Blue skies and warm days, hmmm…and the St. Maries Golf Course is open.
The Men’s League play starts today and women’s teams are forming. The local golf association is planning several benefit tournaments this summer; you get to play golf and raise money for a local cause.
Have you checked out the St. Maries Golf Course? The 9-hole course at the St. Maries Golf Course features 2,665 yards of golf from the longest tees for a par of 35. Just two miles from downtown St. Maries, the course is nestled among the trees. Whitetail deer, elk and turkeys are often seen on the course at the end of the day.
You might want to call ahead for tee times, 245-3842.
Hello Sunshine!
Can you believe it? Forecasters are predicting sunshine for St. Maries and the St. Joe Valley all of this week and into the next.
With temperatures approaching 70º it would foolish not to take advantage of this great weather. Get outdoors, play a round of golf at the St. Maries Golf Course, go for bicycle ride or get in an extra run in your preparation of the St. Joe River Marathon June 10. www.stjoerivermarathon.com/
Or maybe dirt bikes are more your speed and you’ll be tuning up your engines for the St. Joe Cycle Club Muddy Butt Tag Team races May 20 at Xmas Hills just a couple miles from St. Maries. There’s a list of Xmas Hills races at the St. Joe Cycle Club’s website. stjoecycleclub.com
Whatever you plan to do this evening do take it outdoors and make the most of it.
It looks as if the clear skies and cool temperatures have slowed the melt of the mountain snow and the St. Joe River is beginning to run clear which means its time to hit the river for some spring fishing.
Then again, any fisherman can tell you high water doesn’t stop the fish from eating. You just need to know what they like.
When fly fishing for cutthroat this time of year area fishermen prefer to use streamers or a wet fly to lure the cutthroat to the hook.
Then again, you might want to try your luck fishing for the Great Northern Pike. Fishermen report having caught the big sharp-toothed fish in the waters at St. Joe City and below. There’s also plenty of pike in the St. Maries River and pike is fun to catch!
The weatherman is predicting some pretty sweet weather this weekend. You should take advantage of it and wet a line.
There’s something about the contrast of fresh white, mountain snow and the bright spring green of new leaves that makes the St. Joe Valley amazingly beautiful in these early spring days.
While we may pine for sunshine and 70º weather, don’t miss out on the beauty of St. Maries because of a little rain, or snow.
Stop and visit our businesses, grab a bite to eat and enjoy that occasional ray of spring sunshine.
The fresh air is amazing!
… we wanna get outside and play.
We got a small taste of unseasonably warm weather last week, and we want it back.
Luckily, according to the National Weather Service the St. Joe River will not reach major flood stage. The river is considered at major flood stage when it reaches a level of 38 feet or more. According to the National Weather Service’s data as of today, the river will begin its decent out of flood stage (32.5-38 feet) and gradually decline over the next few days.
Our weather forecast also shows rain showers waning as the week wears on. Which is a good thing because we’re ready to play.
We have baseball games to cheer at, barbecues to fire up and long runs to train for.
And you, dear reader, have a trip to plan.
Another perk of the summer season is the chance to get reacquainted. Of course, we offer plenty of events to do so, but this summer comes with a couple extras: St. Maries High School classes of 1972 and 1992 will host their 40- and 20-year reunions, respectively.
The Class of ’72 will celebrate July 20. Plans are still underway and committee members are still seeking classmates’ addresses. Anyone who would like to help with the preparations or can provide any information, please call 208-568-0072 or 208-245-5188.
The Class of ’92 will celebrate July 20th and 21st. The two-day event includes an open house at the golf course, tours of the schools and a barbecue at the Benewah County Fairgrounds. Organizers are seeking addresses and information for several classmates. Anyone with any information can contact Jennifer (Sumner) Osier, 208-245-2746.
There are towns everywhere.
Communities, however, are different; rare even because they have to be created. They are formed by people and fostered through hard work. It doesn’t have to be something as organized as a recycling project or any type of major platform to make an impact — although those are nice too.
Take Little League, for example.
T-ball coaches Lena Myers and Shasta Olson help their team in the outfield. Photo courtsey of Pam Neff Olson
Dozens of people volunteer countless hours all in an effort to make spring a little more special for a group of kids and their families. Don’t believe me? Walk down to City Park on any weekday afternoon, and you’ll find it swarming with children, decked out in uniforms and matching hats – many of them members of an actual team for the first time. And most of ‘em having the times of their lives.
All because a few people got together and decided it needed to be done.
We don’t need politicians urging us to volunteer. We don’t need public service announcements calling us to action. We do it because we love it. It’s genuine … subtle yet meaningful.
Volunteerism at its finest.
T-ball coach Lena Myers congratulates a player after he made it to first.
**For more examples of our community in action, check out what our Paul Bunyan Days committee does for our annual Paul Bunyan Days celebration over the Labor Day weekend, the St. Maries Elks’ organization does with Elks Christmas Baskets and the way our Chamber of Commerce organizes countless events throughout the year, including one of my favorites, Christmas in St. Maries.
With warmer temperatures settling in and beautiful sunrises like the ones we’ve been witnessing for days now, I think it’s pretty clear that even Mother Nature knows what we’re up to, and each new sprout budding into full bloom is her way of cheering us on. For those of you who may not know, St. Maries is just about to hit her stride with a lineup of events that lasts all summer long. You might want to grab a quick overnight bag and step into sync with us.
Stretching toward the sun. Snapped this morning - April 24, 2012.
But if that doesn’t work with your schedule at least relax, grab another cup of coffee and check out the events we have to offer under our Community Events tab. Pick one – or two or three – you’re interested in and book your stay at any of our hotels or B&Bs. We’d love to see you and show you what our small town can do.
Although we’re all still reeling over the excitement of hosting the Toyota-Weaver Seed World Jet Boat Race Championships, we also know that the fun is just beginning.
Fans of all ages turned out for the 2012 Jet Boat Races on the St. Joe River. Josh and Jochebel Swanson are pictured enjoying the beautiful weather we had the Saturday of the weekend-long event.
Summer is kind of our thing, and we do it in spectacular fashion from now through September. With no breaks, no timeouts and definitely no slowing down.
Next up for us are our motocross racing events that kicks off when summer officially does, Memorial Day Weekend.
Registration for the second annual St. Joe River Marathon is in full swing, and race organizers are already projecting a bigger turnout than last year. Start training and get registered now … http://www.stjoerivermarathon.com/ Have children interested in running too? Sign ’em up for the Super Kid River Run. It’s going to be a blast … not to mention seriously adorable.
Driver Mark Cromie and his Navigator Richard Naunder piloting the boat “The General” and I do mean piloting as their boat hit a large wave in windy conditions on the Lewiston Leg of the race. Their boat was launched completely up in the air in a vertical position and then touched down tail first. After reentry, they and their boat went under a wave and were completely submerge. They went from a screaming eagle across the water to a rocket and then a submarine in a matter of seconds. We are happy that this team didn’t sustain any injuries, unfortunately this cannot be said of the “The General” who sustained damage. Go to facebook and see the entire event taken by photographer Mark Sharley, the photos are spectacular.
