Bowled over

COEUR d'ALENE - On a cloudy, chilly autumn afternoon, not much could be better in North Idaho than a hot bowl of soup.

Unless that soup came in a piece of artwork.

And on Saturday at Sherman Square, it did.

Some 200 bowls of all colors, sizes and shapes, along with several types of steaming soups, were the featured attractions in the second "Bowls on the Edge."

The fundraiser organized by Art on the Edge - a community art program of St. Vincent de Paul - saw a steady stream of customers handing over $12 for soup in the artsy bowls, or $5 for bowl in your standard paper bowl.

"This is just right on a day like this," said Ellen Moore, as she tasted the smoked turkey and wild rice soup in a green and white bowl with splashes of orange. "Plus, we're helping some others who need a little help."

Proceeds were bound to assist youth and adults in St. Vincent's transitional housing program. Last year, Bowls on the Edge raised around $850.

This year, 200 bowls were made and donated by Art on the Edge students, North Idaho College ceramics students, the Clay Arts Guild of North Idaho and Clay Connection in Spokane.

The soups were provided by Bardenay, 315 Martinis and Tapas and Moon Time.

The bowls, sitting in a colorful display, reeled in passersby on Sherman Avenue for a second look and often, some soup, too.

"People, when they look at the bowls, when they pick them up, it gives them a connection with the students that are in our program," said Jeni Riplinger, Art on the Edge director. "They're seeing what we're creating and how that's impacting our community, in helping the homeless population in Coeur d'Alene."