Read the signs of summer safety

Happy first day of summer Friday, although forecasted weekend high temperatures in the mid-60s just don’t cut it for me. Somewhere in the 80s is my happy place. The summer solstice marks the longest period of daylight of the year in the Northern Hemisphere.

This past weekend, I visited Corbin Park on the Spokane River below the Post Falls dam. It’s a beautiful 28-acre wooded park that features covered shelters, picnic areas, barbecue and horseshoe pits, volleyball court, softball field and a popular and challenging disc golf course.

There’s access to the river for kayaking, rafting and fishing. It’s definitely not intended to be a swimming beach. The river runs fast and the rip currents can be deadly, even if on the surface all looks serene and calm. Despite several highly visible signs warning of the danger at access points, it seems every few years, there’s at least one tragic drowning there. Wading on the shoreline is one thing, but entering the water, even in a raft, without a life vest, is risky at best.

So, enjoy all of the outdoor amenities of this Post Falls park, but take the family to swim at Q’emiln Park above the dam, where there’s a protected swimming beach. Here’s to a wonderful summer of recreating on our area’s beautiful lakes and rivers. Respect nature, warning signs and each other.

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The Air Race Classic is an all-woman VFR (visual flight rules), daylight-only cross-country race celebrating its 48th year. Pilots range in age from 17 to 90+ years. The two-person teams have up to four days to fly a defined course of approximately 2,500 statute miles from point to point, flying a timing line at each of the several designated airports. Each team must be on the ground at a designated race stop prior to sunset each day.

Local pilots LaDonna Beaumont and co-pilot Lisa Dodd make up Team 5, Idaho Skies. Anne Anderson and co-pilot Melinda Denton are Team 26, Lilac Ladies. They started the race yesterday from Fairhope, Ala., winging their way to the finish line at Spokane’s Felts Field.

2,500 miles in a Cessna! That’s definitely an adventure. Follow their progress between now and Friday at www.airraceclassic.org

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Happy Main Street birthdays today to Jim Hammond, Wanda McLean, Katy Meeks and Sean Watson. Tomorrow, Jim Morrison, Jake Capaul, Peggy Beebe, Jennifer Smock, Tess Schoultz, Kelly Gwinn, Doug Harwood, Mel Swatzenberg, Paul Ivie, Genia Wortman, Lauren Hoffman, Sue Shibley, Bill Cope, Twyla Cope and Joey Flood take another trip around the sun. Happy first day of summer solstice birthdays June 20 to Kristen Enders, Lynda Nutt, Daniel Davis, Sherin Diehl, Mark Appleby and Eva Jones. On Saturday, John Fencl, Wayne Newby, Jaymee Paul, Lynda Pym, David Wold, Shirley Bade, Randy Watkins, Kelly Rice, L.C. Schell and Stephen Larson celebrate. Joe Butler, Nathan Walker, Lynne Hamm, Camille Lang, Ronda House, Jamie Johnson, Scott Shepperd, Mike Saunders, Bianca Olson and Caitlin Parmentier do the birthday dance Sunday. On Monday, Otis Fencl, Dawn Forest, Nancy Nick, Lynne Hammond and Carly Cline whoop it up. Jim Reynolds, Kathy Bush, Kimi Coles, Rhonda Ellis, Ian Sadler, John Phelps, Sara Wegner and Laura Lahr put on their party hats come June 24.

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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 [email protected].