A-wassailing won't be lacking
DEVIN WEEKS | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 4 years, 6 months AGO
Children light candles during a past holiday lighting ceremony in downtown Coeur d'Alene. A Post Falls resident is inviting people to meet at Independence Point at 5:30 Friday night to sing carols and ring in the season as The Coeur d'Alene Resort turns on its holiday lights. This event is not affiliated with a business or entity. Everyone who attends is encouraged to follow safety regulations.
LOREN BENOIT/Press File
Devin Weeks is a third-generation North Idaho resident. She holds an associate degree in journalism from North Idaho College and a bachelor's in communication arts from Lewis-Clark State College Coeur d'Alene. Devin embarked on her journalism career at the Coeur d'Alene Press in 2013. She worked weekends for several years, covering a wide variety of events and issues throughout Kootenai County. Devin now mainly covers K-12 education and the city of Post Falls. She enjoys delivering daily chuckles through the Ghastly Groaner and loves highlighting local people in the Fast Five segment that runs in CoeurVoice. Devin lives in Post Falls with her husband and their three eccentric and very needy cats. | November 26, 2020 1:08 AM
COEUR d’ALENE — Coronavirus can't completely cancel Christmas in Coeur d'Alene.
Post Falls resident Jay Ayers is inviting everyone who would like to join in an evening of caroling at Independence Point to ring in the season when The Coeur d'Alene Resort turns on its holiday lights Friday evening.
This is not affiliated with any businesses or downtown organizations, simply community members coming together to share in some yuletide joy, Ayers said.
"I started the event to remind people it's still OK to have holiday cheer," Ayers said Tuesday. "My hope was that it would grow organically and the community would pitch in and businesses would come together."
The Resort will turn on lights at 6 p.m., so carolers should plan to meet around 5:30 p.m. Hot chocolate and Santa Clauses are encouraged.
The "Coeur d'Alene Christmas Lighting and Caroling" event posted to the Facebook group, This is North Idaho, showed distinct interest.
"It was more of an idea than a planned event," Ayers said. "I want to bring community together. To enjoy where we live."
"With The Resort canceling the lighting ceremony, he just want to remind people they can still go see the lights," said his wife, Katie Ayers.
"We encourage everyone to comply with all applicable regulations and laws and take no responsibility for the actions of participants," the Facebook event reads.
Independence Point is adjacent to Coeur d'Alene City Park at 105 Northwest Blvd.
MORE FRONT-PAGE-SLIDER STORIES
BIGGEST HOLIDAY BASH YET You're invited to celebration
Coeur d'Alene Press | Updated 6 years, 6 months ago
ARTICLES BY DEVIN WEEKS
At long last, first-time homeowners move into Post Falls' Britton neighborhood
At long last, first-time homeowners move into Britton neighborhood
Puffy white clouds rolled across the deep blue sky as that new home smell wafted on the breeze. The sun shined on the celebration unfolding on Britton Road in Post Falls. And just as happens on a lucky wedding day, the skies opened long enough to sprinkle rain and blessings on the first-time homeowners who received the keys to their brand-new homes. "We are standing in the middle of a first-in-the-nation solution to restore the American Dream of homeownership for our hard-working families whose wages have not and will not catch up to our escalating market rate prices for real estate," Panhandle Affordable Housing Alliance Executive Director Maggie Lyons said Thursday.
Panhandle Health's Ekizian leads charge for Medical Reserve Corps volunteers
Panhandle Health's Ekizian leads charge for Medical Reserve Corps volunteers
Although she didn't grow up in a family of doctors or first responders, Jennifer Ekizian found her calling in the realm of public health. This was after she set off to become a nurse but ended up obtaining an emergency medical technician license and a master’s degree in public safety and leadership with an emphasis on fire and working in law enforcement and fire dispatch. “However, I ended up doing my internship with the Office of Emergency Management," she said Wednesday in her Panhandle Health District office in Hayden. "That was my first exposure to emergency preparedness.” While continuing her emergency response training and experience, she spent years working in real estate, which was never a truly fulfilling career for her. “I just got to a point in my life when I wanted to help people," she said.
FAST FIVE Abbie Waters: Teaching Project SEARCH interns how to navigate life
Meet Abbie Waters, who was born and raised in Coeur d'Alene and continues to raise her own young family in the area. A University of Idaho Vandal grad, Abbie is a special education teacher with the Coeur d'Alene School District and has been working with individuals with disabilities for almost a decade. Currently, her role within the district is co-instructor for the Project SEARCH program at Kootenai Health. She has worked with the program since 2017. The 15th class will celebrate graduation Tuesday, June 3.