An elevator fit for the Grinch

A funny thing happened to Coeur d’Alene City Councilwoman Kiki Miller on her way to her car in the Coeur d’Alene Resort parking garage recently.

The elevator stuck.

Miller had entered the elevator after greeting exiting state Rep. Paul Amador, R-Coeur d’Alene, his wife, Julie, and their 10-week-old son, Peter. She had just attended a Rotary Club meeting.

Miller told Huckleberries that all was fine in her world until she felt a thud and a drop. She couldn’t get the elevator to move, no matter which button she pushed. The elevator call button was dead, too. Her cellphone, of course, was almost out of juice. At that point, Miller began running through various disaster scenarios as she wondered how to react.

After 10 minutes in the cold elevator, she finally contacted others on the other side of the door. They notified resort security, three of whom appeared with a ladder.

Yep, the diminutive councilwoman made her way to safety by climbing through the crawl space at the top. She was wearing a skirt. And was grateful that the security guard who had climbed down to hold the ladder averted his eyes. “Awkward” was the word she used to describe the scene to Huckleberries.

Cold, stunned Miller couldn’t remember where she’d parked her car. The security brigade apologized for the inconvenience and offered: “We should have brought you some hot coffee.” Indeed.

Finally, free of the Elevator from Hell, Miller lamented: “If it could’ve just been the (resort) spa that wouldn’t let me go.” Sigh.

30 years and counting

For those keeping score at home, downtown Coeur d’Alene will kick off Christmas for the 30th time Friday.

In 2017, that means a swell parade, Christmas carols, the lighting of the Christmas tree and wreath at the Coeur d’Alene Resort, the resort’s massive fireworks show, the Festival of the Trees – and more than 30,000 spectators.

At the inaugural light-a-palooza on Nov. 27, 1987, it meant downtown businesses turning on their lights, a spotlight in the sky, a fire engine siren signaling the beginning of the season and a $50,000 light display provided by the resort. In 1988, the resort added a 25-foot wreath that weighed a ton, Christmas scenes in the hotel lobby featured miners and loggers, and candles for the kids. In 1990, downtown merchants launched the Christmas parade. In 1991, the resort added the fireworks. The 2017 Holiday Light Show Opening Ceremony will begin at 5 p.m. Friday in downtown Coeur d’Alene with the parade. Be there or be a Grinch.

Huckleberries

Poet’s Corner: Like tiny stars upon the trees/ they twinkle in the frosty breeze,/ and throw their little rays of light/ like hope into the cold black night – Tom Wobker, The Bard of Sherman Avenue (“Christmas Lights, Sherman Avenue”). … “A journey begins with the first step,” philosophizes Dave Chamberlain, of Coeur d’Alene. “However, my first step was in Spokane. And I fell into a pothole the size of Hayden Lake.” … Huckleberries has but one question for the male shoplifter who was nabbed by Super 1 security in Post Falls and cited for taking two pizza sticks from the deli: Was it worth it? … Jamie Lynn Morgan, of Coeur d’Alene, says it’s “perfectly acceptable to remove and reinstall a roll of toilet paper when some yahoo puts it on wrong.” If you need to ask which way is correct (Over! Not! Under!), then you may be a yahoo. … According to the Centers for Disease Control, Coeur d’Alene leads Idaho in the dubious category of highest levels of “binge and heavy drinking.” But the Lake City couldn’t have earned the honor without help from Spokane visitors in search of a good time. … Twenty-five years ago, Huckleberries reported that the Best of the Valley awards in the Silver Valley Voice’s “most comfortable overnight establishment” went to (drum roll, Puh-LEEZ) – the U&I Rooms and the Luxette brothels in Wallace’s old red-light district. … Sgt. Paul Twidt of the Kellogg Police Department had a good reason for clearing a verbal warning quickly after a motorist ran a stop: “His dog had used his passenger seat as a restroom, and it wasn’t No. 1.” Good call by a good officer.

Parting shot

The latest edition of the Blanchard, Idaho, Community News defines “thankful” as “being thankful is wonder, appreciation, savoring the good things in life, and not taking things for granted.” Words to live by on this day when we focus on thankfulness.