The public place name game
Sunday’s editorial in the Press caught my attention with these opening lines ... “Post Falls isn’t keen on naming things after leading citizens. OK, they made an exception for the name of the town — honoring German immigrant Frederick Post — who’s also got a kindergarten named after him. And posthumously, the venerable Hilde Kellogg had a 5-acre park named after her, but for the most part, Post Falls infrastructure leans toward titles like River City This, Ponderosa That and Mullan Trail The Other.”
I’m familiar with the naming of Hilde Kellogg Park back in 2009. I was in my first year on the city council when citizen Jeannie Peugh asked me when the city was going to get around to naming the decade-old park on Idaho Street and 21st Avenue. I asked Post Falls Parks director Dave Fair about the name and he said it was just called the Idaho and 21st park. I went back to Jeannie and we brainstormed ideas, including the fact that Hilde had been a neighbor of the park for over a half century and had recently retired after 10 terms in the Idaho Legislature. The proposal was put forth through the channels of the Parks and Rec commission and the city, which has a list of criteria for the naming of public space.
Hilde inspired me in public service and I'll always be grateful that she was present and surrounded by friends when Hilde Kellogg Park was dedicated on Nov. 4, 2009. She passed away in November 2010 at 92.
So still thinking about the editorial’s premise about the names of public places in Post Falls the following come to mind; in addition to Hilde Kellogg Park there’s Polites Park, Warren Playfield, Brett James Field at Sportsman Park, Karen Streeter Trail and in 2010 the Henderson Children’s Room at the Post Falls Public Library was named for Lillian and Frank Henderson. There’s also Schneidmiller Avenue and Polston Avenue.
A perusal of the city of Coeur d’Alene website shows three parks named for citizens; McEuen, G.O. Phippeny and Johnson Mill River Park, similarly does the city of Rathdrum; Stub Myers Park, John Brown Playfield and Thayer Park. The city of Hayden website goes a step further with a paragraph about the people whose names appear on Finucane Park, Croffoot Park and Sports Complex and McIntire Family Park.
I respectfully counter the editorial’s premise that Post Falls is uniquely lacking in the public place name game but on the upside I will suggest that our city’s website follow Hayden in adding background on those places that do bear the name of distinguished citizens.
• • •
My husband is one of those guys who would do (and does) anything for anyone who needs his help. He's also one of those guys who never ever asks for help. Like a lot of people, we had older trees in our yard that didn’t fare well in the wind and snow storms this past year. Our nine 40-50 foot cottonwood trees, that we had planted as seedlings 28 years ago, became a great source of concern and needed to come down.
On Saturday, Bert’s friends from the Lions Club gave up all or most of their day to lend a hand. By 4 p.m., seven of the nine trees were down and nearly 6 tons of tree debris had been hauled to the landfill. Even though we have several very unhappy displaced squirrels it's a huge relief not to worry about one of those big trees falling.
Thanks to Mike Jarrett, Jim Booth, Preston Hill, Paul Wagner, Mike Foley, Wade McLean and our grandson Matthew Snider. We’ll sleep well the next time a big wind blows!
• • •
Places to go and things to do ... Friday at the Jacklin Arts Center, Brian Crain piano concert - 7 p.m. and Dancing with the Celebrities for Coeur d’Alene Summer Theatre at the Kroc Center — 7 p.m.
On Saturday is the Hayden Kite Festival at Broadmore Park — noon, and Cruisers at Stateline is holding a motorcycle auction to benefit Hospice of North Idaho at noon.
• • •
Happy birthday today to my mother Alice Rankin (85!), Jerome Pollos, Scott Hough, Bill Hilbish, Sarah Gondo, Marcia Jimenez, Laura Warner, Sarah Myers, Blaise Koep and John M. Smith.
Tomorrow Gunnar Amos, Brent Hostetler, Sandy Langston, Ali Taylor, Larry Bird and Janet Johnson are taking another trip around the sun.
Shirley Grimmett, Ron Strobel, Jeannette Peacock, Mark Nelke, Jim Barrett, Curtis Gregory, Dave Nordby, George Greenfield and Corey Beaver celebrate on Friday.
Saturday birthdays belong to Shelly Enderud, Troy Speziale, Malika Mills, Kevin Bennett, Charlotte Brown, Tracey Singer, Don Kline, Kathleen Schmidt and Tracy Williams.
Putting on their party hats come Sunday are Mary Watson, Dan Taylor, Pascale Cafferty, Hayley Gabriel, Dea Lenz, Lori Rogers, Mark McWhorter, Chris M Willoughby Sr., Mike Regusa, Eric Haakenson, Jordan Ketzenberg and Tim Ketzenberg.
Starting the week out with birthday cake on Monday are Cheryl Burchell, Lori Hess, Patricia Keller, Cathy Biby, Krystal Arthur, Eric Haynes and Joey Grunden.
April 26 is the birthday of Sandy Landberg, Patrick Lippert, Marilyn Desjarlais, Tim Skelton and Doneda Allen.
• • •
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.