Big horses, big heart for the fair

At 88 years young, Coeur d'Alene's Sy Thompson hasn't missed a North Idaho Fair for more than four decades, unless you count the year he was laid up with an injury one could expect if you spent as much time around horses as Sy has. Even in the telling he was quick to point out that it wasn't the horse's fault he was kicked years ago.

On Saturday Sy was recognized during the draft horse pull at the fair for his years of contributions to the exhibition of draft horses. Sy raised Arabians and those magnificent Percherons and still loves the fair and rodeo although he admitted to getting worn out this year.

It's people like Sy and all of the generations of 4-H families who remind us of simpler times, when people made their living and their lives from the land. A county fair provides a week-long snapshot of the very best about our communities and our country.

Thanks to all who worked so hard to make this year's a success.

I attend a lot of ribbon cuttings and ground breakings and can honestly say that few have compared to the atmosphere of accomplishment and successful business and bureaucratic partnership as the Kootenai Technical Education Campus event on Monday afternoon. I'm continually amazed at what our communities make happen. School superintendents from Lakeland, Coeur d'Alene and Post Falls and the mayors of Rathdrum, Post Falls, Coeur d'Alene and Hayden all attended. Add in a few dozen of the most successful CEOs in the county, plus the matriarch of four generations of the philanthropic farming Meyer family to cut the ribbon, and you have an educational opportunity that will change lives. For real.

Summer's not going anywhere anytime soon and it looks to be a fabulous forecast for the upcoming Labor Day weekend. The only Labor Day parade in the region takes place on Monday at 11 a.m. in Spirit Lake after a weekend of activities in one of my favorite North Idaho small towns. It's back to school on Tuesday and we'll all have a bit more routine to our lives. For those who toil in summer's tourism-related businesses, their vacation will just be starting!

I'm harvesting bushel baskets of tomatoes, which is good because that's all I have in my garden ... which isn't really a garden, just a single but prolific tomato plant. :)

Happy birthday today to one of my dearest friends Jeannie Peugh, who shares the date with Cindy Foulk, Bob Myklebust, Lori Barker, Cody Jewell and Arvada Schmacher. Tomorrow Bryan Williams, Luke Sommer and Stefany Mealey make another trip around the sun. On Friday, which is the last day of August and features a Blue Moon, the larger-than-life, make-things-happen friend o'mine Ron Nilson catches up to me when he turns 60! Geesh, Nilson, you're getting old. :) Other Friday birthdays belong to Jill Delavan, Patti Shea, Craig Wilcox, Andrew Houser, Jamie Ostbert, Gen Twete and Rondi Renaldo. On Saturday, Sept. 1 - September already??? - my CHS '70 classmate Kathy McKahn turns 60, celebrating along with Terry Lee, David Mills, Kim Routh, Sharon Latimer, Missy Hansen and Travis Best. And former Coeur d'Alene Mayor Ray Stone, fresh from performing with his band during the North Idaho Fair last week, will blow out 89 candles on his birthday cake Sunday. Other Sept. 2 birthdays will be marked by Bonnie Miller, John Parmann, Debbie Pohlmeier and Kelly Inman. Labor Day Monday birthdays belong to Willi Buerge (50!) and CHS '70 alum Lesli Lind (60!), Emily Davis, Dave Bobbitt, Kris McIlvenna, Jim Hamby, Robin Merrifield, Patty Jacobs, Jeremy Moser, Jeff Tyler and Taylor Valente. On Tuesday Paulette Fabian, Bernie Koepsell, Maggie DeTar, Steve Yost, Nicole Hawkins and Rich Dickman (50!) will be wearing their party hats.

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!