Group plans Toast to the Mountain
The Friends of Rathdrum Mountain will hold the second annual Toast to the Mountain today at the Westwood Inn and Steakhouse, 832 Main St.
The fundraising event will include live music, door prizes and hors d’oeuvres.
Funds raised will support activities in habitat restoration, landowner partnership, public awareness, and the promotion of recreational opportunities in the Rathdrum area.
Friends of Rathdrum Mountain is a group of volunteers working to preserve the natural beauty of the Rathdrum Mountain area.
Tickets are $10 at the door and include a well drink or equivalent beverage. Tickets may be purchased at Stein’s IGA, 16102 N. Highway 41 in Rathdrum, at the Westwood Inn and Steakhouse, or at www.RathdrumMountain.org.
Dutch oven workshop offered
Learn the basics of cooking with today’s cast-iron Dutch oven pots, similar to those carried by Lewis and Clark during their trek to the Pacific Ocean, and the pot George Washington’s mother mentioned in her will, during Rathdrum’s Dutch Oven Workshop on Saturday.
The workshop, sponsored by the Rathdrum Parks and Recreation Department, will be held in conjunction with a gathering of the Inland Empire Dutch Oven Society, giving cooks a chance to learn tips from seasoned veterans.
Mentors will help participants prepare barbecue pulled pork, sourdough rolls, chili or triple chocolate cake; then all will gather to share the day’s victuals. A Dutch oven handbook will be available for $15.
The workshop will be from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Rathdrum’s City Park, on Highway 53 and Latah Street. The cost is $16, plus $7 for Dutch oven supplies per participant. Pre-registration is preferred. For more information, contact Lance at (208) 687-23990; or lance@rathdrum.org.
Post Falls
Fair showcases area businesses
The third annual Commerce and Community Fair, sponsored by the Post Falls Chamber of Commerce, will be Thursday from 4 to 7 p.m. at the Greyhound Park and Event Center, 5100 W. Riverbend Ave.
The fair will host more than 90 businesses and includes free educational miniseminars and a free vendor marketing class before the event begins.
For more information, call (208) 773-5016 or go to www.postfallschamber.com.
Sandpoint
Earth Day events planned
Earth Day celebrations continue in Sandpoint.
On Wednesday, the Panida Theater, 300 N. First Ave. in Sandpoint, will show “Sacred Planet” by Disney and “Red Gold,” a one-hour documentary on a proposed Alaska gold mine, at 6:30 p.m.
Admission is $6. For details call (208) 265-9565.
The second annual Sandpoint Earth Day Festival will be at Sandpoint Community Hall, 204 S. First Ave., next Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The festival will include music, fresh local food, arts and crafts for kids, and information about conservation activities in North Idaho.
For more information, call Idaho Conservation League at (208) 265-9565.
Coeur d’Alene
Tickets available for BIG Raffle
The North Idaho College Foundation’s Really BIG Raffle ticket outlet is open in Sandpoint. Tickets are on sale at Sandpoint Furniture/Carpet One, 401 Bonner Mall Way in Ponderay.
The Really BIG Raffle is the major fundraiser for the college and supports student and program needs, along with providing a learning laboratory for NIC’s carpentry students.
The raffle includes a $300,000 home, a $20,000 car, a $10,000 boat, a $3,500 vacation package and a $2,000 shopping spree. Tickets purchased on or before May 31 will qualify for early-bird prizes, including a $500 Costco gift card and a $250 fuel card.
The three-bedroom, two-bathroom home has a full, unfinished basement and is at 1909 Teanaway Drive in Post Falls. It includes granite countertops, a dual-sided gas fireplace, central air conditioning, a skylight, a three-car garage, fully landscaped corner lot and a covered deck.
Tickets are $100 each and only 5,000 are available. The drawing will be July 8. Ticket holders do not need to be present to win.
For more information, call (208) 769-3271 or visit www.nic.edu/foundation.
Bunco game will benefit Parents
Parents Reaching Out to Parents will host a bunco benefit on Saturday at St. Pius Catholic Church, 625 E. Haycraft Ave., at 1 p.m. Registration will begin at noon.
The fundraiser will include lunch, beverages and desserts for all players. Door prizes will be awarded throughout the event. Bunco winners will receive grand prizes.
Cost is $30 per person or $100 for a team of four. The first 75 players with paid registration will receive a free T-shirt.
To pre-register call Lorena or Kathy at (208) 769-1409, or Kate Peterson at (208) 659-8450.
Ramsey student wins contest
Arbor Day Poster contest winners for area fifth-graders were recently announced by the Coeur d’Alene Parks Department.
Students from five Coeur d’Alene schools submitted posters with the theme “Trees are Terrific in Cities and Towns.” The top three students are:
DeLaine Forbush of Ramsey Elementary, first place; Allison Branscome of Skyway Elementary, second place; and Makendra Patzer of Sorensen Elementary, third place.
Other students recognized for their talents are: Gabe Kegley of Winton Elementary and Robin Chamberlain of Dalton Gardens Elementary.
The top five placers will receive T-shirts with their art printed on it. The top three will receive trophies, and their teachers will receive an urban forestry lesson book. The Arbor Day celebration is planned for 9:15 a.m. Saturday at Shadduck Lane Park, 1875 E. Shadduck Lane.
NIC stages ‘Almost, Maine’
The North Idaho College theater department will perform “Almost, Maine” Wednesday through Saturday at 7:30 p.m. in the Boswell Hall Schuler Performing Arts Center.
The spring production is a series of short scenes about people living in the fictional community of Almost, Maine.
The cast includes Jonathan Breitkreutz of Athol, Brianna Sims of Rathdrum, Jenna Clement of Hayden, Shane Brown of San Jose, Calif., Donna Holland and Heather Smith of Coeur d’Alene, and Josh Allen, Cassidy Kindred and Calvin Langley, all of Sandpoint.
The performance is free and open to the public.
For more information, call (208) 769-3220.
Priest Lake
State park plans family fun day
Priest Lake State Park will host a family day Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Beginning at the park headquarters at Indian Creek, kids can participate in a spring egg hunt, the annual duck races, a scavenger hunt and more. Prizes will be awarded.
For more information, call (208) 443-2200.