After seven years, Tami Holdahl is ready to give up the hunt.
“Back then, I decided hat me, myself and I were going to do it,” she said. “I’ve had help from friends along the way and from the staff at AmericanWest Bank, but after seven years, I am worn out.”
Tami Holdahl has organized the Easter egg hunt in St. Maries for the last seven years and is ready for someone else to take it on.
Mrs. Holdahl began organizing the hunt when she saw that no one else was going to. The hunt was held in the city park for three years, then moved to Vic Camm for a year before it found a regular venue adjacent to the fairgrounds.
The hunt has grown from a 5,000 venture to more than 12,000 eggs with more than 300 children participating each year.
It took the children four minutes and 30 seconds to collect more than 12,000 eggs last year.
Mrs. Holdahl began collecting candy for the hunt the day after Easter when it typically goes on sale. She continued to collect candy after each holiday throughout the year. About a month before the big day, all the candy and eggs are taken to AmericanWest Bank. Employees there stuff eggs in-between customers during the day. Two friends, Claudia Spooner and Cindy Petrie help with the hunt on the big day.
AmericanWest Bank employees help stuff eggs for the St. Maries Easter Egg Hunt each year. They include Tracy Fraser, Karen Gibson, Treasure Ueland, organizer Tami Holdahl, Katrina Mills and Shauna Charles.
“Though the largest portion of the work is done the month prior to Easter, it takes a lot of planning, effort and thought to get prepared,” Mrs. Holdahl said. “It takes a full month to get the eggs ready, and I can’t describe how much I appreciate what they do.”
Now Mrs. Holdahl said she hopes somebody will step in to continue in her place.
Egg hunts are scheduled Saturday in five area towns, including St. Maries, Plummer, Harrison, Fernwood and Worley.
The St. Maries hunt will begin at 11 a.m. at the Mullan Trail Park adjacent to the Benewah County Fairgrounds. The hunt is open to children from birth to 11 years old.
The Plummer hunt, organized by the Lakeside high School chapter of the National Honor Society and the American Legion Auxiliary, begins at 10 a.m. at the high school football field.
The Harrison event, sponsored by the Garden Club, Worthwhile Club at PTO, is at 1 p.m. at Harrison Elementary School Children who are just starting to walk through sixth grade may participate.
The Fernwood hunt, sponsored by the UpRiver PTOm begins at 10 a.m. at the elementary school.
And Worley’s event is sponsored by the Worley Fire Department and will begin at 1 p.m. at the city park. Children ages 2 to 10 years may participate.
If you like to eat then this is the weekend for you.
And if you like to donate to worthy causes, you’re in for a double treat.
Two annual fundraisers will take place over the next couple of days, and both benefit great causes. Each has been around long enough to where they are now known as community events.
The BetterCARE bake sale will be Friday, April 18 from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Eagles Lodge parking lot. Items for sale will include homemade breads, pies, cakes, cookies, cupcakes, brownies and much more.
Lori Stoltz and Pat Davenport sell tiickets for purchase for the golden egg raffle, which is part of BetterCARE’s annual Easter bake sale. The egg will be stuffed with a variety of prizes and is valued at mroe than $200. Tickets can be purchased at the hospital lobby or at the bake sale Friday.
“It seems like we sell more and more every year,” Carol Humphrey said. “It has been a success for us. We only do two things every year. We have the gala and then we have the bake sale.”
Each year, the group sells eggs, and inside a select number of eggs there is a chance to win an Easter basket. This year, a golden egg will also be raffled.
Tickets for a chance to win the golden egg cost $1 each and are available at the information desk in the lobby of Benewah Community Hospital. The winning ticket will be drawn at 1 p.m. Friday. Mrs. Humphrey said the items inside the egg will be a great surprise for the winner. She said several local businesses have donated.
“It will be stuffed with prizes, and it is worth more than $200,” she explained.
After you get your fill of sweets, be sure to head to the Elks Lodge the next evening.
The 14th annual pork chop feed fundraiser to support the St. Maries Elk’s youth scholarship fund is Saturday, April 19th. Dinner will be served at 5 p.m. at the lodge. A live auction will follow at 7 p.m. Tickets cost $10 per adult and $5 for children 12 years and younger. The meal includes a salad, pork chops, mashed potatoes, a vegetable and dessert. A fifty-fifty raffle will also be run at the event.
All money raised from the event supports local graduates.
The dinner has been sponsored by Felton’s Auto Sales since the business’ inception.
Dan and Barb Felton, owners of Felton’s Auto Sales sponsor the Elk’s Pork Chop Feed each year to benefit the Elk’s Youth Scholarship Fund. The 14th annual event is Saturday.
Owner Dan Felton decided he wanted to give back to the community and chose to sponsor a dinner.
“I happen to like pork chops and different community groups have organized different themed dinners to raise money for their causes, so we came up with our own,” he said.
Felton’s donates all the food for the event, and the community donates the items for the auction. Last year the event raised a record $5,300 and ran out of food.
Mr. Felton said he believes last year’s event was so successful because it was held on a Saturday, rather than the traditional Sunday afternoon.
“The change worked out well,” he said. “I am ordering 200 pork chops this year because I ordered 150 last year and ran out.”
Because of the event’s success, the lodge has been able to award seven $500 academic scholarships this year.
Minor changes are expected for the grocery store in Harrison as new owners take over this month.
Those changes include extended summer hours, a tweaking of the name, and accepting food stamps.
The sale of the Harrison Trading Company closed last week.
Marie and Tim Neville took over as new owners of the Harrison Trading Post last week. They plan to extend summer hours and accept food stamps in the near future.
The business, owned by Tina and Mike Smythe, was sold to Tim and Marie Neville, a couple who moved from Indianapolis, Ind. to run the company.
“We’ve visited the area a few times on vacation and were looking to buy property out here when we ran across the listing for the store,” Mr. Neville said. “We decided to give it a go.”
Mr. Neville has previously owned and operated several small businesses and worked in the insurance and investments and as the operations manager for a major transportation company. Mrs. Neville has worked in a grocery store for the past seven years and worked in the beverage industry prior to that.
The couple, who have been married since 2006, enjoy skiing and biking and plan to enjoy the areas recreational opportunities.
“We’ve visited the area a couple times on ski trips,” Mr. Neville said. “We are avid skiers and bikers. We moved here for the quality of life.”
The Smythes have owned the business since 2001. Mrs. Smythe plans to enjoy her summer having fun, then work to build up clientele for her massage studio.
Employees Rikki Wallace and Debbie Lockhart will continue to work at the establishment.
The business name will change slightly from the Harrison Trading Company to the Harrison Trading Post. The new owners are also expecting to extend summer hours and begin accepting food stamps as soon as their application is approved.
“We are really excited and looking forward to being a part of the community,” Mr. Neville said.
Plans are well underway for the fourth annual St. Joe River Marathon, and race organizers are certain this race will top them all.
Ok, so that claim is an over-the-top ridiculous one to make – not to mention completely unnecessary, considering that the St. Joe River Marathon, Half Marathon & 5K has proven itself a consistent race with unbelievably scenic courses for both the casual runner and disciplined athlete.
Registration is open for the June 7th and 8th events. The increasingly popular SuperKid River Run — scheduled for Saturday, June 7th — will follow the riverfront along Aqua Avenue and is open for kids up to 12 years old.
The marquee events — the 5K, half marathon and marathon races — will be Sunday, June 8th and will abide by staggered start times. The marathon starts at 8:00 a.m., our half-marathoners will begin at 8:15, and the 5K event begins at 8:30.
If you haven’t participated yet, you really ought to; the scenery is unlike any you’ll find on any other course. And if you’ve run with us before, we’d love to see you again.
Because we have a lot of fun.
Jenna Bauer and her mom, Holly Bauer, participated in the 2013 5K run.
Expect twice the number of speeches at the St. Maries graduation this year.
The graduating class of 2014 boasts co-valedictorians and co-salutatorians.
Ryan McNulty and Nathaniel Benham share valedictorian honors with GPAs of 4.0, and Katelynn Quinn-Hollis and Andrew Spooner are co-salutatorians with 3.99 GPAs.
“They are all very goal-oriented and academically very strong,” counselor Angela Schultz said. “They are pretty involved and well-rounded. They have great leadership skills and I am sure they will be very successful adults.”
Ryan McNulty, Nathaniel Benham, Andrew Spooner and Katelynn Quinn-Hollis are top students of this year’s graduating class at St. Maries High School.
Ryan has coveted the honor since his grade-school days.
“It’s something that I have looked forward to since middle school,” he said. “I’ve been at the top of my class since then.”
Nathaniel, who moved to St. Maries from Japan in middle school, said the co-honor didn’t really come as a surprise.
“Ryan and I have been at the top for forever,” he said. “I didn’t know it was possible to share the honor until last year.”
“After hearing about it we talked and agreed that sharing the honor would be the best scenario,” Ryan said.
Kaitlynn said finishing at the top was something she’d wanted since her sister finished at the top.
“I was thinking that Ryan and Nathan would battle it out for the top spots, but as it turns out there was a couple ties,” she said.
All four students boast involvement in school and community activities.
Ryan was involved in athletics, playing soccer and golf for four years. He also played both sports during the summers and skied often in the winter. In addition to sports, Ryan participated in various leadership activities, including serving as class president for three years and ASB president his senior year. He also participated in BPA for two years, was an Idaho Top Scholar, member of the National Honor Society and attended various leadership conferences.
Nathaniel is the current senior class president, participated in video production his freshman year and drama club for four years. He was also an Idaho Top Scholar, member of the National Honor Society, played in band for a year and earned his Eagle ranking in Boy Scouts last summer.
Kaitlynn was active in Key Club, a student community service organization, and also served as class president for a portion of her senior year.
Andrew played soccer for four years, golf for three, participated in track for a season, band for a year and played golf on his own in the summer. In addition he was also an Idaho Top Scholar and attended leadership conferences. He spent his free time reading, working on computers and volunteering at the local animal shelter.
The four top students may be alike in that they have high GPAs, but that is where the similarities end.
“It is very interesting to see how different each of us is,” Ryan said. “When you think of people at the top of the class you think of the stereotypical nerd with glasses, but we are four very different people.”
Ryan plans to attend the University of Idaho and major in business economics.
“I am looking to go into corporate management, hopefully in a sports-related company,” he said. “I really enjoyed BPA and the work that I’ve been doing through the different leadership positions I’ve held throughout high school.”
He will finish high school with about a year’s worth of college credits.
After a two-year mission, Nathaniel hopes to go to school to become a game writer.
“I want to work on the book part of a game,” he said. “Since the gaming industry is fairly new, there is no exact degree, but I may attend the Art Institute of Seattle or BYU Provo, which is a common school for students of my religion to attend.”
He hopes to do his mission in Japan, like his brother, who recently returned.
“The church leaders ultimately decide where to send me, but my hope is to go to Japan because that is where I grew up,” Nathaniel said. “It might also improve my chances of getting into the gaming industry since Japan owns two-thirds of it.”
Despite an accident that left Kaitlynn recovering from brain trauma, she was able to maintain her academic status.
“I was riding to school with a friend and the back tire blew out and my seatbelt didn’t lock,” she said. “I hit my head on the window pretty hard, but I don’t remember any of that day or the day before.”
The accident left her unable to participate in school or any outside activities for at least two months.
“I missed 56 days of school total, which is an insane amount, but I was able to slowly work through my studies on my own throughout the semester and came back more or less on track,” she said.
She plans to attend Washington State University in the fall to earn her prerequisites for the school’s pharmacy program. Kaitlynn hopes to be a pharmacist.
“We had to do a paper our junior year in economics and everybody else knew what they wanted to do for a career and I didn’t,” she said. “So I read up on different options and pharmacy just seem to fit. I knew right away that I’d picked the right career when I took the class and interned at the local pharmacy my senior year.”
Andrew will earn a degree in computer science and possibly computer engineering from Idaho State University.
“When I was young we didn’t have television, so my brother and I played a lot of games,” he said. “We got computers at home when I was in middle school and we started playing games on those. Since then, I’ve found I have a strong interest in computers and programming.”
Ryan is the son of John and Sharri McNulty. Nathaniel is the son of Curtis and Yvette Benham. Katelynn is the daughter of Anna Hollis and Mark Lewis. Andrew is the son of Tim and Jamie Spooner.
She has had the same job for more than 32 years, and has worked under six different bosses in that time.
It’s not something you’d normally expect unless, of course, you’re working for the Benewah County Sheriff’s Office.
Sandy Auer has worked for the Benewah County Sheriff’s Office for more than 32 years. She plans to retire March 26. Natasha Moyle, who has worked with the sheriff’s office since 2006, will be taking over Mrs. Auer’s many responsibilities. Even though the job has been challening at times, Mrs. Auer said she has had a rewarding career.
“Every four years, there was a chance you’d end up with a new boss,” Sandy Auer said, who after more than 30 years on the job will retire March 28. “I started when Bob Kirts was sheriff and have worked under a total of six sheriffs. They have all been good to work for.”
The community celebrated her retirement Friday, March 28 at the driver’s licensing office. Members of the community stopped by and shared their stories and memories.
Mrs. Auer started working as a dispatcher and in the jail during the night shift. Her responsibilities included checking prisoners in, doing cell checks and answering calls.
“At the time, I just needed a job,” she said.
She said she can recall one night when a prisoner handed her a note, which stated he needed to talk to her.
“It turned out that some prisoners were going to try to escape and they had planned to take dispatch hostage,” Mrs. Auer said. “I almost walked out at that time.”
But she didn’t.
Despite the challenges and stress of the job, Mrs. Auer said there has also been rewarding moments during her career.
“One of the highlights for me was there was a little girl from Texas who had gotten kidnapped and she was found up here, and I was the one who got to give her back to her mom,” she recalled. “It was very heart-wrenching.”
While she started answering calls in dispatch and working at the jail, Mrs. Auer has most recently been in charge of administrative duties including sex offender registration, driver’s licenses, concealed carry permits, submitting accident reports and helping out in dispatch when needed.
Mrs. Auer said there have been many changes since her duties changed. She recalls hand-writing accident reports onto the appropriate forms before sending them in to the state.
“That’s all electronic now,” she said. “We didn’t have fax machines or copy machines.”
Other advances include the phone system, changes to driver’s licenses and changes at the jail.
“I can remember when there would only be one of us up at the jail during a shift,” she said. “Prisoners were fed a good breakfast, didn’t get lunch and then got a TV meal for dinner. Today, they get three meals a day.”
Mrs. Auer said there have been several humorous calls into the dispatch center throughout the years.
“There’s been a lot. One of the ones, of course, I didn’t take it, but it was when the lady called in and wanted to know if she could put her husband into time out. People ask us all the time if we really get calls like that and yes, we do,” she said.
Mrs. Auer said it will be the people she’s worked with over the years that she will miss the most.
“I really love people and so what I’m going to miss is the people that I’ve worked with throughout the years.”
As a cancer survivor, Mrs. Auer said she is ready to take time for herself to enjoy life to the fullest. She plans to do a little bit of traveling with her husband, Dave, and spend more time with her five grandchildren. She said she may also help out at her daughter’s daycare.
“Pretty much whatever comes around is what I’ll be doing,” she said.
Kaitlyn Bartlett and Lexie Brebner entertained the crowd with a gymnastics routine.
More than 200 people attended the St. Maries Got Talent Show March 22. The show was sponsored by Potlatch Corp and will help benefit local couple Tony and Kelli Spooner. The money raised from the event will help Mr. and Mrs. Spooner pay costs associated with adopting two children from Africa.
Kelsey Craner, one of the organizers, said that close to $3,000 was raised and that the show might be organized next year to benefit another cause that supports children in the community.
Braelie Caldwell performs a routine to the song Let It Go as part of the Stick It Gymnastics team that entertained at the talent show Saturday evening.
Daniel Compton played and sang Just to See You Smile for the crowd.
Dani Shoemaker helps her daughter Rozlynn practice her hand stands backstage before the talent show Saturday.
Members of the crowd check out the snacks available at the concession tables before the beginning of the talent show Saturday. All the money raised from the event went to help the Spooner family with adoption costs.
Taylor Humphrey helps Allie Brebner with her hair backstage before the start of the talent show.
Tara Truscott curls her daughter Addison’s hair before the performance.
Kelsey Craner served as master of ceremonies for the talent show Saturday.
A standout player on the St. Maries football team signed a letter of intent March 13 to play football for the Defenders at Dordt College.
Luke Feasline plans to study pre-med at the private, Christian based college in Sioux Center, Ia. The college has offered him a $7,000 academic scholarship as well as a $12,000 football scholarship for each year he attends.
Luke Feasline (sitting center) signed a letter of intent Friday to play football for Dordt College located in Sioux Center, Iowa. Luke has been a standout player for St. Maries and he was offered a substantial amount in scholarships from the school. Pictured with him include his parents (sitting) Kelly and Mark, (standing) his brother Logan, St. Maries coach Craig Tefft and St. Maries athletics director Cory Newton.
“It’s a really good Christian based school and they have a football program that is up and coming,” Luke said, “and I will have the opportunity to start as a freshman.”
Luke played football for St. Maries High School for four years as a free safety and starting quarterback, a position he’ll play for Dordt College.
“I just really love the game,” Luke said. “I love the brotherhood of football and the competition. And playing football in college just gives you the chance to do more. I’m very excited.”
St. Maries coach Craig Tefft has no doubts Luke will be successful in his pursuits, both on and off the field. Coach Tefft has coached Luke during his high school career the last four years.
“Luke’s best quality is his commitment to becoming better,” he said. “He practices year round; he just doesn’t play in the fall. He works at it in the off season.”
Coach Tefft said Luke has an “infectious attitude” that rubs off on others and makes them want to do better as well.
“He’s has that leadership quality,” he added. “And he’s very coachable. He listens and he applies what he hears. I think he will do very well at the collegiate level. He’s very dedicated and doesn’t do anything halfway.”
Luke is the son of Mark and Kelly Feasline.
A St. Maries freshman will travel abroad this summer as part of the People-to-People Ambassador Program.
Gabrielle Hatley-Lewis was invited to participate in the program after she was recommended by a teacher.
St. Maries High School freshman Gabrielle Hatley-Lewis plans to travel abroad this summer.
“President Eisenhower started it in 1953,” Gabrielle said. “He wanted students to travel the world and learn about different cultures.”
Gabrielle will visit France, Italy and Greece in July and will be gone for three weeks. To raise money for the trip, she is collecting old clothes – including those that are ripped, stained or torn, as well as shoes, single or paired, towels, gloves and hats, sheets, blankets and quilts, drapes, purses and belts.
The items are turned over to Clothes for the Cause, a company that collects a variety of unwanted items and turns them into cash. The company pays 15 to 20 cents per pound. Unusable items are recycled into material for insulation, wiping rags or broken down to reclaim fiber.
To learn about the places she will be visiting, Gabrielle attends regular meetings each month. She is also meeting the other 19 students from Idaho that will be traveling with her.
“I’m really excited,” she said. “I’ve always wanted to go to Paris. I really like art and we get to go to the Louvre in Paris, and see the Sistine Chapel. Both places have beautiful pieces of art.”
Those who would like to donate clothing or other items should contact Gabrielle’s grandmother, Linda Buck, at 582-0401.
Of all the activities we squeeze into our summers, the Rattitude Rod Rumble easily maxes out on the cool factor. And just like with all of our other summer events, planning is well underway for the third annual Rumble.
The Rattitude Rod Rumble is a two-day car event that boasts a collection of activities that include small-town staples such as a cruise and drive-in movie — but the highlight of the weekend is easily the cars themselves. Made using mostly spare parts and tons of imagination, the designs always delight. Though there are many different variations, typically a rat rod is a low-budget traditional vehicle that is built with junkyard parks, and our show creates a different atmosphere than the traditional car show.
Just like in year’s past, there is no entry fee and no admission for this event.
This year’s Rumble is scheduled for Friday, June 20 and Saturday, June 21st. The weekend kicks off with a cruise along Main Avenue Friday from 6 – 7 p.m. The drive-in movie will start later that evening, around 9. And the next day is jam-packed as well with a car show starting at 10 a.m. along the riverfront at Aqua Park. Pinstriping will be available throughout the show, and several vendors will be on-hand for browsing.
New this year is a burnout contest, scheduled to start at 5 p.m. on Saturday. Spectators are welcome, and anyone who is interested to burnout can join. Arrangements are still being made in regards to a location.
Keep checking back here and in the St. Maries Gazette Record for more information as it becomes available because – honestly – this is one event you don’t want to miss.
