Festival season officially in full swing

It's pretty easy to be Cd'A-centric. When it comes to hosting visitors and locals alike, the Lake City's downtown is unrivaled in the Inland Northwest, with two astonishing parks, great eateries, art galleries and retail, and of course, the centerpiece on the banquet table, Lake Coeur d'Alene itself.

But two of its sister cities to the west are now stepping into the summer festival spotlight. This weekend belongs to the Post Falls Festival; next weekend all the thrill-seekers will be just up the road, enjoying Rathdrum Days.

The Press will fill you in on details of festival highlights, and anything else you want to learn can easily be gleaned by going to these websites:

http://www.postfallsidaho.org/prpfdays.html

http://www.rathdrumchamberofcommerce.com/rathdrum-days

If Post Falls and Rathdrum don't scratch your summer fest itch, Hayden Days and Parade are rapidly approaching. They'll arrive July 24 and 25, one week before Art on the Green, Street Fair and Taste of the Coeur d'Alenes put the Lake City back in the driver's seat for pure family fun.

What some of you might underestimate is the amount of work - the depths of community spirit on proud display - behind each festival in our fair county every single year. While the festivals themselves might last just two or three days, planning and preparation is a year-round responsibility. Behind every successful event is an army of volunteers, each one determined to put their organization and their community in the best possible light.

We applaud the hundreds of Kootenai County residents who do all the heavy lifting so the rest of us can enjoy the fruits of their festival labors, and we remind readers that anybody who misses out on all the festival fun and games isn't necessarily going to miss out on the entire party. Aug. 26-30, something wonderful this way comes, and the Kootenai County fairgrounds will beckon one and all.