Rebecca Galvin liked what she heard about Adam Schluter and his Monday Night Dinner. So much that she plans to share it with a lot of people. 

“It just seemed like a really wonderful story to tell,” she said. 

The producer of “Ask This Old House” said a small crew will travel from Massachusetts to be in Coeur d’Alene on Monday to visit Schluter’s Third Street home, where he holds the open gatherings that have brought hundreds together.

They will work on and coordinate improvements to his backyard, where the crowd eats, talks, listens to music and strikes up friendships. Landscaping and an outdoor kitchen are some of the changes that will be made before dinner. 

The PBS program, now in is 24th season, receives thousands of requests from those who have unique properties that need plumbing, heating or other smaller repairs. It has more than an estimated 7 million monthly viewers.

Schluter’s letter earlier this year described Monday Night Dinner and explained how Ask This Old House could help it be even better and connect more people. It struck Galvin as compelling and different. 

As the program takes several trips each year, Coeur d’Alene seemed a good stop to film an episode. 

“It made us want to go out there and meet Adam,” she said. “He told a great story.” 

The response to Monday Night Dinner at Schluter’s home has outgrown his backyard, so Ask This Old House will work with locals to beautify the limited space. 

“That’s not his strong suit,” Galvin said, laughing. 

She said they will partner with businesses that have already done preparations to make Monday’s makeover go efficiently, as they’ll only have about six hours before the masses begin arriving about 6 p.m. 

“We’ll get something ready for them,” Galvin said.

Schluter said his home is a century old, so he thought Ask This Old House might be interested in paying him a visit. 

“It just fit perfectly,” he said. 

When Schluter moved to Coeur d’Alene, he wanted to meet people, who in turn could connect and discover ways to support each other. In 2019 he started Monday Night Dinner and has since hosted nearly 100. They start in late May and are held every other Monday through October. All are welcome.

The first ones saw a handful of people. Now, sometimes a few hundred come to 1037 N. Third St. It’s been become almost too successful, with things getting crowded, so he started "Off-Monday Night Dinner" for smaller gatherings.

"Such an honor to see where we are today,” he said. 

While Schluter provides the entrees, attendees are asked to bring a side dish and donate $10, with proceeds going to musicians. Doors open at 5, with music starting at 6 and dinner at 6:15. Things wrap up around 10. 

“We never want to stop letting it grow. The more that come, the more we can give to local arts,” he said.  

He emphasized Monday Night Dinner belongs to the community. 

“This is not Adam’s party,” he said.   

He said the response to his home being featured on Ask This Old House has been amazing, with many reaching out to help. More contributions are welcome. 

Schluter believes having Monday Night Dinner featured on a PBS program is a chance to "shine a light on the beauty of the community."

“The world needs this more than ever,” he said. 

Schluter can be reached at [email protected].