Coeur d’Alene celebrates its colorful side

For local high schooler Haggen Walker, the annual Coeur d’Alene Street Fair is an opportunity to build a sense of connection with the community.

Friday marked his fourth time volunteering at the popular event, this time at a booth raising money through the Ronald McDonald House charity through Key Club. And it’s a family affair: Walker’s mom, Tiffany Vargas, ran a booth nearby for nonprofit One More Time Northwest.

“I like getting to know the local vendors,” Walker said. “There’s lots of variety and it’s really fun.”

Walker’s booth was set up in shady City Park, which bustled with visitors Friday as the Coeur d’Alene Street Fair, Art on the Green and Taste of Coeur d’Alene once again converged. Thousands explored booths along Sherman Avenue and in City Park and made their way to the North Idaho College campus, spreading blankets on the grass and nursing cold drinks.

The festival features hundreds of vendors, as well as street food, live music and a beer garden, plus kid-friendly activities including face painting, pony rides and bouncy houses.

For Tim and Kathy Crowner, their visit to the Street Fair was something of a homecoming.  

The pair were married at the Hitching Post 30 years ago. They live in the Tri-Cities, Wash., and returned to Coeur d’Alene this week to visit friends, not knowing that a trio of downtown events would be underway.  

“We saw this going on, so we just wandered over,” Tim Crowner said with a laugh as he and his wife cooled off in the beer garden, under the shade of City Park’s trees. Crowner also happened to be celebrating his 60th birthday.  

The couple said they love North Idaho’s natural beauty, especially its waters, and the area’s culture.  

“It’s a really nice community,” Kathy Crowner said. “People are really friendly.”

Artist Stephan Moss and his wife, Bobbette, said Art on the Green is more than a business opportunity. It’s a meaningful tradition.

Their anniversary falls on the weekend of the festival. They celebrate every year in Coeur d’Alene as they display Moss’s art, which draws inspiration from the beauty of the Northwest.

“We love how special it is in Coeur d’Alene,” Bobbette Moss said.

The watercolor artist is colorblind, which means the scenes he depicts, tranquil forests, storm-tossed seas and grizzly bears catching salmon, sometimes have unexpected colors.

“I did a lot of people who turned green,” he said with a laugh.

In front of the Coeur d’Alene Eagles on Sherman Avenue, Violet and Drew Hammond twisted balloons, creating butterflies, pirate swords and more for kids.

Violet Hammond said she discovered her passion for clowning during a turn at Scarywood in 2019. The clowns are serious about their craft. They even have clown insurance. This weekend, they’re working for tips, so parents can pay as much or as little as they like for balloons.

“I love coming out here and giving every kid the same opportunity, regardless of their financial situation,” Violet Hammond said.  

Avett Davis, 11, and brother Asa, 9, were among the smiling kids who lined up for a balloon. The boys said the balloons were their favorite part of the Street Fair, though the event had much to offer.

“It’s very nice weather,” Avett said.

Their mom, Coeur d’Alene resident Courtney Davis, said her family always attends the Street Fair.

“It’s nice to be outside and see so many people,” she said.

The Street Fair, Art on the Green and Taste of Coeur d’Alene continue today and Sunday.

The Art on the Green/Street Fair shuttle runs every 30 minutes. Jump on at Third Street and Sherman or in front of the NIC Student Union Building.

    Neveah Tibbs, 10, puffs up her cheeks as her mom, Erin Tibbs, paints her face.
  

    Moscow-based musician Max Reed plays the violin on Sherman Avenue during the Coeur d'Alene Street Fair.
  

    Reflected in a mirror in her booth in City Park, artist Erin Tibbs paints her daughter Neveah's face. Tibbs is the owner of Left Handed Art, based in New Plymouth.
  

    Nate Ostrander performs with band Karma's Circle at the City Park bandshell on Friday.
  

    A watercolor painting of Beauty Bay, created by artist Stephan Moss.