Traditions provide a slice of Americana

Once again I'll be heading into the skybox between Second and Third Street in front of The Resort Plaza Shoppes on Sherman Avenue for the best view of the Fourth of July American Heroes Parade - the announcer's booth!

Although the skybox is in the shade it gets plenty warm up there and this Saturday it will be well over 100 degrees, I'm sure. Pre-parade, Curtis and Kevin of ROX will have fun music playing and we'll invite the youngsters to come into the street to dance while waiting for the parade to make it downtown.

I haven't missed many Fourth of July parades in Coeur d'Alene in more than four decades - it's become a traditional slice of Americana. Sometimes Coeur d'Alene feels like the small town it once was and that many of us remember. The Fourth of July parade is one of those times.

I'm excited to have 93-year-old Ruth Olsen sitting in the VIP bleachers next to the skybox for the parade this year. Ruth watched her first Coeur d'Alene Fourth of July parade 70 years ago when she and her husband, Cecil Olsen, first moved here. They raised a family and Ruth was a nurse at Lake City General Hospital. Cecil passed away in 1964 and Ruth moved to Spokane and became director of nursing at Deaconess Hospital.

She's also lived in Hawaii, Utah and Manila over the past half-century. This July finds her visiting her daughter, Carol, and looking forward to once again to watching her hometown-of-the-heart parade for the first time in more than 45 years.

Our flag still waves o'er the land of the free and the home of the brave. Happy birthday America, and welcome home Ruth!

While we celebrate our freedoms this week, please take a moment to remember the sacrifices through the generations that preserved our nation. On July 7, 2011 the families of Nick Newby and Nate Beyers received the worst of all news - the young soldiers had been killed in combat in Iraq. We can never forget Nick, Nate and every other soldier, sailor and Marine who gave the last full measure of devotion on the battlefield in service to our country.

There are plenty of reminders to be safe with fireworks in this record-breaking hot and dry early summer season. Another reminder about fireworks is the effect they can have on combat veterans, especially those dealing with PTSD. A limited number of yard signs with the message "A Combat Veteran Lives Here, please be courteous with fireworks" are available at no charge to veterans courtesy of StandOut Promotions, Nate's New York Pizza, Newby-Ginnings, Jacki Ackerman and American Legion Posts 143 and 154. Contact me if you're a combat veteran and would like to have one.

On Monday you can celebrate another local veteran, Chris Moore, who began eight years as a Navy medic during Desert Storm with the United States Marine Corps and later as a surgical technician. Upon completion of his enlistment, Chris returned to his studies and earned his degree in Prosthetics and Orthotics from the School of Rehabilitation Medicine at the University of Washington and is a licensed and certified prosthetist/orthotist at Adapt Prosthetics and Orthotics in Coeur d'Alene.

Chris is also an accomplished athlete, and on Monday at 8 p.m on KHQ he'll appear on "American Ninja Warrior" special military edition. Chris cannot reveal in advance how he fared in the competition but he's already won big for the Shriners Hospital. He's pledged all winnings to the charity and if he makes it to the end it would be a million dollars. Chris has also set up a funding site that's already raised more than $7,000 for Shriners Hospital at www.americanninja4kids.com.

He will be at a viewing party open to the public on Monday from 7:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. at Nate's New York Pizza in Post Falls. We'll have to wait until then to find out if he's moving to the next round of "American Ninja Warrior," but Chris definitely has the heart of a champion in every way that matters.

Happy birthday today to Tim Riordan, Arlene Reichenberg, Bill Brown, Terry Alexander, Chris Harrison, Byron Hamby and Mark Johnson. Tomorrow, Tonya Bean, Jim Dennison, Ron Baltzell and Ted Wright will celebrate. July 3 birthday wishes to Jeff Ward, Dana Merritt and Mark Durant. On Saturday, the United States of America, Jedidiah Riley, Brent Regan, Chris Atkinson, Jennifer Locke, Joselyn Ramsey, Jake Campbell, Keri Roybal, MaryBeth Matthews, Dick Lind, Tyson Chamberlain, Britney Davenport, Jack Smetana, Glenda Johnson, Amber Hunt, Teresa Espe and Orla Kahl celebrate their star-spangled birthdays. On Sunday, Steve Hanson, John Beutler, Chris Hollibaugh, Kaila Hansen, Amy Dreps will enjoy another trip around the sun. Alivia Lickfold, Barb McCarley, Bill Brooks, Wade Jacklin and Robin Ducote will blow out the candles on Monday. Marking birthdays on 7/7 are Becky Lee, Susie Jameson, Tim Adams and Susie Sullivan.

Kerri Rankin Thoreson is a member of the National Society of Newspaper Columnists and the former publisher of the Post Falls Tribune. Main Street appears every Wednesday in The Press and Kerri can be contacted on Facebook or via email mainstreet@cdapress.com. Follow her on Twitter @kerrithoreson.