From the stage on Main Street, Devon Wade, the frontman for the Kootenai River Days’ headlining band, raised a glass to the Saturday night crowd of about 500, made up of families, friends, Bonners Ferry High School alumni from the all-class reunion and visitors from across county, state and country lines.    “Cheers, guys. This might be the biggest crowd we’ve ever had at this thing,” he said between covers of classics by Eric Church and Kenny Chesney. 

    Devon Wade Band performed on Saturday night at Kootenai River Days 2025.

“Kootenai River Days was a resounding success this year, and we couldn’t be more grateful for the incredible support from our local businesses, volunteers, and community members,” said Teshra Robles, representative of the Bonners Ferry Chamber of Commerce, which puts on the event. “Downtown Bonners Ferry came alive with energy and excitement as crowds gathered to enjoy live music, local vendors, business specials and the warm spirit of community that makes our town so unique.” 

Throughout the week, the downtown streets filled with chalk drawings for Chalk the Block: hopscotch, a Metallica logo, splatter paint, a photorealistic portrait, mosaics and dinosaurs, to name a few.

    Kelsey Perkins Bateman was a sponsored Chalk the Block artist for Kootenai River Days 2025.

Over the weekend, the streets also filled with vendors, at the farmer’s market, and lining Main Street, along with other stops for the kids: a dunk tank, a face paint station and two bounce houses. 

  

 

Local restaurants and retail stores also held special bargains. 

“Crazy Days remained a cherished part of the festivities, with exciting deals and creative displays that added to the weekend’s buzz,” said Robles. 

The event not only brought the community together in celebration, but it also raised several thousand dollars for student scholarships, particularly through the Rotary Grapes & Barley Wine Walk and the Kootenai River Run. 

    The Rotary Barley & Wine Walk on July 17 finished at the Kootenai River Brewing Company.

The Bonners Ferry Rotary and participating businesses raised over $6,000 in student scholarships through selling 155 tickets, almost double last year’s sales, for the Thursday wine walk, which featured drinks and snacks from the Kootenai River Inn, Firehouse Vine & Hops, Muggsy’s Tavern & Grill, the Eagles Lodge, Under the Sun and the Kootenai River Brewing Company. 

At the Kootenai River Run, a tradition spanning over 40 years, 181 runners entered. After the race, three scholarship recipients were announced. Sydney Beckle received the “Jim Cadnum Ultimate Achievement Award” of $1,500, Brooke Petesch received $1,000, and Nathanel Murray received $500. Murray will be attending Lewis-Clarke State College. Petesch will be attending the University of Idaho. Beckle will be attending Columbia University.     

The event also featured a raffle with gift baskets and vouchers from local businesses. Idaho Forest Group also donated $500 for a scholarship. 

“We are appreciative of the community, and we truly are a community event, from participants to supporters,” said Paul Bonnell, member of the Kootenai River Run committee and BFHS soccer coach. 

The winner of the 10K race was Kylie Calderone, with a time of 47:08. Calderone just finished her freshman year at BFHS, where she was already one of the fastest runners on both the track and cross-country teams. 

“If you want to do it, you can do it,” she said after winning the race. 

    The top finishers of the Kootenai River Run received plaques.  

On Friday night, the band Jam Shack put on a musical performance on Main Street, followed by Devon Wade Band on Saturday night, while vendors and restaurants sold drinks.

“Jam Shack and Devon Wade kept the evenings lively with outstanding musical performances, and our vendor partners reported record engagement and strong sales,” said Robles. “It was clear how much they enjoyed connecting with both locals and guests.”