It’s Back!
- Steve Russo
- Jul 15, 2014
- 2 min read
Kootenai River Days returns after 12 year hiatus. By Robert Lavala
For thirty-five years the Kootenai River Days welcomed exciting events, people and businesses to participate in a wide range of challenges and family-friendly performances. Now, after a twelve year hiatus, the Bonners Ferry Chamber of Commerce has decided to bring back this wonderful tradition.
At first blush, anyone familiar with the River Days event will see that several key events/competitions are conspicuously absent from the lineup. Team raft races, logger events and the rodeo are on that list and, according to planning coordinators Tamra and Wendy Hiatt, the 2015 planning committee will seek to incorporate more of these types of events. “The Rodeo, the Rod Benders Car Club and the logger events all revolve around a circuit,”explained Wendy. “The Chamber and the planning committee will be seeking a better time in the Summer for next year's event so that all of the 'staple events' can be added back to the line up.”
As it stands now, the three day event, which begins on Friday, July 25th, is packed with fun. Many local events that we all enjoy are rolling into the River Days venue to show a cohesive effort to bring back the famed Kootenai River Days. With the current list of participants, there promises to be something for everyone. Some of the key events include the Family Fun Night on Friday night; The Pearl Theater is hosting a production of 'Little Women' all weekend; there will be a 26' wide screen set up at Memorial Park (Fairgrounds) for a movie-in-the-park night featuring the 2014 rendition of 'The Lone Ranger'; and the ever-popular 'Bike & Hike on the Dike’ is Saturday morning promoted by the local Search and Rescue. And then there is everyone's favorite - the Pancake Breakfast at the Bonners Ferry Airport.
On Saturday, Main Street will be closed to traffic and many local businesses will be offering food and drink specials. The Police Department has even relaxed the rules to allow open containers for the day's events. Special events on Saturday include a performance from Travis Billingsly, who was featured on The Voice, wheelchair races on Main Street, belly dancers, lawnmower races and the Terry Travis Memorial Arm Wrestling Tournament. The main event will be Bonners Ferry Rob Ross opening for Area 56. Sunday will feature the Idaho Run for the Fallen beginning at 8am. Other events throughout the three days can be found on the event schedule available on the Chamber of Commerce website (http://bonnersferrychamber.org).
This large of a grass roots campaign takes a lot of planning and even more volunteers. This year many have come forward to help get the beloved event back in the public eye. When asked if other communities will participate, the coordinators said that this first year back would more than likely be local folks and businesses. However, as the event takes hold once again, communities such as Sandpoint, Clark Fork, Troy and Libby will definitely be a part of the competitive teams that vie for prizes and bragging rights at Kootenai River Days.
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