Great experiences await in Sept. 8 festival

We can hardly believe summer is coming to an end — or is it?

Although the usual major events for the summer are behind us, there is still one more event that your chamber is looking forward to. COEURfest 2018 is the new Sept. 8 festival celebrating our amazing North Idaho community. Organized by the Coeur d’Alene Chamber of Commerce, it will be an all-day event held at McEuen Park the Saturday after Labor Day. The planners of this event want the participants to Observe, Learn & Do in seven different “experience” areas that highlight the North Idaho lifestyle and what makes our region so special.

The main All-American Experience area will be comprised of Air National Guard representation, Fairchild Air Force Base flyover, and base divisions represented. This All-American theme is the foundation of the event and will be “center stage” in McEuen Park.

Branched off this main Experience will be five other themed experiences including Epicurean Experience, which will showcase North Idaho’s great food offerings, with food demonstrations, wine, craft beer and cider.

North Idaho Natural Resources — You’ll find lake and water sciences, farm life, timber industries and tribal exhibits. North Idaho is rich in natural resources and you’ll find it in this experience.

Let’s Get Physical Experience is everything outdoors we love about North Idaho, including lake activities, hiking, biking, rafting, rock climbing, and outdoor yoga. North Idaho has it all!

All the World’s a Stage Experience will showcase the arts, with artists, musicians, writers and filmmakers. Children will participate in several hands-on art experiences.

Commerce Experience is where local businesses will gather to show off the many goods and services produced and sold locally.

Science & Tech Experience will feature robots, drones (and drone races), as well as hands-on science experiences everything high technology.

Free and open to the community, the event starts with the Fairchild Flyover and flag presentation at 11 a.m. and continues until 5 p.m. Schedule of events can be found at: www.cdachamber.com

The next big thing at the chamber is the Annual Membership Drive, Sept. 24-28. This is a great time for a business to join as the Coeur d’Alene Chamber offers great incentives and pricing. We welcome any new or re-joining business at this time and encourage businesses to take another look at the benefits of membership.

And finally, we are wrapping up the committee selections for renewal in November. Now is the time to contact our officers if you are considering getting more involved with policy at the chamber. We are 100 percent membership driven and look for strong leaders with vision and fortitude to carry our 106-year old Coeur d’Alene Chamber into the future.

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Marilee Wallace, Coeur d’Alene Chamber vice president of membership, can be reached at 208-415-0111 for comments or questions.