Twelves are wild for local students

Middle schoolers Sialas Tripp and Alexis Davis have something in common, even though as students at Lakes Magnet Middle School and River City Middle School, respectively, their paths haven't crossed until today.

Sialas and Alexis were born on Dec. 12, 2000, which means that on the last triple date of this century, 12/12/12, they're turning 12 years old. An abundance of 12s for sure.

Sialas is a straight A student, Presidential Academic Excellence award recipient, who last year received a bicycle from Parker Toyota for perfect attendance. If you see a young man playing the cello at a Salvation Army red kettle this holiday season, say hello to Sialas!

Alexis is a member of Idaho Drug Free Youth and with friends started the Go Green Girls, a recycling program that earned a Mayor's Youth Award in Post Falls. She sings in the choir and dreams of becoming a doctor. Happy 12th birthday on 12/12/12 to Alexis and Sialas!

This is a historic date, not to come again until the next century, so you can bet that Don and Lynn Knapp, owners of the Hitching Post in Coeur d'Alene, will be busy today. At 12 noon on 12/12/12 all three chapels at the Hitching Post will be in use for weddings, with the first ceremony of the day starting at 9 a.m. Lynn Knapp is celebrating her own 12/12/12 birthday to add to the fun of the day.

Don says the biggest triple date wedding day was 7/7/07, with 8/8/08 coming a close second. The Hitching Post is right across the street from the Kootenai County Courthouse where couples can get a marriage license, so if you've been waiting for a wedding date that's simple to remember, today is your last chance!

Triple date trivia: Coeur d'Alene's Betty Owens celebrated two triple date birthdays in her lifetime, a rare feat. She turned 4-years-old on 11/11/1911 and 104 on 11/11/2011. At 105, Betty is an extraordinary woman!

Mark Browning, VP of Marketing and Community Relations at North Idaho College, earned his Master's Degree in Public Administration at U of I on Saturday. On Facebook, his proud wife, Kym, provided stats for the accomplishment: 5,040 miles driven for night classes, 1,062 written pages, and untold amounts of caffeine.

The 27th annual Hauser Lake Fire Department's Breakfast with Santa each year benefits local children facing health challenges, with this year's event for Sophie Medlock. Nearly 2,000 people turned out on Sunday for breakfast and we were incredibly impressed - not only with the community support, but with the fire department's volunteers for hosting such a large crowd.

Sophie's mom, Nicole Medlock, said she and her husband, Jake, were joyfully overwhelmed. At one point 3-year-old Sophie looked around the firehouse at the crowd and asked, "Mommy, are all of these people Sophie supporters?" Nicole answered, yes, and Sophie looked at her wide-eyed, "Even Santa?"

Yes, Miss Sophie, even Santa - especially Santa - is cheering you on in your final eight months of cancer treatment.

Happy 12/12/12 birthdays to Alexis Davis, Sialas Tripp, Dr. Mary Sanderson, Amy Alderman (30!), John Austin, Mary Finley, Teresa Capone, Mark Orlowski, Konrad Hochhalter, Monte Miller, Richard Stevenette, Colleen Williams, Lynn Knapp and Jessica White. Tomorrow Brian Golly, Kim Buer and Denise Higgs mark their special day. On Friday, Dec. 14, my BFF Anna Pierce aka Patty Duke will put on her party hat, joined by Eve Knudtsen (50!), Sybil McCormack, Sandy Clemons, Amber Durflinger, Vicki Peoples, Karen Kastning and James Forster. Kerri Wilfong, Brenda Young, Anne Marie Toothaker, Travis Gardner and Austin Wuest are Saturday celebrants and on Sunday Mimi Eismann, Lori Dawson, Harmony Taylor and Tim Kastning will open their presents. Starting the week off with birthday parties are Cheyenne Peugh and Holly Kincaid on Monday and Randy Shaver, Tami Banker, Catherine Witham, Laura Harvey, Kris Wold and my grandson, Jared Gonzalez (16!) on Tuesday.

Post Script: If you want to feel rich, just count all of the gifts you have that money can't buy.

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 or via email [email protected].