Meet Sandpoint Tour Coordinator, Dan Meulenberg
Hi Dan! Tell us a little about yourself and your history in Sandpoint, ID.
I was born in Michigan, attended medical school in North Carolina and have been in Idaho since 1990. I've been in family practice here in Sandpoint since 1994. It has been my privilege to be in the same practice for over 30 years. I actually still see a few patients that I had seen my first week in practice, August 1994! We chose Sandpoint because of its location, with the beautiful lake and the ski hill, and vibrant arts and restaurant scene as well. Now, like so many places in Idaho and Montana, many others have "discovered" us and so we are experiencing some growing pains. My wife served as a prosecutor and a judge here in our county, and she retired last July. For now, I continue to practice medicine full-time but plan to transition to halftime later this year. I was privileged to serve on the board of directors for the Festival at Sandpoint, our local music festival, and when my time on that board ended, I transitioned into the Sandpoint coordinator for Montana Shakespeare in the Parks!
And how about the town of Sandpoint? What is it known for? What do you love about this community?
Sandpoint is a great little town. Historically it was a logging and railroad town. According to the old timers, in the 1960s and 1970s the hippies discovered Sandpoint and they were well tolerated. Like so many western towns, for a long time, there was a "live and let live” sort of vibe, and a lack of pretense. When we arrived in 1994 there were a lot of very wealthy, and many somewhat quirky, individuals but you really couldn't tell them from the loggers or ski bums or organic farmers because everyone wore flannel and blue jeans or Carharts and we all looked about the same. I would say it has been known for the arts for decades. We've had a long running music festival that started in 1983. For a town its size we have a great restaurant scene. In spite of our chronically underfunded educational system our schools consistently turn out brilliant students. It has been a great place to practice medicine and raise our two daughters, now age 31 and 32. And our volunteer networks are amazing!
What compels you to work so hard to continue bringing MSIP to your community year after year?
When I was 10 years old in the fifth grade, our teacher had us read excerpts from Macbeth. As a 10-year-old the language and the imagery was just amazingly powerful. That's when I fell in love with Shakespeare. I was an English minor in college and took a Shakespeare course, one of my better courses throughout my entire college experience. We've been attending MSIP since 1999 when we saw The Two Gentlemen of Verona in Noxon, Montana. Since then, we have rarely missed a performance, many years attending in Heron, Montana and now Sandpoint. When there was an opening for the local tour coordinator I jumped at the chance! When so much of modern society has become electronic and so many experiences monetized, there is something incredibly rich about seeing live performances in the great outdoors, for free, open to all. Specifically watching plays that are over 400 years old, you feel a continuity with fellow playgoers over the centuries. When I am in the audience and looking around and seeing everyone enthralled, including elementary school kids hanging on every line, it's all worth it.
Do you have a favorite memory from summers with MSIP?
As far as favorite memories, going back to The Two Gentlemen of Verona, I can honestly say that I have rarely laughed so hard as I did during the memorable dog scene. Heron was a great setting; to see the cattle in the fields behind the stage and then turn around and see the mountains behind us on a late August afternoon, drinking wine with friends in anticipation of a world-class presentation of a Shakespeare play, was regularly the highlight of the summer. Equally rewarding has been the chance to meet so many players over the years. Having dinner with the cast at our home after the play is delightful! To be able to increase my involvement as the local tour coordinator, and to play a small role in bringing Shakespeare to our town, gives me a great sense of pleasure as well.
How do you think events like Montana Shakespeare in the Parks impact communities in a positive way?
As far as community impact, it brings a high level of culture, as well as an all-around good time to communities that might never have an experience like this without MSIP. The fact that it is so professionally done and yet free and open to everyone, makes it a rare cultural event in our communities. One other component that maybe doesn't come to mind is the fact that there is a certain segment of youth who are struggling and feeling adrift and may start to finally feel at home in the drama and theatre community. They may never discover this otherwise without experiencing a play with MSIP.
