There were extra thousands of people in Coeur d'Alene during Art on the Green/Street Fair/Taste of the Coeur d'Alenes this past weekend so it might not have been noticed that there were a trio of luminaries in our midst. Arriving via private jet on Saturday morning at the Coeur d'Alene Airport were Ryan Seacrest, his fiancee Julianne Hough and brother-in-law-to-be Derek Hough. It wasn't a star-studded event that brought them to the Lake City ... it was a traditional family holiday at the lake. Ryan was meeting Julianne's grandparents, Bob and Colleen Hough, for the first time and by all accounts things went swimmingly. The extended family frolicked at their houseboat on Blue Creek Bay ... watersking and tubing, with everyone, including Ryan, taking turns on the rope swing. There was a visit to Hudson's Hamburgers and an evening at Wolf Lodge Steakhouse to celebrate the senior Houghs' 61st wedding anniversary coming on August 12.

Ryan and Julianne flew back to L.A. on Sunday, he for his radio show and she off to Florida to continue the final weeks of filming Rock of Ages. The movie will be released in 2012 and features Julianne as the female lead in a cast that includes Tom Cruise, Russell Brand and Alec Baldwin.On Monday Derek joined his dad, Bruce Hough (CHS Class of '72), and grandfather, Bob for a round of golf at The Coeur d'Alene Resort course, although I never did get the real story of who won. After golf, Derek made a dream come true for Roxie Lord. She's a friend of his grandparents and a ballroom dancing aficionado. Derek spun her around the makeshift living room dance floor, twirling and dipping. It was so fun to watch the ease of the moves we've all come to know from his Dancing with the Stars championship style. He's a genuinely engaging and down-to-earth young man just enjoying a break from show biz to spend time with his family in our beautiful community.

***Congratulations Coeur d'Alene Crush U14 coaches Julie Stark, Brian Burke and Travis Smith and players Jadyn Behm, Olyvia Owens, Kylie Rassmussen, Analisa Raynor, Abby Howard, Bryce Catt, Breana Burke, Kylie Smith, Mariah Montee and JaeCie Wilson.

So how incredible is this team of middle school softball players? They placed in the top three in every tournament, won State, Regionals and took second in the National Championships. Did I mention they were middle schoolers? :) And in one of those small world notes, the team was enjoying a weekend on the lake at Blue Creek Bay and got a kick out of seeing Julianne, Ryan and Derek skiing and tubing.

***The Arizona Wing of the Commemorative Air Force arrived in town last week with a roar. The two warbird bombers have been on public display at the Coeur d'Alene Airport since last Thursday and on Friday morning I was thrilled to take a ride over Coeur d'Alene in the B-25 "Maid in the Shade." The cockpit crew for my flight: Spike McLane, Dave Baker and Bob Taylor, all veterans and all volunteers with the traveling museum.

The B-17 "Sentimental Journey" provided just that for local World War II veterans and for the families of those of the Greatest Generation. Diana Witherspoon visited the planes on Saturday with Cenedra, Lakaylee, Nevaeh and Michael, wanting the children to get a sense of their great-grandmother's history. Edith Burt Uhl worked for Boeing in the early 1940s as a rivet bucker in the wing farings. Diana described her mom as petite but still was amazed to visualize her crawling around inside the wings of the plane.Brooke Larsen Miller's grandfather, Col. Fredrick O'Neill flew a B-17 in WWII as did Erin Buckel's grandfather. So many stories and so many memories. Such bravery. Until 6 p.m. today is your last chance to see the planes.

***Raydeane and Jonathan Owens of Heart of the City Church provided a special lesson for the 6- to 11-year-olds in their church on Sunday. They talked to the children about Sgt. Jason Rzepa, the local soldier wounded in Baghdad last month. The class wrote get well letters to mail off to Texas. They prayed for Sgt. Rzepa's continued healing from his injuries. Raydeane shared with me that the Sunday School lesson that day was on forgiveness ... "they prayed that Jason would be able to forgive the soldiers of Iraq for planting the roadside bomb and taking the life of his friends."

One of those moments that remind us of the purity of little children.***

My love/hate relationship with August continues. Summer is so short and the list of places to go and things to do is so long. ***

Happy Birthday today to Caryl Johnston and John Hammon. Tomorrow Ann Seddon and Edith Uhl are the birthday girls. Friday Joe Paisley, Jennifer Pitts, Ed Collins, Claudia Hurt, Roger Satefiel and Nevaeh Witherspoon will blow out the birthday candles. Tery Garras, Michelle Coppess, Mike O'Brien, Donna Flom and Bryan DeKeles celebrate their birthdays on Saturday. Best wishes for a happy birthday on Sunday to Gene Mann, Marla Lewis, Peter Faletto and George Boifeuillet. Next week starts with birthday celebrations for Wayne Longo, Rick Currie and Ann Couser on Monday and Susan Selle, Kim Brown, Brandia Young, Jennifer Ross, Brian Kirk, Cindy Wagner, Sarah McCool, Andrea Fulks and Paul Sullivan on Tuesday.