Lantern Fest to light sky

As many as 5,000 Chinese lanterns will paint the sky gold tonight above Stateline Stadium Speedway in the Post Falls area.

Billed as a Spokane event, it will be the second time the Utah-based Lantern Fest company brings the event to North Idaho.

The launch - in which people make resolutions, proposals or remember loved ones - is slated to occur around 9 p.m.

Organizers say the lanterns are biodegradable, go 1,000 to 2,000 feet in the air and an eighth to a quarter of a mile from where they are launched. A volunteer crew picks up the lanterns after the launch, and organizers say 90 percent are recovered. Kootenai County Fire and Rescue has approved a safety plan for the event.

For more information, visit thelanternfest.com.

As many as 5,000 Chinese lanterns will paint the sky gold tonight above Stateline Stadium Speedway in the Post Falls area.

Billed as a Spokane event, it will be the second time the Utah-based Lantern Fest company brings the event to North Idaho.

The launch - in which people make resolutions, proposals or remember loved ones - is slated to occur around 9 p.m.

Organizers say the lanterns are biodegradable, go 1,000 to 2,000 feet in the air and an eighth to a quarter of a mile from where they are launched. A volunteer crew picks up the lanterns after the launch, and organizers say 90 percent are recovered. Kootenai County Fire and Rescue has approved a safety plan for the event.

For more information, visit thelanternfest.com.