Rathdrum Prairie news: Spirit Lake getting ready for centennial

As Spirit Lake looks ahead to its 100th birthday next year, the little town that likes to celebrate is busy making plans.

Spirit Lake Mayor Roxy Martin recently appointed a Centennial Committee of community leaders to work on events for the year, including a big celebration on Labor Day weekend 2008.

According to chairman Marc Kroetch, “We’re just getting started on plans for our centennial year.”

Although it is early, Kroetch says the group is considering such things as “historical events, a fun run, a bicycle ride, a Ferris wheel in the park, historic tours and maybe even living history events.”

Spirit Lake Historical Society’s sixth-annual calendar, a special edition in honor of the city’s 100th anniversary, is available.

Keith and Jan Spencer wrote the text and restored 17 photos from the town’s early years for the 16-month calendar. Special centennial features include a glossy front cover, a brief town history and the addition of important 1907 and 1908 events.

The calendars, which sell for $15, already are in their second printing. They can be purchased at the weekly farmers market and Old West Hardware on Maine Street, among other locations.

The Spirit Lake Chamber of Commerce will host its fourth-annual wine tasting and live auction on Aug. 3 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. in the park on Maine Street.

Wines provided by Arbor Crest Wine Cellars, Coeur d’Alene Cellars and Clearwater Canyon Cellars of Lewiston will be available. Hors d’oeuvres and beer also will be served, and the music of Bill Parsons will entertain.

Proceeds will help fund Spirit Lake’s 2008 centennial activities.

Donated auction items include a garden fountain; a boat trip on Lake Pend Oreille for four, including a gourmet meal; the services of an engineer and a home inspector; and lots of gift baskets.

Contact Becki Gaddum at 623-6482.

The Spirit Lake Chamber of Commerce is planning a three-day celebration of the centennial of the Fireside Lodge, one of Spirit Lake’s oldest buildings.

The Sept. 7-9 event “will include all the excitement of a county fair on the lake’s shore,” according to organizers. “There will be music, food and drink, produce, vendors, crafts, history, tall tales and outdoor cooking.”

The Fireside Lodge was constructed by Frederick A. Blackwell in November 1907. The building was headquarters of his company, the Panhandle Lumber Co., until 1930. Windows where employees collected their pay still grace the long second-floor hallway.

After fire destroyed the mill, the empty building was moved on log rollers to its current site in the early 1940s.

Today, Nancy and Rod Erickson run a bed-and-breakfast business in the building, offering visitors a glimpse into the past plus the beauty of lakeside charm.

The main floor also is open as a family restaurant featuring live country-western music on five holiday weekends each year.

Cost to vendors is $30 for all three days of the celebration from noon to 9 p.m. each day. However, no fee will be charged to businesses and vendors who provide four hours of entertainment per day, demonstrate activities such as spinning, weaving and outdoor cooking or offer activities such as fishing classes.

For more information, call Evelyn Clark at 623-5084.

Russ Spriggs, Chamber of Commerce president and market manager, announced no fee will be charged to farmers market vendors on every Friday during August.

“People will be getting their produce in during August, so pick your garden and bring it down free on Fridays,” he said.

Check out market information online at www.SpiritLakeNews.com or call 660-8877.