Athol Daze 2008

Athol Daze are here again with a bigger, better lineup of entertainment. Saturday, August 9 marks the 99th year that Athol has been a city. Born in 1909, Athol is one year younger than her neighbor, Spirit Lake, which is holding their Centennial this year. Big things are in store for the celebration.

Featured as the number one accomplishment of the City, is the dedication of the enhancement of city Park from a vacant lot to a major league playground. Built mostly with donations and grants this park features a skate board park that ran over $20,000 and the newest attraction, a play station built with a $26,000 grant from Trans-Canada Pipeline. Just finished July 23, the first of many children were seen cavorting on, in and about the newest attraction. Washed gravel one foot thick covers the area of the slides and ladders to cushion any falls that may occur.

Starting off the activities for Athol Daze, will be a parade through town ending at the park. Lineups for the parade is at 9:00 am with the parade at 10:00. Entries for the parade, or for booths for the park must register with city hall, 683-2101. The parade will start behind the school on Davis Lane, then turn left onto highway 54 then left again at City Hall to the park. Awards for the parade entries will be around 11:00 following the end. Some of the events at the park are yet to be determined, but Money in the Straw, which was a great success last year will be first right after the parade. This event will be open to kids from one to 12 in different age groups. Metal detectors are prohibited, as well as parental assistance.

Various contests, such as Watermelon and pie eating contests are also planned. Booths with food and games will abound throughout the park. The annual benefit auction will be held at Noon and is expected to last until around 1:30 pm. Music will be performed by the Bell Family from 1:30 through 4pm with a break of two in between. The Bells, a home grown family are arguably the most talented musical family in the area, if not the state. The annual cakewalk will be at 2:00 pm. A pinata will be assaulted sometime during the festivities with children flocking to the resulting cascade of candy. Some of the events are still in the planning stage and may not appear. Others not mentioned might pop up. Many other children’s games will be played throughout the day, with everything winding up around 4:00 pm.

Following the festivities in the park, the American Legion, Post 149 will host a jam session under the gazebo in back of the club starting at 4:00 pm. All musicians are invited. Your host will be the irrepressible “Jeanne and the Good time Party Boys.” Last year the legion sponsored an old timers jam that was a huge success.

Where Have The Good Old Days Gone

The Garwood Saloon has been in existence for so long, nobody still alive remembers when it first opened. Recently bought by the Idaho State Department of Transportation for a new highway project, this icon will close permanently July 30, with a going away bash on the 19th, which I attended. The riding arena next door, closed in 2005. Owners for the last 23 years, Wayne Darwood and his wife, Darralyn enlarged the old place, then built the riding arena that borders the Saloon on the south. Situated on Highway 95 and Garwood Road, it became a police magnet for potential DUI’s. Not to be deterred, Wayne set up RV parking so guests could party all night, then crawl into their rig without the fear of being arrested, or worse, killing themselves or others on the highway.

A gigantic barbecue out back signaled the goodies the guests were going to experience at this, the last hurrah. As we walked through the door we were greeted cheerfully by bartender, Tina Miller, who scooped up an ice cold MGD with my name on it. Not wanting to be churlish, I humbly accepted the brew and started circulating the room. Introduced to owner, Wayne Darwood, I took in the most recent history of the place. Much like the Snake Pit on the Coeur d’Alene River, the current liquor license is a historical one. In Idaho, liquor licenses are not issued to businesses outside incorporated cities, unless they are waterfront resorts, or historical. Several years ago, violations of bootlegging laws, were flagrantly violated in the more secluded areas. In order to better control liquor sales, the state passed a law that issued licenses to those businesses that could provide evidence that a bar or saloon had existed for at least 75 years. That license is over 23 years old, suggesting it might have been in it’s previous existence since the turn of the previous century, as a logger’s hangout. In the seventies, real cowboys hung out there, as there were many ranches still operating in the area. The Garwood burned down in the early seventies. I remember dropping in for a beer back in, I think 1972. Then it was much smaller. It was rebuilt, but current folks don’t remember the names of the owners, other than the ones preceding Darwood were, “Deb” and “Sam.”

Wayne showed us around, and explained that about twice a year, he would throw a free barbecue for his friends and customers, which actually, were one and the same. Visiting with the friends and relatives that showed up for the final shindig, we noticed the preponderance of older people present. Ted Prewitt, grizzled horse rancher from Twisp Washington was there, spinning tails of his roping days. When a cowboy was spotted, they weren’t just dressed the part, they were people that raised livestock and harvested their own hay, for the most part. Denny Middleton and his band prepared to play one last gig at this historical place. Denny is know far an wide for his magical fiddle playing. The odor drifting up from the BBQ became overpowering as the chef, Herman Froelich opened the cooker, revealing perfectly prepared pork loin. Time to ‘er pig out. A trestle table appeared bulging at the seams full of beans, potato salad and much more. We paused for the cause.

Asked what they were going to do, when the last of the month came and the doors closed for one last time, Wayne replied, “Were gonna head for Fargo North Dakota to see our son, then who knows where. Probably Arizona in the winter.” He went on to say,”We like having our freedom, but were going to miss this place and every one of our customers.” They will undoubtedly catch some rodeos, as Wayne and several other relatives and friends were retired rodeo performers. Darwood’s, specialty was roping, as was his buddy from Twisp, who was visiting for the last time. Garwood Saloon, one of the last “Road Houses,” will be missed.

A disgraceful Event

Title 67, Idaho code

Chapter 77

67-7710

"(3) As used in this subsection, "net proceeds of a charitable raffle"
means the gross receipts less the cost of prizes awarded."

Three weeks have gone by since the Bayview Chamber of Commerce held the drawing for it's annual fund raiser. No prize has been awarded yet, and there doesn't seem to be any movement toward repairing the situation. It must be noted that many residents of Bayview have already sworn no to ever buy tickets in a chamber raffle again. When the rules are ignored and payouts don't happen, mistrust occurs. The initital damage was done when the money wasn't immediately paid out. More damage, even to the extent of curtailing important fund raising efforts, may occur if this isn't resolved, and quickly.

The whole situation stems from the mis-interpretation of the term Proceeds, as it applies to compensation. The above, cut and pasted from Idaho code 67-7710, clearly defines the difference between winnings and proceeds, yet once taken, it appears that the board of directors position has solidified, not so that clarification might happen, but apparently pure stubbornness. Egos are fine, but not when they obscure logic.

Some officers have stated for the record that"We don't intend to break any laws."

Well, It is against the law to hold a raffle, then defraud the winner out of their rightful prize. That constitutes a felony, which would be enforceable against each and every officer or board member that participates in the fraud. Voting does not relieve the organization from any responsibility for honesty. Predetermining what action to take in a board meeting between two or more officers, then bringing a position paper into a formal meeting as a "done deal" constitutes a violation of the open meeting laws, also actionable.

I am not immune from making mistakes either, but as my late father once said, "When you have dug yourself a hole, the first thing you need to do is let go of the shovel."

Also, for those curious, the winner, Braden Rosenau, was born healthy, and Grandpa, always trustful, gave his Son's Mom $1000 in cash, in anticipation of the chamber finally doing the right thing.

Who Are You

Writing a blog as a neighborhood news source gives me great pleasure, though occasionally does not for the few that manage to willfully step in the smelly stuff. My take on that is that if one does something odorific and I write about it, poetic justice is served. Most of the feedback I get, however, and I am using this post to reminisce, is from people that have been to Bayview, or live here part time and want to keep up with whats going on. The occasion for reminiscing is that I noticed yesterday that my site counter had logged over 60,000 page views since I started this back in January of 2005.

To be precise, I have had up to this minute, 60,332 page views and 35,002 visits in that time. For a hobby journalist, these numbers are overwhelming. I haven't given too much time to figuring out the whys of it, it just is. People visit from all over the world, though most are from the USA. All over the USA.

This week I printed out the site meter stats and studied them. some IP's were like old friends, even though I don't have a clue who they are. Others, I know precisely who and where they are. I admit to being very curious, not about the casual pop from someone that found me through a key word used in a Google search, but the repeat visits from all over the U.S. Today, one was from London, England. I know who that is, because Dr. Land sat next to me at the Captain's Wheel before he flew back to England last week. Another was from Melbourne, Australia. I haven't a clue who that was.

Stillwater,Oklahoma would be my good friends from Silverwood that moved back to Oklahoma City. Las Vegas? Not a clue. Anchorage, Alaska? Possibly my ex-wife, a charming redhead working for the county last time I heard. Chicago? no clue, as well as Dallas, Texas; Eden, Utah; Billings, Montana; Gilbert Arizona; Sherwood, Oregon; San Jose, California; Wilmington, Delaware;Kansas City Missouri; Fredricksburg,Virginia;Blue Gap, Arizona; Poughkeepsie, N.Y, a repeat visitor.

Others are Hollywood, Florida; Davenport, Washington; Oakesdale, Washington; Yakima,Washington; San Francisco; Ithica, NY; and many others. These were gleaned just from today and yesterday. Visits from all of Europe and Australia, the middle east, North Africa, even Iran once.

What I would like to do is hear from some of these people, especially those that repeatedly visit. You can e-mail me privately at: Bayviewherb@gmail.com. It would be almost like pen pals of yesterday to become acquainted with some of you. For those that are curious about some of these originations, the site meter logo shows at the bottom of my blog page. Scroll down and click on the logo. I have not privatized it and the information is there for any interested part to see. You can, of course, comment directly on the blog, however, if you wish to remain anonymous, e-mail me direct.

Shining a light on good things is a pleasure. Shining a light on back room shenanigans is not, but that is where a light needs most urgently to be shined. In the mean time, I will try hard to stick to the tried and true rules: When, what, why, Where,and How. I posted a picture of Bayview for those that wish they were here. Stay tuned ... Oh, and the second picture is for those of you that winter elsewhere.

Fires Are Happening

Timberlake fire District was called out for a small fire in Bayview, late this afternoon. The fire is out. Timberlake fire district snapped to in a hurry and limited the fire to about a 20' x 20' space. In the middle was a playhouse built by kids who were seen running away. Suspects may have been playing with matches and it got away.
It reminds me when I was very young, and we had an old roman candle in the basement. My buddy and I took it deep into a brushy area so nobody would see us light it. After we did the traditional git, we looked back to see a huge fire chasing us. Never did that again. Hope these kids won't either.

New fire chief, Jack Krill was first on the scene, but the fire was so small yet, they initially had trouble spotting it. All is well, at least until the next one. There is an abundance of fuel in the area, helped by the wet spring we've had. Bayview has been extremely lucky, combined with knowledgeable residents that we haven't had a serious wild fire in the last few years. Jack tells us that they have been very busy the last week.

On scene was Kevin Elmore, looking terribly innocent. Kevin does the annual fireworks display in Bayview during Bayview Daze. I explained to the chief that one of his volunteers was a pyrotechnician, and needed to be watched carefully.

When confusion Reigns

There seems to be a great deal of confusion and misinformation circulating about the issue of withholding $1000 winnings from the winner of the Bayview Chamber of Commerce raffle recently. I will take each issue individually:

Who sold the ticket, Ralph to himself is a non-issue. When volunteer organizations set out to sell raffle tickets, they give them out to members that will make the effort to sell them. In virtually every case, that person will buy a ticket from those already in their possession. Only filling out the stub and forking over the money are necessary. Their is no legal requirement that it be bought from another party.

There have been several other non-issues brought up, all poorly researched. First, in order to determine whether the paragraph dealing with legality is Germaine, one must define the words "proceeds" and "winnings."
Winnings are those funds or products won by having your ticket drawn. Proceeds are those funds that are retained by the sponsoring organization. The purpose of this portion of the law is to prohibit officers of a sponsoring organization from paying themselves from these monies, defeating the charitable purpose of the exercise.

The next mistake was simple math. The portion of the law that refers to relatives states that no person within the second degree (relative) may receive compensation from "proceeds." Well, first we have already discussed the term "proceeds." Secondly, a grandchild is a relative in the "third degree." As to the issue of the unborn grandchild, true it is an unusual move to specify an unborn child as the recipient, but not illegal. If the child fails to be born, the winnings would then revert back to the purchaser of the ticket, Ralph Jones. Another phantom issue was raised. Kathi Ellis, treasurer, stated, "that she could not make a check out to an unborn person who would be unable to cash it." It is not the duty of the sponsoring organization to worry about the ability of an infant to cash a check, only to issue it. Bank accounts are created for infants, born and unborn all the time. They just require an adult parent or guardian to administer it.

Failure to appoint a committee: Ralph Jones IS the committee. An appointed committee chairman is under no obligation to appoint assistants formally. Actually, I was one of those assistants that assisted Ralph throughout the process, as were many others.

These are the only issues. Defining proceeds, which I have done, and the non-issue of the error in considering a grandchild as a second degree relative. That one is not Germaine, simply because of the misapplication of the term, "proceeds."

In the manifesto, or what ever the board of directors wants to call the unsigned document that was read into the record, several somewhat snide remarks were made that, too, were inaccurate. For instance, the failure of myself, characterized as a former spokesman-Review journalist to contact Ms. Ellis. Since I felt she was the antagonist in this soap opera, I went directly to Jim MacDonald, president for confirmation. Oh, and as of this date, I am still writing for the S/R. I don't know where the former came from.I did not call Ralph Jones poor.

In my conversation with Jim MacDonald, he used the example of himself winning a barbecue in a previous raffle. He pointed out that he had sold it and turned the proceeds back to the Chamber of commerce. I told him that his actions were admirable, but that he was the wealthy owner of a successful marina, where Ralph Jones was a first year business owner that perhaps couldn't afford to be that magnanimous. Never was the word "poor" used. Also, it's one thing to give back something worth in the neighborhood of $150, and quite another to forego a $1000 prize.

This example can, however point to the fact that MacDonald, president of the Chamber, the sponsoring organization, accepted the prize, being a BBQ, rather than money. That he chose to donate it back was fine, but certainly not required or necessary. This is an exact parallel to the $1000 drawing, just a different prize. Why should MacDonald be able, without challenge, to accept his prize and Ralph Jones cannot. If there is, and I doubt the the legal advisers to the board have even looked into it, a problem with awarding the prize to an unborn child, it will be a moot point by tomorrow, since the child is being induced today. The secondary solution would be to award the prize to the holder of the winning ticket, Ralph Jones.

There is at least one and possibly two attorneys that are members of the Bayview Chamber of commerce. I would suggest that they be asked to interpret these points for the officers, so as to forestall the continuation of this travesty. The board of Directors are not empowered to confiscate the winnings for the unbelievable reasons they have stated.

For the Chamber of commerce to re-draw, or to keep the money would probably result in a fraudulent transaction at best, and outright theft at worst. clearly, this precipitous action on the part of the board of directors is what has the potential to split to community, not the shining of light on a back room hustle. End this lynching, step back and re-examine the motives behind this whole fiasco. The solution is to immediately cure the situation and issue a public apology to Ralph Jones.

Addendum: 7/16. Braden Rosenau was born today,in Missoula at 6:20 pm,mountain time. It goes without saying that this is a fine opportunity for the Chamber board to do the right thing before the whole issue winds out of control.

Tranquility

When everything seems to be going down the tube, it just takes a full moon to jerk you back to reality. Many good things are happening in Bayview. some aren't so good. But what brings us back to why we are here, is the picture above. The moon was caught rising just above Bernard Peak by yours truly.

Regrets

It is with great regret that I posted the dirty laundry of the Bayview Chamber of Commerce a few days ago. Since that post there have been several horribly twisted comments,blatant untruths and actions by a few member/officers of the Chamber. At present, nobody seems to want to just talk about truth and facts. Having said that, I am not going to at this time, throw gasoline on the fire, in hopes that logic and truth will prevail.

If it doesn't, and I feel the issues need some light shined on them again, I will do so, even with the knowledge that harm will be done. The reason? Because much more harm can be done by power struggles without justice, than I could ever do by merely going public. Sorrow prevails at this time.

From The Internet

Subject: F.Y.I.


A recent study conducted by Harvard University found that the average
American walks about 900 miles a year.

Another study by the American Medical Association found that
Americans drink, on average, 22 gallons of alcohol a year.

This means, on average, Americans get almost 41 miles to the gallon.

Kind Of Makes You Proud To Be An American.

Summertime

There is a song, actually one of my favorites, that goes something like this: "Summer time, when the livin' is easy ..."

Here in Bayview, with as close as you can get to a perfect summer, we had a visitor. 5 1/5 year old Destiny Eisenhart was visiting my neighbor when I took the above shot. There were many others around town that were kicking back.Marie Streater, manager of The Captain's Wheel Restaurant looked practically unconscious after a tough Saturday Night behind the bar. That lasted as always with Mom's, until one of her super active sons messed up at which time she cracked the whip. I believe it is true that Moms have eyes in the back of their heads, or prescience, or something that's supernatural. Anyway, enjoy the picture above of Destiny, meeting her summertime destiny.

On another note, we perused the Coeur d'Alene Press and found an article by Rick Thomas about the Antique fair being held at Garwood.

"Mennonite Women are among the refreshments and nourishment available."

I always thought that Mennonites were a bit more conservative than that. (quote from Rick Thomas's article about the antique fair) Good thing I have excellent editors to catch bad sentence structure like that ... At least I think it was bad structure, but then again, I don't know the Mennonites in question.

When Wrong Is Righted

Many folks in Bayview learned to their surprise, that shortly after The Fourth week-end, Holly, Manager of the Patio at Boileau's, was fired by the new management of the Buttonhook, now run by Ivano's of Sandpoint. The reasons were obscure, since the patio had just set a record for profit and volume. We, of course do not have the full story, nor are we likely to get it.

What we do know, however, is that she has been hired back. Holly is perhaps the most energetic, friendly person that we have working in Bayview, and is appreciated by all.
Rather than try to explain the unexplainable, I will just quote, Norma Jean, of Waterford Park.

"Maybe you might want to post that Holly is back at the Patio.
Bayview stood by one of its own and so did Mr. Holland."

Norma Jean

Well, we just did. Welcome back, Holly!

When Winners Lose

Every year, the Bayview Chamber of commerce holds a raffle in which two Thousand dollars is raised. One thousand goes to the fireworks fund. The other thousand goes to the lucky winner, Unless the winner is Ralph Jones. Like most years, the ticket sales, only 100 total, are sold throughout the year. When the clutch time comes and they are not all sold yet, the officers of the Chamber step up and buy the rest.

Such was the case several years ago when Loraine Landwehr, then treasurer of the Chamber, won something like 3 out of 6 years. Why so lucky? Ticket sales were down and she made up the difference. This year, Ralph bought the last ticket, put his grandchild's name on it and lo and behold, Vicki Richardson, newly crowned
Queen of Bayview drew Ralph's ticket.Ralph Jones, is the Vice-president of the chamber.

Kathy Ellis, treasurer, has refused to fund the winnings, claiming that there is a law against officers of an organization holding a raffle being eligible. Ellis even went, according to Jones, so far as to suggest Jones should have known better. Jones, of course referred to the previous officer winning multiple times and also suggested that if those are the rules, then why weren't they posted in advance of the sale, rather than after the fact. Should then Landwehr be required to refund her past Winnings? It would appear that the defining difference this year over the past, are the personalities involved, rather than the situation.Jim MacDonald, president, is backing Ellis's decision. Methinks we haven't heard the last of this mess. Stay tuned.

Bayview Daze Parade Winners

The following, are winners of the Street Parade, and the Lighted Boat Parade, Saturday, July 5. There probably some misspellings. This was due to the entrant's, scrawling their information illegibly.

Parade and boat parade awards were given out Sunday. The street parade awards are as follows:

Commercial; first place, Captain’s Wheel pirate ship. Second place, Timberlake Fire Truck. Third, Calam Shriners.

Specialty category: First place, Candy’s Classy chicks; second, Ron and Tara Louvier; third, Falun Gong.

Children’s division: Motorized stools; second, patriotic kids; third, Church Grand kids.

Animals: Kootenai County Sheriff’s Mounted Posse; second, Horses, Mirah Ferrell and third, Kootenai County Saddle club.

Lighted boat parade winners were first, second and third respectively, Jim & Jo Woods with the vessel, “The Last One, followed by Dale Hoplein’s “Ida Mae,” a houseboat, followed by the third place winner, “Chris Hana,” piloted by Debbie Reichert, a sailboat.

The marching band provided by the Idaho Army National Guard won first, and the gratitude of the entire community. Second was the Athol Legion Post 149 color guard and Auxiliary drill team.

There wasn’t a category for escaped prisoners, but one entry, wearing a striped jail suit, looked suspiciously like Kootenai County Sheriff, Rocky Watson. Kudos for Farragut State Park firing up the old 1942 fire engine that served the Navy Base during WW11.

The Garwood Saloon

The Garwood Saloon, along with the adjoining rodeo area is closing permanently soon, due to the new highway construction project. If any of you out there have stories, memories and especially historical information regarding this historical watering hole, please e-mail me at hhuseland@aol.com, or call me at 683-9107.

Herb

When The Law doesn't Apply Logic

Sometimes we wonder about our law enforcement agencies. Either we wonder why they can't clean up the Meth labs, or on the other hand, we wonder why they actually don't obey the law themselves.I have written about Cop Abuse. I have also complimented good police work and of course, when they are thinking, rather than dragging their knuckles, they really come in handy.

We wonder what happened to the real pros like Dick White, long retired, who seasoned the law with common sense. We sometimes wonder what happened to the good old days when people that were screw-ups, still respected the guys that slapped the cuffs on. We wonder about the old pros that were lured out of retirement from LAPD, and had the experience to know right from wrong, and what was important to enforce. Now we have a gaggle of barely adult kids with way too much testosterone, and way too little maturity. Oh, and they get to carry a gun, too. One sometimes wonders what mental tests these guys pass.

Some of the problem is with the county. Kootenai County has consistently underfunded the Sheriff's Department. Some of that is because of the friction between the elected Sheriff and the separately elected County Commissioners. Bottom line, they don't like each other. Results? We the people suffer from under trained kids with a gun and a lot of huffed up authority.

This brings us to the point of this particular post. During the week-end, the Kootenai County Sheriff's Department Goons, descended upon the Lakeland RV Park. Not to stop an in progress crime, but to arrest a man accused of child molestation, obviously, an egregious crime. I call them Goons, because the probable cause they had, was that the last name of the alleged perpetrator was Brown. I won't mention the first name, because I personally know two and possibly three Browns with the same first names. They also had information that led them to believe the suspect drove a red truck.

Now let's cut to the chase. Obviously, a guy named Brown and driving a red pickup narrowed the chase down to just a few thousand. Bingo, they had their Guy. I am finding as I write this report, it very difficult to refrain from using obscenities. Sometimes, normal adjectives just don't say enough. Well, I have a hard and true philosophy about that. I want my blog to inform, educate and entertain. I also want your kids to be able to log on to it.

Well, back to the story. Having found what they thought was their man, hey, name Brown, red pickup, what could go wrong. They sailed into the aforementioned RV park, where Mr Brown was a maintenance worker, doing his job. In front, allegedly, of his wife and child, he was arrested, thrown against a vehicle, and was about to be hauled off, when the owners of the RV Park stepped up and questioned their identification. Hopefully embarrassed, these Keystone Cops fled in disarray, wondering how many other Browns they would have to arrest to finally get the culprit. Why, Why, Why! Where is the leadership! Where is the training! I personally, am disgusted beyond belief.

There comes a point, where either we as a people put up with our liberties being trashed, our kids being subjected to hard drugs, or we step up, recognize we can't hire or keep officers with adequate experience without competitive pay. We aren't going to have both. I call on the Kootenai County Commissioners to reject the on the cheap program the county has followed for over twenty years, and grab the brass ring. Give us qualified officers that care about the people that they are sworn to protect. Give us officers that don't cheat on probable cause for traffic stops. Currently, an egregious failing. If the Cops do not respect the public, the public will never respect the Cops.

We will write more, as more information becomes available. One can only hope that the County department hierarchy is listening.

Bayview Daze 2008 Is Over

Thousands crammed into the little lake side village of Bayview for the 4th week-end festivities. As usual, the fireworks and main entertainment venues concentrated on Saturday the 5th. We had fun, we had confusion, we had the 25th Division Idaho National Guard Band in our parade, but in Bayview,unlike Coeur d'Alene, we didn't march as political parties. Everyone in the parade marched as Americans. I found it rather strange, even bazaar, that almost all the comments on Huckleberries about the Coeur d'Alene parade revolved around a pissing contest as to which political party had the most fun, were the loudest, and/or were outnumbered. Rather than concentrate on the purpose of the celebration (for those that are so wrapped up in partisanship, that would be celebrating our independence from England. Methinks some peoples priorities need looked at. Perhaps adults were barred from attending.

Arguably the largest parade ever, the band made a huge difference. Even with the changing of leadership from Liz Justus and Lorraine Landwehr as parade directors, to Ralph Jones, and the Street bazaar from Jackie Orth to Cindy Post and Kathy Ellis, it was a grand day, or days. As usual, the streets were so clogged with parked cars, (some even legally) that driving was at least third choice. Walking took over. While there is always someone from out of town that gets drunk and ends up as a guest of Rocky Watson, for the most part, Bayview was trouble free. Pictured above, are Charlie Bell, leader of the band, and further down, twin Bell sisters, Nellie & Emily ... or maybe Emily & Nellie, with their babies. Married within two months of each other, birthing their children with two months of each other, it appears they pretty much do everything together.

We had a magnificent lighted boat parade, followed by a 50% increased fireworks show over last year. The largest dollar wise and people wise three days of the year found local businesses dragging with fatigue, but packing home the money necessary to make it through yet another North Idaho winter. I'll have more in my Thursday column in the "Prairie Voice" section of the spokesman-Review. Mean while, sit back and check the pictures out.

Bayview Daze, Update

Well, here we are, around 11:00 pm Saturday night. We have overcome slight problems with the parade, everyone still had a great time, and without exception, most thought it was the best parade ever. This was mainly due to the late addition of the Idaho Army National Guard Band. They were great. We have Queen Vicki Richardson for being on her toes. When she found out they were marching in Coeur d'Alene's parade, she asked them to stay over for ours. They did, and they were a great hit.

After they parade, we segued into afternoon party time, followed by music provided by several bands. One, the most popular local family band, the Bells, performed outside at the Captain's Wheel, where later, the internationally acclaimed band, Too Slim and the Tail Draggers performed. What started out as a local blues band out of Spokane, and an ever popular attraction at the late bar, Chelseas, went national, then international. We welcome home our very favorite blues guys.

As usual, tons of tourists came down for the festivities. I was pleased that many people that I either know from their Paper, or my blog, came up to introduce themselves, including our favorite, GOP guy,Gary Ingram, who stopped by to trade Huckleberries stories with me. All in all, everyone had a great time, including yours truly.

Is Bad News Good News?

Much has been discussed in the last few days about whether the media is becoming too negative. Sometimes they are. The old, " If it bleeds, it leads, " is still a part of our news heritage.On the other hand, would you rather not hear things that might seriously effect your life?

Sure, it would be nice if everything were "hunky dory," but is that reality? No it's not. when things are going great, perhaps the media would be well advise to emphasize that more than they do. Is that slanted journalism? Probably. no, obviously so. Once a news or feature gets out into the public, it tends to take on a life of it's own. Thence, without any professional or technical guidance, it somehow becomes fact.

If I had my druthers, we would scrub the tainted reporters from the earth. Unfortunately we can't. The reason? Because the money behind the news comes from tainted political sources. Not the political parties, but from the publishers themselves, that finally, can't resist the opportunity to further their political agenda. Hey, why spend all that money on a newspaper or television network when you can't turn the world around.

The Spokesman-Review, the paper that I write for, probably cares more about this issue than any other that I have found. I have been prohibited from writing some stories here in Bayview, because of my editor's concern about objectivity. I love that part. That gives me credibility. I also delight in having friends point out such terms as the Socialist-Review, and others, equally intelligent, (I think) believe that this paper is heading down the slippery slope of right wing conservatism. Actually, they are both right. Steve Smith, Editor of this rag, is a dedicated, some feel, dictator, but what he represents is the thirst for truth, the inevitable cutting of costs, and of course gets blamed for everything the publisher's throw at him.

May he survive, as we would also like to see the Spokesman-Review do.

When You Need A Cop ...

Sometimes, when you call a cop it's not to report a crime. In a case most recently, it was for help.

This intrepid reporter received a call for assistance from two widely respected members of the community. Bob and Suzanne Rickel, retired farmers, began receiving pesky notices in the mail from New York City.

It stated that a jeep was illegally parked in the city Oct. 28, 2007, registered to the Rickels. We followed our own advice, and called a cop. The Rickels in fact do own a jeep. It's a 1954 model that has been in storage for more than 10 years, then transported to Suzanne's brother by trailer to Seattle. The plates still reside here in Bayview at the Rickel residence.


Enter Capt. Ben Wolfinger of the Kootenai County Sheriff's Department. We requested his assistance, and Capt. Wolfinger ran the plate and verified it is the number registered to the Rickels. By the time Wolfinger got involved, the notices had got nastier and more frequent, ending in a default judgment of $107.38.

After determining the facts, Capt. Wolfinger graciously mailed a letter to New York City explaining that one, the Rickels had never been in New York City, nor were they likely to go there in the future. Two, the car in question was not white, as the parking ticket revealed, but dark green. The third and we hope the deciding factor, is that the car in question is 54 years old and while restored, isn't capable of such a journey.

One can only hope that the largest bureaucracy in today's world will understand. If not, Captain Wolfinger does not anticipate his cooperation in an attempt to extradite the alleged offenders.

Bayview Daze Are Upon Us

Six bands lead off the festivities in a gigantic battle of the bands. Bayview Daze is here again. The most fantastic of a series of great fireworks displays will happen this year. In the past, Bayview has, through the fund raising efforts of the community, increased the budget for this year by fifty percent. The real treat though, is that if you are having fireworks in Sandpoint or Coeur d’Alene or even Post falls, you don’t have to miss Bayview. The reason? Bayview holds their display Saturday, July fifth, giving everyone the opportunity to double dip. The entire celebration stretches three days, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, the 4th,5th and 6th. The following is a schedule of events:

First up is the street fair. Arts, crafts, all kinds of neat stuff. If you haven’t got your T-shirt from the Athol booth yet, here’s your chance. Friday finds live music at JD’s featuring Wyzer. Not to be upstaged, the Captain’s Wheel presents the band, Comfort Zone. Music at JD’s will be provided by Wyser.

Saturday brings most of the events, including the fireworks show. Entertainment will be appearing all over town. 9am to 6 pm features a Kid’s fair downtown with “The Fun Guy.” 11am has the Street Parade which travels from 3rd & Spruce down to Main Street, ending at the Community Center. Entries must be lined up by 10am. It is also advised that those that are planning to attend the parade, get into town early while there are still a few inches of parking to spare. Following the parade, cars will be displayed at the Scenic Motel for Show & Shine. Parade awards will be presented at Ralph’s Internet Coffee house at 2 pm.

JD’s will feature two bands, Saturday the 5th. Afternoon features David Walsh. Evening cranks up with the band, “Four Times Over.”

From 4pm to 8pm, The Bells will appear on the outside stage at the Captain’s wheel. As a special treat, from 9pm to 1am live on the main stage inside at the ‘Wheel, is the nationally acclaimed band, “Too slim and The Tail Draggers.” If you are a fan of the blues, this is the one not to miss.

For entries in the Lighted Boat Parade, which kicks off at 9pm at the Bitter End Marina, you must register at Ralph’s Café by 7pm. Fireworks extravaganza happens at 10pm. Folks around Bayview that have seen the other shows in the area, including Coeur d’Alene, swear the Bayview show is the best.

By Sunday, if everyone is still functioning, one last celebration when the Queen of Bayview gets crowned at Noon, also at Ralph’s Coffee shop. For information about Bayview Daze, contact Ralph at 208-683-2218.
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