Huckleberries: The volcano that made Sid famous
Sid Smith once appeared in a movie with James Bond.
It wasn’t a James Bond movie. It was a movie starring James Bond No. 6, Pierce Brosnan.
If you squint hard enough, you can almost see the former aide for U.S. Sen. Jim Risch blowing his trumpet with the band in “Dante’s Peak.” Producers of the 1997 disaster movie wanted a high school band for the opening scene. And Sid and his Coeur d’Alene High band mates landed the job.
But first things first.
On March 23, 1996, 25 years ago, the Coeur d’Alene Press broke the news that Universal Pictures would film “Dante’s Peak” in Wallace. The clever headline read: “Hollywood film erupts in Wallace.”
“I don’t remember working hard on our marching bit,” said Sid, now with American Exploration & Mining Association of Spokane Valley, “maybe four or five takes, and we were done.”
Then, the band joined the crowd for the scene in which Mayor Rachel Wando (actor Linda Hamilton) gives a speech. Afterward, the production company fed the CHS band and sent it home.
Sid left with a good impression of actor Brosnan (volcanologist Harry Dalton), who’d starred in his first James Bond movie, “GoldenEye,” the year before. Brosnan told the band’s clarinetist that he’d played the instrument as a boy.
“That was a cool thing to do,” said Sid, “because ‘James Bond’ certainly could have spent the day in his trailer hiding out.”
Other locals, including Jeff Ward of Coeur d’Alene, appeared in the unremarkable movie.
Jeff landed a ‘principal’ role after answering a casting call for extras. Jeff was cast as Jack Collins, the town’s pharmacist and a city council member. He still receives a small residual for the movie.
“Dante’s Peak” faltered at the box office. But, in spring and summer 1996, it was the talk of the town.
Close to nature
Cindy Ackley Nunn was driving her groceries home Sunday when she witnessed a man-versus-beast encounter. The Post Falls woman was traveling along Maplewood when she noticed a jogger on the sidewalk. Then, a flash of fur. And, voila. A squirrel was sitting on Running Man’s shoulder. The little mammal had flown over a block wall and was as surprised as the runner at its landing spot. Rocky the Flying Squirrel, however, kept his cool, unlike the jogger. And Cindy. Says she: “The look on the guy’s face and his wild arm flapping dance had me (peeing) myself laughing.” Rocky Squirrel didn’t wait for an encore. The varmint vanished back over the wall with quite a tale to tell his bushy-tailed friends.
Huckleberries
• Poet’s Corner: This tiny plant must conquer fear/to bloom before the springtime’s here,/for the snows of March that sometimes cloak us/will frost your pistil if you’re a crocus – The Bard of Sherman Avenue (“On the Courage of the Crocus in Northern States”).
• Florence Dooley felt like dancing in the aisle at the Kroc last Friday after attending a live performance of the Coeur d’Alene Symphony Orchestra. Instead, the music lover joined the standing ovation and yelled, “thank you, thank you.” Florence hadn’t been to a live concert in a year. But her second COVID shot the day before emboldened her. Thus begins her new normal.
• Wikipedia, the online encyclopedia, provides valuable info. But sometimes it misfires, like it did with this description of “Coeur d’Alene” as “a satellite city of Spokane.” We allow the huddled masses west of the state line to play in our water. And they think they own the place.
• Some of you know that Kim Ashbaugh (aka “Walkabout”) removes litter from Tubbs Hill daily. But did you know that she picks up dog poop on Tubbs and adjacent McEuen Park, too? If you mark every abandoned dog pile with a red flag for a week, sez her hubby, Norm, McEuen would be a field of red. And don’t blame the mutts. There are no bad dogs, only bad dog owners.
• The chain saw carving of the eagle in City Park has seen its better days. Half the beak is gone. Ditto for some tail feathers. And you can almost see maggots emerging from the decaying salmon in its clutches. Time to crank up a chain saw and replace the once beautiful art work.
Parting Shot
Landscape photographer J.R. McCurdie of Coeur d’Alene wasn’t happy to learn that some cad had vandalized his downtown “City Beach” photo. The picture beautifies the city utility box at Fourth & Sherman. On the back, the partisan had pasted a blue sticker, proclaiming “Jesus Would Vote for Joe.” The disclaimer below should have read “Christians for Biden.” But another zealot had crossed out Biden and penned “Trump.” Laments J.R., “Sure the only piece of my art that is on public display gets defaced. I am still glad folks liked it beforehand.” Today’s toxic politics tarnishes all.
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D.F. “Dave” Oliveria can be contacted at dfo@cdapress.com.
