Karen and Rich e-mailed this to me: Rich and I are hosting Yappy Hour for the Panhandle Animal Shelter (PAS). This is an event that was started in order to have a social hour for owners and their dogs. Last year, PAS began bringing shelter dogs to these events. They found that not only did the dogs have a great time but the adoption rate went up! If you are interested in volunteering your time by bringing a dog from PAS, please email or call me. We are looking for 3-4 volunteers. Yappy HourThursday - April 28, 2011 (4:00-7:00)Location: Laughing Dog Brewery (at their new site-next to Papa Murphy's-South side)1109 FontainePonderay, ID We are aware of people's schedule and therefore there is flexiblility on the time of picking up your dog. Dogs can be obtain anytime between 4 and 5ish and ... 04/19/2011

Sandpoint Activities and Attractions for our warm season Hiking and biking are on the minds of many in North Idaho as the winter blues give way to spring fun. As we have blogged about, two of our favs are Scotchman Peaks and the Roman Nose, but there are many, many more. Learn all about Hiking and Biking in North Idaho here. Lost in the 50's begins May 19th, but other great events pepper the disappearance of snow. Sandpoint Farmers Market begins on May 7th and Bonners Ferry Farmers Market kicks off its season on May 14th. The Inland Northwest's best theme park has a great event. Silverwood Theme Park and Boulder Beach Water Park, south of Sandpoint on Highway 95, celebrates its anniversary (the park opened in 1988) with admission for all ages at just $19.88 each day. The same rate appli... 04/19/2011

I recently spoke with Sharon Lewis about the NeighborWoods Tree Program and their admirable efforts to plant our aborial friends around Sandpoint. Here is what she related to me: Since 2008 the NeighborWoods program has helped Sandpoint residents plant 325 trees in the city's public right-of-ways.  This is a great opportunity for Sandpoint residents who have the available space to receive a FREE tree from the city.  Folks from the Sandpoint Tree Committee will help the resident choose an appropriate tree for their space and then help them plant the tree.  All that is required is submitting an application by April 27th and attending a workshop on Thursday evening, April 28 from 5:30 to 7:30pm in the City Council Chambers.  The application is available for download at www.cityofsandpoint.... 04/18/2011

Volunteers sought to help spruce up Sand Creek Yesterday Kate Buska, the new head of the Downtown Sandpoint Business Association, appeared on my show North Idaho Business to talk about some of the upcoming events and happenings in Sandpoint. The clean up of Sand Creek has been ongoing for about ten years, and the results have been a beautiful waterway. Next week, Jennifer Ekstrom of the Lake Pend Oreille Waterkeeper will tell us a bit more and inform us about our waterways here in our neck of the Panhandle. Here is their press release:  The Downtown Sandpoint Business Association and Lake Pend Oreille Waterkeeper are teaming up this spring to remove trash from the shoreline along Sand Creek in downtown Sandpoint during the annual Sand Creek Clean Up on April 16, 2011. A winter's worth o... 04/13/2011

Janna Rankin Scharf, CLHMS, GRI, SFR - Coeur d'Alene Idaho Homes For Sale Real Estate Randomness... Saturday I had an opportunity to take a pleasant drive north to Sandpoint, Idaho.  The sun was out, for a change, and I had an excuse opportunity for a nice diversion from the mundane.  Although I still remember all the reasons I decided NOT to do Broker Price Opinions anymore, my favorite credit union officer asked if I would do one for him on a ski condo at Schweitzer in Sandpoint.  I agreed and off I went. I drove up with my husband who was taking advantage of the last weekend of spring skiing this season.  I dropped him at the lift and enjoyed the beautiful sights and scenery as I drove around the mountain in search of the condo.  I easily found it, to my surprise.  I also found no sh... 04/10/2011

That great time of year is fast approaching. Better weather, big crowds, sock hop, street dance, and so much fun. Here is an article published in the Bonner County Daily Bee about last year's party: click here. They reported over 600 cars in the vintage car parade. To see what was going on, visit www.Lostinthe50s.org Here is what it looked like on the Saturday morning 2010: Band playing at Farmin Park Looking down Main Street from the clock tower in Farmin Park Kids playing in the fountain at Jeff Jones Square Over 600 vintage cars on display Arlo's Ristorante, like most businesses, was packed This bike was in Easy Rider Big crowds at 2010 Lost in the 50's Big crowds at 2010 Lost in the 50's Cool cars at 2010 Lost in the 50's Gary Lirette, featured in Where To Retire magazine and host o... 04/09/2011

To understand the history of Sandpoint, and Bonner County, North Idaho, one must first take into account our geography. While our area is dominated by mountains, the most prominent feature is Lake Pend Oreille, with an area of 148 square miles, and 111 miles of coastline. Only Flathead Lake in Montana and some man-made lakes are larger.  It is 65 miles long, and 1,150 feet deep in some regions (5th in the US). Fed by Clark Fork River and drained by the Pend Oreille River. It is surrounded by national forests and many small towns, including Bayview, Hope, and Sandpoint. All but the southern tip of the lake is in Bonner County, the southern tip which is home to Farragut State Park, the original home of the Farragut Naval Training Station, and the home of the NAVSEA's Naval Surface Warfare... 04/08/2011

A woman I know stopped me today to tell me a story. Her son had joined the army and had returned for a visit post-basic training. Pretty typical to come home between AIT and basic. The soldier and his mother had decided to have a bite to eat at Dish Home Cooking. The young man had been self-conscious, in that he felt conspicuous in his new uniform, standing out from us civilians. She explained how another family member had increased his unease by telling him, in repeated fashion, that he "looked weird" with his new, much, much shorter hair cut. As he walked into the restaurant, it seemed that all eyes fell upon him. The world had stopped, and everyone quit their conversations to stare down this brave young man who volunteered to serve his country. At first, the two, mother and son, just... 04/07/2011

"David Thompson first referred to it in one of his journals as "a point of sand" that pushed into Lake Pend Oreille. Members of the Kalispell tribe called it Qapquape, which translates to "sandy place." Today, Sandpoint is nothing similar to the remote spot familiar to Thompson and numerous Native Americans before him. Even a century ago, when it was formally incorporated as a city, Sandpoint was nothing like the upscale year-round tourist site that it has become." - October 31, 2002, Spokesman Review. That was how the story began in an article that was printed about the documentary that tells the story of Sandpoint. It is titled Sandpoint at the North End of the Long Bridge. It is a wonderful film commissioned for the Centennial Celebration of our fine city made by award-winning docume... 04/07/2011

After losing the former Sandpoint Music, to get quality guitars and equipment, we now found ourselved having to drive to Coeur d'Alene. Sure, Nieman's Florist sells some stuff, and you can get a few things related to playing music at other places, but c'mon, we need a music store in Sandpoint. Last Tuesday I interviewed Dan Wallace of the new incarnation of Sandpoint Music. The old business had moved out of downtown, and not long afterwards went out of business. Dan carrys a great selection of quality guitars, amps, and everything I was hoping for in a music store. They are located at 203 Cedar St., Sandpoint, ID 83864 208-255-4999 Here is their Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Sandpoint-Music/203924622951491?sk=info They are having their grand opening this week. Here is th... 04/06/2011

Sandpoint Upcoming Events - This Week in Sandpoint from the Sandpoint Chamber Coeur d'Alene Upcoming Events - from the CdA Chamber Check out all daily Sandpoint Events in the Bonner Daily Bee Bonner Mall Cinema Movie Schedule - click here! April 1-2: Schweitzer - 24 Hours of Schweitzer Schweitzer Mountain Resort hosts the third annual 24 Hours of Schweitzer - an all-day, all-night ski-a-thon which raises funds for cystinosis research. The ski relay is one of only a handful of events like it in the U.S., and it moves to a new spring timeslot this year. An incredible auction and awards party follows the relay, and is open to the public. The event is still in need of participants, volunteers and sponsors - to register and find out more information, read a press release or visit 24HoursforH... 04/03/2011

We all know some of the various methods sellers and REALTORS® use to close the sale. In this market, it can be frustrating. How do you get buyers to even notice the home, much less put pen to dotted line? Some things are pretty standard, such as holding an Open House. However, in our area, so spread out and with resistance built in, having an Open House is often fruitless. If you are in town or in a development, there is a better chance of having some traffic that may lead to a sale. In a major metro region, people routinely drive around looking at homes. REALTORS® and buyers look in the paper to find which homes will be participating. Being so rural with homes in vastly different areas does not lend itself well to this idea. I have held many, many Open Houses with limited effect. At de... 04/03/2011

Idaho 360 Virtual Tours There are six 360º Virtual Tours showing landmarks from our area. They are pretty cool, but a couple are questionable, even lame. Still, here they are: Sandpoint Long Bridge Sleep's Cabins Lake Pend Oreille Cruises Western Pleasure Guest Ranch Sandpoint City Beach Pend Oreille Gary Lirette, featured in Where To Retire magazine and host of the Tuesday noon local radio shows: North Idaho Business as well as North Idaho Arts. E-mail Gary or call 208-610-1384Read Gary's Blogs   Tomlinson Sandpoint Sotheby's International Realty 200 Main StreetSandpoint, Idaho 208-255-3474 www.SandpointID.net - To learn all about Sandpoint and North Idaho www.RealtySandpoint.com - For Sandpoint Realty www.SkiSchweitzer.net - To visit Schweitzer Mountain's Community Web 04/02/2011

News April 29 Three years ago I met Heather Kra who was here to try an pave the way for use of bio controls (weevils) to be used to combat milfoil in Lake Pend Oreille. The hurdles then were virtually insurmountable. I interviewed that company on my radio show. One of my questions that somewhat remains unanswered was, how do we know this will work on our lake with no unforeseen repercussions? The method has been used on many other lakes, but nothing even close to the size of Lake Pend Oreille. According to this article, looks like the hurdles continue. Jennifer Ekstrom of Lake Pend Oreille Waterkeeper will be appearing on my show April 19th so I expect we will discuss this at that time. ISDA denies permit for weevil project SANDPOINT - A long-awaited project to determine the effectivene... 04/02/2011

Wanting to get away from it all, I drove just one minute from downtown Sandpoint to the Sandpoint City Beach. While the park will become the center of town life this summer, right now, while the temperatures are in the high-50s approaching 60 degrees, there is a certain silent solace overlooking Lake Pend Oreille. Here are the pics and video: Lake Pend Oreille Trail Gary Lirette, featured in Where To Retire magazine and host of the Tuesday noon local radio shows: North Idaho Business as well as North Idaho Arts. E-mail Gary or call 208-610-1384Read Gary's Blogs   Tomlinson Sandpoint Sotheby's International Realty 200 Main StreetSandpoint, Idaho 208-255-3474 www.SandpointID.net - To learn all about Sandpoint and North Idaho www.RealtySandpoint.com - For Sandpoint Realty www.SkiSchweitzer... 03/31/2011

On March 10 I posted this blog: Is a flood of shadow inventory on the horizon? I included the sources, and explained why we might see things get worse before they get better. The financial institutions may be banking (forgive the pun) on having one result: an increase in their stock values. If the flood comes the outcome could be painful. All prices could drop by 25-40%, and while the benefit to buyers is obvious, it could have the opposite effect. If the value of homes is dropping consistently, but not all at once, buyers may have a wait-and-see attitude. Also, it may lead to making loans difficult to procure. Already banks are not loaning on homes that appraise lower than the contract price. If home values are falling it will be hard for appraisers to value some homes at what sellers... 03/29/2011

While videos are great for selling things, in our case real estate, it is paramount to promote the communities you are targeting. In my case, I love my community. I want others to love it. Showing what our town and region is all about helps get that sentiment across. Pictures sell a listing, but videos really communicate the essence of a place. Last Sunday I saw a great 'Traditions' band play rock and blues at a neighborhood spot. It was a great acoustic concert by Cody Beebe and the Crooks at Di Luna's in Sandpoint, Idaho. Always great festivals and things going on in Sandpoint, what with gigantic Lake Pend Oreille underneath Schweitzer Mountain Ski Resort. Still, one of the best things is the music scene. This groups was surprising, and being from New Orleans, they made me feel right ... 03/29/2011

Panhandle Artists http://www.panhandlearts.org/ Artist Bulletin Board A Web Gallery Show and sell your Art with Gallery Events   Workshops for the artist From the Artist, For the Aatists, To the ARTS It's an Art Guild  We are here for the artist We are not a community organization We show our art, to sell our art ! With Workshops that help the artist with professional growth. We have art shows and split the cost of the overhead. This way we can have more of our own shows     We are listed on the Chamber of Commerce which allows all artists whether he or she is a potter or painter to be found. This website gives each member a page to show their art and contact information along with links to their own websites and galleries they are selling with. It's not a store, but a art guild. Join a... 03/29/2011

Mandy Evans appeared on the North Idaho Business radio show I host on Tuesdays at noon. She is the new Executive Director for the Panhandle Animal Shelter. Mandy was on the show to talk about upcoming events and goings on at the no-kill animal shelter. Before she got the job she had organized two great undertakings for Sandpoint. Coming from dog-friendly communities, I was surprised to find that there were no dogs allowed in parks in Sandpoint, with the exception of Dog Beach near the Long Bridge. Mandy got the city council to allow, experimentally, dogs in Memorial Park. As of October 2010, dogs are now allowed in that park permanently. Now, the conditional period is underway at Hickory Park. Now, with being more lenient about dogs in parks, the council passed an ordinance mandating ow... 03/29/2011

The Blue Heron Café is this great little place almost halfway between Bonners Ferry and Sandpoint, Idaho. Now, you may think, had you ever passed this place not far from Naples, Idaho, "How can a café attached to a gas station be any good?" In fact, one review on Yelp gave it four stars, but wondered the same thing. While this yelper mainly liked the breakfast, I have had dinner there, and my chicken and dumplings for my last meal was the kind of homemade style that reminds one of grandma's house. That is what Chef Steve Holmes is shooting for. Steve joined me by phone on my North Idaho Business radio show Tuesday. Steve was kind when he said, "We make everything from scratch. I know that probably most restaurants in Sandpoint are doing that now, and I'm glad, but that is something we'r... 03/29/2011