Festival celebrates golden season

What a fitting end to a wonderful Festival at Sandpoint Sunday night.

Some of the area's best singers, crowded into the Festival at Sandpoint's tent behind the Spokane Symphony, singing Beethoven's Scherzo and Finale as fireworks lit up the night sky.

It doesn't get much better than that.

The Olympic theme was a perfect fit for a night of champions and a concert that not only represented the five Olympic rings, but the five rings of success for the Festival.

Ring one: Community support. The legions of fans, volunteers, sponsors and vendors are fundamental and are the bedrock for any success.

Ring two: Dyno, Carol and Tone. Without the right staffers, this wouldn't happen. We have the best! Dave Nygren, Rugand the rest are top notch.

Ring three: The setting. Osprey playing overhead. Boats near the shore eavesdropping. People picnicking. Wine glasses clanking. Kids playing. Adults dancing.

Ring four: The talent. Dyno Wahl and her booking committee put in hours of research attempting to bring old standards, up-and-coming artists and diversity to the Festival every year. The Spokane Symphony also very important.

Ring five: Fiscal responsibility. Easily the most boring ring but also the most important one. The Festival at Sandpoint is still here because the board of directors insisted on fiscal responsibility a few years ago.

This ring, while equal to the other four, is the ring we should all be the most proud. The Festival at Sandpoint has gone deep into the red more often than most of us want to remember. The difference these days is there are policies in place to control spending while producing a memorable concert series.

Musical festivals come and go.

The Festival at Sandpoint is more than a musical gathering. It is a part of who we are and where we are.

It was another gold medal year at the Festival at Sandpoint.

You read it here first: Ben Lockwood for President. The do-it-all Sandpoint High School graduate earned an instant fan club Sunday night when he accepted the Coldwater Creek music scholarship at the Festival.

The scholar-athlete-musician is going places and is just another example of the quality of student our school districts are producing.

In a snapshot poll of presidential favorites conducted by Ken Casler

Sunday night. John Kerry had 51 percent of ecstatic yeahs and 49 percent of heartfelt boos when he endorsed Kerry in front of the Festival crowd.

I have to believe Barbara Veraniam smiled about Casler's stunt and had a hearty laugh over the response.

The pollsters are telling me that Idaho may actually vote Democratic this election. It won't be for lack of effort.

Grammy award winning singer-songwriter Carole King is coming back to Sandpoint to push Kerry.

She will attend the Bonner County Fair on Aug. 27. King, an Idaho resident who lives south of Challis, will join with other Democrats to meet fair-goers and talk about her support of presidential candidate John Kerry.

This will be King's second visit to Sandpoint on behalf of Kerry. She appeared at Arlo's Restaurant during the primary election to a packed house.

King will be at the fair on Friday morning between 10 a.m. and 11:30 a.m.

I received grief last time King was here. Several people called to complain that her photograph was on Page One. My offer still stands … Have Gov. Arnold or another high-ranking Republican show up in Bonner County and he or she will get the same treatment.

Elected Idaho Republicans don't count…and neither does that guy on the four-wheeler in front of Joel's.

The Panida Theater in Sandpoint is providing free admission to

18-24 year olds this Thursday to see the movie Fahrenheit 9/11 and participate in a moderated discussion afterwards.

While the theater will be open to people of all ages, only those in the 18-24 year age range will be admitted free. Those not already registered to vote can register at the Panida that evening.

In an effort to encourge registration and voter turnout among this age group, the evening is being sponsored by the Vote Hope Campaign, headquartered in Hope and by citizens throughout Bonner and Boundary counties who are donating toward cost of the tickets.

The Panida does not endorse any candidate, according to Marsha Gilbert, and by hosting the film doesn't imply the venerable old theater leans to the left or to the right.

Those wishing to donate can send a check made out to the Panida Theater to Marsha Gilbert, P.O. Box 250, Hope ID 83936.

I've seen the movie. It's propaganda, pure and simple, but it is propaganda all voters should see. Kind of like Fatal Attraction should be a movie all folks considering getting married should watch. Kind of like Animal House should be watched by anyone thinking about joining a fraternity.

The Keyes family was lucky to escape the hurricane in Florida on Friday. We made it out of the Orlando airport only a few hours before Hurricane Charley appeared.

Even as the wind and rain picked up on Thursday night, the power of this destructive hurricane was evident. While Florida is beautiful, people have to be nuts to live there year-round.

I'll take our natural disasters over hurricanes and creepy, crawly bugs in a humid climate anytime.

We spent time with my 85-year-old grandmother who still gives violin lessons to youngsters, plays in several orchestras and does the daily crossword puzzl in the Vero Beach newspaper after she goes for her morning walk and makes a trip to the health club. She's now my poster child for longevity.

There's no place like home…

David Keyes is publisher of the Bee. His column runs Tuesdays.