Turn out the lights ... Party's over for Body by Scotty

POST FALLS - The party's over.

The owners of Body by Scotty are pulling the plug on their popular annual block party on Third Street after a run of 18 consecutive years due to neighbor concerns. It was scheduled for July 26 this year.

"Yeah, we could push it, but we've decided not to in the spirit of being a good neighbor," said Sharon Sorenson, who owns the towing and auto body repair shop with Scott Shawver. "It's a huge, emotional decision for us, but sometimes it feels wrong to just push too hard."

Sorenson said the company felt pushback from multiple owners when it went around the neighborhood asking residents to sign waivers to have the street blocked off for the event.

The event originally started as an appreciation for the company's customers - and it has remained that - but it has also grown into a communitywide party offering free food, beer, music, kids activities, desserts and a car show.

An estimated 4,000 people have attended the event in recent years. Cards used to be sent to customers as a reminder that the event was coming up, but the company quit doing that to save on the expense and word of mouth spread like wildfire.

Sorenson ordered 4,000 pieces of chicken, 850 pounds of ham and potato salad and 4,000 cookies for the party in recent years. She said the decision was made soon enough to call the party off this year to where the company won't be out anything.

"We've just got to figure out a way to give back in another way," said Sorenson, adding that an alternative hasn't been determined. "That's where we'll put our energy. It's this community that makes us work. At the end of the day, you just can't take, but you've got to give back."

Sorenson said that she and Shawver have been fine with the ballooning attendance. They said they realize that many attendees are not or ever will be their customers.

"Last year we had a family with three kids show up early on the Citylink (free bus service)," she said. "They knew about the party and this was that family's big outing for the summer. Those situations break your heart.

"We're OK with giving back to this whole community. We're all interconnected. We've made it clear that it's open to everybody."

Sorenson was about to cancel the event last week after a neighbor declined to sign a waiver for the event, but decided to hold off on a decision after learning that the city would likely still give the road closure application serious thought.

However, she said some other residents were also hesitant to sign.

"The reluctance was definitely there," she said, adding that she opted to not submit the application to the city for consideration.

Post Falls Police Chief Scot Haug said the event has been good for the community overall and the company has lessened the burden of his staff by hiring its own security firm for the event. He said there have been a few scattered issues and fights over the years - that's to be expected with an event of such magnitude - but it never got out of control.

Tim Herzog, a property owner in the neighborhood, has been on both sides of the fence with the event. He wasn't among those approached to sign a waiver.

Herzog raised concerns over the event five years ago due to alleged issues caused by attendees on his property, but he said those complaints have been addressed in recent years. And Herzog even attended the party the past few years.

Herzog said increased security, shutting the party down as planned and closer attention to picking up garbage afterward have improved the party and kept it manageable. But he believes it's only a matter of time before something erupts with that many people and beer involved.

"They've done a good job in recent years, but, with a freebie, you can only control that many people for so long," said Herzog, adding that he saw a lot of Washington license plates at the event. "I think their heart is in the right place and they have good intentions, but it's probably time."

Shawn Jackson has attended the party off and on over the past decade and is sorry to see it go.

"It's too bad because I think a lot of people looked forward to it and they had a great time there," he said. "It was an event in which adults and kids alike could have a fun and relaxing time."