Fireside yodelfest

Don't go to Spirit Lake for taco salad---at least, not at the Fireside Inn. My Mother's Day dining out failed to yield a meal to die for, but the phenomenal yodeling kept the experience pretty lively.

Take a head of lettuce, chop off a couple of big chunks. Throw 'em on a pile of dried-up chips, and mix in a small glob of refried beans. Sprinkle some minute pieces of cheese on top and serve. No salsa. No sour cream. No olives. No guacamole. You can get this concoction for $5.95 at the restaurant located on the shores of beautiful Spirit Lake about 35 miles southwest of Sandpoint.

But, ya don't mind because there's live music and lots of masterful yodeling to satisfy your hunger for a memorable Mother's Day. Rod Erickson and his gang put on quite a show while mingling with the crowd and serving those taco salads. Don't get me wrong. I've heard people rave about the ribs at the Fireside. My delicious homemade lemon meringue pie yesterday more than made up for the disappointing salad.

Rod, a Canadian transplant and gold record owner (yodeling, of course), has been performing at his Fireside Inn for several years during the spring, summer and fall months. Ya have to know the schedule, though. I think this year's includes Easter, Mother's Day, Memorial Day, Fourth of July and Labor Day. Used to be every weekend, but that's changed.

With his peroxided mop of blond hair and sparkling blue eyes, Rod performs as the main man on stage, but this year he's got a sidekick Fred who accompanies with guitar and plays a few piano solos. Fred says he's gotta wear his cowboy hat, or he can't sing. Yesterday, upon request, he sang "My Pend Oreille," along with a ballad about his daughter.

One of the waitresses stopped taking orders, stood on stage with her black apron, cranked up the boogie box for some accompaniment and belted out some Country Western, Christian songs. The 70-something crowd to our right encouraged her to sing more. She obliged her adoring audience, and then went back to taking orders.

Later, Rod put on a grand yodeling seminar along with some cowboy poetry for a group of young kids who'd come with their family for Mother's Day dinner. I don't know if any of 'em ordered that salad.

The highlight, though, for me came during dessert when Rod invited a couple to the stage and asked them to join him with some Christian songs. The group's rendition of "In the Garden" brought tears to my eyes, since the last time I heard that was at my dad's funeral in November, 2003.

I won't forget Mother's Day, 2005. And, I'll more than likely try to lure friends and family to the Fireside Inn for one of the upcoming entertainment days. Rod and his crew offer a sumptuous feast of family-style, old-time entertainment, even if the taco salad ain't the best.