One of the Coeur d’Alene area’s more popular recurring social events started out from a place of sadness.
In 2018, Adam Schluter had just moved to the area and was feeling lonely. The photographer just had his heart broken, didn’t know anyone and was deep into the worst depression of his life. He missed the sense of community and general neighborliness he experienced when living in Mexico, and also remembered his mom making sure he and his siblings always made it home for dinner every Monday when they were first out on their own.
“I wanted to talk to someone, and wanted someone to see me,” he said. “I wanted that connection, and social media was making things worse.”
So Schluter did something uncomfortable for an introvert — he started asking people to join him for a meal.
“I was walking around, talking to people on the street, people at the bank, anyone,” he said. “I said, ‘Let’s have dinner and you can get to know me and I can get to know you.’”
The simple yet authentic request worked wonderfully.
For the first dinner, 11 strangers joined him for “burned mac and cheese around the broken coffee table” of his Third Street home. And then it grew. And grew. And it keeps on growing.
Today, “Monday Night Dinners” take place every other week, May-September, and usually bring in 100-200 guests.
There’s now a Facebook page with about 4,000 followers. There are T-shirts and business cards and a dedicated group of volunteers who help Schluter with everything from spreading the word to cooking burgers or spreading landscape bark.
The dinners now include live music from area bands as well as drinks from local breweries and coffee roasters.
In late September, Monday Night Dinners hosted the 100th gathering, and Schluter is already thinking of how to make the experience memorable in 2026.
“These dinners 100% have saved my life,” he said. “I still need them.”
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Staying small
Whether it was in the early days when everyone fit comfortably indoors, or this year, when his backyard and back alley are packed, Schluter has a few requests:
• Bring food. He may supply the main meal, but everyone should bring a side dish.
• Bring at least $10 per person, which goes entirely to the band. (There’s a separate GoFundMe for general meal/event costs.)
• Break out of your bubbles and introduce yourself to others. Good conversations are encouraged but stay away from politics or business. Put away your cell phone, too.
• Stick around for the photo.
Each dinner brings newcomers, plus regular guests. Birthdays are always celebrated, and one of the dinners this summer even included a marriage proposal between two regulars.
Matt Kauffmann was one of the early guests and continues to attend. He’s now part of the “army of volunteers” who jump in and help make the dinners happen.
“It’s nice to see these come together,” he said. “People need them. There’s always a place for everyone.”
Kauffmann especially likes how conversations focus on getting to know each other, and not get hijacked by divisive topics like politics.
“A lot of topics are supposed to be left outside the door,” he said. “People don’t have to feel like they’re being judged.”
Some guests on social media have shared that their experience was like Schluter’s: they were new to Kootenai County, didn’t know anyone, and heard about the dinners and wanted to connect. Now they are happy to attend and invite others.
“Everyone who has come to these, especially in the beginning, has said, ‘I need these too – let’s keep them going,’” Schluter said.
Fund-raising needed
Schluter continues to emphasize that it’s never been and never will be about the money.
“It’s all about the joy of building community,” he said. “I don’t make one penny.”
That said, money does help, especially with ongoing home maintenance and keeping the city of Coeur d’Alene happy.
He said he has the best neighbors, and city officials have also “been nothing but great.”
But there is concern that 16 dinners a year — complete with hundreds of guests and live music — might be getting too big for the neighborhood. Guests are already encouraged to park at Midtown Market in order to keep streets clear.
City officials have suggested that he consider moving some future dinners to G.O. Phippeny Park a few blocks east. They’ve also asked him to come up with $1,300 for a special use permit. His garbage bill has increased, and he’s currently working on paying his porta-potty service for this year’s events.
His 105-year-old home does experience general wear and tear, but it did recently receive a makeover courtesy of the show, “This Old House.”
The PBS home improvement program, with help from local volunteers, led the effort that included new flooring, a new barbecue/patio area, paver stones, a kid play area, grading, benches, and more. The final touches came together right as the July 28 dinner was starting, with volunteers lugging bags of bark and heavy stones around guests.
Though many people donated their labor, he’s still trying to pay for the supplies. The episode is expected to air in late 2025 or early 2026.
What’s ahead
Looking ahead, Schluter is fine if the dinners end up a little smaller, if that’s even possible.
Donations to the GoFundMe account continue to help with ongoing costs, which will keep going until the dinners start breaking even.
He’s also working on several concepts inspired by a need for more connection.
One ongoing project is “Hello From a Stranger,” where Schluter travels around the world to say hello to strangers and ask to take their photo, engage in a genuine conversation, and then invite them to dinner. As of fall 2025, he’s visited 21 counties and photographed more than 1,000 people.
“I do this as a way to try and inspire the world to put their phones down to talk to one another again,” he said.
A related effort is a reality show based on the Monday Night Dinners, which he hopes could encourage viewers to implement the concept in their own communities.
A 2-minute YouTube trailer shares how everything came together. It opens with Schluter describing “how we’ve forgotten how just to be human with one another” and why it’s vital to just sit together and be part of each other’s lives.
“I’m really just hoping what we do inspires the world to start their own backyard dinners,” he said. “It’s something that any of us can do to bring the world closer together.” N
As seen in the 2026 Winter/Spring Edition
By: Joe Butler
Photography By: Joel Riner