Like Cd'A history? This Bud's for you

Seeing the 1968 Miss Budweiser unlimited hydroplane at the Museum of North Idaho on Saturday was a real walk down Memory Lane. I saw Miss Budweiser race that year, in what would be the last Diamond Cup on Lake Coeur d'Alene.

My boyfriend, Doug Perry, who later became my husband, was good friends with Ted Lavoie. Ted's father, Don, owned the Budweiser distributorship here and there was an active and enthusiastic Bud Bunch of businessmen who supported the event. We had pit passes and got up close to the big boats and the daredevil drivers.

Doug, Ted and Don have long passed away but oh, how they would have enjoyed seeing Miss Budweiser back in the Lake City.

This weekend it was fun to visit with Doug Miller, CHS Class of '69, who is now organizing the upcoming Diamond Cup Regatta Aug. 20-22. What a perfect means to raise money for the Museum of North Idaho, by bringing back a display of some of Coeur d'Alene's colorful history!

A couple of the Bud Bunch passed away in recent days. Dr. Ged Barclay, 90, a World War II and Korean War veteran, and the doctor who delivered my oldest daughter, was a key member of this community for more than half a century. The lives he touched would number in the many thousands.

Jim Enders, 71, passed away on June 25. After his funeral service on July 1, the Miss Budweiser was parked in front of his home to honor the years Jim spent as the Bud Man and traveling with the hydroplane. If you saw the big boat in the Fourth of July parade, you might not have known that the young man in the driver's seat was Cole Enders, Jim's 12-year-old grandson.

Coeur d'Alene put on a real star-spangled Fourth of July parade. I've seen most every one for four-plus decades and I don't recall ever having Idaho's governor in the parade. We not only had Governor Butch Otter and first lady Lori Otter waving to the crowds, but Lt. Governor Brad Little also made an appearance. Even U.S. Senator Mike Crapo walked the parade route.

The elected officials just might have been overshadowed a wee bit by the luminous Madison Leonard, newly-minted America's Jr. Miss, making her first hometown appearance since winning the national title.

There were many fabulous entries in the parade this year but a few really stood out. Julie Malad Clark, CHS Class of 1974, twirled baton like a teenager at the front of the Perfection Nots. Some newer folks might not know, but the outrageously-costumed band came to be decades ago as the answer to having a marching band in the Fourth of July parade. The musicians each year are former band students. And dressed in orange neon, the Spotlight Cheer teams thrilled the crowds with their high-flying stunts.

I loved seeing Bill Hamilton piloting the Calam Shrine Octocycle. His late father, CJ, was the original driver back in the 1950s and young Bill first rode the bike back then with his dad. It just wouldn't be a Fourth of July parade without a Hamilton on that octocycle.

I made two new friends at the parade, too. Janet and Bill Sherman were standing next to me and after seeing me greet and be greeted by many of the parade participants, they remarked that I knew just about everyone in town but that we'd never met. So we introduced ourselves. Now I can say I know everyone in town. :)

There's an album of parade photographs at More Main Street.

We won passes to view the fireworks from the patio of the Coeur d'Alene Chamber, a great vantage point. Joining us on the patio were my sister and brother-in-law, Janna and Rick Scharf and one of my favorite local veterans, Jim Shepperd, watching the fireworks from downtown for the first time in about 30 years. His son, Jim, a fellow CHS Class of 1970 classmate, was home visiting for the holiday so it was reunion time. Jim and Sandy Morrison and family and Jamie Lynn Morgan were patiomates. Thanks to Todd Christensen, Debbie Berger and Chris Hollibaugh for the hospitality!

The American Legion State Convention is being held at Red Lion Templin's and Post 143 this weekend. So if you see one of these folks out in the community, be sure to thank them for their service.

Happy birthday today to Susie Jamison! Tomorrow's birthdays belong to Taryn Thompson, Peter Finney and Beverly Hammond. Loren Mitchell celebrates his birthday on Friday and Collin Coles, Gene Gertson and Andrea Curlson have birthdays on Saturday. On lucky 7/11 Betty Ann Nelson, Scott Grant, Larry Wendt, Richard Jurvelin, Jeri Lee and Maxine Nelson blow out the birthday candles. Jeri is marking her big 6-0 and Maxine will be 90! Chelsea Rosenberger, Paul Burke, Les Nipp and Jim Welborn share a Monday birthdate. On July 13 sing Happy Birthday to Dan English and Ingrid Yates

THERE'S MORE: New stories and photos at More Main Street, including an album of Fourth of July photographs. Add your birthday to the Main Street Birthday Club on the link there!

Kerri Rankin Thoreson is a member of the National Society of Newspaper Columnists and the former publisher of the Post Falls Tribune. Main Street appears every Wednesday in The Press. More Main Street blog is at http://moremainstreet.blogspot.com. Kerri can be reached at [email protected]