Annual picnic celebrates neighbors, community
It's summer.
North Idaho is green, the farmers are haying, the campsites are full, the RVs are clogging the highways and Lake Pend Oreille takes on a look no other lake can match.
Drs. Forrest and Pam Bird hosted their fifth-annual neighborhood picnic on Sunday. It's probably the only summer party in the country that comes complete with helicopter rides.
The Birds threw in some air-filled trampoline toys for the children, and for good measure a swimming pool, 250 hamburgers, horseshoes and a dose of hospitality that makes this special couple even more special.
The neighbors furnished the rest of the food (and recipes) in what's been the best party of the year.
Glengary Bay neighbor Ruth Rowe has attended each of the parties and considers the hoorah a "great gift to the community."
"To be a neighbor you have to be a neighbor," Pam Bird explained as she was talking with a few of us just a stone's throw away from a three-legged race and a kid-inspired water fight.
Pam recently earned a PhD and published her first book in May. She wrote the "how-to" book for licensing and marketing new products in just four months. She spends time between her office in Florida and her beautiful perch high atop Lake Pend Oreille.
The Birds have begun work on the nation's first aero-medical museum which will be located on their property. The two-story museum is being designed to display the original prototypes of many of Bird's inventions as well as other items depicting this amazing man's contribution to nearly all of our lives.
"This will be his legacy," Pam said of her 83-year-old husband.
The museum, which is being designed to hold 400 people in a banquet area, will be completed in June, 2006, just in time for the male doctor in the family to celebrate his 85th birthday.
The Birds are a cherished part of our community.
It was inspiring to see the goodwill and fun on display Sunday.
One unique item from our conversation: Dr. Forrest Bird prefers Macintosh to PCs. He likes the design that limits computer viruses. Every time he buys a new computer he tears it apart and puts it together.
I see an advertising coup here for the Apple folks, do you?
There were 20,000 people at the wooden boat show last weekend. That's 10,000 more than the previous year and 20,000 more than the year prior when it was in a city south of here.
Congrats to the local committee and Michale Boge for pulling off such a great show. Larry O'Leary and Bob Ickes did an outstanding job as the co-chairs of the event.
Gary Ballew, Jim Kerr, Linda Zwarg, Bud Moon, Chris Knapton and Jan Lenhart put in many hours to guarantee the success of the show.
You're a Good Man Charlie Brown has never been performed with more heart and more skill than it was on the Panida stage Friday night.
The production brought out the best of what is the 77-year-old Panida. Shauna Lyman was tremendous as Snoopy. With Benji heading here on Aug. 7, this area will have the two top dogs in the industry in the same Zip code.
Rob Kincaid's Charlie Brown was right on, Andrea Lyman's Lucy was wonderful and Scott Johnson easily played the dual role of director/Schroeder. Jeff Poole was a great Linus and Amy Craven was wonderful as Charlie Brown's little sister, Sally.
The rousing renditions of "Beethoven Day" and "Suppertime" were still being hummed in my house two nights after the performance.
The Panida's a treasure and the cast and crew of You're a Good Man Charlie Brown are gems.
If you missed it, you missed something.
Hold on to your leashes — the world premiere of Benji is coming Aug. 7. It must be official, the Spokane Review said so Sunday, a scant two weeks after it appeared in this column.
Dr. Marty Becker guided the sneak preview to Bonners Ferry and Sandpoint because of his connection with Joe Camp, Benji's producer. The four-legged star will walk a red carpet into the Panida for 7 p.m. showing.
The event will benefit the Panhandle Animal Shelter. Watch the Bee later this week for a chance to win free tickets in an essay or drawing contest.
Souvenir photos will be taken by Sue Haynes and there will be an auction at the event. Auctioneer Brian "I'm running for county commissioner and would appreciate your vote" Orr will be entertaining and will raise a few bucks for this worthy cause.
Tickets for a dinner gala at the Sand Creek Grill and the movie are $50 each or $80 a couple. Children 12 and under are $25. There will be movie-only tickets also available. Call Alison at 263-8922 or Lenore at 265-5854 for more information.
Watch for more Benji coverage coming. It'll be ruff, but we'll get the stories out.
Anyone else notice the hanging baskets around Sandpoint? The Downtown Sandpoint Business Association and Arcadia Greenhouse need to be congratulated on sprucing up the downtown like many have never seen before.
It's a nice touch.
The September issue of National Geographic's Adventure magazine will feature a spot on the Sandpoint area. There were calls from National Geographic to Schweitzer and the chamber office for background and fact checking last week.
This will complete the magazine coverage trifecta of Outside, Sunset and now National Geographic magazines.
The National Geographic story will probably revolve around how a species called Realtors has fought back from the brink of extinction in Bonner County and are now plentiful and showing signs of reproducing and won't be listed on the endangered species list here anytime soon.
Of course, that's just a guess.
David Keyes is publisher of the Bee. His column runs Tuesdays.