Winter fun no matter the weather

With average winter temperatures of about 25 above zero, North Idaho's not the frozen North when it comes to ice skating on smaller lakes. Triple Play Family Fun Park has added a new feature to their attraction with an outdoor skating rink, the Polar Bear Pond. The non-greasy EZ Glide 350 floating panels are the same used in some traveling ice shows and Disney on Ice. Hours: 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. every day. 762-7529 Story HERE.

Tourism and Our Town

North Idaho Tourism Summit is set for January 27 at Red Lion Templin's Hotel. "A 2005 analysis by Global Insight estimated tourism accounted for 5 percent of Idaho's gross state product and provided jobs for more than 47,000 workers. More than 12,000 of those workers were in the five Panhandle counties -- more than 13 percent of North Idaho's employment. Tourists spent more than $444 million in the region during 2004." Additional information HERE.

Buck Knives Bucks Trends

Interesting read about Buck Knives, whose corporate headquarters and manufacturing plant are located in Post Falls, Idaho. HERE.

Mentoring

Post Falls Chamber board member Adam Johnson featured in a Spokesman Review story about Big Brothers/Sisters program HERE.

Red Lion Templin's donates marina space

Kudos to Red Lion Templin's for their generous donation of a boat house at their marina for the Kootenai County Sheriff's Marine division to store a rescue boat and one of the Kootenai Fire and Rescue boats. The location up river will provide faster response time by both agencies. Additional information HERE.

Legislative Send-Off

The annual Legislative Send-Off Luncheon took place Dec. 2 at RedLion Templin's. Len Crosby of Community 1st Bank moderated the discussion with Representatives George Saylor and Marge Chadderdon, Senators John Goedde and Jim Hammond and Representatives Frank Henderson and Bob Nonini (not pictured) Business leaders from the Post Falls and Coeur d'Alene Chambers were briefed on what the legislators are anticipating as the major issues during the upcoming 2010 session in Boise. In a word ... budget.

Construction Countdown Week 8

The bricklayers have been hard at it, placing the brick and rock on the building exterior this past week. The windows will arrive any day and once those are installed the remaining brick around the sills will be completed.

Construction Countdown Week 7

As week 7 comes to an end, the exterior walls have been covered in protective plastic and the masons have begun the exterior brick work. To see photos of the project progress since Oct. 1 see album HERE.

A Groundbreaking Ribbon-Cutting

On Saturday crowds joined Post Falls Chamber representatives in cutting the riboon on Kootenai Health's new Kootenai Cancer Center on Mullan Avenue in Post Falls. The 21,000-square-foot, $14.5 million center includes a research department where more than 40 patients with cancer that has not responded to prior treatment will be undergoing clinical tests. One of the most impressive areas is the radiology department, where a new $2.7 million linear accelerator is enclosed in concrete walls more than nine feet thick. Press story by Rick Thomas HERE.

Full Circle

Over a quarter century ago when Dave Bobbitt first came to Post Falls as a bank manager, Hilde Kellogg paid him a visit. She told him he would be president of the Chamber and that they were building a new office the next year. That was the beginning of Dave's involvement with the Post Falls Chamber of Commerce. Now all these years later Dave, as chairman-elect of the organization, is poised to again provide leadership. Ironically, the Chamber has a new building under construction to open in 2010. Click HERE to see photos of who joined the duo on November 4.