Back to the future at Park Avenue and B Street

Steve and Lisa Fischbach of MCS Advertising posted these pictures on Facebook the other day of the building at Park Avenue and B Street that they have been remodeling for the best part of two years. There's nothing much new to report other than a.) this represents a textbook lesson in downtown renewal and b.) the building at 403 Park Avenue used to be the Gem State Business College. The picture on the left is from a 1920 Polk's City Directory, which Lisa Fischbach says was a useful reference as they went about stripping the '60s-era plastic siding off and restoring the facade to a more vintage look. For a larger view, just click on the picture.

Happy Chinese Restaurant moving to new downtown location

Jay and Lily Li inside the downtown location where they hope to move their Happy Chinese Restaurant this fall. The space is at 504 Shoup Avenue, across B Street from Idaho Mountain Trading Co.

Jay and Lily Li came to Idaho Falls from Rexburg in 2003 to take over Happy Chinese Restaurant, on Park Avenue.

When it came time to find a new location that would give them more kitchen space, they didn't want to leave downtown. But it wasn't until last year, when the space formerly occupied by the Grand Victorian Wedding Chapel became available, that they put their moving plans in motion.

"People know we're downtown, so we want to stay downtown," she said.

For those of you who go way back, the property at 504 Shoup Avenue used to be the Montgomery Ward building.

In the new location, which they hope to open in November after a top-to-bottom makeover, they will have 5,000 square feet, nearly twice what they've had at their longtime location. The space will be about evenly split between the restaurant area seating 135 and the kitchen, Lily Li said.

"We will have better updated equipment for cooking," she said.

Bike for Kids Idaho scheduled for Saturday

Nine-year-old Brendan McDaniel, center, with his siblings (from left) Jordan, 11, Sage, 7, and Emmett, 3. Last October Brendan had brain surgery to treat a rare condition called Rasmussen encephalitis. His mother, Joy McDaniel, learned about the Bike for Kids Idaho program from physical therapist Lisa Hamilton, and Brendan is one of the children who will be receiving an adapted bicycle that will allow him to ride with his family.

For Kristy Mickelsen, it started as something personal and turned into a cause.

Mickelsen's son, Isaac, has spinal bifida, which limited what he could do with the family until they discovered they could receive and adapted bicycle from the Children With Disabilities Foundation.

"Before these adapting bikes, they'd just sit on the grass and watch the other kids have fun," she saiid. Seeing what a difference the new bike made in their son's life, Mickelsen and her husband, Scott, developed the Bike for Kids Idaho program, now in its fifth year in Idaho Falls.

If you want to ride Saturday, you can help give an Idaho kid with special needs a bike. This Saturday, the community fund-raiser will start att 6:30 a.m. Proceeds will provide new adapted bikes for special needs children all over the state of Idaho.

The event features a 100-mile century bike ride, as well as 65-, 50-, 25- and 15-mile rides and two family rides over two- and four-mile courses. All rides start and end under the large tent at 1100 Pier View Drive in Snake River Landing. The first riders depart at 6:30 a.m.

In five years, they have been able to buy 26 special needs bikes, ranging in price from $300 to $1,600. After Saturday's event, Mickelsen said she hopes to have enough to buy ten more.

Saturday's event will include a short recipient parade prior to the family rides, where participants and sponsors can cheer on the children who have received bicycles. Following the bike rides, lunch is provided for all riders and their families. Children are welcome to participate in a small carnival featuring games and activities.

Sponsors for the event include: Snake River Landing, Giant Bicycles, Bill's Bike Shop, Dave's Bike Shop, Volm Bag Co., I-PAK, IF Rentals, Rigby Produce, Apple Athletic's Ride Across America Participants, Sam's Club, Wal-Mart, EIRMC, CH2*WG, RistaPrints, The Post Register, Coca-Cola, Bingham Mechanical, Personal Best Performance, Nelson Electric, Taylor P.T, Rocky Mountain Artificial Limb and Brace, Home Depot, Newman Farms, Dad's Travel Center, Basic American Foods, Aspen Home Health, Albertson's and Mobley P.T.

The organizers welcome additional support and participation from the community. For more information on Bike For Kids, call Kristy Mickelsen at 208-680-9397 or email kristy@bikeforkidsidaho.com. Event details and registration information can be found at www.bikeforkidsidaho.com.

Syringa rolling out 4G LTE wireless in October

Syringa Wireless has selected Ericsson as the technology provider for its 4G LTE wireless platform. The company’s 4G deployment is currently underway and will be available to customers in October.

With the Ericsson platform, Syringa Wireless will be able to provide high-speed wireless broadband services to residential and business customers and mobile devices.

LTE provides both businesses and consumers with high-speed wireless alternatives to existing Internet options, often outperforming DSL or satellite. In some of Eastern Idaho’s rural areas, bandwidth comes at a premium and is often too slow to meet the growing demands of businesses and community services such as hospitals and schools. Syringa Wireless will deliver LTE services at speeds up to 20 megabits per second (mbps) to meet increasing bandwidth demand.

“Business has become increasingly dependent on broadband access to remain competitive in a global economy. Our LTE services will provide local businesses with the broadband speeds and service flexibility to meet their growing bandwidth needs,” said Scott Dike, Syringa's general manager.

Businesses and residential customers who are interested are encouraged to contact the company early to secure their accounts in advance.

LINK: http://www.syringawireless.com/lang/en/home/

Contemporary Western jewelry store opening in downtown Idaho Falls

Handmade graduated turquoise
and Bali silver choker-necklace

"Not cowboy, but celebrating the West" is the description Linda Heiser applies to the jewelry she has been making for the last 40 years, and that is the flavor she hopes to instill in the store at 430 Park Avenue that she plans to open July 19.

Located in the Snake River Animal Shelter's old office (they have moved to the O.E. Bell Building on Ridge Avenue), ML Ranch Jewelry will feature Heiser's works as well as other artisans', including Chantal Dunkley, Alan Yonk, Cassie Blust and Wanda Baldwin. Eventually, she hopes to have eight people displaying their work at the shop.

Heiser helped start the Artisans Market 12 years ago, but had to step down for health reasons.  She hopes to recreate some of that flavor in the new store. She also sells her work on such online sites as Etsy.

"People have been asking me, 'When are you going to open a store?'" she said. "I have a bigger following than I thought I had."

LINK: http://www.custommade.com/by/mlranchjewelry/

Former downtown development director branches into pet insurance

Few people ask themselves the question, "Do I need pet insurance?" but if your dog or cat mean anything to you it could be an expensive lesson to learn.

Last year when her 10-year-old Lab mix JoJo slipped on the tile floor and tore her anterior cruciate ligament, Shirley Chastain found herself looking at a four-figure bill she'd never imagined. Her veterinarian worked with her, and JoJo is fine now, but the experience sent her in a career direction she hadn't forseen.

Chastain is now the principal of 4paws Care, a pet insurance company that works under the aegis of the Holden-McCarty agency in downtown Idaho Falls.

"I would say half the people I've talked to have heard of it," she said.

For eight years, Chastain was the executive director of the Idaho Falls Downtown Development Corp. When she left that job, she figured she'd make her living consulting and doing cut glass (www.artistryand1.com). Her passion for critters made adding pet insurance to her resume an appealing option.

One can get licensed to sell pet insurance in Idaho, but most pet insurance providers require brokers tto get certified to sell property and casualty as well. Chastain is licensed to sell those and homeowner's and auto policies. But pet insurance is what gets her most excited.

"Auto may be a necessity, but Fido is my passion," she said.

The younger and healthier a pet is, the less it's going to cost each month (a typical monthly charge is $30 to $40).

"I really do believe it's a necessity," she said. "If you're a dog or cat owner, this is part of your family."

In first encounters, it's the wives and mothers who are most receptive to the idea. "Men will say, 'I can take care of this,' but you don't have to dig much to learn they're just as attached," Chastain said.

To find out more about 4paws Care, follow this link: www.4pawsCare.com.

New Carl's Jr. likely to open in mid- to late September

The framing has been fast and furious for the new Carl's Jr. restaurant at 805 W. Broadway.

The Carl's Jr. restaurant at 805 W. Broadway, the third in Idaho Falls, is scheduled to be finished and open in mid- to late September, a representative of Construction Solutions Co., the project contractor, said Monday.

This is in line with the 120-day construction schedule the parent company, CKE Restaurants, allots for new restaurants. The city of Idaho Falls Engineering Department issued a building permit May 15 for the project. The plans called for a 3,177-square-foot restaurant and surrounding landscaping and parking.

Ever since the first two Carl's Jr. restaurants were built in Idaho Falls, in 2011 and 2012, there hadbeen rumblings that a third was being planned on the site where Arctic Circle was.

CKE, which also owns Hardee's,  has 14 restaurants in Idaho.