000 block of Fernan Hill Road, just east of Coeur d’Alene. Papa had the buck gutted and in the back of his old station wagon faster than you could ask: Have you ever watched “Bambi,” buddy?