Iconic business celebrates milestone

The oldest continuously operating business in Post Falls is celebrating its 80th anniversary on Saturday. Curtis Chase opened The Slab Inn in 1934, not long after the end of Prohibition, when Post Falls' population was numbered in the hundreds, not thousands.

The name came from the materials used to build it: slab wood, which was the cheapest material in the post-Depression economy. Curtis' son Max and daughter-in-law Mabel worked there for years. The next owner was Don O'Niell in the mid-1960s, and he expanded the place from 50 seats to the nearly 300 seats of today. In 1997, Randy and Deborah Berlin bought the Slab Inn, making improvements but maintaining the historical ambiance.

There aren't many true honky-tonks and live country music venues left in the region, and certainly none as country kitschy as the Slab. Saturday night, Kelly Hughes will take to the stage, fitting since Kelly was just 15 years old when he first crooned country tunes there ... back when, during breaks, he had to go stand outside since he wasn't old enough to be in the bar and two-lane Highway 10 passed by on the north side.

It should be a great night to celebrate longevity and tradition.

As long as history is being celebrated in Frederick Post's old stompin' grounds, take the family to the annual Cowboy Breakfast, from 8-11 a.m. Saturday at the old Pleasantview School at 18724 W. Riverview Drive. This is a semi-annual fundraiser by the Pleasantview Community Association for restoration and maintenance of the old school.

The school is registered as both an Idaho Historical Site and a National Historical Site. Opened in 1910, there's so much local history to be seen. I love to sit next to one of the old-timers and hear stories while enjoying homemade biscuits and jam. After breakfast, climb into the tower and ring the bell! 8-11 a.m.

The Post Falls Historical Society will open the museum at Spokane Street and Fourth Avenue for the season tomorrow, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday morning from 9 a.m. to noon, New Vision High School in Post Falls will hold its annual spring greenhouse sale featuring student-grown flowers and vegetable plants. Fill your garden with 4-inch or 6-inch pots of petunias, marigolds, begonias or peppers, tomatoes and herbs. According to teachers Jim Freeman and Shawen Smith, all proceeds are re-invested into the greenhouse project, which has been part of New Vision for more than two decades.

Also on Saturday: The Friends of the Community Library Network Book Sale, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Hayden Library, 8385 N. Government Way.

Bryan Elementary students will present The Wonderful Wizard of Oz on stage at Christ the King Lutheran Church on Pennsylvania Avenue in Coeur d'Alene with two shows, 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. Tickets are $3 per person.

Local Realtor Duffy Smock rented a car while his own vehicle was being serviced. Simple enough. But what he found in the rental was a gross surprise. Tucked into the cushions by the seat belt fastener and clearly visible, was a full lower denture. How does someone lose their teeth and not realize it? And how thorough are the car rental company detailers? Duffy returned the dentures and asked for some Lysol before driving away.

Happy birthday today to Michele Jensen, Christina Bollman, Keith Ekness, Luke Griffin, Louise Zimmerman and Jai Nelson on the last day of April.

Happy May Day birthdays to Jeri DeLange, Suanne Harris and Diane Duncan.

On Friday John DeLuca, Jan Bryant, Tre Lewis and Randy Hurt will celebrate.

Randy Bates, Tracy Flaa, Peter Willits, John Hayes, Robbie Canfield and Becky Camarata share Saturday birthdays.

Kenley Link, Kay Poland, Jeanette Bangs, Scott Hayden, Rand Wichman, Brittany Smith and Scott Jacobson blow out the candles on Sunday.

Happy Cinco de Mayo birthdays to Robert Cliff, Ben Miller, Joni McCroury, Carol Toomy, Lisa Peterson, Teri Farr and Andy Fischbacher.

On Tuesday, Tamatha Dougal, Kristi Pope, Connie Clark, Steve Eachon, Jeff Rhodes, Meagan Guerreo, Dave Tester, Karen Ouren and Kathy Sims mark another trip around the sun.

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 2013 by the readers of the North Idaho Business Journal. Main Street appears every Wednesday in The Press and Kerri can be contacted on Facebook or via email [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter #kerrithoreson.