A boy is running down the beach in the buff. He looks like he’s about two years old and his parents are frantically trying to catch up with him. None of the other beachgoers seem to have even noticed. In fact, they all seem pretty distracted.

A group of teenaged boys is standing a little ways out in the water directly in front of a group of teenaged girls. Both sets of teens are pretending not to notice each other. At least a dozen children are balanced on a floating dock out in the water and several other people have their eyes closed and are sunbathing. There’s so much going on at Sandpoint’s City Beach on a hot summer day that you could get away with streaking — if you’re two, anyways.

Sandpoint, Idaho, and its City Beach park rest on the shores of beautiful Lake Pend Oreille (pronounced pond-o-ray). At 62 km in length, it is the largest lake in the state and one of the largest inland lakes in North America.

It is so big and deep that the United States military uses the lake for acoustic research on naval submarines.

The best way to really get a grasp of the immensity of the lake and learn about its history is via an afternoon history cruise with Lake Pend Oreille Cruises. The 90-minute cruise offers great views of the vast shoreline and provides insights into the geology that is responsible for the lake’s existence. You also learn about the first nations’ history, David Thompson’s explorations as the first European in the area, and the rich rail history of the region. It’s not uncommon to see wildlife on the cruise and there’s usually a prize for the osprey sighting.

Not far from the beach is a quaint little downtown with restaurants, art galleries and interesting little shops to explore. Sandpoint is the headquarters for Coldwater Creek and Litehouse Foods and they both have retail outlets in town. There are more than a dozen art galleries in and around Sandpoint and a theatre devoted to live performance art. It is small enough to feel quaint and large enough to have just about everything you need.

Even though it may seem that summer ends when the kids go back to school, there is technically still three weeks of summer in September. Temperatures in September are still pretty balmy in Sandpoint with average highs of about 22C. Sandpoint’s City Beach may not be the Caribbean, but it is a great place to spend time soaking up the last summer rays.

Labour Day Weekend in and around Sandpoint:

• Sept. 4: Hope Community Market — Fresh produce, arts and crafts, and fresh baking can be found at Hope’s Memorial Community Center, 415 Wellington Place, from 2 to 5:30 p.m.

• Sept. 4, 5: Winery music — Pend d’Oreille Winery, 220 Cedar St., hosts live music from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. with Bridges Home, a folk and Celtic duo.

• Sept. 5: Sandpoint Farmers Market — This open-air market features fresh produce, handcrafts, flowers, food and music. It runs from 3 to 5:30 p.m. at Farmin Park.

• Sept. 5: Summer Sounds at Park Place — Pend Oreille Arts Council presents live music with the SHS Steel Pan Band, performing from noon to 2 p.m. on the Park Place Stage at the corner of First and Cedar.

• Sept. 5, 6: Schweitzer Fall Fest — Schweitzer Mountain Resort is holding its annual free outdoor music and microbrew festival from 1 to 6 p.m., with live music on Saturday with Stout Pounders and Milonga, and Sunday with the Ian McFeron Band and Adrian Xavier, plus discounted chairlift rides, crafts, kids activities and more than 20 microbrews. For more info, go to www.schweitzer.com

• Sept 5, 6: Classic Car Show — Hosted by the Inland Empire Late Great Chevy Club, there will be hundreds of late model cars at Silverwood Theme Park on Labour Day Weekend. Admission to the car show is included for free with admission to the theme park.

• Sept. 5,6: Affair on Mainstreet in Metaline Falls — This two-day event includes food and entertainment, a show and shine car show, a play at the Cutter Theatre and a flea market at the American Legion. As a fundraiser, the North Pend Oreille Lions club will be offering 90-minute scenic backcountry train rides along the Pend Oreille River.

If you go:

• Sandpoint, Idaho, has a population of just over 8,000 people and is about an eight-hour drive southwest from Red Deer. It is only a one-hour drive from Creston, B.C.

The closest airport is located in Spokane, Wash., about a one-hour drive from Sandpoint. It’s about a 45-minute drive to Coeur d’Alene, Wash., from Sandpoint.

• There are plenty of good accommodation options in Sandpoint. We stayed at Sleeps Cabins on Lake Pend Oreille. These cute little cabins are located right on the lake and have a private dock and fully equipped kitchens. The cabins are open year-round, but autumn and spring are the least expensive times to stay. Prior to Sept. 14, the cabins start at US$155 per night. From Sept. 14 to Nov. 15, cabin rentals start at US$85 per night. For more information or reservations, visit www.sleepscabins.com

• If you are looking for a hotel-style accommodation on the lake, consider the Lodge at Sandpoint. Built in 2007, it has a wonderful location right on the edge of the lake and plenty of amenities, including an excellent gourmet restaurant called 41 South. Rates start at US$179 per night during the summer and include breakfast. Rates are only slightly lower in September, but they drop by 40 per cent in the winter months. For more information or reservations, visit thelodgeatsandpoint.com

• Lake Pend Orielle Cruises offers daily history cruises on the lake during the summer until Sept. 12. The 90-minute cruise departs daily from City Beach at 2:30 p.m. and costs US$19 for adults and US$14 for children. For advance reservations or information, visit lakependoreillecruises.com

• Silverwood Theme Park is about 40 minutes south of Sandpoint. Silverwood is the largest theme park in the inland northwest with more than 65 rides and attractions, including four roller-coasters and a huge water park. There is an RV park onsite and hotels in nearby Sandpoint or Coeur d’Alene. The park is open on weekends in September and October. Visit on Labour Day weekend to enjoy the classic car show. Bring two tins of food for a food bank donation and receive a half price general admission on Sept. 12, 13, 17, 18 or 24, 25. On Sept. 12 and 13, grandparents get an added bonus — one grandparent gets in free with the purchase of a children’s ticket. For more information, visit silverwoodthemepark.com

Debbie Olsen is a Lacombe-based freelance writer. If you have a travel story you would like to share or know someone with an interesting travel story who we might interview, please email: DOGO@telusplanet.net or write to: Debbie Olsen, c/o Red Deer Advocate, 2950 Bremner Ave., Red Deer, T4R 1M9.