Strangers becoming friends in Coeur d'Alene

COEUR d’ALENE — Brandon Brown and Wendy East hadn’t met before Monday night.

Brown came to McEuen Park with his family looking to enjoy a sunny evening and feed seagulls.

East stopped in with her husband to see how the Monday Night Dinner was going at McEuen Park.

Under the cover of Avista Pavilion, strangers became friends.

“I saw the joy on his face, so I came over and started high-fiving,” East said.

The two laughed, smiled and carried on like best buds.

“I love this,” said Brown, a pastor from Colorado Springs.

He said when his family saw the big crowd and picnic-like atmosphere, they checked it out.

“There’s a shindig going down, all right,” Brown said.

They liked what they found.

“I’m really big into bringing community together,” he said. “We need more stuff like this. This is what it’s all about."

East said she and her husband enjoyed the food and the company of Monday Night Dinner. It's what she's come to expect after being part of it for years.

“This is what happens,” she said.

Adam Schluter hosted this year’s kickoff to the gatherings. Music, food and drink were all free, covered by donations. 

“This is pure community here," he said.

After he moved to Coeur d’Alene about eight years ago, Schluter opened his home so he could meet people. He hoped people could find common bonds and discover ways to support each other.

It worked.

When he held the first dinner at his home, 11 people showed up. Those gatherings gradually grew to more than 200. On Monday, the 78th Monday Night Dinner, the crowd was the biggest yet.

Schluter deflected the credit.

“This is only because of you guys. This is only because of the community,”  he said. 

Russell Mann of Bombastic Brewing has been a longtime Monday Night Dinners sponsor, providing free beer to attendees.

He likes the togetherness it creates.

“We have a lot of division in our community. I don’t love that,” Mann said. “This is the way we come together instead of being divided.”

AC Koelker looked around at the mixed crowd of young and old almost in disbelief.

“Look at how many people are here. This is amazing,” she said.

Koelker and her husband, John, attended the dinners at Schluter’s home and believed so strongly in the concept that John built a deck in Schluter’s backyard and added tables and chairs.

AC Koelker loved that the dinners were open to all, "especially for people who just need to see people.”

She said there are no pretenses at Monday Night Dinners. It’s not about job titles.

“It’s more like, ‘Who are you?’ not, ‘What do you do?’” she said.

Koelker said on her way to the event Monday, she invited folks she encountered along the way.

“Are you hungry? Come over here," she told them. "I don’t know who you are but we’ll figure it out by the end of the night.”

Schluter plans to hold Monday Night Dinners every other Monday starting June 3 at his home, 1037 Third St. Music starts at 5:30 and dinner is at 6. Suggested donation is $10. Donations go to musicians who perform at Monday Night Dinners.

    Adam Schluter shares a hug with a friend at the season's first Monday Night Dinner at McEuen Park.
  

    Jasmine Granger performs during the Monday Night Dinner at McEuen Park.
  

    People listen to Adam Schluter during the Monday Night Dinner at McEuen Park.