Forever Mamas

COEUR d'ALENE — A fun-loving group of merrymakers who left a legacy of sunshine and glitter in North Idaho and around the world also left a permanent mark on the hearts of those who watched them perform.

Now, a former Red Hot Mama is spearheading a campaign to ensure those gleeful gals, especially their fearless leader and founder Mikki Stevens, will have a permanent place in Coeur d'Alene.

"I was inspired so that the Mamas would be remembered forever," Gale Nye said Wednesday. "I just don't want them to ever be forgotten."

Nye, who was a Red Hot Mama from 2004 to the final parade performance in summer 2022, recently approached local sculptor Cheryl Metcalf to see if this project was possible. Within a week, the artist created a small-scale clay model of a famous moment in Red Hot Mama history — the performance group's first international appearance during London's 2004 New Year's Day Parade. The photo captured the Mamas with their signature shopping carts and colorful costumes, groceries piled high on their frilly, wide-brimmed hats as they leaped into the air in joyful jump splits.

“I just showed her that picture and said, ‘Could you do that?’" Nye said.

Metcalf used this photo and other pieces of memorabilia for reference to embed the sculpture with the vibrant spirit of Stevens, who is front and center in the photo, and the more than 150 Mamas who brought joy to countless fans during the 31 years the troupe was active.

"I cried," Nye said. "I left her office and I said, 'I can’t believe she said she would do this.' It seemed like it was such a complicated thing to do, and I came back and it was not even a week and all she needed to do was something with her hat.”

Members of the Red Hot Mamas delighted generations of audiences in Coeur d'Alene's Fourth of July and Christmas parades with their choreographed antics and synchronized dance numbers that usually involved props such as the shopping carts or vacuums. They helped with food drives for food banks, they entertained residents of assisted living facilities, they drew crowds at Car d'Lane and other local events. They also performed in presidential inaugural parades, Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parades, St. Patrick's Day Parades in Ireland and more.

The Mamas motto: "Dedicated to the exploitation of merriment and the enhancement of the ridiculous." Women of all walks of life, abilities and ages were welcome to contribute their talents to help send more joy out into the world.

The Red Hot Mamas officially dissolved Dec. 31, 2021, as Stevens faced serious health issues that have worsened through time.

“One day I was worried about where she was at in life and I came down to Cheryl’s office and said, ‘Can you make me a Mama?’ and she said, ‘I always wanted to be a Mama,’ and I said, ‘Well, you can make a Mama,'" Nye said. “Once Mikki’s gone, there will never be another Red Hot Mamas. Coeur d’Alene is our home.”

“It’s special, and I feel very flattered that Gale has chosen me to represent the Red Hot Mamas,” Metcalf said. “It’s going to be a fun piece. We just have to find the funds."

The bronze statue will stand 5-and-a-half feet and weigh about 300 pounds. The total cost is expected to be $60,000 with the initial $12,000 needed for the project to commence. Metcalf said they are hoping to raise the first $20,000 soon, reach $40,000 by spring and meet the $60,000 goal by next summer for the statue to be completed and installed by June 2025.

Nye said the desired location is next to the Museum of North Idaho's current location.

“It’s right on Northwest Boulevard, just before the road turns,” Nye said. "Truly in my heart, that’s the only place it can go, because that’s our street. We were on that street for 30 years.”

The next step is, the arts commission will be making a recommendation to the Coeur d'Alene City Council to accept the Red Hot Mama sculpture into the city's public arts collection. The project would be considered a commemorative public art piece that would be donated to the city. Funds would be collected by the Coeur d'Alene Arts and Culture Alliance, of which Metcalf is a member. Donations will be tax-deductible.

“I’d like it to be a community project," Nye said. "There’s no donation that is too small or too large. It would be like collecting money for the fireworks, everybody puts a buck in the boot and pretty soon the whole amount of money for the project will be there."

She said she feels the magic of the Red Hot Mamas will disappear when Stevens is gone.

"No one will ever remember the Mamas," she said. "They’ll say, ‘Oh, do you remember the Mamas? Was that some Girl Scout group or something?’ We were a big deal."

Contributions can be sent to the Coeur d'Alene Arts and Culture Alliance, 105 N. First St., Suite 100, Coeur d'Alene, ID 83814.

Info: 208-292-1629

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This story has been updated to reflect that this project has yet to be presented to the Coeur d'Alene City Council.

    The Red Hot Mamas perform with their signature shopping carts and joyful jump splits at London's 2004 New Year's Day Parade, the group's first international event. The Mamas disbanded at the end of 2021, but a former member and local artist are working to raise funds to erect a statue dedicated to the Red Hot Mamas in downtown Coeur d'Alene.