At the McEuen Park playground this month, the old artificial turf was "worn down all the way to the gravel underneath," according to Cal Webb, whose company is replacing it. He told the Coeur d'Alene Press that it "just got to a point that it isn't safe anymore." When the Press reported on Oct. 13, six to eight people were installing new olive-green turf, and Webb expected the project to finish Oct. 25.
That date lines up with a pattern on downtown's calendar. From the end of October to the day after Thanksgiving, nearly everything happening downtown is organized by a local group: the city parks department, a veterans post, the Downtown Association, an arts alliance. Two of downtown's newest rooms are part of that, and so is the event that ends the stretch with more than a million lights.
The Playground Comes Back First
The Press reported that the current McEuen playground surface dates to the park's $20 million rebuild in 2014. Turf like this usually lasts 10 to 12 years. McEuen's wore out early. City Parks and Recreation Director Adam Rouse said the park "sees far more than normal traffic, and we started to see the turf breakdown more rapidly." Webb's comment was simpler: "It's crazy how many people are on that thing."
Here's what the new playground surface involves:
- Size: 12,000 square feet of antimicrobial, anti-static turf, expected to last more than another decade.
- Contract: nearly $250,000.
- Installer: ATS Turf, a Spokane-based company that has worked in Coeur d'Alene for more than 10 years and just opened an office on Fourth Street.
- Turf supplier: SYNLawn Idaho, based in Boise. Webb said all the material is made in the United States.
Timing is the key detail. Families who live here get a rebuilt playground just as the summer visitors are gone. If installation holds to the Oct. 25 target, the new surface will have about a month of use before the holiday crowds return for the parade.
Two Rooms That Opened Into the Quiet Months
Late fall is an odd time to open a downtown bar. Both of downtown's newest drinking spots did it anyway, and both are built around people who are here all year.
River & Rye, 422 E. Sherman Ave.
Jessi and Chad Waldher bought the old Crickets building in September 2025. "We took everything down to the studs and rebuilt it," Chad Waldher told the Coeur d'Alene Press, and River & Rye opened Aug. 5. They split the 7,000-square-foot building in two, with a full kitchen and a second bar facing Sherman. The back half is being held for another concept the couple hasn't announced.
The theme comes from Ernest Hemingway's ties to Idaho, its rivers and rye whiskey. The kitchen draws mostly on French, Spanish and Italian cooking, with some Cuban and Pacific Northwest flavors. The Coeur d'Alene Press reported that it's catching on with locals, and Jessi Waldher called the room "kinda dark, moody and sophisticated," a 21-and-over place where "the music gets a little louder after dinner service." That kind of room tends to do well once the lake gets cold and the evenings are long.
The Patriot Bar, 406 N. Fourth St.
The Patriot Bar opened Oct. 3 after almost two and a half years of planning, volunteer work and construction. It's owned and run by VFW Post 889. The space used to be Mik's, which rented it along with the VFW's liquor license and closed in 2023. Post Commander Robert Martin, Sr. Vice Commander Terry Alling and Quartermaster David Morgensen led the conversion.
The way the Post handled the money is what sets this bar apart. The Press reported that the Post paid for the renovation without loans by selling its hard-liquor license. All revenue stays with the Post, and about 300 combat veterans vote on how it's spent. Morgensen told the paper he takes calls every day from veterans who need help, "from a tank of gas to housing support." The Post also plans to apply for a club liquor license so members and guests can order full spirits again.
"Everything you see on these walls is a story," Alling told the Coeur d'Alene Press.
Those walls hold patches, photos, coins and artifacts, plus a remembrance wall for fallen officers and service members and a missing-man table. Army and Marine Corps veteran Jeremy Glenwinkel designed and built the bar and donated his labor. Guests can sponsor barstools, and that money goes to the Post too. The current counter is temporary. The Post plans to replace it with an epoxy bar top filled with donated badges, coins and patches, and it's asking the public to contribute. If you have an old unit patch in a drawer somewhere, there's now a place for it on Fourth Street.
Manager Callie Kellogg is a Coeur d'Alene native. She runs the bar and the new 200-seat event center upstairs. The planned schedule includes Wine Wednesdays, live music, and pool and dart tournaments, and the kitchen makes its sauces from scratch. In a month built around holiday parties, a 200-seat room run by a veterans post adds real capacity to downtown.
A short walk away, the Press business roundups list Crescent Moon Bakery at 315 E. Walnut as now open.
Who Runs November
The calendar follows the same pattern as the new rooms. Every major downtown date between now and Thanksgiving weekend has a local organizer behind it:
- Sunday, Oct. 25: Target finish for the McEuen Park playground turf, run by the City of Coeur d'Alene Parks and Recreation Department with ATS Turf.
- Friday, Nov. 6, 6 to 8 p.m., and Saturday, Nov. 7, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.: The Rebel Junk Holiday Market, on the Visit Coeur d'Alene calendar.
- Saturday, Nov. 7, 1 to 6 p.m.: Wine for the Holidays, hosted by the Coeur d'Alene Downtown Association.
- Friday, Nov. 13, 5 to 8 p.m.: The free 2nd Friday ArtWalk, organized by the Coeur d'Alene Arts & Culture Alliance and sponsored by STCU.
- Friday, Nov. 27, 5 p.m.: The 34th Annual Lighting Ceremony Parade, run by the Coeur d'Alene Downtown Association and presented by STCU.
Wine for the Holidays turns shopping into a walking route
The event works as a stroll through downtown storefronts. According to the ticket page, presale tickets cost $25 and include eight one-ounce tastings and a commemorative glass. A limited number of tickets may be sold at the door for $30. The tastings take place in local boutiques, home decor shops, bakeries and ice cream shops, with live music, free gift wrapping and prize drawings during the afternoon. Bring a toy for Toys for Tots and you get extra tasting tickets. Buying ahead saves $5, and the door tickets may not last, so it's worth picking up a presale ticket before Nov. 7.
The ArtWalk runs every month, all year
The ArtWalk happens on the second Friday of every month all year, with gallery openings, pop-up art, live music and complimentary drinks downtown. The Nov. 13 walk is the last one before the lights go on, and the next is Dec. 11.
The parade route closes the stretch
On the day after Thanksgiving, the parade starts at 8th and Sherman at 5 p.m. It travels west on Sherman Avenue to Government Way and Northwest Boulevard, with marching bands, dancers and lighted floats. Afterward, the crowd gathers on The Coeur d'Alene Resort lawn for carols and a countdown to fireworks from the Hagadone Corporation. When the show ends, more than 1.5 million lights switch on across downtown. The Downtown Association posts road closures and diversions on its event page, so check it before you decide where to park.
Putting the Five Weeks Together
These dates fit together on the map, too. River & Rye sits on Sherman, the parade's main street. The Patriot Bar is on Fourth Street, where ATS Turf just opened its new office.
One way to plan the stretch:
- The weekend of Oct. 24: Check whether the playground is open at McEuen. The target date is that Sunday.
- Any Wednesday: Go to the Patriot Bar's Wine Wednesday, where the money spent stays with VFW Post 889.
- Nov. 7: Pick up a presale Wine for the Holidays ticket and a toy for the Toys for Tots bin, then finish with dinner at River & Rye.
- Nov. 13: Walk the ArtWalk from 5 to 8 p.m.
- Nov. 27: Get to Sherman before 5 p.m. for the parade, then head to the Resort lawn for the countdown.
Whether you've lived near Sherman Avenue for decades or you're thinking about a place close enough to walk to the parade, we love talking about what downtown Coeur d'Alene looks like when it's mostly locals. When you're ready to look at homes within walking distance of McEuen and Fourth Street, Arianna & Angela Newcomb would be glad to show you around. Schedule a Free Consultation and let's find your spot along the parade route.
