COEUR d'ALENE — Locals showed their love for the North Idaho Centennial Trail — and local brews — at the Ales for the Trail fundraiser Saturday.  

Hundreds gathered at Coeur d’Alene City Park to enjoy craft beer, wine and cider from local and regional breweries, along with live music, games and food trucks. Nonalcoholic mocktails were also available.  

“The whole idea is for people to come out and have fun while supporting the trail,” said Astrid Rial from the North Idaho Centennial Trail Foundation’s board of directors.

Rial said the annual event is vital to funding maintenance and improvement projects on the 23-mile Centennial Trail, which extends from the Idaho/Washington state line to Higgens Point, 6 miles east of Coeur d’Alene at the end of Coeur d’Alene Lake Drive.

“We have an understanding with Coeur d’Alene, Post Falls and Kootenai County where we all work together to make sure the needs of the trail are met, but all funding comes from our organization and events like these,” she said. 

Events like Ales for the Trail are made possible by local sponsors, Rial added. This year, Kootenai Health was the exclusive sponsor offering nonalcoholic options.