Speeder Days Now in the History Books

The 8th Annual HPG Depot Days are over and the speeder operators and HPG volunteers are now recovering.  What an excellent weekend to ride the rails!  The weather was perfect, the 23 speeder cars and their operators managed to delight the riders again, and the seasoned volunteers kept things on time.  The thank you's can start with Jim West doing a bit more on the freight room finish work, then Kenny Cada doing intense cleaning, and Jack Coyner and Don Somers getting the Kennedy Ford turnaround ready.  Such details often go unnoticed but are very important!  We also have to give a special salute to Caryn Brown and Shannley Moon, who did presale and ticket sales.  These girls are so organized it's scary!  And the seasoned veteran Don Somers got all the speeders checked in and ready.

The dock workers are a well-oiled machine by now.  Thank you Don Somers, Roger Farrell, Mike Kauffman-- and Dave Vos and Dave Zuhn from Minnesota!  And don't forget one very key player:  Jack Coyner, who distributes water for the thirsty crews!  Also flaggers Aaron and Brian Magelky, Hal Van deVord, Jim Evermann, Joel and Cynthia King and son Phillip, Dave Nice, Kathylu Szabo, Kathleen Burns, Webb and Isaac French, and Tom and Peter Hillebrant.

Details of how many rode the speeders and how much income was derived are still being processed, but suffice it to say we had a very good year!

Pictured from top: 

1. Speeders ready to go!

2.  Don and Joyce Holst, from Grants Pass and newcomers to the speeder lifestyle, prepare to take on passengers.

3.  Don Somers processes speeders to see how many passengers can be taken on each ride (this is certainly an inexact science but Don kept things running smoothly)

4.  Jack Coyner, speeder event co-coordinator, shares some down time with flaggers Brian and Aaron Magelky.

5.  Shirley Somers gets a speeder ride with Mark Hudson who came all the way from Dry Ridge, Kentucky!

6.  Clyde Andrews pilots the John Henry down the track with special guest Keith Petersen, Idaho State Historian, his wife Mary Reed and their friends Steve and Chris Talbott.

The Day After...

(Pictured above:  speeders crest the hill coming into Moscow as seen through the windshield;  Don Somers, left, and Clyde Andrews take a break at Palouse. Note the cargo being towed by the John Henry!!)

July 9 marked the HPG's eighth speeder event, and as always, the day brought people from far and wide to ride the rails to either Princeton or Kennedy Ford, with a longer ride to Palouse as the grand finale.  Stay tuned for a separate posting on the wrap-up on our Depot Days event. 

Meanwhile, some of the stalwart volunteers got a grand finale of their own, riding to Moscow the day after on July 10.  For me, your loyal blogger (Barb Coyner), the ride with Clyde Andrews in the John Henry, was the best speeder ride ever!!!  Clyde and his son Kurt brought the larger speeder from Othello and we were glad to see the father-son team back after several years of not attending (We did miss seeing Clyde's wife Bonnie!).  Don Somers and Jack Coyner also got to enjoy the ride to Moscow and back, as we departed from the Potlatch Depot at 8:30 am and returned at 3 pm.  The weather could not have been better and the views riding through the wheat fields of the Palouse were grand.  At one point, a cropduster dive-bombed a field next to the track, adding a bit of excitement.  We also enjoyed some nice scenery along the Palouse River and an inspiring panorama as we scooted down the grade into Moscow. 

It is rides such as these that refresh the weary crew, and allow the speeder operators to regroup after giving many rides the day before.  Our thanks to these loyal operators will never be enough!  At the conclusion of our ride, Shirley Somers had the margaritas waiting as Don, Jack and Barb recapped a very busy weekend!

Depot Gets Its First Researcher

Khaleila Wright is researching the Potlatch Lumber Company camp history and info pertaining to Camp Grizzly, planning to write a book about ghost stories related to the area.  Once she contacted Barb Coyner about such local history, the two arranged to meet up at the depot.  Where else could she pore over Family Tree issues and other old papers other than sitting at William Deary's desk?  This is the kind of encounter we love!  At the same time Khaleila was writing out her findings in the small office, Jim West was working with another new volunteer, Amber Townsley, who comes to us from Columbia Falls, Montana.  Amber loves to work with power tools and spent time painting trims yesterday.  We thank you, Amber!

Depot Store Open for Business

Pictured above are storekeepers Karen Rohn and Don Somers sharing a lighter moment as they prepare the HPG's Company Store for its opening weekend.  During the summer, the store will be open Fridays and Saturdays from 11 am to 3 pm.  New merchandise includes an array of HPG logo caps and shirts, plus Karen's amazing artwork, a number of train-themed books, CDs and gift items from the Potlatch Historical Society.  The depot is also decked out with historical exhibits for viewers to enjoy, and Don has train videos running during business hours.  Be sure and stop by if you are in the area and don't foget to shop the Depot and Potlatch for Father's Day gifts.  The city-wide yard sale and downtown flea market are June 18, and a new antique shop, Hatter Creek Treasures, has joined the business district.  Make the Depot and Potlatch your destination soon!!!!

Speeder Pre-sale tickets now available

Can you hear them calling "All Aboard!" at the Potlatch Depot???  Mark your calendar for Saturday July 9 when the speeders return to town to share their little cars and enthusiasm, letting riders experience riding the rails.  Pre-sale tickets went on sale yesterday at the Potlatch branch of US Bank and already some of the seats have sold for the long ride to Palouse at 3:15 pm.  Couple those tickets with tickets to the barbecue dinner at the little depot in Scenic Six Park and you have the makings of a quality date!

RIDE SCHEDULE

9 am to Princeton  
10 am to Kennedy Ford
11 am to Princeton
12 Noon to Kennedy Ford
1:15 pm to Princeton
2:15 pm to Kennedy Ford
3:15 pm to Palouse ***
3:15 pm to Princeton ***

*** If Palouse ride is not sold out, available seats will head to Princeton at 3:15 pm

Pre-sale tickets for the short rides to Princeton and Kennedy Ford are $15 for adults and $10 for kids 12 and under.  Presale tickets for the long ride to Palouse are $45, with kids 12 and under at $25.  Remember, these rides are priced a bit higher because they guarantee a ride time and destination.  Tickets purchased on the day of the event are strictly first come-first served.  Short rides to Princeton and Kennedy Ford are $10 for adults and $5 for kids 12 and under.  Tickets for the barbecue dinner catered by Don and Tyler Renz are $10 for adults and $7 for kids.  These tickets are offered only on a pre-sale basis.

For more info on pre-sale tickets, contact the US Bank in Potlatch at (208) 875-1351.

Potlatch Historical Society Hands Out Awards

The Potlatch Historical Society chose the Depot as its venue for handing out its Pine Tree Awards on May 11.  Pictured, left to right, are Amber and Dan Akins, Carol Haddock (PHS President), Cheryl Kreid, Karen Rohn and Lindy Seip.  Dan and Amber accepted their award on behalf of the Akins family and Harvest Foods.  The local market put up a variety of historical photos on its walls, and they've been greatly enjoyed by shoppers.  Cheryl was on hand to accept the award for the Latah Federal Credit Union, which also chose to exhibit a variety of historical photos at the request of new CEO Lowell Stevens.  Karen Rohn was cited for her excellent mural of the old sawmill, which was painted on the side of the Wagon Wheel in downtown Potlatch.  Although they were absent from the evening's awards, Dale Spring and Diane Senften, owners of the Wagon Wheel, were also honored for hiring Karen to paint the mural.  Lindy Seip, long-time PHS member and previous secretary, was thoroughly surprised by her White Pine Award, which was given in recognition of her loyal service to the organization.  Lindy and her husband Bob Zemetra will be moving to Oregon where he will be taking over leadership of the wheat breeding program at Oregon State University. 

At the recent WIM HPG board meeting, the board voiced its hope that the Depot would be used for more community activities, so it was great to see PHS celebrate its Pine Tree Award ceremony there.  In similar fashion, the Palouse Empire Rail Society will hold its monthly meeting at the Depot tonight as participants have signed up for an evening of pizza and train videos.  And Karen Rohn, one of the HPG's newest members, will soon open on Fridays to display her art and also sell HPG items from the Company Store.

Monday Morning Recap

The dust has settled at the depot, and with some luck, 20 volunteers now feel a little less stiff and sore after the hard day of demolition last Saturday.  The amount of work that got accomplished was amazing, and the WIM HPG especially thanks the US Bank team for donating their community service hours to the depot project.  Kenny, Michelle, Caryn, Shannley, Tori and Phil not only furnished muscle power to take off countless buckets of lathe and plaster, but they also brought most of the food.  "Thank you" is just not enough, especially to Tori Van Allen and Phil Omlor, who traveled from the Post Falls area.  Phil said he'd done similar demolition work at Fort Missoula some years back, and Tori, who hails from Kellogg, is no stranger to historic building projects either.  Pictured at right are Jim Haddock (left) and Don Somers who got started rolling waste materials down the chute.  Thanks to Webb French and sons Ben and John, the ceiling had already been taken down, and the French team also devised the chute.

Barb West, Jim's sister-in-law, is a frequent volunteer who gives a solid day's work.  The mask is a nice touch, don't you think?  Given the huge amount of dust, masks were necessary.  It almost appears that people were working underwater given all the dust particulates floating past the camera lens!

Board member Webb French brought son Joe along to help with demolition, althoughthe French family had already done a huge amount of work the previous Saturday.  Webb did admit that lunch was a nice incentive to return to work this Saturday!  Although Benand John were absent this Saturday, we thank them for their work this past week.

The newest teller at the Potlatch branch of US Bank, Shannley Moon, gets busy with the hammer and chisel, as her husband Jonathan works in the adjacent room.

Jim Haddock, above, and Joe Griffin, below, were not afraid of the hard work, but they did seem a bit camera shy!

Karen Rohn gets ready to do some serious work.  She's already a seasoned veteran when it comes to working on the depot interiors

Dave Cada was no slacker, piling up plenty of plaster in his dusty space.  Interestingly enough, Dave spent his first year of life in the depot, where his parents Dorothy and Joe Cada lived in one of the upstairs apartments. Thus he has a great historic tie to the depot.  Dave currently serves on Potlatch City Council.

Project manager Jim takes a break with brother Mike West.  Mike and his wife Barb retired last year and were agreeable to getting up early to come and work.  Thanks, you two!

Saturday's Roster of Volunteers

WE HONOR YOU AND THANK YOU!

Don Somers, Jesse Glassman, Tori Van Allen, Caryn Brown, Kenny Cada,

Michelle French, Phil Omlor, Shannley Moon, Dave Cada, Jack Coyner,

Jim Haddock, Mike West, Barb West, Karen Rohn, Richard Craven,

Jonathan Moon, Joe Griffin, Webb French, Joe French, Barb Coyner

A special thank you to the POTLATCH HISTORICAL SOCIETY

for donating Centennial plates and mugs as gifts for volunteers

Jim West, Project Manager

He earned his lunch and more!