School spirit still endures
Marcia (McLean) Ogle was the belle of the ball on Saturday at the Viking Booster Club Luau to celebrate the new fall sports season at Coeur d'Alene High School. It's been a while since 94-year-old Marcia graduated from CHS ... 76 years to be exact, in 1936.
When she read in The Press that the event included the booster club, coaches, athletes and their families, alumni and friends, Marcia decided to attend. She was thoroughly enjoying the festivities when I made her acquaintance. Booster Club President Chris Costa - along with John and Heather Berger, who rolled out the blue carpet for the luau at their Sanders Beach home - created a great event for all.
I'm not sure if there's an award for best high school booster club, but if there is, the Viking Booster Club would be in the running for sure. Kudos to all!
Matt Barkley, band director at Post Falls High School - aka the home of the Trojans - was amused to see he'd made the cover of the college football edition of Sports Illustrated. The cover feature story is "MATT BARKLEY Man of Troy." OK, it's the USC Matt Barkley who's the cover guy, but it's been a fun 15 minutes of faux fame for PFHS' Matt Barkley.
It's North Idaho Fair time and that means just one thing ... my famous corn shirt will be worn once again, beginning in the Lions corn on the cob booth this afternoon. Stop by and say hello. This looks to be some of the very best fair weather in years. Not too hot, not too cold, and no rain on the horizon.
Fair director Chris Holloway is stepping down following this year's event after a decade and a half at the helm. What a fantastic legacy of growing this fair over the years, building upon the strong foundation left by her friend and mentor Barb Renner. So when you see Chris around the fair this week make sure to take a moment to thank her and wish her well.
Happy Birthday today to Brett Seright, Lillianna Raynor, Cathy Smith, Ed Hatter and David Walrath (50!). Tomorrow Pam Campbell, Bobby Bunch, Rod Robin, Beth Dagastine, Debbie Berger, Eileen Mann and Chad Chalich will celebrate. On Friday Eric Burgeson, Kim Perry, Mike Dodge, Sarah Sistek and Linda Fox will mark another trip around the sun. Saturday is a special day for Ali Shute, Jeff Selle, Staci Anderson, Angie Penzkover, Cindi Carlson, Chris Johnson, Jeff Mannshreck, David Flood and Lita Balbin. Sofia Armstrong celebrates her third birthday on Sunday, along with slightly older folks Troy Blood, Andrew Evenson, Julianne Rinard, Perry Peterson, Jeanne Northfield, Pam Grenny, Lita Balbin, Cam Crollard and Phil Higgs. Monday birthdays will be marked by Ed Mitchell, Jan Frank, Mike Wood, Peggy Sawicki and George Forgacs. Wish Jack Reiswig, Michelle Garcia, Becky Fletcher, Spencer Messina, Darlene Johnson, Loretta Richards, Karen Huber, Pearl Brown, Loretta Richards and Jude DeTar happy birthday on Tuesday.
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 2012 by the readers of the North Idaho Business Journal. Main Street appears every Wednesday in The Press and Kerri is on the air Mondays and Wednesdays on 1080 ESPN AM (KVNI). Find her on Facebook!