Turner lodge

There are a plenty of reasons why the entire community should be up at the Turner Mountain Ski Area on Saturday for the dedication of the new day lodge.

The community ski hill that has blossomed over recent years into a recreation butterfly with great economic development potential deserves attention.

Out of respect for the Kootenai Winter Sports volunteers, we should all be up there to celebrate what they have accomplished. It's truly remarkable. It's a story, a lesson, we should study and apply to other aspects of community-building and economic development.

We should visit the lodge on Saturday in thanks and memory for all the volunteers, especially those visionaries 46 years ago that started the little ski area that could.

Turner is a great example of organized or focused tourism. People come and we know where they are recreating. Based on that, it's supposed to be easier to capitalize financially on that type of captive audience compared to dispersed recreation where people come to the county and we never see them.

The only other example of this type of recreation/tourism is the Cabinet View Golf Course, which is another remarkable tale of dedicated volunteers that is the blossoming stage.

Go on up to Turner on Saturday and I guarantee, whether or not you ski, you will have a good time at the lodge. Who knows, you might see the opportunity to use the facility at another time for a business meeting and organization meeting.

Go on up and I'll see you there. But I'm bringing my skis. — Roger Morris