Upriver, ID

Have you checked the UpRiver website lately for upcoming events? The calendar lists things happening throughout the month with dates, times, and places. If you live here or are visiting someone who lives here, you are invited to check out these activities for this week:

Monday, August 4–Businessperson’s Breakfast You’re invited to a no-host breakfast for an informal visit to get to know one another. Swap lies jobs and fairy tales. 7am at Drifter’s Cafe in Emida. For more information contact Fred or Rosemary Niemier, 245-1459 or Rudy Heicksen 245-5615.

Tuesday, August 5–Fernwood Rural Fire Protection District meeting on the second Tuesday of each month (usually) at the firehouse at 7:00 p.m. The meetings are open to the public. If you have any questions, please call Jay Trueman at the Fernwood Merc, or Carolyn Dudley at 245-6500

The calendar has details for other events coming up this month including a benefit for Joey and Sheri Gray on the 15th, the Friends of the Library meeting on the 18th, the UCU Board meeting on the 25th, Community Pride meeting on the 27th, and regular weekly meetings of the church, youth groups, bingo, flea market, etc.

Keep up with everything by visiting the calendar regularly.

UpRiver Community United “graduated” on June 30 from the Horizons sponsorship and now stands on its own. On Thursday, July 31st the board met at Emida and the treasurer’s report actually showed money in the account which has come from different activities such as the Saturday Flea Market in Fernwood and donations.

Yes, the Entrepreneurial Development Team reported that the Flea Market, in its infancy stage, has been showing good success. Now they are looking into the possibility of offering classes of various kinds in the community. Watch for their survey and respond as quickly as possible.

A simple project to collect and reproduce some historical photos has turned into something much bigger. So much inerest has been generated in this project that the board approved a new UpRiver Historical Society under the auspices of Upriver Community United. This new team is putting together a beautiful collection of photographs and other memorabilia including artifacts of the area. They plan to make and sell calendars to raise money to support their efforts. There will be public showings of the photo reproductions that have been made so far. Watch for more information on these developments in the future. They will also be having their own meeting, with dates to be announced, to discuss business and choose some leadership for the group. There is still time for you to get involved in this project!

Great things are happening and everyone is excited about the possibilities! You need to be a part of it all! It seems like there are no end of activities to stir the interests of young and old. One thing leads to another and before you know it new ideas are generated and new projects are taking off.

The next board meeting will be held August 25th at the Fernwood CAF building at 6:30 PM. Anyone who lives in the UpRiver communities of Emida, Santa, and Fernwood are welcome to participate in discussions and voting. The meetings are open to all.

The Entrepreneurial Development Team is trying to get a grant to offer classes in the UpRiver area. At the last meeting on July 29, the team discussed many possibilities. We decided to do a survey to pinpoint the areas of greatest interest to the people of the community.

The survey we created lists classes in household and family care, business, computers (from beginning to advanced), job skills, and junior classes for the younger set. There are about 45 different classes listed, with plenty of space to add others. There is also space to offer your services if you are willing to share your expertise

This survey will be printed out, attached to the UpRiver newsletter, and available in all of the local communities wherever we can find a place to put it. Be sure to fill out a survey and get it returned to us as soon as possible. We will be collecting them and compiling the results so that the grant application can be turned in by September 1.

Our next meeting is on August 12, at 7:00 PM at the Hideout. We will be discussing this important topic then and you are very welcome to attend!

Lorelei, Joanne, Richard and Rebbecca were present for our July meeting on the 28th at the Hideout.

Micheal Porcelli with Idaho Traffic Engineering will be scheduling a site visit for a Historical sign out of Mashburn. Joanne will stay in contact with the engineer. Some early history was dicussed that might be of interest for the sign.

There will be a Rendevous at Plummer, Worley, Tensed and Desmet on August 8th, 9th, and 10th that we discussed attending and observing how they involved all of the communities in their festival.

There was discussion on a Fernwood Festival for 2009. We talked about having a Parade, Horseshoe tournament, Poker run, Pioneer crafts, logging events, a breakfast, kids games, softball tournament and a dance with a band in the evening. Funding was also contemplated. A tentative date was set for the last weekend in July. We invite anyone who has ideas, or input to attend our next meeting August 27, 6:30, at the Hideout.

The University of Idaho students came to the UpRiver Community to develop conceptual designs for both community centers: Fernwood (CAF) and Emida. The final drawings and proposed plans were presented on campus and at the Horizons Summit event. All the display materials were given to the communities.

The Community Identified Illegal Drugs As A Major Concern And Contributor To Poverty. A Meth Awareness Night Was Held In Fernwood as a joint sponshorship with St Maries Horizons on July 17, 2008. Ice Cream Was Served, And 45 People Attended, Mostly Youth. The event was attended by 45 people who were mostly youth.

A Brochure Was Developed, Published, And Mailed To All Upriver Residents At The End Of June 2008 To Summarize Activities And Provide Contact Information For People To Get Involved.
You may access this brochure at: Brochure

Please visit our website: Upriver United provides a unique opportunity for our communities, with diverse viewpoints, to work together to build a thriving community.

Calendar
Check out the calendar to find out what’s new for the upcoming month! Or add special events, meetings or even your yard sale! If it’s happening, we want to know!

Business Directory
Support our local businesses or add your to the list. What a great way to let people know you’re out there. Together we make the difference.

Our Communities
Be enlightened by some local history and events of Fernwood, Santa, and Emida. This is also the place to find things to do and browse the resources our communities offer.

News
Featuring articles of local news, our monthly newsletter or browse our archives to see what we’ve been up to.

Horizons
Here is where it all started! Building a strong friendship between communities. Find out where we’re headed… and how we plan on getting there.

Links
Would you like to be linked? If you’re local, send us your information and we’ll get you on the page.

Our Group met at the Hide out on May 19 with a goal in mind of reassembling the committee.Lorelei volunteered to be note taker for the meetings. Joel had resigned as co-chair and Richard had stepped in, but said that he needed someone else to releive him, as he is already involved in and co-chairing numerous other committees. Lorelei said that she would take over. Community Pride is responsible for History Awareness, Signage, Community Day, and Clean up Day. There was discussion about a Community Day and it was suggested that we try to join up with the two other Upriver Communities and make it a weekend event with the various organizations hosting different activities. It was reported that Bud will be putting fences up around the dumpsters. Nancy asked for someone to take over the sign project as she does not have a phone nor internet access. It was reported that there is still money for restoring and copying historical photos that will be framed and displayed in various places. Our next meeting will take place June 23rd, 6:30 @ Hideout. We are looking for more people to join our committee, pass the word on to anyone you know who is interested in being involved in these important activities.

No, this is not a set of minutes for the board, and I don’t even know how everyone will feel about my putting up information on the board meeting when I am not “the blogger” for that group, so it is an informal little head’s up. If someone wants more particulars posted, they may do so or ask me to. . .

The Board (with the approval and votes of the co-chairs of the committees present) voted to include all of the committees under the board in the interest of streamlining the 501(c)3 process. It seemed to be a general consensus that this was only common sense for the sake of unity and resources and that it was pretty much the feeling that this relationship had always existed in spite of a bit of confusion. Now it is official.

There was a good turnout with representatives reporting from all of the committees. A great big Thank You goes out to all who helped with the community clean up. In recognition of your hard work and community spirit, a better thank you should be coming your way soon!

The difference between our community and “the one down the road” was pointed out to me when I was trying to get us signed up with the University Extension’s Community Review process. Shelby Kern said that they were pretty excited about working with us because we will be the first community they have dealt with that does not have a mayor and other community government.

This difference has, in some ways, been a burden. Usually one expects things to happen in a community because it just happens. This is usually the result of having people in elected or paid positions to look after the needs of the community. These items might include water, sewer, road maintenance, library, playgrounds, community buildings, health, etc. Without such people in place, community members need to be more pro-active if these are things they want, or depend on other providers such as the county, or travel further to access the frills of society, or . . . .

UpRiver community members are a hardy group of people who are very independent, and have provided most of these amenities in the pioneering spirit through volunteerism, etc. This is a strength. One that I would surmise that they wish to retain. Autonomy is a prize to be cherished and the UpRiver people appear to hold on to the desire to forge ahead and be the captains of their own destiny.

Working on the community vision will be done at the grass-roots level without the need to deal with red tape and incumbent governmentalists who feel that they should be in total control of decisions and policy making. We are looking for more people to come out into the open to contribute to the community discussions so that all will have a voice. We also hope that those who join in will be open-minded and consider all viewpoints with equity so that the community will continue to display its characteristic personality when the vision comes to fruition.

The community building commitee met at the Senior Citizen Building on April 17, 2008. Discussions were as follows:

 Received update on survey which is needed to help us with questions on wants and needs of a Community Center by the community.   The cost of the survey was more than anticipated and funds are not available at this time.

Gym - Group met with Upriver School principal and attended school board meeting to discuss needs of a new Gym at Upriver.  School is supportive of whatever the community can do to build a gym but mentioned they do not have funds and have other lists of priorities for school needs at this time.

Discussed touring other Community Centers and Gyms to get ideas and suggestions.   We will get in touch with Deary, Troy, Bovill, Nez Pierce,  and Orofino Community Centers and Gym and Nazarene Church Gym to see if we can arrange tours.

We have had many discussions regarding the need of fixing up the current CAF Building in Fernwood.  The inside and outside of the building needs a face list so it will be more efficient and useful for community use.  With summer just around the corner we hope to join in an agreement with the county so this can be done.

Recipes for the Upriver Recipe Book need to be sent in by May 1st if possible.  They can be emailed directly or dropped off at the Fernwood Library .

Community Clean up date is April 26th.  Lets all help clean up our community.

Next meeting date is May 16th at the Emida Community Center at 6:00 p.m.

What words of wisdom would I share to a community just starting a program like Horizons? “Go for it!!! ” You have everything to gain and nothing to loose, in my humble opinion! My only warning would have to be not to set your sights too high in order not to be too disapointed. Social change happens slowly but it does happen, and one person can make a differance. Personal growth, trusting relationships, lifelong friendships, these can be expected when people choose to work together for a common good. Personal integrity, pride and a feeling of ownership towards ones community are some of the changes I can see happening in myself.

Answer to What community’s chamber os commerce recently met with high school youth to work together to involve more youth in their community? Kooskia!

Six of us met at the Drifters Cafe in Emida on Thursday, April tenth, to learn the fine arts of blogging. Our Horizons instructor, Meri, was kind enough to come all the way from Moscow to teach us the ins and outs of blogging. We are now ready to blog, Yeah! Get ready to read!

I hope everyone has been paying attention to the upcoming activities. The week of the 7th to the 10th is going to be a busy one for those involved in the UpRiver Horizons group:

Monday, April 7–Don’t miss the Business Persons Breakfast at the Drifters Cafe in Emida at 8:00 AM. It is a no-host affair to connect and network with like-minded people in the area. If you have a business that is running, would like to start a business, are in need of employment and would like to see who the “business people” are, come eat and chat. Or just get a beverage and visit over “coffee”.

Tuesday, April 8–The Economic Development or Entreprenuerial Committee is meeting at the Hideout in Fernwood at 7:00 pm. If you would like to see what is going on in this group, fit the categories mentioned above, would like to get involved in making things happen in the Emida/Santa/Fernwood area come join us!

Wednesday, April 9–The first of three Entrepreneurial workshops for those in this area interested in self-employment will be held in Plummer at the Wellness Center starting at 5:00. For more information contact Lori Higgins, higgins@uidaho.edu, or Meri Jozwiak, merij@uidaho.edu.

Thursday, April 10–A meeting to plan for the beginning stages of building a new community center will be held at the Hideout Cafe in Fernwood at 10:00 AM. You are invited!

Thursday evening, April 10–Blogging Workshop for those who are interested in blogging for the Community website will be at the Drifters in Emida at 6:00 pm.
Be there!

Yes, there are more activities. Starting next week. Watch the calendar, the newsletter, the blogsite, the newspaper, the bulletin boards. . . We try to keep everyone who is interested informed.

The calendar can be found by clicking here.

Scavenger Hunt Question: Which community (in partnership with ComBAT (Community Based Access to Technology) will be having a FREE concert on April 23, 2008?

And the answer is: Coeur d’Alene Indian Reservation in Plummer.

In case anyone in our area is interested in looking into this and the Free Music Editing Class I am posting a copy of their advertisement here in full:

This one was easy for me. I was visiting someone in Plummer on Wednesday of last week and there was a newsletter laying on her floor. It had the Coeur d’Alene Tribal seal on the corner so it aroused my curiosity. Especially since it had the word ComBAT in the return address area. I had never seen that word before even though I work over there. I did not ask about it since our conversation was more about personal and national news than about local activities. But, lo and behold, when I checked my email, here was this question. I had merely to go to the Coeur d’Alene Reservation’s blogsite to get my answer.

One of these days I won’t be new to all of this and I will have these answers off the top of my head. If someone walks up to me off the street and asks me a question like this I will be able to fill them in without the bat of an eye. In the meantime I have to go around asking the same questions. In fact I have already been asking questions about where is the money for these projects coming from? Why would anyone want to do a community review for us for free? and so on. I also asked the question about how we will keep up the momentum once the startup money is gone in June.

On Thursday night, March 27, we had a board meeting (my first). There were reports made by all the committees and I learned a lot. Cell towers are in the works. Application has already been made to Verizon and they are sending people out to examine the locations that have been chosen as ideal spots, on top of Crystal Peak and on a mountain near Emida. They have great coverage–Crystal Peak’s site may reach clear up to Avery and Emida’s may go as far as to the Tensed area. It will be to Verizon’s great advantage to locate these towers here because of the tourist industry and also because of the number of people who currently don’t own cell phones because there is no coverage here, but they would like to. These towers could also provide high speed Internet which the school, library and individuals would all benefit by.

A first fund raiser is in the works to help with administrative costs of the board. The 501c3 committee is finishing up work on their application for tax exempt status which would make obtaining grants easier. The Entreprenurial Committee is sponsoring and encouraging people to take classes in starting a business, and blogging, as well as applying to the U of I extension office for a Community Review to help us determine the best direction to go to improve the economic status of the community and strengthen the unity among the various communities that make up The UpRiver Community. From this we will be able to draw up a strategic plan.

We talked about the possibility of a future grant writing committee. In the meantime the bricks for the foundation are still being laid. With the Building Committee looking into the creation of a new Community Center and doing some upgrades on existing buildings in Emida and Fernwood, there will be surveys sent to everyone in the three communities to get a feel for what people think they want, how they feel about the projects in mind, and how best to pay for them. (Land has been donated, or at least promised.) Hopefully this will draw much more attention to what is being done and more people will rise up to help in every area. With a community center and some community gatherings sponsored by the Community Pride Committee, people should begin to develop stronger loyalties to one another and to UpRiver and its vision. This will help keep the momentum going and grow new leaders in the work.

We are optimistic that as major projects are accomplished for the good of the Community, the Horizons group will become more visible and more credible in the eyes of the citizens of the area. People like to be where things are happening and they like to be on the winning team. The people of the UpRiver Community are pioneer-minded and should catch the vision and begin to get more involved. I see great possibilities and I see the groups morphing into different committees both large and small as new projects get under way and those with special talents lend themselves to the work.

Richard Pullman, Rosemary Niemier, Fred Niemier, Bill Crocker, and Judi Heicksen met at the Hideout Café in Fernwood Monday evening, March 17th, at 7:00 PM as scheduled. It was a comfortable meeting of sharing the news from many other committees and a discussion of what more the Communications Committee can be doing. The real purpose is to make sure all of the committees and the community members keep updated on what each other is doing and what the community members expect as well as what they need to know.

We are pleased with the fact that the newsletter seems to be well received and is disappearing from the various placements around Emida, Santa, and Fernwood. We also got some feedback on some of the activities, though it wasn’t all positive. Some are excited that cell towers are not only being planned and actively pursued, but that they are looking more and more like a reality, while we have heard from at least one community member that is concerned about what is perceived as possible health risks surrounding the installation of the cell towers. The Communications Committee appreciates any dialogue, as this is what communication is all about.

The blog site is also starting to take off again and visitors to the site may post comments that can stimulate more discussion about the various activities of the committees who are devoted to strengthening the community member’s stand in the area, before others come in with other visions, but more influence or money. Make your interests and wishes known. Better yet, get involved with one of the committees. Everyone is welcome to have a voice and the sooner you offer your opinion the more weight it may be able to carry. And committee members express a desire to incorporate more people in the process as this equates to more workers, more hands, and lighter burdens for all.

Check the newsletter and the calendar, for more specific information such as time and locations of meetings, workshops, and other events. We look forward to seeing YOU come out to any or all of these!—The next Communications meeting is on Monday, April 21, at the Hideout in Fernwood at 7:00 PM. See you there!

On March 10, a small gathering of business owners had breakfast at the Drifters Café, in Emida. Rudy Heicksen, Fred Niemeier, Rosemary Niemeier, Richard Pullman, and Nancy Deusenbery, the owner of the café, sat together and discussed the ins and outs of doing business in the UpRiver community. The whole idea is to have a time and place to get together and share ideas, needs and resources for business success.

Rudy and Fred are both loggers with equipment of various sorts and different leads on logging jobs that require an assortment of skills and tools. It seems like too often the jobs anymore are not simple and straightforward. Sometimes it might make all the difference in landing a job if two or more proprietors can share their expertise and resources. This takes networking. Knowing who is good at what, who has what tools and equipment, and who is willing to form a limited working arrangement to accomplish something neither could do alone.

We know there are other business people who can benefit from the opportunity to network and talk about what is needed in the UpRiver area to enhance their businesses. No host breakfast meetings are scheduled for the first Monday of each month at the Drifters Café in Emida at 8:00 AM. Come join us at the table and meet others who have similar interests and challenges. If “two heads are better than one”, think what kind of genius can rise from a whole group of heads!

By the way, I hear the food is excellent, the service is great, and the portions are generous!