'An all-day thing'
When we think of taste, food quickly comes to mind. But the 30th annual Taste of Coeur d’Alene event is definitely more than just a place to get your grub on.
It’s a place to buy local fares and wares, relax in the beautiful park at the heart of our city, catch up with old friends and make new ones, and listen to some well-known musical talents from our area.
Over the course of the weekend of Aug. 4, 5, and 6, more than 50,000 locals and tourists are expected to meander through City Park to enjoy festival food favorites such as street tacos, kettle corn, ice cream, gyros, and fruit kabobs. But there’s a new atmosphere in the familiar park setting.
“Last year we really started focusing on creating more of a festival feel,” said Panhandle Kiwanis board member and event organizer Roger Stewart. “We hope for families to come set up camp so to speak, with their blankets and lawnchairs in the park, then maybe head over to check out the art at the college, then come back and get something to eat and listen to some music. Then head off again to check out the street fair — really make it an all-day thing.”
In hope of ramping up the festival feel, Kiwanis has enlisted help from Cris Lucas, of the band The Rub, in booking 13 different musical artists to provide a backdrop of eclectic sounds for everyone’s listening pleasures. He and his band will be playing in addition to local favorites like The Powers, CDA Youth Marimba Band, Ron Greene, and The No Going Back Band, all weekend long. Performances will be at the bandshell in the park, with the beer garden strategically placed nearby.
“The bandshell with the beautiful lake in the background is an underappreciated resource in downtown.” Stewart said.
In addition to the musicians and food vendors, there will be more than 100 fine arts and crafts vendors displaying their wares in an open-air market, about 10 local breweries will be serving beer and wine at the beer garden, and there are plenty of activities for the kids — making this truly a family friendly weekend with something for everyone.
This annual community event is a staple fundraising project of the Idaho Panhandle Kiwanis Club, the culmination of many efforts by only about 30 club volunteers. It’s their biggest fundraising event of the year.
The fundraising goal for the event is $50,000, with 100 percent being put back into the community. It’s a year-long effort, with volunteers meeting about a month after the event to debrief and start the planning process all over for next year.
The motto of Kiwanis is “serving the children of the world,” and has more than 600,000 volunteers in nearly 80 countries. Locally, the club has a long list of ongoing service projects which includes Father Bill’s Soup Kitchen, K27 Memorial Foundation, Teacher of the Month and Student of the Month awards, United Way, Specialty Needs Recreation, NIC Athletic Scholarships, Jingle Books, Family Promise of North Idaho, and several city park projects.