In brief: Santa’s Book Drive scheduled

Santa’s Book Drive for Kids is scheduled for Saturdays, 1 to 4 p.m. through Dec. 22, at the Coeur d’Alene Public Library, 702 E. Front Ave. The donation of a new or gently used children’s book, audiobook (on CDs or cassettes), or DVD will be rewarded with a framed photo with Santa printed while you wait.

Photos will also be available for a $10 donation to the book drive. Duplicate copies will be available for $5 each. Families are also welcome to stop by to talk with Santa even if they are not participating in the book drive.

The photo sessions are sponsored by the Friends of the Coeur d’Alene Public Library and the Library Foundation and will be staffed by volunteers. Santa will be in the Shirley Parker Theater in the Seagrave Children’s Library on the Parkside Level of the building.

All material donations are reviewed for the library collection. Books and other items not added to the collection are provided to Second Story Books – the used bookstore operated by the Friends of the Library.

For more information, contact the library at 769-2315 or e-mail info@cdalibrary.org. More news and information about the library is available at www.cdalibrary.org.

Holiday concert at NIC

Families are encouraged to attend this year’s annual holiday concert at North Idaho College Saturday and Sunday, which will include traditional holiday songs and the sing-along that brings the crowd to its feet each year.

Sounds of Christmas will feature several holiday-themed pieces by the NIC Wind Symphony led by Terry Jones. The band will perform “Fanfare and Hark! The Herald Angels Sing” arranged by Chip Davis of Mannheim Steamroller, Greg Sanders’ “Coventry Variant” carol arranged to express the feelings of Advent, the Warren Barker arrangement of “An Irving Berlin Christmas” and the classic Christmas song “Sleigh Ride” by Leroy Anderson.

The NIC Concert Choir, Madrigal Singers and Jazz Co. jazz choir will each focus on a different genre from sacred to secular and Renaissance to 20th century. Performances will include pieces by J.S. Bach and Luis Victoria as well as holiday music from Africa, Spain, England and the United States. The NIC Concert Choir will be featured in the second half of the concert singing “The Twelve Days After Christmas” (a humorous version of the “Twelve Days of Christmas” and the choral rendition of ” ‘Twas The Night Before Christmas.”

The NIC choral groups, which are conducted by Max Mendez, will then join forces with the NIC Wind Symphony for the traditional holiday sing-along of well-known Christmas carols with the audience.

Sounds of Christmas will be at 7:30 p.m. Saturday and at 2 p.m. Sunday in NIC’s Boswell Hall Schuler Performing Arts Center.

The concert is free and open to the public.

Spirit Lake

Christmas Tree Celebration

In celebration of Spirit Lake’s Centennial, the city’s Christmas Tree Celebration on Friday will include a skit entitled “A Play to Portray the Legacy of Spirit Lake,” written by teacher Janet Langley. The play will begin at 9 a.m. at Spirit Lake Elementary School.

At 1:30 p.m., more than 300 students from Spirit Lake Elementary will walk to the park at the corner of Fourth and Maine to decorate Christmas trees with their handmade ornaments. Santa will be there, handing out candy canes donated by Panhandle State Bank, and the Timberlake High School jazz band will add to the event with festive holiday music. Members of Spirit Lake’s Chamber of Commerce and Food Bank will be on hand to help pass out hot chocolate and cookies baked by high school students.

According to one volunteer, this is the 10thyear the city has celebrated the holidays by having the students decorate the trees and the event has grown to be a joint effort between the food bank, the Chamber of Commerce and area schools. The public is invited to both the morning play and the afternoon event in the park. Call 623-6482 for more information.

Boise

Boat registration draws near

As the time to renew boat registrations in Idaho draws near, the Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation would like to remind boat owners that Idaho boating registration dollars help fund the county recreational boating services and marine law enforcement activities through the registration designation process.

IDPR will be mailing Idaho boat registration renewals, to registered boat owners this month.

The State of Idaho has a unique system in place that allows boaters to decide which county receives their registration dollars. Boaters are encouraged to designate the county where they choose to boat most frequently.

Annual registration fees are determined by vessel length. Boats up to 12 feet in length are $20, Boats over 12 feet in length are $20 plus $2 per foot over 12 feet. Boats owned by nonprofit organizations are $2.

Only sailboats and motorboats must be numbered and registered. (A “motorboat” is a mechanically propelled boat using fuel or electricity.)

New boats can be numbered and registered by visiting a local boat registration vendor, a county assessor’s or motor vehicle office or the Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation. For information, call IDPR at 334-4197.

To find the boat registration vendor location nearest you or for additional information on boating in Idaho, visit www.parksandrecreation. idaho.gov.

– From staff reports