With various holidays coming up, members of the chamber have decided to make things more festive this year with more decorations.
Shirley Ackerman and Sue Shoemaker decorated various corners and islands in the downtown St. Maries with festive fall items. Hay bales, scarecrows and cornstalks can be seen set up along Main Avenue.
Sue Shoemaker and Shirley Ackerman helped decorate downtown Main Avenue in festive fall decorations. They hope to inspire businesses and other offices to do the same.
The two chamber officers are also working toward better decorations for the winter season. The chamber is collecting donations to help light up the downtown area for Christmas. Donations can be delivered to city hall or the chamber office.
“We have been decorating the Department of Labor office for years and since several other businesses and offices have joined us in celebrating the various holidays,” Mrs. Ackerman said. “It just adds to the atmosphere and we really enjoy it and think others do as well. We have gotten lots of positive feedback over our fall decorations.”
As the night comes earlier, chamber organizers look toward finalizing plans for the annual Christmas in St. Maries Celebration. This year’s event is Saturday, Dec. 6.
Vendors, businesses and organizations are invited to participate in the festivities with a booth on Main Avenue during the day, or with a float in the lighted parade.
Call the chamber office at (208) 245-3563 for additional information on how to participate. The office has switched to winter hours and is open from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Thursday. The manager may also be reached by email at manager@stmarieschamber.org.
One more weekend remains for the pumpkin picking season, at least for the lone local patch.
Papa Patterson’s Pumpkin Patch is open from 3 to 6 p.m. Friday and from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday this weekend.
The patch is located about four miles up Railroad Grade Road at the old Patterson Homestead.
Lynne Birdsall and her granddaughters Ella Seyferth, Darcy Millikin and Jenna Bauer assist with various activities at Papa Patterson’s Pumpkin Patch. The new venture is the only pumpkin patch open to the public in the area this year.
Visitors to the patch may choose their own pumpkin, enjoy a cup of cider, get some tasty treats or pick up a handmade craft or two. Complimentary hay rides around the property are available that follow the St. Joe River and offer views of St. Joe Baldy.
Lynne Birdsall heads up the operation with help from her daughters and granddaughters.
“Jenna (Bauer) does the face-painting, Darcy (Millikin) pulls the hay trailer and my five-year-old granddaughter Ella (Seyferth) greets customers and helps entertain. My daughter-in-law is the farmer, helping take care of the field and the pumpkins,” Ms. Birdsall said. “This is a family operation. I couldn’t do it without them.”
The patch is named after Walt Patterson, Lynne’s companion.
“The girls always called him Papa, so we decided to name it for him,” Ms. Birdsall said. “I live just across the river here so I just row over in my boat. It only takes me a few minutes.”
Lynne leases the property and raises cattle on the property. This is her first attempt at a pumpkin patch.
“We tilled up a section of the field, fenced it in and planted pumpkin seeds,” she said. “Plowing the field was tough because we kept getting hung up on baling twine. This must have been where the Pattersons always fed their cows and just left the string after cutting the hale bales loose. We must have collected two pickup loads of string by the time we were done.”
More than 250 pumpkins were sold during the first two weekends the patch was open. More than 60 were sold on Sunday alone.
“We thought it would be nice if people didn’t have to go out of town to do something fun,” she said. “Picking out your own pumpkin from the patch is so much more fun than getting one from the store. It’s an experience that children especially enjoy. I have gotten a lot of positive feedback, so we are hoping to do it every year.”
About 25 honors biology students from St. Maries High School got to work in the field last week.
The sophomores spent a day on Benewah Creek studying water quality. With the help of staff from the Coeur d’Alene Tribal Fisheries program, students compared a restored area of the creek to an un-restored portion.
Jon Firehammer, a research monitoring and evaluation specialist with the Coeur d’Alene Tribal fisheries program, works with Maddie Dittman, Kaylene Peet, Toni Eells and Jaidyn Reynolds.
Students also helped with electro-shocking of fish and participated in a dissection lab with brook trout. A tribal elder, also shared the history of Benewah Creek and its importance to the Coeur d’Alene Tribe.
The field trip is the first of four the class will take as part of the Confluence Project run by the University of Idaho. The program is a field-based science education curriculum. St. Maries students will meet with others in the region for a biology conference to conclude their year’s participation. At the conference students will identify a problem they’ve discovered in their own watersheds and present a plan of action for a resolution.
This is the school’s second year involved in the program.
October is breast cancer awareness month. The Gazette Record sat down with a local St. Maries woman who is a breast cancer survivor to learn about her experience and what advice she would give to others.
St. Maries resident and breast cancer survivor Miriam Foster is featured in the Oct. 8 10 Questions section where she discusses her breast cancer diagnosis and treatment.
1. When and how did you first find out you have breast cancer?
I had always been very conscientious in having regular mammograms. When I had my yearly mammogram in 1997, I expected the same results that I always heard i.e. nothing suspicious, keep on doing what you have been doing. That was not the case; I was diagnosed with lobular carcinoma in situ. Inland Imaging had recently upgraded their equipment, and I was told that their old equipment wouldnít even have picked up this cancer. They recommended a biopsy which I had. Again, I was sure this was a formality and it would prove to be nothing; nothing could be wrong with me. So I had the procedure and left to visit family in California. I called from a pay phone for the results while we were on the road between Salem and Grant’s Pass in Oregon. The nurse could not tell me anything; the doctor wanted to speak with me. He told me I had some decisions to make because the results showed cancer in my left breast.
2. What were your main concerns after being diagnosed?
Once I got over the ‘this-can’t-be-happening-to-me’ feeling, we continued on with our trip because my mother had just taken a downward step in Alzheimer’s and family decisions had to be made. But I had recently watched a fellow teacher and a grammar school friend die from breast cancer. My sister had just finished treatment for breast cancer as had another teacher friend. Based on what I knew of these situations, I did not want to waste time. Handling ambiguity is not one of my strong points. I wanted to be cancer-free and not have to look over my shoulder for it to recur.
3. How did your family react to the news?
My family was supportive, to say the least. They wanted me well again. Whatever course of action I chose they would support.
4. What treatment did you undergo?
There is no one right solution for this condition; I wanted to do what was right for me. This type of cancer, I was told, would likely “mirror” in the other breast. I consulted with my gynecologist, a surgeon, two plastic surgeons, friends and family who had faced the same decisions, and I read Dr. Susan Love’s Breast Book. (I learned far more than I ever wanted to know about breast cancer, surgical options, reconstruction options, etc.) At first, I asked each doctor what he would recommend; then I got more specific and asked what course of treatment he would recommend for his mother or aunt. Based on my family history (a sister and my grandmother and her sister all had breast cancer) and my biopsy results, all of the doctors recommended mastectomy, in my case bilateral mastectomy. And dependent on the results of the tissue analysis at the time of surgery, I could have immediate reconstruction. I took their recommendations. When they performed the surgery, the margins were clear; therefore no further steps as far as radiation or chemotherapy were needed. The plastic surgeon could then begin the process for reconstruction.
5. When were you declared to be in remission and what did that mean to you?
Remission was not a term applied to me. I went in for checks every three months for a year, then every six months for a year, and then it was every year for three more years. After five years, I was cancer-free. It has now been seventeen years. I felt fortunate that a) the cancer had been found as early as it had and b) the treatment, drastic as it had been, had been effective.
6. What was the hardest part for you as a breast cancer patient?
I had felt that things were wrong/out of sync; I wanted things to be ‘normal’ again. At the time, this meant ‘BACK to normal’ in my frame of mind. There was, however, no ‘back to normal,’ but I learned that there can be a new sense of what is normal.
7. How did you cope emotionally during the experience?
My faith, my family, and my friends all helped in coping. It seemed as though everywhere I turned there were people who were willing to share their own stories of finding their way through this maze. The mutual sharing led to deeper friendships.
8. How has breast cancer affected your outlook on life?
This experience, as well as other tragedies I have experienced, has underscored the fact that we have no guarantee of side-stepping negative things that may happen. We can, however, be assured we do not walk through them alone.
9. What advice would you like to give to women who are currently fighting breast cancer or have been recently diagnosed?
To all women, I would first remind them to get regular mammograms. It is an easy thing to put off, but it is the only way to find cancer early when it can be handled most effectively. Second, if they do have had a breast cancer diagnosis, I would advise finding out as much as possible about all the options that are available. New and better treatments are being developed all the time. And last, women should be proactive in helping decide which treatment is best for them; one size does not fit all.
10. Is there anything you’ve done to help raise awareness about breast cancer?
Since my experiences with cancer, I have taken part in several Race for the Cure runs/walks. Just attending one of these is a staggering visual reminder of the number of women who are battling this disease or who have been touched by it in the past. But sometimes I think that the most important thing that survivors can do is be open to talk about their experience. Whether it is talking with those who are presently facing their own battles or whether it is just talking with oneís own family members about the importance of annual check ups, any discussion that raises breast cancer awareness is helpful. The disease is pretty non-discriminatory, and I would encourage any discussion that promotes a greater understanding of its potential consequences.
Celebrate the season of fall in Harrison this weekend.
The annual Oktoberfest is from 1 to 7 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 4, at Harrison City Park.
Organizer Teri Riberich says the event continues to be a success. Last year, more than 700 glasses were sold and more than 1,500 people attended the event.
“The weather is supposed to be decent,” she said. “Fall is a good time of year. It’s one of my favorite seasons here.”
Oktoberfest is from 1 to 7 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 4, in Harrison City Park. Teri Riberich has worked to organize the event throughout the years. Several breweries plan to attend and the event will be held rain or shine. Activities are also planned for children.
This will be the seventh year for the event in Harrison. It is sponsored by the Harrison Chamber of Commerce. Ms. Riberich said the event draws people from all over the area including Canada and Spokane.
“One of the reasons for the event is we want to extend Harrison’s season. Harrison is amazing and the activities shouldn’t stop just because summer is over,” she said. “It’s a chance for the community to come together and to bring people into Harrison.”
The historic and quaint backdrop of downtown Harrison and Lake Coeur d’Alene make for the idyllic Oktoberfest setting as well.
Ms. Riberich said the activities this year are similar to previous years. Breweries will attend including Tricksters, Wallace Brewing, North Idaho Mountain Brewing Company, Paradise Creek, home breweries and more.
Glasses, that feature the logo for the event and this year’s date, will be sold for $10. A glass comes with four drink tickets.
Eric E. will perform during the first half of the day and The Jam Shack will play in the later half.
There will be activities for children, Ms. Riberich added, including a bouncy house, an obstacle course, the penny scramble and face painting.
“We already have several vendors who will line the streets as well,” she said. “If anyone is still interested they can contact me.”
For the second year, the chamber will be selling long sleeve shirts, hoodies and sweatshirts that feature the Oktoberfest logo.
“This is still fairly new. We started it last year and we sold a handful of items, but I don’t think people really realized we were selling clothing items,” she said.
Clothing will be available for purchase during the event at the booth in the park. KY102 will be broadcasting live at the event from 2 to 5 p.m.
The event will go on regardless of weather. However, there will be an event tent set up with heaters.
Money from the event benefits the Harrison Chamber of Commerce and will be put toward the Fourth of July fireworks show, the Summer Concert Series and various city projects.
For more information about being a vendor at the event call Ms. Riberich at 208-582-2341.
