The wonder that was Ace Walden

In his 103 years on this earth, Ace Walden created a template for community involvement and making a genuine difference in peoples' lives. We only came to be acquainted in his 99th year but my life is surely richer for having known him.

In 2007, as a centenarian, Ace was honored as Grand Marshal of his hometown's Fourth of July parade and I was honored to drive him along the route, with our friend, Ruth Pratt riding shotgun. I got a little choked up seeing the absolute joy and delight on his face in my rearview mirror as Ace greeted old friends along the way. In front of us were the uniformed honor guard from the Coeur d'Alene Fire Department. The tree-lined street was filled with families and flag waving. It was about as good a moment anyone could have, a Norman Rockwell vignette in real life.

Three years later, this past May, Don and Susan Sausser invited me to celebrate Ace's 103rd birthday with his fellow Lake View Tower neighbors, again an honor and a treat. On Saturday Ace was granted his final wish ... to pass peacefully in his sleep, surrounded by people who loved him. I'm sure his beloved wife, Ellen was overjoyed to be reunited in Heaven with the love of her life.

Local C-21 Realtor Tom Torgerson took a fall from a ladder in his shop last week and sustained critical head injuries. Anyone who knows Tom can't imagine this man of action, outdoors adventurer and doting father being down for long, especially now that the first snows are falling in the mountains!

Tom's receiving care at Kootenai Medical Center and faces a challenging road back so keep him, KJ and their daughters in your prayers.

CHS senior Carly Goodlander turned 18 on Oct. 21 and celebrated the milestone by visiting the Kootenai County elections office with her mom, Rosemary. On More Main Street there's a photo of Carly registering to vote, with her grandmother - Coeur d'Alene City Council Member Deanna Goodlander - looking on. I hope on Tuesday, we'll follow Carly's lead and celebrate the incredible privilege we have in this country to choose our representatives at the polling place.

While you're waiting for the election results to come in on Tuesday night, be highly entertained while supporting the Kiwanis and the Boys and Girls Club of Kootenai County. The Harlem Ambassadors will play an exhibition game at 6:30 p.m. at The Arena at PFHS. Great family fun and the Kiwanis Klassics players are worth the price of admission ... suiting up will be Supt. Jerry Keane, PFPD Capt. Pat Knight, NIC's Big Al Williams, KXLY meteorologist Kris Crocker, White House Grill's Raci Erden and firefighters Justin Capaul and Ryan Asher. The bench is deep so look for more familiar faces out there on the court.

Tickets are available at Community 1st Bank, Panhandle State Bank and INB. Call 777-8937 for more info.

Wear red today in support of Idaho Drug Free Youth's celebration of Red Ribbon Week! We have some great young people in our communities who are making the right choices, which doesn't often make the news. So here's to all of them ... kudos! www.idahodrugfreeyouth.org

Heading into Halloween so if you haven't been to Silverwood's Scarywood or the Post Falls Lions Haunted House, there's time to do both this week! Trick or treat. :)

Wish a happy birthday today to Linda Lantzy, Aidyn Dugger, Deirdre Eldredge and Bill Gibson. Tomorrow Tracie Olin, Jenni Gibson, Kathleen Clancey and Jamie Oliver will celebrate. On Friday Amanda Krier is turning 21! Rainey Coffin and Brad Oliver have birthdays on Saturday. Halloween birthdays are being celebrated by Kathy Prosser, Krysta Huft, Jabet Wheeler and Tyler Englebrecht. On the first day of November wish Cathy Countryman-Green a happy birthday and on Election Day we vote for Mike Miller to have a great day!

THERE'S MORE ... at More Main Street see local photos of people and places you know. Access More Main Street at the link below or go to the www.cdapress.com site, columns tab and click on the link.

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 mainstreet@cdapress.com