Baseball season is only just starting but baseball fever is continue to heat up as the Northern Lake American Legion Baseball organization is preparing for the upcoming season with their third annual pancake feed. For a 10 dollar donation volunteers will be serving heaping helpings of pancakes, eggs, sausage and coffee and orange juice. Founded in 2014 for the ’14/’15 season the majority of the credit falls on the shoulders which carried the weight for the organization: Rusty and Brenda Price ,Jason and Stephanie Bradbury, and Jesse and Jill McDaniel.
Before they founded their own organization, they had been a part of the Post Falls Legion program, the ‘Prairie Cardinals’ since the 1970s. Rathdrum, Athol, and Spirit lake grew by leaps and bounds over the many years that they had been apart of that program and the problem arose that their was to many players and not enough spots for players. “At some point there was kids who where not getting a chance to play . There was one team for Lakeland Timberlake Post Falls and Athol. We just got to big.” That’s was the turning point where they decided they needed a new league. In January of 2015 Jesse McDaniel, Ruty Price and Jason Bradbury along with his wife Stephanie drove down to Boise in order to meet with the state board of American Legion in order to be able to break from the Post Falls branch and start a new club.
“It took a month.” Rusty recalled “I remember because we got the word just before St. Valentine day and it was a unanimous decision by the Idaho Commanders of American Legion. Post Falls had also sent a delegation down to oppose the split but where obviously, unsuccessful. With the go ahead, they started their own baseball program out of the Athol Post 149, thanks to Legion Commander in Athol Don Kuch.. “We feel very connected to Rathdrum, and the Lakeland School District.” Shelia Pote, a long time teacher at Lakeland Jr. High started. “But in order start the program we had to partner with an existing American Legion post in order to do it.” Rusty quickly chimed in. The irony in all this was that Rathdrum got it’s own American Legion Post inside a few months later. The name they chosen is a reflection of just how big an area they cover and gets it namesake from one of the fire districts which covers some of the same towns they draw from and hence ‘Northern Lakes’.
The pancake feed was an idea born out of necessity. Jesse Mcdaniels whom also was there for the feed recalled “We needed 800 dollars just to start the thing.” Referring to the starting dues of the club. They had gone back and fourth with a few ideas but ultimate breakfast won out and for the three years they have been the Northern Lakes American Legion Baseball Club they had served breakfast at O’Mallys which has been generous enough to donate the venue to them. The very first year they even had their own chefs cook the meals but since then friends, family and other volunteers have taken over the responsibilities of providing the food and service and want to keep doing it in the future.
Rusty, the aforementioned founding member is also quite excited about the future of the origination. “Having a baseball team is actually part of the American Legion Charter.” Along with the pancake feed they also do 2 more fundraising drives, Both of which happen in the summer when the baseball season is in full swing. In June, they have a Spaghetti feed and throughout the season sell tickets for a gun raffle where they have given out a Winchester Super X4 12 gauge, and each year there is a secondary prize they give away in what they call ‘The hard luck drawing’. The first year it was a Ruger 10/22 and a pellet gun with the second year hard luck prize being a 100 dollar gift certificate to black sheep.
“We didn’t start this for just us (adults). We want this ball club post to be around so our children will be coaching games in the future,” Jesse stated. Even though they are only in the third year of this particular post they look to other legion posts that are established already to help mold their program into a successful one. To get there it will still take them quite a bit of work they admit. “The hardest thing we had to do as an organization so far is galvanize the people…We are spread out throughout the different cities that we draw from.” Though Athol, Spirit Lake, and Rathdrum may not be considered very big towns, they are situated far enough from one another that it can be hard for the left hand to know what the right hand is doing. Sheila put it very simply, ” The Northern Lakes Legion Baseball program is a wonderful asset to our community. It provides opportunities for our baseball players beyond Little League, and brings unity to our small northern cities here in the Lakeland School District.”
For more information about the Northern Lakes Mountaineers you can find their web page at http://northernlakesalbaseball.weebly.com, which wall also have email contacts for the majors players involved and the facebook page at www.facebook.com/NorthenLakesALBaseball and as always, future coverage of events will be right here at the Rathdrum Sun.
The Rathdrum Sun 
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