Community Life & Events
How people here find their people: events, clubs, arts and volunteer crews.
Nobody moves to a town of 2,500 for the nightlife. People move here and then find, a little to their surprise, that the calendar fills up: the fair, the parade, a fundraiser dinner, a ball game under the lights. This is how you find your people.
Kootenai River Days in July, Main Street closed to traffic for the evening. You will run into people you know before you reach the end of the block. Photo: CENTURY 21 Four Seasons Realty
Annual Events
Bonners Ferry Farmers Market
A summer-long Saturday market with local vendors and fresh produce.
Summer Concert Series
Free outdoor concerts every Tuesday evening at the Boundary County Fairgrounds.
The Borders Jamboree Car Show
Sponsored by the Rod Benders Car Club of Bonners Ferry.
Horsepower Collides
Barrel-racing horses face off against dirt bikers in the fairgrounds arena: "Two Worlds, One Arena."
CHAFE 150
A road-cycling event through the valley, with 150-, 80-, and 30-mile routes.
4th of July
A full parade and fireworks show down Main Street.
Kootenai River Days & the Kootenai River Run
A river-focused weekend, capped by a 5K/10K road race.
Boundary County Fair
4-H, local vendors, and grandstand events including the demolition derby.
Bonners Ferry Tractor Pull
Vehicles and machines put to the test.
Swish 3v3 Basketball Tournament
A weekend 3-on-3 tournament on the courts downtown.
Moyie Mudbog
A local off-road tradition, run twice a year.
North Idaho Truck Show
Log trucks, cattle haulers, and flatbeds on display at the Parks & Rec fields.
Artist Studio Tour
A self-guided tour of local artists' studios across the county.
Hometown Holidays
Local shops' holiday events and sales.
Plus community fundraisers throughout the year, including the Huckleberry Pancake Breakfast, the CROP Hunger Walk, Relay for Life, and the Fry Healthcare Foundation Golf Tournament.
Riders and the Badger band coming down Main Street. Half the town is in the parade and the other half is on the curb. Photo: CENTURY 21 Four Seasons Realty
Arts, Culture & Community Life
Newcomers here tend to find their people quickly, because so much of life runs through clubs, ball fields and volunteer crews. The Bonners Ferry Rotary Club meets Tuesdays at noon at the Kootenai River Inn and puts on the annual CommUnity Breakfast and the Rotary Wine Walk. Veterans gather at the VFW Hall, home to VFW Post 3622 and the American Legion, and at a Friday-morning veterans' coffee. The Masons, the Eagles and the women of Beta Sigma Phi all have active local chapters too. The Seniors Hospitality Center hosts weekly bingo and dances. Other groups include a bridge club, an amateur radio club, quilters and a community preparedness group.
Families lean on the library's programs, including a Fab Lab makerspace, reading challenges and free monthly books for kids under five, and on the concrete skatepark and pump track in town. Shooters have the Kootenai Valley Rifle and Pistol Club. For news, the Bonners Ferry Herald, 9B News online and KBFI 1450 AM cover the county.
Boundary County Museum
Local history, archives and school tours, run by the Historical Society. Open Thursday through Saturday, 10 to 3, and free on the first Saturday. 7229 Main St. · (208) 267-7720
The Pearl Theater
A nonprofit community stage in a restored downtown building, home to plays, concerts, author talks, dance and yoga since 2012. 7160 Ash St.
Teascarlet Fine Art
Painter Hannah Sucsy’s downtown studio and gallery, with original work, commissions and community art events. 6389 Kootenai St. · (208) 946-8415
A. Lee Harris Sculpture & Art
Stone sculptor and painter Anna Lee Harris, whose work stands outside the library and in Sandpoint’s Silver Box program. Private studio on Oxford Road north of town.
Than Widner Photography
A fifth-generation Idahoan who photographs the county’s wildlife, mountains, barns, trains and hop fields, with prints for sale online.
Bonner’s Books
A downtown shop of new and used books with a grand piano in the middle, a store cat, and a reputation that draws readers from an hour away. 7195 Main St. · (208) 267-2622
Northern Journeys Magazine
A Bonners Ferry-based magazine for the region’s writers, poets and visual artists, covering North Idaho, eastern Washington, western Montana and southern B.C. (208) 597-3963
Mirror Lake Golf Course
A public 9-hole course with leagues, lessons, a restaurant and an indoor simulator for winter swings. 5686 Main St. · (208) 267-5314
Boundary County Parks & Rec
Youth and adult sports leagues, always looking for volunteer coaches. The summer city pool offers swim lessons and lap swim · (208) 304-3603
University of Idaho Extension
4-H plus agriculture, gardening, food safety and forestry programs. 6791 B Main Street · (208) 267-3235
Bonners Ferry Chamber of Commerce
Staffs the travel information desk at the Gateway Visitor Center downtown. 7232 Main St. · (208) 267-5922
Community Action Partnership
The Bonners Ferry office runs the local food bank, with food distributed Tuesdays and Fridays. 6665 Main St. · (208) 267-3663
Bonners Ferry Herald
The county's weekly newspaper. Its community calendar is the best way to find out what's happening. (208) 267-5521
9B News
Online news for Boundary County, with daily local stories, events and public notices.
Kootenai Tribe of Idaho
Longtime stewards of the river, with a sturgeon and burbot conservation aquaculture program dating to 1989. 100 Circle Dr. · (208) 267-3519
