Everyone on the banks has a story

“Civilization is a stream with banks. The stream is sometimes filled with blood from people killing, stealing, shouting and doing things historians usually record, while on the banks, unnoticed, people build homes, make love, raise children, sing songs, write poetry. The story of civilization is the story of what happened on the banks. Historians are pessimists because they ignore the banks for the river.” — Preface to the first volume of The Story of Civilization by Will Durant.

I’ve long loved this quote and use it for a philosophical template of what I hope to achieve each week in this column ... focus on the people on the banks. Here’s an example of life on the banks that often goes unnoticed.

On New Year’s Eve morning, Bert and I decided to go out to breakfast at a place I’d never been ... Hangry’s at Stateline. It’s an old-school diner and, Sunday morning, the small dining room was full. We were met at the door by a smiling young man who assured us it would only be about 10 minutes and if we’d like to wait in our car he’d come get us when there were seats. Normally that would have prompted me to take a pass and go somewhere else. But he was so engaging and cheerful we said we’d wait. Several minutes later, as promised, he came out to let us know he had seats ready.

Without the patio in use in the winter, inside there’s seating for under three dozen but the vibe was so great it certainly didn’t feel crowded. Breakfast was perfect, too. Something that caught my eye was the server’s unique use of a tool belt. The worn leather pouch was loaded with pens, straws and an electronic order pad. While we ate we watched him interact with the seated customers and people arriving and the upbeat efficiency in which orders were taken and served.

When the time came to check out I asked his name and if he’d mind if I took his photo. I said I was intrigued by his “tool belt.” His face lit up as he shared that after his grandfather passed away he and his grandmother were going through his grandfather’s things. He asked her if he could have the tool belt to use instead of an apron.

Zach McNeill explained to us that his grandfather was the kindest and most patient man he ever knew and maybe he could honor his grandfather on the job. Zach is certainly doing his late grandfather and that worn leather tool belt proud.

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Alan and Dani Wolfe have long been avid Lake Coeur d’Alene Polar Bear plungers on New Year’s Day. This year their dip was dubbed the “not so polar plunge” as it happened in their vacation rental's pool in Bucerias, Mexico, where the air temp was close to 80 degrees.

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I’m often asked how to have a name appear in Main Street birthdays. What started as an occasional birthday shout-out a couple of decades ago has grown to include nearly two thousand best wishes annually to the newly-arrived, centenarians and everyone of every age in between.

I’ve collected birthdays through the years that people send to me or tell me about and the sheer volume is sometimes staggering, even with the help of an electronic birthday reminder program and in recent years the addition of Facebook.

Something that wouldn’t occur to readers is that I also routinely look through obituaries to see if someone who’s been included in the Main Street birthdays has passed away. Sometimes a family member will contact me but more often than not, it’s caught in the perusal of the newspaper’s published obituaries. Not a foolproof method as a few times a year I wish a happy birthday to someone who’s no longer living.

If you’d like to add birthdays to this column for 2024 the best way is via email, mainstreet@cdapress.com. Similarly, if you’d like to remove a birthday, same method.

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Happy Main Street birthdays today to Rob Eachon, Katie Soy, Jeff Block and Erika Umphenour. Tomorrow Debbie Ferguson, Andrew Hansen, Norman Tucker, Bert Storlie and Brandon Sutich celebrate. On Friday, Marty Hayes, Jamie Lynn Morgan, Sherri Patton, Phil Eager, Thad Bolek, Timothy Barrett, Andrew Hansen, Dirk Darrow, Rick Gunther, Shaina Nomee and Debbie Raeon take another trip around the sun. On Saturday, Colton Peugh, Bobby Wilhelm, Gary (GA) Allen, Kris Cederburg, Kim Dennison, Griffin McAndrew, Christina Sedgwick, Will Moore, Robert Green, Dale Kreager, Judi Caceres and Kellie McCracken will out on their party hats. Katie Marmon, Dale Kreager and Sydne Watson will make a wish Sunday, Jan. 7. Jerry Sparling, Donna Trueblood, Sandy Wendell, Fondra McGee, Marc Kroetch and Rebecca Mort add another candle to their cake Monday. Carrie Miller, Dan Ryan, Pat Mitchell, Jim Magnuson, Avery Hunt, Jennifer King, Esther Webb, Robert Coles and Cathy Evjen blow out the candles Tuesday.

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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.