MAY 25-31, 2023 | SUN-BURNED, ACHY AND MOSQUITO-BITTEN SINCE 1993 HEAR ME NOW? COMMUNICATION PROBLEMS AT CITY HALL PAGE 8 IMPROV-ING LIFE THE BLUE DOOR MAKES BETTER PEOPLE PAGE 16 POPPED COLLARS MILLENNIALS ARE ALREADY NOSTALGIC PAGE 20 NATURE CITY Gonzo cyclist Justin Short is crazy for bikes PAGE 28 OUTDOORS ISSUE: A very long hike 22 • Stargazing 30 • take the bus! 32 • our top picnicking spots 34
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ERICK DOXEY
EDITOR’S NOTE
Outside my window, as I write this, an osprey is hunting the rapids of the Spokane River. It hovers in space for a few moments, its head nearly motionless and eyes locked on the roiling river surface below. A gust of wind pushes it off target, and the bird moves on to another spot, looking for its next chance at a meal.
The other day, I took the long way home and bicycled through High Bridge Park and Vinegar Flats. As I crossed the Eleventh Street bridge over Latah Creek, a man in an idling pickup yelled — “Moose!” — and pointed. Sure enough, there it was, not 100 feet from me, munching on a plant.
A few years ago, I went off trail in Saltese Uplands and found a pear tree. I scanned the ancient, feral tree for fruit but instead found the strangest nest. I looked closer and saw two eyes. A porcupine in a pear tree, and I sing about him to this day.
As everyone knows, the Inland Northwest is rich in stories of natural, wild wonder like these. But as this year’s OUTDOORS ISSUE attests, you don’t have to go far to experience the joy of the wild. Nature is just out your backdoor, so get out and enjoy it.
— NICHOLAS DESHAIS, editor
INSIDE COMMENT NEWS CULTURE COVER STORY 5 8 16 22 36 40 42 46 FOOD SCREEN MUSIC EVENTS I SAW YOU GREEN ZONE BULLETIN BOARD VOL. 30, NO. 33 | COVER
ABID AT THE MAC PAGE 18 OUR RIVER, 20 YEARS ON PAGE 6 GET OUT! PAGE 46 GARLAND PRIDE PAGE 12
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WHERE’S YOUR FAVORITE OUTDOOR SPOT CLOSE TO WHERE YOU LIVE?
KENDRA DINNIE
We really like walking around Plante’s Ferry.
What are some outdoors-y things you wish we had more of in Spokane?
I wish there were some smaller areas close to work that I could sit downtown. The park’s great, but it’s about a 15-minute walk and by the time I’m done with my lunch, it’s a little bit farther.
JANELLE DRAPESA
Riverfront Park.
What do you enjoy about the outdoors in Spokane?
I love the weather, it’s beautiful. You can wear sweaters and not sweat, and even at 80 degrees and 85 degrees it still feels pretty good.
MARCIA POLITOVICH
I live in Liberty Lake.
In general, what’s your favorite outdoor space in Spokane?
Hiking spaces. Saltese, Antoine Peak, we like to bike around too. The Centennial Trail.
DAVID KOLE
Probably here. I really enjoy coming out here and walking around here and hanging out with friends.
Are there any outdoors things you wish you saw more of in Spokane?
It’s progressed quite a bit. It’s gotten a lot bigger; they’ve added a lot of stuff in Riverfront Park.
REBECCA CHEEK
The Glenrose trail.
What are your favorite things to do outdoors as well?
Walking or hiking, camping, skiing.
Is there anything that you kind of wish you saw more of outdoors in Spokane?
Dog parks, which they’re working on.
MAY 25, 2023 INLANDER 5
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Baptized by the River
Spokane of 2003 was looking for ways to better connect with its river
BY J. WILLIAM T. YOUNGS
PUBLISHER’S NOTE: Twenty years ago, on June 5, 2003, we took a deep dive into the Spokane River — past, present and future. That was a decade before Riverfront Park renovation discussions even started. In “The River,” we featured stories by Jack Nisbet, Paul Quinnett and John Osborn; poetry by Tom Davis; art by Ken Perkins; and photography by Amy Sinisterra. As we celebrate our 30 years of publishing, we’ll be reprinting a selection of stories from our past; below we have adapted one from that package, by Bill Youngs, author of The Fair and the Falls. Next year, Spokane celebrates the 50th anniversary of the world’s fair Youngs documented in his book.
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We found the river, then we lost it, and now we are trying to recover it. That, in a sentence, is the history of human contact with Spokane Falls. Not many years ago, the river thundered through one of America’s great wilderness settings. Abundant forests grew near its banks. Approaching on foot, Indians and early white trappers heard the sound of the falls long before they saw them.
Every year, thousands of salmon swam from the Pacific Ocean, up the Columbia River, and up the Spokane until they came to the falls. Using spears and nets, native fishers caught hundreds of salmon daily, week after week. Standing at the base of the falls, amid the water and the fish, they were touched, even baptized by the river.
The Spokane Indians were so closely associated with the salmon that they imitated fish to indicate their tribal identity. As one early observer noted, by way of introduction the Indian hand “moved in a manner to suggest the movement of the tail of a salmon.” The tribal name also suggests the intimate relationship between the Indians and the falls. Linguist Grant Smith argues that the best translation of Spokane is “Children of the Refracted Light” — from the Indian experience of standing in the river where the sun shone down through the spray of the falls.
When a white man came to Spokane with the intention of buying the land beside the falls as a town site, he too was baptized in the river. James Glover rode into Spokane on May 11, 1873, and bedded down for the night in a roofless squatter’s cabin. Next morning, he rolled out of his blanket and walked to “a great rock” overlooking the falls. He later recalled: “I gave myself completely over to admiration and wonder at the beautiful, clear stream that was pouring into the kettle and over the falls.” Glover was soaked by the spray, but didn’t mind: “I sat there, unconscious of anything but the river, gazing and wondering and admiring.”
If John Muir had ridden into Spokane in May 1873, the outcome might have been different. Muir was already encouraging Americans to preserve the natural wonders of the American wilderness, places like Yosemite, places that inspired
“gazing and wondering and admiring.” And Spokane Falls was one of those enchanted places.
Far-fetched?
Not at all.
Just consider what Carrie Adell Strahorn had to say on the subject. The wife of a Union Pacific employee, Strahorn traveled throughout the West and publicized her experience in a book called Fifteen Thousand Miles by Stage. In 1880, she and her husband arrived in Spokane. A few days earlier, they had been visiting Yellowstone, America’s first national park. With one of the world’s great natural wonders fresh in their experience, they might have thought little of Spokane Falls. Instead, they were overwhelmed.
Carrie Strahorn wrote, “The virgin grandeur and beauty of the Spokane country appealed to us as no other place had done in all our travels. The little village … impressed us as one of the most picturesque in America.”
James Glover had established by 1880 a store and a mill. The first settlers stayed close to the river in imagination and in reality. They named their town Spokane Falls, acknowledging the source of their identity and wealth. In homes and hotels in the village, you could hear the roar of the falls. For the first decade of its existence, the town of Spokane Falls attracted tourists from western Washington and Oregon to its sports fishery — “one of the finest on the coast” the Spokan Times declared.
But already Spokane was conquering its river — and in the process losing it. One mill was well and good, but why not two or four or more? Why not build them bigger and bigger?
Year by year, businessmen took control of the falls, rearranging the river to suit their needs. The riverbed was recontoured with dynamite and fill — here a picturesque rock was removed and there a channel was covered. Sawdust from the mills choked the life out of the trout, and sewage made the water — once used for drinking — unsafe even for swimming.
Electricity arrived, making the water power all the more valuable, and the utilitarian conquest of the river became all the more inevitable. Railroad bridges and highway bridges soon girdled the falls; parking lots, motels and railroad depots crowded the river banks. A huge iron trestle separated downtown Spokane from the river, and from its location on present-day Canada Island, an industrial laundry spewed dirty suds into the water.
More regretfully, the pioneers dropped a name that actually does belong to the town. The falls nurtured the city, but the city spurned the falls: In 1891, Spokane Falls became merely Spokane.
6 INLANDER MAY 25, 2023
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Incredible as it may seem today, there was even talk during the 1950s of paving the southern channel of the river to provide more parking.
Fortunately, during the 1960s many Spokanites began to rediscover the falls and regretted that they were so hard to see and appreciate. In a series of events so complex and intriguing that describing them led this author to write the longest book on any American world’s fair since World War II, these citizens worked together to create Expo ’74 — the environmental world’s fair. Railroad bridges came down, along with depots, parking lots and the industrial laundry. They were replaced with exposition pavilions that, for the most part, were then replaced with a park.
King Cole was the president of Spokane’s exposition, but more than that he was the “heart” of the fair. Years later, he noted that previously the falls had been in a “very unattractive” part of town. “We got rid of that,” he said, “and we supplanted it with something that was almost a fairy land in quality: a beautiful landscaped area, riverbanks, river full of fish, foot bridges every where and lighting. So the whole thing was flipped over almost instantaneously.’
This was the triumph of Expo ’74, but it was an incomplete triumph, and a few years later the process of forgetting the falls was on the verge of a tragic new phase.
Incredibly, there was the possibility for a time that a new bridge would be built over the falls. Now, almost 30 years after the world’s fair, the rediscovery of the falls is at best a job half done.
Architect Rick Hastings would like to see this change. One of the founders of “Friends of the Falls,” an organization dedicated to finishing the environmental job that Expo began, Hastings notes that while Spokane has a river environment unsurpassed by any other American city, other cities (such as San Antonio) surpass Spokane in connecting the community to the river.
The Friends of the Falls advocates a Gorge Park extending down the river from the upper falls — an idea first proposed by the Olmsted brothers in 1908.
Such activities indicate a growth in a sense of what Hastings calls “loyalty and protectiveness” toward the falls. We may yet be able to “gaze and wonder” at the river, almost as James Glover did long ago.
When that day comes, Spokane will again be Spokane Falls. n
MAY 25, 2023 INLANDER 7
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What Communications Problem?
Spokane City Council says the Woodward administration is failing to communicate, but the mayor says no one told her
There was one thing, at least, that the city of Spokane communicated clearly about the homeless shelter on Cannon Street.
“It was pretty clearly stated to us that at the end of May, Cannon was going to be closing,” says Council member Jonathan Bingle.
“End of May,” Brian Coddington, the city’s director of communications, said in March.
“End of May,” the Spokesman-Review reported in April. Which is why, when it closed four weeks early, it took many people by surprise.
Bingle was in Philadelphia, talking on the phone to Council member Michael Cathcart, who asked if he knew about Cannon closing.
“I was like, ‘No!’” Bingle recalls. “That’s a big piece of information that we should probably know. Maybe a heads-up.”
None of the council knew either. Even Mayor Nadine Woodward was caught unaware.
“I didn’t even know it was closed that quickly,” she says.
And the missed communication was compounded by another miscommunication.
On May 3, the same day news of the Cannon shelter’s
BY DANIEL WALTERS AND NATE SANFORD
closure broke, staffers at the Trent shelter began turning homeless people away, claiming falsely that it was full.
A simple mistake, perhaps, but the same thing had happened five months before. As Council President Breean Beggs sat in his car in December, watching people get turned away from the Trent shelter, Coddington was “sending out emails to council, ‘No, that is not true. Nobody is being turned away,’” Beggs recalls. “I’m there. Watching people get turned away.”
It wasn’t dishonesty, Beggs says. Coddington just didn’t know what was happening.
“The Woodward administration is disorganized,” Beggs says. “One person doesn’t know what the other person is doing.”
Beggs, Bingle, Cathcart and every other council member have offered their own lamentations about an inability to get timely answers and clarity over the past four years. They’ve, at various times, blamed an overwhelmed communications director, staffing shortages, COVID or a mayor who’s delegated away too much of her job. They’ve spoken out in public meetings and in newspaper articles. Woodward’s staff have issued apologies.
And yet Woodward — who meets with Beggs and Council member Lori Kinnear weekly — says she hasn’t
heard any complaints.
“Council has said there’s a problem with communication?” she says, appearing surprised. “With what, the administration?”
Asked if any specific areas of communication with the council could have gone better, the mayor is unequivocal.
“No,” she says.
Beggs says he has personally spoken to Woodward about communication gaps, especially regarding finances and homelessness, but finds it more productive to raise complaints with her senior staff.
“She does not seem particularly engaged on these issues,” Beggs says.
ALL ROADS LEAD TO CODDINGTON
Coddington isn’t someone who wants to be surprised. He’s notified every time a reporter requests a public record and every time a record is sent.
“What are you working on?” Coddington pressed the Inlander in a 2021 phone call, audibly irritated that we’d requested the calendars of high-level city officials. “You targeted three city administrators, me, the chief of staff and the mayor.”
...continued on page 10
CITY HALL
8 INLANDER MAY 25, 2023
Brian Coddington is Spokane’s director of communications, the mayor’s chief of staff and runs CityCable 5. DANIEL WALTERS PHOTO
MAY 25, 2023 INLANDER 9
“WHAT COMMUNICATIONS PROBLEM?,” CONTINUED...
The reason for the request was simple: Even back then, word at City Hall was that, increasingly, Coddington had been handed powers traditionally reserved for a mayor or city administrator.
By this January, there wasn’t any mystery about it: That’s when Woodward formally elevated him to become her unofficial chief of staff, in charge of the mayor’s plans and initiatives. Add on his interim role as director of CityCable 5 — Spokane’s C-SPAN — and the whole city teeters on his shoulders.
But Beggs says there’s a cost. “When he’s trying to do two or three different jobs, he’s stretched too thin,” Beggs says.
Woodward, a former TV anchor, was elected mayor with three decades of communications experience under her belt, but almost no administrative experience. One of her first acts was hiring back Coddington, who worked for more than five years as her predecessor’s spokesperson.
“Brian is an incredibly talented and skilled individual,” Woodward says.
But less than three months into her term, the pandemic put both to the test. City Hall was nearly empty, workflows had to be radically reinvented, and Coddington was assigned to the Emergency Operation Center to handle the COVID response. Still, he found ways to increase the mayor’s visibility.
“There is a community and media expectation that she start [being] a greater presence,” Coddington wrote in April 2020, according to the calendar records.
All communication going through Coddington isn’t just an internal practice. Coddington, for example, says the administration has to be informed before a city-funded homeless shelter speaks with the media.
Coddington says he hears that internal miscommunication within the Salvation Army is to blame for people being incorrectly turned away from the Trent shelter earlier this month.
“I still don’t have a good answer for how that happened,” Coddington says.
That’s why we wanted to talk to the Salvation Army. But the Salvation Army didn’t respond to repeated phone calls and emails. The last time we reached out, our questions were forwarded to Coddington.
Combined, it’s a Möbius strip of unanswered questions. A repeated screw-up impacting some of Spokane’s most vulnerable residents. And the public doesn’t know why.
APOLOGY TOUR
For their parts, Coddington and Woodward cast the Cannon shelter’s quicker-than-expected closure as a triumph, not a communications error.
“To me, that’s a good thing,” Woodward says. “When we’re able to beat a goal that we had.”
But speaking before the Homeless Coalition the day after news about the shelter closing, Kimberley McCollim, Woodward’s third Neighborhood, Housing and Human Services director, was deeply apologetic.
“Quite frankly, I should have put out a notice,” not just to the City Council, but to the Homeless Coalition and other local organizations, McCollim said. “I’ve been in the job six months, and one thing I’m learning is that I can’t run as fast as I’d like to.”
He suggested Woodward record a daily video update. It became a weekly video, taking advantage of the mayor’s decades of on-screen savvy. Coddington launched a mayoral newsletter — another way of letting the mayor speak directly to the voters.
When Woodward’s first city administrator departed in fall 2020, Coddington took on part of the city administrator role. Key members of his communications team were pulled away to fill growing vacancies across City Hall.
Brandy Cote — former director of the mayor’s office — had been serving as Woodward’s unofficial chief of staff. But, Coddington says, she was trying to do the job while living in Pullman. So when it came to in-person mayoral events, Coddington had to pinch-hit.
Now that he has the chief of staff role full time, his workload has only increased. Sometimes, his workday starts when he wakes up and ends when he goes to sleep.
“I try to take one day off during the weekend, but it doesn’t always work out that way,” Coddington says.
Asked if working multiple jobs has hurt his effectiveness as communications director, Coddington bristles at the question.
“Sounds like there’s a right answer,” he deadpans, before acknowledging, “Some days I do both roles better than other days.”
Others believe that the quality of his work is at stake.
“Just on a human level, how can you keep that many balls in the air and some don’t get dropped,” asks Council member Betsy Wilkerson.
And the chief of staff role has added to the confusion. City Administrator Johnnie Perkins handles “operations,” while Coddington handles the “mayor’s initiatives.” But something like homelessness involves both.
“I don’t know where his authority ends and Johnnie’s authority starts,” Kinnear says.
For years, journalists have been frustrated when their questions to city staffers are simply forwarded to Coddington. But now some council members are in the same boat — sent through a bureaucratic obstacle course to accomplish a basic act of scheduling.
“All the communication goes through Johnnie Perkins, and then all communication goes through Brian Coddington,” Wilkerson says. “So that’s all a lot of communicating for sometimes just a simple meeting that neither one can make.”
Woodward, for her part, says she hasn’t heard these kinds of complaints from council members.
“They’re not telling me there’s communication issues,” Woodward says. “They’re not telling Johnnie there’s communication issues.”
But in a City Council meeting last year, Wilkerson did exactly that, hammering the administration for failing to share key financial details about plans to lease the Trent shelter.
“I’m the person who’s trying to help keep the city financially whole, and I was the last person to know,” Wilkerson said. Perkins apologized profusely and swore to do a “much better job of being more communicative” across the board.
Beggs sees a trend.
“They take the blame for things all the time. ‘Oh, totally my fault.’ I’m like, ‘No it’s not,’” Beggs says. “I get being loyal. The problem is if you say something that’s totally not true: Why do I believe anything that you say, ever?”
Ironically, he suggests, that just feeds mistrust.
Council member Zack Zappone, a progressive and staunch critic of the mayor, sees something closer to sabotage. He blames an excessive focus on politics. Wilkerson has her suspicions that some things are “slow-rolled.”
Even Bingle, who says he “has decent communication with the administration” that has only improved, says he sometimes has to call a staffer multiple times before he gets an answer.
“I don’t think it’s because they don’t want to give anything over,” Bingle says. “I think it’s because they’re truly short-staffed.”
In recent years, council members say they’ve struggled to get answers on the mayor’s plan for cooling centers during heat waves, rental assistance spending and replacing homeless shelter beds when a shelter closes. Some administration data, like quarterly reports on the city’s homeless population, is required by law, but council members say they haven’t seen them. Same for financial data.
Council members say the lack of information leaves them fumbling in the dark — making consequential, long-term decisions without a complete picture of the city’s problems.
“Sometimes it is hard understanding what our policy is,” Bingle says. “Maybe it was because we had a bunch of new people in positions that didn’t really know the policy.”
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“I get being loyal. The problem is if you say something that’s totally not true.”
Despite the heavy criticism, council members acknowledge that not all of the blame falls on Woodward. Cathcart says communication is one of Beggs’ weaknesses as council president.
“We all could do better,” Wilkerson says. “I’m not saying I have no dirt on my shoes.”
THE CONDON CONTRAST
Frustration over communication comes as the city faces a looming budget shortfall. Meanwhile, there have also been slews of canceled meetings — including one where the mayor declined to attend partially because she didn’t want to hurt employee morale by speaking about budget cuts with council.
“Nobody wants to lay off employees or make cuts, but putting your head in the sand doesn’t make it go away,” Wilkerson says.
But Woodward points her finger right back at the council.
“They can make up things all they want,” the mayor says. “But they can come in here and ask me any question they want.”
She argues that her administration often has provided answers to council questions for funding options for the Trent shelter on multiple occasions — the council just hasn’t liked the answers.
And if the council thinks that Coddington is stretched too thin? They turned down a proposal to make the position official last year, balking at the proposed $148,000 salary.
“Council has refused to approve or support the chief of staff position in my office,” Woodward says.
They also rejected Woodward’s plan to create a deputy city administrator.
“We have no bench strength in the organization,” Woodward says. “In Salt Lake City, they have four to seven times the staff that I do.”
By contrast, the number of City Council staffers has exploded — including putting an employee in a chief of staff role.
But Beggs says his sense was that Woodward needs to do a bit more “CEO work” herself as mayor, instead of adding more high-priced help.
After all, the previous mayor, David Condon, didn’t have a chief of staff.
“Every mayor does things differently,” Woodward says, noting that Condon had temporary project employees to help. Also, Condon was happy to dive into the bureaucratic muck, sifting through the city’s problems at incredible levels of details.
“He had a different level of interest in data,” Coddington says. “Almost to the degree of being a little bit of a data wonk.”
When the City Council asked for data during the Condon years, his administration was often already keeping track of it.
Sure, the Condon administration wasn’t exactly known for being a paragon of transparency. While serving as Condon’s communications director, for example, Coddington had denied that a police chief’s job was in danger the day after he’d written the press release announcing the chief’s forced resignation.
But Beggs says Condon’s flaws were preferable to the chaos and confusion of the Woodward administration.
“They were more organized and knew what was happening,” Beggs says. “There was somebody keeping the trains running on time.”
Council member Karen Stratton, whose relationship with both mayors soured a few years into their tenures, is even harsher about Woodward.
“I don’t think that she knows what she’s doing. I really don’t … I don’t think that she has a grasp on some of the issues and the way government works,” Stratton says. “Coddington — it feels to me like he is the one running City Hall.”
Yet more than one staffer who has exited City Hall has pointed to the City Council’s interference — its members’ criticism of the administration and their demands on employee staff time — as one reason they quit.
Unlike many other overloaded staffers in the Woodward administration, Coddington has stuck with it. Because, when it comes right down to it, Coddington comes across as a true believer in what the city’s trying to accomplish.
“I want to be a small part of trying to get some of those things across the finish line,” Coddington says. n
Looking for more live entertainment? Find local acts on the Highball stage four days a week. View the full calendar at northernquest.com NORTHERNQUEST.COM | 877.871.6772 | SPOKANE, WA
MAY 25, 2023 INLANDER 11
Flag Flap
Pride flags in Spokane’s Garland District divide businesses and property owners
BY SAMANTHA WOHLFEIL
Businesses gearing up for Pride month in the Garland District recently started posting colorful decals in their windows — “Garland Pride” — a symbol that all are welcome in their stores.
But another effort to welcome the LGBTQ+ community to the north Spokane commercial hub has revealed that some property owners strongly feel it’s not their place to promote things like Pride.
Steve Ogden, a 73-year-old gay neighbor of the commercial area, reached out earlier this year to the Garland Business District to propose hanging rainbow Pride flags on eight light poles there throughout June.
He says he just wanted to see the area support everyone in the community.
“We’re trying to promote Garland as a thriving business district as much as we are a fair business district,” Ogden says.
With a time crunch to get a decision to Avista — which owns the poles — the North Hill Neighborhood Council approved the flags by a 15-1 vote in April.
But after some property and business owners asked for the chance to weigh in, the topic was revisited at the May meeting. Several people adamantly argued against the plan, saying the flags are inappropriate, according to people who attended the meeting.
“They think we’re doing an experiment that is going to negatively impact their businesses. They obviously have not been to a gay pride before,” Ogden says, noting that Pride events in downtown and the Perry District
have been a huge success. “I didn’t anticipate the kind of opposition we got.”
Kait Concilio, a Blue Door Theatre volunteer who designed the Garland Pride decals, says she doesn’t understand the controversy.
“I understand individuals not approving of people, but it seems rude to me to not want them to celebrate,” Concilio says.
Back in March, after Ogden’s proposal was emailed to business district members, some replied that it was a bad idea.
Among them was Jim Orcutt, who owns 10 of the 23
A(Book) Burning Debate
A fight over the book Gender Queer led the Liberty Lake City Council to take control of the city library — before the mayor vetoed the plan
BY SUMMER SANDSTROM
Dozens crowded into Liberty Lake’s City Hall last week in anticipation of one agenda item: ordinance 119-C.
The innocuously named ordinance came about after Liberty Lake resident Erin Zusada asked that Gender Queer: A Memoir by Maia Kobabe be removed from library shelves due to sexually explicit illustrations. The ordinance, which has been revised again and again over the last seven months, would transfer control of the library from its board of trustees to the City Council, allowing them to approve and reject library policies, including what books to keep or remove from its shelves.
Stepping up to the podium in a white blazer, resident Natalie Gauvin, who says she founded Liberty Lake’s ro-
tating art program, says discrimination against LGBTQ+ individuals is at the core of this issue.
Gauvin raises a broad sign above her head displaying sexually explicit pages from Gender Queer to the room, and lists literature in the library with “porn” in the title to highlight what she sees as hypocrisy.
“That’s it, you’re done. You’ve disrupted the meeting,” says Mayor Cris Kaminskas, instructing Gauvin to lower the sign. “You’ve taken away people’s right to choose whether or not they see that, which is exactly what everyone is speaking on tonight.”
The two continue to argue back and forth, talking over each other until a security guard comes into the chamber to escort Gauvin out of the building.
properties on Garland Avenue between Monroe and Post streets, according to county records.
In an email to district members, Orcutt wrote that everyone’s welcome on Garland and he’s never seen animosity toward someone because of “their sexuality, skin color, ethnicity, political views, etc.” However, he urged them to stay away from issues that could seem controversial.
“Using a neighborhood business district to promote political, sexual, or social preferences is not productive. We as a district need to stay neutral,” Orcutt wrote.
In an email response for this story, Orcutt adds, “The vast majority of property and business owners just want
The meeting continues.
Zusada, who started the debate, steps to the podium and says her challenge to Gender Queer was not a challenge to people who identify as LGBTQ+.
“It was an issue of seeing pornography in a book geared towards children,” she says. “If it was a heterosexual couple doing the same crap, I would have been raising hell as well.”
Ericka Fischetti, a Liberty Lake resident, spoke over Zoom, saying the council and mayor have been “bashed all evening.”
“I want you guys to please consider that the library shouldn’t have the final say,” she says.
NEWS | BUSINESS
NEWS | LIBRARY
12 INLANDER MAY 25, 2023
Visibly supporting the LGBTQ+ community has roiled Garland. ERICK DOXEY PHOTO
to be left alone to run their business. They don’t want something imposed on them.”
Three property owners (including Orcutt) who opposed the flags said by email that they don’t want the district to back any kind of social or political cause as they need to keep all types of customers in mind and avoid disputes.
“I believe we all support everyone regardless of any personal beliefs, lifestyle, etc.,” Orcutt writes. “The response would have been exactly the same if it were a pro-life Christian proposal, 2nd Amendment pro gun proposal, etc. The topic was irrelevant. We do support the LGBTQ community completely.”
Alexa Jourdan, owner of Kiss and Makeup salon on Garland, promotes her business on Google as LGBTQ+ friendly and says it has helped boost her clientele. She voted in favor of the flags and says the negative comments at the May meeting were upsetting.
“It would be one thing if this specific flag had any kind of hate speech about a minority or group of people, but it’s entirely the exact opposite of that,” Jourdan says. “Downtown does Pride every year. You don’t see one person not going to a business there because they have Pride downtown.”
Jasmine Barnes, general manager of the Garland Theater, also voted in favor of the flags. “I don’t want people to be worried that they’re not welcome here because there’s some opposition,” she says.
After the heated discussion in May, the neighborhood council ultimately compromised, with those present voting 15-12 to allow owners to opt out of having a Pride flag on a pole in front of their business.
As of Friday, May 19, owners had asked not to post the flags on three poles on Garland between Monroe and Wall streets, says Scot Webb, the neighborhood council’s chair.
Ogden says he and others supportive of the flags have intentionally not called out business or property owners who aren’t supportive by name, as they don’t want to increase division in the neighborhood.
“Pride flags should not be an issue. … It’s 2023 and I just think it’s really stupid. It’s so much easier to love than hate,” Ogden says. “With our current political conversation, we need to be seen and heard. The flags accomplish both of those.” n samanthaw@inlander.com
Meanwhile, others say it’s an abuse of the council’s power.
“The legislative branch of our city has overstepped its boundaries by pushing legislation that is not supported by the majority of citizens in this city,” says Kim Girard, a member of the library board.
Council members passed the ordinance 4-3, giving themselves control of library policy.
Kaminskas had 10 days after the vote to veto or sign the ordinance. On Monday, she vetoed it, calling the ordinance “short-sighted” and said council members had a “lack of regard for citizen input.”
“The comments were overwhelmingly opposed to these changes,” she wrote in a statement. “Councilmembers can’t have their cake and eat it too — if you want citizen feedback, you need to listen to it. Don’t pick and choose what you hear.”
In her statement, Kaminskas quoted Voltaire and Ronald Reagan, and suggested that council members were unprepared to make library policy, noting that none of them have degrees or professional experience in libraries or education, compared to the 96 years of experience in libraries and education the board members have cumulatively.
“The board is made up of educated and trained professionals,” Kaminskas wrote. “Let them do what they were appointed to do.” n
summers@inlander.com
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MAY 25, 2023 INLANDER 13
SIDEWALK SALE
Musical Chairs
An early exit from Council President Breean Beggs will cause major shake ups on Spokane City Council this summer
BY NATE SANFORD
If you’re looking for work, there may be a job opening at Spokane City Hall this summer.
The position: interim City Council member.
The role is currently filled by Council President Pro Tem Lori Kinnear, who’s term is up at the end of the year. But Kinnear’s District 2 seat might become vacant early. That’s because Council President Breean Beggs will be leaving his seat early and taking on a new role as a Spokane County Superior Court judge “sometime in July.”
Someone will have to fill in until a new president is elected in November, and Beggs says it will likely be Kinnear.
Anyone from City Council is eligible for the temporary council president role. But Council member Betsy Wilkerson, who is running to replace Beggs as president, says she doesn’t want it. In addition to being too busy, she doesn’t want people to think she’s trying to tip the scale as campaign season kicks off.
Taking the temporary position also means giving up your current seat. That’s not appealing for council members who still have a few years left in their term, so that leaves Kinnear and Karen Stratton, who reach their term limits at the end of this year. Stratton doesn’t want it, so that leaves Kinnear.
If Kinnear takes the job, her District 2 seat would be open, and the council will have to start an application and interview process, and vote on someone from that district to take over for five months.
“There’s no promise of anything, except you get five months on the rock pile, five months of hard labor,” Kinnear says, not making the job sound very appealing.
As she suggests, there’s no honeymoon period. Whoever gets the gig will have to hit the ground running immediately — learning the ins and outs of city business and navigating a politically charged election season. They’ll be expected to answer for everything that’s wrong with Spokane. And it’s all temporary.
Kinnear says she’s been racking her brain, but has yet to identify someone who is both qualified and would actually want the job.
“I’m not trying to be Debbie Downer here, I’m just being realistic,” Kinnear says.
Beggs says the appointee very likely won’t be someone currently running for office. “We don’t like to get political that way,” he says.
Come November, whoever is elected president — Wilkerson, Kim Plese or Andy Rathburn, the only people who filed to run this year — would take over the role immediately. If it’s Wilkerson, she’ll give up her District 2 seat, and the council will have to make another appointment for someone to fill in for the two years left in her term.
Kinnear’s feelings about taking on the role of council president are complicated — a combination of excitement and “somebody has to do it.” The job comes with a lot of extra work.
“Some of the things that I wanted to get done this year might not get done. Or I’d have to ask somebody else to do it,” Kinnear says. “There’s just not enough time in the day.”
Kinnear also has mixed feelings about Begg’s early exit. They’ve worked together for seven years.
“When people leave, it’s painful,” Kinnear says. n
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Breean Beggs
Post Street Poop Pipe Replaced
Spokane swaps out its largest sewage pipe without creating a wastewater waterfall. Plus, unhappy teacher at NIC; and the city of Spokane faces budget shortfalls
In the time it takes for the Earth to spin just about once, workers replaced a 70-year-old pipe carrying all of downtown Spokane’s sewage across the river and downstream to the treatment plant. The new 5-foot-diameter pipe dangling just above the Spokane Falls is a big part of the ongoing $20 million project replacing all of the historic Post Street Bridge, which it resides under. When complete, the span will carry cars heading northbound, as well as the Centennial Trail for pedestrians and bicyclists. The bridge was originally built in 1917, but retrofitted and widened in the ’30s to accommodate the 8,000 cars that crossed it daily. By the mid-1990s, state inspectors identified the bridge as one of the city’s most dangerous crossings, but it wasn’t until 2013 that traffic was limited to one-way before closing to cars completely in May 2019. According to the city, the bridge will reopen this fall. (NICHOLAS
DESHAIS)
MAN FIGHTS TODD
The already intense drama surrounding the North Idaho College Board of Trustees took a bizarre turn last week, when Zachary Shallbetter, a graphic design teacher whose contract with NIC ended earlier this month, allegedly doused Trustee Todd Banducci with soapy water. According to documents reviewed by KREM, Shallbetter is accused of grabbing a bucket from a window cleaner a half hour after his exit interview and throwing its contents on Banducci at his office. Banducci responded by tackling his assailant and holding him to the ground. “Let me be clear: Violence and intimidation are simply not OK, not on this campus or in any setting,” NIC President Nick Swayne said, according to KREM. Shallbetter is being charged with battery and destruction of property. (DANIEL
WALTERS)
IN THE RED
At a midyear budget review last week, Spokane City Council Budget Director Matt Boston told council members that the city’s overall expenses are projected to be $6.8 million over budget by the end of this year. He described the trend as a “red blinking screen alert” that will be “very, very difficult to reroute back into a positive direction.” With the city’s American Rescue Plan Funds nearly depleted, and its unallocated reserve balance in a deficit, there’s no one-time pot of money to pull from to fix things, Boston said. Much of the overspending is due to personnel costs — a fact that Council member Lori Kinnear seemed conscious of as she tried to calm the nerves of any city staff listening to the meeting. “I want to make sure they don’t feel threatened or panic,” Kinnear said. “We’re all in this together, and we’re going to come up with solutions that are the least disruptive to staff.” It’s not her first wish, but Council member Betsy Wilkerson says yet another levy might be on the ballot this year if the city can’t cut costs soon.
Get the latest on Inlander.com
(NATE SANFORD)
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All the World’s a Stage…
Blue Door Theatre’s new workshops teach how improv comedy can enrich everyday life and work
BY SUMMER SANDSTROM
The humor, spontaneity and fun of improvisational comedy is a stark contrast to the mundanity of day-today life, but the Spokane School of Improv shows how on-the-spot humor can be applied to anything.
While the school is a project of the Blue Door Theatre in the Garland District, which frequently hosts comedy classes for actors and aspiring comics of all ages, its target audience is a little different. Consider these recent sessions: Improv and Poetry, Improv and the Law, and Improv and Self-Care.
“These classes are really about how you incorporate the core principles of improv into your life, or how you can use them to create improvements to your own professional and personal development,” says Jim Mohr, Blue Door Theatre’s president.
One of those core principles is demonstrated in an exercise called “Yes, and…” which requires actors to say “yes” to whatever their partners say, rather than shutting down their ideas.
“You are opening things up to people, you’re opening yourself up to others, to different experiences, and you’re finding opportunities in the things that come across you in your life and you don’t turn them down,” Mohr says. “It’s kind of opening the door instead of closing it to opportunities.”
COMEDY
PHOTO 16 INLANDER MAY 25, 2023
Blue Door Theatre Board President Jim Mohr (left) and Spokane School of Improv Instructor Heather Tillery
YOUNG KWAK
Improv relies on active listening and mindfulness as well, he says, because if you don’t pay attention to what your improv partners are saying, it’s difficult to create a cohesive story. Going with the flow, thinking quickly on your feet, and coming up with stories and characters on the spot until the end of a game or scene are skills crucial to improv.
Mohr envisions that some Spokane School of Comedy classes, such as Improv and Self-Care, may be offered regularly, but sessions focused on specific careers may rotate to give a broader range of professionals the chance to experience how improv techniques can be applied to their daily lives and work.
Niche classes like Improv and the Law may not seem like an apt combination, but storytelling is a key component of improv that lawyers can use to strengthen a case. This particular session is led by Blue Door artistic director Frank Tano, who also works as a legal assistant at a local law firm.
“The improv for lawyers class is going to be focused on using improv in a few ways — improv for storytelling, how to improve the ability to tell your client’s story,” Mohr says. “It’s also focused on how improv can prepare people for if they have to go to court.”
Improv and Self-Care, meanwhile, focuses on how to use improv to combat anxiety, which often prevents people from doing certain things out of fear. To Mohr, one of the most important aspects of improv is that it frames failure as a positive experience rather than a negative one.
“It’s really about accepting that failure is a part of life, and if it happens, it’s OK, you can recover,” he says. “Part of that comes from having a supportive team.”
SPOKANE SCHOOL OF IMPROV
New School of Improv sessions are set to return in fall 2023, while other comedy classes and events are offered regularly by the Blue Door Theatre. Find out more at spokaneschoolofimprov.org and bluedoortheatre.com.
Spokane School of Improv’s first class, Improv and Poetry, was composed of a small group of students who, due to poetry’s element of public performance, may be more comfortable than others with being in an open, vulnerable environment. The eight-week class kicked off in early March.
Each session incorporated an equal amount of improv and poetry exercises, allowing students to apply improv’s free-flowing style to the more structured art of poetry.
For their third meeting, for example, instructor Heather Tillery had students begin with a storytelling-based improv exercise during which students took turns narrating classic fairy tales on the spot while adding their own positive or negative twists to the original narrative. Tillery encouraged them to let their imagination run free while simultaneously developing complex stories. The class then applied what they learned from the game during a five-minute poem-writing break.
“I felt like the two together felt really important because poetry can be so individual, and I think just pairing the two, the improv piece allows for that community building and that experience being accepted,” she says.
To Tillery, both improv and poetry rely on allowing oneself to dive deep into the outside world but also inward into the mind. As forms of creative expression, both art forms also give people permission to have fun and explore creativity in ways not common for most busy adults.
“There’s also the permission to dive into the subconscious in both improv and poetry, and not to overthink and not to have a plan. Those are not typical things society promotes,” she says. “I think it’s just building trust in yourself and in that community, and integrating the body with the mind.”
Even outside the class, one of Tillery’s students feels that the tools he learned are crucial to many areas of life.
“I think improv helps to build resiliency and adaptability,” says Sky Pagaling. “I think that’s a great exercise for resiliency in the outside world because every day we run into things that we’re not expecting, so having the ability to come up with some type of solution on your own is a great skill to have.” n
MAY 25, 2023 INLANDER 17
Close to Home
Artist Humaira Abid’s exhibition at the MAC explores personal stories of displacement and loss in a universal way
BY CARRIE SCOZZARO
Anew contemporary art exhibit at the Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture includes a warning for its “red stains representing blood,” but audiences who persevere will be rewarded with a rich experience.
In Humaira Abid’s “Searching for Home,” on display until Aug. 6, representations of violence pale in comparison to the gore of true-crime shows or even popular TV dramas. Moreover, Abid’s handling of sensitive content is thoughtful and necessary.
“Art should ‘comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable,’” says Abid, quoting Mexicanborn anti-gang violence advocate César Cruz.
So in “Searching for Home,” the artist explores human depravity, particularly involving displaced persons, mostly women and children. It was inspired by her extensive interviews with and research into the lives of female refugees who have resettled in Pakistan, where Abid was born, as well as the Pacific Northwest, which Abid now calls home.
The artworks are deliberately provocative, sometimes ambiguous, and embody both visual and conceptual tension.
The entry point to “Searching for Home” funnels viewers down several steps into “Borders and Boundaries,” a sculptural installation as disturbing as it is exquisitely crafted. It consists of a barbed wire “fence” made of carved mahogany and cedar, upon which hangs underwear, also of carved wood, with a crimson stain in the crotch area.
Although the fence and discarded clothing are universally familiar objects, the underwear highlights the female experience. Visually, the red suggests menstruation but also miscarriage or sexual assault. Conceptually, the image conveys boundaries: Abid’s as a confronter of taboo subjects, and the garment’s owner, whose boundaries are tested and perhaps violated through their plight.
“Borders and Boundaries” also juxtaposes antithetical elements, creating a visceral and intellectual tension for the viewer. The vulgarity of the stained panties is countermanded by Abid’s beautiful, lifelike, extraordinarily detailed carving.
Ditto for the barbed wire fence with all its chilling symbolism and contemporary relevance. Structurally, it controls the viewer who can see but not access the rest of the exhibition until they clear the length of fence. Conceptually, the fence forces viewers to become — temporarily — part of the narrative.
“For me, a work of art is not successful until there is a balance of execution and concept,” says Abid, who initially defied her family to study sculpture and miniature painting at the National College of Arts in Lahore, Pakistan.
Abid’s family expected her to pursue engineering or medicine, which she did briefly, yet returned to art. Doing so meant going against cultural and familial norms, which for a woman in Pakistan is a big deal.
“I had this pressure on my shoulders that I have to prove that my decision was right,” Abid
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BELOW: Borders and Boundaries (detail).
says, adding, “And I need to open doors for the next generation.”
Even though Abid tells other people’s stories in her artwork, she is also telling her story.
“Fragments of Home Left Behind” simulates a bullet-riddled wall on which are hung five miniature paintings of children, all displaced, all victims of crises not of their making and out of their control. A wall panel lists the children’s country of origin: Somalia, Syria, Afghanistan.
But violence, especially involving children, or the loss of one’s home or persecution to the point of peril, are not restricted to place or even time. It’s universal.
“I hear that a lot,” Abid says.
“People tell me — although my work has some origin or reference to actual events — they seem universal.”
Perhaps where there is a fragment of home, there is hope. In that way, Abid’s work offers the healing and broad reach that her parents would have wished for her in the field of medicine.
Abid concurs, pointing to the children’s expressions.
“You can see from their expression what they are going through, but they also have strength that they are going to get by this time, and they still imagine a safe and beautiful world,” Abid says. “It’s still possible.” n
Humaira Abid: Searching for Home • Through Aug. 6, open Tue-Sun from 10 am-5 pm (third Thursdays until 8 pm)
$7-$12 • Northwest Museum of Arts & Culture
2316 W. First Ave. • northwestmuseum.org • 509-456-3931
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THE BUZZ BIN
MILLENNIAL MEMORIALS
My favorite social media content is millennial women getting nostalgic about our teen selves
BY CHEY SCOTT
Coming of age in the late ’90s, early 2000s was wild. I’m talking dial-up internet days, — pre-Myspace — when MTV still played a fair amount of music videos, we ordered our clothes from physical catalogs, and collaged our bedroom walls with pages from Seventeen magazine. It’s an era I’ve been thinking about a lot lately, thanks to the proliferation of nostalgia-centric content creators on Instagram (and TikTok, which I don’t use). These 30-something women have carved out space for themselves by reminding fellow millennials of our cringeworthy choices in fashion, beauty and other tween/teen rites of passing, from layered tank tops to what it was like to have a job at one of the hottest mall brands of yesteryear. If you’re in the same demographic as us, consider giving these four hilarious ladies a follow.
@isabelgalv
With her signature makeup look of foundation that’s six shades too dark, concealer-covered “nude” lips, and racoon eyeliner, paired with the reveal of her poorly blended, clip-in hair extensions each time she turns away, Isabel Galvin’s teenage persona is only slightly exaggerated. Many girls really did try to look something like this in 2003, 2005. Galvin’s getting-ready reels recap our generation’s most sought-after fashion trends like layered, popped collar polo shirts, “statement” belts, and our deep attachment to “comfort camis.” (If you know, you know.) After spending our entire teenhood wearing at least two tunic-length tanks under our skin-tight Abercrombie/Aeropostale/American Eagle graphic tees, how can we be expected to stop?
@itskatesteinberg
Out of all the millennial nostalgia content creators, Kate Steinberg hits closest to home. You see, during breaks from college, I worked part time at Victoria’s Secret in NorthTown Mall. It was when the Pink loungewear line had a hold on so many of us with its ubiquitous, flare-leg yoga pants with the blinged-out, foldover waistbands. We all drenched ourselves in Love Spell body spray, decorated our dorms with the free-with-purchase polka dotted dogs, and tucked said yoga pants into the
tops of our folded down Ugg boots. Among the many moments relived by Steinberg are “sexy” tanning bed stickers, the actual stress of $1 flip-flop season at Old Navy, wearing Bump Its in our already over-teased hair, getting our makeup done at Sephora before prom, and how we still feel burned by snooty Plato’s Closet employees telling us our clothes are “a little out of style.”
@overthemoonfaraway
OK kids, let me tell you a story about what it was like before text messaging… before cellphones… before Facebook. We had a thing called AOL Instant Messenger, AIM for short, and it’s how we mustered up the nerve to talk to our crushes, but also total randos in unmoderated chat rooms. Our screen names had to be EdgY and cute, like xxXCutiePie23Xxx, and we’d spend hours online after school until our sisters intentionally left the phone off the hook to disconnect us. Amid the gut-punching fashion and beauty nostalgia from Erin Miller, these social replays of early 2000s life for tweens/teens always send me back. The disappointment of your high school boyfriend not getting you anything for Valentine’s Day? Crushing. Uploading an entire Facebook album (or two) of photos from last night’s party, taken on a pocket-sized digital camera? Oooff. We really did that.
@jennaabarclay
Even though many of us were gladly out of high school, maybe even college, by the time the 2010s hit, Jenna Barclay isn’t going to let us forget about the awful fashion trends we became captive to as newly turned, 21-year-old “professionals.” Barclay’s content also goes as far back as millennials’ middle-school years, but I’m not ready, and never will be, to be reminded that the hipster girl fashion era — our obsession with those Southwestern-inspired, geometric pattern sweaters, pendant statement necklaces and wearing business-casual fashion to the club — was more than 10 years ago. Then she takes us along on a Target run to prove what goes around always comes back around… And that none of us are prepared for the return of Y2K fashion, which is now considered vintage n
SUPERIOR SQUATCHES
Spokane Falls Community College’s theater program was recently given a national award at the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival. The annual festival aims to recognize and celebrate the finest and most diverse work produced in university and college theater programs, and BIGFOOT DRAMA’s production of Always Plenty of Light at the Starlight All Night Diner was one of 19 productions in the country honored with the Kennedy Center Citizen Artist Awards. Along with the department award, two students, Blythe DeWitt and Charlie Ladd, received the award for Distinguished Achievement in Stage Management. Congrats Squatches! Keep on making amazing theater from in front of, and behind, the curtain! (MADISON PEARSON)
HATCHING INSPIRATION
Think back to high school. Don’t you wish someone would’ve guided and supported you to follow your wildest dreams? That’s the idea behind New Moon Gallery’s HATCHLINGS program, designed to celebrate the work of high school artists and to give the young artists a taste of what it’s like to show their art in a gallery. The current show features art by over 100 local students from 11 area high schools. Among them, students from Rogers High School created a collaborative ceramic reef sculpture, which is for sale at New Moon’s Sprague Union District showroom. The proceeds are marked for a foundation aiding in the conservation of coral reefs. If you’re down to celebrate young artists and their drive to succeed, the show runs through Saturday, May 27. See manicmoonandmore.com for more details.
THIS WEEK’S PLAYLIST
Noteworthy new music arriving in stores and online on May 26.
MATCHBOX TWENTY, WHERE THE LIGHT GOES. Rob Thomas and Co. bust out some radio-friendly pop rock on Matchbox Twenty’s first album in over a decade.
(MADISON PEARSON)
SPARKS, THE GIRL IS CRYING IN HER LATTE. After receiving a new round of attention thanks to the release of Edgar Wright’s documentary The Sparks Brothers, the ultra-prolific art pop brotherly duo put out their 26th LP.
ARLO PARKS, MY SOFT MACHINE. After winning the Mercury Prize for the top U.K. album for her 2021 debut Collapsed in Sunbeams, the London indie R&B star returns with more smooth-flowing sonic explorations. (SETH SOMMERFELD)
CULTURE | DIGEST
20 INLANDER MAY 25, 2023
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OUTDOORS
22 INLANDER MAY 25, 2023
In the earlier hours of his hike, Nate Sanford walks peacefully along the Spokane River.
ERICK DOXEY PHOTO
A very, very, very, very, very long walk on the edge of Spokane (and my sanity)
A 25-mile hike encircles Spokane’s Riverside State Park.
BY NATE SANFORD
Riverside State Park is massive.
It’s a sprawling, 9,000-acre natural area just northwest of downtown Spokane, packed with trees, wildlife and hidden secrets.
Most of the park’s trails are short jaunts. But there’s one trail — Trail 25 — that stretches across the entire park.
It’s 25 miles long. I’ve never walked that far in a single day my entire life, but my editor thought it would be “fun” to see if it’s possible to hike the whole thing in a day. I’m fairly new to Spokane, and I’ve never been to the park so this trek is equal parts assignment, exploration and potentially injurious. The plan: Start early and give it an honest shot. But failing miserably would make a good story, too.
The night before, I set an alarm for 6 am, pack my bag, study the map and mentally prepare myself for the longest hike of my life.
BOWL AND PITCHER
I sleep through the alarm. Rough start.
When I finally pull up to the trailhead at Bowl and Pitcher campground, it’s just past 9 am. Ominous storm clouds are gathering overhead.
My backpack carries the bare essentials: two sandwiches, three Clif Bars, some beef jerky, a water bottle, headlamp, water filtration system, pen and notepad, book, jacket, portable phone charger, and paper map. I also bring a digital tape recorder so I can document my trip without stopping.
My recordings from the first part of the day are short and clinical, mostly observations about wildlife and the trail conditions. Nothing like the bizarre, rambling incoherence I utter later, which I’m still working to unpack.
9:35 am — Mile 1: “Getting started quite a bit later than I hoped but moderately optimistic I can make up the time. It’s overcast, in the 50s, kinda cool, pretty pleasant. Large imposing rocks by the suspension bridge, moist and mossy.”
After the bridge, Trail 25 cuts through the woods and runs adjacent to the river. The air is crisp, and the water is in a strong spring flow. There are tangled piles of wildfire-scorched trees dotted with bright yellow flowers. Power lines and expensive-looking houses dot the bluff across the river.
I pass joggers and hikers every few minutes. We follow Pacific Northwest trail etiquette. We nod and smile awkwardly, exchanging “Hi” and “How’s it going?”
Just after 10 am, gunshots echo across the trees.
They’re coming from the Spokane Rifle Club, a shooting range across the river. Each shot is followed by barking from a justifiably alarmed dog. The birds don’t seem that bothered.
The trail eventually veers left, and I say goodbye to the river.
Hours from now, on the opposite side of the park — thirsty, alone, exhausted and desperate — I will want nothing more than to return to the cool river’s edge, gunfire and all.
SEVEN MILE
The woods thin out, and the trail becomes more crowded and developed. I pass the Centennial Trail — that behemoth of a path that could take me to Idaho — and a cluster of quaint farmhouses. A pair of dogs in someone’s backyard start barking and try chasing me. The smell of manure tells me there are horses, too, and there they are.
After crossing Seven Mile Road, I take a quick detour toward McLellan Overlook, where I meet Dave McIlrath, who recently retired and now walks in Riverside at least five days a week with his dog, Leto, named after a woman who fell in love with the Greek god Apollo.
MAY 25, 2023 INLANDER 23
I tried to walk it in a single day
...continued
on next page
OUTDOORS
McIlrath recommends I check out a part of the trail a couple miles north that runs along a bluff with great sightlines of the river. Those vibrant yellow flowers I’ve been seeing are called arrowleaf balsamroot, and McIlrath says they’re out in full force this time of year.
“It’s massive and beautiful,” McIlrath says. “You get fields down there and it’s just glorious.”
We say goodbye and I press on, alone once more.
PINE BLUFF
There’s a white-tailed deer standing in the middle of the trail. We make eye contact and pause. He’s startled. I’m startled. Everything is still for a moment before he darts back into the forest.
I stop for lunch on top of a massive pile of loose rocks. My ham and cheese sandwich, usually mediocre, tastes glorious, as food always does on trails. I take out my book but decide not to read it — the view tells a better story.
After lunch, I keep hiking and soon hit the northernmost point of the trail, not far from Nine Mile Falls. It’s emptier here. Only a couple of scattered hikers.
Every couple hundred meters, there are sign posts with “25” on them. Each one feels like a beacon of relief — a lighthouse that says, “You’re on the right track.” But they also serve as a warning, a reminder of how many miles I have to walk.
The trail veers south and climbs a steep hill toward Pine Bluff. There’s an absolutely gorgeous view at the top. It feels like you can see the entire Inland Northwest. If you squint, you can just barely make out downtown’s skyscrapers in the distance. I feel like an astronaut, looking back on the tiny blue globe I left behind.
2:50 pm — Mile 10: “Headline idea: ‘Trail 25: a very, very, very, very, very long walk on the outskirts of Spokane — is it possible in a day? Nate Sanford tried to find out. We haven’t heard from him since.’”
The trail flattens. More burned logs. Some flowers. A young couple smoking weed on a rock. A red-headed woodpecker unleashing righteous fury on a downed log. A poster for a missing German shepherd with different colored eyes.
Around mile 11, I face a dilemma. My map says I should continue south, but a version of the map online says Trail 25 takes a different route, one that snakes west along the outskirts of the park’s off-road vehicle area and down to the end of Deep Creek.
I want adventure. I’m here for the glory. Ignoring the paper map, I follow a small, unmarked dirt trail that looks like it’s going toward the off-road area. The vast unknown.
OFF-ROAD VEHICLE AREA
The land is wide, empty and dry. Trees are sparse. This part of the park is designed for all-terrain vehicles and dirt bikes, not people. There are engine noises off in the distance, and I catch occasional glimpses of dirt bikers zooming through dirt mounds. Other than that I’m totally alone.
There’s no real trail, so I’m following a wooden fence that borders the vehicle area. I keep searching the dirt for footprints, but find only tire tracks. Exhaustion is starting to set in.
3:35 pm — Mile 13: “The straps of my backpack are digging into my shoulders. My lips are chapped. My feet are sore. My boots are too small.”
The portable charger stopped working hours ago, and my phone is down to 16 percent. Worse, I’m running low on water. I’m not super worried yet, since I have a water filter and should be able to draw from a creek. Or something.
The straps of my backpack are digging into my shoulders. My lips are chapped. My feet are sore.”
Around 4 pm, I spot a patch of yellow paint on the fence that looks like it’s supposed to be signaling something. On the other side of the fence, a small dirt trail leads away from the off-road area, into a deep forest.
I hop over the fence, on my way.
DEEP CREEK
Something rustles in the bushes — a turkey!
He looks just like the ones that live on Spokane’s South Hill. But while the city turkeys travel in large packs and fear no human, this one is skittish, and darts into the forest when he sees me coming.
I’m totally alone here, deep in the woods on the far southwest side of the park. I see hoofprints, but no sign of other people. I quickly become lost in the thick forest and poorly marked trails.
It’s kind of exciting. I feel a bit primal, and take off my shirt and sing loudly into the trees.
...continued on page 26
24 INLANDER MAY 25, 2023
“A VERY, VERY, VERY, VERY LONG WALK ON THE EDGE OF SPOKANE,” CONTINUED...
Ignoring the paper map was, in retrospect, a mistake. ERICK DOXEY PHOTO
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OUTDOORS
When I was younger, I was obsessed with shows like Survivorman and Bear Grylls’ Man vs. Wild. Later, in high school, I read Jon Krakauer’s Into the Wild at least five times. I didn’t even like nature that much — it was the solitude that drew me, the freedom that comes with being truly alone and unaccounted for.
But cutting yourself off from the world comes with a cost. At 4:36 pm I finish my last drops of water.
I had planned to draw water from Deep Creek, which is colored aquatic blue on my map. But it becomes clear that Deep Creek is not deep. It’s quite shallow. Bone dry shallow.
The thirst comes quickly. Water is suddenly the only thing I can think about. Everything else vanishes into a cloud of dust. I want to lie down and rest, but I know I can’t stop walking. I was worried about rain this morning, but now I’m praying for it — to Apollo or whoever else will listen. A train whistle echoes in the distance.
I miss McIlrath and Leto. I miss Erick Doxey, our photographer, who joined me for half an hour back at the McLellan Overlook. I miss the riotous woodpecker and the white-tailed deer. I even miss the socially anxious turkey.
I chart a course to a spot near the off-road area that, according to my map, has bathrooms and a picnic table. If there isn’t water there I don’t know what I’ll do.
5:15 pm— Mile 17: “Where do the deer find water?”
I come across a signpost that says “25,” the first one I’ve seen in hours. It’s good to know I’m on the right track, but I’m too thirsty to really care.
Back at the off-road area, I pass a puddle of water and seriously consider trying to filter from it. But the color is that of chocolate milk and gasoline. An ATV zooms past me, and I try waving them down. They don’t see me.
When I finally make it to the off-road parking lot, I’m exhausted and a little delirious. I stagger over to the bathroom and… there isn’t any water. I want to cry and drink my tears.
To say I am thirsty is to say nothing.
But across the parking lot, I spot salvation. A pair of guys in their 20s are loading dirt bikes into the back of a pickup truck. I walk to them, trying not to appear like I’ve lost my mind, and ask if they have any water.
“I have a bottle but I already drank part of it, do you mind?” Not at all.
The bottle is about three-quarters full, and I chug the whole thing in seconds. There’s no better taste.
BOWL AND PITCHER (REDUX)
I thank the bikers for their help and hurry across the road, back to Trail 25. After a few minutes of walking, as if by some cruel cosmic joke, I find a full plastic water bottle lying in the middle of the trail with the seal still intact. Damn you, Apollo.
Despite what my body may say, I was never in danger of dehydration. I had cell service, and could have swallowed my pride and called for help. Still, there’s something terrifying about the feeling of true thirst, and knowing that the nearest water is miles away.
After another hour of walking, I decide that I am done with nature. I am done being alone. I am done with this idea from my editor, which actually was pretty “fun,” until it wasn’t.
I abandon Trail 25 and take a shortcut on Trail 210, which brings me back to the river and the sound of rushing water. The final miles are a blur. When I finally make it back to the car, it’s past 7 pm. My phone is at 2 percent. My legs are jello. Darkness is imminent. My phone GPS says I walked 22.97 miles. Two miles shy.
Trail 25 won. Barely. n
“A VERY, VERY, VERY, VERY LONG WALK ON THE EDGE OF SPOKANE,” CONTINUED...
Balsamroot arrowleaf peeking at the mighty waters of the Spokane River. ERICK DOXEY PHOTO
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OUTDOORS
Starting at Midnight
Some people think biking is crazy — for columnisttrucker-cyclist
Justin Short, that’s practically the point
BY DANIEL WALTERS
The two most hated vehicles on the road, says Justin Short, are bicycles and semitrucks.
He would know. He’s a long-haul trucker and a longhaul bike rider. The last thing he wants do after spending all night on the road is to drive more.
“I discovered that 14-hour night shifts weren’t a de terrent,” Short says. “I’d wake up once I got on the bike.”
And, yes, sometimes it’s deeply dark and single-digit cold.
Had a more strictly sensible person read about the Icy Bike Winter Commuting Challenge, they might have said, “I’d prefer not to.” Sensible, Short is not.
“I was like, ‘Oh, crap, now I’m gonna have to ride through this stuff all winter,’” he says. “From that mo ment forward, I just became a four-season bike com muter here, no matter how bad the weather.”
He broke his hand in a head-on collision with an other biker at night in Denver. He’s been hit by a car in San Diego and thrown over some bushes. He was a bike messenger in Pittsburgh for a year.
“The fact that I survived that year…” he says, trailing off. “The worse it gets, the more I get, ‘Let’s get out there in the stuff.’”
There’s a hundred subcultures of cyclists, all weird in their own weird way. There are the commuters. The racers. Then there’s the crazy kind, the sort they used to make Tshirts in the ’90s about. Short is all of them.
We could start our story when Short first got his training wheels off — “The last kid in my neighborhood” — or we could start it with the first BMX race when he was 13, when he got hooked on the sport.
Instead, let’s start at midnight.
28 INLANDER MAY 25, 2023
Justin Short, a different kind of cyclist: “I try to have a good crash every year.”
ERICK DOXEY PHOTO
The Midnight Century starts just after 11:59 pm in the peak of the summer, outside the Elk Public House in Spokane’s Browne’s Addition.
That’s when Short began as a columnist. His first column for local recreation magazine Out There Outdoors magazine was called “Mayhem and Madness on the Midnight Century.”
“It travels to Central Foods in Kendall Yards by way of a colossal 100 miles of road, trail, and gravel,” Short wrote in 2019. “There are no promotions, no sponsors, no entry fee, no insurance, and no support aside from the camaraderie of your fellow riders. This thing just happens.”
Since that gonzo piece of bicycle hedonism, Short has written over a dozen Out There articles.
“The Midnight Century was my gateway drug” to the local bike community, Short says now. “Sometimes it’s 60 or 70 people at the start. Half of them are trying to do it as drunk as possible.”
There’s a certain kind of bond forged — a certain kind of pride — that can only be achieved by a few dozen people embarking on an absurd, vaguely dangerous quest.
There’s the Great Spokane Shop Ride — “a ride where you hit all 16, 17 bike shops in the area” and ends at the Brick West Brewery.
There’s “The Stairmaster” ride, held in late winter, which, as advertised, requires mastery of stairs.
“You go and carry your bike up every county-maintained staircase in Spokane,” Short says. “Some of the staircases you’re trudging up through snow.”
There are the gravel bike races that are popular despite being “grueling 100-, 200-mile slogs.”
Then there’s the joy of just aimless exploring.
“Getting lost in the woods is my primary focus,” Short says. “My fascination is with going places I’ve never been before.”
That turned into creating a 100-mile route that circumnavigates the city of Spokane and includes “every major hill — Tower Mountain, Anton Peak, Beacon Hill, Baldy, Five Mile Bluff.”
Despite being from Pennsylvania, Short knows Spokane better than most locals.
“I ride with people who grew up here, and are in their 50s,” Short says. “As a transplant I end up taking them places they’ve never been.”
There’s the price to all this, of course — paid in blood and bruises.
“I try to have a good crash every year,” Short says.
But the payoff increases with the effort. Short describes the experience of biking up Green Bluff on his approach to Mt. Spokane.
“The mountain disappears for a long time,” Short says. “You’re climbing so long you forget that you’re ever doing anything else.”
And then, without warning, “the mountain pops into view.”
“I always gasp in awe,” Short says.
An experience like that is something you can share with the community of cyclists, those weirdos in those subcultures of weirdos.
“There’s a lot of goofballs here that are really fun to ride with,” Short says. “Just about every week, you know — you run into someone, you swap phone numbers, meet up for a ride.”
After all, in a city this small, you never know who you’re going to run into. Indeed, Short asks if I used to live in Browne’s Addition on First Avenue. I did. He’d lived in the apartment next door. He, it turns out, was the guy whose van accidentally rearended my Toyota Corolla a decade ago in our shared driveway.
We all have to share the road, as we cyclists know. It’s just, occasionally, we also have to share a driveway. n
MAY 25, 2023 INLANDER 29
The Midnight Century was my gateway drug. Sometimes it’s 60 or 70 people at the start. Half of them are trying to do it as drunk as possible.”
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OUTDOORS
Spacin’ Out
In the summertime, we crane our necks upward to gaze at the full moon, shining brightly in the clear sky. We point at the Big Dipper with gloved hands in the wintertime, trying to make out constellations through the gaps between clouds.
Humans are naturally curious about the universe and what’s beyond the limits of our atmosphere. Stargazing satiates the innate need to make sense of the universe and our place in it. Whether you’re locating Orion’s Belt with the naked eye or peering at Saturn’s rings through a telescope, the Inland Northwest is a prime area for all stargazing enthusiasts.
Around here, casual stargazers can catch plenty of astral events from the comfort of their own backyard, or by traveling less than an hour from city limits.
“There are a ton of places near Spokane and in North Idaho that are great for stargazing without any major equipment,” says Kelly Guzman, founder of the North Idaho Astronomy Club.
“North Spokane is pretty dark because it’s just far enough away from all of the major light pollution. Cheney also fits into that.”
As long as you don’t live in the heart of downtown Spokane, stargazing is an easy hobby to take up. Step out into your backyard or onto your balcony and look up. Chances are you’ll be able to see many constellations, planets and satellites as they come into view — if the sky is clear.
“Spokane and surrounding areas get about 170 days of clouds a year,” Guzman says. “If you’re hoping to start, now is the ideal time as astronomy is primarily a spring and summer activity. The most accessible events are meteor showers. … They occur every year and you don’t need a lot, or any, equipment to enjoy them. You shouldn’t have to break the bank to enjoy astral events.”
The world of stargazing is at your fingertips — literally. Smartphone apps have made stargazing easier than ever, and there’s no shame in using them. Stargazing apps work by using GPS and location software to pinpoint your location and, therefore, what astral entities you can see based on that information.
Apps like Sky Guide can be helpful when attempting to see specific events or objects.
“The app will even tell you when Starlink satellites are passing over or when the International
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Space Station is set to come by,” Guzman says. “Cellphones have made astronomy extremely accessible.”
Along with certain apps, the internet has ample resources for beginner stargazers.
“My personal recommendation is to use Sky and Telescope’s ‘Sky at a Glance’ feature,” she says. “You can see what events are happening in the next week or so. It makes planning for weather and equipment easier.”
If you’re hooked on astronomy and want to begin taking the hobby more seriously, joining a club is a good way to stay in the loop about astral events and the best locations for stargazing.
Paul Yost, a board member of the Spokane Astronomical Society, recommends joining the club’s mailing list to get connected with other members.
The Spokane Astronomical Society meets at the Fishtrap Recreation Area, about 30 miles southwest of Spokane. The remote location makes for a quiet night of looking into dark skies for bright stars, galaxies and nebulas.
“We have star parties on the Saturday clos-
est to the new moon,” Yost says. “We choose that date because the moon is at its dimmest, making it easier to see deep space objects with our telescopes. Even though we’re far from city light pollution, the light from the moon can also interfere with clear images.”
The members of the Spokane Astronomical Society are more than willing to let newbies peer through their telescopes. Yost says that attending meetings and going out into the field with the club is the best way to gauge your own personal interests. From there, dedicated stargazers can choose what kind of telescope they want to purchase based on what they want to focus on finding in the night sky.
If you’re not ready to buy a telescope or you want to hone in on your personal astronomical interests, the Spokane Astronomical Society lets members check out various telescopes free of charge.
“I always encourage people to attend meetings before they go all-in,” says Yost. “You can come and hang out without paying the membership fee right away. We’re just happy to have you.”
MAY 25, 2023 INLANDER 31
n
With help from local experts, you can explore the great beyond without straying far from home
BY MADISON PEARSON
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OUTDOORS
Near Nature By Bus
Public transit brings you one stop closer to exploring Spokane’s array of parks and natural areas
Leave those fleets of unpredictable motorists and semitrucks behind. Don’t bother logging mile upon mile to reach the numerous hiking trails and parks peppered throughout the Inland Northwest. Take a bus instead.
Spokane Transit Authority’s bus routes provide an easy, affordable and environmentally friendly way to get to your next outdoor adventure.
“There is so much in this community that’s accessible by transit if you’re enjoying nature on foot,” says Karl Otterstrom, STA’s chief planning and development officer. Even farther-flung places to venture can be reached by pairing transit with bicycles, Otterstrom says, as all STA buses are equipped with bike racks.
“Use the bus as part of the journey and the expe-
BY SUMMER SANDSTROM
rience, and leave the car parked,” he says. “It really becomes part of the adventure.”
Here are five outdoor spots easily accessible by bus throughout Spokane, made more simple by starting at the downtown STA Plaza on West Riverside Avenue.
DISHMAN HILLS
With over 3,200 acres of protected land, towering rock formations and a myriad of wildlife including porcupines and flying squirrels, there’s always something new to discover at Dishman Hills.
Formed in 1966, it’s the oldest land conservancy in the state, owned and jointly managed by Spokane County, Dishman Hills Conservancy and the state Department of Natural Resources.
STANDS NOW!
Dishman contains unique geography carved by the raging ice age Missoula Floods, which barreled through Eastern Washington and left a trail of eroded rocks, sunken ponds and ridges etched into the ground.
There are two ways to get to Dishman by bus. From downtown Spokane, you can get to Camp Caro in about 20 minutes by hopping on Route 90 and stopping at East Appleway Boulevard and South Sargent Road. Or you can take Route 94 to East Eighth Avenue and South Park Road, where you’ll walk east on Eighth for about a halfmile to the Edgecliff Trailhead.
Make sure to keep an eye out for water howellia — the dainty white flowers lining the waterbanks — as Dishman Hills is one of the only habitats where they grow.
32 INLANDER MAY 25, 2023
Take STA Route 43 to the scenic High Drive Bluffs. YOUNG KWAK PHOTOS
ON
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WAIKIKI SPRINGS
Resting on the river banks of the Little Spokane River, the trails throughout Waikiki Springs Nature Preserve lead you through an old dairy farm that’s now a magical hidden gem, part of which is managed by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.
With 1,700 feet of shoreline and a plethora of springs, Waikiki is a magnet for moose, deer, great blue herons and even bald eagles, which nest in the upland forest of ponderosa pine.
There are two ways to bus north to Waikiki: Route 124 or Route 25.
The 124 takes about a halfhour to reach the stop on West Hastings Road at the Fairwood Center, where you then head north on Mill Road and west on Fairwood Drive for about a mile and a half.
Unfortunately, this route doesn’t run as frequently as others, so you may have to take the 25 at the Hastings Park and Ride instead. From the plaza, it’s a one and a half-mile walk — or bike ride — to Waikiki Springs.
Have no fear. There are coffee stands and restaurants on the way back to the bus stops, so you can make a pit stop before jumping back on the bus.
HIGH DRIVE BLUFFS
For denizens of Spokane’s South Hill, the Bluffs have that special mixture of beauty and proximity that few other neighborhoods boast. The 20 miles of trails are lined with ponderosa pines, vivid displays of balsamroot and other wildflowers, and steep hills overlooking Latah Valley, Hangman Creek and the Westwood Natural Area.
Just 20 minutes from downtown on Route 43 takes you to South Lincoln Street and West 26th Avenue, where you can walk due west to connect with numerous trailheads.
Or you can ride farther down to West 37th Avenue and South Bernard Street and walk southwest along 37th to reach some other trailheads along the bluff.
Better yet, combine both stops into one trip, departing from one, through-hiking the steep trails, exiting on the opposite side of the trails and getting back on the bus.
MINNEHAHA PARK
Rumor has it that Minnehaha Park is haunted, but in truth it’s more akin to a vast outdoor gym. Spanning 39 acres, it connects half a mile north to mountain bikers’ beloved Beacon Hill, and the Minnehaha climbing rocks 2 miles east.
The abandoned building at the park was a spa, thanks to its mineral water wells, but the resort caught on fire in 1899. John Hieber bought the land and used the water for his namesake brewery. The rocky basalt formations are a sure sign you’re in the Inland Northwest, but as you get lost in this yawning natural area you may forget what century you’re in. Beware wandering ghosts looking for mineral water. Unless you’re thirsty. Take Route 39 to North Myrtle Street and East Frederick Avenue. Bring your bike, and ride (and climb) your way through East Spokane’s great outdoors.
PEOPLE’S PARK
Just east of Spokane’s Browne’s Addition, the wooded paths of People’s Park are home to wild roses, Oregon grape bushes and willows swaying along the edge of Hangman Creek.
Long a Native locale for living and hunting, the area became known as People’s Park during Expo ’74, when it was established as a free campsite for visitors to the World’s Fair.
A 12-minute ride on Route 20 brings you to West Riverside Avenue and West Clarke Avenue, where a short walk will take you to the Sandifur Memorial Bridge overlooking the raging Spokane River.
To the south, trails take you along Latah Creek, where the Coeur d’Alene Tribe is releasing salmon in hopes that they’ll flourish in the area once again. n
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OUTDOORS
Life is a Picnic
Not everyday outdoor adventure makes you sweat — some feed you
BY MARY STOVER
There are so many places in the Inland Northwest to make a great picnic.
Most of us might choose the Bowl and Pitcher, Manito Park or Riverfront Park as our automatic go-to spots. But where’s the imagination in that when there are so many others?
MOORE-TURNER HERITAGE GARDENS
Nestled next to the Corbin Arts Center on the South Hill are the Moore-Turner Heritage Gardens. The gardens, which opened earlier this month for the season, are part of the historic estate established and maintained from 1889 to 1930 as private residential grounds for the F. Rockwood Moore and U.S. Sen. George Turner families.
In its early days, the gardens played host to dignitar-
ies, socialites and civic leaders from around the country — and now it will play host to your picnic. Whether you bring a cushion for a bench or a blanket for the grass, the peace and beauty of the gardens are an excellent choice for an in-the-city picnic.
The garden’s hours are 9 am to 3:30 pm, Tuesday through Sunday, until Sept. 15. They are free to visit and are located at 507 W. Seventh Ave. in Spokane.
HIGH DRIVE BLUFF PARK
For a unique, evening picnic, try High Drive Bluff Park on Spokane’s South Hill. Stop by the Rocket Market and pick up a fresh baked dessert, a cup of hot tea or a bottle of wine, and head to out to enjoy the sunset as the sky lights up with stars. High Drive offers gorgeous views of Latah Creek and the West Plains. Many drivers pass this area daily without ever pulling off and enjoying the painted skies as the sun goes down. You can enjoy the view from a bench, take a hike through the trails winding down the hill, or lay out a blanket and take in the view.
ARBOR CREST
Arbor Crest takes all the work out of a romantic picnic at the winery. They offer three packages of picnics, each boasting a variety of foods to be paired with different Arbor Crest wines. Choose from various sandwiches, charcuterie boards, hummus and salads to share. If you haven’t visited the winery grounds — the former Cliff House residence of eccentric inventor Royal Riblet — you’re going to love the beautiful panoramic views of Spokane Valley, the lush green grass, the beautiful grounds and the incredible wine. The only thing you need to bring is a blanket and someone to share a picnic.
Prices for two, including food and a bottle of wine range from $52 to $116. Reservations can be arranged for picnics taking place Wednesday through Sunday from noon to 7 pm. The winery is at 4705 N. Fruit Hill Road.
WATERFRONT PARK
Medical Lake’s Waterfront Park gets pretty busy during the summer with locals enjoying the swimming area at the lake. Go for an early adventure and enjoy the peace and quiet of one of the many picnic tables or get cozy on a soft grassy area with less people and beautiful views of (and cool breezes from) the lake.
On your way to the park, stop for a coffee and a takeaway breakfast at the LaFevre Street Bakery and Cafe. Any of their baked goods — I’d slap my grandma for one of their raspberry oat bars — is worth the trip. But don’t stop there: Grab one of their chicken biscuit or breakfast sandwiches for your picnic.
Waterfront Park is a 20-minute drive from downtown Spokane and located on State Route 902.
McEUEN PARK
Steps away from downtown Coeur d’Alene is McEuen Park. This well-maintained and beautiful park boasts views of the lake, bright green grass, an off-leash dog park, a pickleball court, colorful splash pad and the city’s largest playground for the kids, and so much more. There’s something for the entire family at the park, plenty of picnic tables or patches of grass, and oodles of ways to enjoy family fun together on a day out. Check the calendar before you plan your picnic to see if you can catch a summer concert or fun run.
McEuen Park is next to downtown Coeur d’Alene on Front Avenue. n
34 INLANDER MAY 25, 2023
Moore-Turner Heritage Gardens offer a most civilized spot for your next picnic. YOUNG KWAK PHOTO
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‘CAFFEINATE WITH KINDNESS’
New Love Coffee and Bean & Pie unite for a cheerful new community hub in Kendall Yards’ east end
BY CHEY SCOTT
Some food pairings are just meant to be. Burgers and fries. Peanut butter and jelly. Biscuits and gravy. Bacon and eggs. Coffee and donuts. Pie and ice cream. Pie and coffee? Well, of course.
While it might not be the first combo to come to mind, it’s a fitting focus at New Love Coffee and Bean & Pie, one of Kendall Yards’ newest spots for sustenance and community connections.
The two-in-one business debuted in April inside a new retail space along Summit Parkway and has quickly become a hub for coffee dates, work meetings, grab-and-go lunches and study sessions with the added benefit of sweet and savory snacks alongside a jolt of java.
“This was originally just going to be New Love Coffee, but sometime in the fall last year Katy Bean, the former owner of Bean & Pie, reached out to me,” says owner Ike Bubna. “We were already buying their hand pies for our Liberty Lake and our north locations, and she said, ‘Hey, I’m looking to transition out of ownership, and your products and our products work together, are you interested in buying?’”
It just so happens that Bubna and his wife, Tiffany, had also been envisioning their own bakery to complement the roastery and cafe.
“She’s actually in pastry school, finishing up, and when the opportunity came up, it was just too good to pass up,” Bubna says. “And Bean & Pie already had a Spokane following” due to its presence at some local farmers markets, at which they’ll continue to sell.
The new Kendall Yards space features a cheerful palette of bright teal and powder blue, and ample natural light through street-facing windows. Customers can settle into a plush chair or at a table to enjoy one of New Love’s specialty lattes, like the oatmilk pistachio cold foam ($6.50-$7) alongside a sweet or savory hand pie ($5.85-$6.25). There’s also gluten-free pie cups, glutenfree cookies, and 6-inch pies to-go ($15.50-$16).
All of the cafe’s art is by Spokane artist Neicy Frey. In lieu of a more temporary mural painted directly on the wall, Frey completed a multi-panel painting high on the back wall that adds pops of vibrant color via abstract floral shapes. For each of New Love’s three locations, Bubna collaborated with a single local artist on the space’s design and to display their art on a permanent basis.
After purchasing Bean & Pie, Bubna says he and Tiffany didn’t change any of its already popular recipes, yet they hope to expand the menu with even more flavors, like his favorite, oatmeal pie.
36 INLANDER MAY 25, 2023 OPENING
YOUNG KWAK PHOTOS
Coffee and pie can (and should) be enjoyed together any time of day.
“It’s kind of like a custard that, while it’s baking, the oats all rise to the top and they get crispy, and so it tastes like mapley, sugary oatmeal,” he says. “And that will rotate with different toppings on it, one with almonds and coconut and chocolate, and one with berry drizzle over the top, so different flavors you would associate with having in the morning.”
While all Bean & Pie’s goods are baked offsite at a commercial kitchen in Coeur d’Alene and then frozen for freshness, each of the New Love cafes have turbo ovens to reheat its pies.
New Love Coffee’s first outpost launched in early 2022 inside Greenstone Homes’ Liberty Lake community center and sales/leasing hub. Early this year, New Love took over the former Ladder Coffee location inside a Canopy Credit Union branch on West Francis Avenue not far from the Five Mile Shopping Center, and which also has a drive-thru.
“It’s the only pie-thru in Spokane,” Bubna says with a smile.
Before launching New Love, Bubna was working as the commercial leasing manager for Greenstone, and thus had insider knowledge about available space in the recently completed phase of construction on Kendall Yards’ east end. Among the other new food-and-drink spots there is Sorella, an Italian fine-dining restaurant, and the forthcoming brick-and-mortar hub for Tamale Box, which also got its start as a farmers market vendor.
Though he spent the last several years working in real estate, Bubna’s not green when it comes to coffee roasting. He initially got his start in the industry more than a decade ago while living in Seattle. For a while, he led a nonprofit cafe there called Street Bean Coffee Roasters, which offers jobs and internships to at-risk and homeless youth.
After rediscovering his love for coffee roasting during the pandemic — a period that directly inspired New Love’s name — while roasting 1-pound batches to drink at home, Bubna decided to transition back into the industry full time, leaving his position with Greenstone at the end of 2022.
“I probably did about 500 roasts on my roaster at home before ever opening up New Love,” he notes. “I just continued to take the things I learned at other roasters and then just kept tweaking things until I was happy with what I was doing. And then I had to scale it up to our big roaster, which does about 100 pounds an hour.”
To stock New Love’s three locations, including its selection of bagged coffee, Bubna spends every Tuesdays at an offsite roasting facility. On other days, he’s often posted at the Kendall Yards’ location, which is near his family’s home in the West Central neighborhood.
New Love’s coffee beans are purchased via a Portland importer called Shared Source, which works with coffee farmers who use sustainable and regenerative agriculture practices to protect the delicate environments where coffee is grown.
“They’re all small farmers in Colombia and Guatemala, and so for the most part what you’ll see rotating through from us is single-origin coffee from those countries, but we do have some African coffee,” Bubna says. “On a regular basis we have three to four different options.”
Since opening, New Love Coffee and Bean & Pie has been a buzzy spot throughout the day. Bubna credits not only the quality of the coffee beans he roasts each week, but the friendliness of a core barista team who’ve been with him since the start.
“It’s the relationships,” he says. “The staff here puts a huge emphasis on connecting with customers, and I like to joke that we’re trying to caffeinate them with kindness, not just caffeine.” n
MAC ARTFEST
JUNE 2, 3 & 4
The 38th Annual ArtFest is a three-day celebration of art and fine craft and an Inland Northwest tradition for the entire family.
75 juried regional artists
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Food trucks and beer garden
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MAY 25, 2023 INLANDER 37
New Love Coffee + Bean & Pie • 1102 W. Summit Pkwy. • Open Sun 7 am-5 pm, Mon 6 am-5 pm, Tue-Fri 6 am-8 pm, Sat 7 am-8 pm • newlovecoffee.com
New Love Coffee’s Ike Bubna.
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Coffee, Crepes and Croffles
Cafe Boku Coffee & Crepes brings colorful drinks, unique pastries, and foreign flavors to North Spokane
BY ELLIE ROTHSTROM
In a world of crowded cafes and fast food on every corner, Cafe Boku Coffee & Crepes seeks to set itself apart. More than a traditional cafe and coffee shop, Cafe Boku offers a unique range of food and drink items, including its signature, stretchy “Bokujuku” crepes, purple ube lattes, coconut pandan lattes, delicate French-style crepes, and crunchy “croffles” topped with unctuous whipped cream. Along with all of this, owners Steven and Melinda Kelly are intent on offering one more thing: community.
“We want to create experiences where you can basically get on a flight and leave and still be in your own backyard. But we don’t wanna do that at any sort of corporate level. What we wanna do that at is a fundamental, community level,” Steven says.
38 INLANDER MAY 25, 2023
FOOD | OPENING
CAFE BOKU COFFEE & CREPES 915 E. Hawthorne Rd., Suite A Open Thu-Mon 8 am-1 pm instagram.com/cafebokuspokane 509-443-3543 Taste the rainbow at Cafe Boku. COURTESY PHOTOS SUN-THU 12PM-11PM FRI-SAT 12PM - 12:30AM 524 W MAIN AVE, DOWNTOWN SPOKANE 509-290-6518 THEPURGATORY.COM FULL MENU CHECK OUT OUR WHISKEY CLUB A TRULY UNIQUE WHISKEY & RESTAURANT EXPERIENCE A TRULY UNIQUE WHISKEY & RESTAURANT EXPERIENCE OVER 800 WHISKEYS ON THE WALL WEEKLY WHISKEY FLIGHTS Than ever. Music Community Events Home C omm ent FREE every Thursday • Updated daily on Inlander.com FOOD News Arts More You’ll find it in the JULY 21-27, 2022 THE PROSECUTION FUNNY NEW COUNTRY VOICE 42 50 THINGS TO EAT FOR $10 OR LESS PAGE16 FEB 23 THROUGH MAR 4 RESTAURANT WEEK FIND YOUR NEW FAVORITE EVENT GUIDE TRASHY TIKTOK BOND MGK HITS PAVILION OCTOBER 7-13, 2021 SINCE 1993 Chefs take us behind the scenes kitchens INDULGING THE INLAND SNOWLANDER 100 counting SUPER Super Bowl page Desserts and drinks for Valentine’s Day and beyond
Self-described melting pots, Steven and Melinda Kelly created Cafe Boku to introduce locals to the flavors of their childhood, and dishes people wouldn’t otherwise find in the U.S., much less within Spokane. Steven grew up in places around the world and is part Syrian, and Melinda is Cambodian and Vietnamese. Cafe Boku’s cuisine is inspired by cuisines across the globe, including those of South Korea, France, Japan, the Philippines and Southeast Asia.
One of the most popular flavors featured at Cafe Boku is ube, a marshmallowy, nutty root vegetable, and one of Melinda Kelly’s favorite ingredients.
“Ube is a purple yam from the Philippines, it’s really commonly used in desserts there, and it tastes like Fruity Pebbles cereal,” she says. “I had a customer tell me it tasted ‘purple.’”
This unique ingredient is showcased in Cafe Boku’s ube croffle ($8.95). Popularized in South Korea, a croffle is a hybrid between a croissant and a waffle. The well-proofed croissant dough is prepared in a waffle maker, resulting in a crunchy pastry with a buttery, flaky center. Cafe Boku’s ube croffle is a crunchy and light croffle that’s topped with ube jam, thin banana slices, a cloud of purple ube whipped cream, and finished with caramel sauce and Fruity Pebbles.
Another notable dish is the Bokujuku crepe, a riff on Harajuku-style crepes from Tokyo’s Harajuku district. These tapioca and rice flour crepes make for a stretchy, durable wrap to hold fillings like sweet chili chicken ($12.95) and the sweet strawberry crunch ($9.95). For those who want a traditional egg-based crepe, Cafe Boku serves a variety of sweet and savory French-style crepes.
Cafe Boku also offers a range of specialty lattes, including the ube latte, pandan latte, Zebra Mocha, and Creme Bru Latte to name a few. While Cafe Boku’s impressive list of internationally inspired drinks and dishes might excite some cafe-goers, Steven Kelly recognizes that others may be intimidated. Because of this, Cafe Boku offers drink insurance: If you don’t like your drink, they’ll make you something else. Or, you can throw it at them.
“As a part of our accountability and our business model, we can’t accept any amount of money for something that is not going to be delightful in essence, right?” says Steven, “We’re gonna make sure that’s gonna be something that you love… or you get to throw it in our face.”
While Kelly jokes that they’ve “only had 18 drinks thrown at the staff,” it’s clear that Cafe Boku intends to be a comfortable and welcoming space for people to try unique flavors without judgment.
“Nobody that’s ever going to walk into our establishment is ever going to be judged because they don’t know what’s on the menu,” Steven says. “That’s the whole reason we have it. We accept all of the levels of knowledge. We know for a fact that we can give you that bridge to help you enter this world, and then be prepared to go out and try more exciting, new things. We wanna share the love.” n
MAY 25, 2023 INLANDER 39
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A recap of some of the most interesting films we saw at Seattle International Film Festival 2023
BY SETH SOMMERFELD AND NATHAN WEINBENDER
While the cinematic world prepares for the blockbuster extravaganza that is summer movie season, the Inlander’s film crew spent much of last week bingeing much smaller silver screen wonders at the annual Seattle International Film Festival. While we only saw a fraction of the fest’s hundreds of offerings, here are some of the standouts to watch for in the coming year or so.
DREAMIN’ WILD
Donnie and Joe Emerson’s journey from Inland Northwest unknowns to indie music royalty isn’t your conventional showbiz success story, and Dreamin’ Wild isn’t your conventional biopic. The movie, shot primarily in Spokane and Fruitland, hits all the dramatic beats you may already know: how the Emersons’ dad built his teenage sons a recording studio
Sniffing Out SIFF’s Best
on their family farm, how Donnie and Joe recorded an album of original songs in 1979, how that record did little but collect dust until it was rediscovered and embraced more than 30 years later. But writer/director Bill Pohlad takes an evocative, impressionistic approach to this material. As he did in his terrific Beach Boys film Love & Mercy, Pohlad slips freely through time, contrasting the starry-eyed optimism of the adolescent Emersons (Noah Jupe and Jack Dylan Grazer) with their more weary adult counterparts (Casey Affleck and Walton Goggins), who wonder if they’ll be able to live up to such unexpected recognition. This is a warm, low-key movie about the joys and frustrations of creating art, and it’ll make you want to spin that old Emersons LP (also called Dreamin’ Wild) as soon as the credits roll. (NW)
LOLA
While the consequences of being able to see into the future has long been a sci-fi staple, it can still lead to some wondrous cinematic adventures. This Irish film centers on two adult sisters in the UK in the late 1930s — one an imaginative dreamer and one a pragmatic scientist — who create a machine named LOLA
40 INLANDER MAY 25, 2023 FESTIVAL
A Spokane story comes to the big screen via Dreamin’ Wild.
OPENING IN THEATERS
ABOUT MY FATHER
Loosely based on his own life, standup comic Sebastian Maniscalco stars in this comedy about trying to convince his stubborn Italian immigrant father (Robert De Niro) to open up to the family of his would-be fiance over a cabin weekend getaway. Rated PG-13
KANDAHAR
Gerard Butler’s latest action thriller finds him playing an undercover CIA operative in Afghanistan who must battle his way out of the country with his interpreter after his cover is blown. Rated R
THE LITTLE MERMAID
The latest Disney animated classic to get a live-action adaptation, the story of Ariel’s journey from a curious mermaid princess under the sea to finding love in the human world is timeless and loaded with standout songs (even if it’s a very unfaithful adaptation of Hans Christian Andersen’s original fairy tale). Read our review at Inlander.com. Rated PG
THE MACHINE
Stand-up Bert Kreischer stars in this action comedy, which continues a bit in his routine about going to Russia in college and becoming friends with mafia guys. Set in the present, jilted Russians come seeking revenge for a robbery he committed while with the mafia, kidnapping him and his father (Mark Hamill).
Rated R
YOU HURT MY FEELINGS
Julia Louis-Dreyfus stars in this dramedy about a struggling writer who feels betrayed after overhearing comments from her therapist husband. Rated R
THE WRATH OF BECKY
This sequel to COVID-released 2020 action thriller Becky finds the titular teenage protagonist (Lulu Wilson) causing extreme violence to a bunch of Proud Boy surrogates after they stupidly kidnap her dog. Rated R
that can receive television broadcasts from the future. Presented as pseudo-found footage of their black-and-white home movies (though some of the logic of that conceit falls apart), it’s a blast at first seeing them discover David Bowie, Bob Dylan, and more. When World War II sets in, they begin using their invention to thwart the Nazis… but that leads to some dire butterfly effect consequences. It’s a pretty thrilling, inventive and well-acted ride with deft use of edited archival footage to create a different history for us all. (SS)
L’IMMENSITÀ
Director Emanuele Crialese’s first film in a decade is a gentle reminiscence of his experiences growing up as a trans kid in 1970s Italy, and its lived-in dramatic specificity is punctuated by disarming flights of fancy. That stylistic juggling act is in keeping with the film’s theme of societal conformity, as its characters attempt to break from the constraints of a patriarchal, deeply Catholic culture. Crialese’s fictional avatar is 12-year-old Adri (Luana Giuliani), and he’s beginning to question his gender identity while his eccentric mother (Penélope Cruz, unsurprisingly great) indulges in childish games as a means of escaping her bleak domestic life. L’immensità is filled with adolescent longing, sumptuously photographed and designed with pristine period detail, and its bursts of musicality include an impeccable recreation of a TV performance of Adriano Celentano’s gibberish song — say it with me now — “Prisencolinensinainciusol.” (NW)
CONFESSIONS OF A GOOD SAMARITAN
Documentarian Penny Lane has an elite knack for turning an unusual story into a fun and compelling documentary, as past films like the animated quackery of Nuts! and the devilishly delightful Hail Satan?. Her latest doc turns the camera on herself as she makes the atypical choice to be an altruistic (or Good Samaritan) kidney donor — aka she’s willing to give her kidney to a stranger in need. The film takes a deep dive into the history of organ donation, Lane’s personal experience, and the concepts of empathy and altruism. It might blow past some of Lane’s depressive red flags a bit, but it does wrestle with societal norms with a web journaling sensibility that keeps this matter of life and death light and ultra-accessible. (SS)
LATE BLOOMERS
Do characters need to speak the same language to be the core of a buddy comedy? Late Bloomers says, “No.” Karen Gillan (Nebula in the Guardians of the Galaxy movies) stars as Julia, a hapless 28-year-old who breaks her hip when drunkenly trying to peer into her ex’s window. Since young folks don’t break their hips, she is placed
in physical therapy with Antonina (Margaret Sophie Stein), an extremely cranky old Polish woman who speaks no English. After starting at odds, they spark up an unlikely caretaker friendship and help each other face their respective life challenges. Both Gillan and Stein are terrific in this consistently funny reflection on motherhood and finding purpose. (SS)
BLUE JEAN
It’s England in the waning years of the Thatcher administration, and the government is intensifying its legislation that would punish the “promotion” of homosexuality. Jean is a high school P.E. teacher who keeps her queerness hidden from her colleagues, lest it cost her the job, but her personal and professional worlds collide when one of her students begins frequenting her favorite gay nightclub. Shot on beautifully grainy 16mm, Blue Jean captures its time and place so vividly that it’s hard to believe it’s a brand new film, and Rosy McEwen’s brilliant central performance lets us peer into Jean’s mind as she wrestles with her own identity. It’s an often gripping and ultimately hopeful drama, and an impressive first feature from BAFTA-nominated writer/director Georgia Oakley. (NW)
HARVEST MOON
Need an escape from the hectic world? Harvest Moon offers up a gorgeous meditation on fatherhood in the majestic Mongolian countryside. An adult son leaves his city life to return to the remote wilderness where his dying father is a hay farmer. After the old man passes, the son decides to take up the duty of manually finishing the hay harvest and bonds with a nearby precocious young boy who is being raised by his grandparents. While the story itself is fairly simple, the beautiful cinematography will make you long to get off the grid in Mongolia. (SS)
TIMES
A DISTURBANCE IN THE FORCE
It’s a known fact of nerdom that the Star Wars Holiday Special, which aired on CBS in 1978, is one of the biggest pop cultural misfires of all-time. How did George Lucas and all the Star Wars stars allow this mess of wordless Wookiee growling, Bea Arthur singing in a cantina bar, unfunny sketches, and even a grandpa Wookiee VR porn sequence to be made? A Disturbance in the Force gleefully tells the story of a time when people felt like variety shows were more of a sure thing than Star Wars. With a fun mix of great archival footage mining and interviews with both the people behind the production (writers, directors, costumer designers) and a fun mix of comedians and superfans telling the story (Weird Al, Seth Green, Kevin Smith, Taran Killam, Paul Scheer), it’s a wild ride that goes down smooth even if you’ve yet to subject yourself to the actual Holiday Special. (SS) n
MAY 25, 2023 INLANDER 41
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CONCERTS
SEASONS IN THE SUN
It’s time to start planning out your Spokane summer concerts
With Memorial Day weekend ushering the unofficial start of summer, it’s once again time to turn our attention toward all the great concerts that go with the season. Whether you’re in the mood for an outdoor show under the stars, a major rock show at the Arena or something a bit more intimate, there’s no shortage of options to hit the proverbial right note.
SPOKANE PAVILION
After many were underwhelmed by the brevity of Spokane Pavilion’s sophomore lineup last year, the Riverfront Park venue has a more robust lineup for its third year. After kicking off this weekend with Lord Huron (see page 44), things really get popping starting in July.
Late ’90s/early ’00s hitmakers Incubus are set to rock the Pavilion on July 22, while an absolutely stacked lineup of jazz, reggae, soul and R&B featuring Trombone Shorty and Orleans Avenue, Ziggy Marley, Mavis Staples and Robert Randolph and the Family Band swings into town the following week (July 26). A Sub Pop double-bill of Seattle folk pop stars The Head and the Heart and the wryly humorous rocker Father John Misty rocks the Pavilion on Aug. 6, followed by pop singer-songwriter Noah Khan (Aug. 18), Rebelution’s reggae rock (Aug. 24) and Billy Idol (Aug. 28). Old indie rockers will rejoice when the triple bill of Modest Mouse, Pixies and Cat Power rides a wave of mutilation into town (Sept. 6), and the Pavilion closes out its season on Sept. 23 with a jam fest courtesy of Goose.
NORTHERN QUEST CASINO & RESORT
The most robust outdoor summer music lineup hap-
BY SETH SOMMERFELD
pens to be at Inlander reader’s 2023 pick for the best local venue: Northern Quest’s BECU Live.
The schedule has a bit of everything. Things kick off with melodic folkie options in The Avett Brothers (July 14), Blues Traveler (July 15) and Jason Mraz (July 17). The sounds then get a lot heavier with the cavalcade of Volbeat (July 23), Falling in Reverse (July 24), 3 Doors Down (July 27) and Ghost (Aug. 5). The rest of August’s concerts are more of a genre whirlwind: Young the Giant’s indie rock (Aug. 8), the R&B smoothness of Boyz II Men (Aug. 19), country from Dierks Bentley (Aug. 27), classic rock via The Beach Boys (Aug. 28), and a little electronic violin action courtesy of Lindsey Stirling (Aug. 29).
Northern Quest’s outdoor season also stretches out through the end of September, so while other spots pack it in after Labor Day Weekend, BECU Live is still popping with Rick Springfield (Sept. 8), Counting Crows and Dashboard Confessional (Sept. 13), Ludacris (Sept. 16), Foreigner (Sept. 22), Dan + Shay (Sept. 23) and The All-American Rejects (Sept. 25).
FESTIVAL AT SANDPOINT
Northern Idaho’s premiere summer concert series happens on the banks of the Pend Oreille River in the form of Festival at Sandpoint. The outdoor shows at War Memorial Field have a very community-oriented vibe that’s great for families. Over the course of two weeks (July 27-Aug. 6), the eclectic festival brings in headline shows by Train (sold out), REO Speedwagon, Gary Clark Jr., Michael Franti & Spearhead, Ashley McBryde, The String Cheese Incident and more.
SPOKANE ARENA
Not all big summer concerts happen outdoors, as the Spokane Arena’s slate showcases. Arguably the biggest concert of the year — Foo Fighters’ visit with The Breeders on Aug. 4 — sold out pretty much instantly, but there are a couple more country-leaning chances to rock out on the calendar. Country superstar Chris Stapleton plays the Arena on June 15 and even tapped Spokane’s own soul king Allen Stone to open the show. For even more country rock, one can check out Alabama’s visit to the Inland Northwest on July 6.
THE PODIUM
Just across the street from the Arena, the Podium enters its second year of hosting concerts during the dead months for indoor sporting events. This summer’s three shows span the rock gamut. For melodic rock songwriting, it’s difficult to top the co-headlining bill featuring Jimmy Eat World and Manchester Orchestra (July 14). If you prefer things on the heavier side, modern metalcore standouts Beartooth and Trivium share another joint headlining show (June 14), while the heavy metal veterans of W.A.S.P. (Aug. 11) look to show they’re still going strong 40-plus years into their career.
GORGE AMPHITHEATER
For my money, there’s not a better outdoor venue on the planet than the Gorge. The majestic Central Washington views are spectacular and worth the trek even if it’s not for a concert by one of your favs.
The Gorge has become a hotspot for electronic dance music. The EDM season starts this weekend with
42 INLANDER MAY 25, 2023
The Pavilion boasts a much more robust lineup in 2023. ERICK DOXEY PHOTO
Illenium’s two-day extravaganza (see page 44), followed by three big EDM festivals: Beyond Wonderland (June 17-18), Above and Beyond: Group Therapy Weekender (July 21-23) and Bass Canyon (Aug. 18-20).
Not to be left out of the fest-ing, country fans have their days in the sun when Watershed Festival (Aug. 4-6) takes over the Gorge. Country star Eric Church also closes out the seasonal slate (Sept. 9-10).
There’s also plenty for the rock and folk crowds. My personal most anticipated show of the summer is folk rock singer-songwriter supergroup Boygenius gracing the Gorge on July 29. Dave Matthews Band returns for its annual Labor Day residency (Sept. 1-3), while Brandi Carlile has a weekend of her own (June 9-11), including a headlining night by Joni Mitchell (sold out). Dead & Company’s final tour (July 7-8) and The Lumineers (Sept. 8) round out the Gorge’s offerings.
KETTLEHOUSE AMPHITHEATER
If you’re willing to drive two hours to the Gorge to see a show, there’s a decent chance you might also be willing to drive three hours to check out a gig at Kettlehouse Amphitheater outside Missoula. The 6-year-old venue amid a pine forest is a terrific place to catch a show, and while a lot of touring acts double dip at Kettlehouse and Spokane-area spots, there are also lineup highlights that won’t be stopping in our backyard. Among the shows not yet sold out are Death Cab for Cutie (June 10), Ben Folds with the Missoula Symphony Orchestra (Aug. 2), Seven Lions (June 7), Les Claypool’s Fearless Flying Frogs Brigade (July 7) and The Flaming Lips performing its beloved album Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots (Aug. 25).
OTHER VENUES
While there’s more than enough to occupy most folks’ concert-going calendars above, there’s still plenty more going on around the region this season. The Moscow Mountain Music Fest brings great Northwest indie, folk, and Americana acts like Blitzen Trapper and MAITA together for one day at the Latah County Fairgrounds on Aug. 12. The one day backyard party/festival Cannonball returns to Browne’s Addition on July 22. The Spokane Symphony gets in on the summer sounds action with concerts at Brick West Brewing Co. (June 21), a patriotic set at Spokane Pavilion (July 4), the Labor Day jaunt to Comstock Park (Sept. 4) and a visit from cello master Yo-Yo Ma (Sept. 6).
The Spokane Symphony’s home base of the Fox Theater has eclectic offerings coming up including Americana star Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit (July 6), country from Charley Crockett (July 21), Jinkx Monsoon’s wild drag concert (Aug. 13) and Catalan rumba tunes via Gipsy Kings (Aug 19).
Just across the street from the Fox, the Knitting Factory welcomes a host of rock/punk standouts — Gogol Bordello (July 17), Circle Jerks (July 22), Spoon (Aug. 21), Flogging Molly (Aug. 22) and Band of Horses (Sept. 4) — in addition to EDM artists like G-Rex (June 24) and hip-hop like Hoopfest weekend’s Henry 3 (June 24).
On the same block, Bing Crosby Theater’s summer slate features the bluegrass/Americana blend of Railroad Earth (June 27), singer-songwriter Amos Lee (Aug. 4), Japanese rock from Band-Maid (Aug. 12), That Motown Band (Aug. 19), and more.
First Interstate Center for the Arts hosts the iconic Bonnie Raitt (Sept. 6), Dream Theater (July 17), the farewell tour for blues guitar legend Buddy Guy (Aug. 9). And highlights at Lucky You Lounge include The Head and the Heart’s Josiah Johnson (June 25), Protomartyr (July 8) and Youth Lagoon (July 24).
Here’s to a great summer soaking in the sun and sounds. n
MAY 25, 2023 INLANDER 43
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ELECTRONIC ILLENIUM
With emotional lyrics set to swelling melodies that build to satisfying bass drops, Illenium has a special way of pulling at your heartstrings. As in life, when listening to his music you may feel sad sometimes, you cry… and then you’ve just got to dance it out. Last year, Illenium took over the Gorge for Memorial Day weekend, serving as a badly needed replacement for the ghost of Sasquatch! Music Festival. On the first night last year, his incredible visual display — including pyrotechnic fire blasts, lasers, fireworks and beautiful animations on digital screens — was so fire that the power cut out. Twice. Thankfully, the issues were resolved, and hopefully the venue is ready for whatever magic he has in store for the return of the two-day EDM showcase.
— SAMANTHA WOHLFEIL
Illenium • Sat, May 27 & Sun, May 28 • $95-$400 • All ages • Gorge Amphitheater • 754 Silica Rd. NW, George • livenation.com
FOLK ROCK LORD HURON
Thursday, 5/25
BACKWOODS WHISKEY BAR, Conor Yarbrough
J THE BIG DIPPER, Ingested, Devourment, Extermination Dismemberment, Organectomy, Xingaia
BOLO’S BAR & GRILL, Rusty Jackson & Spokane River Band
J BRICK WEST BREWING CO., Kyle Richard and Friends
CHAN’S RED DRAGON ON THIRD, Thursday Night Jam
CHECKERBOARD TAPROOM, Weathered Shepherds
J COEUR D’ ALENE CIDER CO., Jason Perry
J HISTORIC DAVENPORT HOTEL, Kate Skinner
KNITTING FACTORY, Flatland Cavalry, Cobly Acuff
THE MASON JAR, Hermano Kuya
MCCRACKEN’S PUB AND BBQ, Nate Ostrander
J QQ SUSHI & KITCHEN, Just Plain Darin
STEAM PLANT RESTAURANT & BREW PUB, Tod Hornby
ZOLA, Mister Sister
Friday, 5/26
AK ASIAN RESTAURANT, Gil Rivas
BACKWOODS WHISKEY BAR, Jody Piper
THE BEE’S KNEES WHISKEY BAR, Kosh
J THE BIG DIPPER, No Soap Radio, Vika and the Velvets
BIGFOOT PUB & EATERY, The Happiness
BOLO’S BAR & GRILL, Karma’s Circle
J BRICK WEST BREWING CO., Spilt Milk
CHAN’S RED DRAGON ON THIRD, The Usual Suspects
CHINOOK STEAK, PASTA & SPIRITS, Justyn Priest
CURLEY’S, Dangerous Type
THE DISTRICT BAR, Hillstomp
HAMMERS BAR & GRILL, Rusty Nail and the Hammers
J HISTORIC DAVENPORT HOTEL, Dr. Don Goodwin Trio
IRON HORSE (CDA), Zach Cooper Band
LUCKY YOU LOUNGE, Mister Sister
LUCKY YOU LOUNGE, Brick + Mortar, Jhariah, Pollyanna
MOOSE LOUNGE, Loose Gazoonz
NIGHTHAWK LOUNGE, Whack A Mole
OSPREY RESTAURANT & BAR, Son of Brad
J PEND D’OREILLE WINERY,
Tuck Mills and Global Gumbo
THE RIDLER PIANO BAR, Just Plain Darin
STEAMBOAT GRILL, Honey & Rose Duet
ZOLA, Brittany’s House
Saturday, 5/27
BACKWOODS WHISKEY BAR, Dirty Betty
J THE BIG DIPPER, Chase the Sun, Day Shadow, Outer Resistance
BIGFOOT PUB & EATERY, The Happiness
BOLO’S BAR & GRILL, Karma’s Circle
J BRICK WEST BREWING CO., DJ Donuts
CHAN’S RED DRAGON ON THIRD, Cary Fly Band
Walking the line between dreamy and haunting, Lord Huron’s folk rock sound is almost tailor-made to be enjoyed under a starry summer sky. So it’s fitting that they’re unofficially kicking off the local summer concert season with 2023’s first concert at the Spokane Pavilion. A more melodic pop evolution of classic folk rock acts like Neil Young and the Band, Lord Huron has become a torchbearer for the genre with every album after their 2012 debut LP topping the Billboard’s Folk charts and being top 3 on the Rock charts. Frontman Ben Schneider’s voice manages to feel evocatively and alluringly world-worn without any hint of roughness, allowing each Lord Huron tune to split the line between bitter longing and honey sweetness.
— SETH SOMMERFELD
Lord Huron, Allie Crow Buckley • Sat, May 27 at 7 pm • $45-$50 • All ages • Spokane Pavilion • 574 N. Howard St. • spokanepavilion.com
CHINOOK STEAK, PASTA & SPIRITS, Justyn Priest
CURLEY’S, Dangerous Type
J J GORGE AMPHITHEATER, Illenium
HAMMERS BAR & GRILL, Rusty Nail and the Hammers
J HISTORIC DAVENPORT HOTEL, Brent Edstrom Trio
J HUCKLEBERRY’S NATURAL MARKET, Talmadge
IRON HORSE (CDA), Zach Cooper Band
J KNITTING FACTORY, Mack 10, Warren G, DJ Quik, Amanda Perez, Kid Frost, Tha Dogg Pound, Suga Free
J LUCKY YOU LOUNGE, Shawn Stratte: Sippin’ on You Album Release Show
MOOSE LOUNGE, Loose Gazoonz NIGHTHAWK LOUNGE, Whack A Mole
J ONE SHOT CHARLIE’S, Rhythmic Collective
OSPREY RESTAURANT & BAR, Sam Leyde
J PACIFIC AVE PIZZA, Itchy Kitty, Belt of Vapor
J J PAVILION AT RIVERFRONT, Lord Huron, Allie Crow Buckley
J PEND D’OREILLE WINERY, Kosh
J PONDEROSA BAR AND GRILL, Wild Wooly Duo
J SIRINYA’S THAI RESTAURANT & LOUNGE, Austin Carruthers
J SNOW EATER BREWING CO., Just Plain Darin
STEAMBOAT GRILL, Flipside ZOLA, Blake Braley
44 INLANDER MAY 25, 2023 MUSIC | SOUND ADVICE
J = THE INLANDER RECOMMENDS THIS SHOW
J = ALL AGES SHOW
Sunday, 5/28
J THE BIG DIPPER, Moris Blak, Danny Blu, Eva X, Haex
CURLEY’S, South Paw
J J GORGE AMPHITHEATER, Illenium
HOGFISH, Open Mic
IRON HORSE (CDA), Diary
IRON HORSE (VALLEY), Kyle Swaffard
J KNITTING FACTORY, Stryper, Becoming Bristol
LUCKY YOU LOUNGE, Ira Wolf, Cuchulain
MILLIE’S, Bruiser
NIGHTHAWK LOUNGE (CDA CASINO), Whack A Mole
J ONE SHOT CHARLIE’S, Rhythmic Collective
J SOUTH HILL GRILL, Just Plain Darin
STEAMBOAT GRILL, Bill Bozly
Monday, 5/29
J EICHARDT’S PUB, Monday Night Blues Jam with John Firshi
J ONE SHOT CHARLIE’S, Gil Rivas
RED ROOM LOUNGE, Open Mic Night
Tuesday, 05/30
LITZ’S PUB & EATERY, Shuffle Dawgs
J TRUE LEGENDS GRILL, Dallas Kay
ZOLA, The Night Mayors
Coming Up ... J J KNITTING FACTORY, Monke Business, Slow Children at Play, Vika & the Velvets, June 2, 7:30-11 pm. J J RIVERFRONT PARK, Spokane Pride Parade & Rainbow Festival, June 10, 12-9 pm. CURLEYS.BIZ • 208-773-5816 • 26433 W. HWY 53, HAUSER, ID • 21+ THE BIGGEST LITTLE PARTY SPOT in North Idaho! & 719 N MONROE ST. • SPOKANE • 509326-7251 CORNER OF MONROE AND BROADWAY Local Beer, Wine, & Wells $6 SIDEWALK SEATING NOW AVAILABLE HAPPY HOUR ON THE PATIO Daily 3pm-6pm & 8pm-close Fresh House Green Salad $3 Donegal Bay Clam Chowder $5 Fried Cheese Curds $6 Basket O’Tater Tots $4 Corned Beef & Soda Bread $7 Irish Poutine $9 French fries, white cheese curds, pan gravy, bacon 2-piece Fish & Chips $11 Pub Burger & Fries $13 *Dine in only. *Not available with other discounts or special offers. Tots Party On Our Patios! SPOKANE VALLEY: 12303 E Trent Ave COEUR D’ALENE: 314 N. 4th Street storminnormansshipfacedsaloon.com 4241 S. Cheney-Spokane Rd. | latahbistro.com | Perfect Patio MAY 25, 2023 INLANDER 45 Wednesday, 5/31 CHAN’S RED DRAGON ON THIRD, Wednesday Night Jam THE DRAFT ZONE, The Draft Zone Open Mic J HISTORIC DAVENPORT HOTEL, Dr. Don Goodwin IRON HORSE (VALLEY), Keith Wallace J PEND D’OREILLE WINERY, Peter Lucht J PONDEROSA BAR AND GRILL, Emily Ridler J POOLE’S PUBLIC HOUSE, Just Plain Darin RED ROOM LOUNGE, The Roomates J SOUTH PERRY LANTERN, Jake Rozier TRAILS END BREWERY, Pat Simmons J TRUE LEGENDS GRILL, Pamela Benton ZOLA, Brittany’s House
PERFORMING ARTS STEP TO THE BEAT
Get ready for a night of jigs and traditional Irish tunes for the 25th anniversary edition of Riverdance. The Grammy awardwinning dance troupe’s shows are full of passion, energy and grace with a narrative element that flows like a river, starting with the first peoples discovering the world around them and navigating new relationships. The audience travels through time with the dancers from Ireland’s distant past to the Great Famine, eventually ending in the modern day, for a total of 17 distinct scenes/dances, and a grand finale. Viewers can expect some twists and turns veering from the original composition to celebrate the story’s long run, a quarter century since its debut.
—SUMMER SANDSTROM
Riverdance • Fri, May 26 at 8 pm; Sat, May 27 at 2 pm and 7:30 pm; Sun, May 28 at 1 pm • $45-$90 • All Ages • First Interstate Center for the Arts • 334 W Spokane Falls Blvd • firstinterstatecenter.org • 509-279-7000
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WORDS COMMUNAL CURIOSITY
Seattle journalist Mónica Guzmán and author Erin Jones have a common goal: to make the communities people live in more just and fair. At this discussion, presented in partnership with Innovia Foundation’s Annual Leadership Summit, the two authors use their books to spark conversation within the community. Guzmán’s book, I Never Thought of It That Way: How to Have Fearlessly Curious Conversations in Dangerously Divided Times, draws from the author’s real-life conversations with people whose worldviews differ from hers. Similarly, Jones’ book, Bridges to Heal Us, discusses how people can be a part of the solution toward racism by confronting their own prejudices as well as the prejudices that exist within communities. Together, their conversation aims to bridge gaps in understanding from different points of view.
— MADISON PEARSON
Curious Conversations: Mónica Guzmán & Erin Jones • Wed, May 31 at 7 pm • $7-$20 • Bing Crosby Theater • 901 W. Sprague Ave. • innovia.org/communityconversations
MUSIC YOU HAD ME AT CELLO
Live music is one of life’s greatest pleasures, something that should be enjoyed by all. That message is at the core of these back-to-back Spokane Symphony concerts. The 5:30 pm show is for families with children on the autistic spectrum, or who have other sensory sensitivities. Modifications for this concert include reduced volume, altered lighting levels, sensory support equipment and trained onsite volunteers. All of the pieces performed are calm, soothing works that move to an exciting crescendo and end in tranquil fashion. For families who don’t require sensory support, the 7 pm Family Concert features iconic pieces like Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5, John Williams’ Raiders March and more familiar pieces to capture the attention of little ones with wild imaginations.
— MADISON PEARSON
Spokane Symphony Family Concerts • Fri, May 26; sensoryfriendly showing from 5:30-6:30 pm, Family Concert at 7 pm
• Free • All ages • The Fox Theater • 1001 W. Sprague Ave. • spokanesymphony.org
46 INLANDER MAY 25, 2023
$1 OFF BEER & PEPSI PRODUCTS
Game Times: 5/25 - 5/26 - 6:35pm, 5/27 - 3:05pm, 5/28 - 1:05pm
MUSIC I’LL STICK AROUND
It’s not easy to break into the musical world from Sandpoint, but the Shook Twins found a way with their charming brand of indie folk. Still, leaving the familial comfort is never easy. While the Shook Twins are still a going concern, Katelyn Shook dives into the deep end with her first solo gig without her sis Laurie, but that doesn’t mean she’s going it alone. The Panida Theater’s Songs in the Round concert showcases Katelyn alongside Sandpoint staple Josh Hedlund and recent Seattle transplant Sarah Edmonds (aka Larsen Gardens). The trio takes turns telling stories and singing their tunes in this night of communal folk comfort.
—SETH SOMMERFELD
Songs in the Round • Fri, May 26 at 8 pm • $25 • All ages • Panida Theater • 300 N First Ave., Sandpoint • panida.org
Be a Superhero for Kids
On Wednesday, May 31, some popular superheroes will once again be scaling Providence Sacred Heart Children’s Hospital, bringing joy and wonder to children with life-threatening illnesses.
You can be a superhero too, by making a donation to help our region’s sick kids. Your gift stays local and provides everything from life-saving medical equipment to financial assistance for families that are struggling due to a child’s health challenges.
at give.providence.org/inw/CMNH-Superheroes or scan the QR Code.
FOOD MEMORIAL MORELS
Looking for a day trip this holiday weekend? Head north to Kettle Falls for the Northeast Washington Mushroom Festival to find, identify, taste and dress like your favorite fungi. The daylong celebration includes vendors, children’s activities and a collaborative identification table, plus contests for foraging, cooking, art, and yes, costumes. Test your skill and fortune by searching for the biggest morel, or stretch your limits by bringing in the biggest variety of shrooms. Make sure to use containers that allow spores to disseminate as you hunt. Do not, under any circumstances, submit mushrooms from previous forays. Registration is open until the morning of the fest, but only 40 tickets are available to taste the vegan, organic dishes submitted to the culinary contest. If you’re not eating, attend afternoon presentations on permaculture and other earth tending techniques. Close out the day by dancing to Reggae hip-hop beats from FungiLion and enjoying other family-friendly fun(gi).
— ELIZA BILLINGHAM
Northeast Washington Mushroom Festival • Sat, May 27 from 7 am-8 pm • free; contests $5-$10/advance; $10-$20/door • All ages •
Happy Dell Park • 447 Sherman Pass Scenic Byway, Kettle Falls • inlandnorthwestpermaculture.com • 509-738-2087
Follow the superheroes’ progress and hear stories of hope and healing on Providence social networks: Twitter.com/providence_phc
Instagram: ProvidenceEasternWA Facebook: @Providenceinw
Special thanks to WEST COAST WINDOW CLEANING & these community superheroes:
MAY 25, 2023 INLANDER 47
1 HR PRIOR TO GAME
ProvidenceINWFoundation_SuperheroForKids_052523_9U_SM.pdf
I SAW YOU
J TEAM It’s me, Lil P. I know this is your dream come true. I make dreams come true if you know what I mean. Wink wink.
PARADE SPOTTING I saw you on the sidewalk in the home stretch of the Lilac/ Armed Forces Torchlight parade. From my position in the formation of Fallen Heroes banners, even in your wheelchair you stood out in your impeccable black dress uniform, and though I didn’t catch your name or rank, I recognized the distinctive Trident of a Navy SEAL on your chest. You might be a Vietnamera veteran or more recent; perhaps the scars of battle have added years to your countenance. But you rendered a crisp salute and held it rock-steady as we, the faces and names of the fallen heroes of our era, walked slowly by, never wavering in your honor and respect for our patriotism and valor. Thank you for reminding our families and friends carrying our images that our sacrifice mattered and will not be forgotten. I salute you, sir, and the service you also willingly gave to carry the responsibility of freedom to the next generation.
CHEERS
STILL MISSING YOU Hey babe. I would really enjoy catching up over dinner sometime. I know that you have a lot going on and that I don’t quite fit in your life right now, but I want you to know that I miss you and I think about you all the time. We were inseparable, and you and I were best friends. It just doesn’t make sense that we
are like this, and I know in my heart that we will be together again, one day. It just doesn’t add up any other way. You know my number, use it. Love you.
THANKS FOR SUPPORTING GARDEN EXPO
Hey Spokane, thanks for turning out in force to support Garden Expo at SCC on May 13!! The garden show is put on by a local nonprofit garden club called The Inland Empire Gardeners. It was a picture-perfect day and a record number of vendors, food trucks and attendees. As you can imagine, it takes a lot of planning and volunteers to make it happen. Spokane loves gardening, and so do we. So save the date for next year’s Garden Expo, May 11, 2024. Extra thanks to Spokane Community College for allowing us to host it there.
YOU SAVED MY LIFE AT YOKES On Thursday, May 11, I collapsed in the Yokes parking lot. My heart had stopped, and if it were not for a handful of Good Samaritans who happened to be there when it happened, I would not be here today. I do not know their names, and I have not had the honor of shaking their hands, so in case that never happens allow me to virtually shake their hands, in gratitude. I remember being lightheaded before collapsing, then woke up in the ICU with a breathing tube some time later at Sacred Heart Medical Center. It’s the in-between time that is important here. I am told that in all, from there on the pavement to the ambulance to the ER, there were a halfhour of chest compressions, and my heart was shocked eight times. If I had received 29 minutes of CPR and seven shocks, I would not be here, which is what makes those first several minutes in the parking lot so important. When an Army medic and a nurse (as I’ve been told) immediately began chest compressions/CPR, they provided the bridge to paramedics, and eventually the ER. They saved my life, literally. So if by chance one of these Good Samaritans is reading this, I want to personally thank you, because without your quick actions, I would not be here.
MAYOR WOODWARD It was very interesting to read about Woodward and Brown and policing. Woodward keeps saying she listens to communities. I’ve sent her over two dozen emails over her term. I’ve never once had a reply. Nice chatting with you Nadine!
JEERS
SHARE THE ROAD I ride a bike. I wear a helmet. I have bright lights and use
hand signals (the ones from the driver’s guide that you were supposed to have read) as a courtesy to those around me. Every taxpayer foots the bill for road maintenance. Car tabs and taxes come nowhere close to covering the cost so I ride legally in the street. I approached a northside intersection heading south as you approached the side street heading west.
CONGRATS — NOT! “Congrats,” Liberty Lake, for becoming part of the communist club. You should change your city’s name to Lake Scythe. Turning over control of library’s choices of books to the City Council is insane! According to the news, it only takes one person to object to a book to ban it from the library, and all decisions by the council are final. What about the parents’
happened and for help. This has happened at least six times on various routes in the past year. Three of us waited about an hour before the next scheduled bus arrived. STA supposedly has hired enough operators to staff all routes. I’ve left a voice message with STA supervisor’s phone mail requesting an explanation. This voter will not support further STA funding requests,
I arrived long before you did, and I was to the right of you so I exercised my right of way (see driver’s guide) but that didn’t stop you from blaring your horn at me. You then chose to double back for me. You even reversed through an intersection so you could chase, harass and threaten me with your big white SUV. So screw your window. I hope it was expensive, psycho.
ANOTHER GOLD MEDAL TO KCRCC Though the competition is mighty tough in the Stupid and Swine-ish Olympics, they’re always capable of stooping low enough to prevail. When Mephistopheles TaylorGreene comes to collect on their Faustian bargain, she’ll discover they have nothing to pay with.
GOOD FOR LARRY! So, Larry has finally managed to pull the millions of dollars together to build a high-rise on the old “Y” property at Post and Broadway. This isn’t the latest “Woke” concept of “Low-Cost Housing” that seems to be so popular in the press but good for him! My umbridge with the project is why the powers that be think the location of the entrance gate to the project has to supersede the right of the taxpaying pedestrians’ access to the suspension bridge across the river that is at the FAR end of the property at the corner of Post and Broadway. Seems fairly easy to fence even a narrow path access that leads down the hill to the suspension pedestrian river bridge. Summer is the high season for walking in our beautiful park. You want to build a monument to yourself, Larry. GREAT! Just don’t needlessly take away one of the more beautiful accesses to Riverfront Park!
SOUND OFF 1. Visit Inlander.com/isawyou by 3 pm Monday. 2. Pick a category (I Saw You, You Saw Me, Cheers or Jeers). 3. Provide basic info: your name and email (so we know you’re real). 4. To connect via I Saw You, provide a non-identifying email to be included with your submission — like “petals327@yahoo.com,” not “j.smith@comcast.net.”
choice? What about the kid missing out on a good book just because a stuffy bureaucrat objects? Is this REALLY what you want for your city, community, country? Millions if people fought, became injured and died so that we can read, write, watch what we want!!
HERITAGE THIEVES I’m curious about what happened to the Higgins boat and now the howitzer at the Navy/Marine armory that was on display for years. What’s next, the anchors and mast? Where did they go? We, the people paid for them. I’m just asking for a dead friend cause if the anchors disappear he is going to be sad we did burial at sea in 1981.
ARE YOU INSANE? To the person that wrote re: more communism, I have a question: Are you insane? After reading your letter, I looked up the mentioned governmental systems. Fascism focuses on nationalism, with an emphasis on military force. Nazis were a good example of this. Communism is the government ownership of all property and resources. Socialism is defined as a state halfway between capitalism and communism. Communists are more likely to ban books than capitalists. Democracies are more likely to help the disadvantaged. If you think communism is so great, move to China, Russia or Venezuela.
SPOKANE TRANSIT’S MULTIPLE FAILURES
May 21, 2023. Sunday. I and others were at the bus stop at Division and Lyons at least 10 minutes early. The first inbound bus on Route 25 Division NEVER appeared at Division and Francis at 5:57 am, it’s posted time point. There’s no STA customer phone support available that early to ask what
and will advise others not to do so, until service becomes dependable again.
DIRTY LAUNDRY Hey dude whose name starts with M and your dirty laundry is still hanging out. You owe a person $1,800, according to the Spokane courthouse. I’m sure your living your best life, and it’s been a couple years, so reminder to you and the energy out there. To those who run into a guy that claims to wanna record your music, they scamming and losing status and won’t help you.
REGARDING NRA MYTH Tell it to the Taliban, who hid from the U.S. Army, Air Force, Marines and Navy? Waited until the U.S. military exit to take over a country with a corrupt government, and virtually no military. That Taliban? And in your scenario the so-called patriots with AR-15s, are who? The Taliban? Numbskull!!
REALLY SPOKANE? Loud cars. Big trucks. Tattoos. And Graffiti. What more Spokane?
NOTE: I Saw You/Cheers & Jeers is for adults 18 or older. The Inlander reserves the right to edit or reject any posting at any time at its sole discretion and assumes no responsibility for the content.
48 INLANDER MAY 25, 2023
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W O L F F O W L M L K J R O P A L A U R A B O R O N R I S E S T A T A R I E S M E T A M O R P H O S I S H S T A P E D P R U V I C E D I S N E Y A I R E N E D P A O L O P A R R O T R A P T O R E T A I L G I A S O A K R A H E E M O T T O N N E V C R S O S E S H A P E S H I F T I N G H B C U S S U E D R O C A O P A R T A C R E O T A Y C A R L O R H E A H A R E THIS WEEK'S ANSWERS
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If it were not for a handful of Good Samaritans ... I would not be here today.
CALENDAR BENEFIT
FESTIVAL AT SANDPOINT AUCTION
This auction includes VIP packages for the Festival, signed wine bottles, front row tickets and more. Auction runs May 17-June 4 at 9 pm. festivalatsandpoint. com (208-265-4554)
SPEAKEASY Dress for a night of dancing, drinking and fun while supporting the Coeur d’Alene Arts and Culture Alliance. This event takes place in two locations, the second being a secret prohibition-style location that is revealed at the event. May 25, 6-10 pm. $75-$80. Berkshire Hathaway Home Services, 1927 Riverstone Dr. artsandculturecda.org
FREEDOM FAIR This second annual carnival-style community event raises funds for the Jonah Project, a local nonprofit focused on human trafficking prevention and victim advocacy. May 28, 2-5 pm. Free. Fox & Goat Ranch, 1127 N. Ladd Rd. jonahproject.org
RESPONSIBLE GROWTH BENEFIT This fundraiser features a silent auction, cake walk, a bread/soup tasting and live music. Proceeds benefit Responsible Growth Northeast Washington, a nonprofit environmental group. June 3, 2-6 pm. Free. Create Arts Center, 900 Fourth St. rgnew. org (509-447-7958)
COMEDY
BLUE DOORS & DRAGONS Improvised comedy celebrating table-top role-playing games and inspired by a roll of the dice. May 26-June 20, Fridays at 7 pm. $9. Blue Door Theatre, 815 W. Garland Ave. bluedoortheatre.com (747-7045)
JP SEARS Sears, known online as “AwakenWithJP,” makes videos on YouTube about his political views. May 26, 7:30 & 10:15 pm, May 27, 7 & 9:45 pm and May 28, 4 & 7 pm. $35-$84. Spokane Comedy Club, 315 W. Sprague. spokanecomedyclub.com (509-318-9998)
SAFARI Blue Door’s version of “Whose Line,” a fast-paced improv show. Rated for mature audiences/ages 16+. Reservations recommended. May 27, 7:30-8:45 pm. $9. Blue Door Theatre, 815 W. Garland Ave. bluedoortheatre.com
SASS SQUATCH OPEN MIC Open mic comedy with host Blade Frank. 7:30-9:30 pm. Free. Special K Tavern & Eatery, 3817 N. Market St. fb.me/e/3nMTo8aEI
NEW TALENT TUESDAYS Watch comedians of all skill levels work out jokes together. Tuesdays at 7 pm (doors at 6 pm). Free. Spokane Comedy Club, 315 W. Sprague. spokanecomedyclub.com
OPEN MIC STAND-UP Wednesdays at 7:30 pm. See website for details. Free. Spokane Comedy Club, 315 W. Sprague. spokanecomedyclub.com
QUEERPROV The Blue Door celebrates Pride Month with a special show. All stage performers are part of the LGBTQ+ family. Enjoy as the players engage in improv games with a queer-flair. June 2, 9:30 pm. $9. Blue Door Theatre, 815 W. Garland Ave. bluedoortheatre.com
COMMUNITY
COMMUNITY SEW-IN Bring your current quilting project to socialize, get advice or whatever else you might need. Bring your sewing machine (or your hand work), fabric and anything else. Thursdays from noon-3 pm through June 29. Free. Coeur d’Alene Public Library, 702 E. Front Ave. cdalibrary.org (208-769-2315)
MAKE A WIND-POWERED LEGO CAR
Use Legos and more to create a car that can be powered by the wind. This program is intended for kids ages 9-11, and 5-8 with an adult. May 25, 3:30-4:30 pm. Free. Liberty Park Library, 402 S. Pittsburgh St. spokanelibrary.org
NONSTOP LOCAL KHQ/WORKSOURCE
JOB FAIR This 10th annual job fair features opportunities from area businesses and companies and includes commemorative gifts, free parking and a children’s activity room. May 25, 11 am-2 pm. Free. Spokane Convention Center, 334 W. Spokane Falls Blvd. jobfairspokane.com
FEED THE BUFFALO This tour includes the farm history, a brief talk on bison and a question and answer session. Everyone gets an opportunity to meet, greet and hand-feed the bison. May 26-Sept. 2, FriSat from 12:30-1:30 pm. $6-$7. Win-Tur Bison Farm, 4742 W. Highway 231. winturbisonfarm.com (509-258-6717)
MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND RETREAT
Venerable Thubten Chodron continues a series of teachings based on her book, Good Karma: How to Create the Causes of Happiness and Avoid the Causes of Suffering. This retreat includes teachings, meditation, and discussion. Registration required. May 26-28; begins at 4 pm on Fri, ends at 2 pm on Sun. By donation. Sravasti Abbey, 692 Country Lane Rd., Newport. sravastiabbey.org
ROLE-PLAYING GAME DROP IN Improve your RPG skills by watching and participating in games. Fridays from 4-8 pm and Saturdays from 1-5 pm. Free. RPG Community Center, 101 N. Stone Street. rpgcenter.org (509-608-7630)
ACCEPTANCE SPOKANE A peer-supported safe space for LGBTQIA+ youth (ages 16-19) in the Spokane area to meet and discuss issues and topics, and promote mental health awareness and acceptance of oneself. Last Saturday of every month from 3-4 pm. Free. Atomic Threads Boutique, 1905 N. Monroe St. fb.me/e/3cxf4vKyL (509-280-9120)
EL MERCADITO A Latino cultural market featuring fresh food, cleaning supplies, local vendors, a free health clinic, immigration resources and much more. Last Saturday of each month from 11 am-3 pm. Free. A.M. Cannon Park, 1920 W. Maxwell Ave. latinosenspokane.org/mercadito
ITCH TO STITCH Learn basic knitting, crochet and other stitch craft skills. Spark Central furnishes yarn, bring your own hooks and needles. Tuesdays from 5-7 pm and Saturdays from 12-2 pm. Free. Spark Central, 1214 W. Summit Pkwy. spark-central.org (509-279-0299)
LAVENDER SUN SPRING FESTIVAL
A festival featuring live music, 40+ local vendors/makers, food vendors, art installations, educational talks, guided meditation and more. May 27, 12-6 pm. Free. Lavender Sun, 109 N. 14th St. lavendersuncda.com
PAGE 42 BOOKSTORE GRAND RE-
OPENING See the improvements made to the bookstore and celebrate with the community. May 27, 10 am-7 pm. Free.
Page 42 Bookstore, 2174 N. Hamilton St. facebook.com/page42spokane
BOOTS ON THE GROUND DISPLAY 250 pairs of ‘Hero Boots’ are on display at the Illuminating Courage Memorial. Each boot features a picture of a post-9/11 fallen hero from Washington or North Idaho. May 28, 9 am-9 pm and May 29, 9 am-3 pm. Free. Illuminating Courage Memorial, 700 W. Mallon Ave. illuminatingcourage. org (509-994-5613)
CORONAVIRUS RECOVERY FUNDING COMMUNITY INFO EVENT Juan
Mas of Spokane Arts presents the 2023 Coronavirus Recovery Funding program, answers questions and shares resources for applying. May 28, 1-3 pm. Free. The Big Dipper, 171 S. Washington St. spokanearts.org
BEGINNING WELDING Learn the basics of MIG welding and other tools for metal fabrication, such as the angle grinder. Participants build their skills throughout the four-week class, culminating in the creation of their very own metal art lamp. Ages 16+. May 31-June 21, Wed from 6-8:30 pm. $150. Gizmo, 283 N. Hubbard Ave. gizmo-cda.org (208-929-4029)
COFFEE & CONVERSATION This event encourages free-form conversations and low-key activities such as coloring, puzzles and conversation starters along with coffee provided by Starbucks. May 31, 10:30 am-noon. Free. Central Library, 906 W. Main Ave. spokanelibrary.org
FREE HEADSHOTS Take headshots for your Linkedin profile, resumé, passport or anything else. Located in the Video Studio on the third floor. May 31, 12-2 pm. Free. Central Library, 906 W. Main Ave. spokanelibrary.org (509-444-5336)
APIC KARAOKE CROCHET NIGHT A night of karaoke, music and crocheting. BYO crochet supplies and knowledge. While APIC is grateful for allies, please conserve this space for the Asian community. RSVP required. May 31, 5-7 pm. Free. Niche Coworking, 25 W. Main Ave. apicspokane.org (509-232-1950)
MAKE A WIND-POWERED LEGO CAR
Use Legos and more to create a car that can be powered by the wind. This program is intended for kids ages 9-11, and 5-8 with an adult. May 31, 4-5 pm. Free. Hillyard Library, 4110 N. Cook St. spokanelibrary.org (444-5331)
MY FAKE FRIEND’S WEDDING Get ideas for your own wedding while crashing a fake vow renewal as if it were a real wedding. Includes three drinks, food samples, swag bags and more. June 1, 5:45-8:30 pm. $25-$60. Firebrand Cocolalla, 257 Roop Rd. fb.me/e/3qE8tF2ul
MARK ELMORE: A LEGEND RETIRES
Celebrate life-long educator Mark Elmore as he retires after 44 years at Evergreen Elementary. All former students, families and educators are invited. Send letters for Mr. Elmore to mrelmoreretirement@ gmail.com. June 2, 3:45-5:45 pm. Free. Evergreen Elementary School, 215 W. Eddy Ave. (509-465-6400)
TOWN & COUNTRY DAYS This festival kicks off summer with live music, entertainers, activities for kids, street fair food, a parade and more. June 2-3; Fri from 2-10 pm, Sat from 7 am-10 pm. June 2, 2-10 pm and June 3, 7 am-10 pm. Free. Kettle Falls, Wash. kfchamber.org
BIZFEST: A CHILDREN’S BUSINESS
FAIR This event provides a platform for children to showcase their entrepreneurial skills by starting and operating their businesses. Ages 6-14. June 3, 10 am-1 pm. Free. The Hive, 2904 E. Sprague Ave. childrensbusinessfair.org/spokane-wa
DROP IN & RPG Stop by and explore the world of role playing games. Build a shared narrative using cooperative problem solving, exploration, imagination and rich social interaction. First and third Saturdays of the month from 1-3:45 pm. Free. Spark Central, 1214 W. Summit Pkwy. spark-central.org (509-279-0299)
THE FARM CHICKS VINTAGE & HANDMADE FAIR This vendor fair features over
300 booths of vintage and handmade goods. June 3, 9 am-6 pm and June 4, 9 am-4 pm. $10. Spokane County Fair & Expo Center, 404 N. Havana St. thefarmchicks.com (509-954-1692)
FROM HERE’S 4TH ANNIVERSARY
PARTY Celebrate From Here’s 4th anniversary with live music, art demonstrations, a new product launch, promotions and artist meet and greets. June 3, 11 am-7 pm. Free. From Here, 808 W. Main Ave. fromherespokane.com
SCFD9 DEMO DAY & 75TH ANNIVERSARY Spokane County Fire District 9 celebrates its 75th anniversary with live demonstrations from local firefighters, food trucks and vendors. June 3, 10 am-2 pm. Free. Spokane County Fire District 9, 3801 E Farwell Rd. facebook.com/scfd9
HUMANE SOCIETY OF THE PALOUSE: KITTEN SHOWER This annual event includes games, educational info about the kittens’ growth and kittens to cuddle. June 4, 1-4 pm. $5. 1912 Center, 412 E. Third St., Moscow. humanesocietyofthepalouse.org
FILM
THE BREAKDOWN: VIDEOGRAPHY Discover the art of creating and producing music videos. Exploring pre-production, shooting and editing a music video led by director Justin Frick and Wes Marvin. Registration required. Ages 14-25 May 25, 4-6 pm. Free. Spark Central, 1214 W. Summit Pkwy. spark-central.org
KENWORTHY SILENT FILM FESTIVAL
The final film for the monthlong fest is Sherlock Jr. May 25, 7 pm. $10-$50. The Kenworthy, 508 S. Main. kenworthy.org
OUTLIVE FILM FESTIVAL A screening of short films telling stories of healing courage, lived outdoors. The evening will also features an exhibit by popular nature photographer and former Spokanite Craig Goodwin. May 25, 12-9 pm. $15. Washington Cracker Co. Building, 304 W. Pacific. outlivefilmfest.com
PACIFIC NORTHWEST FILM MAKER
SHOWCASE This third annual showcase features 16 short films from 2023’s 50Hour Slam. May 25, 7-11 pm. Free. Auto Vue Drive-In Theater, 444 Auto View Rd. facebook.com/Auto-Vue-Drive-InTheatre-120740527937813
WILD & SCENIC FILM FESTIVAL A collection of short, environmental films about water. The event also includes a raffle to benefit the Spokane Riverkeeper. May 25, 5:30-9 pm. $15. Garland Theater, 924 W. Garland Ave. spokaneriverkeeper.com
BETWEEN THE LINES: ASIAN AMERICAN FEMALE POETS This documentary offers rare interviews with over 15 major Asian-Pacific American women poets with a discussion to follow. May 27, 2-3 pm. Free. Shadle Library, 2111 W. Wellesley Ave. spokanelibrary.org
TEEN MAKE-IT & A MOVIE MATINEE In the Teen Zone, make a paper flower pen while watching Ant-man and the Wasp: Quantumania. Ages 12-19. May 27, 1-3 pm. Free. Coeur d’Alene Public Library, 702 E. Front Ave. cdalibrary.org (208-769-2315)
POSSESSION A woman starts exhibiting increasingly disturbing behavior after asking her husband for a divorce. May 30, 7-9 pm. $7. The Kenworthy, 508 S. Main St. kenworthy.org (208-882-4127)
OUTDOOR MOVIES AL FRESCO: CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF MEATBALLS Watch a movie outdoors while enjoying a menu of movie-related food prepared by Commellini Estate chefs.
May 31, 6:30-10:30 pm. Free. Commellini Estate, 14715 N. Dartford Dr. commellini. com/outdoor-movies (509-466-0667)
PEE-WEE’S BIG ADVENTURE Includes a pre-show performance inspired by the movie from the Festival Dance Academy. June 1, 6 pm. $7. The Kenworthy, 508 S. Main St. palousecultfilms.org
FOOD & DRINK
BRING YOUR OWN VINYL NIGHT Bring your own vinyl to spin while sipping on craft cocktails and listening to music. Thursdays from 3-10 pm. The Boneyard - Side Hustle Syrups, 17905 E. Appleway Ave, Ste A. sidehustlesyrups.com
RAID THE CELLAR: NAPA & SONOMA
WINE DINNER This five-course wine dinner features pairings from Napa and Sonoma, two of the most renowned wine regions in the world. May 26, 6-9 pm. $100. Beverly’s, 115 S. Second St. beverlyscda.com (208-292-5678)
DIM SUM BRUNCH The pop-up menu includes cheeseburger, pizza, taco and breakfast dumplings made by 509 Dine as well as other traditional items. May 27, 11 am-2 pm. Free. Brick West Brewing Co. 1318 W. First. brickwestbrewingco.com
DRAG BRUNCH The cast of Runway performs while guests enjoy breakfast and mimosas. Hosted by Savannah SoReal. Sundays from 10 am-2 pm. 10 am-2 pm through May 28. Globe Bar & Kitchen, 204 N. Division. globespokane.com
RIVERFRONT EATS A food truck series on the orange Howard St. Bridge featuring live music. Tuesdays from 11 am-2 pm (except July 4) through Aug. 22. Riverfront Park, 507 N. Howard St. riverfrontspokane.com
MUSIC
LEAN ON ME GALA CONCERT Eastern Washington University music students, alumni and faculty perform music from films, movies and classic rock albums. May 25, 7:30-9:30 pm. $20. The Fox Theater, 1001 W. Sprague Ave. foxtheaterspokane.org (509-359-2241)
RIVERDANCE A reinvention of the classic Irish dance show to celebrate 25 years. May 26, 8 pm, May 27, 2 & 7:30 pm and May 28, 1 pm. $45-$90. First Interstate Center for the Arts, 334 W. Spokane Falls Blvd. firstinterstatecenter.org
SONGS IN THE ROUND Katelyn Shook, Josh Hedlund and Larsen Gardens perform solo and collaborate as they take turns at the mic throughout two sets. May 26, 8 pm. $35. Panida Theater, 300 N. First Ave. panida.org (208-263-9191)
SPOKANE SYMPHONY FAMILY CON -
CERT The program includes Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5, John Williams’ Raiders March and Mason Bates’ Philharmonia Fantastique. Also includes a 6:30 pm session (reservations required) for those on the autistic spectrum or who have any other sensory sensitivity and their families. May 26, 7 pm. Free. The Fox Theater, 1001 W. Sprague. foxtheaterspokane.org
LILAC CITY VOICES: A WHOLE NEW WORLD Lilac City Voices (formerly Pages of Harmony), performs acapella selections from Disney movies along with the RiversEdge Chorus and the Cheney High School Choirs. June 3, 7 pm. $10-$20. Spokane Valley Assembly Church, 15618 E. Broadway Ave. lilaccityvoices.org
...continued on page 54
MAY 25, 2023 INLANDER 49
EVENTS |
Tuned in to Terpenes
Looking beyond indica and sativa to define cannabis
BY WILL MAUPIN
Cannabis strains are often categorized into two opposing boxes: indica and sativa. Indica is sometimes called “inda-couch” for its sedative, lethargy-inducing effects, and sativa for an energizing, stimulating high.
That dichotomy is basic and outdated. It’s rooted in science, as indica and sativa are two different species of cannabis. But much like the wolf and the common dog are different species of the genus Canis, indica and sativa are different species of the genus Cannabis
For consumers, though, there’s more at play than just species. We’re talking about terpenes.
Terpenes are organic chemicals produced by all kinds of plants and animals and responsible for sensory effects like taste and flavor, but they do more than that. When it comes to cannabis, terpenes impact a user’s high as well.
There are more than 100 known terpenes in cannabis plants, and the varying concentrations of those terpenes impact specific strain’s effects. Some, like pinene and limonene — they lend a pine or citrus flavor, respectively, to their strains — have obvious names. Others, like caryophyllene, are harder to decipher. Along with cannabis, caryophyllene is common in cloves and black pepper, lending a warm, round flavor profile to the strains in
which it is a dominant component.
Moreover, some of these terpene chemicals are known to have psychoactive components as well. Meaning they, along with the cannabinoid chemicals like THC and CBD, will impact your brain function when you consume them. Simply put, they’re part of why you’re high.
There are more than 30,000 terpenes known to science, and most of those 30,000 are known to be boring. Terpenes are, by definition, simply organic molecules produced by living beings and built around a specific ratio of carbon and hydrogen atoms.
In cannabis, however, these compounds matter.
Many have been known in alternative medicine for ages, long before they were isolated and named by science. They add nuance to the categorization of cannabis. They can tweak the way indicas make you feel relaxed or alter the way sativas stimulate.
If you’re using terms like “indica” or “sativa” as your guiding light, it’s worth considering terpenes to help dial in exactly how you would like to feel with your high. These days, budtenders are more equipped than ever to help with that.
On your next trip to the dispensary, ask your budtender about terpenes and start dialing in exactly what you like in your strains to help find your perfect high. n
SCIENCE
MAY 25, 2023 INLANDER 51
NOTE TO READERS
Be aware of the differences in the law between Idaho and Washington. It is illegal to possess, sell or transport cannabis in the State of Idaho. Possessing up to an ounce is a misdemeanor and can get you a year in jail and up to a $1,000 fine; more than three ounces is a felony that can carry a fiveyear sentence and fine of up to $10,000. Transporting marijuana across state lines, like from Washington into Idaho, is a felony under federal law.
GREEN ZONE 52 INLANDER MAY 25, 2023 WARNING: This product has intoxicating e ects and may be habit forming. Cannabis can impair concentration, coordination, and judgement. Do not operate a vehicle or machinery under the in uence of this drug. There may be health risks associated with consumption of this product. For use only by adults 21 and older. keep out of reach of children. Discreet Smooth Convenient WARNING: This product has intoxicating effects and may be habit forming. Cannabis can impair concentration, coordination, and judgment. Do not operate a vehicle or machinery under the influence of this drug. There may be health risks associated with consumption of this product. For use only by adults 21 and older. Keep out of the reach of children. <<ORDER ONLINE 509.919.3467 // 9107 N Country Homes Blvd #13 // spokanegreenleaf.com OPEN MON-SAT 8am-11pm • SUN 8am-10pm MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND DEBIT CARDS ACCEPTED! VETERANS 20% OFF VAPE CARTS 20% OFF DRINKABLES 20% OFF PREROLLS 20% OFF BE AWARE: Marijuana is legal for adults 21 and older under Washington State law (e.g., RCW 69.50, RCW 69.51A, HB0001 Initiative 502 and Senate Bill 5052). State law does not preempt federal law; possessing, using, distributing and selling marijuana remains illegal under federal law. In Washington state, consuming marijuana in public, driving while under the influence of marijuana and transporting marijuana across state lines are all illegal. Marijuana has intoxicating effects; there may be health risks associated with its consumption, and it may be habit-forming. It can also impair concentration, coordination and judgment. Do not operate a vehicle or machinery under the influence of this drug. Keep out of reach of children. For more information, consult the Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board at www.liq.wa.gov.
DRIVE HIGH GET A DUI
MAY 25, 2023 INLANDER 53 South Spokane South Spokane 2804 E 30th Ave 2804 E 30th Ave Spokane, WA 99223 Spokane, WA 99223 509-315-8185 509-315-8185 North Spokane North Spokane 9301 N Division St, 9301 N Division St, Spokane, WA 99218 Spokane, WA 99218 509-703-7191 509-703-7191 2 OR MORE $45+ EIGHTHS 2 OR MORE $45+ CONCENTRATES 3 OR MORE $10+ INFUSED PRE-ROLLS 25% Off MAY 24 - 29 2 OR MORE $30+ EDI LES 2 OR MORE $45+ VAPE CARTS *Discounts cannot stack. Some exclusions may apply.
EVENTS | CALENDAR SPORTS & OUTDOORS
SPOKANE INDIANS VS. VANCOUVER
CANADIANS Promotional events during the six-game series include Storybook Princess Night (5/27) and Dollars in Your Dog Day Game (5/28). May 25, 6:35 pm, May 26, 6:35 pm, May 27, 5:09 pm and May 28, 1:05 pm. $8-$22. Avista Stadium, 602 N. Havana St. spokaneindians.com
E-SPORTS CLUB Play video games (League of Legends) and hang out with other local teens. Fridays from 4-5:30 pm through May 26. Free. Coeur d’Alene Public Library, 702 E. Front Ave. cdalibrary.org (208-769-2315)
ROUTE OF THE HIAWATHA OPENING
DAY Enjoy all the Hiawatha Trail has to offer with trail passes, rental bikes and more. May 26, 8:30 am-5 pm. $18-$40. Lookout Pass Ski & Recreation Area, I-90 Exit 0. RideTheHiawatha.com
NORTHEAST WASHINGTON MUSHROOM FESTIVAL This celebration of allthings mushrooms includes a mushroom hunt and contest, educational workshops, mushroom tastings and more. May 27, 7 am-8 pm. Free. Happy Dell Park, 447 Sherman Pass Scenic Byway, Kettle Falls. inlandnorthwestpermaculture.com
COEUR D’ALENE MARATHON Options for a marathon, half marathon, 10k and a 5k run are available. May 28. $25-$85. Coeur d’Alene. runsignup.com
BLACK LODGE BREWING RUNNING
CLUB All fitness levels welcome. Each week the club chooses from a 3k or 5k route. Wednesdays from 6-8 pm. Free. Black Lodge Brewing, 206 N. Third St. blacklodgebrewingco.com
HISTORICAL FEET CLUB A group walk with a tour guide. The walks are moderate intensity and may cover up to five miles. See link for destination specifics. May 31, 9:15 am-noon, June 14, 9:15 amnoon and June 21, 9:15 am-noon. Free. Coeur d’Alene Public Library, 702 E. Front Ave. cdalibrary.org (208-769-2315)
SEED BOMBS Make seed bombs from clay, compost and local wildflower seeds. May 31, 4-5 pm. Free. South Hill Library, 3324 S. Perry St. spokanelibrary.org
FRIENDS OF MANITO SPRING PLANT
SALE This annual sale features hundreds of species to purchase. See website for list of plants offered. A portion of proceeds benefits The Friends of Manito. June 3, 8 am-4 pm. Free. Manito Park, 1800 S. Grand Blvd. thefriendsofmanito. org/plant-sales (509-456-8038)
HIAWATHA FULL MOON NIGHT RIDE
Ride the historic route of the Hiawatha under the light of a full moon. Riders meet at the east portal. June 3, July 3, Aug. 1, and Aug. 30, 8-11 pm. $40. Lookout Pass Ski & Recreation Area, I-90 Exit 0. RideTheHiawatha.com (208-744-1301)
GIRLS ON THE RUN OF SPOKANE 5K
This event brings together girls, families and the community for a fun-filled 5k run/walk that celebrates the achievements of Girls on the Run participants, promotes physical fitness and fosters a positive and inclusive environment. June 3, 9 am-noon. $20. Audubon Park, 3908 N. Driscoll Bvld. gotrspokane.org/5k
KETTLE FALLS SUP CUP A stand-up paddleboard race on Lake Roosevelt. The event includes a celebration at Northern Ales Brewery for all participants and their guests, with awards for the top finishers in each division. June 4, 9 am-noon. $50-
$75. Kettle Falls, Wash. facebook.com/ kfSUPcup
SHEJUMPS HIKE SheJumps welcomes all women and girls (transgender and cisgender) as well as nonbinary people, and their families for this approx. 2-mile hike. June 4, 10 am-noon. Free!. Dishman Hills, 625 S. Sargent Rd. shejumps.org
THEATER
CLUE: THE MUSICAL A musical that brings the world’s best-known suspects to life and invites the audience to help solve the mystery: who killed Mr. Boddy, in what room and with what weapon. May 12-28; Thu-Sat at 7 pm, Sat-Sun at 2 pm. $13-$15. TAC at the Lake, 22910 E. Appleway Ave. tacatthelake.com
BEAUTY & THE BEAST The classic story tells of Belle, a young woman in a provincial town, and the Beast, a young prince trapped under a spell. May 19-28; Fri-Sat at 7 pm, Sat-Sun at 3 pm. $15-$20. Kroc Center, 1765 W. Golf Course Rd. cytnorthidaho.org (208-667-1865)
CHARLIE & THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY
The confectionary wizard Willy Wonka is opening the gates to his mysterious factory, but only to a lucky few. May 26-June 18, Wed-Sat at 7:30 pm and Sun at 2 pm. $10-$35. Spokane Civic Theatre, 1020 N. Howard St. spokanecivictheatre.com
MARY POPPINS Using a combination of magic and common sense, Mary Poppins must teach a family how to value each other again. May 29-June 4; Fri-Sat at 7 pm, Sat-Sun at 3 pm. $16-$20. Bing Crosby Theater, 901 W. Sprague Ave. cytspokane.org (509-227-7404)
THE MUSIC MAN Fast-talking traveling salesman Harold Hill cons the people of River City, Iowa, into buying instruments and uniforms for a boys’ band he vows to organize. May 19-June 4; Fri at 7 pm, SatSun at 2 pm. $12-$16. Spokane Children’s Theatre, 2727 N. Madelia. spokanechildrenstheatre.org (509-328-4886)
JURASSIC WORLD LIVE TOUR This stage show features fan-favorite dinosaurs from the Jurassic Park franchise coming to life via animatronics combined with the franchise’s iconic score. June 2, 7 pm, June 3, 11 am & 3 pm and June 4, 11 am & 3 pm. $30-$60. Spokane Arena, 720 W. Mallon Ave. spokanearena.com
VISUAL ARTS
EUGENE DIXON PHOTOGRAPHY This second annual event honors Eugene Dixon, a Uniontown photographer. His photographs capture the beauty of the Palouse. Wed-Sun from 10 am-6 pm through June 25. Free. Dahmen Barn, 419 N. Park Way. artisanbarn.org
ANTHONY BOCCACCIO: PAINTINGS & PHOTOGRAPHY An exhibition of paintings and photographs by retired National Geographic photographer and Spokanite Tony Boccaccio, inspired by Italian renaissance art. Shows through May 31, call for entry. Free. Hamilton Studio, 1427 W. Dean Ave. hamiltonstudio.com
HATCHLINGS An art show featuring over 100 students from 11 area high school art programs. Wed-Sat from 11 am-5 pm through May 27. Free. New Moon Art Gallery, 1326 E. Sprague Ave. manicmoonandmore.com (509-413-9101)
HUMAIRA ABID: SEARCHING FOR HOME This exhibition features the woodwork of Seattle-based, Pakistan-born artist Humaira Abid. The exhibit focuses on the refugee crisis, specifically the
plight of women and girls. Tue-Sun from 10 am-5 pm through Aug. 6. $7-$12. Northwest Museum of Arts & Culture, 2316 W. First Ave. northwestmuseum.org
IMAGINALITY This show features paintings by Lindsey Johnson, Jenny Benoit, Christina Malm, Tricia Florence, Adam Roth and Cody Steele. Tue-Fri from 10 am-6 pm through June 2. Free. Emerge, 119 N. Second St. emergecda.com
KEIKO HARA: FOUR DECADES OF PAINTINGS AND PRINTS This mini-survey exhibition chronicles Hara’s commitment to painting and her unique form of Japanese woodblock printmaking, over a 40-year period. Her abstract compositions are at once sensitive yet executed in vibrant color with references to water, fire, skies and verdant lands, offering rich metaphorical imagery. Through June 30, open Tue-Sat from 11 am-2 pm. Free. Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art WSU, 1535 NE Wilson Rd. museum.wsu.edu
PERSISTENCE OF VISION: ASIAN DIASPORA PERSPECTIVES IN CONTINUUM
Artists Margaret Albaugh and Frances Grace Mortel explore the persistence of Asian diasporic narratives. Mon-Fri from 8 am-5 pm through May 26. Free. Chase Gallery, 808 W. Spokane Falls Blvd. spokanearts.org/programs/chase-gallery
PRECIOUS PANIC: 2023 BFA THESIS
EXHIBITION This exhibition includes the work of 11 BFA candidates working in a variety of media including painting, photography, printmaking, sculpture and video installation. Mon-Fri from 9 am-5 pm through June 9. Free. EWU Gallery of Art, 140 Art Building. ewu.edu/art
CHOICES MADE BY GHOSTS REFLECT
MY SENSIBILITIES & THREE TAPESTRIES Artist Rachael Zur uses familiar themes of domestic spaces coupled with unexpected painting strategies to explore the delicate nature of what remains when a life is over. Anna Reynolds Wallis showcases three tapestries created during the pandemic, showing her progression in learning the craft. Thu-Sat from 4-7 pm through May 27. Free. Terrain Gallery, 628 N. Monroe St. terrainspokane.com
WHAT WAS ALWAYS YOURS AND NEVER LOST This exhibition features recent works of video art by Indigenous film and video makers from throughout North America. The nine films traverse a range of topics while touching on indigeneity — assertions of identity and presence in the face of colonial history. Tue-Fri from 11 am-2 pm, Sat from 10 am-4 pm through June 30. Free. Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art WSU, 1535 NE Wilson Rd. museum. wsu.edu (509-335-1910)
THE WYETHS: THREE GENERATIONS A collection of works by N. C. Wyeth, one of America’s finest illustrators; his son Andrew, an important realist painter; Andrew’s son Jamie, a popular portraitist; and extended family members. Tue-Sun from 10 am-5 pm (open until 8 pm every third Thursday) through Aug. 20. $7-$12. Northwest Museum of Arts & Culture, 2316 W. First Ave. northwestmuseum.org
CHRIS KOMSKI: BLOOM TO DEATH
This exhibition features large, intricately framed metal wall sculptures filled with textures, colors and patterns that reveal the unique qualities of natural oxidation, decay and corrosion. May 26-27 from 5-8 pm. Free. Kolva-Sullivan Gallery, 115 S. Adams St. kolva-sullivangallery.com
KURT MADISON, BRADD SKUBINNA & SARA OSEBOLD This group exhibition features mixed media pieces by Madison and collaborative collage works by Skubinna and Osebold. Fri-Sat from 12-8 pm
through May 27. Free. Saranac Art Projects, 25 W. Main Ave. fb.me/e/FJ91OuEt
INTRO BOOKBINDING: JAPANESE
STAB-BINDING Create a soft cover journal and a hinged, hard cover book using stab-stitch techniques with instructor Bethany Taylor. May 27, 12-3 pm. $50. Spokane Print & Publishing Center, 1921 N. Ash St. spokaneprint.org
PASTEL WORKSHOP WITH T KURTZ In this two-day class students create two 11” x 14” drawings using pastel watercolors, one each day of class. For adults. Registration required. May 27-28 from 1-4 pm. $102. Spokane Art School, 503 E. Second Ave., Ste. B. spokaneartschool.net
PRINT N PINT NIGHT At this event, hosted by Chris Bovey, participants pull and take home a Bloomsday vulture print. May 27, 6-8 pm. Sold Out. Vintage Print + Neon, 914 W. Garland Ave. facebook. com/vintageprint.us
ESTHER MANN: MYTHS & LEGENDS The artist re-tells ancient tales in a new light using her own unique style and imagination. May 28-June 25, daily from 11 am-7 pm. Free. Liberty Building, 203 N. Washington St. spokanelibertybuilding.com
LAYERED LASER CUT ART Create a one-of-a-kind silhouette art piece made of layers cut from baltic birch plywood. Participants should have a basic familiarity with computers. May 30, 6-8:30 pm, June 6, 6-8:30 pm and June 13, 6-8:30 pm. $50. Gizmo, 283 N. Hubbard Ave. gizmo-cda.org (208-929-4029)
ANN AUSTIN & DIANNE MCDERMOTT
Mixed-media artist Ann Austin uses found beauty and repeating patterns in the natural world in her collar work. Fiber artist Dianne McDermott uses her art background as an illustrator and graphic artist in designing her backpacks, purses and bags. June 1-30, daily from 11 am-7 pm. Free. Pottery Place Plus, 203 N. Washington St. potteryplaceplus.com
ARTFEST This 38th annual event is a celebration of art and fine craft in the Inland Northwest. June 2, 10 am-7 pm, June 3, 10 am-7 pm and June 4, 10 am-5 pm. Free. Northwest Museum of Arts & Culture, 2316 W. First Ave. northwestmuseum.org (509-456-3931)
BACKWATER An exhibition of material and sound with Palouse-based artists Sara St Clair, Abigail Hansel, Sister June and Rachel Svinth. June 2-30 by appt. Free. Kolva-Sullivan Gallery, 115 S. Adams St. kolva-sullivangallery.com
FIRST FRIDAY Art galleries and businesses across downtown Spokane and beyond host monthly receptions to showcase new art. Fri, June 2 from 5-8 pm. Details at firstfridayspokane.org
FIRST FRIDAY: DANIEL LOPEZ This art exhibition features fine art paintings by local muralist and painter Daniel Lopez, aka Godfifiti. June 2-July 3, daily from 10 am-6 pm. Reception June 2 from 5-9 pm. Free. Entropy, 101 N. Stevens St. explodingstars.com (509-414-3226)
SPOKANE QUEER ART WALK This citywide event features various LGBTQIA+ artists showcasing their work in galleries in the downtown Spokane area. June 2. Free. spokanearts.org/queer-art-walk/
WORDS
ATOMIC WASHINGTON: OUR NUCLEAR PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE Drawing from history, science and popular culture, author Steve Olson reveals the many influences of nuclear materials on Washington state, and the many ways in
which our state has been a pioneer in the atomic age. May 25, 5 pm. Free. Central Library, 906 W. Main Ave. humanities.org
OFFICE HOURS WITH SHARMA
SHIELDS A two-hour drop-in session for local creatives to ask Sharma writingrelated questions. May 26, 10 am-noon. Free. South Hill Library, 3324 S. Perry St. spokanelibrary.org (444-5331)
POETRY PATH TO KINDNESS Write poetry while hanging out in North Idaho College’s rose garden. May 27, 1-2 pm. Free. North Idaho College, 1000 W. Garden Ave. kimemorgan.com
DROP IN & WRITE Aspiring writers are invited to be a part of a supportive writers’ community. Bring works in progress to share, get inspired with creative prompts and spend some focused time writing. Tuesdays from 5:30-7 pm. Free. Spark Central, 1214 W. Summit Pkwy. spark-central.org (509-279-0299)
NEW DISCOVERIES IN THE SOLAR SYSTEM Astronomy professor Dan Bakken shares reports on missions to a number of bodies in our solar system. May 30, 6-7 pm. Free. South Hill Library, 3324 S. Perry St. spokanelibrary.org (444-5331)
WEED CONTROL IN YOUR GARDEN
Learn how to identify noxious weeds with master gardener Steve Nokes. He discusses the various methods of weed control in the garden. This lecture also takes place at additional SCLD branches, see website for more info. May 30, 6:307:30 pm. Free. Cheney Library, 610 First St. scld.org/ (509-893-8280)
BROKEN MIC Spokane Poetry Slam’s longest-running, weekly open mic reading series. Wednesdays at 6:30 pm; signups at 6 pm. Free. Neato Burrito, 827 W. First Ave. bit.ly/2ZAbugD
CURIOUS CONVERSATIONS: MÓNICA
GUZMÁN & ERIN JONES The two authors share the stage and offer perspectives on building bridges to strengthen relationships and communities. May 31, 7 pm. $7-$20. Bing Crosby Theater, 901 W. Sprague Ave. innovia.org/communityconversations (509-227-7404)
INTRODUCTION TO BONSAI Learn the history, range of species and styles, and horticulture of bonsai. Presented by the Inland Empire Bonsai Society. This class also takes place at additional SCLD branches, see website for more information. May 31, 6-7 pm. Free. Moran Prairie Library, 6004 S. Regal St. scld.org
PEERS WITH STEM CAREERS: LIBRARIAN Discover your dream career by meeting with STEM professionals in the Coeur d’Alene area. Hear about what it’s like to work as a librarian as well as advice on how to pursue this career for yourself. June 1, 6:30-7:30 pm. Free. Gizmo, 283 N. Hubbard Ave. gizmo-cda.org
PIVOT OPEN MIC: BLUNDERS Hear or tell stories about faux pas, mistakes, slipups and snafus. Stories should be 8 minutes or less and told without notes. June 1, 6:30 pm. By donation. Central Library, 906 W. Main Ave. pivotspokane.com
LOST BATTALION & TWO COEUR
D’ALENE DOUGHBOYS Don Pishner tells the story of two local men who enlisted together to fight in the United States’ 77th Division, June 1, 6-7 pm. Free. Coeur d’Alene Public Library, 702 E. Front Ave. cdalibrary.org (208-769-2315)
3 MINUTE MIC A poetry open mic where readers may share up to thee minutes’ worth of content. All ages. June 2 from 7-8 pm. Auntie’s, 402 W. Main Ave. auntiesbooks.com (509-838-0206) n
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