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Boaters bring the
lumber
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Wooden vessels provide a step back in
time
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By JERRY MANTER Staff
writer THE PRESS / HAGADONE NEWSPAPER NETWORK Sunday, August 21,
2005 A3
-
 Coeur
d’Alene:
— Marvin Hill
enjoys studying the past. The two World
Wars and the Civil War are
OK,
but Hill enjoys studying a different
kind of history
—
wooden boat history. And he likes
showing it off, too.
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“Every once and a while
the boat catches people off guard,” said Hill, the owner of a 1947
Higgins wooden boat, which is on display at The Coeur d’Alene Resort
boardwalk this weekend. “It’s a step back in time.” About 40 boats are
on the lake at this year’s 21st annual Wooden Boat Festival. Hill said
he always enjoys letting people ride in his boat. Many, he said, see
his boat and remember how they looked decades ago.
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“It’s a piece of history,”
Hill said. Organizers have molded the boat show to be more
people-friendly during the past couple years and offer more rides on
the lake. A handful of trophies are still awarded to the best boats,
but organizers still strive for a fun atmosphere. “I grew up around
wooden boats,” said Werner Nennecker, owner of a 1992 Stan-Craft boat,
who gave dozens of rides to people.
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One of those eager
passengers was Dick Powell of Coeur d’Alene. “I like how they look and
how they sound,” Powell said. “They make that blub, blub, blub sound
in the water.” A 1962 restored Tollycraft wooden boat will be raffled
today at the boardwalk. A local boat owner donated the classic wooden
boat to festival organizers
All proceeds
will benefit Children’s Village in Coeur d’Alene. Festival chairman
Syd Young has said the boat could easily be worth about $10,000. Boat
owner’s offer rides for free but do accept donations to Children’s
Village.
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