Spirit Lake in celebration mode

Look at us now.

That’s the slogan gracing the back of camouflage (in pink, for the ladies) baseball caps and T-shirts the Spirit Lake Centennial Committee is selling as the town celebrates its 100th birthday.

For Mayor Roxy Martin, it’s more than a catchy phrase inspired by a country music tune.

When people think Spirit Lake, “I want them to see a better image,” Martin said. “I think it’s a pretty wholesome town.”

Like its neighbors in Kootenai County, the town has grown and changed much since its incorporation in 1908. There are new businesses, new schools and new families moving in.

Martin sees the change as positive and all the more reason to celebrate.

This weekend one of the town’s 1940s-era fire trucks, which has been restored for the centennial, will make its debut in Spokane’s Lilac Parade. The truck will appear at other community events and in parades throughout the year to promote the centennial, which is being celebrated with events ranging from historical walking tours to wine tastings and lawnmower races.

Elementary students performed a skit on Spirit Lake’s history, all wearing period costumes, to kick off the celebration this month. An art contest with a special Spirit Lake Heritage category opens Saturday with a reception at Timberlake High School at 4 p.m.

Artwork will be displayed at businesses throughout the community, and at the library, through June.

Brochures for a historical walking tour will be available at the Chamber of Commerce beginning Memorial Day weekend, according to Deputy Clerk Brandy Browning.

The tour focuses on sites within the town’s historical district, which includes Maine Street, along with the former mill site and train station. For those willing to travel a bit farther from downtown, details on Greenwood Cemetery and the Fireside Lodge are included in the brochure, Browning said.

Other upcoming events include the Big Back-In lawnmower drag races at 11 a.m. June 15, Father’s Day, on Maine Street; fireworks on July 4; wine-tasting on Aug. 28; a street dance on Aug. 29; a mountain bike ride and fiddle contest on Aug. 30; and mountain men in City Park on Aug. 31.

The grand finale of Spirit Lake’s Centennial Celebration is Sept. 1, coinciding with the town’s Labor Day parade, unofficially billed as the world’s second-shortest parade.

“I have been real excited about how this is all pulling together,” Martin said.