Cowboy Hall of Fame ropes rave reviews during trip to OKC

Jeff and Donna Rokstad are going to make the most of this upcoming weekend in Boise.

Son, Jeffrey, is a freshman at SHS and is a starter on the Bulldog boys’ soccer team that is competing for the state championship in our capitol city.

The first game is today.

That ordinarily would be enough to aim the Rokstads south. But on this particular weekend, daughter Danae, 19, is also competing for the title of  Miss Idaho USA just down the road from the soccer field.

“Didn’t that work out well?” said Jeff from his Ford dealership on Tuesday.

 Donna, who could easily be Mrs. Idaho USA if there was such a thing, and Danae are leaving for Boise today. Jeffrey left yesterday on the team bus and Jeff is flying down Friday.

If all works out well, there will be quite a lot to celebrate at the Rokstad home on Sunday.

Speaking of Danae … she attends the University of Montana in Missoula and is a sophomore. She has been a cheerleader and is on the dance team. UM attracts quite a few SHS grads and has also churned out some of the best journalists who have ever written this column … or is the sports editor of the Bee … or ? There are many Grizzlies around here and they always seem to break out the school colors late into the college football season when the Griz challenge for yet another national championship.

I still miss the Little Brown Jug football games against the Vandals.

I hear a pair of Mittons each shot a moose this week.

Rumor has it that Safeway is going to renovate starting early next year. Most of the employees are still smiling even though they are all wearing canary yellow shirts. Another rumor is that the Inkwell’s doors are going to remain closed. The lights have been off in the office supply store for more than a month.

According to Yahoo finance, Coldwater Creek founder and returning CEO Dennis Pence will earn $1 per year as the head of CWC. He replaced Dan Griesemer on Sept. 12. Griesemer received $2 million in cash plus $2.1 million “related to the acceleration of all uninvested equity awards” on his way out the door, the report said. I remember when $4.1 million used to be a lot of money. Maybe Griesemer could loan some money to his former boss to help tide him over?

As part of my state Lottery Commission duties, I attended the National Association of State and Provincial Lotteries annual meeting that was held in Oklahoma City earlier this month. I found out that Idaho’s lottery is one of the best-run in the country and the future of the lottery is bright.

OKC was not on my bucket list of places to see before I die and I probably won’t go back there. Having written that, the Cowboy Hall of Fame was very cool and the monument built for those killed in the OKC bombing was very touching.

I did earn serious dad points when I gave my 14-year-old son an autographed poster from the Thunder Gals, the cheerleading squad for the OKC Thunder. My 9-year-old daughter was pleased with her socks from the Cowboy Hall of Fame, but not in the same way my son was with his present.

Last year I had my photo taken holding the Bee with Vanna White at the conference. This year the photo is with the cast of the Wizard of Oz.

I want to personally invite you to the Bonner Mall on Monday to meet the candidates running for city council in Ponderay and Sandpoint. The free event is from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. This will be a great time to shake hands and ask questions of the people who will be guiding these cities through challenging and opportunistic times. There will be questions from the audience and audience participation will be encouraged.

Did I mention there will be treats?

David Keyes is publisher of the Daily Bee.