We may be small in population, but our area is big in annual activities. The events listed below are taken from the pages of "The Guide to the St. Joe Valley", one of several annual publications compiled by the St. Maries Gazette Record. In some cases, contacts are not listed because they change each year. For information on events which do not have a contact number, feel free to email the St. Maries Gazette Record at the address at the bottom of our opening page.

JANUARY

Second Sunday: Camas Prairie Shoot series begins at St. Maries Gun Club. Ends in March.

FEBRUARY

Early: Gun Show, St. Maries. Swap, trade or buy guns and accessories. Come early for the bargains; it's amazing what comes out of closets and dresser drawers and shows up on tables. Don Darter, 245-2551.

Early: Groundhog Dance, St. Maries. Sponsored by the Benewah Valley Association the Saturday closest to Groundhog Day. Proceeds fund repairs and improvements to the community center. Drawings for packages of ground pork (ground hog, get it?). Dottie Hodgson, 245-2349

Mid: Valentine's dances and dinners too numerous to mention. Children exchange Valentines at school and have class parties. Cupid is still active in our area.

Third Sunday: Archery Trail Shoot, St. Maries. Walk along a trail and shoot at life-sized, realistic targets. Hundreds participate each year for big prizes. Can't make it? There is a shoot in late July. Sponsored by St. Joe Valley Archers. Part of the proceeds go to the local DARE program. Vanessa Edwards, 245-0155.

MARCH

First Saturday: Ham and Turkey dinner with trimmings, Rose Lake. Sponsored by Rose Lake Historical Society. Mike White, 682-2643

Mid: Ducks Unlimited Banquet, St. Maries. Prime Rib dinner, art auction and games. Benefits the national Ducks Unlimited organization, which is concerned with wetlands conservation. Pat Flach, 245-5667.

St. Patrick's Day: Numerous dances, luncheons and potluck dinners.

Late: Benewah Soil and Water Conservation District banquet, St. Maries. Farmer of the Year is named; winner of children's conservation poster announced.

APRIL

Early: Pancake breakfast, St. Maries. Sponsored by St. Maries Firefighters. Proceeds to various nonprofit organizations.

Easter: Cantatas, are presented by St. Maries Community Choir. Breakfasts, egg hunts, church services and programs at area churches. Community - wide service in St. Maries at high school gym.

Early or Mid: Juried art show. Artwork by St. Maries High School students. St. Maries Art Gallery. Sharron Smillie, 245-3417.

Mid to Late: St. Maries Junior Miss. St. Maries High School juniors compete for scholarships, prizes and the local title. The St. Maries winner goes on to compete for the state title. Rebekah Rouw is the 1998 winner. Call Karen Ebert: 245-3071.

Third weekend: Pike fishing derby. Sponsored by Rose Lake General Store. Restricted to chain lakes between Rose Lake and Harrison. Boaters and shore anglers compete on an equal level. The 1996 winner took home $1,200 for a 13 pound northern pike.

Last Friday: Antelope Fun Run, DeSmet. Coeur d' Alene Tribal School students and adults run 30 miles in relays from Sacred Heart Mission in DeSmet to the top of Steptoe Butte, site of 19th Century cavalry/Indian battle. Brenda Abrahamson, 686-1800.

MAY

First Saturday: Pig Scramble, St. Maries, Benewah County Fairgrounds. 4-H youth scramble to catch the pigs they will raise all summer for market. In 1997, more than 18 children  (and piglets) participated. Benewah County extension office, 245-2422.

Mid - May: St. Maries downtown cleanup. Firefighters and citizens get up at dawn to hose off the winter grime from downtown streets. Bob Stowell, 245-5568.

Mid - May: Bike-a-thon to benefit St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, St. Maries. Pedal 10 or 20 miles and help the hospital in Memphis, Tenn., fight cancer in children. The route goes along the St. Joe River. Connie Port, 245-2800.

Memorial Day: Observances at local cemeteries. No parades.

Memorial Day: Avery. Annual fisherman's breakfast, Avery Community Center. Breakfast same morning as opening date of trout season. Melissa Scheffelmaier, 245-4410.

JUNE

Early: Horseback poker ride, Benewah Valley. Seventeen and 12 mile courses offered. Refreshments at checkpoints. Barbecue with all the fixings at the end of the trail, prepared by Benewah Home Demonstration Club. Ride is sponsored by the Benewah Valley Association. Call Dottie Hodgson, 245-2349 or Susan Waddell, 245-2674 for more information.

Early: Tensed Day. Breakfast, parade down US 95 (join the parade!), poker run/walk, softball game, barbecue, raffles, food, booths, Tensed Volunteer Ambulance display, pony rides, carnival games, rummage sale, bake sale and much more. Diane Jensen, 274-5482

Mid: Squawfish derby, St. Maries. Prizes for biggest fish, most caught, junior and senior citizen divisions. Registration fee required. Must fish within the St. Joe, St. Maries Rivers and Coeur d' Alene drainage to Post Falls Dam to qualify. Sponsored by several local businesses and individuals.

Mid: Pig-out in the Park, Harrison Park. Pigs and turkeys slow-roasted, with all the trimmings. More than 400 persons usually participate. Proceeds buy fireworks for the big Fourth of July show in Harrison. Sponsored by the Harrison Chamber of Commerce. Jerry and Cheryl Kirkpatrick, 689-9203.

JULY

July 4: Harrison Fireworks display. One of the lake's biggest. Stand on the shore or anchor your boat on Couer d' Alene Lake and watch "the rockets red glare" above you. Funded by earlier Pig-out in the Park event. Sponsored by the Harrison Chamber of Commerce.

Early: St. Maries Airport Fly-In. Aircraft owners and lovers converge on the St. Maries Airport for the annual Kiwiani's fundraiser.

Early: Benewah Valley Association picnic and auction, Benewah Valley. Parade, games, displays and photographs of early life of the loggers and settlers of the valley. Raffle, potluck, Old Time Fiddlers play, old cars, a replica of a logging flume and the traditional centerpiece - a 1914 Mack "Bulldog" logging truck. Dottie Hodgson, 245-2349.

July 19 - 20: smART in the Park festival of the arts. The annual s.m.ART by the River Festival of the Arts is sponsered each year by the St. Maries Council for the Arts. s.m.ART by the River has grown each year since the first one in 1988. The diversity and talent of artists, and the dedication of the arts council have made it a popular annual event. Admission to the festival is free. This year the festival will occupy the same grounds as the Car Club at the downtown city park on Main Avenue.
Artists from around the Pacific Northwest offer paintings, sculptures, woodcrafts, baskets, photographs and a variety of other mediums. Music and entertainment is provided. Sharron Smillie, 245-3417.

Mid: Car show, followed by dance, St. Maries. Sponsored by the St. Joe Valley Car Club. Cars and pickups of all ages, all types. Prizes awarded. That evening a dance is sponsored by the group to 50's music. Marie Crane, 245-5188.

Mid: Plummer Day. Indian dancing, parade, food, children's events, pancake feed, jam session and food and crafts booths. Frances Redmond, 688-1426.

July 25, 26, 27: Harrison Old Time Picnic, Harrison Park. Senior Citizen Queen crowned, potluck picnic on Sunday, farmer's market, children's parade, fun run, distribution of annual "Searchlight" historical newspaper, Sunday worship, baby crawling contest, junior fishing derby, balloon toss and greased pole climb; women's nail driving contest, men's obstacle course, drawings, concert in park, crusies on the Harrison paddlewheel boat and more.
Hundreds attend every year, come join them. Marian Jones, 689-3323 or Don Heikkila, 689-3932.

Mid: Emida Day. Logger's breakfast, parade, children and adult games, raffles and a dance. Lots to see and do. Donna Fuller, 245-2300.

Late: Fernwood Day. Parade, games for children, dunk tank, breakfast, barbecue beef dinner followed by dance, four - wheeler and motorcycle poker ride, raffles, horseshoe competition, auction and food booths. All in one day! Sheryl Sullivan, 245-2604 or Elaine Phillips, 245-4863.

Late July / early August: Archery trail shoot, St. Maries. Sponsored by St. Joe Valley Archers. See February, third Sunday listing.

AUGUST

Early: Avery Day. The celebration will include fireworks (weather permitting), logger competition, 10K fun run, Long Liz Mountain Bike ride through former railroad tunnels, muzzleloading rifle shoot, bow shoot, stock chain saw cut, horseshoe tournament, children's events and games, barbecue, bingo, raffle for homemade quilt and a new rifle. Sponsored by Avery Citizens Committee. Call Scheffy's General Store, 245-4410.

Mid: Pilgrimage from Sacred Heart Mission in DeSmet to Cataldo Mission, 77 miles away, by members of the Coeur d' Alene Tribe and others. Once done on horseback, now by motor vehicle. Call 274-5871.

Aug. 3 - 4: Picnic and fair and all-school reunion, Rose Lake. Sponsored by Rose Lake Historical Society. Good "eats" and plenty to do. Mike White, 682-2643.

SEPTEMBER

Labor Day weekend: The biggest event of the area: Paul Bunyan Days, St. Maries. Three days of logger competition, food booths, carnival rides and games. Other activities include a car club breakfast and evening dance, fireworks, street dance, parade, 3 on 3 basketball, ping-pong ball drop from a helicopter with prizes and discounts from local businesses, Idaho's largest "topless" beer bar (no roof), 5K fun run and walk, junior Olympics, a pig-kissing event and logger's awards ceremony. Steve Lundt, 245-3134.

Sept. 4: Wellness Fair, Benewah Medical Center, Plummer. Information booths, health and safety prizes given away, bike rodeo and much more. Mel Lowley, 686-1767.

Sept. 7 - 8: Barter Fair near Santa. Variety of crafts and items made by local residents and out-of-town craftsmen. Many participants camp overnight. Leah Sempel, 245-4381.

St. Joe Outdoor Festival, Avery: Muzzleloading shoot, bow shoot, children's activities, outdoor activity demonstration on fly tying and low-impact camping, barbecue, elk bugling contest, information booths, storytellers, craft fair. In celebration of National Hunting and Fishing Day. Scheffy's General Store, 245-4410.

Third weekend: Health Fair, St. Maries. Numerous exhibits and activities. Sponsored by Benewah Health Services Corporation.

Late Sept. / Early Oct.: Homecoming: Area high schools begin another year by crowning a king and queen. Numerous other activities are scheduled as well.

OCTOBER

Halloween: Community carnivals sponsored by local non-profit organizations and groups, numerous adult dances with costume contests and "haunted houses" for all. Many area children live far apart from their neighbors, so evening school carnivals provide a safe, convenient celebration. Children purchase tickets to games (everyone wins) and proceeds benefit Parent/Teacher Organizations and the like. Adults get to show off their costume - making abilities.

Late: St. Maries craft bazaar and bake sale, sponsored by St. Maries Catholic Ladies. Call Lucille Nelson, 245-2120 or Ida Welz, 245-2428.

First weekend of duck season: Hunter's breakfast at Rose Lake. Michael White, 682-2643.

NOVEMBER

First Saturday: Harvest and holiday bazaar, Kootenai High School. Sponsored by Harrison Parent / Teachers Organization (PTO). Lunch, turkey shoot, bingo and live entertainment. Julie Krupp, 245-5174.

Early: Worley Grange potluck dinner, after Go-to-Church Sunday service.

Mid: Bazaar and bake sale, Tensed. Sponsored by Tensed Senior Citizens. Gordon Johnson, 274-5255.

Mid: Annual flea market, sponsored by St. Maries chapter of Rebekahs.

Mid: Veterans Day dinner, sponsored by St. Maries American Legion and Auxiliary. Alternates each year between VFW and American Legion. All veterans and families invited, whether they are members or not. Leonard Ferguson, 245-5519 or Jerry McCarter, 245-3537.

Mid: Worley Community Church dinner: Time to give thanks for the bounty provided us.

Mid: Craft bazaar, Rose Lake. Sponsored by Rose Lake Historical Society. Mike White, 682-2643.

Mid: Turkey Shoot. Trap-shooters break clay "pigeons" to earn frozen turkeys. Sponsored by St. Maries Fun Club. Bob Grieser, 245-4101.

Thanksgiving: Numerous community dinners, many of them free for those less fortunate. Thanksgiving services at local churches, followed by potluck dinners.

Late: St. Maries merchants open for longer hours for holiday shopping. Free rides in horse-drawn wagon throughout downtown area. Tree lighting ceremony. Peppermint Street crafts fair. Jaycees house decorating contest. School concerts.

DECEMBER

Early: Santa's Workshop in Fernwood. Donated items are refurbished and sold to area children for than $2, for the children to give as Chirstmas gifts. Just imagine their delight.

First Saturday in December: Fernwood craft show, CAF Building, sponsored by the Tri-Community Library. Call 245-4883.

Dec. 7: Tree lighting, St. Maries: Community Christmas tree dedicated with prayers, holiday music and turning on its lights. Snow King and Queen crowned. In 1997, it was Doris Bornitz and Chad Brown. Parade of lighted entries and farm equipment, down Main Avenue. Gaye VanWinkle, 245-4270.

Mid: Pow-Wow tribute and dinner for elders of tribe by members of Coeur d' Alene Tribe, DeSmet.

Mid-late: Christmas dinner. Sponsored by Benewah Valley Association. Santa Claus will attend. Dottie Hodgson, 245-2349.

Christmas: School programs, holiday potlucks and free community dinners too numerous to mention. Residents compete in house decorating contests; raise and dedicate community Christmas trees and go caroling. "Christmas Corner" at St. Maries Art Gallery, and craft fairs in many communities, offer holiday oriented works by local craftsmen and artists.

Tree sale, sponsored by Hospice of Benewah County. They're grown here and smell great in the living room. Proceeds benefit Hospice. Gail Resser, 245-5734.

Hospice Tree of Memories, St. Maries. Sponsored by Hospice of Benewah County. Purchase a "dove" with the name of a loved one who has died for display on the tree at West One Bank. Gail Resser, 245-5734.

Elks Christmas Baskets for the needy individuals and families. Funded by the Elks Champagne Brunch and donations, weeks earlier. Bob Marzulli, 245-2218.

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