Sandpoint continues to make national headlines

Notes about Sandpoint and this region continue to pour in. Here are a few recent examples:

November 2004, Men's Health: The article is titled Save Your Ash. "Forget the tombstone. Expensive caskets and standing-room-only cemeteries have made cremation a popular way to exit this world. But this doesn't mean your ashes have to reside in a boring urn."

The article states for less than $4,000, Angels Flight will jettison your ashes over the water in a fireworks show, or Creative Cremains can modify or construct a receptacle for your ashes — from a Stanley Cup to a fishing rod — for about $75 an hour.

Now the local note: "Celebration Forest in Sandpoint, Idaho, will scatter remains around a memorial tree in a protected forest." That's all the article mentions, no price, no location and no phone number or e-mail address.

I haven't heard of Celebration Forest. It's probably at the end of some dead end road, I suppose.

November 2004, Grit: Local writer Cecil Hicks featured the human dynamo Evalyn McIntire. Mrs. McIntire was named a True Grit Hero. Hicks, also of Sandpoint, described the 86-year-old McIntire's schedule as a volunteer at Bonner General Hospital as one "people 30 years her junior would have trouble keeping."

She was the Auxiliary's Volunteer of the Year and received her 6,000-hour volunteer pin. In her spare time she also volunteers at two nursing homes — where she plays piano and leads the sing a longs.

? Cinema Treasures. The Panida Theater was one of 30 theaters nationally to be featured in a classic, hardbound book. The book was released last month.

"Cinema Treasures: A New Look at Classic Movie Theaters" puts our local treasure next to The Ziegfield, The Music Box Theatre, The Avalon, The Silent Movie Theater and other notable movie theaters.

The history and descriptions of the Panida came mostly from actor/musician/writer Dave Gunter.

"But the Panida, on this spring day in 1984, was every bit as dead as the glassy-eyed antler mounts around the corner at the Elks Club," Gunter wrote. "Two chunks of plaster the size of import cars had fallen from the ceiling since the last time anyone had been inside. Like heavy usherettes, they landed squarely in the aisles at stage right and stage left."

The photos taken inside the theater are some of the best I have seen.

November 2004, Mountain Bike Action magazine. The article Slammin' on Schweitzer Mountain lovingly took a look at the NORBA national race held at Schweitzer this summer. Nine pages were devoted to great photography of a beautiful place. The first photo is a two-page photo taken from the quad lift looking back into the village.

The short article said the ski village could pass for a village in the Alps. It was also interesting how Schweitzer showed up in several photos for advertisements in this issue of Mountain Bike action.

RV Life Today featured Sandpoint's Winter Carnival last year. The show was supposed to air on Outdoor Life Network last Wednesday. Did anyone see it?

The Panida was filled to capacity last Thursday night with a crowd eager to watch the Chinese acrobats perform. Most were impressed with the acrobats who put seven on a bicycle and rode onstage as well as one acrobat who stacked chairs to the ceiling and performed feats of derring-do from the rafters.

I was most impressed with the fact that the Panida was packed — with families. The show was such a great reminder of what the Pend Oreille Arts Council brings to the community and the unique venue that is our Panida.

Bravo, POAC and the Panida.

The Bulldog football team has nothing to be down about after a triple-overtime loss in the state playoffs last Friday night against Caldwell. The stands were packed and school spirit was sky high.

Winning tastes better than defeat but I'll bet all of the athletes on this year's Bulldog team will remember more of the good than the bad this year.

Equally impressive was the recognition of the volleyball team and the two soccer state champions at halftime.

I was lucky enough to sit next to Ed Hawkins at the game. While we compared Bulldog stories, he wondered aloud why Sandpoint's own Jerry Kramer isn't in the NFL Hall of Fame along with his Green Bay Packers' teammates.

"Why don't you do something about that, would you?" he asked me. I told him I am on it. So I am.

I can't believe I have been married to Marlisa for 13 years and two kids. While it is not our anniversary right now, a Sandpoint institution that has a lot to do with my marriage is celebrating an anniversary this month.

Ray Kincaid Jewelers is 50 years this month. Ray is one of the nicest men in town and Karen Applegate, the current owner, is awesome by any measure.

As for my connection? Karen helped me pick out a special wedding ring way back when.

The Bonner County Economic Development Corp. will have a lot to brag about on Thursday night at its annual meeting. Nearly 300 new jobs and $3.3 million in payrolls have come our way between 2001 and the second quarter of this year. The average wage for jobs created by the BCEDC is $35,600 compared to the annual wage of $24,700 for all jobs here.

Who will be the BCEDC business of the year? Come Thursday night to Coldwater Creek to find out.

Just so you know, Yoke's has stocked up for the holidays with Bonner County Memory books and we are down to our last, few boxes at the Bee. If you are looking for the most local Christmas gift around, stop by the Bee, Yoke's, Vanderford's, the Corner Book Store, Eve's Leaves, the chamber office or the Bonner County Historical Museum and pick up a book or two before it is too late.

Once they are gone, they're gone. Don't say I didn't warn you.

Is it that time of year already to rename Sandpoint — Santapoint, Idaho-ho-ho? I didn't think so … yet.

David Keyes is the publisher of the Bee and is working on getting Jerry Kramer in the NFL Hall of Fame and renaming the town, Santapoint, Idaho-ho-ho for the holidays. His column runs Tuesdays.