Inlander 07/15/2021

JULY 15-21, 2021 | TIME TO CELEBRATE!

SUPPLEMENT TO THE INLANDER

2021

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INSIDE

Here for family through every stage, at any age.

VOL. 28, NO. 40 | COVER ILLUSTRATION: DEREK LANDERS

COMMENT NEWS CULTURE BEST OF 2021

5 10 18 21

FOOD FILM MUSIC EVENTS

103 105 108 110

I SAW YOU GREEN ZONE ADVICE GODDESS BULLETIN BOARD

114 115 118 119

EDITOR’S NOTE

O

n Saturday, we made up for lost time. We got a vaccinated babysitter, ordered pizza for the kids and — leaving the comfort of the home we’ve sheltered in since the start of the pandemic — hopped in a car with another couple and no clear itinerary. First stop: South Perry Lantern, refreshed and reopened by new owners last month after the previous ones had to close the South Hill pub at the end of 2020. Then we were off to Vieux Carre, the Cajun-themed restaurant that also debuted last month in a gorgeous old building on Broadway Avenue. Next we hit up the stylish Park Lodge on the edge of the booming Kendall Yards neighborhood. Then it was more wine and snacks at Wooden City Spokane, a hip downtown restaurant that opened last August in the thick of COVID. And, finally, home — buzzed, tired, giddy, full of incredible food and not a small helping of hope.

Yes, much has been lost in recent days, but much more has endured — has found a way through the worst of times. Just look inside this week’s 120-page-thick BEST OF THE INLAND NORTHWEST issue. You survived. We survived. And that is worth celebrating.

— JACOB H. FRIES, editor

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DEREK LANDERS ILLUSTRATION

IN HONOR OF OUR BEST OF ISSUE, WE ASKED READERS: WHAT’S THE BEST THING ABOUT YOU? Every week, we ask our followers on social media to share their thoughts.

NEAL SCHINDLER: My jokes are AMAZING.

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MATTHEW WEAVER: My heart.

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ANASTASIA HAUFLIN: My amount of patience ...

JESSE QUINTANA: My autism and its superpower of hyperfocusing.

REBECCA BENDER: My recovery story.

DOOLIN DALTON: I use pretty good, if ridiculous, nom de plumes on social media.

SHANE MABREY: I’m a school psychologist and a damn good one. I’ve lived through some pretty awful stuff, so being able to take that and channel it into helping kids that were suffering like me is my superpower. n

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COMMENT | COMMUNITY

JAN, THE TOY LADY, HAS NOTICED THAT SUMMER HAS ARRIVED WITH ITS CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS AND, UNFORTUNATELY, WILDFIRES: Construction vehicles from Bruder and Tonka?

Yes, we have them too!

River Park Square (509) 456-TOYS

Trees are the protagonists, who provide us with everything: medicine, oxygen, sustenance, shade, raw materials — in essence, life.

Tangled Roots We are an infinitesimal but interconnected part of this grand old evolutionary arc

BY INGA LAURENT

W

hile teaching in Italy this summer, I got a little lost. In the humid, viridescent Tuscan hills, time altered its rhythm. My fingers brushed a cool piece of stone in Il Duomo di Siena and suddenly years stopped making sense. Objectively, I knew that the cathedral’s construction took place between its commission in 1196 until its completion in the 1300s, but my mind simply could not grasp the meaning of centuries. My hand had touched what millions of others had also once felt, and our lives merged together through time. I was all awe and wonder about those others — their heartaches, joys, sorrows and daily woes. History’s rope had intricately woven past lives into my present, which will eventually become my past in another’s future. Individual story is illusive, succumbing to the only thing that can remain intact over millennia — collective narrative.

From this perspective, any action but global synergistic allegiance seems ludicrous and laughable. Why is our sole purpose not to live in daily devotion to the pursuit of shared societal advancement?

Then on the flight home, I read about trees.

Time altered again. In Overstory, Richard Powers preaches the gospel of our endangered greens by

6 INLANDER JULY 15, 2021

centering them in chapter and verse: “Roots, Trunk, Crown and Seeds.” Trees are the protagonists, who provide us with everything: medicine, oxygen, sustenance, shade, raw materials — in essence, life. I read that they communicate and coordinate: “Trees talk to one another, over the air and underground.

How they care and feed each other, orchestrating shared behaviors through the networked soil. …

There are no individuals in a forest, no separable events.” They protect: “We found that trees take care of each other… trees sense the presence of other nearby life. That a tree learns to save water.

That trees feed their young and synchronize their masts and bank resources and warn kin and send out signals to wasps to come and save them from attacks. A forest knows things.” They adapt: “The planet’s supreme intelligence could discover calculus and the universal laws of gravitation before anyone knew what a flower was for.”

And they even sing: “The Redwoods do strange things. They hum.”

Trees are a part of us: “You and the tree in

your backyard come from a common ancestor. A billion and a half years ago, the two of you parted ways. But even now, after an immense journey in separate directions, that tree and you still share a quarter of your genes.” Once again, I was all awe and wonder about those others — their challenges and triumphs, friends and foes. History’s 385-million-year journey of growth now faces near extinction, which will eventually lead to eradication, no hope of a future where someone will touch a stone and wonder about us.

From this perspective, any action but holistic alliance seem ludicrous and laughable. Why is our sole purpose not to live in daily devotion to the pursuit of symbiosis?

Insatiable in our human infancy (comparatively only a 2 million-year journey of growth), we are the antagonist, craving far more than can be exchanged sustainably. “It’s so simple. …

So obvious. Exponential growth inside a finite system leads to collapse. But people don’t see it. So the authority of people is bankrupt.” Not all people. Indigenous guardians and environmentalists have perpetually warned, but we often fail to heed. In truth, my progressive advocacy has been mostly half-hearted — a fleeting awareness of our suicidal tendencies to kill what supports us alongside the hypocrisy of my spending habits. Consumption continually prioritized over conservation.

Why is our sole purpose not to live in daily devotion to the pursuit of shared societal advancement?

Maybe confrontation with the ancient will cement more humility within me this time. The dichotomous truth we fail to comprehend — that we are an infinitesimal but interconnected part of this grand old evolutionary arc — should be more pressing.

Glimpsing swaths of time’s passing was disorienting though hopefully developmental. I am more aware of the ways I have failed to adequately care for all of creation, people and plants. My missed opportunities to learn from a natural world that has seen fit to continue nurturing us since conception. I just hope it’s not too late to learn.

I want to figure out how to grow old gracefully from the bristlecone pine — Methuselah is one aspirational example, over 5,000 years old. To see my transformation from black to gray and firmness to wrinkles and lines as beauty marks instead of things to be hidden; proud of my accumulation of time instead of things.

I want to delay gratification with the patience of an oak, cradling a seed that can lay dormant for millennia. I want to let go as graciously as a linden. To release any unnecessary expenditures LETTERS of energy from holding on.

Send comments to To let things drop like leaves editor@inlander.com. slip gently to the earth when its time, without any malice, each imbued with a new sense of purpose and renewal, perpetuating only growth. And I want to be able to give it all away, like a Douglas fir on its deathbed, sending out “its storehouse of chemicals back down into its roots… donating its riches to the community pool in a last will and testament.”

I guess I’ll just have to watch and learn. Now, sometimes I can be found, in the morning, staring off into the trees. I let Ma and Morricone’s “The Mission (Gabriel’s Oboe)” swell. It’s the perfect soundtrack for a hummingbird dance. My eyes can now focus on what I keep looking at but never seeing — trees dancing, branching, nourishing. Despite all the harm we have caused them, they still root for us. Trees continue to teach us the profundity of love, and amidst such an abundant and abiding connection, I don’t feel nearly as lost. n Inga N. Laurent is a local legal educator and a Fulbright scholar. She is deeply curious about the world and its constructs and delights in uncovering common points of connection that unite our shared but unique human experiences.

JULY 15, 2021 INLANDER 7

COMMENT | FROM READERS

Readers sound off at news that an Airway Heights police officer under investigation over domestic violence allegations, first uncovered by the Inlander, has resigned.

RACHELE NICHOLS: They shouldn’t accept resignations in this scenario. It’s a loophole that needs to be corrected.

CARLA CARNEGIE: Sitting on the Spokane prosecutors desk all this time? Since April? Just when does he plan to have a look — never?

BARBARA KELLY ANZIVINO: WTF being appointed to the domestic violence counsel?? Sheesh.

SMITH ROBBIE: Yeah, well, with the prosecutor in office now, won’t surprise me if they try to sweep this under.

KIKI CHRISTENSEN: ARREST HIM! RAUL DUKE: Probably already has offers from SPD and SCSD. TERRY PARKER: Another bad cop on his way to another bad police department somewhere.

FRANK CIKUTOVICH: I bet his coworkers never suspected…

PAT HALLAND: He should be prosecuted like anyone else ... and never be in the position of authority again. n

8 INLANDER JULY 15, 2021

Avista Utilities Substation Inspector Joe Vigliotta describes the elements of a substation near Avista’s Spokane headquarters.

Readers react to our detailed report on why Avista issued rolling blackouts during the record-breaking June heatwave.

PATRICK HAYES: The 1-in-100 event predictions seem to be based on more stable climate models. My friend in Houston has now had several 1-in-500 events in the past five years and several more 1-in-100. We shouldn’t expect anything different here.

In addition to system loads, grid operators must consider physical damage to the grid … Wildfire, primarily. Much of our generating capacity is in the hands of the Feds with responsibilities far beyond the PNW. Bottom line? How much are ratepayers willing to pay for reliable power which may no longer be cheap? It’s not Avista’s sole responsibility.

SUSAN SMITH LINDSEY: Our “electrical future?” How about

YOUNG KWAK PHOTO

our planet’s future? Our childrens’ future?

TERRY PARKER: We’ve learned that a private monopoly does not reinvest profits in its infrastructure while watching the Public Utility Districts who are required to reinvest profits into their grids handle the heat waves without rolling blackouts.

IAN NORDSTROM: It’s time to go solar. We can bolster our grid during heat waves rather than deplete it. We can grow our own energy where we use it rather than barter with dictators and destroy mountaintops. You can buy your power generation instead of renting it and lock your price in before the cost of utilities skyrocket. n

JULY 15, 2021 INLANDER 9

CITY HALL

‘ON LIFE SUPPORT’

Vacancies and turnover in high-level positions have made City Spokesman Brian Coddington, left, a particularly influential figure in Nadine Woodward’s administration.

DANIEL WALTERS PHOTO

As the housing crisis worsens, the city of Spokane struggles to staff the planning department needed to respond to it

BY DANIEL WALTERS

I

n the final year of Spokane Mayor David Condon’s administration, then-City Council President Ben Stuckart pushed a plan that he hoped would ease the housing shortage and boost neighborhood business centers: It involved rezoning sections of the North Monroe and Perry Street corridors to allow for denser housing.

He had the support of the city administrator, the City Council and the mayor. But after Nadine Woodward defeated Stuckart and became mayor, the project got shelved.

“Nobody gave me a reason why or who made a call,” Stuckart says. “I was just told, ‘Nope, when David left the building, it got stopped.’”

It wasn’t that Woodward’s new administration opposed the project. It was that, with a slew of important vacancies in the city’s planning department, the staff who would do the rezoning were needed on other projects like the downtown plan.

“They stalled during the transition process,” city spokesman Brian Coddington says. “Then as we got into COVID, it hadn’t been picked back up yet.”

Last month’s dramatic exit of Cupid Alexander, the city’s neighborhood services division director, exposed just how understaffed the city’s housing and human services department had become, handicapping the ability of the city to address homelessness.

But other departments, like planning services, have been overworked and understaffed as well.

10 INLANDER JULY 15, 2021

“We’re down four positions in planning, at the time of the greatest housing crisis ever,” City Council President Breean Beggs says.

The city not only has two vacant assistant planner positions, there’s no official planning director to oversee the planning department, and there’s no official division director to oversee the planning director. If you include the two director positions, almost a quarter of the planning positions are currently empty.

The frustration is councilwide: Councilman Michael Cathcart details being told that “really important steps” he believes are necessary to ease the housing shortage are “too staff intensive and too time intensive.” Councilwoman Candace Mumm recounts developers’ complaints about the lack of staffing to respond to their concerns, while Councilwoman Lori Kinnear talks about the missed opportunities to transform North Division Street to take advantage of new bus lines.

“That department is on life support,” Kinnear says of the planning department.

Thanks largely to vacancies, only three-quarters of the planning department’s 2020 budget was spent last year. Over in Cupid Alexander’s division? Barely more than a third.

But all the vacancies have made even getting information about the vacancies more difficult.

Worried about a “potentially larger pattern of key departments being understaffed,” Beggs sent an email to

the city administrator and human resources on June 23, asking for a spreadsheet detailing vacancies across all city departments, stressing that “community members have already paid their taxes for these budgeted positions.”

He never heard back. Instead, just a week later, the city’s HR director resigned, adding to the growing holes in City Hall.

“We are just completely understaffed,” Beggs says.

The Woodward administration argues that the amount of vacancies and departures isn’t particularly unusual, and that much of it may be related to exhaustion from the pandemic.

“We had a lot of our staff and division leaders doing around-the-clock work for months during the beginning of COVID,” Woodward says. “We’ve gotten to a point 15 to 16 months later, where people are strained, they’re stressed, they’re tired.”

Others have a more cynical explanation.

“This new administration has been there long enough, where they should see where the weaknesses are, where they should boost staff,” City Councilwoman Karen Stratton says. “I’m kind of at the point where I think they just don’t care.”

A DIRECTOR SEARCH IN SEARCH OF DIRECTION

Spokane City Hall, to be clear, was understaffed when Woodward was elected. Condon, her predecessor, had wanted the new mayor to make her own mark, and he

recognized that hiring quality candidates would be tricky when they knew a new boss could just as easily fire them. At the end of 2019, over 40 major positions were vacant.

In fact, the planning director position had been vacant since March 2018, when the Condon administration ousted Lisa Key from that role. Cathcart hoped that would change when Woodward took office.

“The first thing I said to the mayor is, ‘We need to prioritize hiring a planning director,’” he says. “We need to go out and headhunt.”

But as the Woodward administration focused on hiring other roles, like a city administrator, a chief financial officer and a human resources director, the planning director recruitment didn’t begin until September.

In a speech to the City Council in October, Woodward named “recruiting a planning director to identify new ways for our city to grow and thrive well beyond this pandemic” as one of her top priorities.

But behind the scenes, Beggs suggests, the administration’s commitment to the department was less robust.

Beggs says the council “begged” the mayor to not ax one of the city’s empty planner positions. Eventually, the council agreed to eliminate one of the planner positions and create a new “community and economic development division director” position, a high-level position that would oversee planning, code enforcement and a number of other departments.

Toward the end of November, both Mumm and Cathcart sat on a panel to interview four planning director finalists. But the panel couldn’t agree. While Mumm selected what she felt was a front-runner, Cathcart didn’t believe any of the finalists had the experience to tackle the growth challenges of a city like Spokane.

“I recommended they go back out and do a new search,” he says.

But instead of following either councilmember’s recommendation, the whole hiring process came to a halt: Coddington says the administration put it on pause, while deciding whether it made more sense to first hire the community and economic development director.

“The first thing I said to the mayor is, ‘We need to prioritize hiring a planning director.’ We need to go out and headhunt.”

For months, the planning director position hiring process hung in limbo. It didn’t help that, back in September, Woodward’s first city administrator had abruptly resigned.

“You had this five-month gap when everything was on hold,” Kinnear says.

And when the planning director search finally restarted in May, the administration sent two of the four director finalists to be interviewed by a second panel, one composed primarily of community members.

“The community panel was unanimous,” Coddington says.

“The right fit was not there.”

As a result, he says the administration decided to find a firm to recruit new candidates.

Nearly 500 days after Woodward took office, the planning director search had effectively been sent back to square one.

Mumm, however, says the panels shouldn’t be blamed.

“At the end of the day, it falls to the mayor to bring forth a candidate,” Mumm says.

THE HIRING CHILL

Coddington argues that it’s crucial to take the context into account when judging the mayor.

“She had, what, 75 days to get up to speed on the city op...continued on next page

JULY 15, 2021 INLANDER 11

NEWS | CITY HALL “‘ON LIVE SUPPORT’,” CONTINUED... erations before a global pandemic?” Coddington says.

Almost overnight, the city had to convert a 2,000-employee in-person organization into a mostly online workfrom-home operation. Department heads, including the director of human resources, had to take on new roles to respond to the pandemic.

“I’m sitting in a City Hall that has a fraction of employees here,” Coddington says. “We’re not back inperson here.”

Not only that, but because of the concern that the pandemic would devastate local tax revenue, the city was particularly conservative when it came to filling vacant positions.

“We’ve already put a freeze on hiring,” Woodward told the Inlander in April 2020. “We have already cut back on nonessential spending.”

Technically, hiring was allowed during the pandemic, Coddington says, but each position required explicit approval from the city administrator, a restricLETTERS tion that was only lifted Send comments to last month. editor@inlander.com.

Either way, it turned out that the city’s budget wasn’t battered by the pandemic nearly as much as anticipated: So when the City Council learned in May that millions of dollars had been withheld that could have been spent on unfilled staff positions, frustration poured out.

“We’re sitting here without enough planners in planning. We have code enforcement that is way behind,” Stratton said at a May 13 study session. “Our employees shouldn’t suffer as they have been with too much work

12 INLANDER JULY 15, 2021

City Council President Breean Beggs has become more outspoken in his criticism of the mayor’s decisions in recent months. and too few people to do it.”

Beggs argues that the hiring limits came from an ideological place, that the mayor believed “each person you don’t hire, you’re helping the taxpayer somehow, you’re doing God’s work if you don’t hire a government employee.”

But Coddington says that, in fact, the city had explicitly allowed hiring to continue for the planning and housing and human services departments. In fact, there was a planner hired in February, but then another vacancy opened up in April.

That’s where an entirely different bureaucratic apparatus comes in: the civil service commission. The meritbased civil service hiring system was designed to protect

DANIEL WALTERS PHOTO

employees from politics or favoritism, but it has become a major hiring bottleneck in recent months.

To hire new planners, for example, the commission has to not only develop a new list of potential candidates, it has to update the civil service test for the position, a process that can take months. Kelsey Pearson, chief examiner for the civil service commission, says she recognizes that civil service needs to adapt and that their process hasn’t been working like it once did.

But beyond the bureaucracy, the appeal of a government job in Spokane isn’t what it was during the depths of the recession, Pearson says.

“We are just quite frankly, struggling to recruit planners,” she says. “Spokane used to be more of a draw,

more of an affordable place to live.”

And that’s the irony: Spokane needs more planners to help solve the housing crisis that is making Spokane less affordable.

But, thanks in part to the housing crisis, it’s become harder to convince them to work here.

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EXIT SIGNS

Coddington expects the community and economic development division director position to be filled by the end of this month. As for the planning director? Strategic Government Resources, the recruiting firm hired by the city to recruit a new slate of candidates, just started advertising the position last week. They’ll be taking applications through Aug. 5.

In the meantime, Mumm says, the City Council approved a stopgap measure on Monday: Use the money the city saved on not hiring people last year, and pay for contractors and consultants to help the planning department get caught up on delayed projects. A city spokeswoman says a consultant may help resurrect the North Monroe and Perry projects in coming months.

As for the housing and human services department, Coddington says the mayor and the HR department have been meeting personally with the department’s staff to listen to their concerns and identify possible solutions.

“We’re hoping to bring stability back to that department,” Woodward tells the Inlander. “I want to make the organization healthy again.”

So far that stability hasn’t come. Stratton confirms that another department employee, Homeless Program Specialist Matt Davis, submitted his resignation last week.

“We’ve lost a lot of really good people,” Stratton says, “And we’re going to lose more.”

It’s practically a demographic inevitability.

“More than half of city employees are eligible to retire right now,” Pearson says. “They could leave tomorrow.” n danielw@inlander.com

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NEWS | EDUCATION

John and Kara Allen’s son was routinely placed in isolation despite having separation anxiety.

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Ending Isolation

Spokane Public Schools agrees to changes in settlement over kindergartner illegally placed in isolation

BY WILSON CRISCIONE

J

ohn and Kara Allen’s son didn’t want to be in school. In the mornings when he’d get to his kindergarten class, he’d yell, knock things off the desk and curse to express his displeasure.

Their son, who the parents asked to remain unnamed in this article, had separation anxiety, according to a later diagnosis. Despite that, Spokane’s Arlington Elementary School decided during the 2016-17 school year to put him in an isolation room for hours at a time.

Eventually, until the end of second grade, it became a ritual: Each morning at school was spent in isolation, the Allens say, with only a teddy bear there to comfort him as administrators stood outside until he was able to come out again. At times, he’d come home with bumps and bruises from harming himself inside the room. At least once, he vomited on himself, and another time he soiled himself, says Kara Allen.

“He did not like it at all. But the administrators and the counselor told us that this is the right way to handle it, that once he understands that we mean business, he’ll turn it around,” John Allen says.

YOUNG KWAK PHOTO

In fact, it was a violation of state law, according to an investigation conducted by the state Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction. It was also part of a pattern in Spokane Public Schools. In 2019, the state said Spokane schools were “overusing” restraint and isolation against students by doing so when they shouldn’t or by keeping them confined longer than necessary.

Earlier this month, Spokane Public Schools settled a lawsuit with the Allen family for $135,000. As part of the settlement, the family cannot discuss individuals or administrators at the school. But the school district agreed to a consent decree outlining a series of measures meant to ensure it is following the proper procedures for restraint and isolation and to comply with obligations to provide functional behavioral assessments of students.

Separately, the school district has gone a step further in reforming its use of isolation: Starting this fall, there will be no more isolation rooms at all in Spokane Public Schools, says Becky Ramsey, director of special education.

“We’ve already been reducing the number of isolation rooms over the last couple of years,” Ramsey says. “And we’ve found that through other de-escalation techniques, we’re able to keep the students safe.”

I

solation or restraint of students is prohibited under Washington state law, unless the student is posing an imminent likelihood of serious harm. At that point, staff must closely monitor the student to prevent self-harm and end the isolation or restraint as soon as the threat has ended. Then schools must also notify parents of the incident in writing.

But those laws were not followed for the Allens’ son, says their attorney Marcus Sweetser.

“In this case, you have a child with separation anxiety who was isolated and separated for up to four hours at a time,” Sweetser said at a court hearing earlier this month. “And to no

one’s surprise, the issues got much worse.”

An OSPI investigation of the situation in 2019 found that not only was this an “inappropriate” use of isolation, but that the school district failed to provide any writing or documentation of the isolation as required. The room where the child was being isolated was not padded like other designated isolation rooms; instead, it was an empty room by the front office with a teddy bear in it.

The isolations were also not reported in the school district’s data system or to the state. Arlington, in fact, had zero reported isolations in the years the Allens’ son went there, Sweetser says.

And because many schools in Spokane reported zero isolations at that same time, it may indicate isolations were being underreported.

Yet even without those isolations being reported, Spokane had much higher rates of isolation than other districts in the state. In the 2017-18 school year, all of Seattle Public Schools reported 141 isolation incidents. Spokane reported more than 3,200, and one Spokane elementary school — Holmes Elementary — reported 520 isolations alone that same year.

The Allen family wanted to enter the consent decree as part of the settlement so that other students wouldn’t have to go through what their son did. It’s meant to ensure the school district sets a variety of benchmarks and goals so that students with disabilities “receive the programs and services they are entitled to,” court documents say. It also calls for the district to report isolation or restraint as required and appoint a person to ensure district compliance with the OSPI standards.

“The circumstances that this family experienced,” Sweetser says, “they were not experiencing alone.”

HEALTHCARE COVERAGE FOR

S

ince 2019, Spokane Public Schools has already implemented many of the benchmarks and goals that the consent decree in the Allen case calls for. Ramsey took over as the director of special education around that time, and she helped to immediately make those changes.

“Looking back on past practices in the district, there was a lot that needed to be changed. I think the changes we made quickly, including removing the isolation rooms, has shown that the district is committed, as I am, to supporting our students with disabilities,” Ramsey says.

Ramsey says teachers and administrators received new training with a “stronger focus on trauma-informed practices,” which alone accounted for a large reduction in isolation and restraint incidents. Instead of sending a child to an isolation room, for instance, a trained staff member may use a “therapeutic hold” meant to be safe for the students and staff.

Additionally, Ramsey says the district has added school psychologists and behavior analysts to help with the most difficult students, along with improving data systems.

As for the requirement in the consent decree that the district will appoint someone to ensure compliance with isolation and restraint laws, Ramsey says she is already that person.

In court, Sweetser said he was glad to see the school district express a desire to change by agreeing to the consent decree.

“We feel that the school district here is stepping up,” Sweetser says. “And they do want to do the right thing on behalf of children going forward.”

Meanwhile, John and Kara Allen’s son just finished fourth grade at his new school. They say his behavior issues disappeared within 10 days at the new school starting in third grade, where he was initially placed in a behavioral intervention program.

“They said to me, ‘This is just extinguishing the fire that he’s coming from.’ They said, ‘We’re just going to be calm, we’re going to sit here with him and show him that we’re here to help him,’” Kara Allen says.

But their son is still behind in school due to the time he spent in isolation his first few years of school. Now that he’s in a better situation, John and Kara wish the changes the district are making now had taken place earlier.

“I just wish it would have happened sooner,” John Allen says.

“A lot sooner.” n wilsonc@inlander.com

Did you know?

GROWING FAMILIES

Adding a new member to your household through birth, adoption, fostering, or marriage may qualify your family for free or low-cost Washington Apple Health coverage.

Call Healthy Kids Together to see if your family qualifies and get help enrolling your new family member in a health plan.

CONTACT US TODAY! (509) 340-9008 healthykids@betterhealthtogether.org www.BetterHealthTogether.org/HealthyKids

healthy kids together

This printed material is supported by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of an award totaling $250,000. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by CMS, HHS or the U.S. Government.

JULY 15, 2021 INLANDER 15

NEWS | ENVIRONMENT

Take a Load Off

presents

Environmentalists and Spokane Tribe want court to order specific chemical limits for Spokane River polluters

BY SAMANTHA WOHLFEIL

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16 INLANDER JULY 15, 2021

I

t was recognized about 30 years ago that the Spokane River was contaminated with carcinogenic chemicals. Now, more than a decade after filing a federal lawsuit over that contamination, environmental groups are done waiting: They want a federal cleanup plan, ASAP. Early this month, the Sierra Club’s Upper Columbia River chapter and the Seattle-based Center for Environmental Law and Policy — with the support of the Spokane Tribe of Indians — requested a federal judge rule in their favor in a case that stretches back to 2011.

Specifically, they’ve asked the court to find that since Washington state’s Department of Ecology has so far failed to produce a legally required cleanup plan for the river called a total maximum daily load, the Environmental Protection Agency should be required to create one instead.

Since 1996, the river’s been listed as “impaired” for polychlorinated biphenyls, more commonly known as PCBs, chemicals that accumulate in fish and animals and continue to plague the area despite no longer being intentionally manufactured.

The Clean Water Act dictates that impaired waters be cleaned up, and one key tool is to determine the maximum amount of a pollutant that can enter that waterbody and still meet health standards.

“We have to get to a point in this community where we no longer have to say, ‘Yes, the river’s beautiful, but don’t eat the fish,’” says John Allison, a volunteer with Sierra Club’s Spokane River Team, during a news conference on July 6.

“We need the river cleaned up. We need a plan: Twenty-five years since it became known the river was contaminated by PCBs is long enough.”

Way back in 2006, it looked like Ecology was ready to put specific limits on five large PCB polluters. But that plan was halted, and no efforts to draft a new one have started in the 15 years since.

Instead, Ecology helped create a regional task force to foster collaboration between polluters and regulatory agencies as they work to clean up the river. Reductions in PCBs have been made since that task force started, but environmental groups say that progress is moving too slowly.

They argue that not only will a maximum load for the chemicals require more work from polluters, but more significantly, a task force isn’t a substitute for the cleanup plan Ecology is required to create.

“They’ve not done one for PCBs on the Spokane River because, admittedly, it’s tough to do,” says Marc Zemel, the attorney representing the environmental groups. “But the Clean Water Act does not make an exception when it’s hard.”

AT THE TABLE

In 2011, the same year the lawsuit in question was filed, Ecology formed a task force made up of environmental groups, tribes, the EPA, public interest groups and five large Spokanearea polluters (Kaiser Aluminum, Inland Empire Paper Company, and the wastewater treatment plants for the City of Spokane, Liberty Lake and Spokane County). Dubbed the Spokane River Regional Toxics Task Force, it was charged with identifying sources of PCBs in the area and reducing them.

The Spokane River continues to be plagued with PCB pollution.

SAMANTHA WOHLFEIL PHOTO

In requiring the five dischargers to be in the group, Ecology argued that creating a maximum load for PCBs could be costly and time-consuming, while a collaborative approach like the task force might work to reduce pollution faster.

Since its inception, the task force has contracted for environmental testing to better understand PCB levels in fish, water and soil along the river from the Idaho border to Upriver Dam. In 2016 the group also finished a comprehensive plan for the river.

Adriane Borgias, a former task force member and Ecology’s Eastern Regional Water Quality Manager, says the group has done community education and outreach and has helped look for innovative cleanup technologies. The group has helped identify some large sources of PCB pollution that aren’t from a specific polluter, such as the former Kaiser smelter site in Mead, where EPA removed thousands of pounds of PCBladen building materials in a $6 million cleanup in 2020.

Borgias also notes that the involved polluters continue to reduce their own loads on the river.

“Since they’ve started, we’ve seen environmental improvements in the river,” Borgias says.

But while PCBs have declined over the past decade, the levels of those chemicals coming out of polluters’ pipes still exceed water quality standards in many cases.

NUMBERS GAME

The current PCB standard for Washington sits at 170 parts per quadrillion. For context, 1 part per quadrillion is like one penny on the ground in the entire state of Washington.

But state and environmental groups have asked the EPA to lower that threshold of 170 back down to 7 parts per quadrillion, a standard the EPA had previously set in 2016 (before reverting to the higher number under the Trump administration).

At the end of June, the EPA announced it would again go through the 18-month process of setting water quality standards for the state. Regulators expect to see the lower standard of 7 parts per quadrillion come forward again, but it’s too early to know yet.

In requests to Ecology (which are on hold while EPA works on the new standards), the five large dischargers had previously asked for permission to exceed the more stringent health standard while they install and/or design new technology to filter or destroy PCBs over the coming five to 20 years. Some of those dischargers regularly see levels from 50 to 12,000 parts per quadrillion.

Meanwhile downstream, the Spokane Tribe has an even stricter water quality standard for PCBs — set at just 1.3 vs. 7 parts per quadrillion — due in part to an emphasis on restoring healthy fish runs.

“One of the purposes when the tribe’s reservation was set aside was so that the tribe could access fish for food. Period,” says Ted Knight, special legal counsel for the Spokane Tribe. “With PCB levels where they are currently, I think any tribal member who were to eat fish out of that river at subsistence levels would be risking their health.”

A draft report from June found that PCB levels in rainbow trout tested in 2020 are about the same magnitude as they were when tests were done in 2005 and 2012. Importantly, those previous tests were on older fish and only sampled fillets, while the newer tests sampled the entire fish. (PCBs appear to be more prevalent in skin, fat and organ meats.)

The 2020 juvenile fish contained between three and 30 times the amount of PCBs considered safe for human consumption, according to the draft.

Polluters haven’t had to meet specific limits in water under their current or previous permits. The test that’s approved to enforce those permits can only reliably measure down to 50,000 parts per quadrillion. However, another test that can examine levels 1,000 times smaller than that could be used to inform the stricter cleanup plan that’s been requested.

Environmental groups believe giving each polluter a set PCB limit based on the overall river’s load would better enable enforcement and require polluters to speed up the process.

In fact, it was a total maximum daily load that Ecology made for dissolved oxygen on the river that forced many of the same polluters to install “next level” treatment systems to prevent phosphorus pollution. That membrane treatment also happens to be good at catching about 90 percent of PCBs. But Spokane Riverkeeper Jerry White says that’s still not enough. The Riverkeeper supports the Sierra Club lawsuit even though they aren’t party to the case.

The Riverkeeper quit the task force in 2019, and Kootenai Environmental Alliance quit last month, both noting that the only clear path to cleanup at this point appears to be assigning the load limits.

“What we are beginning to see is that the task force is an effort to evade the regulatory framework of a TMDL [cleanup plan],” White says. “We regulate speed limits because we value human safety and life. The regulatory framework to move polluters to reduce and even stop polluting is done because we value clean water.”

Next year is the 50th anniversary of the Clean Water Act, which White notes was meant to end pollution into U.S. waterways by the late 1980s.

“That was the vision,” White says. “All of this work on PCBs and this tusseling and struggle is in the spirit of the original Clean Water Act, which said we would ultimately end pollution, and that’s absolutely what we have to do here.” n samanthaw@inlander.com

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Spokane Symphony Music Director James Lowe is ready for a live audience.

CLASSICAL

CELEBRATION TIME,

FINALLY The Spokane Symphony revamps and reorganizes for its 76th season after the pandemic cost it its 75th

BY LILLIAN PIEL 18 INLANDER JULY 15, 2021

A

COURTESY PHOTO

fter cutting its 75th season short due to the coronavirus pandemic, Spokane Symphony is back and ready to provide music and connection for the community again. But the new season is going to look a little different.

While Spokane Symphony’s concert season typically consists of 10 masterworks concerts (featuring classical music) and six pops concerts (featuring contemporary music), this year will only have seven masterworks concerts and three pops concerts. The shortened season is due to reduced staff and the symphony being in rebuilding mode, says Jeff vom Saal, Spokane Symphony’s executive director.

The season kicks off on Saturday, Sept. 18, with the first masterworks concert, aptly titled The Return of the Symphony. They are also planning to sell every seat and will not have separate vaccinated and non-vaccinated sections. The orchestra plans to be back on stage in full capacity, but that is subject to change based on vaccination rates, vom Saal says. ...continued on page 20

ENJOY THE PATIO & $2 DRAFTS! Join us for $2 drafts all day, every day on the patio!

You’ll love our selection of draft beers as well as the great events we have lined up for the summer.

See you soon!

UPCOMING EVENTS ` July 24: Cornhole Tournament ` July 29: Cigar Social ` August 12: Inlander Party on the Patio – Wiebe Jammin ` September 9: Inlander Party on the Patio – Christy Lee

spokanetribecasino.com

#YouJustWinHere

JULY 15, 2021 INLANDER 19

CULTURE | CLASSICAL

How to use THIS

PULL-OUT SECTION

Pull down then out

It’s NOT the Best Local Breakfast.

Composer Anna Clyne’s DANCE is featured this season.

JENNIFER TAYLOR PHOTO

“CELEBRATION TIME, FINALLY,” CONTINUED...

While vom Saal says that having the symphony “I think the hardest thing for me was, you know, return is exciting for patrons and the orchestra, and gives ordinarily in times of crisis people turn to music for comthe staff something to rally around, the organization is fort, and they turn to live music events to feel a sense of also feeling the pressure and tension that comes with the community, and of course that’s something we couldn’t unknown future. do,” Lowe says.

“We are as quickly as we can getting our momentum As the symphony’s executive director, vom Saal is back up, getting the flywheel moving again, but it doesn’t also feeling the pressure from how hard the orchestra was happen instantly, and so we can’t just go back to 100 hit by the pandemic. He says the staff went from over percent right away. It will take some time,” vom Saal says.

300 people to less than 10, and he now feels like he is For Music Director James Lowe, every maspart of every department since there are no longer terworks concert this season has at least one piece teams of people to work on different parts of the Season tickets for Spokane that excites him as a conductor. organization.

Symphony go on sale on Friday, The first masterworks concert features JoHowever, vom Saal says he is staying hopeful July 16, at 10 am. The last day for hannes Brahms’s second symphony, which Lowe that things will continue to improve. For him, symphony subscribers to renew describes as a piece filled with joy and optimism hearing and watching the orchestra perform is a and keep their seats is Aug. 16, and as well as hints of darkness, making it fitting for very personal experience that brings out somesingle tickets will go on sale for the where we are right now. thing in him that he doesn’t find in other places. public for all Spokane Symphony Another season highlight is a piece by Anna “I think there is a unique place for music in performances on Aug. 17.

Clyne, titled DANCE. Clyne’s piece will be in the our lives, and that togetherness that we feel can third masterworks concert, and Lowe says Clyne only be experienced in that way by being with Also on sale Friday are several is one of the best living composers and the best other people and by being surrounded by beauty special productions, including composer of her generation. The first time he and music,” Vom Saal says.

The Nutcracker (Dec. 2-5), New heard DANCE, he listened to it 15 to 20 times For Lowe, he is most looking forward to havYear’s Eve with Beethoven’s on loop, and he knew he had to include it in this ing an audience back, because having an audience Ninth, Star Wars: A New Hope season’s program, Lowe says. brings an energy to the space that you can’t quite (May 7-8, 2022) and three Spokane Symphony’s previous music director, put into words, he says.

National Geographic Live events.

Eckart Preu, will be joining the symphony as a Lowe says there is something for everyone at For more information, visit guest conductor for the season’s fourth masterSpokane Symphony, and he encourages anyone spokanesymphony.org or call works concert in mid-January. Lowe also says that who hasn’t been to the symphony to give it a 509-624-1200. some of the concerts that were scheduled for last try. Although he recognizes that nowadays we year’s 75th anniversary season have been reschedseem to be moving away from classical music, he uled for this year. believes that the orchestra provides an opportunity to unplug, and that this is some of the music that his past year was rough, Lowe says, since orchescommunicates on the deepest level about the deepest tras were one of the first things to shut down emotions, he says. during the pandemic and are one of the last to “Music is really the closest distance between two reopen. The sacrifice of the staff and musicians as well as humans,” Lowe says. “I think it’s the best way of conthe support of donors has allowed the Spokane Symphonecting to another person, and to share that live is really ny to survive the pandemic, he adds, and the symphony something very special. So I would say if people haven’t also recently received a shuttered venue grant, which will been to the symphony, come and try it, because it’s an help them rebuild. experience like no other.” n

T

20 INLANDER JULY 15, 2021

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22 INLANDER BEST OF THE INLAND NORTHWEST 2021

THANKS SPOKANE 2021

BEST OF

BOOKENDS

T

he last time we published a Best of the Inland Northwest issue, on March 19, 2020, it was at the very start of the lockdown. We went from celebrating all the vitality in our local scene to, four days later, Gov. Jay Inslee’s “Stay Home, Stay Healthy” order on March 23. Our next issue said it all, with the headline “A Quiet Place” and a photo of a completely empty Main Avenue in downtown Spokane.

None of us knew quite what we were in for, but few thought it would be 15 months of lockdowns before science would come to the rescue with the miracle of vaccines. We kept on publishing Inlanders, and our region’s local businesses kept at their stations as best they could, too. We rescheduled this, our 28th annual Best Of issue, to July instead of March, and now it serves as a perfect bookend. Just two weeks ago, on June 30, Inslee lifted all restrictions, allowing businesses to return to normal.

What was lost over the past 15 months has been a shared national tragedy. But what’s been saved is precious, and you can read all about many of those places here. Keep in mind there are thousands of other local businesses and people who received reader votes this year.

Think of everything that came between. Every business and individual recognized by our readers went through profound challenges. Making it through to the other side was never guaranteed.

First and foremost, it took hard work and dedication to their life’s work. It often took the support of the local, state and federal governments, along with local institutions. And it for sure required you, the people of the Inland Northwest, who never waited for somebody else to step up. So many of you came out and supported these institutions in their time of need. You are part of these stories, too.

— TED S. McGREGOR JR., PUBLISHER

CONTENTS FOOD......................................24 DRINK LOCAL & NIGHTLIFE....................42 SHOPPING.........................54 SANDPOINT.....................74 ARTS & MUSIC................78 PEOPLE..................................86 THE PALOUSE.................92 RECREATION...................94

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Best Local Elected Official

Derek Landers is the art director at local apparel company The Great PNW and co-founder of Spokane Print and Publishing Center. He is also the creator of Spokane’s new flag. The public voted his design as the favorite after 300 submission were narrowed to 12 finalists.

2021 BEST OF THE INLAND NORTHWEST INLANDER 23

FOOD

BEST BRUNCH

BRUNCHEONETTE

B

runcheonette is now a popular spot for all things brunch-related, from the sweet to the savory, with a focus on teamwork and making food from scratch. But it all began in 2011 with what started out as a catering company called Couple of Chefs.

The next year, the company added a food truck, voted Spokane’s Best Food Truck in 2016. Then finally came Bruncheonette, which opened its doors in October 2016.

Joile Forral, who founded Couple of Chefs with a business partner, says she was able to open Bruncheonette when she found a space in a good location.

24 INLANDER BEST OF THE INLAND NORTHWEST 2021

Today the restaurant is so busy that Forral no longer runs her catering business or food truck.

Now Bruncheonette’s sole owner, Forral is proud to have a team that’s passionate about what they do and about providing quality customer service to their guests, she says.

Forral says her favorite dish changes each week, but she consistently loves the shrimp and grits and the tamale waffles, which she describes as a fun take on the savory waffle.

“My staff is really passionate about food, so that makes every dish fun to make because there’s so much

love that goes into it,” Forral says.

Not only does Bruncheonette have great food options, but it has ample cocktails as well. Forral is especially proud of Bruncheonette’s mimosa menu, which currently has 19 different mimosas to choose from. Forral says Bruncheonette has a great Bloody Mary as well.

At Bruncheonette, food is made from scratch as much as possible, and if something isn’t made from scratch, the cooks use quality ingredients they can stand behind, says Forral.

“We really put a lot of care into what we’re making,” Forral says.

Thanks for 44 #1’s!

You are our #1!

2021

2021

BEST OUTDOOR DINING

BEST FINE DINING

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CarpetBarnSpokane.com At Bruncheonette, food is made from scratch as much as possible, including this verde hash. ERICK DOXEY PHOTO

2021 In the journey from catering business to food truck to restaurant, Forral says she has felt very welcomed in Spokane. As the owner of Bruncheonette, she says she is happy to be here, serving what the restaurant serves.

Most of all, Forral says she is “proud to have a good team and be able to offer Spokane some really good food — brunch food.”

— LILLIAN PIEL 2nd PLACE: The Yards Bruncheon; 3rd PLACE: Chaps; NORTH IDAHO’S BEST: Dockside, Coeur d’Alene

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2021 BEST OF THE INLAND NORTHWEST INLANDER 25

FOOD

The smoked salmon toast at Wooden City Spokane, voted Best New Restaurant.

BEST TACOS

COCHINITO TAQUERIA

You can pretend like it’s Taco Tuesday every day of the week at this downtown go-to for chef-created, Latin- and Mexican-inspired eats, owned and operated by chef Travis Dickinson and front-ofhouse extraordinaire Justin Curtis. One of the best things about Cochinito’s mix-and-match taco menu is the option to get totally wild and crazy with your order. From a fried maitake mushroom taco to the 20-hour carne asada (highly recommended by us), or the octopus taco to the dippable beef short rib birria, the choice is whatever your heart desires. Add a refreshing housemade marg and you’re all set. (CS) 2nd PLACE: De Leon’s; 3rd PLACE: Atilano’s; NORTH IDAHO’S BEST: Taco Works, Coeur d’Alene

26 INLANDER BEST OF THE INLAND NORTHWEST 2021

BEST FARMERS MARKET

KENDALL YARDS NIGHT MARKET

You don’t have to tell us the Kendall Yards Night Market is incredibly popular, attracting visitors from all over town: We at the Inlander see it every week, when crowds flood the street right outside our front door to peruse local produce and food stands, artisan makers, food trucks and much more. (Parking also gets crazy — so carpool, bike, bus or walk if you can to save yourself the headache!) From spring through early fall, there’s often no better way to spend a Wednesday evening than taking an outing to this central marketplace that truly has it all. (CS) 2nd PLACE: Liberty Lake Farmers Market; 3rd PLACE: Perry Street Thursday Market; NORTH IDAHO’S BEST: Downtown Coeur d’Alene Farmers Market

YOUNG KWAK PHOTO

BEST NEW RESTAURANT (OPENED IN 2020-21)

WOODEN CITY SPOKANE It was a wild ride during Wooden City Spokane’s first year of operations, to say the least. Opening in mid-2020, in the midst of a pandemic that brought constant limitations and changes to the restaurant industry, Wooden City is finally able to celebrate not just making it past one of the toughest milestones for a restaurant (year one), but doing so during a global health and economic crisis. While owners Jon Green, Abe Fox and Eddie Gulberg made plans to expand their carefully crafted American eatery from Tacoma to Spokane long before COVID-19, local diners are clearly glad they did. (CS) 2nd PLACE: Baba; 3rd PLACE: Bark, A Rescue Pub; NORTH IDAHO’S BEST: Terraza Waterfront Cafe, Coeur d’Alene

BEST OUTDOOR DINING

CLINKERDAGGER, TWIGS (TIE)

With its wraparound windows and a large deck overlooking the iconic Spokane Falls, Clinkerdagger has long reigned when it comes to some of the best seats in the city for scenic dining, both indoors and out. Another established regional restaurant, the Twigs Bistro & Martini chain, however, also got a top nod this year for its views when readers considered the bistro’s two (faux) waterfront patios on the upper South Hill and across town in Wandermere. (CS) 2nd PLACE: Osprey Restaurant and Bar; 3rd PLACE: Anthony’s; NORTH IDAHO’S BEST: Latitudes, The Lodge at Carlin Bay, Harrison

BEST LOCAL CHEF

CHAD WHITE, ZONA BLANCA, HIGH TIDE LOBSTER BAR, TTs OLD IRON BREWERY & BBQ

Thank you for voting Azteca

BEST MEXICAN FOOD!

From being named a James Beard Award best-chef semifinalist to starring on season 13 of Top Chef, it’s obvious why Chad White lives up to the title of best local chef, which he’s now clinched for the third straight year. Whatever he’s cooking, locals love it, from ceviche at Zona Blanca to lobster rolls at High Tide and tasty Midwestern-style barbecue at TTs, not to mention the Mediterranean-inspired menu he created for Arbor Crest Wine Cellars and lots of contributions to local events and fundraisers. We’re always eager to find out what White’s working on next. (CS) 2nd PLACE: Adam Hegsted (Eat Good Group); 3rd PLACE: Michael Wiley (Wiley’s Bistro, Prohibition Gastropub)

post & riverside downtown spokane happy hour 3-5:30 taco tuesday 3-close cochinitotaqueria.com 509.474.9618

thank you for voting us spokane's

best tacos!

2021 BEST OF THE INLAND NORTHWEST INLANDER 27

FOOD

FROM LEFT: Chef and co-owner Dan Burns, chef and co-owner Casey Riendeau, and manager and co-owner Leigh Riendeau.

YOUNG KWAK PHOTO

BEST ASIAN FOOD

GORDY’S SICHUAN CAFE

W

ith how difficult the last year has been, Dan Burns, coowner of Gordy’s Sichuan Cafe, says the fact that the restaurant has survived is reason enough to celebrate.

Making it into the Inlander Best Of Hall of Fame? That’s icing on the cake.

“We just feel a lot of gratitude for our customers,” Burns says. “It means a lot to win the award, but just to stay open and be back to normal and have customers again is pretty much the bottom line for us.”

The secret to that customer loyalty, Burns says, is consistency.

Burns and Casey Riendeau were chefs at the restaurant together before the two of them bought it from founders Gordy and Jaymie Crafts in 2015. That meant that even though there was a change in ownership, it was the same understated vibe and great food that customers had come to expect.

“We just have the continuity and passion. Myself and Casey, we have been doing this together for the last 15 years. We just keep finding a way,” Burns says. “The nice part about having partners is that people can pull each other up, and it helps keep that consistency.”

That’s not to say they haven’t made some tweaks here and there, including new logos and a remodeling of the interior. Recently, they’ve added some outdoor seating, and in the last year they’ve

HALL OF

FAME 10-TIME WINNER

upped their takeout game, Burns says.

The restaurant, located at 501 E. 30th on the South Hill, is also planning on expanding next door to add dine-in space, pending city approval. That plan was supposed to be done by now, he says, but the pandemic delayed it. Once completed, the expansion will open the restaurant to more customers who come for the creative Chinese dishes that always seem to be bursting with flavor.

If there’s one thing the pandemic has really changed, though, it’s their mindset. It reminded them not to take the restaurant for granted.

“Having the business, having the good customers, seeing them on a regular business, you can just kind of take that stuff for granted,” Burns says.

How will the restaurant reward them? By doing what they’ve always done, Burns says.

“Just continuing to do the same stuff,” Burns says. “We like where we’re at, we want to grow in this neighborhood.”

— WILSON CRISCIONE 2nd PLACE: Ding How; 3rd PLACE: d’bali Asian Bistro, Chef Lu’s Asian Bistro (tie); NORTH IDAHO’S BEST: Syringa, Coeur d’Alene

Thank youSpokane! youSpokane!

2021 Best Local Natural Market

SPOKANE’S ORIGINAL NATURAL MARKET 28 INLANDER BEST OF THE INLAND NORTHWEST 2021

What’s inside?

• Organic & local grocery • Beer & Wine • Juice, smoothie & local coffee bar • Bulk foods • Flowers & gifts • Meat & seafood • Vitamins, supplements & wellness

Best Local Grocery Store

• Organic produce • Scratch made bistro • Sushi Hand rolled daily • Locally curated bakery

FOOD BEST GLUTEN-FREE DINING

COLE’S GLUTEN FREE BAKERY & CAFE

Whether you want to sit down for a hot meal (breakfast, lunch or dinner), indulge in some fresh breads or pastries, or you want to take a baking mix to make at home, Cole’s has got you covered.

The gluten-free bakery not only provides plenty of options that are baked with food sensitivities in mind (they are completely gluten and peanut free), but they also cater to various diets, such as keto.

From cheesecakes and lemon bars to burgers and pizza, Cole’s proves that gluten free doesn’t have to be bland. (SW) 2nd PLACE: Boots Bakery; 3rd PLACE: Wild Sage; NORTH IDAHO’S BEST: Cosmic Cowboy, Coeur d’Alene

St. Louis pork ribs and brisket, plus all the fixings at TT’s.

YOUNG KWAK PHOTO

BEST BBQ

TT’s OLD IRON BREWERY AND BBQ Let’s face it, the fact TT’s brews its own beer on the same premises where it smokes its incredible barbecue gives it a leg up in this category that’s hard for competitors to contend with. How better to enjoy some brisket, smoked turkey, pulled pork or a rack of ribs than by washing it down with some local brew. Obviously the meats are what count most for readers in the Best BBQ category, and Chef Chad White and his team knows how to do them to

perfection. But don’t sleep on the sides; cornbread, smoked pinto beans and coleslaw are all musts for the meal along with the beer.

And if you can’t save room for the banana pudding pie, just take some to go. You won’t regret it. (DN) 2nd PLACE: Outlaw BBQ and Catering Market; 3rd PLACE: Longhorn Barbecue; NORTH IDAHO’S BEST: Drummin Up BBQ, Coeur d’Alene

Thanks Spokane for all your votes for G.A. & The Twice As Much Rock Morning Show!

30 INLANDER BEST OF THE INLAND NORTHWEST 2021

BEST CUPCAKES

SWEET FROSTINGS

With a different selection of cupcakes every day of the week, and four locations in Spokane, Sweet Frostings Blissful Bakeshop has a sweet treat for nearly every craving. Salted caramel? Definitely.

Vanilla confetti? Yep. Chocolate on chocolate? Mmmhmmm. While cupcakes are certainly their shining star, don’t forget they also offer bars, macarons, cookies, and even ice cream and milkshakes. (SW) 2nd PLACE: Celebrations; 3rd PLACE: The Blissful Whisk; NORTH IDAHO’S BEST: Temptations, Coeur d’Alene

WE’RE IN GREAT COMPANY Here’s to our team members for giving their best.

We are so proud to be part of the Northwest and all the communities we serve.

Did you know 1 in 5 Idahoans are ICCU members?

Join today. Find out more at iccu.com

WE BELIEVE our people make us possible.

FOOD

The team behind one of Rathdrum’s beloved destinations.

CARRIE SCOZZARO PHOTO

NORTH IDAHO’S BEST MEXICAN FOOD

NADINE’S MEXICAN KITCHEN

G

oogle “Mexican food” and “North Idaho” and you’re likely to get a couple dozen hits, from food trucks to fast food to fast casual places that offer something unexpected, like house-made everything.

Count Nadine’s Mexican Kitchen among the latter, with scratch-made salsas, appetizers like pork belly and pineapple skewers, and mouthwatering meals like smoked brisket chimichangas and Yucatan-style chicken enchiladas with roasted chilies. And having recently added spirits to their lineup, they’re busy applying the same focus to their cocktail menu as they have their food menu, which consistently earns raves from social mediabased reviewers.

Another unexpected aspect of Nadine’s: They’re

in Rathdrum, Idaho, a mostly rural town whose claims to fame since its founding in 1861 include railroading, being the county seat for a bit (until Coeur d’Alene nabbed the government reins), and being the place you’ll probably pass through en route to someplace else like Spirit Lake or Priest River.

But the little ’burb on the northwest corner of the prairie where Highways 53 and 41 intersect suited Nadine’s founders Dave and Sue Walsh just fine. And in the past five years, the restaurant they created to honor Dave’s mother has done really well.

“We knew it was going to be popular be-

cause my wife and I came up with all the recipes and we’ve been in the restaurant business a long time,” says Dave Walsh. Both of them had logged many, many years in the restaurant industry before opening Nadine’s — he at Qdoba and an out-of-state rotisserie business, and she at Oval Office in Post Falls.

What would mom have thought of the place?

Although she passed away before they opened, says Walsh, he knows she would have loved it.

“She would love the salads — the chop salad — and she loved dessert for dinner… so the churro sundae would be her favorite.”

— CARRIE SCOZZARO

Thanks, Spokane, for awarding us The Best 2021

Thank you Spokane for voting us

2021

BEST SANDWICH in the Inland NW

27 time winner!

Tom Domini & Staff

W. 703 Sprague • 747-2324

3RD & DIVISION • SPOKANE, WA

32 INLANDER BEST OF THE INLAND NORTHWEST 2021

BEST Cheap Eats!

21 Time Inlander Best Of Winner!

2021 BEST OF THE INLAND NORTHWEST INLANDER 33

FOOD BEST DOUGHNUTS

HELLO SUGAR,

Thank you Spokane for voting us one of your favorite farms

LOCAL CANNABIS

Look for our products in your favorite Cannabis shop!

THANK YOU FOR YOUR VOTES!

When Hello Sugar first opened, I wasn’t sure a minidoughnut spot would work in a town with a lot of great full-sized doughnut options. Little did I realize the creativity that would come through those fresh little bite-sized wonders thanks to flavors like Lilac Lavender Lemonade, Maple Sizzle, S’More and Strawberry Shortcake. Whether sticking to one favorite or grabbing a mixed box, Hello Sugar is a good call, and you won’t feel bad for eating a half-dozen at a time. More good news? After starting in Kendall Yards, you can now find Hello Sugar locations in Spokane Valley and Liberty Lake, too. (DN) 2nd PLACE: Donut Parade; 3rd PLACE: Casual Friday Donuts; NORTH IDAHO’S BEST: Gross Donuts, Coeur d’Alene and Post Falls

BEST PHO

PHO VAN

Most of the pho you’ll find anywhere consists of the same basic elements. The difference is in the details. Just how savory is that beef-bone broth? How slurpable are those noodles? How fresh are the slices of jalapeño, the bean sprouts, the basil or cilantro? How melt-in-your-mouth good are the thin slices of beef (assuming you’re not going for a chicken or vegetarian version)? Pho Van nails the details and does it consistently at their spot on North Division. And while the pho is their calling card, there’s plenty more filling the menu that makes this a go-to for noodle lovers. Try the lemongrass tofu sometime. (DN) 2nd PLACE: Three Sisters Restaurant; 3rd PLACE: Vina Asian Restaurant; NORTH IDAHO’S BEST: Pho Thanh, Coeur d’Alene

BEST VEGETARIAN/VEGAN FOOD

RUT BAR & KITCHEN

1st PLACE 2021 BEST BRUNCH

I mean, have you had the buffalo cauliflower wings?

There were moments during the trying last year when my household could have just lived on getting them for takeout every night, they’re such addictive things. Thankfully, while Rut’s menu rotates pieces now and again, the cauliflower wings seem to be a mainstay, as is their delicious Fried Not-Chicken Sandwich, their delectable parmesan and truffle-laced Dirty Fries and the house burger (made with a Beyond burger patty). No matter what you order, you can count on a flavorful meal, and the South Hill space is pretty great, too, especially if you have time to enjoy a cocktail at their beautiful bar while you dine. (DN) 2nd PLACE: Mizuna; 3rd PLACE: Cascadia Public House; NORTH IDAHO’S BEST: Cosmic Cowboy, Coeur d’Alene

BEST SEAFOOD

ANTHONY’S

OPEN DAILY 7AM-2PM 1011 W. Broadway Ave • 509-443-5968

34 INLANDER BEST OF THE INLAND NORTHWEST 2021

Unless you’re a Kendall Yards Osprey — in which case you get your catch of the day directly from the river — you’re not going to get fish as fresh or a view as majestic as Anthony’s at Spokane Falls. Dine, on the patio or indoors, with the Spokane River as your backdrop. (DW) 2nd PLACE: Zona Blanca; 3rd PLACE: High Tide Lobster Bar NORTH IDAHO’S BEST: Fisherman’s Market, Coeur d’Alene

Hello Sugar, we’re here for the donuts.

YOUNG KWAK PHOTO

Our Customers are the Best to us!

Thanks for the votes!

Best Local Grocery Store

Best Organic/ Natural Foods

Corner of Main Avenue and Browne 44 West Main Ave Spokane | 509.458.2667 | www.mainmarket.coop

Thank you for your votes! votes!

The Flying Goat’s Kiernan pizza.

BEST “PANDEMIC PIVOT” IN A RESTAURANT

RUINS

Watching the Inland Northwest’s hospitality industry contort itself into all manner of barely recognizable shapes to survive COVID is something we’ll all remember long after the pandemic has passed. And while some spots merely amped up their takeout game or added outdoor seating, some faced bigger challenges due to their physical spaces or menus. Ruins, our readers’ favorite pandemic pivot spot, managed to keep their traditional ever-shifting menus going online for a while, shifted into some simpler grab-and-go fare for some stretches of the past year, and eventually stopped food altogether in favor of selling vintage clothing and renting out VCRs and videotapes for a bit. Chef/owner Tony Brown did the same kind of quicksteps at his other venues as well, and while all the pivoting was impressive, we’re pretty happy Ruins is back to (somewhat) normal, serving up some of the most creative small plates in town alongside excellent cocktails. (DN) 2nd PLACE: TT’s Old Iron Brewery and BBQ; 3rd PLACE: Spokane Comedy Club

BEST MEXICAN FOOD

DE LEON’S

The competition in this category is getting tougher as more Mexican places open across the region, but it’s tough to beat De Leon’s when you want to taste something great from south of the border. Whether you’re at one of the three De Leon’s taco bars or one of their grocery stores’ hot counters, the flavors are always on point. The taco bars boast the ability to add a margarita or three to the meal, so those are my preferred spots for delving into a Sergio’s Burrito, a weekends-only pozole bowl or some of the “Holy Tacos,” delicious and tender marinated skirt steak grilled up with onions and named after the house creator Jesus. (DN) 2nd PLACE: Tecate Grill; 3rd PLACE Azteca; NORTH IDAHO’S BEST: Nadine’s Mexican Kitchen, Rathdrum (see page 32)

YOUNG KWAK PHOTO

BEST PIZZA

THE FLYING GOAT

With things like the Meenach meatball sandwich and Roskelley dumplings on the menu, and one of the best patios in Spokane, there are several great reasons to visit the Flying Goat before you even get to the pizza menu. But those pizzas are the favorite regional pies in the eyes of Inlander readers, and the slate of pizzas is full of creativity and incredible flavors. Just look at the Dalton, a combination of cheese, honey apple barbecue sauce, pulled pork, caramelized onion and coleslaw. The “D” Street is another craveable bit of creativity, with its yellow coconut curry, potatoes, carrots, chicken, jalapeño, sriracha, cilantro and lime juice — it’s an Asian-inspired wonder. They do just as well with more traditional pizza approaches, so you can’t go wrong with ordering an Alice (red sauce and cheese), either. (DN) 2nd PLACE: Versalia Pizza; 3rd PLACE: Republic Pi; NORTH IDAHO’S BEST: Fire Pizza, Coeur d’Alene

BEST SUSHI

UMI KITCHEN AND SUSHI BAR

Umi sits a stone’s throw from the Inlander offices, and it’s definitely a favorite of more than one staffer, but the region’s readers travel from far and wide for what they voted the best sushi in the Inland Northwest. That might be because they had a pretty remarkable takeout operation going through the pandemic, but it’s more likely because of the skilled sushi chefs in the house delivering excellent takes on sushi rolls you can find most places (California roll, rainbow roll) and some you’ll only find here (the Kobe beef roll, the “Stuffed Pumpkin”). And if your friends or family aren’t as hyped on sushi as you are, Umi does great work with dishes ranging from fried rice to spicy seafood udon to Kung Pao chicken. (DN) 2nd PLACE: Sushi.com; 3rd PLACE: Izumi Sushi Bar; NORTH IDAHO’S BEST: Kaiju Sushi & Spirits, Coeur d’Alene

2021

Best Italian

2021

Best Family Friendly Restaurant

For over 27 years, locally owned and operated, our award-winning restaurants and bars feature regional craft beers, wine and spirits, cuisine made from scratch yet modern in approach and “Italiano” in spirit.

Open kitchens, brick ovens and giant chalkboards help define our unique and fun dining experience that makes us “The Street.” Make your next business meeting, or family party easy with our Party Platters to-go menu.

TomatoStreet.com NORTH SPOKANE • (509) 4844500 | CDA • (208) 6675000

2021 BEST OF THE INLAND NORTHWEST INLANDER 35

FOOD

A bone-in tenderloin steak with garlic potatoes and snap peas at Churchill’s Steakhouse.

BEST ICE CREAM

THE SCOOP

At a certain point, true artists eschew the easy tasks and start giving themselves increasingly difficult challenges. Take The Scoop’s avocado ice cream, which was on the menu a few weeks ago. Sounds strange, even gross, perhaps? Yet the sweetness of ice cream turns out to blend perfectly with the richness of avocado flavor. The Scoop took a risk, and it paid off. (DW) 2nd PLACE: Pete & Belle’s Ice Cream & Chocolate Shop; 3rd PLACE: Sweet Peaks Ice Cream; NORTH IDAHO’S BEST: Panhandle Cone and Coffee, CdA, Moscow, Sandpoint

36 INLANDER BEST OF THE INLAND NORTHWEST 2021

YOUNG KWAK PHOTO

BEST STEAKS

BEST SANDWICHES

There’s an old piece of advice: Never order steak at a restaurant that doesn’t specialize in steak. Otherwise, you just end up paying a lot of money for a subpar experience. But Churchill Steakhouse not only specializes in steak, it’s perfected it, serving up a perfectly seared crust and a medium rare center, every single time. You can order luxurious sauces, but ultimately you don’t need them. The pure steaky flavor of the meat is all you need. (DW) 2nd PLACE: Wolf Lodge Inn, Coeur d’Alene; 3rd PLACE: Spencer’s for Steaks and Chops

There are plenty of methods for judging a great sandwich, but one of the best is what we might call the Dagwood Bumstead Coefficient: Exactly how agape does your mouth have to open to consume the sheer quantity of meat and cheese the sandwich offers? It’s an area where Domini’s has always excelled — offering big sandwiches so generously proportioned that you may want to unhinge your jaw like some type of jungle snake to eat it. (DW) 2nd PLACE: Shamusss Sandwich Shoppe; 3rd PLACE: The High Nooner; NORTH IDAHO’S BEST: Caruso’s, Coeur d’Alene

CHURCHILL’S STEAKHOUSE

DOMINI’S

Thai Bamboo co-owner Matavee Burgess.

BEST THAI FOOD BEST TAKEOUT

YOUNG KWAK PHOTO

BEST APPETIZERS BEST HAPPY HOUR

THAI BAMBOO

It takes a certain amount of swagger to build another restaurant in the middle of a pandemic, much less what owner Tom Burgess calls the “biggest and most elaborate restaurant” in the Inland Northwest. Not only that, but Burgess announced in a May press release that he’s shipped in “5 tons of authentic, vibrant decor” from Thailand to make dining out at the new South Hill feel like “visiting a museum of Thai & SE Asian cultures.” But Burgess had reason to be confident about the new location: Inlander voters have crowned Thai Bamboo the Best Thai Food in the region since we started asking the question in 2006. Besides, during a pandemic, it helps to be awarded Best Takeout, too. (DW) BEST THAI FOOD 2nd PLACE: Bangkok Thai; 3rd PLACE: Kuni’s Thai BEST TAKEOUT 2nd PLACE: The Mango Tree; 3rd PLACE: TT’s Old Iron Brewery and BBQ

TWIGS BISTRO AND MARTINI BAR

Sometimes, an appetizer can be a meal on its own. And Twigs has a pretty deep list of options to choose from, like the Kalua Pork Tacos, Moroccan Beef or Ahi Poki Bowl.

Get there 3-6 pm daily or 9 until close on Friday and Saturday for a good deal on select appetizers and cocktails on Twigs’ happy hour menu. (QW) BEST APPETIZERS 2nd PLACE: The Gilded Unicorn; 3rd PLACE: Wooden City Spokane; NORTH IDAHO’S BEST: White House Grill, Post Falls BEST HAPPY HOUR 2nd PLACE: The Safari Room; 3rd PLACE: Max at Mirabeau; NORTH IDAHO’S BEST: The Oval Office, Post Falls

2021

2021 BEST MEXICAN FOOD

BEST TACOS

BEST ETHNIC MARKET

2021 BEST OF THE INLAND NORTHWEST INLANDER 37

FOOD BEST FAMILY FRIENDLY RESTAURANT BEST ITALIAN FOOD

TOMATO STREET

Pre-pandemic, it was hard to find a more raucous family setting than Tomato Street on a Friday night. With indoor dining open once again, you can bet those busy nights at Tomato Street will be back too. Order up a garlic chicken pizza or a plate of Aunt Rose’s pasta. You can even create your own pasta dish if you feel compelled. Mama mia, that’s a-what I’m a-talkin’ about. (QW) BEST FAMILY FRIENDLY RESTAURANT 2nd PLACE: Bark, a Rescue Pub; 3rd: The Onion; NORTH IDAHO’S BEST: Dockside, Coeur d’Alene BEST ITALIAN FOOD 2nd PLACE: Italian Kitchen; 3rd PLACE: Ferraro’s; NORTH IDAHO’S BEST: Tony’s on the Lake, Coeur d’Alene

BEST FINE DINING

CLINKERDAGGER

It’s hard to beat a classic, and Clinkerdagger is about as classic as you get in Spokane. Some of its most well-known dishes haven’t changed in decades, like the Broadway pea salad, and that’s just how the Clinkerdagger’s regulars like it. (QW) 2nd PLACE: Churchill’s Steakhouse; 3rd PLACE: Wild Sage; NORTH IDAHO’S BEST: Beverly’s, Coeur d’Alene

BEST BAKERY

THE ROCKET BAKERY

Yes, please: The shellfish fettuccine at Clinkerdagger.

The Rocket Bakery really has it all: excellent pastries, great coffee and good people. Each of its seven locations feels like a fixture of the neighborhood, and each has its unique charm that reflects it. It’s that sense of community that keeps you coming back just as much as what’s on the menu. (WC) 2nd PLACE: Boots Bakery; 3rd PLACE: Chaps; NORTH IDAHO’S BEST: Bakery by the Lake, Coeur d’Alene YOUNG KWAK PHOTO

THANK YOU

for voting us #1 in North Idaho... land of great roasters, wilderness, & no housing.

Kootenai Farmers Market Sat 9-1 Coffee Lab M-F 8-5

domacoffee.com

38 INLANDER BEST OF THE INLAND NORTHWEST 2021

2021 Chef Chad White Best Local Chef

Thank you so much Spokane, from the bottom of our food and community-loving hearts for voting for us in the “Best of” Awards.

We especially want to thank our team. This is all because of their passion and dedication, working tirelessly at each of our restaurants and behind the scenes to bring you the best we can offer. We hope to see you at one of our restaurants soon to celebrate big!

- Chef Chad White & Team

2021

2021 Best Seafood

HighTideLobsterBar.com

Best BBQ

Best “Pandemic Pivot” Best Take Out Food

TTsBreweryBBQ.com

LimeFishSalt.com

Best Seafood

CWHospitalityGrp.com

2021 BEST OF THE INLAND NORTHWEST INLANDER 39

FOOD

Digging in on the deck at Wisconsinburger.

YOUNG KWAK PHOTO

BEST BREAKFAST

BEST BURGERS

BEST CHEAP EATS

During the pandemic days when dine-in restaurants were closed and I wanted some takeout for breakfast, I kept going back to Frank’s Diner. There’s a reason for that. Even when you could have breakfast delivered to you from any restaurant around town, with Frank’s you’d always know what you’ll get: a classic, tasty meal each and every time. (WC) 2nd PLACE: Cottage Cafe; 3rd PLACE: Chaps, Old European (tie); NORTH IDAHO’S BEST: Le Peep Cafe, Coeur d’Alene

Living up to its name, part of what makes Wisconsinburger special is the Wisconsin cheese that they melt on top of each slab of locally sourced, fresh ground beef. And they’re not afraid to totally lean into their cheese credentials. Order the Awe Geez burger, you’ll get fried cheese curds on top of the Wisconsin sharp cheddar cheese.

No wonder this is consistently among the favorite burger joints in town. (WC) 2nd PLACE: Incrediburger and Eggs; 3rd PLACE: D’Lish’s; NORTH IDAHO’S BEST: Hudson’s Hamburgers, Coeur d’Alene

These days, you can go to a restaurant, see a burger that costs $12, and think it’s not a bad deal. But what if I told you there were still burgers in Spokane for less than $1.50? At the iconic Dick’s Hamburgers, that’s reality. As the price of beef stuck between bread soars higher and higher, Dick’s stays consistently cheap, giving you the best bang for your buck. (WC) 2nd PLACE: Atilano’s; 3rd PLACE: Zip’s; NORTH IDAHO’S BEST: Roger’s Burgers and Ice Cream, Coeur d’Alene, Hayden and Post Falls

FRANK’S DINER

WISCONSINBURGER

DICK’S HAMBURGERS

Thanks Again For Your Votes!

Building lasting 2021 relationships with our customers for over 40 years.

BEST PAWN SHOP

22 LOCATIONS Serving: Spokane • North Idaho • Boise • Seattle 40 INLANDER BEST OF THE INLAND NORTHWEST 2021

1 Libby Kamrowski//Visit Spokane

ALL AROUND BAR

c i s u M e v i L h t i w n Cool dow ng!

All summer lo

July Bands August Bands July 15th Desperate8s July 16th Carter Hudson July 17th Blake Braley

July 20th July 21st July 22nd July 23rd July 24th

Guilty Pleasure Runaway Lemonade Desperate8s Carter Hudson Blake Braley

July 27th July 28th July 29th July 30th July 31st

Lucas Brown Brand Runaway Lemonade Desperate8s Carter Hudson Carter Hudson

August 3rd August 4th August 5th August 6th August 7th

Ben Rice Runaway Lemonade Desperate8s Bossame Carter Hudson

August 10th August 11th August 12th August 13th August 14th

Guilty Pleasure Runaway Lemonade Desperate8s Desperate8s Blake Braley

August 17th August 18th August 19th August 20th

Son of Brad Carter Hudson Desperate8s Goodnight Suzie formerly known as Side Project

August 21st Goodnight Suzie formerly known as Side Project

August 24th August 25th August 26th August 27th August 28th

Lucas Brown Brand Carter Hudson Desperate8s Bossame Blake Braley

August 31st Lucas Brown Brand

zolainspokane.com ğ 509.624.2416 ğ 22 W. Main Ave, Spokane

DRINK LOCAL & NIGHTLIFE 42 INLANDER BEST OF THE INLAND NORTHWEST 2021

BEST LOCAL DISTILLERY

DRY FLY DISTILLING

T

he year 2021 is shaping up to be a big one for Dry Fly Distilling, and not only because Inlander readers have once again bestowed upon it the title of “Best Local Distillery,” marking its seventh consecutive win since the Best Of question was introduced.

Perhaps the biggest reason Dry Fly, its owners and staff are celebrating this year, however, is because the distillery will soon open the doors to its new, state-of-the-art downtown Spokane digs on the corner of Lincoln and Riverside.

The move from East Trent was years in the making, and was made largely because of Dry Fly’s tremendous recent growth, says co-owner Terry Nichols.

“We’re in our 14th year, working on 15, and you know, the last couple of years the growth has just been exponential,” Nichols says. “A lot of that has to do with our introduction of canned cocktails and distribution into about 40 states total. That is what pushed the need for more production capacity.”

Dry Fly’s new location inside the former Spokesman-Review press building boasts floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the street, offering unobstructed views of its massive still and many huge holding tanks for fermentation, mixing and proofing. The new space is more than double the square-footage of Dry Fly’s old digs in the Riverwalk building, and was furnished with all new equipment, Nichols says, including a spirits still imported from Germany.

While onlookers on the street can peek at Dry Fly’s process to make its award-winning gin, vodka and whiskey, the best views

2021

2021 Best Gifts

FROM LEFT: Dry Fly’s Vice President of Operations Patrick Donovan, President Don Poffenroth and Vice President of Sales and Marketing Terry Nichols. YOUNG KWAK PHOTO are inside, both in the new main-level tasting room and a second floor private event space. Nichols says before year’s end the distillery will also launch its onsite kitchen to offer a full food menu alongside its spirits and cocktails, as well as beer and wine. A separate, connected retail space lets visitors buy bottles (a brand new addition to this lineup is Dry Fly’s huckleberry vodka), merch and canned cocktails on site.

While the past year was fraught with difficulties for many in the hospitality sector, Dry Fly was fortunate to retain all 13 of its staff, Nichols says. For a lengthy period last year, the distillery wasn’t making liquor, but rather alcohol-based hand sanitizer in response to global shortages that made the disinfectant impossible to find during the initial peak of the COVID-19 pandemic.

All told, Nichols estimates Dry Fly produced about 50,000 gallons of its “Spokanitizer,” giving away half to first responders, nonprofits and the public. “Anyone who called that needed it, they were taken care of,” he says.

Since the worst moments of the pandemic have passed, Dry Fly has been back doing what it does best, making award-winning spirits and cocktails, and the future outlook from its new home is looking mighty bright.

“I think that with the expanded capacity and efficiencies that we have in this facility, our current growth trends will continue on, and we will continue to add people and add states and countries to our distribution footprint,” Nichols reflects. “Spokane has been very kind to Dry Fly, and so the success we’re having here is because of them.”

— CHEY SCOTT

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Thank You!

2021

2nd PLACE: Warrior Liquor; 3rd PLACE: Up North Distillery, Post Falls

Best All-Around Bar

durkinsliquorbar.com • 863-9501

2021 BEST OF THE INLAND NORTHWEST INLANDER 43

DRINK LOCAL & NIGHTLIFE BEST BARISTA

HALI PUTZ, WAKE UP CALL, PINES

Hali says that she “genuinely loves” working at Wake Up Call.

That positivity radiates to her customers too, who voted her Best Barista in Spokane. Her secret to being such a good barista: “Making a connection with each customer,” from the regulars to the newbies. (JM) 2nd PLACE: Abby Waterbly, Thomas Hammer, NorthTown; 3rd PLACE: Sean Edwards, Revel 77; NORTH IDAHO’S BEST: Michaela Rosenthal, Wake Up Call, Coeur d’Alene

BEST SINGLE-LOCATION COFFEE SHOP

ATTICUS

Thomas Hammer boasts 20 locations in the Inland Northwest.

Downtown Spokane truly wouldn’t be itself without Atticus. It’s impossible to step inside this laid-back coffee shop with its walls papered in pages of To Kill A Mockingbird and not feel like you have found a kind of bookish paradise.

It’s a cozy home of loose leaf tea, killer coffee and unique, gift-worthy wares. (LG) 2nd PLACE: Revel 77 Coffee; 3rd PLACE: Coeur d’Alene Coffee Co.

BEST COFFEE ROASTER

BEST DRIVE-THRU COFFEE

With 20 locations in the Inland Northwest (including a brand new spot on the South Hill), Thomas Hammer is a welcome sight to the tired, the weary, the undercaffeinated. For nearly three decades, the local roasters, born out of a barista job at Nordstrom’s in the mall 30 years ago, have grown into a beloved local chain. Look for that signature orange swag, and you’re sure to smell some great aromas soon. (SW) 2nd PLACE: Indaba; 3rd PLACE: Roast House Coffee; NORTH IDAHO’S BEST: Doma Coffee, Post Falls

With 10 Inland Northwest drive-thrus, Wake Up Call is the essential stop for many folks on their way to work, heading to the store, or just in need of something to wet the ol’ palate. It’s times like this recent heat wave that’ll make you thankful for the 32-ounce option they offer for their blended and iced drinks. Look for the London-inspired locations (think phone booths) and their similarly London-inspired drinks, from the double-decker mocha featuring chocolate and peanut butter, to the royal crush, which has salted caramel, dark chocolate and pink Himalayan salt. (SW) 2nd PLACE: Dutch Bros Coffee; 3rd PLACE: Thomas Hammer

THOMAS HAMMER COFFEE ROASTERS

WAKE UP CALL

Thank you, Spokane, 3rd Place • BEST Palouse Area

BOUTIQUE

for making Mt. Spokane your #1 place to ski and Snowboard.

Rippin’ deals on 21-22 winter season passes until Sept. 13.

A season pass is the best way to experience everything Mt. Spokane has to offer, including unlimited access to the mountain with no blackout dates. With the shortest drive from Spokane, seven-day-a-week operations (from January until mid-March), and 50+ night ski sessions, Mt. Spokane is the ultimate place to get your turns in this winter. Purchase by Sept. 13 to save up to $200.

www.mtspokane.com 123 North Grand Ave • Pullman

44 INLANDER BEST OF THE INLAND NORTHWEST 2021

YOUNG KWAK PHOTO

BEST LOCAL CIDERY

ONE TREE HARD CIDER

If you’re the kind of person who looks for a cider on tap when you go out to local bars, you’ve almost certainly tried One Tree’s extremely popular lemon basil cider. It’s a refreshing, crisp, not-toosweet hard cider that hits the spot on a summer’s day. The cidery is also popular for its other creative core flavors such as huckleberry, strawberry kiwi, and staycation – a mix of pineapple and mango.

Each of them, of course, feature that underlying sweet adult apple juice. Try their flavors at their downtown cider house or look for them on tap and on grocery shelves near you. (SW) 2nd PLACE: Trailbreaker Cider; 3rd PLACE: Twilight Cider Works; NORTH IDAHO’S BEST: Coeur d’Alene Cider Co. (see page 50)

BEST ALL-AROUND BAR

DURKIN’S LIQUOR BAR

The competition is always fierce for the Inland Northwest’s favorite spot to stop for a pop, and even though so many of our favorites had to navigate forced closures and ever-changing restrictions when they could open over the past year, our readers were certainly ready to belly up as soon as they could. Durkin’s Liquor Bar not only has an awesome long bar upstairs where you can sip something delicious while you wait for one of the best burgers in town or a late night fried bologna sandwich; it also has the killer basement bar boasting a speakeasy vibe and intimate setting for softer conversations. Great food, a beautiful space and killer cocktails — that’s how you win best all-around bar. (DN) 2nd PLACE: The Viking; 3rd PLACE: Hogwash Whiskey Den, ZOLA (tie); NORTH IDAHO’S BEST: Capone’s, Coeur d’Alene, Post Falls and Hayden

Order one of our favorite cocktails, the Aviation, at readers’ favorite all-around bar, Durkins.

THANK YOU SPOKAN

OUR CUSTOMERS A

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RE ALWAYS #1! 1

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1221 N. Stevens • Spokane • 326-6241 • SpokaneViking.com 2021 BEST OF THE INLAND NORTHWEST INLANDER 45

DRINK LOCAL & NIGHTLIFE

FROM LEFT: The Viking owners Greg Healy, Krista Christofferson and general manager Steven Barclay.

DEREK HARRISON PHOTO

BEST BAR FOR BEER

THE VIKING

T

BEST WOMEN’S BOUTIQUE

46 INLANDER BEST OF THE INLAND NORTHWEST 2021

he Viking is a Spokane staple. In operation since the ’80s, the Arena-adjacent pub was one of the first to bring craft and imported beer to town. It continues to live up to that legacy today with 24 taps of microbrews, cider, seltzer and even kombucha.

There have been multiple iterations of the Viking throughout the decades. Its current form took shape in 2017 after several months of renovations by business partners Greg Healy, Krista Christofferson and Steven Barclay.

“We kind of cleaned everything up, but we kept a lot of the same charm,” Barclay says. “We didn’t want to lose what the Viking was.”

Their connection to the nearly 40-year-old pub goes well beyond the last four years, though.

Barclay has been the general manager of the Viking for eight years, and Christofferson has worked there even longer. In that time, Barclay says they’ve met a lot of people who have been patrons since long before they were involved.

“There’s people that still come in and see us who have been here for decades,” he says.

Barclay describes the Viking as a gathering place with multiple functions. He calls it the perfect lunch spot for people who want to get in and out quickly. He says happy hour is greeted by a lot of regulars who like to meet up with friends or family. Then there’s the location. With it being near the Spokane Arena, the upcoming indoor sports complex and soon-to-be downtown

stadium, Barclay says “it’s been a place to prefunk.”

While the Viking has evolved over the years into a place with great food and craft cocktails, beer remains the cornerstone of the bar. And, when it comes to selection, Barclay believes the Viking has a little of something for everyone.

From dark beer to IPAs to lagers, the tap list is dominated by regional and local breweries.

“It’s one of Spokane’s original microbeer bars,” Barclay says. “So we always want to make sure we have a great rotating selection of beers on tap.”

With COVID-19 restrictions fully lifted, Barclay says the business is nearly 100 percent back to normal. He is currently planning a beer dinner event featuring speciality kegs he has been holding on to.

The pub is also preparing for its first major event in more than a year. The All Age Rage is set for the last weekend of August. The annual outdoor concert is based around supporting all things local. A lineup of local music will be paired with tons of local beer on tap. Stay tuned for details.

— DEREK HARRISON 2nd PLACE: Community Pint; 3rd PLACE: Manito Tap House; NORTH IDAHO’S BEST; Crafted Taphouse, Coeur d’Alene

"We want to be your jeweler for life."

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DRINK LOCAL & NIGHTLIFE

You can’t beat the views from Arbor Crest.

BEST TO-GO COCKTAIL KIT

BEST WINE TASTING ROOM

Bars and restaurants were among the hardest hit in the pandemic.

To survive they had to adapt. One of those adaptations is the to-go cocktail kit, and a local favorite comes from Twigs Bistro & Martini Bar. You can still order three different types of to-go Lemon Drop kits from Twigs in its Washington state locations. Each kit serves between 13 and 16 people. (QW) 2nd PLACE: nYne; 3rd PLACE: Hogwash Whiskey Den; NORTH IDAHO’S BEST: The Bee’s Knees, Hayden

One of the best things that Spokane has to offer its residents and visitors alike is its beautiful river gorge. At Maryhill Winery’s Kendall Yards tasting room you can get one of the best views of the river, and it’s just a short walk from downtown along the Centennial Trail. What better way to enjoy a sample of some of Washington’s most diverse wines? (QW) 2nd PLACE: Arbor Crest Wine Cellar; 3rd PLACE: Barrister Winery; NORTH IDAHO’S BEST: Coeur d’Alene Cellars

TWIGS BISTRO AND MARTINI BAR

MARYHILL WINERY

BEST LOCAL WINERY

ARBOR CREST WINE CELLARS

The sort of person who likes good wine, and who can taste the subtle hints of fig or acai or some exotic tree in each and every glass, wants the environment to complement the flavor. And the Arbor Crest “Cliff House” in Spokane Valley — on a cliff above the river — is unmatched in this respect. If you were to imagine the classiest place in the world to take a sip of great wine, you’d likely imagine something like Arbor Crest. That’s why the winery continues to take this category year after year. (WC) 2nd PLACE: Barrister Winery; 3rd PLACE: Maryhill Winery; NORTH IDAHO’S BEST: Coeur d’Alene Cellars

THANK YOU, SPOKANE In a difficult year, Spokane parks have been go-to hangout spots for people in our region — to stay active, to get some fresh air, to reconnect with loved ones at a safe distance. We got through 2020 together. And we’re still here for you.

Thank you to Inlander readers for voting us: • Best Place to Socially Distance (Riverfront Park) • Best Place for Disc Golf (Downriver) • Best Golf Course (Downriver)

Call 311 or 509.755.2489 |

spokaneparks.org

get your summer on 48 INLANDER BEST OF THE INLAND NORTHWEST 2021

YOUNG KWAK PHOTO

BEST CASINO

NORTHERN QUEST RESORT & CASINO

In April Northern Quest celebrated its 20th anniversary, and it’s safe to say the resort and casino had never seen a year quite like its most recent. The Kalispel Tribe’s jewel in Airway Heights persevered through the pandemic like its persevered through its first two decades, its eyes on the future and constantly evaluating how to better serve its customers and the tribal community. Our readers continually vote Northern Quest their favorite casino, and its gaming areas remain unmatched in the region. But Northern Quest is so much more in 2021; it’s a dining destination, a family entertainment hot spot, one of the most significant concert promoters in the Northwest and an incredible spa. If Northern Quest’s next 20 years are anything like its first 20, you can bet it will keep showing up in the top spot among our readers. (DN) 2nd PLACE: Coeur d’Alene Casino; 3rd PLACE: Spokane Tribe Casino

BEST SPORTS BAR

THE SWINGING DOORS

Every sports bar has TVs. They all have cold beer and probably some hot wings and nachos on the menu. They all have flags, banners and helmets celebrating the local sports teams. So what sets one apart from the competition?

At the Swinging Doors, it’s the people making the customers’ enjoyment their No. 1 priority, as they’ve been doing for 40 years now. Visit the spot on Francis Avenue for virtually any sporting event, and you’ll get a sense of community inside that you just don’t feel at most places. The staff of the family-owned spot is there to take care of you through the thrill of victory or the agony of defeat, and with the Doors’ huge array of TVs and subscriptions to virtually every sports package in existence, you won’t miss any action unless you’re too busy digging in to one of their killer breakfasts, available any time. (DN) 2nd PLACE: 24 Taps Burgers & Brews; 3rd PLACE: Epic at Northern Quest; NORTH IDAHO’S BEST: Capone’s, Coeur d’Alene, Post Falls, Hayden

2021 BEST OF THE INLAND NORTHWEST INLANDER 49

SHOP LOCAL • READ LOCAL Wishing Tree • Auntie’s • Giant Nerd • Page 42 • 2nd Look Books

DRINK LOCAL & NIGHTLIFE

There are great Spokane books for every reader on your list—shop local, read local, and thanks for making Spokane such a great book town.

— Jess Walter

2021 Local Author

Thank you!

For Voting Us Best Sports Bar

2021 The team behind Coeur d’Alene Cider.

CARRIE SCOZZARO PHOTO

NORTH IDAHO’S BEST LOCAL CIDERY

COEUR D’ALENE CIDER

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Y

Everyday 3pm-6pm

1018 W FRANCIS • SPOKANE • 509 326 6794

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DeissnerLaw.com 50 INLANDER BEST OF THE INLAND NORTHWEST 2021

ou can’t have lemonade without lemons (or cider without apples), so when the pandemic challenged them, Coeur d’Alene Cider rose to that challenge by doing cider delivery.

“It was a different experience than what we were used to, but through it we were able to expand our reach and get our name out there even more,” says Jill Morrison, who founded the business in 2017.

Morrison has been ahead of the curve since opening up and never looked back. Initially, it was a one-woman operation, with Morrison making the cider, marketing the business and hauling cider to pop-up events like farmers markets and summer drinkfests. Then Morrison secured a brick-and-mortar storefront on East Sherman Avenue, which she says is a prime location for many reasons.

“The rich history of [East Sherman] combines perfectly with an eclecticness that offers a unique feel,” says Morrison. “Having a location that is not directly in the middle of downtown and a bit off the beaten path is great because it creates a calmer atmosphere within the cider house and for the

customers,” she says.

CDA Cider’s tasting room definitely has an upbeat, local hangout vibe. There are board games, a shared patio with an adjacent clothing boutique — check out the adorable wall mural in progress — lots of natural light and a spacious interior layout.

Their menu is ever-changing, so in addition to their own ciders, they serve a range of Pacific Northwest local pours. That has helped fuel further interest in cider, which has helped drive business — a savvy business model.

“Cider has expanded to many more different types of drinkers, and that has definitely increased the customer base,” says Morrison, noting that they added a packaged goods section, again to help promote awareness.

“With our bottle shop, where we offer more than 125 varieties of cider, we hope to please the diverse palates of cider drinkers, and even hope to bridge people into drinking cider who typically shy away from it,” she says.

One more enticement to check out CDA Ciders: a modest new food menu. Try munchables like spicy jalapeño chips with honey-infused cream cheese dip, flatbreads and wings.

Not sure what to pair that with? Just ask. Or go with one of their flagship ciders: Morty’s Blackberry Lemon because, you know, sometimes life hands you lemons.

— CARRIE SCOZZARO

Thank you Spokane for voting us

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2021 BEST OF THE INLAND NORTHWEST INLANDER 51

DRINK LOCAL & NIGHTLIFE Thanks for voting for us as your

Best Gift Store

513 E. Sherman Avenue Downtown Coeur d’Alene MixItUpHome.com Best Gifts

Best Home Decor Shop

BEST LOCAL BREWERY BEST PATIO FOR A BAR OR TASTING/TAP ROOM

NO-LI BREWHOUSE

W

ith a vision of servant-leadership and collaborative outreach, John Bryant at No-Li is working to redefine what it means to be “the best.”

Even in the 100-degree weather, the brewery’s award-winning patio is stunning. Situated along the Spokane River, it’s the kind of shaded, relaxed atmosphere where you could easily lose track of time and spend an hour or two sipping cold drinks and watching the slow pull of the water past the city.

Bryant designed it that way. After surveying breweries across the country, he built a space by bringing together his favorite aspects of the places he loves.

A strong connection to place is in No-Li’s lifeblood. In the dining room, a large replica of the downtown pavilion hangs from the ceiling like a chandelier. “We don’t accept that something that can be made in another city, state, or country is better than what can be made here,” he says.

“This company’s always going to be here for the

52 INLANDER BEST OF THE INLAND NORTHWEST 2021

community.”

While COVID-19 plunged the hospitality industry into uncertainty, No-Li found clarity in their mission: producing world-class beer and using the wealth created through that as a vehicle for providing social support.

This vision impacts everything from hiring practices to extending full benefits and high wages to all staff members to responding in real time to community needs. Bryant is humbled to be in a position to help, whether it’s in preparing school lunches for Logan Elementary during the shutdown or donating 900 cases of water to cooling stations and homeless shelters in response to the recent record heat wave.

“I consider No-Li a community brand. It’s bigger than any one person, including me. We hope that now it can really prosper,” he says. “We are one of only 33 craft breweries in America that grew during the pandemic. Something special is happening here.”

Keenly aware that all ships rise with the tide,

THANK YOU Inlander Readers!

For voting us #1 Best Ice Cream

KENDALL YARDS 509-703-7042 • 1238 W Summit SOUTH HILL 509-535-7171• 1001 W 25th

thescoopspokane.com

Is refinancing rigHt for you?

A river runs through it.

ERICK DOXEY PHOTO

Bryant is working together with other businesses, breweries and restaurants to make Spokane into the best, most vibrant place it can be.

— LAUREN GILMORE BEST LOCAL BREWERY 2nd PLACE: Brick West Brewing Co.; 3rd PLACE: Iron Goat Brewing; NORTH IDAHO’S BEST: Post Falls Brewing Company BEST PATIO 2nd PLACE: Brick West Brewing Co.; 3rd PLACE: Maryhill Winery NORTH IDAHO’S BEST: Post Falls Brewing Company

2021 BEST OF THE INLAND NORTHWEST INLANDER 53

SHOPPING

Firehouse Flowers’ Addison Sturges.

AMY STONE PHOTO

54 INLANDER BEST OF THE INLAND NORTHWEST 2021

NORTH IDAHO’S BEST FLORIST

FIREHOUSE FLOWERS

E

ven before the pandemic, Firehouse Flowers founders Addison Sturges and her husband, Montana, realized they needed to stop and smell the roses, so to speak. In 2018, Montana’s near fatal bicycle accident made the couple rethink their someday “retirement project” of having their own flower shop. While Montana has since recovered and is back working as a Spokane firefighter — hence the business name — Addison has pursued her childhood passion.

“I’m that crazy lady that stops on the side of the road if I see something cool,” says Addison, who likes to forage for unique items such as berries and floral herbs to incorporate in her arrangements.

“My style is pretty free-spirited and organic looking,” she says. “I find my best work is done when I get in my element and just design away.”

Sturges is very particular about sourcing, she says. She has a hefty garden growing veggies and flowers like dahlias, cosmos and zinnias at her midtown Coeur d’Alene home.

She likes to work with local growers, too, such as Skyline Flowers in Spokane Valley, both to support local business and to reduce her footprint.

“The flower industry can be harmful to the environment in its growing/shipping processes, which makes it even more important for us to use local florals,” Sturges says. She practices sustainability in her design, such as reusing containers and substituting chicken wire for floral foam.

Although they started the business in 2019, Sturges says, her interest in flowers goes back to her childhood. Her grandmother and a friend owned a Grangeville-area flower shop, the smell of which lingered in her memory for years. She smiles at the memory of a photo of herself as a 2-year-old sitting in flowers.

Now her floral arrangements are often a centerpiece of other people’s photos. That’s when Sturges can see all the pieces come together: her designs, the best blooms for the event and all the prep work she puts into making sure her floral arrangements are Insta-worthy all day long.

One of the bonus parts about starting Firehouse Flowers, says Sturges, is the new family of like-minded wedding vendors she has bonded with doing what she does.

“When you work from home, you don’t have co-workers, so these are essentially my co-workers,” says Sturges. “It really feels like a community, and I feel lucky to be part of it!”

— CARRIE SCOZZARO

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2021 BEST OF THE INLAND NORTHWEST INLANDER 55

SHOPPING BEST ANTIQUE SHOP BEST VINTAGE SHOP

BOULEVARD MERCANTILE

It’s no surprise Boulevard Mercantile took the top spot for both of these very similar categories, as its vendors specialize in goods of all kinds from the past century and even older. (By most definitions, antique pieces are 100 years or older, and vintage is anything roughly between 99 and 20 years old.) From incredible midcentury furniture to funky vintage threads, antique books, textiles and stoneware, Boulevard’s partner sellers have it all, making it a one-stop treasure-hunting shop for super cool stuff you didn’t even know you needed. (CS) BEST VINTAGE 2nd PLACE: Tossed and Found; 3rd PLACE: Lucky Vintage and Pretty Things; NORTH IDAHO’S BEST: Rebel Junk, Coeur d’Alene BEST ANTIQUES 2nd PLACE: Tossed and Found; 3rd PLACE: 1889 Salvage Co.; NORTH IDAHO’S BEST: My Favorite Things, Post Falls

BEST CREDIT UNION

STCU

Known as much for its wide-ranging community engagement as its financial services, STCU has evolved into a major force for good in the region since its founding as a humble teachers’ credit union in 1934. For many in the Inland Northwest, STCU is the go-to place for money management advice, a vehicle loan or a committed nonprofit partner for their latest endeavor. (EJI) 2nd PLACE: Numerica; 3rd PLACE: BECU; NORTH IDAHO’S BEST: Idaho Central Credit Union

Boulevard Mercantile won in two categories — Best Vintage and Best Antique shop.

YOUNG KWAK PHOTO

BEST FLORIST

BEST NEW CAR DEALERSHIP

Generations of Spokanites have beautified their homes, gardens and special occasions with the help of Liberty Park Florist. This family-owned business has stood on the same South Hill corner since it was established in 1928 by Dominic Alice, an enterprising Italian immigrant. Today, much like its stock in trade, it’s flourished into a garden center with multiple greenhouses offering a huge selection of botanical delights for landscaping and celebrations. (EJI) 2nd PLACE: Appleway Florist; 3rd PLACE: Anthesis Co.; NORTH IDAHO’S BEST: Firehouse Flowers, CdA (see page 55)

Whether you’re in the market for a new or pre-owned vehicle, Wendle Motors consistently emerges as one of the area’s most reliable spots to guarantee yourself a great buying experience. This family-owned and -operated Ford and Nissan dealership has been pairing locals with their wheels for nigh on 80 years, and it’s earned a strong reputation for dedicated aftermarket service as well. (EJI) 2nd PLACE: Larry H. Miller Spokane; 3rd PLACE: Gus Johnson Ford; NORTH IDAHO’S BEST: Parker Toyota and Subaru, Coeur d’Alene

LIBERTY PARK FLORIST

WENDLE MOTORS

Thank You for Voting Us THE BEST! It’s an honor to serve North Idaho 420 E Indiana Ave Suite 200 Coeur d'Alene, ID 208.964.9023 • 719.649.8155

medspacda.com 56 INLANDER BEST OF THE INLAND NORTHWEST 2021

ROUND UP WHEN YOU RENT YOUR BIKE OR SCOOTER!

BEST BANK

WASHINGTON TRUST BANK

In an era when large consolidations and mergers have absorbed many successful long-standing institutions, Washington Trust remains proudly independent and wholly focused on serving the Northwest with exceptional care and commitment. And it’s no surprise that customers of this historic bank continue to shower it with some of their highest praise year after year. The word “trust” is right there in the name and has been since it was established in 1902. (EJI) 2nd PLACE: Banner Bank; 3rd PLACE: Mountain West Bank

BEST PANDEMIC PIVOT

DRY FLY DISTILLING

As soon as the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Dry Fly Distilling stepped up, using its equipment not to make gin, whiskey or vodka (though these products helped many get through the pandemic in other ways), but to produce alcohol-based hand sanitizer that was quickly in short supply the world over. The production transition happened in mere days, and Dry Fly donated its initial batch directly to high-risk groups like health care, first responders and other essential workers. The public was also eventually able to get their hands on Dry Fly’s “Spokanitizer” to keep themselves and the community safe from the coronavirus, all thanks to this quick pivot that, in the words of Dry Fly co-owner Don Poffenroth, was just “the right thing to do.” (CS) 2nd PLACE: Veda Lux; 3rd PLACE: Audrey’s Boutique

BEST GROCERY STORE

MY FRESH BASKET

Think of your favorite grocery store. Now add a vast selection of gourmet ready-made foods and vegan and gluten-free options. Oh, and a view of downtown Spokane. Thanks to its essential workers, My Fresh Basket has provided all of that to the Spokane community throughout the past year. (JM) 2nd PLACE: Huckleberry’s Natural Market; 3rd PLACE: Main Market Co-op; NORTH IDAHO’S BEST: Pilgrim’s Market, Coeur d’Alene

BEST GIFT STORE

BOO RADLEY’S

One day, you might find yourself walking out of Boo Radley’s with a Cardi B saint candle and enough finger puppets to cover each hand. Or you’ll find a Great PNW sweatshirt and some quirky birthday cards. Boo Radley’s has everything from wacky to classy — making it the goto gift shop in Spokane. (JM) 2nd PLACE: Atticus; 3rd PLACE: Simply Northwest; NORTH IDAHO’S BEST: Mix It Up, Coeur d’Alene

Proud2021 to be...

Best Place to Bike

WHEN YOU ROUND UP A SLICE OF YOUR RIDE FARE GOES TO THE FRIENDS OF CENTENNIAL TRAIL >>> WWW.SPOKANECENTENNIALTRAIL.ORG

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2021 BEST OF THE INLAND NORTHWEST INLANDER 57

SHOPPING

Pawn 1 founder and CEO Mark Lax.

YOUNG KWAK PHOTO

BEST PAWN SHOP

PAWN 1, SPOKANE AND CDA

B

ack in 1979, Mark Lax opened the first shop of what would become the now 22-store Pawn 1 empire.

As such, Sam Lax, Mark’s son, has been behind the counter since he was a toddler.

“I used to joke that I was basically born in the back room of the pawn shop,” Sam says.

While hanging out as a kid with his dad, he used to clean showcases, sell video games and even write loans (with dad’s guidance, of course).

Now, as the company’s chief operating officer and vice president, Sam oversees elements of the company’s stores throughout Washington and Idaho. What started as three stores with different names in Spokane grew into Pawn 1, which has locations in Western Washington, Spokane, North Idaho, Boise and other rural parts of Idaho.

At the stores you’ll find all kinds of stuff for sale, from video game consoles and musical instruments to camping gear, snowboards, bikes and more. In fact, Sam says their inventory came in handy as folks scrambled to find what they needed during the pandemic when other stores ran out, such as computers for kids who were suddenly learning from home.

While shows like Pawn Stars are known for featuring the rarest

Thanks for voting

John Andrews HAIR SALON

Best Hair Salon

in North Idaho 1500 NW Blvd, CDA 208-665-9394

58 INLANDER BEST OF THE INLAND NORTHWEST 2021

HALL OF

FAME 10-TIME WINNER

collectibles and oddities that may come into a shop, Sam says the vast majority of the business is actually acting as something of a neighborhood bank.

“We, in general, look at ourselves as a money services company for people that need interim cash,” Sam says. “Of course, in 42 years you can imagine there’s a ton of stuff that’s come through, whether it’s collectibles or something unique. But that’s not usually what we seek out.”

Instead, the store often deals with jewelry, firearms or other items of value that can get folks that $100 they need now, on a 30- to 90day loan if they want to get their item back.

In general, pawn shops sometimes have a stigma attached to them, Sam says. But his family and the company have tried to combat that and change the overall perception of pawn shops.

“We offer the cleanest facilities and best customer service possible so someone can feel confident the money they need is there for them, and they won’t be judged and will be treated kindly and fairly in the process,” Sam says. “We think we run the nicest, cleanest, best, baddest pawn shops in the country.”

— SAMANTHA WOHLFEIL 2nd PLACE: Double Eagle Pawn; 3rd PLACE: Axels Pawn

2021 5-9PM

Thank You for Voting Us Best Farmers Market Shop for local produce, share a meal with friends or just gather with your neighbors and enjoy the sights and sounds.

KENDALLNIGHTMARKET.ORG

2021

Thank You f or Voting Us Best Home B uilder Spokane • Liberty Lake • Post Falls • Coeur d’Alene g reen s ton eh omes .com 2021 BEST OF THE INLAND NORTHWEST INLANDER 59

60 INLANDER BEST OF THE INLAND NORTHWEST 2021

2021 BEST OF THE INLAND NORTHWEST INLANDER 61

SHOPPING BEST ETHNIC MARKET

DE LEON FOODS

De Leon Foods is not your average grocery store. They have a popular restaurant showcasing traditional family recipes (with three street tacos on Tuesdays on $6!), a bakery offering fresh and traditional Mexican baked goods, and all of the produce and imported groceries not found at your typical supermarket but essential for the perfect south-of-the-border-inspired meal. (JM) 2nd PLACE: Asian World Food Market; 3rd PLACE: Best Asian Market

BEST AESTHETIC SERVICES/MED SPA

CRAFTED BEAUTY

De Leon Foods is not your average grocery store.

BEST TOY STORE

FIGPICKELS TOY EMPORIUM

The family-owned and -operated mainstay in downtown Coeur d’Alene is the region’s favorite toy store for kids of all ages, featuring both classic and innovative toys, a laser room, and even a fully functional German carousel. With virtual shopping accommodations and a mobile toy store in development — you can shop at Figpickels from anywhere! (JM) 2nd PLACE: Whiz Kids; 3rd PLACE: Boo Radley’s

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BEST BOAT DEALER

BEST WOMEN’S BOUTIQUE

With all types of boats, canoes, kayaks, boat trailers, fishing gear, spare parts and boat winterizing packages — the Elephant Boys offers everything you’ll ever need for boating. What’s more: They have friendly customer service and are locally owned by Ed Conley of the White Elephant family. Selection and service make for a great shopping experience. (JM) 2nd PLACE: Trudeau’s Marina; 3rd PLACE: NW Boat and RV; NORTH IDAHO’S BEST: Hagadone Marine Group

Jema Lane is the small, women-run shop of your dreams. Even the store’s name is a charm bracelet acronym of the owner Jani’s four daughters: Janae, Erin, Megan and Ashley. Committed to helping women of all sizes feel pampered and special, Jema Lane is an asset to Spokane whose impact goes far beyond our wardrobes. (LG) 2nd PLACE: Lolo; 3rd PLACE: Veda Lux; NORTH IDAHO’S BEST: Marmalade, Coeur d’Alene

ELEPHANT BOYS

Thank you Spokane & CDA for voting us #1!

We appreciate the community’s support and aspire to continue to bring high quality sustainable vintage and antique furniture, lighting, clothing and decor to the Inland Northwest.

Mid Century Modern • Modern Farmhouse Painted Furniture • Vintage Work Wear Women’s Clothing • Vintage Vinyl • Books Please call us at 509-327-7547 if you are planning to sell your vintage furniture or estate!

2021

#1 Best Antique Shop #1 Best Vintage Shop 509-327-7547 • 1012 N WASHINGTON • SPOKANE

62 INLANDER BEST OF THE INLAND NORTHWEST 2021

Melissa Berg founded Crafted Beauty with a vision of combining her experience as a health care professional and her passion for holistic aesthetic services in one place. Alongside a dedicated team, Berg is transforming the Spokane community into a picture of inner and outer wellness one treatment at a time. (LG) 2nd PLACE Sarah Hamilton Face; 3rd PLACE: Odara Medical Spa; NORTH IDAHO’S BEST: Lakeside Med Spa, Coeur d’Alene

JEMA LANE

Dear 229,264 member-owners of STCU, you make STCU the “best of” the Northwest.

2021

Here for good.

™

(509) 326.1954 | stcu.org

2021 BEST OF THE INLAND NORTHWEST INLANDER 63

SHOPPING

Unlike some RV dealerships, R’nR has a large focus on parts and service.

BEST RV DEALER

R’NR RV CENTER

F

or Ray Bunney, the main appeal of an RV is freedom. With an RV, you can go anywhere and stay as long as you please. It’s not like renting a condo or flying into some resort; if you don’t like where you are, you can pack up and go wherever the road takes you.

“It’s all about lifestyle; it’s total freedom,” Bunney says.

Ray Bunney owns R’nR RV Center with his wife, Jo. When the pair purchased the business in 1991, it had just nine employees and one location in Spokane. It’s been a story of constant expansion ever since. R’nR added two new locations in Liberty Lake and Lewiston, Idaho. The business now has 180 employees and is the largest RV dealer in Eastern Washington.

Bunney says he never expected the business to grow this big.

“We had no intentions,” he says, “never thought we’d

Secret Flavors Revealed weekly

get past 50 employees, let alone 180.”

Bunney attributes the continued success to R’nR’s commitment to customer service. Unlike some RV dealerships, R’nR has a large focus on parts and service.

The business has 63 service bays between its three locations, and a team of technicians who service brakes, tires, chassis, fiberglass and paint jobs on top of normal RV repairs.

“A lot of dealers put the RV superstore name on their building, but they can’t do what we do,” Bunney says.

Demand for RVs skyrocketed over the course of the pandemic. Crowdsourced data from Payscale shows that RV technician was the third-fastest growing job category of 2020, just behind health screeners and personal shoppers. Bunney says demand is still high and that supply chains are still struggling to keep up. You might not be allowed to go to restaurants, baseball games or bars, but you can always go to the woods.

Bunney says smaller camper vans are the current craze in the RV world. Check out #vanlife on Instagram, and you’ll find over 10 million picturesque shots of millennials eschewing traditional homes for a life on the road.

If the freedom of an RV sounds appealing to you, the Inland Northwest is the perfect place to give it a shot.

Bunney says an abundance of lakes, rivers and mountains makes the area especially well suited to the RV lifestyle.

“The nice thing about the Northwest is we have any kind of recreation people would want to do, so whether they’re into horses, boats, snowmobiles, fishing, camping — the Northwest has it all,” Bunney says.

— NATE SANFORD 2nd PLACE: Clickit RV; 3rd PLACE: Appleway RV; NORTH IDAHO’S BEST: Blue Dog RV, Post Falls

1 FOR 16 YEARS & COUNTING!

#

2021

Blueberry LemonLime Strawberry Sorbets Hand-crafted • Made-on-Site Premium • peanut & tree-nut free 112 n. 4th st. • cd’a, ID 208.930.0699 abisicecream.com

64 INLANDER BEST OF THE INLAND NORTHWEST 2021

BEST FLORIST

FLORIST AND GREENHOUSE, INC.

HALL OF FAME

�ank You!

8th & Perry • (509) 534-9381 • libertyparkflorist.com

1

thank you!

See more of this airbnb home in CdA. Scan this code with your smartphone camera.

FURNISHINGS + LIGHTING & RUGS + ART & DECOR + DESIGN SERVICE

TinRoofFurniture.com

Our sister store was awarded “retail star of 2021” by home accents today

@tinrooffurniture

THANK YOU FOR VOTING US #1 FOR FURNITURE & HOME DECOR Locally owned, locally loved, since 1945

Bideandburgeon.com

SHOPPING

Huckleberry’s prides itself on sourcing a bounty of local, ethical and healthy products.

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BEST NAIL SALON

BEST ORGANIC/NATURAL FOODS

BEST PET SUPPLIES

Finding the perfect nail salon can be tough, considering how many elements must balance perfectly to create a lovely experience.

Luckily, Spokane Valley has Valentino’s, a one-stop shop that combines a relaxing atmosphere with affordable, high-quality artistry.

Services include not only traditional nail salon fixes but also waxing and eyelash extensions. (LG) 2nd PLACE: Pure Salon & Spa, Spokane and Coeur d’Alene; 3rd PLACE (Tie): Famous Nails and OMG Nails & Spa

The first natural and organic grocery store in Spokane, Huckleberry’s prides itself on sourcing a bounty of local, ethical and healthy products. Stepping inside Huckleberry’s is an energizing portal into the kind heart of this community, a place where you can shop for groceries, sip a smoothie while reading the paper or order a fresh omelette. (LG) 2nd PLACE: Pilgrim’s Market, Coeur d’Alene; 3rd PLACE: Main Market Co-Op

At a certain point, a store’s longevity speaks for itself. A reliable stop for every possible pet and garden need for the past 77 years, Northwest Seed & Pet is a community treasure. Stop by for conventional picks like dog food and houseplants, then take a peek at the tropical fish and bat houses. (LG) 2nd PLACE: The Urban Canine; 3rd PLACE: Yuppy Puppy; NORTH IDAHO’S BEST: Country Store, Coeur d’Alene

VALENTINO’S NAILS & SPA

HUCKLEBERRY’S NATURAL MARKET

Room for Growth

66 INLANDER BEST OF THE INLAND NORTHWEST 2021

NORTHWEST SEED & PET

LET’S TURN A RETIREMENT DREAM INTO A RETIREMENT PLAN. Work with a trusted Financial Advisor at BECU Investment Services on a long-term financial plan. Schedule your financial review today.

Visit becu.org/retire or call 509-321-2602

Financial Advisors are registered with, and Securities and Advisory Services offered through LPL Financial, a Registered Investment Advisor, Member FINRA/SIPC. Insurance Products offered through LPL Financial or its licensed affiliates. BECU and BECU Investment Services are not registered broker/dealers and are not affiliated with LPL Financial. Investments are: Not NCUA/NCUSIF Insured

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2021 BEST OF THE INLAND NORTHWEST INLANDER 67

DRY FLY DISTILLING’S NEW LOCATION

OPENING SOON!

SHOPPING

TASTING ROOM & BOTTLE SHOP DELICIOUS FOOD | PRIVATE EVENT SPACE FOR PARTIES UP TO 50!

2021

2021

BEST PANDEMIC PIVOT

Still standing tall: The Historic Davenport Hotel.

BEST LOCAL DISTILLERY

1021 W. RIVERSIDE, SPOKANE 12-8 SUN | 2-8 MON-THU | 2-9 FRI | 12-9 SAT

[drink responsibly]

Follow us on Facebook for updates and new product releases.

BEST BARBERSHOP

BEST HOTEL

This place just oozes “cool,” from its turn of the century building on North Monroe to the music playing inside, from its dazzling retro decor to the crew of dudes offering up creative contemporary cuts as well as old school straightrazor shaves. Too many guys don’t think about their haircuts enough, hitting whatever run-of-the-stripmall joint will run them under a razor for the lowest price possible.

Why not experience a little bit of luxury, actual interesting conversation and a top-notch cut instead? Inlander readers certainly seem to recognize the appeal, as Brickyard Barbershop has won this vote several times. (DN) 2nd PLACE: The Man Shop; 3rd PLACE: The Barbers; NORTH IDAHO’S BEST: Mavericks Men’s Hair, Coeur d’Alene

How do you rise to the top when some of your stiffest competition is yourself? It’s not easy, but each year the Historic Davenport Hotel seems to find a way, even beating out other popular hotels in the award-winning Davenport Collection. Chalk it up to the timeless grandeur of its lobby, its status as a downtown landmark or maybe even the blissful night’s sleep you get on one of its signature mattresses. (EJI) 2nd PLACE: The Davenport Grand Hotel; 3rd PLACE: Northern Quest Resort Hotel; NORTH IDAHO’S BEST: The Coeur d’Alene Resort

BRICKYARD BARBERSHOP

BEST FLOORING

LOCALLY OWNED | LOCALLY MADE | LOCAL INGREDIENTS CURRENT HOME: 1003 E. Trent #200 | SPOKANE | 509.489.2112 | dryfl ydistilling.com

BROTHERS FLOORING

Do you want to start each morning standing on a firm, hardwood floor? What about tile, carpet or even bamboo?

At Brothers Flooring, the choice is yours. The store is named for brothers Andy and Tyler Yank, and their professional installation team makes the entire flooring process a breeze. (NS) 2nd PLACE: Carpet Barn; 3rd PLACE: Northwest Trends; NORTH IDAHO’S BEST: Youngs Old Floors, Post Falls

BEST SPA

DELIVERED TO YO U R IN BOX

A special Inlander preview, a day early EVERY WEDNESDAY Sign up now at Inlander.com/newsletters 68 INLANDER BEST OF THE INLAND NORTHWEST 2021

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LA RIVE SPA

Just one of the amenities that make the Northern Quest Resort and Casino a luxurious getaway, La Rive Spa is a place to rejuvenate with a healing massage or simply pamper yourself with a pedicure. As if it weren’t already popular enough, the spa recently added a state-of-theart Himalayan salt room that’s purported to do everything from relieve mental and physical stress to soothe arthritic joints. (EJI) 2nd PLACE: Spa Paradiso; 3rd PLACE: The Davenport Spa; NORTH IDAHO’S BEST: The Coeur d’Alene Resort Spa

THE HISTORIC DAVENPORT HOTEL

BEST JEWELRY

JEWELRY DESIGN CENTER

The craftspeople and gemstone aficionados at the family-owned Jewelry Design Center say they want to be your jeweler for life. And from the looks of it, that’s exactly what customers want too, as they routinely flag it as a local favorite. However precious the object or the occasion, the Jewelry Design Center has the expert repair, resetting, retail and design services to make it extra special. (EJI) 2nd PLACE: Pounders Jewelry; 3rd PLACE: Tracy Jewelers; NORTH IDAHO’S BEST: Clark’s Diamond Jewelers, Coeur d’Alene

BEST HOMEBUILDER

GREENSTONE

As the homebuilder behind Kendall Yards, Coeur d’Alene Place, River District and other trendy developments on both sides of the state line, Greenstone is a company many of us have come to know by reputation if not always by name. The company doesn’t just channel its resources into building new homes. It invests heavily in building a sense of community, too. (EJI) 2nd PLACE: Architerra Homes, Coeur d’Alene; 3rd PLACE: Camden Homes

2021 BEST OF THE INLAND NORTHWEST INLANDER 69

SHOPPING BEST HAIR SALON

OASIS HAIR

Oasis Hair offers a multitude of services, and they care about helping others as well, with a portion of proceeds each year going to Sacred Heart Children’s Hospital and the Vanessa Behan Crisis Nursery. Oasis staff are passionate about their craft, stay up to date on the latest techniques and styles, and specialize in hair color and styling. (LP) 2nd PLACE: dept.z; 3rd PLACE: The House of POp; NORTH IDAHO’S BEST: John Andrews Hair Salon, Coeur d’Alene

BEST LOCAL GARDEN SUPPLY/NURSERY

RITTER’S GARDEN AND GIFT

If you’re looking for all things garden-related, head to Ritter’s Garden and Gift, the largest family-owned nursery in Spokane. The store is stocked with a wide variety of plants, and they also have pottery, wine, fountains, gifts and home decor. Customers can also receive region-specific gardening advice and order specific plants based on their needs. (LP) 2nd PLACE: Northwest Seed and Pet; 3rd PLACE: The Plant Farm; NORTH IDAHO’S BEST: Vanhoff’s Garden Center, Coeur d’Alene

BEST MASSAGE

BRICKHOUSE MASSAGE

Head to BrickHouse Massage with your friends, significant other or even solo for a treat-yourself kind of day. BrickHouse includes a coffee bar and gift shop in addition to massages, and features a wide variety of spa treatments. There are also spa party packages, where you can gather a group of friends for some pampering. (LP) 2nd PLACE: La Rive Spa; 3rd PLACE: Davenport Spa & Salon; NORTH IDAHO’S BEST: Coeur d’Alene Resort Spa

The Tin Roof took home two wins — for Best Furniture and Best Home Décor Shop.

BEST FURNITURE BEST HOME DÉCOR SHOP

THE TIN ROOF

Over the years, the Tin Roof has outfitted more style-conscious homes in the Inland Northwest than you can count. From chic home furnishings that suit nearly every taste to the fashionable accent pieces that adorn tables, floors and walls, it’s got everything you need to make your house congenial, welcoming and unmistakably your own. That’s why it’s managed to net top honors in not one but two highly competitive categories. (EJI) BEST FURNITURE 2nd PLACE: Walker’s Furniture; 3rd PLACE: Dania; NORTH IDAHO’S BEST: Runge Furniture, Coeur d’Alene BEST HOME DÉCOR SHOP 2nd PLACE: The Bohemian; 3rd PLACE: Mix It Up, Coeur d’Alene

YOUNG KWAK PHOTO

BEST EYEWEAR

EYEGUYS OPTICAL, SPOKANE VALLEY AND HAYDEN

Struggling to make out the words on this page? Wishing the Inlander printed (or posted) in a bigger font? It might be time to get your eyes checked. Eyeguys has an on-site lab and a wide selection of frames and lenses. The business is owned by Dr. Larry Breazeal, who has worked as an optometrist in the Inland Northwest for over 20 years. (NS) 2nd PLACE: Garland Vision Source; 3rd PLACE: Blink Eyecare

Best Real Estate Agent

Teresa Dodge | 208-964-0708 | teresa@propertybyprime.com Ken Dodge | 208-964-0601 | ken@propertybyprime.com 70 INLANDER BEST OF THE INLAND NORTHWEST 2021

idahomedodge.com 421 E. Lakeside Ave. Coeur d’Alene, ID

Thank you Spokane for voting Team”, AGAIN! us “Best Radio Team”

Dave, Ken and Molly Best Radio Team 2021

2021 BEST OF THE INLAND NORTHWEST INLANDER 71

SHOPPING BEST USED CAR LOT

JENNIFER’S AUTO SALES

With decades of experience between them, the sales staff at Jennifer’s knows exactly what you need when looking for your new(ish) ride.

The dealership’s top-notch customer service has landed it four past Best Of wins. If you’re looking to “Save your Green,” Jennifer’s is the place to go. (NS) 2nd PLACE: CAL Cars, 3nd PLACE: UGM Motors

BEST VETERINARY CLINIC

GARLAND ANIMAL CLINIC

Katrina and Robert McKinley of Phat Panda.

YOUNG KWAK PHOTO

This vet clinic has been keeping pets healthy and humans happy since 1966. The clinic isn’t just for common cats and dogs — they also care for exotic pets like ferrets, rabbits, guinea pigs, geckos, bearded dragons and more. (NS) 2nd PLACE: Indian Trail Animal Hospital; 3rd PLACE: Hunter Veterinary Clinic; NORTH IDAHO’S BEST: Prairie Animal Hospital, Coeur d’Alene

Thanks for Voting!

9

Try our Old Fashioned Shakes, Malts and Floats!

BEST CHEAP EATS NORTH IDAHO

Taste the Quality!

ice cream & burgers

At Rogers we’re committed to serving you Quality!

• Our Burgers-We start with fresh 100% vegetarian fed Country Natural Beef. It is raised sustainably and naturally, with no growth hormones or antibiotics ever. When ordered we season and sear the beef to a rich brown and serve it with fresh cut lettuce, tomato, onions on a butter grilled bun with our house made burger sauce.

• Our Fries & Kettle Chips-Cut Fresh daily with Idaho Potatoes fried in 100% Rice bran oil.

1224 E. Sherman Ave. CdA, ID • 208-930-4900 2420 Government Way. CdA, ID • 208-930-4274

72 INLANDER BEST OF THE INLAND NORTHWEST 2021

• Our Shakes & Malts-Made the old fashion way using premium hand scooped ice cream & whole milk blended to order.

• Healthier Options-Garden burger, turkey burger and you can substitute bun for lettuce wrap on any burger.

• Our Prices-Better than our competition for comparable menu items and our food is 100% REAL food.

RogersIceCreamBurgers.com

403 N Spokane St. Post Falls, ID • 208-773-6532 8833 Hess St. Hayden, ID • 208-777-6205

Growing Spokane’s community of readers.

BEST BUSINESS THAT RECENTLY CLOSED AND WE MISS ALREADY

THE WHITE ELEPHANT

It’s not just that there was a literal White Elephant ride outside of it. And it’s not just that it had one of the strangest yet somehow extremely useful selections of inventory in the area. No, the reason we miss The White Elephant the most is because it was a part of the community, ever since the late John R. Conley Sr. opened it a quarter-century ago. (WC) 2nd PLACE: Rocky Rococo Pizza; 3rd PLACE: Central Food; NORTH IDAHO’S BEST: Fleur de Sel, Post Falls

BEST LOCAL CANNABIS BRAND

PHAT PANDA

Here’s an example of bigger being better. Phat Panda is the most prolific cannabis producer in the region, and it has taken first place in this category every time it’s been on the ballot. Growing more than 40 different strains, used in everything from edibles to cartridges, Phat Panda’s offerings are as diverse as they are delicious. (WM) 2nd PLACE: Growing Like a Weed (GLW); 3rd PLACE: Blue Roots

BEST RETAIL CANNABIS SHOP

CINDER

Convenience, selection and service are hallmarks of the Cinder shopping experience. With three locations spread around the region — downtown, north side and Valley — you’re never too far from one of their clean, modern storefronts and knowledgeable budtenders. It’s no wonder Cinder has come to dominate this space year after year and is taking top honors for a fifth time. (WM) 2nd PLACE: Piece of Mind; 3rd PLACE Apex Cannabis

Thank you Spokane and WTB booksellers for this year’s “Best of ”.

BEST BUDTENDER

ZAC HAWKINS, CINDER (NORTH)

General Manager Kassi Rosenau says Hawkins is passionate, kind and cares about his community. That description checks out, as Hawkins is a man who wears many hats around Spokane. When he’s not helping customers at Cinder, he’s a musician and podcast host who showcases local artists and businesses. “I like being a budtender because it gives me the opportunity to connect with my community,” Hawkins says. “Bringing people joy brings me joy.” (WM) 2nd PLACE: Tracy Barnes, Piece of Mind (North); 3rd PLACE: Sydney Prado, Sativa Sisters

1410 E. 11th Ave. (509) 315-9875 WishingTreeBookstore.com

2021 BEST OF THE INLAND NORTHWEST INLANDER 73

BEST OF

Sandpoint’s pandemic hero, Mayor Shelby Rognstad.

SANDPOINT B

est places to hike, get ski equipment, listen to live music or eat… you can tell a lot about a community from its Inlander Best Of categories, which this year more than ever reads like a time capsule (with a few new categories we probably all hope never to see again).

Whether 2020 is a year to be feted or forgotten about, there is no debate that 2021 is a great year to spend some time in Sandpoint.

74 INLANDER BEST OF THE INLAND NORTHWEST 2021

CARRIE SCOZZARO PHOTO

BY CARRIE SCOZZARO

Instead of listing all the amazing places one might hike, bike, ski, swim or otherwise recreate in Sandpoint, we asked voters here to socially distance. CITY BEACH won out, and it’s easy to see why. Walkable from downtown, City Beach is 22 acres of all-season recreational opportunities that shine brightest in warmer months. Boat, swim, picnic, paddleboard or pose for a selfie in front of the famed “Statue of Liberty” sculpture.

Interested in gearing up for your outdoor recreation

opportunities? ALPINE SHOP has you covered with their one-stop shop, say owners Zach and Hannah Vollmer. “We carry an amazing assortment of products, from skis and snowboards to everything you need on the water for summer, along with tons of clothing,” says Hannah. The shop, which has been getting customers out there since 1966, offers continual arrival of new products as well as great customer service from local experts who know their stuff.

BEST RESTAURANT

This year’s “pandemic hero” for area voters is Sandpoint Mayor SHELBY ROGNSTAD, who looks like he just stepped off the cover of an outdoor-oriented magazine. A fourth-generation Idahoan, Rognstad knows firsthand the importance of protecting personal liberty, yet his approach during the pandemic, he says, was to err “on the side of greater caution.” Thus, he took the controversial yet in his mind empathetic approach of supporting mask requirements to protect everyone in the community equally, he says. And regardless of where the populace falls in terms of masking, says Rognstad, Sandpoint continues to undergo amazing changes for the better. One of the many joys of being mayor, says Rognstad, is being “surrounded by really excellent staff at all levels,” as well as being able to work with so many in the community who care about making the city a better place.

Thanks for Voting our Virtual 2020 Event #1 53rd Annual

Art on the Green July 30- Aug 1, 2021 on the grounds of

North Idaho College

We’re Back, hope to see you there!! www.artonthegreen.org

Plan a Trip & Discover

1st PLACE: MickDuff’s Brewing Company Beer Hall 2nd PLACE: Second Avenue Pizza 3rd PLACE: Spud’s Waterfront Grill

BEST COFFEE SHOP

1st PLACE: Evans Brothers Coffee 2nd PLACE: Panhandle Cone & Coffee 3rd PLACE: Monarch Mountain Coffee

IDAHO’S CROWN JEWEL

BEST OUTDOOR SUPPLIES

1st PLACE: Alpine Shop 2nd PLACE: Outdoor Experience 3rd PLACE: The North 40 Outfitters, Ponderay

BEST PLACE TO SOCIALLY DISTANCE 1st PLACE: City Beach 2nd PLACE: Schweitzer Mountain 3rd PLACE: Lake Pend Oreille

BEST PANDEMIC HERO

1st PLACE: Mayor Shelby Rognstad

BEST PANDEMIC PIVOT 1st PLACE: MickDuff’s

Gear up at the Alpine Shop.

CARRIE SCOZZARO PHOTO

Community and coffee go hand-in-hand in Sandpoint, which boasts numerous options. This year, voters again chose homegrown coffee roasters EVANS BROTHERS COFFEE, which also doubles as a vital community hub.

Is it a) a brewery that serves food, b) a restaurant that brews its own beer, c) a package goods vendor for great local beer, or d) a live event venue that allows you to bring your own food and listen to awesome music when they have it or just generally chill on their patio?

When the subject is MICKDUFF’S BREWING, the answer is e) all of the above, depending on the time of year last year. Since December 2020, they’re back up to two locations: the Beer Hall and the new, larger brewing company and restaurant. They’re also doing double-duty as this year’s pick for a pandemic “pivot” (the Brewing Company, which is where the restaurant is located) and best restaurant (the Beer Hall). Their pivot included offering beer to-go, while steadfastly focusing on finishing the remodel of the historic federal building that is home to their new restaurant and pilot brewing program. And while technically the Beer Hall isn’t a restaurant — bring your own or grab something from one of the many rotating food trucks they host — it’s likely voters meant the actual brewery/restaurant.

After all, 2020 was, to put it mildly, a confusing year. n

Best Idaho Daytrip Destination

WWW.PRIESTLAKE.ORG • 888-774-3785 2021 BEST OF THE INLAND NORTHWEST INLANDER 75

76 INLANDER BEST OF THE INLAND NORTHWEST 2021

2021 BEST OF THE INLAND NORTHWEST INLANDER 77

ARTS

BEST LOCAL PODCAST

THE PERIMETER WITH ADAM MORRISON

W

hen Best Of voting opened in late May, The Perimeter with Adam Morrison was barely a month old. When polls closed a few weeks later, the podcast had put out a grand total of just eight episodes. In less than two months time, this partnership between Spokane’s Speak Studios and Gonzaga basketball legend Adam Morrison had gone from brand new to the best.

“It’s unbelievable being voted as the Best Local Podcast after just two months since The Perimeter’s premiere.

It’s been an incredible journey,” says Brennon Poynor, the show’s executive producer.

It really is quite remarkable how quickly the show’s

78 INLANDER BEST OF THE INLAND NORTHWEST 2021

star has risen. Even the namesake talent behind the podcast couldn’t see something like this coming.

“I didn’t think there would be a following,” Morrison told the Inlander during an early May interview. “Hopefully, it turns into something with a following, for people to enjoy, but if it doesn’t, I’m still enjoying it and having fun.”

Safe to say it’s found a following of people who enjoy it, including Morrison himself.

Big-name guests — Gonzaga coach Mark Few, NBA Hall of Famer John Stockton, UFC fighter Julianna Peña and a handful of Gonzaga players past and present, among others — have helped buoy the show’s popularity, no doubt. It’s Morrison who puts it over the top, though.

His personality shines through like never before. His skill as an interviewer opens up his guests to have flowing conversation and lets listeners act as a fly on the wall.

While it is a sports-themed podcast, and most episodes have had a connection to the Zags, it’s far more storytelling than sports reporting.

In an episode with Tom Hudson, Gonzaga’s radio play-by-play announcer, Morrison and Hudson discussed the things young people have to give up by working nights and weekends to break into broadcasting. In an episode with Gonzaga guard Joel Ayayi, the two spend much of their time comparing Ayayi’s high school experience in the rigidly structured French National Institute of

Thanks for the votes, Spokane, from our family to yours!

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Host Adam Morrison, left, interviews Ultimate Fighting Championship competitor Julianna Peña during his podcast in May. YOUNG KWAK PHOTO

Sport with the relatively laid-back American system. It’s a podcast that brings big names from the world of sport but shows the person you aren’t able to see on the court or on the call.

“It’s basically a show about things I’m interested in and people who have interesting stories,” Morrison told the Inlander.

That’s spot on. The only thing worth adding is that it’s Morrison’s presence behind the mic that brings the interesting stories out and to our ears.

— WILL MAUPIN 2nd PLACE: Wayward Artists in a Wayward World with Sid Al-Thumali; 3rd PLACE: Trending Spokane with Melissa Berry and Erin Peterson

Taking great care of our customers & having fun doing it!

88

Best Bike shop

300 bikes in stock, largest selection of bikes and accessories in one location.

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2021 BEST OF THE INLAND NORTHWEST INLANDER 79

ARTS

BEST LOCAL BAND WE CAN’T WAIT TO SEE PLAY LIVE AGAIN

INDIAN GOAT

The itch for live music was strong over the past year; there’s only so much satisfaction a music fan can get from streaming a show through their phone or computer. And no band had our voters more anxious to get back inside a music venue than the mighty duo Indian Goat. The pairing of guitarist/vocalist Garrett Zanol and drummer Travis Tveit inspired almost instant adulation among local music fans when they started delivering their psych-y garage rock a few years back. And while Indian Goat dropped a new single (“Rolling Winds”) and a cool video mid-pandemic (“Be Your Seer”) over the last year, the promise of shows potentially tied to a third full-length album is truly something to celebrate. (DN) 2nd PLACE: Blake Braley Band, Super Sparkle (tie); 3rd PLACE: Cronkites, Allen Stone (tie)

BEST COMEDIAN

DEECE CASILLAS

Casillas has won our readers’ vote for best comedian before, and we somehow forgot to invite him to the Inlander party celebrating the winners that year. But before you think his victory in 2021 is some shady effort to make up for our absentmindedness last time around, consider how hard the Spokane-based comic worked through the pandemic despite being forced offstage along with all his fellow funny folks. He threw himself into his podcasts and videos (The Social Hour and The Social Minute), using YouTube and Facebook to reach local comedy fans despite not being able to hear them laugh in real time — often the only reward for a local comedian. While there isn’t a Best Of the Inland Northwest party this year, hopefully being our readers’ favorite comedian in a time when we all needed laughs more than ever helps make up for it. (DN) 2nd PLACE: Dan Cummins; 3rd PLACE: Kelsey Cook

We’re still swooning over Jess Walter’s latest novel, The Cold Millions.

YOUNG KWAK PHOTO

BEST BOOKSTORE

BEST AUTHOR

In the strangest year most of us have ever experienced, Spokane’s favorite bookstore was there for us, delivering everything we needed to get through isolation at home via mail-order books, curbside pickup and, eventually, a return to browsing the considerable stacks of Auntie’s downtown Spokane space. Throw in an impressive array of online author events and it often seemed like Auntie’s was busier than ever, even though we couldn’t visit for months on end. Readers helped Auntie’s survive the pandemic just as Auntie’s helped them maintain their sanity. (DN) 2nd PLACE: Giant Nerd Books; 3rd PLACE: Wishing Tree Books; NORTH IDAHO’S BEST: The Well-Read Moose

There are years when local favorite Walter wins this category based on maybe a new short story or a Pie & Whiskey contribution, but since our last Best Of issue we were blessed with a new novel, The Cold Millions, a brilliant look at labor politics, class warfare and much more set primarily right here in Spokane and the Inland Northwest back in the early 1900s. It’s an excellent read, full of action, humor and issues that still resonate more than a century after Spokane evolved from the Wild West toward the city we know and love today. (DN) 2nd PLACE: Sharma Shields; 3rd PLACE: Sherman Alexie

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One of Bryan Albrandt’s many different characters, “Infomercial guy.”

BEST LOCAL TIK TOK STAR

BRYAN ALBRANDT, @BRYANALBRANDT

B

ryan Albrandt is a dad, a husband and a semi-adult. For the past year he has managed to make that his living, too.

Sporting a Mariners cap, a short beard and a shorts-and-T-shirt combo, Albrandt regales his social media followers with the horror, humor and simple truths about being a parent in the modern age through the eyes of a dude.

A dude who is a dad.

His comedic videos run the gamut from pooping for an audience to wading knee-deep in a playroom filled with toys to sticky floors to just not giving a crap. He plays a number of different characters in the videos, like the “Boy Mom,” the infomercial guy, the dorky dad, the rational toddler and, of course, himself.

Albrandt, 38, has amassed a significant following on social media since COVID-19 hit last year, including on TikTok where he has about 135,000 followers and growing. He jokingly admits that he kind of forgot about the Inlander’s Best Of poll for local TikTok star until he was contacted for this article. While Albrandt loves the creativity and innovation on TikTok, he works as a full-time content creator primarily through his Facebook channel, he says.

“You have to diversify,” Albrandt says of social media. “It’s like the stock market or anything. If you put all your eggs in one of the

baskets and they say, all the sudden, ‘We’re going to stop doing this.’ There goes your livelihood.”

Inspired by the likes of Jim Carrey and Chris Farley, Albrandt started making what he calls “dude humor” videos as a sort of side hobby on YouTube way back in 2010. Two boys later and with the help of his wife, Amber, Albrandt merged his humor into the “parenting niche,” he says. He hit viral status a couple of years ago, he says, but it wasn’t until right before COVID that things started to change.

Albrandt had just come back from the Dad 2.0 Summit, a conference for parenting bloggers and the like in Washington, D.C. He and his wife posted a video on March 15 about overly cautious parenting — pandemic style — from their South Hill home. The next day, Albrandt was laid off from his graphic design job at Spiceology.

But his latest Facebook video started to take off, he says. His other social media pages followed.

And the merch. And the advertising.

The rest is history.

“I always knew that’s what I wanted to do. …

This was my opportunity,” Albrandt says. “My plan is to never have to go into a job ever again.”

— QUINN WELSCH 2nd PLACE: Karissa Barker, @karissaathome; 3rd PLACE: Genus Brewing, @genusbrewing

Thank you Spokane so much for voting!

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ARTS BEST LOCAL VISUAL ARTIST

BEST RECORD STORE

BEN JOYCE

Ben Joyce had big plans in the works when the pandemic hit, a schedule of global travels to explore different cities and countries for a TV series and new series of paintings inspired by the people he’d meet along the way. Shortly after introducing his New York City piece at his namesake gallery, COVID put those plans on pause, so fans of Joyce’s distinct painting style, one he calls “abstract topophilia,” will have to wait a bit for those, perhaps passing the time enjoying the myriad Joyce works dotting the region’s public buildings and private homes. (DN) 2nd PLACE: Daniel Lopez; 3rd PLACE: Chris Bovey

4,000 HOLES

What do we love in a record store? A great selection, naturally, across a variety of genres. A knowledgeable staff to offer up suggestions or fill us in on something we heard and want to know more about. And a cool vibe, a space where you’re comfortable browsing for a few minutes, or a few hours. All the spots that garnered votes in this category hit those sweet spots, but Bob Gallagher’s long-running Spokane store is our readers’ favorite. Between the racks of vinyl and CDs, occasional in-store performances and Bob’s deep knowledge of Spokane music history, it’s tough to beat 4,000 Holes. (DN) 2nd PLACE: Resurrection Records; 3rd PLACE: Total Trash Records and Sound; NORTH IDAHO’S BEST: The Long Ear, Coeur d’Alene

BEST VIRTUAL ARTS EVENT (MUSIC, READING, PLAY) OF 2020-21 Bob Gallagher’s record store is our readers’ favorite.

DEREK HARRISON PHOTO

BEST LOCAL INSTAGRAM

BEST DANCE STUDIO

SPOKANE ELITE DANCE STUDIO

For a dance studio that offers a wide range of classes and focuses on top-tier education, look no further than Spokane Elite Dance Studio. Classes range from ballet to lyrical to jazz and hip hop, and Spokane Elite Dance Studio also offers classes for teens and adults, so there’s something for anyone who wants to dance. (LP) 2nd PLACE: Dance Center of Spokane; 3rd PLACE: Inland Northwest Ballet of Spokane; NORTH IDAHO’S BEST: Alta Dance Academy, Hayden

@SPOKANEEATS

Since she launched the Spokane Eats Instagram account and blog back in 2014, Texan transplant turned proud Spokanite Chandler Baird has become a trusted, go-to source for rec’s on the very best food and beyond of the Inland Northwest: restaurants, events, retailers, services and more. Spokane Eats’ online platforms are packed with helpful guides to the area’s best burgers, ice cream, sushi and more, and Baird is always one of the first to check out a new restaurant or business in town and share her honest thoughts with followers. (CS) 2nd PLACE: @spokane.guild; 3rd PLACE: @spokaneplayground

GET LIT! FESTIVAL

The pandemic’s been brutal for arts organizations of all stripes, and especially so for ones who rely on live, in-person events. EWU’s annual literary celebration Get Lit! managed to turn an incredibly challenging year into a worthy online version of its “normal” proceedings thanks to an impressive list of guests joining the event from across the country, a group that included author R.O. Kwan, poet Michael Kleber-Diggs and more. Panel discussions on everything from Indigenous voices to graphic novels to criminal justice reform were highlights, as was the online version of the beloved Pie & Whiskey event. (DN) 2nd PLACE: Spokane Symphony @ Home; 3rd PLACE: I Am My Own Wife, Stage Left Theater; NORTH IDAHO’S BEST: Virtual Art on the Green, Coeur d’Alene

THANK YOU FOR VOTING US SPOKANE’S #1 BEST WINE TASTING ROOM #3 BEST LOCAL WINERY #3 BEST PATIO FOR A TASTING ROOM

84 INLANDER BEST OF THE INLAND NORTHWEST 2021

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86 INLANDER BEST OF THE INLAND NORTHWEST 2021

Drew Timme made something of an old-school decision off the court by opting to return to college rather than leaving early for the NBA. And for that, we thank you. NCAA PHOTO

BEST ATHLETE

DREW TIMME

G

onzaga’s 6-foot-10 power forward has earned his fair share of accolades and honors. He’s been named allconference and all-America, and enters his junior season as a favorite to win national player of the year awards. Is Best Athlete in the Inland Northwest up there with those? Considering his outlook on life, it very well may be.

“I find it funny,” Timme says about his creative and spirited on-court celebrations. “I do it because it’s just a little joy for me. If it brings others joy, then good.”

Drew Timme has brought an immeasurable amount of joy to Spokane in his two years with the Zags, and in return Spokanites have honored him with the top spot in this poll. Whether it’s the ever-changing facial hair — his handlebar mustache has been affectionately dubbed the “Drew Manchu” — or the intricate handshakes, with both teammates and his youngest fans, Timme finds a way to bring a smile to his face, and to those around him, even in the most competitive, tense moments on the hardwood.

Earlier this season, Timme’s teammate and second-place finisher in this poll, Corey Kispert, was asked to name the funniest player in the locker room. His answer came without any hesitation.

“Drew Timme. It’s not even close,” Kispert said. “He’s spontaneous. You don’t know what’s coming out of his mouth.”

A Gonzaga player was going to win this award, and on a team loaded with superstar players it was just a matter of figuring out which one it would be. Timme’s personality, combined with his exceptional abilities on the court, no doubt helped push him over the edge. Because, while his personality is big, his game is even bigger.

Timme was a highly touted high school prospect coming out of the Dallas area, and was expected to be a key contributor for the Zags. That’s exactly what he was as a freshman, but it was this past season that the then-sophomore really exploded onto the scene. Timme started every game and led the No. 1 ranked Bulldogs in scoring, with 19 points per game, and rebounding, with seven per game.

Something of an old-school big man on the court, with deft footwork and soft touch around the rim, Timme made something of an old-school decision off the court by opting to return to college rather than leaving early for the NBA. Which means the Best Athlete in the Inland Northwest will be back again next season, ready to bring more wins and a whole lot more joy with him.

— WILL MAUPIN 2nd PLACE: Corey Kispert, GU basketball; 3rd PLACE: Jalen Suggs, GU basketball

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• 2021 BEST OF THE INLAND NORTHWEST INLANDER 87

PEOPLE

Anchor-turned-politician Nadine Woodward first won the mayor’s office in 2019 and now our readers poll.

BEST ELECTED OFFICIAL

BEST RADIO OR DJ TEAM

Former KXLY news anchor Nadine Woodward took the mayoral office without a lot of experience. But COVID had a way of leveling the playing field — no one had experience with such a pandemic.

And so in her first year of office, she managed to show both agility — housing homeless people in the downtown library and Arena when distancing restrictions demanded more shelter — while being praised for her collaboration with a more liberal City Council. (DW) 2nd PLACE: Breean Beggs, Spokane City Council president; 3rd PLACE: Marcus Riccelli, WA state representative; Betsy Wilkerson, Spokane City Council (tie); NORTH IDAHO’S BEST: Steve Widmyer, Coeur d’Alene mayor

If there’s one constant in this world, it’s change. And times change.

Those who remember the “old” days of radio will recall far fewer female voices in morning drive-time radio. Dave Sposito and Ken Hopkins were formerly known as “The Breakfast Boys” under KZZU’s previous “93 Zoo FM” tag. When Molly Allen came aboard, more than just the moniker changed. The trio has been entertaining and quizzing people for years. And there’s no doubt that’s one thing that likely won’t change. (SAL) 2nd PLACE: Jay & Kevin, Coyote Country; 3rd PLACE: Gary Allen, KHTQ

NADINE WOODWARD, SPOKANE MAYOR

DAVE, KEN & MOLLY, KZZU

BEST TV ANCHORPERSON

STEPHANIE VIGIL, KHQ

If 2020 as a year didn’t “count” because of the pandemic, we’d understand. But that wouldn’t change anything about this category. Stephanie Vigil took first place last year as well. And the respective 2nd and 3rd place slots went to her fellow KHQ colleagues Kalae Chock and Sean Owsley. Long story short: TV viewers like constant, trusted, reliable faces and voices. And that’s what Vigil and her KHQ colleagues provide to Inlander voters. (SAL) 2nd PLACE: Kalae Chock, KHQ; 3rd PLACE: Sean Owsley, KHQ

T H E O N L Y T H I N G N O R M A L A B O U T T W E N T Y T W E N T Y I S T H AT Y O U C H O S E U S A S Y O U R B I K E S H O P. T H A N K S F O R T H E B U S I N E S S , A L L T H E R E C O M M E N D AT I O N S TO Y O U R F R I E N D S , A N D T H E B E E R .

88 INLANDER BEST OF THE INLAND NORTHWEST 2021

ERICK DOXEY PHOTO

2021 BEST OF THE INLAND NORTHWEST INLANDER 89

PEOPLE

Dennis Patchin switched teams, leaving KXLY for KHQ.

YOUNG KWAK PHOTO

BEST TV SPORTSCASTER

BEST TV WEATHER PERSON

BEST REAL ESTATE AGENT

No, you’re not reading that wrong — Dennis Patchin is with KHQ. The longtime KXLY sports anchor made the switch to KHQ and its SWX sports brand last year (another change of 2020). As local institutions go, Patchin is one for those who follow and love Inland Northwest sports. And that makes sense. He’s been broadcasting and reporting on sports in the region since 1984. (SAL) 2nd PLACE: Keith Osso, KXLY; 3rd PLACE: Brenna Greene, KREM

Let us count the ways Tom Sherry is not like Phil Connors in Groundhog Day: We presume he’s never driven off a cliff with a groundhog. Nor punched anyone named Ned Ryerson. And the ways he is like Phil Connors: Sherry is a beloved TV weatherman and someone who gets used to the same thing over and over.

In this case, it’s this award. Sherry has won this category for an impressive 26 straight years. (SAL) 2nd PLACE: Leslie Lowe, KHQ; 3rd PLACE: Kris Crocker, KXLY

“Go the extra mile” is Sheri Tilton’s motto, and that’s exactly what she does. With a background in homebuilding and excavation, Tilton knows what to look for when helping her clients find their dream home. A lifelong horse lover, Tilton also specializes in equestrian properties. (NS) 2nd PLACE: Teresa and Ken Dodge, Prime Real Estate Group, CdA 3rd PLACE: Kelly Hewson, Keller Williams Realty.

DENNIS PATCHIN, KHQ

TOM SHERRY, KREM

THANK YOU FOR VOTING

The Lodge at Carlin Bay

BEST OUTDOOR DINING

IN NORTH IDAHO 90 INLANDER BEST OF THE INLAND NORTHWEST 2021

SHERI TILTON, REMAX OF SPOKANE

2021 BEST DANCE STUDIO

Pizza Rita was the first restaurant that Rick Clark and the Spokane Quaranteam helped during the COVID-19 pandemic.

YOUNG KWAK PHOTO

BEST PANDEMIC HERO BEST LOCAL SOCIAL JUSTICE ADVOCATE

RICK CLARK AND THE SPOKANE QUARANTEAM

F

rom buying meals at struggling local restaurants to feed community members in need during last year’s pandemic lockdowns to handing out ice cold water bottles while the Inland Northwest sweltered under a record-setting heat wave, Rick Clark hasn’t slowed down a bit this past year and a half.

Clark’s Spokane Quaranteam Facebook page began during the COVID-19 pandemic as the home base for his nightly Facebook Live streams raising money to support local small businesses, but its efforts have since continued with unwavering community support.

For that very first livestream, Clark, who’s also the founder of local homeless outreach nonprofit Giving Back Packs, set out to raise $200 to spend at Pizza Rita on pizzas delivered to Hope House women’s shelter, where his wife, Virginia, works.

“I wanted to buy pizza from [Pizza Rita owner] Brian Dickmann, because he’s a longtime supporter of Giving Back Packs, and long story short, that video turned into 112 live videos and $250,000 and a lot more than that,” Clark says.

In the ensuing months, Clark says the funds raised during those regular streams were spent on full-price meals at 176 local restaurants at risk of not making it through the pandemic. The meals went out to local nonprofits and often anyone who showed up at a set time for a free meal.

Now that restaurants are back to full capacity, though, Clark has turned his attention lately to other efforts with the backing of Spokane Quaranteam’s more than 32,000 members of a public Facebook group. The platform is a virtual gathering place for locals to request help with anything and to connect with others who have the means to provide it.

“Originally I thought when we could go back

into the community [post-pandemic], I’ll taper away from it and get back to what I’m doing, earning my master’s at Gonzaga and other stuff,” Clark says.

“I tried to say, ‘OK, guys, we did some really good stuff, and I have to get back to work,’ but the community said, ‘No, we’re not done with you yet.’ They helped me realize that even in times when there isn’t a pandemic, a community needs help in lots of different areas.”

One of those needs Clark recently helped meet, with the support of the Greater Spokane Food Truck Association, was raising $85,000 so that almost 250 food insecure kids could purchase daily meals from its member trucks throughout the summer.

“When we see these big events happen in Spokane, we now have a way as a large collective group to figure out how to address it,” Clark reflects. “That is exactly what Spokane Quaranteam has grown into, and I never imagined in a million years it would turn into what it did.

Seeing it grow is so much more important and so much better than any accolade I could get for coming up with the idea.”

— CHEY SCOTT BEST PANDEMIC HERO 2nd PLACE: Dr. Bob Lutz, former Spokane County health officer; 3rd PLACE: Nurses of the Inland Northwest BEST LOCAL SOCIAL JUSTICE ADVOCATE 2nd PLACE: Kiantha Duncan, Spokane NAACP president; 3rd PLACE: Kurtis Robinson, former NAACP Spokane president, and Sandra Williams, editor of the Black Lens (tie)

SPOKANE

OTIS ORCHARDS

MOSES LAKE

2021 BEST OF THE INLAND NORTHWEST INLANDER 91

BEST OF

During the pandemic, the Coug offered gift cards, to-go drinks, virtual events, drink recipes and Zoom backgrounds to help stretch morale.

THE PALOUSE A

nchored by two college towns, the Palouse endured a unique hollowing out this past year as thousands of students went remote, economy-boosting athletic events disappeared and party prohibitions tempered school spirits.

“Our business model is camaraderie and Cougs being Cougs,” says Bob Cady, owner of THE COUGAR COTTAGE in Pullman. “We rely on that good will. …

The pandemic stripped all of that away.”

Perched between the Washington State University campus and Greek Row, Cougar Cottage often holds down the epicenter of WSU fandom through good and bad. COVID-19 turned Pullman’s College Hill into a ghost town nearly overnight and the bar’s close-packed revelry into a liability.

This year, Inlander readers recognized the Coug, as it’s more commonly known, for making the Best Pandemic Pivot based on its clear-headed messaging, proactive safety measures and innovative efforts to bring people together virtually.

92 INLANDER BEST OF THE INLAND NORTHWEST 2021

LANCE LIJEWSKI PHOTO

BY JACOB JONES

Cady says they tried to be as transparent and responsive as possible during the many changes of the past year.

Customers and staff both appreciated clear expectations and consistent follow through on their health practices.

“The most important thing is making customers feel safe,” he says. “You can’t really get into the politics of it. … Our politics were: This is the law, this is the science.”

The Coug also offered gift cards, to-go drinks, virtual events, drink recipes and Zoom backgrounds to help stretch morale. Those efforts have helped bridge these past months, but Cady says he cannot wait to get back to the close-knit celebration of football weekends and other traditional events.

Perhaps once considered a luxury, the pandemic made patio seating a critical capacity for restaurants trying to keep customers safe and happy. Readers have declared MAIALINA PIZZERIA NAPOLETANA in Moscow the Best Outdoor Dining on the Palouse with its ample shade, tasteful cafe lighting and close proximity to the downtown core.

Many establishments have upgraded or installed new

patios to try to open up functional seating this past year, but Maialina already had its space dialed.

Many Palouse retail shops turned to online sales or curbside racks to adapt this past year. Mia Peterson, owner of FLIRT in downtown Pullman, says her staff has continued to specialize in helping select outfits that complement a customer’s individual taste and body type.

“We take extra time to put together outfits that work,” she says. “We like to take care of our customers. … We have fashions for all generations.”

Readers voted Flirt the Best Boutique on the Palouse this year, which Peterson attributes to her dedicated staff and fresh inventory.

“They’re always going to see something new in the store,” she says.

Peterson thanks her loyal customers and the community for its support, saying she cannot wait to see students and parents in the fall. She also has started planning for the boutique’s annual sidewalk sale in late July.

A favorite of WSU students and Pullman families alike, SELLA’S CALZONE & PIZZA bakes some

BEST OUTDOOR DINING

1st PLACE: Maialina Pizzeria Napoletana, Moscow 2nd PLACE: Birch & Barley, Pullman 3rd PLACE: South Fork Public House, Pullman

of the cheesiest dishes around — in a good way. Readers voted Sella’s the Best Palouse Area Pizza for its packed calzones of all kinds and pizzas piled high with quality toppings.

Customer crayon artwork, often calzones drawn into cartoon characters or declarations of Cougar pride, cover the pizzeria walls. A helpful staff and regional beer selection on tap round out its friendly atmosphere.

The pandemic also pushed some businesses to make changes for the better. Patrick Merry, owner and winemaker at MERRY CELLARS WINERY in Pullman, says the winery has upgraded its operations, expanded capacity and adopted new flexibility during the past year.

“It was certainly a challenge,” he says, “[but] we’re not going to go back to the way things used to be.”

Readers voted Merry Cellars the Best Winery on the Palouse this year. Merry says he believes the winery’s collection of bright, Washington-sourced wines are “solid,”

1st PLACE: Flirt, Pullman 2nd PLACE: Golden Gem Mercantile, Rockford 3rd PLACE: Michelle’s Closet, Pullman; Shop Sovereign, Pullman; The Storm Cellar, Moscow (tie)

1st PLACE: Sella’s Calzone & Pizza, Pullman 2nd PLACE: Porch Light Pizza, Pullman 3rd PLACE: Maialina Pizzeria Napoletana, Moscow

BEST WINERY

1st PLACE: Merry Cellars, Pullman 2nd PLACE: Colter’s Creek Winery, Moscow 3rd PLACE: Wawawai Canyon Winery, Uniontown

PANDEMIC HERO 1st PLACE: Nurses of Pullman Regional Hospital

BEST PANDEMIC PIVOT 1st PLACE: The Coug

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DANCOEL

Sorting grapes at Merry Cellars.

EMILY POPCHOCK PHOTO

but it’s the staff that sets it apart.

“We get to know [customers] almost like family,” he says.

And customers have appreciated some of the past year’s changes, Merry says, such as home delivery and weeklong wine releases instead of one-day premieres. The winery staff also engaged in much more outreach with customers to stay connected. Merry plans to continue those services post-pandemic.

“I think that has paid off,” he says. “We’ve learned a lot.”

Beyond businesses trying to keep their doors open, health care professionals throughout the Palouse put in an extraordinary effort to treat and protect the community this year. Readers honored the NURSES OF PULLMAN REGIONAL HOSPITAL with the Pandemic Hero of the Palouse award for their hard work.

Chief Clinical Officer Jeannie Eylar says the nearly 140 nurses at Pullman Regional all endured months of taxing patient loads and ever-changing challenges. Many working with COVID-19 patients also suffered through the social isolation of constant quarantine.

“We just did the best that we could,” she says.

Nurses working in the COVID unit often took steps at home to isolate from family members to protect against possible exposure, Eylar says. When hospital visitors were prohibited, many nurses then stepped in to help set up Zoom calls or other communications with patients’ families on top of their nursing duties.

As cases surged and beds filled last fall, the hospital sometimes lost the ability to transfer high-demand patients to larger hospitals. Eylar says local nurses stepped up to cover those care needs again and again.

Hospital officials have offered additional support services and community members chipped in to sew masks.

Eylar says many nurses have expressed a renewed sense of calling and teamwork throughout the past year.

“Through COVID we have strengthened,” she says now. “We had a community that just rallied around us.

That has meant a ton.” n

Because Spokane is downtown explore the best of downtown at downtownspokane.org

2021 BEST OF THE INLAND NORTHWEST INLANDER 93

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BEST DISC GOLF COURSE

DOWNRIVER

O

n a sweltering summer day, the shade from tall, old ponderosa pines can only provide so much relief. A swift-moving, cool body of water can do a lot more to beat the heat, though. Downriver Disc Golf Course on the northwest side of Spokane has both.

Nestled along a bend in the river just downstream of the TJ Meenach Bridge and wedged between Downriver Golf Course and Riverside State Park, disc golf at Downriver feels surprisingly close to nature even though you’re just a few shanked throws away from the city.

“It seems to get significantly less foot traffic from non-players than High Bridge [Disc Golf Course],” says

94 INLANDER BEST OF THE INLAND NORTHWEST 2021

Spokane disc golfer Patrick O’Brien. “I also do like that you get a view of the water, even though it’s claimed a couple of my discs.”

The river is a beautiful sight, but it’s also a giant, ever-present water trap. Soon, though, it won’t be the only water trap for players to navigate. As a result of a modernization of Spokane’s stormwater runoff system, Downriver is about to get a serious facelift. Twenty years after it was first laid out, the disc golf course will soon be altered and updated as water filtration ponds are installed.

How much that will change the course is yet to be determined, but it likely won’t be enough to dispel any

haunting rumors about the place.

“It’s a challenging course with some really fun drives,” says local disc golfer Dylan Worlock, “and some spooky history, if that concrete foundation really has to do with some institution.”

Ask anyone who regularly plays the course and you’ll hear variations on a story about what used to be there.

While it’s no haunted graveyard, the course’s past life is certainly ghost story material. It was home to the Riverpark Convalescent Center until 1992, when the nursing facility was closed by state regulators after inadequate medical care led to multiple resident deaths. Built in 1902, the four-story structure sat abandoned for a year

Circling Raven Golf Club BEST NORTH IDAHO GOLF COURSE

Voted as Best North Idaho Golf Course by the Inlander’s Best of the Inland Northwest Readers Poll, Circling Raven is nestled among 620 acres of wetlands, woodlands and Palouse grasses.

You’ll admire the aesthetics almost as much as the play!

HOME OF THE CIRCLING RAVEN CHAMPIONSHIP PRESENTED BY KXLY 4 NEWS NOW AUGUST 23 RD – 29 TH , 2021 Spectator passes are on sale now! Single day passes are just $5, or see all of the action and get a pass for the whole week for just $20. Two and three-day passes are also available.

Of the city’s three 18-hole courses, Downriver falls right in the Goldilocks zone.

YOUNG KWAK PHOTO

before burning to the ground in a suspected arson. What little remains of the facility has been integrated into the course itself.

Of the city’s three 18-hole courses, Downriver falls right in the Goldilocks zone. Not as easy or crowded as High Bridge, but not as hard or demanding as Camp Sekani. It will be interesting to see what happens to Downriver after the city’s renovations, but for now it’s in a situation where it’s just right. And being just right makes it the Best of the Inland Northwest.

— WILL MAUPIN 2nd PLACE: High Bridge Disc Golf Course; 3rd PLACE: Jamboree at Camp Sekani; NORTH IDAHO’S BEST: Corbin Park, Post Falls, Farragut State Park, Athol (tie)

W E LC O M E H O M E .

C A S IN O | H OTEL | D ININ G S PA | CH A MPI O NS HIP G O LF 3 7 9 1 4 S O U T H N U K W A L Q W • W O R L E Y, I D A H O 8 3 8 76 1 8 0 0 - 5 2 3 -2 4 6 4 • C D A C A S I N O . C O M

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RECREATION BEST IDAHO DAY TRIP DESTINATION

PRIEST LAKE

You can kind of understand why Idaho wanted to make it a little less appealing for people to come to Priest Lake and its other most popular state parks this summer by raising fees for out-of-state visitors. One of the best qualities of this lake in the Idaho panhandle is its pristine beauty that makes you feel close with nature.

The more people learn the “secret” of the beautiful sandy beaches, the woodsy boat-friendly camping sites, and the off-grid feel of places along the lake with poor cell reception, the more everyone has to share that beauty and work together to keep litter and overuse from harming their favorite place. Still, Inlander readers know that even if it costs a bit more to visit, this is one day trip you should definitely plan to take if you haven’t already. (SW) 2nd PLACE: Wallace; 3rd PLACE: The Route of the Hiawatha Trail

BEST DOG PARK

SOUTH HILL DOG PARK

It can take a little effort to find the South Hill Dog Park as it’s tucked behind Mullan Road Elementary off of 63rd and Regal, but it’s well worth it if you want your pup to find a gloriously expansive space to roam and meet some furry friends. There are plenty of trails delving in and out of towering trees that provide plenty of shade in the summer, and a big outer loop gives humans a decent amount of exercise if they choose. It’s well-maintained and folks bring plenty of water to share with their fellow dog owners, and the flat expanse has lots of little pockets if your dog prefers a little outdoor privacy rather than rolling with a pack of playful dogs. (DN) 2nd PLACE: Spokanimal Dog Park at High Bridge; 3rd PLACE: Valley Mission Dog Park; NORTH IDAHO’S BEST: McEuen Park Dog Park, Coeur d’Alene

The Bike Hub downtown store Manager Tim Dunn hard at work. YOUNG KWAK PHOTO

BEST WASHINGTON DAY TRIP

BEST BIKE SHOP

The waterfall itself is beautiful — the Palouse River tumbles off basalt cliffs and plunges for nearly 200 feet. And no elaborate hike is required. The waterfall is practically visible from the parking lot.

But the underrated part of the trip is the drive itself. Just under two hours to the destination, it provides plenty of opportunity for your family to play “I Spy,” sing along to Dad’s favorite classic rock mix and listen to Mom’s favorite audiobooks, exactly what a great day trip is all about. (DW) 2nd PLACE: Leavenworth; 3rd PLACE: Walla Walla

Bikes were one of the casualties of the pandemic year — if you wanted to buy a new one. That was a good thing for bike shops looking to introduce new and eager people to the sport, recreational activity and reliable mode of transportation. Finding a new bike may be a little challenging lately, but finding knowledgeable, friendly, and unintimidating and nonjudgmental staff isn’t a problem at one of the Bike Hub’s three Spokane-area locations downtown, in the Perry District and in the Valley. (SAL) 2nd PLACE: Wheel Sport Bicycles; 3rd PLACE: North Division Bicycle Shop; NORTH IDAHO’S BEST: Coeur d’Alene Bike Co.

PALOUSE FALLS

THE BIKE HUB

Do what you love, you’ll never work a day in your life 2021 winter will be here soon, pitter patter

Ski/Snowboard Shop

Thank You

Inlander and its readers and voters for letting us do what we love since 1954.

12505 E SPRAGUE AVE SPOKANE VALLEY, WA • 509.924.2330 96 INLANDER BEST OF THE INLAND NORTHWEST 2021

Locally Owned & Operated

BEST PLACE TO RIDE YOUR BIKE

CENTENNIAL TRAIL

BEST PLACE TO SKI BEST PLACE TO SNOWBOARD

BEST OUTDOOR REC SUPPLIES

It’s crazy to think how close a ski or snowboard trip is for most city-dwelling people around the Spokane metro area. It’s not the biggest or tallest, but Mt. Spokane Ski & Snowboard Park is an easy drive for anyone in the area and has a wide range of terrain for intermediate skiers and snowboarders. (QW) BEST PLACE TO SKI 2nd PLACE: Schweitzer; 3rd PLACE: 49 Degrees North BEST PLACE TO SNOWBOARD 2nd PLACE: Schweitzer; 3rd PLACE: Silver Mountain

Sunshine on your face, wind through your hair and the smell of ponderosa pine. There’s nothing like riding your bike along the smooth surface of the more than 60 miles of the Centennial Trail across Eastern Washington and North Idaho. Whether you’re testing your own physical limits or just simply commuting to work, the Centennial Trail is a regional gem for cyclists. (QW) 2nd PLACE: Riverside State Park; 3rd PLACE: Beacon Hill/Camp Sekani; NORTH IDAHO’S BEST: Trail of the Coeur d’Alenes

REI

Need a fresh new backpack? What about a rain jacket? Hitch rack to carry your bike? Water bottle? Stand-up paddleboard?

Headlamp? The possibilities for adventure seem endless at REI in Spokane, which is undoubtedly why Inlander readers voted it the best place for outdoor recreation supplies. (Pro tip: Get a membership and take advantage of those kickass garage sales.) (QW) 2nd PLACE: The General Store; 3rd PLACE: Cabela’s

BEST PLACE TO SOCIALLY DISTANCE

RIVERFRONT PARK

Restrictions are lifting, masks are coming off, and things are going back to… normal? Gone are the days of keeping a 6-foot bubble around your personal space at all times. And what a shame that is for the misanthropes, introverts and wallflowers out there. If you’re still longing for some personal space, head to Riverfront Park (now “Riverfront Spokane”) for a little bit of that sweet, sweet social distancing. (QW) 2nd PLACE: Manito Park; 3rd PLACE: Mount Spokane; NORTH IDAHO’S BEST: Lake Coeur d’Alene

MT. SPOKANE

BEST GOLF COURSE

DOWNRIVER GOLF COURSE

Whether navigating a scorching summer or keeping the course looking sharp for late-season rounds, the folks at Downriver Golf Course know how to do it right. And it’s the kind of course where both beginners and experienced golfers can have a blast playing.

It’s been in business since 1916, and anyone who’s walked among the towering pines and glimpsed the Spokane River nearby can tell you it’s a gorgeous 18-hole experience. I took lessons there myself, and I highly recommend you do the same if you’re interested in the game famous for ruining perfectly good walks. (DN) 2nd PLACE: Indian Canyon Golf Course; 3rd PLACE: (tie) Liberty Lake Golf Course, Qualchan Golf Course; NORTH IDAHO’S BEST: Circling Raven Golf Club, Worley

HALL OF FAME 10-TIME WINNERS AMC River Park Square Anthony’s Arbor Crest Winery Art on the Green Auntie’s Bookstore Azteca Boo Radley’s Clinkerdagger Dave, Ken and Molly Davenport Hotel & Tower David’s Pizza Dennis Patchin Dick’s Hamburgers Domini Sandwiches Dutch Bros.

The Elk Finders Keepers Frank’s Diner Gordy’s Sichuan Thomas Hammer Hastings Huckleberry’s Jaazz Salon Jewelry Design Center KZZU Liberty Park Florist Luigi’s Manito Park

Mizuna Mt. Spokane Mustard Seed Nordstrom Northern Quest Northwest Museum of Arts & Culture Pawn 1 Pig Out in the Park Red Robin REI Rocket Bakery Satellite Diner Schweitzer Tom Sherry Riverfront Park Spa Paradiso Spokane Arena Spokane Civic Theatre Starbucks STCU Swinging Doors Thai Bamboo Twigs Stephanie Vigil Value Village The Viking Washingtown Trust Bank Wendle Motors Wheel Sport

2021 BEST OF THE INLAND NORTHWEST INLANDER 97

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SUSHI

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98 INLANDER BEST OF THE INLAND NORTHWEST 2021

Regular customers fondly call themselves “Creelers.” BOB LEGASA PHOTO

BEST SKI/SNOWBOARD SHOP

THE SPORTS CREEL

I

n 1954, Harry Larned opened the Sports Creel snow ski shop on East Sprague in Spokane. He had a passion for the outdoors and a dream to connect his large family, his friends and his time with getting outside and adventuring in the mountains. Today, 67 years and three generations later, Micah Genteman is continuing his grandfather’s good work at what is now the oldest specialty ski shop in Spokane.

“We’re just a goofy little old-school, familyrun ski shop, and we’ll literally work ourselves to the bone to make sure our customers stay happy,” says Micah, who has run the shop with his wife, TJ, and a “spectacular rotating cast of crew” for several decades. Technically speaking, they’re an old-school snow ski shop that specializes in boot fitting; they do not sell snowboarding gear. They sell a variety of ski brands, helmets, goggles, boots and some clothing. They don’t have an e-commerce site, so you have to come see them face-to-face to experience their services. They also have a trade-in program that started with trying to keep kids involved in skiing year after year while also alleviating some of the cost for mom and dad when the kids quickly grew out of gear. They sell used gear and new gear, then as your kids outgrow their gear, the Creel allows you to trade it in toward bigger gear.

This past year, they had a revelation that has led to some small changes in the shop. “There are

a lot of people who are perfectly willing and able to go and buy things online that don’t require our help or our services or our thoughts and feelings on it,” says Micah. “But we do have people who drive here from a long ways away for us to work on their boots.” In a team meeting, one of the crew mentioned that nobody drove a long way to come and find out what kind of clothing the Creel sold, and that statement brought a new perspective to what the shop has to bring to the community. “We’re going to focus on the stuff that very few people can offer but we do well,” Micah adds.

With that in mind, they have increased their service area for ski boot fitting and decreased the floor space for outerwear, soft goods and other clothing. The change has been good.

Over the years, it’s become tradition for customers to introduce their own kids and grandkids to their family at the Creel. These customers and friends fondly call themselves “Creelers.”

Says Micah, “We get to ride on the coattails of the people who came in and did all the hard work before us in developing such great, loyal, long-lasting relationships with our customers. We feel really, really, really blessed to get to do what we love.”

— S. MICHAL BENNETT 2nd PLACE: Shred Sports Outlet; 3rd PLACE: Spokane Alpine Haus;

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100 INLANDER BEST OF THE INLAND NORTHWEST 2021

CULTURE | DIGEST

THE BUZZ BIN

It’s never too late to brush up on some skills you learned as a kid.

RETURNING TO CREATIVE ROOTS

You’re never too old to tap into “kid” crafts as a satisfying outlet

BY SAMANTHA WOHLFEIL

I

fell in love with crafts when I was a kid absorbing the arts I learned in Girl Scouts and at summer camps. Those plastic lanyard thingies? I made dozens. Hemp and embroidery floss friendship bracelets? I knotted hundreds, possibly thousands.

I never really stopped enjoying “kid” crafts.

There’s something meditative and freeing about returning to those crafts of your childhood, letting your mind relax as you simply focus on creating something new.

Last summer, when the pandemic kept us from most other activities, friends and I held our own yard game “Olympics” on a camping trip. For the event, we proudly made puffy paint T-shirts featuring our version of the (postponed) 2020 Olympics logo.

This summer, my friend brought a tie-dye kit on one of our trips. The second I started dyeing the shirt I’d brought, I had this sudden urge to dye more things.

Really though, I think it was an urge to return to those crafts that our smartphones and computers and TVs have largely replaced as pastimes.

People used to knit and cross-stitch and even make furniture in their free time. Many still do. Summer is as good a time as any to answer the call to return to those simpler activities.

Spend the day journaling at a local park, go on a hike and paint with watercolors, or consider some of these local classes.

WOOD PAINTING Board and Brush offers a variety of projects, including

things like painting signs, cornhole boards and decorative storage. boardandbrush.com SPOKANE ART SCHOOL From medieval illuminated manuscripts to drawing hands or creating caricatures, Spokane Art School is offering a huge variety of art classes this summer. spokaneartschool.net CREATIVEBUG VIA SPOKANE COUNTY LIBRARY DISTRICT At the Spokane County Library District, not only are arts and crafts classes offered in person, but the system also provides access to Creativebug, which offers daily online craft tutorials that library members can access for free. Log in with your library card at proxy.scld. org/login/creativebug THE PULLMAN ART CAR With classes at Gladish Community and Cultural Center in Pullman, the Pullman Art Car offers a variety of fun classes, from acrylic paint pouring to glass etching, hand lettering and more. They can also be booked for parties, or you can buy a kit to make at home. thepullmanartcar.com EMERGE The collective art space at Emerge allows artists from around the area to offer classes in Coeur d’Alene. Find everything from how to throw clay pots to painting and mixed media classes at emergecda.com/classes. n

KICK ASS HISTORY New to HBO Max is the two-season series Warrior, a must-see period drama set in San Francisco’s Chinatown during the late 1800s.

With a Peaky Blinders-meets-Game-of-Thrones vibe, Warrior centers around the city’s historic Tong Wars, a period when Chinese gangs, or tongs, were in constant conflict as the city was being built on the backs of exploited Chinese immigrant labor. With an all-star cast, Warrior offers prescient commentary on the American immigrant dream and racism, as well as the lesser-known history of a marginalized population. To spice up this storytelling, Warrior, based on the writings of the late Bruce Lee, sprinkles in excellently choreographed fight scenes, stunning sets and costumes, steamy sex and romance, gruesome violence, political intrigue and more. A third season is in the works. (CHEY SCOTT)

BIGTIME IDAHO Poet, author and Inlander columnist CMarie Fuhrman was just named the state of Idaho’s Writer in Residence by the Idaho Commission on the Arts, the highest literary recognition the Gem State offers, and Fuhrman follows fellow writers like Anthony Doerr and Diane Raptosh in the role. She’ll serve two years, and do at least four readings around the state as part of the program. Big congrats! (DAN NAILEN)

THIS WEEK’S PLAYLIST There’s noteworthy new music arriving in stores and online July 16. To wit: VARIOUS ARTISTS, May the Circle Remain Unbroken: A Tribute to Roky Erickson. A killer collection featuring Neko Case, Ty Segall, Gary Clark Jr. and more.

JOHN MAYER, Sob Rock. Not a fan, but props on his very ’80s album cover.

TEDESCHI TRUCKS BAND, Layla Revisited (Live at LOCK’N). Hearing guitarist Derek Trucks tear into these Derek and the Dominos songs is a damn privilege. (DAN NAILEN)

JULY 15, 2021 INLANDER 101

CULTURE | TV

Be Smart, Stay Home TV Time: Seven new summer series to stream right now

BY BILL FROST

S

o, how’s your summer? A fiery hellscape of meh, punctuated with awkward post-pandemic parties and uncomfortable family get-togethers? I’ve told you here before that you should just stay inside with your BFF — not the Bill Frost Fanclub, which inexplicably hasn’t been created, but the cool, soothing TV box.

While you were out wasting time on people, some stellar series have premiered over the past few months.

Here are seven to stream right meow.

We Are Lady Parts genuinely rocks!

Murphy), who regularly steps out of her laugh-tracked comedy unreality into a shadowy, contemplative reality away from assclown husband Kevin (Eric Petersen). It’s a jarring, high-concept stunt, but Murphy makes you believe every second.

MADE FOR LOVE (SEASON 1 ON HBO MAX)

PHYSICAL (SEASON 1 ON APPLE TV+)

Rose Byrne has been in so many dumb comedies recently that it’s easy to forget the dramatic intensity of her 2007– 2012 role in legal thriller Damages. It’s a dark — way dark — comedy, but Physical is a brilliant reminder. As Sheila, an ’80s housewife who becomes obsessed with building a VHS-tape aerobics empire despite her self-loathing inner dialogue and clueless politician husband (Rory Scovel), Byrne is pure, spiteful fire. Stretch before watching.

KEVIN CAN F**K HIMSELF (SEASON 1 ON AMC+)

Their asterisks, not mine. Blowing up the shlubby husband/hot wife sitcom trope (think the Kevin James twofer King of Queens and Kevin Can Wait), Kevin Can F**k Himself is about the miserable dual life of Allison (Annie

6th Annual

’Tis the season for dispirited housewives: After living with her controlling tech-billionaire husband in a remote compound for 10 years, Hazel (Cristin Millioti) finally escapes — sort of. She soon learns he’s implanted her with a chip that allows him to see and hear her every move while analyzing her “emotional data.” Unsurprisingly, Millioti delivers a fantastically desperate performance; weirdly surprising, her dad (Ray Romano) is in a cozy relationship with a sex doll.

HACKS (SEASON 1 ON HBO MAX)

She almost stole the show on Mare of Easttown, but in Hacks, Jean Smart is the show. Deborah Vance (Smart) is a legendary Las Vegas comedian who’s held a residency at the Palmetto Casino for decades. But, when the casino threatens to bump her for younger acts (like Pentatonix, fergawdsakes), Deborah begrudgingly hires 20-something Hollywood comedy writer Ava (Hannah Einbinder) to help freshen up the material. A hilariously caustic/sweet frenemyship is born.

WE ARE LADY PARTS

(SEASON 1 ON PEACOCK)

Four Muslim women come together to form Lady Parts,

FUNDRAISER and up!

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UrbanArtCoop.org 102 INLANDER JULY 15, 2021

a British punk band screaming raucous songs like “Nobody’s Gonna Honour Kill My Sister But Me” — you’re already in, aren’t you? We Are Lady Parts is more than just Pussy Riot meets Spinal Tap; it’s an upbeat celebration of outsider kinship and gentle rebellion against cultural stereotypes. In simpler terms, it’s funny and goofy as hell, and the music actually rocks — a rare find in music/ comedy combos.

BLACK SUMMER (SEASONS 1–2 ON NETFLIX)

Black Summer debuted way back in the Before Times of 2019, and Season 2 finally arrived with little notice in June of this year. Far from the slow zombies and slower melodrama of The Walking Dead, Black Summer is a frantically paced, sphincter-puckering undead apocalypse full of sprinting biters with little time for dialogue or steady cameras. Suburban mom Rose (Jaime King) battles her way through zombies and rednecks; you’ll battle motion sickness and anxiety.

SKY ROJO (SEASON 1 ON NETFLIX)

Sky Rojo is a simple story pulped-up to Tarantino extremes: Spanish prostitutes Coral (Verónica Sánchez), Wendy (Lali Espósito), and Gina (Yany Prado) are on the run from their abusive pimp; said pimp Romeo (Asier Etxeandía) and his goons are determined to retrieve them, one excessively gonzo 25-minute episode at a time.

Despite its violently misogynistic trappings, Sky Rojo is as much a subtle feminist comedy as it is adrenaline porn.

Season 2 drops July 23. n

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Grab a pizza and a pint at Trails End Brewery. YOUNG KWAK PHOTO

UPDATE

Coeur d’Alene’s Food Come Up Rounding up the latest North Idaho dining news one bite, one beverage at a time

BY CARRIE SCOZZARO

I

t didn’t take a New York Times article on Coeur d’Alene to tell locals what they already know: The region is a special place.

Part of that is its food and beverage industry, which — although struggling to find employees like elsewhere in the nation — also grew this past year for many existing and would-be restaurateurs in North Idaho.

TRAILS END BREWERY (trailsendbrewery.com) isn’t exactly new — we wrote about them in the Inlander back in October 2018 — but it lacked a brick-and-mortar location until spring 2020. Trails End’s new spot between a hair salon and adult novelty shop is memorable and, say the owners, the perfect fit.

They’re thrilled with the Highway 95 location, says Kirk Chaffin, who started the business with partner

Jeanine Raymond and takes any ribbing about their proximity to the Adam & Eve store in stride. In addition to plenty of room for its 10-barrel system, Trails End can seat nearly 150 upstairs and down combined. Grab a seat along the bar to watch your pizza cooking in the wood-fired oven. Try the Trails End ($17/$23) with red sauce, pepperoni, sausage, Black Forest ham, mushrooms, red onions, red and yellow bell peppers, and black olives, paired with one of their German-style beers, like the refreshing Alpine Haze.

Or take a table and check out the map of breweries that inspired the business name.

“It’s all about what you do at the end of the trail…

You get cell service, and you Google breweries,” explains Chaffin.

Although it’s only filling growlers to-go right now, CHALICE BREWING (chalicebrewing.com) has opened in downtown Coeur d’Alene with two beers currently on tap. The brewery is partnered with Evans Brothers to make a rich, Ethiopian coffee porter and renovations are underway at the Sherman Avenue building where the plan is to have a sit-down place.

Also on Sherman Avenue, after a public venting of frustration with Washington’s pandemic restrictions, STORMIN NORMAN’S SHIPFACED SALOON (storminnormansshipfacedsaloon.com) is expanding past its flagship Spokane Valley location. Owners hope to get their Coeur d’Alene location open by the end of July. ...continued on next page

JULY 15, 2021 INLANDER 103

FOOD | UPDATE

Birdie’s Pie Shop has expanded to Hayden. COURTESY PHOTO

“COEUR D’ALENE’S FOOD COME UP,” CONTINUED...

Farther east on Sherman Avenue, the Hogfish Bar has rebranded as BACKWOODS WHISKEY BAR (facebook.com/backwoodswhiskeybar); and nearby, SCHMIDTY’S BURGERS (facebook.com/schmidtysburgers) is still getting up-and-running after a fire leveled its Fourth Avenue spot in January 2020. A recent social media post from the burger joint mentions a September reopening.

And yet another business is calling East Sherman home, and they’ve got game (or you can bring your own). THE BLUE SHELL (theblueshellcda.com) might be Coeur d’Alene’s first establishment dedicated to arcade and tabletop gaming and — bonus points — it serves lots of local and regional beers in a chill space.

B Get Your Tickets Today Limited Seating for No Crowding Tickets online:

NWBachFest.com or CALL (509) 624-1200 9am-3pm Monday - Friday

104 INLANDER JULY 15, 2021

usiness has been good for LA CABAÑA, which started on Seltice Way in Post Falls more than 15 years ago. Restaurateur Felix Cabrera has added several locations since then, including in Rathdrum, Spokane Valley and most recently Post Falls’ Riverbend Commerce Park.

PANHANDLE CONE & COFFEE (coneandcoffee.com) started six years ago in Sandpoint, then launched a shop in Moscow, and has finally brought its artisan ice cream to Midtown Coeur d’Alene, just in time for summer.

BIRDIE’S PIE SHOP (birdiespies.com) has also expanded, adding a Hayden location in addition to the original Post Falls spot. Try sweet individual “bites” by the dozen, and both sweet and savory larger “personal” pies, and whole pies measuring roughly 11 inches.

There’s a whole barn full of pies next to Curley’s in Hauser Junction. OLIVE’S PASTRY AT THE PIE BARN (facebook.com/ olivespastrypie) has actually been making pies for a few years now, easing into a brick-and-mortar location and a larger following on social media.

Although sweet pies like huckleberry and Dutch apple (made with a touch of UpNorth Distillery’s

Big Kid Cider) are a specialty, Olive’s also does savory pies, sweet breads, tarts, cheesecake and a range of specialty items.

Coeur d’Alene also has two new franchise locations: CRUMBL COOKIES (crumblcookies.com/coeurdalene) on Government Way, and WESTSIDE PIZZA (westsidepizza.com) on Neider Avenue.

Speaking of pizza, get that and more at FLAME & CORK’S (flameandcork.com) gorgeous new home on Government Way just up the road from where it started in 2016. Try the charcuterie ($16), Nico’s pizza ($16) with prosciutto and arugula, or a good-deal lunch special like the veggie calzone ($12).

CRANBERRY ROAD WINERY (cranberryroad.net) has moved into the former Brazilian steakhouse in Coeur d’Alene’s Riverstone development with what owners Chris and Maria Tiffany call a relaxed and family-friendly experience.

Look for fine dining options such as steaks and seasonal seafood like the halibut linguine ($29), as well as appetizers, salads and woodfired pizza, plus a few items just for kiddos.

New labels are in the works for the winery, which the couple started in 2009 to make cranberry wine. They’re up to 16 varieties, two of which are still cranberry-based.

Cranberry Road Winery was originally located in Grays Harbor, Washington, but the Tiffanys decided to move their small winery and restaurant to Idaho in general and Coeur d’Alene specifically.

His great-grandfather was from Coeur d’Alene, says Chris, and many of their customers had connections to the area. There was another reason, however, and that had to do with Washington’s regulations stemming from the pandemic shutdown.

“To be blunt, [Washington Gov. Jay] Inslee was the best salesperson Idaho ever had,” says Chris. n

ADDICTED TO THE EXPERIENCES

Anthony Bourdain expanded America’s food tastes.

Roadrunner is a documentary portrait of Anthony Bourdain for those who already loved him

BY SETH SOMMERFELD

A

nthony Bourdain was a man always chasing that next hit of dopamine. That next fix. When he was young, it came in a literal sense — heroin. But then he quit that cold turkey — a nearly unparalleled feat that shocked his friend, artist David Choe. In the most revelatory moment in the new documentary Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain, Choe says that what he realized through observation was that Bourdain’s addiction never went away, it just jumped from new interest to new interest until he committed suicide at age 61 in 2018.

What made Bourdain a star on his various culinary travel shows (A Cook’s Tour, No Reservations, Parts Unknown) was twofold. First, he had an amazing appetite for new experiences and a true empathetic curiosity. But second, and perhaps even more importantly, he always felt like the coolest guy you could possibly hang out with while globetrotting.

At its core, Roadrunner mainly feels like it’s one last hang with Tony for fans and the people who loved him.

Under the watch of director Morgan Neville — Oscar winner for 20 Feet From Stardom (a profile of background singers) and an absurd Oscar snub for the even better Mister Rogers doc Won’t You Be My Neighbor? — the film seems designed for those who already love Bourdain. It doesn’t go deep contextualizing his rise to fame, more taking it as a given, and also doesn’t offer many unexpected revelations into his person. In some ways, it has a very TV documentary feel (it is a product of CNN Films), letting the immense trove of existing footage do

the work with assistance from interviews with his friends But even while he was becoming a beloved figure, the (fellow chefs, his TV directors, producers, camerapeople, love around him didn’t seem to penetrate his soul. Darkex-wives, and artists like Choe and Queens of the Stone ness loomed around every corner, even if his outward apAge’s Josh Homme). pearance stayed gregarious. The film documents his adBourdain was a chef who was known for his zeal for dictions jumping from cooking to writing to TV to family life far more than for what he made in the kitchen, gainto taekwondo to lovers. It paints a picture of a bipolar ing fame initially via his bestselling book Kitchen Confidenman haunted by romantic ideals of life he can never seem tial. When his following book, A Cook’s Tour, blossomed to attain (though actually the fact that he was bipolar and into a television show, Bourdain found the calling for the clearly so is shockingly never mentioned considering how rest of his days. He was the swashbuckling rebel pirate of much it explains). In the end, the darkness won. the food world, as he put it, “the antidote to the chummy That also sets up the most uncomfortable part of the and adorable TV chefs” like Emeril Lagasse. Perhaps his Roadrunner — its portrayal of Bourdain’s last girlfriend, aura can best be distilled by a shot in actress Asia Argento (who is not interviewed). the film where an exhausted Bourdain ROADRUNNER: Neville paints her in an unflattering light that is slumped on the floor of an airport, feels really unseemly, coming up just short of A FILM ABOUT puffing a cigarette under a sign that blaming her for pushing Bourdain to the point ANTHONY BOURDAIN reads “Be a Traveler, Not A Tourist.” of suicide by being a chaotic sort of passionate Rated R Being someone who spent 250 lover and then eventually canoodling with othDirected by Morgan Neville days a year traveling means Roadruners. By the time Neville allows one of the talking Starring Anthony Bourdain, ner can basically track his entire life in heads to step in and say it’s all Anthony’s fault, Ottavia Bourdain, David Chang the spotlight. (There are also plenty not Asia’s, the damage has mostly been done. of vertical cropped videos from his Roadrunner will largely satisfy the appetites Instagram posts, which — I realized while watching this of those who want a final taste of Anthony Bourdain, film — will become ever more present in future docubut it’s not a rich multicourse offering, and its relatively mentaries.) Strangely, despite the massive video archive, straight-forward plating won’t be earning any Michelin the movie seems to build its framework around who stars. That said, the literal final action of the movie — they were able to get to sit down for an interview more which involves Choe — is one of the most tremendously than anything else, at times seeming to slow down for fitting ways to cap a documentary you’ll ever see. So individual vignettes. maybe at least stick around for that dessert. n

JULY 15, 2021 INLANDER 105

IC LANTERN THEATER MAG

FILM | SHORTS

FRIDAY, JULY 16TH - THU, JULY 22ND

TICKETS: $9 z

NOW PLAYING:

SPACE JAM 2, SUMMER OF SOUL IN THE HEIGHTS THE WOMAN WHO RAN THE LONELIEST WHALE WEREWOLVES WITHIN...

RENTALS STARTING AT $99!

Check website

magiclanternonmain.com for all showings and rental inquiries.

25 W Main Ave #125 • MagicLanternOnMain.com

MOVIE TIMES on

OPENING FILMS ESCAPE ROOM: TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPIONS

The original Escape Room movie was a lot less fun than actually going to an escape room, but was enough of a hit to warrant watching six new contenders try their luck. (DN) Rated PG-13

PIG

Nicolas Cage plays a truffle hunter who

has to leave the wilderness and head to Portland to find the person who stole his beloved pig. A recipe for some John Wickish fun. (DN) Rated R

life should be pretty satisfying. (DN) Rated R

ROADRUNNER: A FILM ABOUT ANTHONY BOURDAIN

Hey look, it’s another reason for people to argue over who is better, the Michael Jordan of the original Space Jam or Lebron James in this new version. (DN) Rated PG

If you’re already a fan of the chefturned-TV personality and travel host, this documentary on Bourdain’s

NOW PLAYING BLACK WIDOW

A flashback in the Marvel Universe in which the title character (Scarlett Johansson) is overshadowed by her spunky sister (Florence Pugh) in an action-packed affair. (DN) Rated PG-13

SEARCHABLE

by Time,

by Theater, or Movie

Every Theater. Every Movie. All in one place.

THE BOSS BABY: FAMILY BUSINESS

The boss baby (Alec Baldwin) and his big brother (James Marsden) are all grown up in this sequel, and they’ve drifted apart only to come back together when a new boss baby shows up in their lives. (DN) Rated PG

THE CONJURING: THE DEVIL MADE ME DO IT

The latest chiller about supposed paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren, investigating a murder suspect who claims to be possessed by a demon. (NW) Rated R

CRUELLA

Disney’s puppy-skinning villainess gets her own origin story, as Emma Stone portrays the enterprising seamstress turned devilish fashionista. (NW) Rated PG-13

F9 THE FAST SAGA

The long-awaited ninth episode finally hits theaters, bringing Vin Diesel’s Dom back into action to foil a plot hatched by his long-forsaken brother Jakob (John Cena). (DN) PG-13

THE FOREVER PURGE

On the morning after the annual bloodletting purge, a masked gang attacks a wealthy ranch family in Texas, and the family of ranch hands who work for them, forcing the two families to band together and fight. (DN) Rated R

106 INLANDER JULY 15, 2021

Space Jam: A New Legacy

SPACE JAM: A NEW LEGACY

THE HITMAN’S WIFE’S BODYGUARD

SPIRIT UNTAMED

IN THE HEIGHTS

SUMMER OF SOUL (...OR, WHEN THE REVOLUTION COULD NOT BE TELEVISED)

Ryan Reynolds and Samuel L. Jackson are an odd couple hitman and bodyguard combo back for another actionpacked adventure, this time with Salma Hayek in the mix as a world-class con artist. (DN) Rated R Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Bronx-set musical hits the big screens under the direction of John Chu (Crazy Rich Asians), tracking a bodega owner’s dreams of forging a better life in a neighborhood full of colorful characters (and a whole lot of music). (DN) Rated PG-13

THE LONELIEST WHALE: THE SEARCH FOR 52

A documentary about a scientific crew trying to find a whale they believe has lived its life alone, sending out a frequency different from any other whale in hopes of meeting another oceanbound soul. At the Magic Lantern (DN) Rated PG

PETER RABBIT 2: THE RUNAWAY

Here comes a Peter Rabbit sequel in which the mischievous rodent finds a place beyond the garden where he’s accepted for his roguish charm. Is that enough to keep him from going home?

(DN) Rated PG

A QUIET PLACE PART II

A sequel to the hugely popular 2018 horror hit, following the original film’s family as they continue to evade monsters with hypersensitive hearing. (NW) Rated PG-13

A young girl befriends a rebellious horse named Spirit after moving to a small town, and must foil the bad guys’ plans to capture Spirit and his herd in this animated family flick featuring the voices of Julianne Moore and Jake Gyllenhaal. (DN) Rated PG

Questlove directs this documentary about 1969’s Harlem Cultural Festival, featuring incredible performances by the likes of Stevie Wonder, Sly and the Family Stone, Nina Simone and more.

(DN) Rated PG-13

WEREWOLVES WITHIN

A new forest ranger (Sam Richardson) and postal worker (Milana Vayntrub) try to uncover the mystery of a creature terrorizing the small town of Beaverfield as the town’s residents are trapped together by a snowstorm in this comedy/mystery. (DN) Rated R

THE WOMAN WHO RAN

This Korean film from director Hong Sangsoo follows a woman named Gamhee as she travels through her day while her husband is out of town, meeting three different friends along the way for revealing discussions of philosophy and more. At the Magic Lantern. (DN) Not Rated

ZOLA

A Twitter thread-turned-feature film documents a wild weekend endured by a Detroit server and a customer who convinces her to take off for a round of partying and dancing. Mayhem, naturally, ensues. (DN) Rated R n

JOB FINDER MUSIC ART FILM & FOOD

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• Purchasing Manager • Sous Chef • Poker and Table Games Manager JULY 15, 2021 INLANDER 107

POP PRO MEMOIR

Richard Marx talks about getting personal in his new memoir, pandemicinduced writer’s block and turning early stardom into a lifelong career

BY DAN NAILEN

R

ichard Marx’s debut single “Don’t Mean Nothing” took radio by storm in 1987, its cynical look at showbiz pushed to popularity with the help of three Eagles on the track backing up the 23-year-old singer/songwriter and a cinematic black-and-white video that hit heavy rotation on MTV. That song sparked a remarkable run for Marx, when he became the first male artist to land his first four singles from a debut album in the top three of the pop charts.

His follow-up album, Repeat Offender, went multi-platinum and made him the first male artist to have his first seven singles hit the Top 5, songs including “Endless Summer Nights,” “Right Here Waiting” and “Should’ve Known Better.” By the mid-90s, though, Marx’s pop stardom waned, and he shifted gears to write songs for other artists, scoring hits and Grammys for songs written with or for Luther Vandross, N Sync and Keith Urban, among others.

In his new memoir, Stories To Tell, Marx doesn’t reveal an unexpected seedy side or dish dirt on his fellow celebrities. Nor does he get political and roast racists like he does on his joyfully profane Twitter feed. Rather, he recounts a remarkable story of a Chicago teenager whose demo tape landed in Lionel Richie’s hands, and a phone call encouraging Marx to move to Los Angeles and try to make it in the music business. Marx took Richie’s advice, and Stories To Tell recounts how that decision led to working with the likes of Madonna, Barbra Streisand, Kenny Rogers and gun-toting Chinese gangsters who once chased Marx to a Taiwan airport after a show.

The 57-year-old Marx, who last played Spokane just a few months pre-pandemic, called the Inlander to discuss Stories To Tell; this interview has been edited for length and clarity.

108 INLANDER JULY 15, 2021

INLANDER: Is there a difference in the nerves you feel putting out your first book versus putting out an album?

RICHARD MARX: It’s very different in that when I put out a new album. I definitely have excitement, nerves, what have you.

But no matter how many times I put out an album, I’m always thinking somewhere in the back of my mind, I’m going to put out another album in a year, two years maybe. I’m not going to put out another memoir, I can’t imagine, so to me there’s a little bit of weight to this that wouldn’t exist with a music release. It’s exciting and terrifying at the same time.

Was writing a book something in the works for a while, or were you nudged into writing?

The troubadour show I do, which is just me and the audience, I talk a lot. I tell stories between songs because that’s really what the show is about. And I would gauge each night’s show’s success in my mind not based on the applause for the songs, but “Did I nail the punchline? Did I get the laugh I’m used to getting at that moment?” And I realized each of those stories was its own chapter of a book.

So I started writing them down and trying to write them in a way that sounds like I’m just telling you the story over a drink.

But it never, in my mind, was a memoir. I’ve always been so private, people don’t really know about my life. They know my songs. It was really when [publisher] Simon & Schuster got involved and urged me to just write a little bit more about my life and my journey, in addition to writing the backstories to these records I’ve made and the people I’ve worked with. But still, if you read the book, it’s much more career-centric than personal.

Was it uncomfortable to get into the personal things, talking about your family or the loss of your dad?

The bit about my dad was something I felt like I had to write about, namely because it was such a monumental event in my life, and really the only true tragedy that I’ve suffered thus far in my life. And I also wanted to write it in a way that was meaningful to people who would read it, who might need to read something like that and feel like they’re not alone. It was tough, but as I was writing stuff that was more personal, even the end of my marriage or my relationship with Daisy [Fuentes, former MTV host and Marx’s second wife], what I ended up writing was what I felt was not a violation of the integrity of my privacy. I wrote exactly what felt right for me and comfortable for me to write.

Do you read many musician memoirs or biographies?

I’m a reader in general, but over the last 10 years I have gravitated toward memoirs and biographies. My favorite book of the last 10 years, meaning the most enjoyable read, was not a memoir, but the two-volume biography of Frank Sinatra. The first volume is called The Voice and the second is called The Chairman, by James Kaplan. It’s an exhaustively researched account of Sinatra’s life, and I couldn’t put it down. I remember reading it; I was on tour. And I have the best job in the world. When I’m on stage, I’m a thousand percent invested. But when I was reading that book, there’d be times I was playing “Right Here Waiting” on the piano and thinking, “Man I can’t wait to get back to the hotel and read that book.” I was obsessed.

One of the things that struck me was, even as you had all this success right away, you were remarkably self-aware about there being almost an expiration date for how hot someone can stay in the music business. Where did that self-awareness come from?

I was observant of careers and the length of careers. And there might have been a little bit of cynicism, even at that young age.

There are so few exceptions to the rule, but most careers, even if you have a really big career, it’s usually five to 10 years in terms of being on the charts, and having hits. Music is cyclical, and it moves on to the next generation, and the next decade is different, it should always change.

I remember watching careers cool off, and in some cases, they just disappeared. And in other cases, they just morphed into kind of what I do. I still put out records, but I don’t ever have any grand delusions of having hit songs. That was my turn for 10 years straight, and then it was somebody else’s turn. It helps to have a healthy attitude about it. And in my case, at the end of that 10-year stretch I immediately went into continuing to have hits, just not with me singing them. I focused on writing songs for other people and had this whole other 20 years of success that way.

You also seemed to have this confidence when you were a new teenager arriving in Los Angeles, believing you could write for an established star like Kenny Rogers (“Crazy”), or perform with someone like Lionel Richie. Was that confidence innate, did you know you had some chops?

I did know that I had some chops. I don’t think it was bravado, I don’t think I was cocky in that way. I was just confident that I wrote good melodies and that I could prove that I could construct a song. But it wasn’t until somebody like Kenny Rogers went, “Yeah, I’m gonna do this song” and then it became a hit, that validation changes everything. If your confidence is made of paper, all of a sudden it’s made of steel.

I tend to think of bands and musicians in terms of what “scene” they came from, but with solo singer/songwriters like yourself, you seem like lone wolves to me, out there by yourself. Is there a sense of community among singer/songwriters?

It depends on the singer/songwriter.

There are a lot of people who have had great careers as collaborators. J.D. Souther, for example, he certainly had a remarkable career as a songwriter, and he was somebody I always really admired, but his biggest successes were all songs he wrote with other people.

And there is no song that Elton John wrote alone. And then there are people like me who, the bulk of what I’ve written, I wrote by myself. I also have collaborated with a lot of people, but the biggest songs, the biggest hits, the majority of them I wrote by myself.

So there is the sense of the lone wolf in that. Collaborating and cooperating with someone is always a crapshoot in that. It could be that you’re going to get something even better than you would have by yourself, but then there’s also the possibility that you’re going to dilute what you could have created on your own.

You put out a new album right before the pandemic hit (Limitless), and then the whole world went into this insane period. Eighteen months later, has your attitude toward work changed?

Yes, for the first time in my life, I wasn’t really writing. Part of it was working on the book, which is a totally different muscle.

I had just put out an album, so I’d done a lot of writing a year before for that, so I felt like I could take a little breather from writing. But to be honest with you, the year was just sort of being quiet and still and just kind of hiding out with Daisy. I was not compelled to write at all.

I think I wrote one song in the last year and change. And I was beating myself up for it. I was like, “What am I if I’m not a songwriter? Why don’t I want to get in there and finish a song?”

Well, that’s because that’s just what it was for that year. And now that I’m going to start going back to doing shows, I’m sure the other thing will just kick in. n

UPCOMING SHOWS FREE THE JESTER W/ CCB KREW, TR3EZY, NATHAN CHARTREY Fri., July 16, 7 p.m.

The Big Dipper $10 SMOKEY ROBINSON Sat., July 24, 7:30 p.m.

Northern Quest Resort & Casino $59-$99 FESTIVAL AT SANDPOINT: ST. PAUL AND THE BROKEN BONES, THE DIP Thu., July 29, 6 p.m.

War Memorial Field $44.95 FESTIVAL AT SANDPOINT: SHAKEY GRAVES, TRE BURT

Sat., July 31, 7:30 p.m.

War Memorial Field $49.95-$74.95

WILCO & SLEATER-KINNEY

Thu., Aug. 5, 7:30 p.m.

First Interstate Center for the Arts $35-$89.50 THE SMOKES, CATHEDRAL PEARLS, BALONELY

Fri., Aug. 6, 8 p.m.

Lucky You Lounge $10 BILLY IDOL

Thu., Aug. 12, 7:30 p.m.

Northern Quest Resort & Casino $49-$99

NATHANIEL RATELIFF & THE NIGHT SWEATS WITH DELTA SPIRIT

Sun., Aug. 15, 7 p.m.

Pavilion at Riverfront $49.95-$55

ATMOSPHERE, CYPRESS HILL AND DJ Z-TRIP

Sat., Aug. 21, 6 p.m.

Pavilion at Riverfront $40

MODEST MOUSE Wed., Aug. 25, 7:30 p.m.

Knitting Factory $49.50 n

Richard Marx’s Stories To Tell is available in bookstores now.

JULY 15, 2021 INLANDER 109

YOUNG KWAK PHOTO

VISUAL ARTS MURALISTS MEET AGAIN

One year ago, a group of 16 local Black and POC artists gathered to create a colorful and powerful message in downtown Spokane, painting the Black Lives Matter mural along the side of ad agency Seven2 and 14Four’s offices on west Main Avenue. The mural’s unveiling was a bright spot amid a challenging year, as BLM protests and demands for justice and equality continued across the U.S. The mural’s presence remains a beacon of hope and solidarity for our region’s BIPOC community and its allies. Throughout July, several of the artists who contributed to Spokane’s BLM mural are together once again for Terrain’s featured gallery show, Power to the People - Stick It To the Wall. The nonprofit’s gallery showcases new works by Carl Richardson, Sarah Torres, Shantell Jackson, Robert Lloyd, Ohjunsoo, Emma Noyes, Jiemei Lin, Remelisa Cullitan and Reinaldo Gil Zambrano. Don’t miss it.

— CHEY SCOTT Power to the People - Stick It to the Wall • Through July 31; open Thu-Sat from 6-8 pm • Free • Terrain Gallery • 304 W. Pacific Ave. • terrainspokane.com and blm.terrainspokane.com

110 INLANDER JULY 15, 2021

MUSIC CASUAL CLASSICAL

VISUAL ARTS SWEET SCOOPS

Mozart on a Summer’s Eve • Tue-Wed, July 20-21 at 7 pm • $40$60 • Manito Park lawn east of Duncan Gardens • 2124 S. Tekoa St. • nwbachfest.com • 509-624-1200

Urban Art Co-op Scoops and Bowls • Sat, July 17 from 10 am-4 pm • Free admission; bowls start at $10 • Manito Park • 1702 S. Grand Blvd. • urbanartcoop.org

Mozart on a Summer’s Eve has been a seasonal highlight for Spokane music fans for three decades, and this year those fans will have the opportunity to recognize the efforts of longtime organizer Verne Windham as he passes the reins over to Northwest BachFest’s Zuill Bailey. This year’s version will be a little different, with limited tickets to ensure spacing and an open-air approach so concertgoers can spread out a bit more than usual. The program includes special guests like Broadway performer Shelly Watson, pianists Matt Herskowitz and Richard Dowling, as well as Bailey on cello, all helping deliver a show called “Summertime Spectacular! — Romance, Jazz, Joplin, Broadway and Much More!” The prime table seating is already sold out, but front lawn and back lawn seating remain for these two nights of excellence under the stars at Manito Park.

— DAN NAILEN

What better way to spend a summer afternoon than by browsing through handmade art and enjoying some ice cream? Head to Manito Park for Urban Art Co-op’s 6th annual Scoops and Bowls fundraiser. There are hundreds of handmade bowls available for purchase, and proceeds go toward supporting the nonprofit arts center that offers an affordable place for local pottery makers to learn, create and share their skills with the community. Prices for the bowls start at $10, and if you choose to purchase a bowl, you’ll also receive a free bowl of ice cream. The arts were especially hard hit by the pandemic, so showing support for local art is crucial, but be sure to get there before all the artwork is sold out. Grab your friends and family for an afternoon at the park admiring handmade pottery and eating some sweet treats.

— LILLIAN PIEL

GET LISTED!

Submit events online at Inlander.com/getlisted or email relevant details to getlisted@inlander.com. We need the details one week prior to our publication date.

COMEDY BLUE DOOR IS BACK

After a long hiatus from live, in-person improv shows, the Blue Door Theatre is finally reopening its doors. The nonprofit performance arts organization has been around since 1996, and has operated in the Garland District for nearly two decades now. If you’ve never been to an improv show, I highly recommend it — chances are, you’ll have a good laugh and be impressed with how well the improvisers can come up with elaborate characters and stories on the spot. Improv comedy shows are especially fun since most improv games rely on suggestions from the audience, so the audience helps shape the show. Bring the whole family on Friday nights for Zero Lag Laughs, a family-friendly show, or go to the theater on Saturdays for Safari, an improv adventure intended for mature audiences. The Blue Door Theatre also offers improv classes, so anyone can get involved.

— LILLIAN PIEL Live Improv at Blue Door Theatre • Fridays (all ages) and Saturdays (16+) at 7:30 pm • $8 • Blue Door Theatre • 815 W. Garland Ave. • bluedoortheatre. com • 509-747-7045

PRESENTED BY

FOOD TRUCKS. BEER GARDEN. LAKESIDE VIEWS. CELEBRITY GOLF. FIGHTING CANCER.

SATURDAY, JULY 31 “North Idaho’s Best Charity Event” -

FOOD & DRINK WINE ON THE MT.

Come summer, Sandpoint — especially atop Schweitzer Mountain, where the breeze is cool and the views are breathtaking — is the place to be for a quick weekend getaway. Yet another reason to head north is the resort’s annual Northwest Winefest, back after its pandemic break. The two-day celebration offers not just a chance to sample more than 80 wines from 20 regional wineries, but also live music by area musicians and tasty eats from local vendors.

Of course, since you’re already up at the mountain, there’s plenty more to see and do, including riding the Great Escape chairlift to the summit, where the Sky House Lodge is located, as well as hiking, biking, a climbing wall, disc golf and much more. Two ticket package options for the Winefest come with a tasting glass and six 2-ounce tasting tickets, which are $3 each if and when you run out and want to sample more.

— CHEY SCOTT Northwest Winefest • Sat, July 17 from noon-7 pm and Sun, July 18 from noon-5 pm • $30-$40 • Schweitzer • 10000 Schweitzer Mountain Rd., Sandpoint • schweitzer.com

Enjoy a day on the course for the Showcase celebrity golf exhibition in Coeur d’Alene.

Walk alongside your favorite celebrities from sport & screen.

Since inception in 2014, we have raised almost $17 million for the local fight against cancer.

Event held at the prestigious Coeur d’Alene Resort Golf Course

20

SPECTATOR $ TICKETS JUST

For more information visit:

SHOWCASEGOLF.COM JULY 15, 2021 INLANDER 111

EVENTS | CALENDAR

BENEFIT

PARADE OF PAWS The 18th Annual Parade of Paws is a fun-packed 2- or 4-mile walk to benefit the animals at the Spokane Humane Society waiting for their forever homes. Sign up, raise funds from your friends and family and come walk – with or without your dog! Bark, A Rescue Pub is hosting a beer garden, plus we’ll have food trucks, live music from the Angela Marie Project and vendors to shop from. July 24, 10 am-2 pm. By donation.

Spokane Humane Society, 6607 N. Havana St. spokanehumanesociety.org

COMEDY

COMEDY NIGHT WITH JR BERARD In addition to stand-up comedy , Berard has also written for actress Elizabeth Banks, is the Executive Editor for the Podaholics Comedy Network, has several screenplays working the festival circuit and can be seen in the upcoming season of Portlandia. July 15, 7:30-9 pm. $10. Ruby River Hotel, 700 N. Division St. fb.me/e/ XUyhE3eG (5625444612) ZERO LAG LAUGHS A fast-paced shortform improv show for the whole family. The format is generally game-based and relies on audience suggestions to fuel each scene. Fridays from 7:30-9 pm through July 30. $8. Blue Door Theatre, 815 W. Garland. bluedoortheatre.com SAFARI Blue Door’s version of “Whose Line,” a fast-paced improv show with a few twists and turns added. Rated for mature audiences. Reservations recommended. Saturdays from 7:30-9 pm. $8.

Blue Door Theatre, 815 W. Garland Ave. bluedoortheatre.com (509-747-7045) VICKI BARBOLAK Live comedy from a former contestant on America’s Got Talent. July 17, 7 pm. Bridge Press Cellars, 39 W. Pacific Ave. bridgepresscellars.com STEVE HOFSTETTER One of YouTube’s most popular comics with over 150 million views and half a billion more on Facebook, Hofstetter is also the host of Finding Babe Ruth on FS1. July 18, 5 & 7:30 pm. $20-$50. Spokane Comedy Club, 315 W. Sprague. spokanecomedyclub.com (509-318-9998)

COMMUNITY

HEALTH, WELLNESS & CAREER FAIR This fair is a collaboration between Spokane Tribal service programs, local HR Programs and various social service partners in Stevens and Spokane County. The event’s goal is to bring awareness and resources to the Spokane Tribe’s community on topics such as behavioral health, family and domestic violence, Indian Health Services, Indian housing, COVID relief information, diabetes prevention, substance abuse prevention, higher education, career opportunities and paths for people living with or without disabilities, our local heath & wellness programs and more. At the Wellpinit Powwow Grounds.

July 15, 10 am-2 pm. Free. spokanetribe. com (509-258-7502) ROOTS OF WISDOM Children and families discover the unique partnership between cutting-edge western science and traditional knowledge of indigenous peoples. This exhibition was designed and produced by the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry. Through Sept. 5; Tue-Sun 10 am-5 pm. $5-$12. Northwest Museum of Arts & Culture, 2316 W. First Ave. northwestmuseum.org (456-3931) THURSDAY NIGHT LIVE (TNL) This sum-

112 INLANDER JULY 15, 2021

mer the MAC remains open late once a month with half-off admission (members free). TNL offers an engaging mix of live music, gallery cruising, scheduled guided exhibit talks led by museum staff, public talks, artist workshops and/or demonstrations and periodic exhibit openings.

For updates on monthly TNL programs and events, check the MAC’s website or Facebook page. Third Thursday of the month from June through Sept. $6.

Northwest Museum of Arts & Culture, 2316 W. First Ave. northwestmuseum.org VINTAGE MARKET DAYS OF NORTH IDAHO An upscale, vintage-inspired market featuring art, antiques, clothing, jewelry, vintage, handmade treasures, home décor, outdoor furnishings, children’s items, food, seasonal plantings and more. July 16-18; Fri-Sat 10 am-5 pm, Sun 10 am-4 pm. $5-$15. Kootenai County Fairgrounds, 4056 N. Gov’t Way. vintagemarketdays.com MAKE & TAKES Come by during drop-in hours for a family-oriented craft experience. We provide the materials and inspiration, and you make an upcycled creation to take home. July 17, 11 am-3 pm. $10-$15. Art Salvage Spokane, 1925 N. Ash St. artsalvagespokane.com SCOOPS & BOWLS Urban Art Co-op and Pottery Studio’s annual fundraiser. Purchase a handmade bowl and get a scoop of ice cream. Cash/card accepted. July 17, 10 am-4 pm. $10+. Manito Park, 1800 S. Grand Blvd. Urbanartcoop.org TOC DIVERSITY RESOURCE JOHN LEWIS MEMORIAL EVENT A tribute to the man, his advocacy, and how it helped to shape our nation. This memorial to legendary civil rights hero John Lewis features a short viewing of “Good Trouble,” an intimate account of the legendary U.S. Representative’s life, legacy, and more than 60 years of extraordinary activism.

This is followed by open discussion and interactive workshop. Please RSVP. July 17, 1-3 pm. Free. Coeur d’Alene Fire Dept.

Station 3, 1500 N. 15th St. (208-557-1999) PETSMART CHARITIES NATIONAL ADOPTION WEEK WITH SPOKANIMAL During this week-long event, SpokAnimal will have pets available at all three PetSmart stores in Spokane: North, South and Valley. July 19-25. Adoption fees vary. spokanimal.org HEATING OUR HOMES & ADDRESSING CLIMATE CHANGE The Spokane Sustainability Action Subcommittee has recently released a draft plan that recommends phasing out natural gas hookups for all new commercial and multifamily residential buildings by 2023, and from all new construction by 2028. This proposal created significant discussion within the community about whether we can continue to use fossil fuels such as natural gas (methane) and address the climate crisis, with members of the climate action group 350 Spokane arguing in favor of the provision and Avista arguing against.

July 20, 6-7:30 pm. Free. gonzaga.edu/ center-for-climate-society-environment/ events (719-464-5555) THE CONTINENTAL MINE Scott Hill, chef-owner of HIll’s Resort, shares his insights and stories about the Continental Mine at the Community Church Fellowship Room in Priest Lake. The Continental was one of the most isolated mines in the Priest Lake region. July 21, 7-8:30 pm.

Free. (206-443-2676)

FILM

IN THE HEIGHTS A film version of the

Broadway musical in which Usnavi, a sympathetic New York bodega owner, saves every penny every day as he imagines and sings about a better life. Showing July 15-18 at 7 pm. $7. The Kenworthy, 508 S. Main St. kenworthy.org DRIVE-IN MOVIE NIGHTS: INDEPENDENCE DAY + WALL-E The HUB is hosting a series of outdoor movies this summer. Admission is per car, and local food trucks are on site selling snacks and concessions. See website for schedule and safety policies. July 16, 8:45 pm (Wall-E) and 11 pm (Independence Day). $20. HUB Sports Center, 19619 E. Cataldo Ave. hubsportscenter.org/drive-in-movies MOVIES IN THE PARK A family-friendly event every Friday, June 25-Aug. 27, in Sally’s Park. All movies begin at sundown. Bring blankets and lawn chairs and enjoy the outdoors with safe distancing.

Snacks and drinks available, with all proceeds benefiting The Salvation Army’s local youth programs. Free. The Salvation Army Spokane, 222 E. Indiana Ave. salvationarmyspokane.org (509-325-6810) MUSEUM MOVIE NIGHT AT HREI: THE MIRACLE WORKER Join the Museum of North Idaho at the Human Rights Education Institute Gallery for a showing of Patty Duke’s Oscar-Winning performance in The Miracle Worker. July 16, 7-9 pm. Free. Human Rights Education Institute, 414 W. Fort Grounds Dr. museumni. org/exhibits-tours-events/events PAVILLION PARK SUMMER FEST: SONIC THE HEDGEHOG Liberty Lake’s annual summer event series, with weekly outdoor movies at local parks; starts at dusk.

July 16. Free. Orchard Park, 20298 E. Indiana Ave. pavillionpark.org VANDAL SUMMER CINEMA SERIES Classic throwbacks, suspenseful action and comedies are center stage for the University of Idaho’s Summer Cinema series. Half of this year’s movies are part of the Screen on the Green series on the Theophilus Tower Lawn; the other half are at the Moscow Drive-In at the ASUIKibbie Activity Center parking lot (Lot 57). Each movie starts at approximately 9 pm, primarily on Fridays, June 18-Aug. 26. See complete schedule and other details at uidaho.edu/summercinema PAVILLION PARK SUMMER FEST: STAR WARS: RISE OF SKYWALKER Liberty Lake’s annual summer event series, with weekly outdoor movies at local parks; starts at dusk. July 17. Free. Pavillion Park, 727 N. Molter Rd. pavillionpark.org ICE AGE MOVIE MARATHON Join Riverfront Park for an Ice Age movie marathon featuring the five-movie animated series.

Movies show on Wednesday evenings at the Ice Age Floods Playground in Riverfront Park. Wednesdays from 8-10 pm; through Aug. 11. Free. Riverfront Park, 507 N. Howard St. riverfrontspokane.com MET LIVE IN HD: CARMEN With dances created by star choreographer Christopher Wheeldon and conducted by rising maestro Yannick Nézet-Séguin, this Carmen brings every aspect of Bizet’s tale to thrilling life, from its lighthearted beginning to its inevitably tragic climax. July 21, 6-8:45 pm. $12. The Kenworthy, 508 S. Main St. kenworthy.org (208-882-4127) RITA MORENO: JUST A GIRL WHO DECIDED TO GO FOR IT A look at the life and work of Rita Moreno, from her humble beginnings in Puerto Rico to her success on Broadway and in Hollywood. July 22-24 at 7 pm; July 25 at 4 pm. $3-$7. The Kenworthy, 508 S. Main St. kenworthy. org (208-882-4127)

FOOD & DRINK

FOOD TRUCK FRIDAYS Downtown Spokane is shutting down Wall Street every Friday this summer to offer a variety of local food trucks and entertainment.

Appearances by: Mixed Plate, Skewers, Crate, One Night Stand, D. Lish’s, Mangia, Mac Daddy’s, Toby’s BBQ, Tacos Camargo, Crepe Cafe Sisters, Daily Bread, Farmer’s Daughter, Ben & Jerry’s and Bombshell Sweets. 11 am-2 pm through Sep. 24. downtownspokane.org HILLYARD FOOD TRUCK PAVILION: FRIDAY NIGHT MARKET & OPEN MIC The weekly market features area food trucks, along with an opportunity for local musicians to sign up for an open mic session. Also includes lawn games, crafts, and other all-ages activities. Fridays from 5-9 pm through Sep. 24. Free. Hillyard Food Truck Pavilion, 5108 N. Market St. facebook.com/Hillyard-Food-Truck-Pavilion-100232218924654 RIDE & DINE Every Friday in July and August, enjoy a scenic gondola ride, live music and a savory mountaintop barbecue. Lift ticket is included in the price; also includes an option to mountain bike back down the mountain. Fridays from 3-7 pm through Aug. 27. $8-$55. Silver Mountain Resort, 610 Bunker Ave. silvermt.com (208-783-1111) ROCKET WINE CLASS Rocket Market hosts weekly wine classes; sign up in advance for the week’s selections. Fridays at 7 pm. Call Kevin to reserve a seat or register online. Price varies. Rocket Market, 726 E. 43rd Ave. rocketmarket.com (509-343-2253) NORTHWEST WINE FEST Sample great wines from around the Pacific Northwest while enjoying summer at Schweitzer.

July 17-18. July 17, 12-7 pm and July 18, 12-5 pm. $30-$40. Schweitzer, 10,000 Schweitzer Mountain Rd. schweitzer.com ICE CREAM SOCIAL The Cutter’s annual summer ice cream community social, this year to celebrate the theater’s newly remodeled kitchen. July 18, 2 pm. Free. Cutter Theatre, 302 Park St., Metaline Falls. cuttertheatre.com (509-446-4108) RIVERFRONT EATS The outdoor food truck series in the park happens Tuesdays, June 1-Aug. 31 from 11 am-2 pm.

Each week features a new lineup of locally owned food trucks; see complete schedule at link. A portion of the proceeds support free and low-cost community programming in Riverfront Park.

Riverfront Park, 507 N. Howard St. riverfrontspokane.com TERRAIN TABLE An outdoor fundraiser dinner to support local arts nonprofit Terrain, held at the farm of Celeste ShawCoulston and Dan Coulston (address provided to attendees). Includes live music, a full-course dinner, wine, art, a no-host bar and more. Covid-19 vaccinations required to attend. July 21, 6-10 pm. $150/ person. terraintable.org

MUSIC

MUSIC ON MAIN Enjoy local artists and bands; follow the Pullman Chamber’s Facebook page for updates. Thursdays from 6-8 pm through Sep. 23. Free. pullmanchamber.com (509-334-3565) FRIDAYS AT THE CLOCK The WSU School of Music hosts this new outdoor summer music series. Located between Bryan Hall and Holland Library, concerts take place every Friday in July at 6:30 pm. Bring your blankets, lawn chairs and picnics to enjoy family friendly concerts.

Free. Bryan Hall Theatre, 605 Veterans Way. events.wsu.edu/event/thursdaysat-the-clock/ (509-335-7696) OPERA ON THE LAKE: THE MAID TURNED MISTRESS A sunset cruise and a playful comedy about an old man, Uberto, and his brazen maid, Serpina.

July 18-19 at 7 pm; boarding at 6:30 pm. $85. Coeur d’Alene Resort, 115 S. Second. inlandnwopera.com POP SUMMER CONCERT SERIES: LILAC CITY COMMUNITY BAND Prince of Peace Lutheran Church hosts its 15th annual POP Summer Concert Series through July. Each family-friendly concerts is held on the hillside lawn of the church. July 18, 6:30-8:30 pm. Free. Prince of Peace Lutheran, 8441 N. Indian Trail Rd. popspokane.org (509-465-0779) MUSIC ON MONDAYS CONCERT SERIES: LAKE CITY STRING QUARTET Based in Coeur d’Alene, LCSQ has performed extensively throughout North Idaho and Eastern Washington. This talented group likes to mix it up with a variety of music including classical, Jazz, Celtic, Americana and even pop music. This year, they take audiences “To the Cinema.” July 19, 6-7:30 pm. Free. Coeur d’Alene Public Library, 702 E. Front Ave. cdalibrary.org MOZART ON A SUMMER’S EVE Northwest BachFest presents its 30th annual summer concert series in Manito Park on the lawn east of the Duncan Gardens fountain. Event founder Verne Windham will be honored by Northwest BachFest Artistic Director Zuill Bailey, who is now programming these concerts. The concert program features Matt Herskowitz, Richard Dowling, Shelly Watson and Zuill Bailey. July 20 and 21 at 7 pm. $40/$60.

Manito Park, 1800 S. Grand Blvd. foxtheaterspokane.org (509-456-8038) POP SUMMER CONCERT SERIES: SOUL PROPRIETOR Prince of Peace Lutheran Church is hosting its 15th annual POP Summer Concert Series through July.

Each family-friendly concerts is held on the hillside lawn of the church. Attendees are encouraged to bring blankets, chairs and picnics. July 21, 7-9 pm. Free. Prince of Peace Lutheran, 8441 N. Indian Trail Rd. popspokane.org (509-465-0779) BON ODORI DANCE LESSONS Come learn Bon Odori dances so you can dance these Japanese folk dances at the Spokane Buddhist Temple’s Obon Festival on 7/25. No prior experience needed. July 22, 4:30-6 pm. Free. Spokane Buddhist Temple, 927 S. Perry St. (509-534-7954)

SPORTS & OUTDOORS

BARRE ON THE BRIDGE Strengthen and tone your entire body with emphasis on core stability and balance, and complete with low impact and high intensity cardio bursts. July 15 from 7-8 pm. Free.

Riverfront Park, 507 N. Howard St. riverfrontspokane.com (509-625-6600) KALISPEL BAY MINES HIKE Meet at the Kalispell Bay day-use parking lot for a hike to visit an old abandoned mining site with panoramic views of the lower lake. July 15, 9-11 am and July 18, 9 amnoon. Free. Priest Lake, Idaho. (206-4432676) NATIVE PLANTS & THE KALISPEL TRIBE An open house at Priest Lake Museum to view its nature garden project. See the new interpretive signs identifying the native plants in both in English and in Salish. July 15, 11:30 am-1 pm. Free. Priest Lake Museum, 38 Priest Lake Museum

Rd. priestlakemuseum.org SPOKANE INDIANS VS. EUGENE EMERALDS Home series; through July 17, 6:30 pm and July 18, 5:09 pm. $5-$14.

Avista Stadium, 602 N. Havana St. milb.com/spokane/schedule/2021-07 MATT’S PLACE FOUNDATION ALS GOLF CLASSIC Presented by Kootenai Title. All money raised goes to help area families battling ALS. Lunch and dinner provided for entrants in this four-person scramble, also includes a raffle and life auction. July 17, 11 am. $25+. The Highlands Golf Course, 5600 E. Mullan Ave. thehighlandsgc.com SPOKANE SHOCK VS. TUSCON SUGAR SKULLS Arena football. Game also scheduled to air on radio, TV and online. July 17, 6:05 pm. $8-$58. Spokane Arena, 720 W. Mallon Ave. thespokaneshock.com (279-7000) SEATTLE KRAKEN EXPANSION DRAFT WATCH PARTY A Seattle Kraken expansion draft watch party at The Hub with hockey trivia, prizes, drink specials, pucks and pints on the patio. Wear your team gear and watch as the #SeaKraken tentacles rise from the Pacific Northwest grabbing players from across the league. July 21, 3-10 pm. Free. The Hub Tavern, 2926 N. Monroe St. fb.me/e/3u06CxGcN WEDNESDAYS IN THE WOODS A six-week series of outdoor learning events hosted by the Riverside State Park Foundation, including sessions on birds of prey (July 21), animal encounters (July 25), cycling (Aug. 4), minimum impact recreation (Aug. 4), plants and animals in the park (Aug. 11), hiking in the Inland NW (Aug. 18) and music and horses in the park (Aug. 25). Wednesdays from 6:30-8:30 pm, July 21-Aug. 25. Event locations vary, details and registration at rei.com/ learn. Discover Pass is required to visit the park. Riverside State Park, Spokane. Register at rei.com/learn NAVIGTION TRAIL TO THE UPPER LAKE HIKE Meet at the Beaver Creek trail head parking lot and walk to the Upper Lake. This is a very gentle walk with virtually no vertical gain; about three miles roundtrip. July 22, 9 amnoon. Free. Priest Lake, Idaho. (206443-2676)

THEATER

LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE Spokane Valley Summer Theatre’s regional premier of this musical highlights the stories of Laura Ingalls Wilder’s family life from her Little House series. July 23-Aug. 1; Wed-Sat at 7:30 pm, Sun at 2 pm. $22-$39. CenterPlace Regional Event Center, 2426 N. Discovery Place Dr. svsummertheatre.com

VISUAL ARTS

ARTIST RECEPTION: TOM MOHR An open-house reception for local photographer Tom Mohr, held outside The Center in Colfax. Mohr’s current exhibit “Mike’s Gazebo” is on display at The Center through the end of the month.

Light refreshments served. A portion of sales benefit the library. The Center and Colfax Library are open Mon-Fri from 10 am-6 pm and Sat 1-5 pm. July 15, 6-8 pm. Free. Colfax Library, 102 S. Main St. whitco.lib.wa.us (397-4366) COFFEE IN THE GARDEN / ART IN THE GARDEN Join us for coffee, tea, refreshments and conversation, with

occasional demonstrations and music.

Thursdays from 10 am-noon through Aug. 26. Events on July 15 and Aug. 19 are from 10 am-1 pm and offer a mix of regional art and garden items for sale. Free. Create Arts Center, 900 W. Fourth, Newport. createarts.org PAINTINGS OF MANITO AND OTHER SPOKANE SCENES Join local artist Megan Perkins as she discusses the subject of her paintings with particular focus on those done at Manito, as well as other Spokane scenes. This lecture is delivered via Zoom. Sign up to receive a link by July 16. July 17, 11 am12:30 pm. Free. thefriendsofmanito.org ACRYLIC PAINTING WITH TOM QUINN In this class students are introduced to the highly forgiving, versatile medium of acrylic paint. For High school to adult students. Meets July 21-Aug. 25; Wednesdays from 10 amnoon. $120. Spokane Art School, 811 W. Garland Ave. spokaneartschool.net EMERGE’S 9TH ANNUAL POP-UP SHOW The annual show features local visual artists along with film and performance artists who’ve been supported by Emerge to prepare their work in a professional way. Art for the show is selected by a panel of professional artists and members of the arts community. July 23, 5 pm-midnight. Emerge, 119 N. Second St. emergecda.com

WORDS

TWICE HEROES: NISEI VETS OF WWII & KOREA San Francisco photographer Tom Graves began photographing and interviewing WWII and Korean War veterans in 2001. In 2013 he published the book “Twice Heroes: America’s Nisei Veteran’s of WWII and Korea” on the subject. This program focuses on the 300+ interviews he conducted with Nisei veterans. A signing follows the talk, copies are available for purchase. July 15, 7 pm. $10 suggested donation. Northwest Museum of Arts & Culture, 2316 W. First Ave. sales.northwestmuseum.org (509-456-3931) PICNIC AT THE PAVILION: FIVE LOCAL AUTHORS SPEAK Five local authors — Mary Lou Reed, David Kilmer, Steve McCrea, Doug Eastwood and Darlene C. Bander and Regina Lustig — talk about their books during this picnic-style event. Ticket includes admission and wine/beer or soft drink.

July 16, 5:30 pm. $27.24. McEuen Park, 420 E. Front Ave. cdalibrary.org ONLINE TRIVIA: THE RICK RIORDAN MYTHOLOGY UNIVERSE Celebrate your favorite Rick Riordan books with SCLD! Share your knowledge of these series Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Heroes of Olympus, The Kane Chronicles, The Trials of Apollo, and more. All ages. Registration required.

July 16, 6:30-7:30 pm. Free. scld.org THE PROPERTIES OF PERPETUAL LIGHT BY JULIAN AGUON WITH TOMMY ORANGE A Zoom event with Julian Aguon discussing his memoir with Tommy Orange. Aguon’s “In The Properties of Perpetual Light” weaves together stories from his childhood in the villages of Guam with searing political commentary. July 22, 7-8 pm.

Free. Online; register at auntiesbooks. com (509-838-0206) n

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JULY 15, 2021 INLANDER 113

OUR ORBITS KEPT INTERSECTING IN RIVERFRONT PARK SUNDAY MORNING You were in the Kona hat and the orange tank top; I was the guy in the green Sounders shirt and the blue cap. I don’t know about you, but I was on a random ramble through the park. We kept smiling and saying hello to each other; perhaps we should walk together sometime.

Maybe I’ll try again next Sunday.

I SAW YOU BLACK PERSON AT LIBERAL CHURCH Pre-Covid, I saw you after the Sunday service standing in the social hall with no one within 10 feet of you. I could say I was in a hurry, or I could blame my lousy hearing, but really I was anxious about what to say to you, having almost no experience in life or in this church. So, I passed you by and have regretted that little sin ever since. I hope someone did make some friendly chatter. And my apologies for not personally welcoming you in.

LISTENING TO TAYLOR SWIFT @ BIGFOOT You came up to me at the Bigfoot during the live music and told me you liked the music I picked from the jukebox before the band started playing.

You were cute, and I should’ve asked for your number. If you are interested in getting a drink, email me welcometothebigfoot@gmail.com. You had a beard. I had pink hair.

ARBOR CREST BRUNETTE As soon as I saw you at Arbor Crest on July 11, I was stunned by your beauty — you: attractive, long beautiful brunette hair.

We passed each other a few times with smiles...me: tall, deep tanned with athletic build...who are you? Hope to see you again soon

STILL THINKING ABOUT OUR BRIEF ENCOUNTER I saw you at Wal-Mart the one on Sprague. We both comment on our good-looking appearance. You were looking marvelous in the dress or the dress was looking marvelous on you, but I am still thinking about that moment. I was so taken away by your total beauty (I wish I could have seen your eyes hiding behind stylish sunglasses) that I paid your bill. I hope you see this and respond; I want to continue our encounter.

I SAW YOU HIT WITH A COCONUT You saw me cooking dinner, and the strangest thing happened. A coconut bonked you on the noggin, and suddenly a sensational truth came to you. We loved each other. We can be really happy together. I still have the coconut you gave me after that night.

I still love you, doubly so since then.

Nikita, I want you to marry me, will ya? -C 6/26/21, ACE HARDWARE PARKING LOT You were very pretty with a great smile, and you drove a red Toyota Corolla (I think.) You came out of Ace hardware at Sullivan and Sprague on Saturday 6/26 as I was getting out of my truck, and you said, “Sorry I didn’t park so well with the lines,” and I said, “It’s OK; they’re only lines.” I should have asked you out on the spot, but I did not.

CHEERS GOOD KARMA! Cheers to the person who turned in the $60 cashback left in the self-checkout machine on 6/30 at the Albertsons on 57th Ave. You made our night when we returned to find it there.

Selfless people still exist! We’ll make sure and pass it on.

You don’t seem cut out for city living.

Try Idaho?

I AM GOING TO MISS YOU Codie, you have been an amazing friend and went out of your way to pull me out of my glum. Its been a rough few months, and having you to talk to and laugh with has

JEERS FOR WASTING 15 YEARS, MR. B Jeers to your lies and wanting to f--every woman you meet and wasting 15 years of my life, Mr. B. I loved you more than you deserved and worked my ASS

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with its engine running. Shut the engine off, and go sit in the shaded grass. Don’t be a menace to the planet.

ILLEGAL TRAIL BUILDING Over the past year, there has been a significant increase in the number of trail users.

Overall, people are respectful of our pre-

Ban all civilian fireworks & leave fireworks to the pros or watch on TV!

made it alright to cope with. You are a ray of sunshine in the darkness. You have treated me better than any friend in a while. Thank you for seeing me as a person with struggles who just needed a little support. Oh and thanks for the awesome bra.

OFF for you while you were in prison to make sure you had Everything you needed and wanted while in there and got you your job that you have now for 10 years. Then later I find out you were writing another woman and having her visit you when I couldn’t.

YOUR KINDNESS WILL KEEP ME ROLLING Thanks to the super cool old guy that pulled up to Sportsmans Warhouse to check on me when I popped the hood of my red ‘84 vette. I’ve had my old death wagon blow hoses, die, and catch fire mid-drive! Before now no one has ever offered a hand. It’s amazing you offered to use your AAA membership for me, that kindness is a vestige from the golden years I was born too late for. It started a minute after you walked off, but you know that, at least I got to wave goodbye right as you walked out of the store.

COLD SHOULDER Cool, cool, cool — or not so…Making my way downtown in a heat wave and seeing stores blasting their A/C, but propping their doors open.

Really loved their reasoning: From “ADA compliance” to “we’re a private business (??), we can do what we want.” I suppose I can also do what I want, which is try to publicly shame your businesses’ selfish choices and shop at less contrived and more independent stores.

JEERS RE: JEERS TO SPD FOR NOT WORRYING ABOUT PETTY ISSUES You complained about SPD not doing enough about the homeless and drug problems in your neighborhood. Yet you claimed you wasted their time by making reports about cars parking in the wrong direction or people shooting up drugs. SPD has way more important things to deal with.

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.”

1 HR PRIOR TO GAME

CIVILIAN FIREWORKS VIOLATORS! So, you can afford a $500+ fine for shooting off fireworks? The noise into all hours of the wee mornings around the 4th.

Ever hear of fire danger & injuries? What about terrorizing the animals & vets? Pay for your own injuries at the ER. Not the insurance co’s. Ban all civilian fireworks & leave fireworks to the pros or watch on TV! SHUT YOUR ENGINE OFF Jeers to the jackasses who leave their engines running all the time. I shopped for 45 minutes at the Hillyard Safeway, and the entire time a big truck sat next to my car

THIS WEEK'S ANSWERS R A G E

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$5 BEER & $2 PEPSI PRODUCTS Game Times: 7/13 - 7/17 - 6:30pm, 7/18 - 5:09pm

Have an event?

GET LISTED! SUBMIT YOUR EVENT DETAILS Inlander.com/GetListed Deadline is one week prior to publication

114 INLANDER JULY 15, 2021

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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.

for listings in the print & online editions of the Inlander.

vs.

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cious natural areas. However, over the past year there have been many illegal trails constructed in the Indian Canyon and Palisades natural areas. The major concerns of illegal trails are the following: 1) Trails need to be approved by the governing agency per RCW 47.30.040, in this case the City of Spokane. 2) Unapproved trails are not part of the Park Department maintenance program of the city resulting in: i. Promotion of noxious weeds; ii. Disruption of wildlife; iii. Lack of liability for use and construction. If you are involved in illegal trail building, cease and desist. Efforts to maintain and improve our natural areas is encouraged, but the efforts must be made through the proper channels. Please help support the conservation of our beautiful park for future generations by reporting illegal trail building and continuing to use and enjoy our parks. n

Pioneer Squares from Craft Elixirs

EDIBLES

Chew on This Local budtenders weigh in on their favorite edibles of 2021

BY QUINN WELSCH

A

s we leave behind the dark days of quarantine, it might be nice to try something new. For cannabis users, or those canna-curious, the options include a variety of delicious edibles.

We spoke with a few local budtenders about some of the best-selling edibles in 2021 so far, and they gave us the lowdown.

UNCLE ROANER’S, TAFFY AND HARD CANDY

You’ve tried the gummies, the brownies and the chocolates, but what about something more old school?

Savanna Ley at MJ’s Pot Shop in Pullman says that lately she’s been excited about Uncle Roaner’s taffy. The flavors, which you can find in lemon bar and huckleberry at MJ’s, “are super on point and delicious,” she says. If taffy isn’t your thing, Ley recommends checking out Uncle Roaner’s hard candies, which include flavors like huckleberry, green apple and root beer.

CRAFT ELIXIRS, PIONEER SQUARES

If you’re in the mood for something fruity and chewy,

Madison Wall at Cinder recommends trying the Pioneer Squares from Craft Elixirs. Like all Craft Elixir products, the chewy, fruity candies are infused with a “full-spectrum” oil with a mix of cannabinoids and natural terpenes, making them both tasty and potent, Wall says. The squares are also vegan, gluten-free and kosher, Wall adds. Find them in a rainbow of flavors, from ruby grapefruit to watermelon kiwi.

MAJOR’S, PINK LEMONADE DRINKABLE

Edibles are so hot right now, but you know what’s getting hotter? Drinkables, aka cannabis cocktails. Major’s drinkables are another one of Wall’s favorite products right now, because they pack a serious punch (100 milligrams in 6.7 fluid ounces!) for an

affordable price, he says. Major’s drinks are also powered

by SoRSE, which infuses water-soluble and emulsified concentrate into the product for faster absorption, he says. Expect to feel it after about eight to 15 minutes.

Wall’s favorite is the pink lemonade, but you can also find the drinks in orange mango, blue raspberry, passion fruit and grape.

CERES GARDEN, CHOCOLATES

Ceres Gardens produces a range of different cannabis products, including tinctures and topicals, but Jamie Shipman from Piece of Mind in North Spokane says that their chocolates are “hands down” her favorite edibles right now. Coming in macadamia nut, malt ball, salted caramel, coffee bean and “dragon” (caramel with ghost pepper) and in indica and sativa options, Ceres chocolate has something for everyone. The company also uses a “nano-emulsification process” that allows the effects to take place more easily, Shipman says. n A version of this article first appeared in the Inlander’s glossy cannabis magazine, Green Zone Guide.

JULY 15, 2021 INLANDER 115

GREEN ZONE

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.

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JULY 15, 2021 INLANDER 117

RELATIONSHIPS

Advice Goddess

GREEN ZONE

States of Flux What’s up with cannabis depends on where you live in the USA

BY WILL MAUPIN

C

annabis news from around the country in recent days has been all over the map. Some legal markets are expanding options for consumers, other markets are to consider opening themselves up, while on the other end of the spectrum a state on the forefront of cannabis policy progress continues to deal with a massive black market problem.

CANNABIS FROM AN APP Apple is now allowing cannabis delivery service Eaze to fully integrate delivery into its app, according to a statement from the company published last week.

Before the change, users of the app were redirected to the Eaze website to complete delivery orders.

Don’t get too excited, though, Washingtonians.

Cannabis delivery remains illegal here in the Evergreen State. Of the 19 states and the District of Columbia to have

118 INLANDER JULY 15, 2021

THIN LINE BETWEEN LOVE AND BAIT

legalized recreational cannabis markets, only half allow for or are in the process of implementing legal home delivery. However, the tide appears to be turning, as three of the four states to join the legal club so far in 2021 will allow delivery. Now, for those folks at least, there’s an app for that.

POSSIBLE SOUTHERN EXPANSION

On April 7, the governor of Virginia signed into law a bill legalizing recreational cannabis in the state. With that, Virginia became the first legal state in the southeast. Tennessee could soon follow suit, maybe.

Last week, Tennessee Rep. Bruce Griffey introduced legislation that, if passed, would put the question of legalization to the voters of the Volunteer State. They wouldn’t be voting to legalize, though. The legislation would put three nonbinding questions on the 2022 ballot.

The first asks voters if Tennessee should legalize medical marijuana, the second if Tennessee should decriminalize possession, and the third if Tennessee should fully legalize and regulate a recreational cannabis market.

THERE’S STILL A BLACK MARKET

California is home to the world’s largest legal cannabis market. It’s black market, however, is even larger. On July 7, Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva gave a press conference announcing the results of a monthlong operation that resulted in more than 33,000 pounds of illegal cannabis, valued at nearly $1.2 billion, being seized by law enforcement.

Estimated 2021 sales figures for California’s legal market, according to Marijuana Business Daily, are between $5.1 billion and $5.6 billion, for comparison.

Authorities stressed during the press conference that they were not targeting small-time illicit growers, but rather large-scale operations with alleged ties to international cartels. The operation resulted in 131 arrests. n

My relationship with a man I’d been dating was getting serious. His previous relationship ended when his girlfriend dumped him. Last month, he ran into her and told her he was seeing me. She began crying and begged him to take her back. He was torn about what to do. I told him his feelings for her weren’t romantic but stemmed from a sense of obligation, and that he should be angry at her for trying to make him feel bad about moving on with someone else. He still went AMY ALKON back to her, and now they’re engaged. I’m furious.

Why would he choose to be with someone who dumped him? He could’ve moved forward with someone who really cares, with whom he could have a relationship based on love, not guilt (over making this other woman cry). How can I prevent this from happening to me again?

—Outraged We sometimes explain things to ourselves in ways that don’t so much lay out the facts as provide an airbag for our feelings. Take a question I often hear from readers: “Why did he/she stop returning my calls?” Helpfully, many suggest the most likely explanation right in their email; something like, “I just know they were kidnapped by the Russian mob.” Right. And they’re probably still tied up in an abandoned warehouse, being tortured till they give in — agree to withdraw and hand over the entire $36.72 in their checking account.

Though female tears can be a sort of kryptonite for straight men, I’m sorry to say it’s unlikely this other woman’s boohoos and a sense of obligation on your guy’s part mind-controlled him into going back to her.

There’s this notion that relationships simply involve two people who love each other making each other happy. Supposedly, once you’ve got that, it’s all cartoon birdies, butterflies, and flowers till you’re both sleeping out eternity in side by side cemetery plots.

In fact, the human mind evolved to have a built-in accounting department. Its jobs include preventing us from being “all give” to some “all take” sociobro, which, for ancestral humans, would’ve posed survival issues. In the mating sphere, our inner accountant continually calculates our mate value and that of our partner (or prospective partner), gauging whether we’re selling ourselves short — or whether our partner’s likely to come to that conclusion about being involved with us.

Chances are when your guy was with this other woman the first time around, he felt out of his league — perhaps sensing that, on a one-to-10 scale, he’s, say, a 6 to her 8.9. If this was the case, he probably acted somewhat needy and clingy: qualities that are not exactly ladybait. She, in turn, probably sensed she could do better and put him out on the curb.

But then something changed that changed him: He got a woman (you) who made him feel loved and wanted, which likely shifted his demeanor from needyclingy to comfortably confident. Assuming this was what went on, you basically provided him with the romantic version of going to the grocery store on a full stomach to avoid standing weeping in the doughnut aisle.

Additionally, though it’s unlikely the guy planned this, you probably served as bait to bring his girlfriend back. Social psychologists Jessica Parker and Melissa Burkley find that single women (but not those in relationships) rate a man as “significantly” more desirable and pursuit-worthy when they’re told he’s taken.

“This may be because an attached man” has been “‘pre-screened’ by another woman,” speculate Parker and Burkley. This “pre-screening” is a form of “social proof,” a term coined by social psychologist Robert Cialdini. We sometimes decide what we should value based on what other people value. In this case, your finding the guy boyfriend-worthy might’ve led his ex to think, “Uh-oh...I made a mistake dumping him.”

Of course you’re hurt and disappointed. But it sounds like you also feel cheated to some degree, like something you deserve was stolen from you. There’s a tendency to think love should be “fair,” meaning whatever you put into a relationship, you’re owed in return. In fact, people in relationships ultimately act in their self-interest. That sometimes involves dumping the partner who’s done nothing but love them for the partner who dumped them but is willing to take them back.

Understanding this is no guarantee you won’t get hurt. However, if you’re realistic about love — recognizing you can’t expect it to be fair — and about the danger from potential mate poachers, you might have a shot at amping up your game and fending them off. To be on the alert for them, keep in mind the physical features that make a man especially attractive to a single woman on the prowl: broad shoulders, a chiseled jaw, and big perky boobs on the girlfriend sitting on his lap. n ©2021, Amy Alkon, all rights reserved. • Got a problem? Write Amy Alkon, 171 Pier Ave, #280, Santa Monica, CA 90405 or email AdviceAmy@aol.com (www.advicegoddess.com)

208-765-2020 3879 North Schreiber Way Coeur d’Alene, Idaho 355 nder.com 09) 444-7 la PHONE: (5BulletinBoard@In mit Parkway E-MAIL: 1227 West Sum 1 20 N: IN PERSO Spokane, WA 99 BUYING Estate Conte nts Household Goods / See abesdiscount.com or 509-939-9996

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14. Typeface that shares its name with the Roman goddess of luck 18. Minuscule div. of a minute 21. Periods after the fourth qtr.

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to advertise:

444-SELL THIS W ANSWE EEK’S I SAW RS ON YOUS

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41. “Do the Right Thing” pizzeria 42. Business sign that’s flipped in the morning 43. Baseball great Buck (and homophone of 21-Across) 44. Resembling 45. Speedy delivery 47. What Darth Sidius takes after a long, exhausting day?

52. AFL-___ 53. Some froyo bar toppings 54. “No need to elaborate” 59. Gather 60. Path of an overnight star ... and a hint to this puzzle’s theme 62. “Der Goldfisch” painter 63. Humans’ closest relatives

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9. Little bits 13. Turn ____ ear 15. Dirtied a baseball uniform, in a way 16. Cheese with a red covering 17. Greeting from a Spanishspeaking mythical figure?

19. Vex 20. Gets behind 21. Basketball great Shaquille (and homophone of 43-Across) 22. Suggestion from Waze: Abbr.

23. Business attire worn by an owl?

26. Unusual sort 30. Tour de France units: Abbr.

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35. Floor plan info 43 36. Half of MVI 45 46 37. Window ledge 39. 1970 Kinks classic 52 51 40. Brand with a Poppin’ Jalapeno flavor 54 55 56 57 58 44. Washboard ____ 46. “Law & Order: SVU” co-star 61 47. Knee-highs, e.g.

48. “Booyah!”

64 49. Kind of message made 67 obsolescent by faxes 50. Moth-eaten 51. Puts on the payroll 55. “Gee willikers!”

25. Black cat, some think 56. Queen of Olympus 26. Captors of Frodo Baggins 57. Like many gallerygoers 27. Qatar’s capital 58. Discard 28. Two-way 60. Efron of “High School Musical” “ZERO TO HERO” 29. Don’t stop 61. Org. whose logo contains a flower 40

JULY 15, 2021 INLANDER 119

Cultural Tours & Events

Experience one of our cultural tours or workshops to learn about the language, stories and traditions of the Coeur d’Alene tribe all while being surrounded by the stunning beauty and serenity of our premier resort.

For more information and to view upcoming events, scan the QR Code or visit us in person at our new Cultural Tours & Events office, located in the walkway between Chinook Crafted by Adam Hegsted and Spa Ssakwa’q’n.

Lifeways Workshop “Make Your Own” Pendleton Moccasins SUNDAY, JULY 18 TH | 12 PM – 6 PM This workshop is a 6-hour hands-on project that is Coeur d’Alene Tribal member-guided. It is a 2 piece moccasin pattern.

All materials are provided and a meal. At the end of this course, you will go away with a completed pair of moccasins for yourself.

Tickets must be bought in advance. See cdacasino.com, the CDA Casino app, or visit our office in-person to purchase.

W E LC O M E H O M E .

CASINO

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HOTEL

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DINING

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SPA

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CHAMPIONSHIP

GOLF

3 7 9 1 4 S O U T H N U K WA LQ W • W O R L E Y, I D A H O 8 3 8 76 • 1 8 0 0 - 5 2 3 - 2 4 6 4 • C D A C A S I N O . C O M