Homemade soup warms the heart
Lots of offices hold employee potlucks, but nowhere has sampling wonderful homemade soups and bread gone for such a good cause as it does at the Kootenai County Administrative offices.
The 11th annual Soup and Bread Contest took place at lunchtime on Monday. There were 38 soups entered and more than 100 people came by to pay $5 to taste to their tummy's content. At the end of the lunch hour more than $700 was raised to fill baskets with a holiday dinner, gifts and a bit of cash for several families who have applied through the county for the Circuit Breaker program.Kudos to Assessor Mike McDowell and his office for coordinating the effort each year, head "cheerleader" Jan Lindquist, and to the county employees who donate the soups, breads and desserts.
Here are the names of the top vote-getting cooks: Soups, First Place: Carlene Coit, Pork Chili Verde; Debbie Lane, Angela Harmon, Grant Kinsey, Kathy Best, Sadami Ogden, Eric Hart, Judy Poole, Randi Bain and Gordon Harnasch. Breads, First Place: Ann Sluka, Czech nut bread; Connie Nelson, Ellen Turnbull, Bruce Anderson, Kim Stevenson, Jacqui Wilke, Kathy Booth, Brad Cox and RaeAnn Capaul.***
On Monday the Spinazza sisters, Sue and Nan, along with their friend Anne Daugarty were in the Los Angeles studio audience for a taping of the Ellen Degeneres Show. Good timing. Everyone in the audience was gifted with a brand new "cruiser" bicycle. You can watch the show and search for their familiar and happy faces today at 3 p.m. on KHQ-6 (NBC).***
Congratulations to newlyweds Kibbee Walton and Freya Ford. The happy couple eloped a week ago. And happy 53rd anniversary tomorrow to those perpetual honeymooners, Dick and Shirlee Wandrocke!***
What better way to spend 11/11/11 than with a roomful of handsome Marines. The Marine Corps Birthday Ball will take place at the Coeur d'Alene Resort with a formal dinner and dancing, featuring the Tuxedo Junction Big Band. The slicing of the 236th Birthday cake by saber is a longstanding Marine Corps tradition. The RSVP deadline is Oct. 30, so call Tom Wambolt of the Pappy Boyington Detachment of the Marine Corps League at 664-7705. Semper Fi.***
Happy Birthday today to Wanda Brust, Brock Prince, Gail McGaughey, Scott Peterson and Linda Jones. Tomorrow celebrants include Barb Smalley, David Cole, Deirdre Eldredge, Bill Gibson and Aidyn Dugger. On Friday Terri Gervais, Jenni Gibson, Jill Swoboda, Jonathan Mueller, Tracie Olin Smith, Kathleen Clancy, Jamie Oliver and Ashley Gerzina mark their birthdays and Saturday's birthday belongs to Amanda Krier. October 30 wish a happy birthday to Rainey Coffin, Lori Jurado, Brad Oliver and Derek McGee. On Halloween Krysta Huft, Kathy Prosser, Jabet Wheeler, Amber Copeland, Tom Hasslinger, Kevin Grady and Tyler Engelbrecht blow out the candles and on Tuesday Pam Jank is the birthday girl.
***Kerri Rankin Thoreson is a member of the National Society of Newspaper Columnists and the former publisher of the Post Falls Tribune. She was voted Best Local Writer for 2010 by the readers of the North Idaho Business Journal. Main Street appears every Wednesday in The Press. Kerri can be reached at [email protected]