Simple Things column: Ales, Rod the raker, theater and visionaries
Ales for the Trail
The 13th annual fundraiser for our North Idaho Centennial Trail Foundation exploded to a whole ‘nother level Aug. 15. There were 42 breweries represented, as well as food concessions, 110 volunteers made the festival possible, 1,400 tickets were sold, over $36,000 was raised and all signs indicated that the attendees had a great time. One hundred percent of the proceeds benefit The North Idaho Centennial Trail Foundation.
The success of the festival can also be credited to sunshine, a comfortable temperature, great work by Tabitha Kraack-Bonner, director of the Centennial Trail Foundation and the good decision by the board to hire event planner Chelsea Boss.
Rod the Raker
Since 2020 and the COVID challenge, Little Sanders Beach, at the lake end of 12th Street, has received considerable love from one individual in particular. Rod Wharton, a daily Lake Coeur d’Alene swimmer, who was already known for voluntarily mowing people’s lawns and cleaning empty lots, decided to remove the debris from Little Sanders Beach. He raked the entire beach and gathered a pile of sticks, pine cones and litter, hauled it to the street and contacted the city of Coeur d’Alene Parks Department and they agreed to pick up the pile. Then Rod did it again. And again. And again. And he now rakes the beach an average of five times per week, lugs the debris to the street, collects items left behind and hangs them on the fence, and lets the city know that there is a pile to be picked up.
Many people have noticed Rod’s efforts, which show up as a litter and debris-free beach — with softer sand and fewer rocks.
When I show up for my daily 6 a.m. swim, Rod has usually put in an hour of raking. He has earned well-deserved accolades for his selfless efforts — as well as the nickname “Rod the Raker.”
Thank you, Rod!
Summer Theater
The 60th season of Coeur d’Alene Summer Theatre provided three quality shows: “Frozen,” “Come from Away” and “Titanic.” One tip: If you buy a season ticket, the theater promises that the cost will never increase. We’re three years into our season tickets and look forward to next year’s productions of “Les Miserable," "Grease” and “Annie” — at the same price!
Visionaries
I am in awe of the mega-visionaries who have changed our world, such as the following dreamers …
We can build a railroad across the entire United States. We’ll start at the East and West coasts and meet in the middle. Mission accomplished, when the two tracks met on Promontory Summit in Utah on May 10, 1869.
We will put a telegraph cable under the Atlantic Ocean and connect Europe and North America. Mission accomplished Aug. 16, 1858.
Steve Jobs imagined a phone that would be central to our lives, a communication tool, research device and camera. Mission accomplished.
We’ll send satellites into space and with the aid of signals from multiple satellites, people will be able to identify their exact position on the planet and have driving directions from New York to Los Angeles. Global Positioning System created!
Our local world has also been enriched by visionaries
Scott Reed and Art Manley saved Tubbs Hill from development and today hundreds of people will hike the trails and others will jump off the rocks into Lake Coeur d’Alene.
Doug Eastwood had the vision for the 23-mile Centennial Trail that runs from Higgens Point to the Washington/ Idaho border. Mission accomplished in 1996. And Doug grew the Coeur d'Alene Parks Department from four parks to 32 parks during his 35-year career with the city.
Duane Hagadone, an accomplished businessman and extraordinary visionary, never stopped dreaming, which led to the construction of the world class Coeur d’Alene Resort and the beautiful Coeur d'Alene Resort Golf Course. The Resort was named the best inland resort in America in Condé Nast magazine shortly after it opened in 1987.
Eastwood struck again and led the design and planning phase of the McEuen Park makeover, which is enjoyed by hundreds of people every day. Bill Greenwood, the subsequent parks director, oversaw the completion of the project.
John Stone envisioned the transformation of 160 acres of the W-1 Forest Products mill to the multi-use commercial development of Riverstone.
A committee of Coeur d’Alene visionaries pursued the grant to have a Kroc Center built and endowed in Coeur d’Alene. We became a community with much more to offer, to people of all economic levels.
And there are more …
Fortunately, it won’t stop there. Eastwood is at it again, drumming up energy to dream big on an overhaul of the Centennial Trail as it passes through City Park, along the lake and over the Dike Road. Doug is adamant in saying, “This is a generational opportunity, one of the heaviest traveled walkways in the state. Now’s the time to make it extra special.”
One amazing thing about our world
John Lennon and Paul McCartney wrote 165 songs for The Beatles. They also wrote many songs for other people and for their solo careers. Their compositions for symphonies often include parts for 90 instruments!
Quote about life
“Today is the day that counts.” — John Wooden
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David Groth retired in 2016 after 37 years in elementary education. His last 17 years, the favorite part of his career, were spent teaching fifth grade and juggling at Sorensen Magnet School of the Arts and Humanities. He has lived in Coeur d’Alene since 1982 and has always appreciated the people, the geography, the climate, the rivers and lakes, and the simple things that make days special.