Don't miss birthday bash

The ol' gal sure is spry at 100.

Or is it a guy?

Regardless, a big birthday bash is planned two weeks from today for the Coeur d'Alene Chamber of Commerce, and judging by the lineup, it'll be a celebration to keep a whole host of whippersnappers hoppin'. In commemoration of the Chamber's centennial, Chamber members and individuals throughout the business community are invited to join the fun.

A centerpiece of the celebration will be a choreographed waterski/board exhibition just south of Tubbs Hill. Experts will take observers back a century or so, showing off tricks reminiscent of those performed on Lake Coeur d'Alene from the early 1900s through 1963. For $10, folks can grab a ticket on one of The Coeur d'Alene Resort cruise boats to watch the show (limited number of tickets available now at The Resort concierge desk in the lobby), while anybody with a boat, a board or some other water-bound craft is invited to join a flotilla for the exhibition. The public cruise boat will begin boarding at 4 p.m. Sept. 21 at Independence Point and leave at 4:30 sharp.

When the boat returns at 6 p.m., cruisers will join other participants on The Coeur d'Alene Resort lawn to indulge in a free barbecue, games and what's being billed as the biggest birthday cake in Coeur d'Alene history. The final day of summer will conclude much as it did on July 4: With a fireworks show on the lake.

Sponsored by the Hagadone Corp. and Hagadone Hospitality, the festivities are a fitting way to say Happy Birthday to the longest-running economic engine in town. Starting the second century with starbursts in your eyes and birthday cake on your face sounds like a pretty good idea to us.