OK, let's admit it. Everything around us seems to be warming up except the blasted economy.

Well, in the Lake City, anyway, you don't need a bunch of dough to bake up a good time. Once in a great while, you can even do a ton of fun stuff and stuff yourself for free.

Like tomorrow.

Coeur d'Alene

Saturday marks the third annual Coeur d'Alene Parks Day Celebration, made possible by the Coeur d'Alene Parks Department and the Coeur d'Alene Parks Foundation. Major sponsors include Copper Basin Construction, Kootenai Electric Co-op, Waste Management, Century 21, The Hagadone Corporation, Architects West and Bob Hallock.

Parks Day began in 2008 after a survey found many Coeur d'Alene citizens didn't know much about their parks. Tomorrow's festivities will feature two of the city's 31 parks.

The fun begins with a free pancake breakfast at Sunshine Meadows Park, 2625 W. Larix Court, at 9 a.m. Once your tummy is full, you and the family can enjoy an inflatable castle, a bicycle safety course, free helmets, Art on the Edge, Bubbles the Clown, horseshoes, volleyball, tetherball and informational booths. Fiddlers Arvid Lundin and Dave Beach will entertain you, and the Kootenai County Dog Park Association will hold a dog contest. There will also be balloons, sack races, HAM radio demonstrations and the Cd'A Rock School will hold a concert with students of all ages playing rock music.

The Landings Park, 3849 W. Longmeadow Drive, will be dedicated at 5 p.m. Activities after the dedication include a free hot dog dinner cooked by the Lions Club. A bicycle safety course and bicycle tune-ups will be offered. Also present will be the Humane Society, Art on the Edge crafts, the inflatable castle, sports booths, sack races, tennis and a splash pad. Entertainment will be provided by Jazz Northwest and the Youth Marimba Band. A movie will be shown at dusk, and there will be free Dutch oven kettle corn. Information: http://parks.cdaid.org or call Katie Kosanke at 415-0415.

Post Falls

Also Saturday, two fantastic city parks will be featured: Syringa Park and Chase Sports Field. Syringa Park events will be held from 9-11 a.m. Events include coffee and doughnuts, furnished by Trading Company; volleyball; basketball; a bounce house for younger children and more. Recreation staff will also help those wishing to register for fall Park & Rec activities. Syringa Park is located in the Fieldstone Subdivision.

The second entry in the Post Falls double feature takes place at Chase Sports Field from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Otto, the Spokane Indians mascot, will be there along with a baseball pitching machine. Free hotdogs will be provided by Findlay Hyundai. Also, kids may bring their bikes and participate in a bike rodeo put on by the Post Falls Police Department. Information: 773-0539.

We applaud the sponsors and creators of this great day of free, fun activities and encourage citizens to get out in the fresh air and enjoy themselves.