Spokane Avenue is a staple of the historical bones of Coeur d’Alene, and two neighbors are helping uphold a tradition of neighborliness.

For nearly 30 years, Steve Sperber and Zoe Ann Thruman have marked April 1 with an ongoing exchange of practical jokes, each year trying to outdo the other. What began as a simple prank decades ago has grown into a neighborhood hallmark, one they have come to anticipate and plan for. 

 “With all the harsh stuff and mean stuff going on in the world, it's just a nice, clean way to have fun with your neighbors,” said Thruman

Over the years, their pranks have ranged from small, playful gestures to more elaborate setups. There have been cans tied to car bumpers, balloons filling entryways and hand-painted smiley faces carefully placed on windows. Each prank is designed not to embarrass, but to amuse.

Wednesday morning, Zoe Ann woke up at 3:20 a.m. to catch the latest edition of The Press being delivered to her neighbors and attached her own fake article under a "CDA Press" banner penned by "R.U. Lissining" claiming Steve and his wife, Mary Sperber, had won the lottery. She even faked interviews with Sperbers' children Lia and Tim.

"Local residents win big in Idaho lottery!!" blared the headline.

Steve was quoted as saying: “Wow!! We can’t believe it!! We didn’t even buy a ticket!!"

The story went on: “Five trillion dollars!! Are you kidding me!!” was Mary’s reaction when Lottery officials came knocking on their door. “Don’t tell Steve!!”  

The Sperbers, 61-year subscribers to The Press, were surprised to read they were lottery winners.

"Where's the money?" Mary joked.

Steve, who has lived in the Coeur d’Alene area for almost 80 years, learned to prank from his older brother, who once had given him a Baby Ruth bar but with a chunk of wood replacing the chocolate. 

The joke stuck with him, not as a memory but as a tradition worth continuing. Decades later, he recreated the prank with Thruman’s children. 

The pranks are just a facet of their relationship. Thruman and the Sperbers have bonded over the years, sharing stories, meeting and spending time with each other's children and grandchildren and even sharing and exchanging landscaping plans.  

When asked about his April Fools' Day plans for next year, Steve said, "Maybe I’ll get in contact with Ringling Bros and try to get an elephant for a day.”

Doggone hard to believe

Companions Animal Center joined in on the April Fools' Day fun with a little joke of its own, with inspiration from The Press.

On its Facebook page Wednesday, it promoted a “Major Project Announcement,” which read, “Thanks to a generous anonymous donation, we will be moving forward with construction of a 5-acre outdoor enrichment waterpark for our animals.” 

The post went on to state planned features included a lazy river, a wave pool, water slides and shaded lounge areas.

An AI-generated photo with Rathdrum Mountain in the background showed dogs playing and floating in the pool.

“This project reflects our continued commitment to improving the quality of life for every animal in our care while they wait for their forever home,” the post said. 

Some bought it. Comments included: 

“If this is true, how wonderful for the shelter's pets. And thanks to the generous donor!” 

"That would be so cool! I hope it's not April fool's Day joke.”

Sadly, it was.

Vicki Nelson, CAC development director, said the idea for the joke came from The Press and its annual April Fuhl story. Some workers asked if everyone had seen The Press and read its April Fools' Day story Wednesday.

“Someone said we should do something like that, and we came up with the dog water park idea,” Nelson said. “You guys inspired us."