Come get Lost in the 50s

SANDPOINT — Dig out your poodle skirt, grab your leather jacket and come get Lost in the '50s.

After a two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the homage to the music, spirit and fun of the era returns to Sandpoint streets Friday and Saturday. Organizer and founder Carolyn Gleason announced in March that the event would be back for its 35th anniversary and this week, the city of Sandpoint has issued the official event permit.

The Lost in the ’50s parade will take place Friday, May 20. Participating cars will stage at the Sandpoint High School parking lot and the official downtown parade route begins at Fifth Avenue and Church. Cars will then proceed east on Church to First Avenue before turning north to Cedar and ending at the corner of Fifth and Cedar. A street dance will follow the parade on Main Street next to Jeff Jones Town Square.

At the fairgrounds, R&B legend Darlene Love, whom Gleason said “embodies what the 60s era is,” will perform Friday. On Saturday, the Grammy Award-winning duo, The Righteous Brothers, will perform. Both shows start at 7:30 p.m.

City street crews will sweep downtown streets early on Saturday, May 21, allowing car show participants to begin staging around 6 a.m. The Lost in the ’50s Car Show begins at 9:30 a.m. Saturday morning and continues until 3:45 p.m.

Gleason said previously that she is thrilled to be back can’t wait for Lost in the ‘50s to return to the streets of downtown Sandpoint

“I’m excited to be back and get everyone back to normal after COVID,” she said last month.

Since the car show application was posted on the Lost in the ‘50s Facebook page, 525 cars have prequalified with more submitted daily. Gleason said she expects 700-plus cars to take part in the event, with cars coming from as far away as Canada and Texas.

The city is once again providing a designated vendor court location in the public right-of-way for vendors not officially associated with Lost in the '50s, Sandpoint City Administrator Jennifer Stapleton said.

The city has designated up to eight spots on the north side of Main Street, between Jeff Jones Square and Second Avenue, for vendors who wish to set up in the public right-of-way. The location was chosen to ensure they are close to event center while keeping city sidewalks and streets clear for public movement and emergency vehicle access, she said. Additionally, it addresses the concerns of car owners about the potential of damage to their vehicles.

“We have to protect the cars, or we don’t have an event,” Gleason said.

These designated spaces can be reserved by contacting the City Clerk’s Office at 208-265-1481. Vendors will be able to set up at their designated space beginning at 6 a.m.

With owner permission, a vendor may also set up on private property, but they must display a valid business license. Mobile vending and alcohol consumption is not permitted on public sidewalks or rights-of-way, unless specifically permitted by the City such as a sidewalk cafés operated by a downtown business.

The city clerk’s office, 1123 Lake St., is open Monday-Friday from 8 a.m.-5 p.m.

Information: facebook.com/lost50s