Inlander 07/27/2023

EDITOR’S NOTE

Ving Rhames and I came to Spokane at just about the same time.

It was 2008, and I was here for my new job as a staff writer at the Inlander. Ving — the (nearly) indomitable Marcellus Wallace in Pulp Fiction and IMF Agent Luther Stickell in all the Mission: Impossible films — was here to shoot

Give ’Em Hell, Malone.

I saw the movie, which is about a hired gun, some mobsters and their violent encounters. But what I remember best is the film’s temporary amusement park built in the dirt fields of a completely undeveloped Kendall Yards. It lit up for a few nights, off limits, but dazzling the imagination.

Anyone who’s lived here long enough has some sort of Silver Screen story like this. Seeing Snoop Dogg filming a scene in your neighbor’s backyard. Standing in line behind Adrien Brody at Huckleberry’s. When Johnny Depp was mistaken for a homeless man. That time the Inlander’s offices were a stand-in for a D.C. newspaper in the Cuba Gooding Jr. flick, End Game. All those Z Nation zombies.

This week’s cover section — STILL DREAMIN’ — looks into our latest Hollywood venture, Dreamin’ Wild. The story actually begins in the 1970s in the rural town of Fruitland, Wash., where, it turns out, some dreams do come true. Just like in Hollywood.

— NICHOLAS DESHAIS, editor

NEW VENUE. NEW SOUND. NEW WAY TO ROCK.

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WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE SPOKANE FILM?

DAVID VAN BELLE

Benny & Joon. There was another movie filmed here, The Basket, that showcased the beginnings of basketball. Did you know they originally cut the bottom out of apple baskets for the hoops?

LISA STEVENS

Vision Quest would be my favorite. I remember that part of the movie was filmed at my mother’s restaurant.

PATRICK STRIKER

I know it’s not a movie, but I loved the show Nation. It was filmed in Spokane, and I had fun watching and identifying the places they were filming at.

What genre of music is the best for a zombie movie?

That’s a tough one. Probably hard rock or metal music.

ROZALYNN CURBOW

Oh, Benny & Joon obviously, I’m a huge Johnny Depp fan! I’m from Deer Park, and one of our paramedics was in the movie, too.

What’s your favorite movie about music? Grease is such a classic.

DIANA REDLINSKI

I would have to say Sleepless in Seattle. I don’t think I know any movies filmed or based in Spokane.

Do you have a favorite underrated musician?

I listen to a lot of jazz, and all of my favorite musicians are retiring. I saw Neil Diamond in concert two weeks before he retired.

PRETZEL BONES DOG FRIENDLY PATIO

Paranoia in the PNW

BY KNUTE BERGER, CROSSCUT

The Espionage Act is in the news with the June indictment and arrest of former President Donald Trump for his handling of classified material after leaving the White House in 2021. He is not accused of spying, which can be a little confusing given the name of the Act he is being prosecuted under. Yet, even during its early years, the Espionage Act covered an everwidening range of behavior beyond spying that was said to put the nation’s security at risk.

The Act was passed into law in 1917 just after the U.S. entered World War I. It was a time when alarm over immigrants and “enemy aliens” and acts of terrorism targeting the homeland was at a fever pitch. In 1918, the Act was amended to include sedition, which, into the 1920s, was used to justify political harassment, book banning and disloyalty, among others.

Many Trump supporters contend that the Act is being employed in this case for a political hit job. Yet the indictment unsealed by Department of Justice special counsel Jack Smith effectively paints the former president as a security risk. Whether his actions merit punishment will ultimately be up to a jury. What we do know for certain is that more questionable cases involving the old Espionage Act resulted in convictions. And a number of those occurred in the Pacific Northwest during the early days of its enactment.

The Act was partly a response to a prewar terror campaign by the German government, which was conducting a shadow war on American soil as early as two years before the U.S. engaged in the overseas conflict. In May 1915, for example, a massive explosion off Seattle’s Harbor Island and a railcar fire in Tacoma were widely regarded as acts of German sabotage to prevent supplies and war materiel from being shipped to Germany’s enemies. Those shipments were

intended for Vladivostok in Russia, then an ally of Britain and France against Germany.

The Pacific Northwest was considered to be of strategic importance at the time. West Coast ports and shipping were potential targets for sabotage. The docks and shipyards were stocked with socialists, trade unionists and immigrant workers suspected of wanting to monkeywrench the capitalist supply chain.

Washington state formed a kind of soft underbelly to British Columbia in Canada, which was already at war with Germany. The Act gave the U.S. a tool to use against agents and spies who might work across the border.

Then, during U.S. involvement in the war, the Act protected important installations like the Naval shipyard in Bremerton, essential to the war effort along with Puget Sound’s private shipbuilders. Points around the Salish Sea bristled with forts and gun emplacements, like Fort Worden near Port Townsend, to protect shipping. Lumber for the war effort was harvested and milled here for the national defense and sent to allies.

Early revisions to the Espionage Act expanded its reach to include anyone thought to undermine the American war effort. Legitimate concerns quickly merged with ethnic prejudice and public hysteria to crack down not only on saboteurs, spies and German sympathizers, but anyone who voiced opposition to the war effort.

As a result, the Act allowed the arrest of people who opposed the war and military draft and recruitment, who espoused socialist views or who were members of the militant Industrial Workers of the World (I.W.W.), a group considered by authorities to be inherently anti-American. Simply being German — an “enemy alien” — or sympathizing with Germany was enough to justify arrest. Some 4,000 Germans and German-Americans were interned during the war along with another 1,000 POWs, many of them German captured sailors. The number of internees from Seattle is not exactly known, but by the end of 1918 was estimated to be several hundred, according to The Seattle Times. Those seized in Seattle were shipped to an internment camp at Fort Douglas in Utah.

Un-interned “enemy aliens,” adult men and women, were forced to register with the government and carry ID cards, and were banned from coming near shipyards, military installations and other strategic points on Puget Sound. The Se-

The WWI-era Espionage Act is back in the news; its use in the Pacific Northwest marks adark chapter of local history

To pass the time, German prisoners at Utah’s Fort Douglas took classes and worked at the camp. NATIONAL ARCHIVES PHOTO

attle Chamber of Commerce cheered such restrictions, and those who violated the ban were arrested.

The government sent Clarence Reames, a federal prosecutor, to Seattle to specifically enforce the Espionage Act and other laws related to draft resistance, food hoarding, immigration and sedition.

Here are a few examples of those in the Puget Sound area who came under suspicion:

Miss August Minnie Deckman, a Seattle woman, was accused under the Espionage Act of trying to smuggle messages to her German fiancee, Ernest A. Leybold, a suspected German agent arrested in Seattle, and to plot to free internees at Fort Douglas. After much publicity and a subsequent trial, she was exonerated for lack of evidence. Immediately after being acquitted, Deckman was taken into custody to be interned as an enemy alien at Fort Douglas.

A farmer, state Grange “master” and progressive political activist with the Nonpartisan League, William Bouck of SedroWoolley, was indicted, arrested and sent to prison for giving a speech in Bow, Wash., in 1918 claiming that the cost of the war would mortgage the future of the nation’s children due to the $100 billion bill that would result if the war lasted three more years. Bouck soon resumed his political activities, but was deposed from his Grange position for a speech given in Colville that was considered “unpatriotic.”

In 1919, more than a year after the Armistice, four members of the editorial staff of the labor newspaper, the Union Record, were arrested, including activist Anna Louise Strong, and faced multiple counts under the Espionage Act for undermining the government by opposing the draft. Attorney John Dore, later Seattle mayor, defended the accused, arguing that since the war was over, there was no war effort to undermine.

A farmworker, Henry Brauer of Whatcom County, was arrested in July 1918 and charged under the Espionage Act for refusing to donate to the Red Cross, allegedly saying “To hell with the Red Cross. Let those lazy fellows who have gone to France come back and go to work.” He claimed he was too poor to donate. He had $2,000 in the bank, however, which was put toward his $5,000 bail bond.

An Everett rancher, Frank Shaffer, was charged with violating the Espionage Act for having a banned book of Bible teachings, The Finished Mystery by Pastor Russell. The book was alleged to carry German propaganda for its pacifist message and a passage against war with Germany, reflecting teachings of the Jehovah’s Witness sect. Shaffer had some 1,000 copies of the book for distribution to members of the International Bible Students’ Association. He was sentenced to two years at McNeil Island and his conviction was upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1919.

The Espionage Act was eventually revised and trimmed back in its aggressive violation of First Amendment rights, but its wide-net approach fueled the early 20th century’s “Red Scare.” It was also followed by broader and more restrictive immigration laws.

The government had concluded by the World War II era that it had overreacted against German immigrants and GermanAmericans during WWI. This may have contributed to the fact that it took the government years to put a priority on investigating pro-Nazi domestic groups in the 1930s over chasing communists, for example. And while under 12,000 Germans and Italians were put in camps during WWII, the mass incarceration of over 100,000 Japanese and Japanese Americans at the same time, including entire families, based on race alone, offered a contrast reflecting long standing racial bigotry.

The history of the Espionage Act is rife with controversy. While the lawmakers who created it sought to address real threats to national security, they also perhaps unwittingly created Exhibit A in the case against government overreach. Despite the narrowing of the Act, those who stand with Trump no matter what might draw on that history to defend the former president, even if the prosecution convinces the jury that his actions put the nation at risk in an unprecedented way. n

Knute “Mossback” Berger is editor-at-large for Crosscut.com, where this first appeared.

PUBLIC SAFETY

SHERIFF IN SPIRIT

Asmall crowd gathers outside Spirit Lake City Hall. The July meeting of the City Council is about to start. For 30 minutes, people mingle — talking about their roots in town and concerns about public safety — until city employees unlock the doors. People quickly fill the seats, and more stand in the back.

They’re there for one issue: the city’s shrinking police department.

About a year ago, the city of 2,500 people at the north end of Kootenai County had a full staff of seven officers, including the police chief, and a resource officer at the high school.

But several months ago, officers started resigning. In some cases, as described in letters to the four-person City Council, officers said they left after facing scrutiny over their job performance from former Police Chief Dennis Sanchez. Others, who supported Sanchez, said they left because he was never officially appointed as chief, which would have ensured some independence from city administration.

In April, a sergeant was placed on administrative leave. He faces felony charges of witness tampering related to a call he responded to as an officer with the Liberty Lake Police Department before he was hired in Spirit Lake.

In early May, Sanchez also resigned. During the chief’s final days on the job, the city took his advice and hired Lt. Morgan John and another officer in hopes that John could become chief and rebuild the department.

BY SAMANTHA WOHLFEIL

But by June 26, both those men had also resigned.

So, by the July 11 council meeting, most in attendance knew that in just days the police department would have only one active officer left.

“I want to know who the hell is accountable for this shit, OK?” says city resident Harry Burleson during the meeting’s public comment. “I’m the manager of a very large machine shop. If I screw up when I hire somebody, when I bring somebody in, I’m held accountable. We’ve got one police officer, right? Good Lord.”

Other commenters specifically criticize Mayor Jeremy Cowperthwaite.

Lynn Cole, a resident who’s been digging into the issues in the police department, informs the mayor she’s collecting signatures for a recall election against him.

Another woman accuses the mayor of lying and being on drugs, demanding he step down while he still can. In an interview, Cowperthwaite dismisses the rumors, saying he’s only on medications prescribed by his doctor and that he’s ordered a drug test so he can show citizens the truth.

“I’m not on drugs,” Cowperthwaite says. “I’m under a doctor’s care. I have a bad back. … So do I have pain medications, or do I have some things? Yes, I do.”

Before the meeting is over, the majority of council members say they’ve lost confidence in Cowperthwaite, and the full council debates whether they need to pay the county sheriff for help policing the small North Idaho town.

CONTRACT FOR COVERAGE

Kootenai County Sheriff Bob Norris is the main guest at the City Council meeting. He’d requested an emergency session to talk about public safety in the city. Dressed in a green jumpsuit, he takes the podium to read a timeline of phone calls and meetings between his office, the Spirit Lake Police Department and the mayor over the last several months.

He highlights moments like the day in April when he learned that the Spirit Lake sergeant was facing felony tampering charges related to his work in Liberty Lake. That, in addition to the loss of supervisors in ensuing weeks, prompted Norris to revoke his cross-deputization of Spirit Lake police officers, meaning they can no longer investigate cases outside city limits.

Norris also says that on June 27, the day after Lt. John and another officer resigned, Cowperthwaite called to say that “everything was good in the city of Spirit Lake, and they’re looking at hiring a new chief.” The town had two officers at the time.

“We started these conversations months ago. I had asked, ‘Let’s put a summer program contract in place so the Sheriff’s Office will cover law enforcement services’” during certain hours, Norris says. “Your model for managing public safety in the city cannot be sustained.”

He says that it could take at least 18 months to rebuild Spirit Lake PD. Under contract, he’d station a

A small town in North Idaho is in danger of losing its police department, while the City Council loses faith in the mayor

Last year, Spirit Lake had seven police officers — now it has one.

SAMANTHA WOHLFEIL PHOTO

All the Buzz

BY SUMMER SANDSTROM

The next time you see a bee, butterfly or hummingbird fluttering around Gonzaga’s campus, make sure to snap a photo for Sophie O’Shei’s senior project.

O’Shei, a rising senior studying biology, plans to use these photos to determine which pollinators are more common on campus and what plants they prefer in hopes of providing the university with information to help support their populations.

Photos can be submitted on iNaturalist, a social networking program that identifies plants and wildlife to increase biodiversity knowledge among its users.

“By making use of the community to gather more data, it should give us the opportunity to get a much more comprehensive picture of pollinator diversity on campus and ways that we can support that,” says O’Shei.

Pollinators are more active during the summer months, says O’Shei, so photos can be submitted to her project page from now until the end of September to curate an illustrative body of information to analyze.

Over the past year, O’Shei worked with biology professor Gary Chang’s research group to study the European wool carder bee, a new arrival to Spokane’s pollinator community, and whether or not it poses a risk to native bee populations in Spokane.

Chang’s research group piqued O’Shei’s interest in pollinator conservation and finding more ways to help support their populations, many of which Chang says are declining due to climate change and habitat loss.

“We often take for granted the services that they provide,” Chang says. “On that level, it’s sort of motivation for trying to understand how to conserve native pollinators.”

While O’Shei wants to collect photos of a variety of pollinator species, native insects such as the western bumble bee are a primary focus of her project.

A 2022 study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found that western bumble bee populations in the western U.S. decreased by about half from 1998 to 2020.

“When we have these environments that are curated by humans, we can make choices that either support or don’t support those populations,” O’Shei says.

O’Shei chose to focus her research on Gonzaga’s campus because of the unique role the campus could have in supporting pollinator populations.

“A lot of research has shown that urban environments, especially places like college campuses that have a lot of landscaping, and decisions that are made around landscaping, provide an opportunity for us to basically create refuges for biodiversity and to increase populations that might be declining,” O’Shei says.

Chang says that since insects are so small and are good at dispersing to a variety of locations, supporting their populations is pretty simple.

“They can take advantage of small patches of habitat to a sort of better extent than some of the larger animals and plants that have limitations in their dispersibility and require more area,” he says. “It doesn’t take a gigantic nature preserve or something like that to actually have a real impact on improving the conservation of the species.”

O’Shei says that Gonzaga’s grounds crew currently does a great job of creating habitats for bees and other insects, but she wants to create more biodiversity on campus in the future.

“I think a lot of it comes down to just learning as much as we can about pollinators and the plants they prefer so that we can share that information with the grounds crew, and then they can make decisions in the future based off of that information,” she says.

O’Shei plans to spend the fall and winter analyzing the data, with potential plans to share her findings during Earth Week next year, but until then she needs help collecting as many photos as possible.

“The process for signing up and using iNaturalist is pretty easy, and the more people that we can get involved, the better data we can collect,” she says. n

summers@inlander.com

“SHERIFF IN SPIRIT,” CONTINUED...

dedicated deputy to cover Spirit Lake during hours the city’s department can’t. In the meantime, he says, county deputies have been responding to Spirit Lake calls for free.

Over the last 90 days, the department has responded to more than 160 calls in the city, Undersheriff Brett Nelson later tells the Inlander

Norris tells the council his office has also been fielding many non-911 calls from Spirit Lake citizens concerned about public safety.

“Something to consider regarding the state of where your police department is: What do you have to lose to give us a try?” Norris says.

After hearing the details, Council member Kenny Gross blames the mayor for the issues in the department.

“Now what we’ve got to do is we’re gonna pick up the pieces. We’ve got to get law enforcement coverage for this town,” Gross says. “I’ve lost all confidence in this man sitting to my left, unfortunately,” referring to the mayor.

Council member Darrell Woods echoes those sentiments.

“I just want to say that, on record, I have lost confidence in your ability to put this PD together,” Woods says. “This council has offered you help time and time again.”

Similarly, Council member Gary Ventress, who has served on the City Council for 22 years, tells the mayor he has no respect for him anymore and tells the sheriff the city needs help immediately.

“I feel like we were lied to, because I was told, and it was told to all the council, that all you want is money, money, money, money,” Ventress tells the sheriff.

Norris assures the council that a contract would not augment his office’s budget, insisting it would simply cover the cost of specific services the city asks for.

But some worry a contract could ultimately result in the city losing its police department.

BLUE OR BROWN

“Our main priority is to figure out and get the law enforcement portion fixed so that the citizens will feel safe,” Council member Woods says the day after the council meeting, sitting at a table inside the Old West-style coffee shop near City Hall. “Whether we have to do that right now through contracting with the sheriff, or whether we can fix something, somehow, some way, that’s kind of my main goal right now.”

Later that afternoon, Council member Ventress also says the city has to fix the issues. Inside his home, where bearskins adorn the walls and goats graze just outside, he says the mayor has to go.

“We need our police department put back together,” Ventress says. “There’s no reason it should be like it is.”

That night, the council, mayor and city department heads gather again in City Hall for a budget meeting.

Cowperthwaite asks police Cpl. Kevin Ward — the only active officer in town — to share his thoughts on a possible contract.

“Half the table wants to see the Sheriff’s Office come in here and take care of business. I get it, I live here, too,” Ward says. “Having somebody to come to your house when you need them is paramount.”

But Ward says other nearby police departments are willing to help while Spirit Lake hires a chief and staffs up, and he worries that if the city contracts with the sheriff, they’ll ultimately lose their department.

“If we make rash decisions and give up our firstborn for this, that agency will be painted brown and we’ll never get it back,” Ward says.

However, Undersheriff Nelson assured the council during the meeting the day before that they aren’t interested in taking over.

“If that was so, we would’ve allowed the police department to fall apart,” Nelson said. “The reality is, as a Sheriff’s Office we’ve been trying to hold the department up as best we can. But as the sheriff spoke to, there’s a financial impact.”

Nelson tells the Inlander that while county taxpayers do fund services including county offices and the jail, municipal residents’ taxes don’t cover the county patrol.

A senior at Gonzaga thinks university campuses can increase biodiversity — and is taking photos to prove it

A western bumbe bee deep in a calla lily exam.

“Their portion, if you will, that would go to law enforcement services for patrol goes directly to the city,” Nelson says.

He also says this wouldn’t be new. Other nearby cities contract with Spokane’s sheriff, including Spokane Valley, and Kootenai’s sheriff has long contracted with Hayden.

“We are the policing entity for the city of Hayden,” Nelson says. “They pay for that.”

DOLLAR DECISIONS

Cowperthwaite — who recently drew attention for driving a decommissioned police vehicle for city business — says he’s not to blame for the officers who’ve left.

The mayor, who took office in January 2022 after serving two years on the City Council, says he never stepped on former Chief Sanchez’s toes.

“He had the authority to hire and fire who he wanted,” Cowperthwaite says.

He says that the council questioned why the job posting for chief was closed after just two weeks and asked to reopen it, which is partly why Lt. John quit, as the reopening could tarnish his reputation.

“Lt. John was my candidate for chief of police,” Cowperthwaite says. “If I did something wrong in that process, I will take that, but I don’t even know what I did that would have been wrong.”

Cowperthwaite says the city is conducting final background checks for a potential new chief whose state qualifications will easily transfer. He says no one wants to see a long-term contract with the sheriff.

LETTERS

Send comments to editor@inlander.com.

The next morning, July 19, city leaders meet with Sheriff Norris, who offers them a six-month contract to station a dedicated deputy in Spirit Lake for up to 80 hours a week. That deputy would only need to leave town for calls that are life or death emergencies, Norris says.

The cost of those 2,080 hours — the amount most full-time workers put in each year — would be $157,832. Last year, the city’s entire police department budget for wages and benefits was $570,000.

While there are some salary savings from the officers who left, vacation time, benefit payouts and raises ate into much of the remaining budget, according to city staff.

Council member Woods asks how the city can afford to hire a new chief and staff, while also paying the Sheriff’s Office.

“How are we going to do both?” Woods says. “What I’m fearful of is that at the end of six months we go, ‘Well, we’ve given it all to the sheriff’s, and now we don’t have anything.’”

Norris also suggests the council consider a separate agreement with his office, since they were approached by the Lakeland School District to provide a school resource officer for the upcoming school year.

Previously, Spirit Lake received money from the district to mostly cover that officer’s salary. The sheriff suggests that if the city is OK with him putting one of his deputies there (and taking the district money) he can give them a discount on a bill he recently sent charging the city for 911 dispatch services.

But Spirit Lake has questioned whether it’s even legal for Norris to charge for the 911 services.

No agreement is made, and the city and sheriff plan to meet again soon to discuss the possible contracts.

In the meantime, concerned residents like Cole say they’re worried about the state of the city, which is also facing a budget crunch and internal issues at City Hall.

Cole is gathering support to recall Cowperthwaite, who took office after winning the mayoral election 251-196 in 2021.

“We have so much wrong, that, you know, it’s not even a difference in personalities, or ‘Hey, I don’t like you.’ It’s nothing like that,” Cole says. “I’m sorry, but you don’t belong in politics. You might be great on the street to know as a friend, but in that office, I’m sorry, you have done so much more harm than good.” n samanthaw@inlander.com

1999 - 2000

We were feeling angsty as the millennium drew to a close. First there was the ever-present problem of money. A January 1999 cover story lamented an overextended homebuilding industry with not enough homebuyers for all those new houses. A few months later, we were surely one of the few weekly newspapers ever to feature a cover image of a hearse — “If you think planning a wedding’s expensive, check out the high cost of dying, p. 8.” But by the start of the new millennium, we were feeling at least a little better. The world hadn’t ended, nor had chaos ensued, as many had predicted. And in February 2000, the long-awaited Phantom of the Opera came to town for a 32-performance run, with projections of generating $10 million for the local economy.

IN THE NEWS

Imagine LIGHT RAIL connecting Spokane and Coeur d’Alene — a happy passenger could just hop on and enjoy a day at the lake! In our Sept. 28, 2000 issue, Pia K. Hansen (now Pia Hallenberg) reported just such a project was more than a dream: With $10 million in federal funding already approved, “If the voters support it, Spokane seems to have a lot going for a light rail system. With the right-of-way basically secured and federal money just waiting to be released, at least the project is off to a good start.” Though the light rail project never materialized, on July 15, 2023, Spokane did celebrate the opening of the new Spokane City Line rapid bus transit route.

CULTURE

In the April 29, 1999 issue, we wrote about Andrew Sullivan stopping in at EWU to lecture on the meaning of, and need for, friendship. And we got an interview with none other than GLORIA STEINEM, who was headlining the annual Women Helping Women Luncheon. Inlander Associate Editor Amy Cannata asked Steinem if many young women had long since abandoned the fight for women’s equality, believing that the war was already won by their mothers? “It’s just because they haven’t experienced it yet,” Steinem presciently explained.

ON THE COVER

For the Feb. 2, 2000 issue, Ted S. McGregor Jr. wrote about “INDELIBLE MARKS.” (Disclosure: I’ve been married — most happily! — to Ted since 1992.) The man of the title was Jimmy Marks, whose family sued the city of Spokane, eventually winning a $1.43 million dollar settlement related to a police raid of the Marks’ home. The Marks, a Romani family, called the police raid “armed robbery” while the police pointed to evidence from 35 burglaries recovered at the scene. The case, and mostly the flamboyant Jimmy Marks himself, were documented in the movie, American Gypsy: A Stranger in Everybody’s Land, with filmmaker Jasmine Dellal in town to present the film. (Things change — the term “gypsy” is now considered a slur, while Roma is preferred.)

LOCAL FOLKS

Our Aug. 24, 2000 issue celebrated silent film star Nell Shipman, aka THE LADY OF THE LAKE, who, for a time, turned her Priest Lake lodge into a silent film studio. Local historians Tony and Suzanne Bamonte wrote about Shipman’s career as an actress, but also about how Shipman was so appalled at the film industry’s treatment of animals that she ended up “essentially becoming the first animal rights activist in the United States.” Tony Bamonte, a longtime friend of the Inlander and the subject of Tim Egan’s Breaking Blue, died in July 2019. — ANNE McGREGOR

Last year every performance SOLD OUT so purchase your tickets early!

Tower of Power: Holidays & Hits Tour

FRIDAY DECEMBER 8 7:30 PM

Holidays & Hits will feature the fan-loving chart-topping hits with a dusting of select holiday classics.

Rolling In It

Almost $1 million has poured into Spokane’s mayoral race

BY NATE SANFORD

Nadine Woodward is flush with cash.

With pride, Spokane’s mayor announced last week that her reelection campaign has raised more money than any other candidate in Spokane election history.

The previous record holder was former Mayor David Condon, who raised $395,000 during his run in 2015.

But Condon’s take was during the entire primary and general election season. Woodward broke his record two weeks before the Aug. 1 primary. The November general election is still three long months away.

There are some caveats: Condon’s fundraising total is higher than Woodward’s when you account for inflation. And the amount of money an individual can donate to a single candidate during primary and general elections has increased in recent years, from $1,000 in 2015 to $1,200 today.

But still, it’s a significant amount of money for a Spokane mayoral race, says Jim Hedemark, who has spent decades working on local campaigns as a political consultant. (He isn’t working for any candidates this year.)

Hedemark also notes that Woodward’s main opponent, longtime Democratic politician Lisa Brown, has also been raising some big amounts of cash. She’s reported raising $267,893, which puts her in seventh place on the list of Spokane mayoral candidate’s fundraising records.

“All things being equal, Lisa Brown’s over a quarter of a million ain’t too shabby,” Hedemark says.

The spending gets even wilder when you add in independent expenditures. State law limits how much individuals can donate directly to candidates, but there’s nothing stopping someone from giving stacks of money to a political action committee. The PAC can then spend that money supporting a candidate while still technically remaining independent of that candidate’s campaign.

The Spokane Good Government Alliance, for example, has already spent more than $100,000 supporting Woodward’s campaign. So has the National Association of Realtors. If you get an unsolicited campaign flier in the mail, check the fine print at the bottom. There’s a good chance it came from one of those two PACs.

All together, this year’s mayoral race has already generated more than $900,000 in spending.

“At this point in the election, people are voting with their wallets,” Hedemark says. “They are, to use the old Chicago party boss adage, voting early and often.”

Woodward frames her fundraising record as a win.

“It’s an honor to have so much support throughout this community,” she said in a statement last week.

Brown sees it differently. She has a larger percentage of small-dollar individual donors, and she noted last week that many of Woodward’s donors are business interests.

A similar dynamic is true in this year’s City Council races, which have also attracted some big amounts of money.

The conservative candidates in each of the four council races have fundraising leads over their opponents. They have financial support from Realtors, property own-

ers and homebuilding organizations.

More progressive candidates have less overall money, but tend to have a higher number of small donations and financial support from labor organizations and progressive groups like Fuse Washington.

Almost all of the independent expenditure money is being spent on conservative candidates. The National Association of Realtors has spent $40,000 on Earl Moore in District 3, $43,000 on Katey Treloar in District 2, and $99,000 on Kim Plese for council president. The money has gone toward ads on CNN and Fox News, direct mailers, digital ads, phone calls, and text messages in support of the Realtor’s chosen candidates.

The Spokane Good Government Alliance has spent a combined $33,000 on Treloar, Moore, Plese and Council member Michael Cathcart, who is running for reelection against just one challenger, so won’t be on the ballot until November.

The alliance also spent $18,000 on attack ads against Brown and Betsy Wilkerson, who is running against Plese for council president.

John Powers, who was mayor of Spokane from 2000 to 2003, says he’s concerned about the growing influence of special interest spending and independent expenditures in city races. He doesn’t remember anywhere near this much money floating around back when he ran for office.

Powers was particularly concerned about a direct mailer the Spokane Good Government Alliance paid for earlier this month that accused Wilkerson and Brown of “endangering our community by emboldening criminals,” and tried to tie them to the “defund the police” movement. (Both candidates say they want to see the police department fully staffed and funded.)

“I thought it was kind of fearmongering and just dog whistle kind of stuff,” Powers says. “It was not what you build community around.”

The mailer suggested voters choose the “candidates who will put your family first” — namely Woodward, Plese and Treloar.

Treloar had been publicly endorsed by Powers. But

after the mailer went out, he “quietly and respectfully” asked her to remove his name. Powers stresses that he has nothing against Treloar — he still has a lot of respect for her and thinks she’s a strong candidate. He was just uncomfortable being tied to a candidacy being boosted by negative attack ads bought by big independent expenditures.

Several of the people and groups who have donated directly to candidates have also put money toward the Good Government Alliance: Washington Trust Bank, business owner Alvin Wolff Jr., and the Spokane Home Builders Association have each given at least $10,000.

Local developer Larry Stone appears to be this year’s biggest election spender. He gave the Good Government Alliance $30,000 and has also been bankrolling a PAC called Clean and Safe Spokane, which is advocating for a ballot measure this fall that would prohibit encampments in much of the city.

Stone has put $75,000 toward Clean and Safe Spokane. Much of that money went to a political consulting company that organized signature-gathering efforts to get the citizens’ initiative on the November ballot.

Stone also gave money to conservative candidates directly, but the candidates returned his donations because of confusion over whether or not the city’s fair elections code applies to him. That anti-corruption law prevents city contractors from donating to candidates, and Stone made $330,000 this year by leasing a warehouse on Trent Avenue to the city for use as a homeless shelter.

But last week, city lawyers found that he doesn’t meet the definition of a “contractor” and isn’t subject to the campaign finance law. They had the same conclusion for Michelle Hege, who owns a public relations firm that does marketing for the city parks department and donated to Brown’s campaign. In an email, Stone said he wasn’t familiar with the election code decision and wouldn’t comment on it. n

nates@inlander.com

What, Me Partisan?

Political endorsement battles in District 2. Plus, 37 people want to run your schools; and the Inlander takes the gold.

As the primary election fast approaches, inside baseball is spilling outdoors. Several of the candidates running for Spokane government this year who didn’t get endorsed by the local political parties are claiming they didn’t want those endorsements in the first place and some of their opponents are calling foul. In last week’s election issue cover story, for example, we reported that City Council candidate Katey Treloar didn’t seek endorsements from the local Republican or Democratic parties because she was committed to being nonpartisan. (The Democrats voted to endorse two of her opponents.) That news came as a surprise to her opponent Paul Dillon and Spokane County Democrats leader Carmela Conroy, who were both very much under the impression that Treloar was seeking the party’s endorsement. After all, Treloar attended the Democrats’ June 28 endorsement meeting and literally filled out a document titled “Spokane County Democrats endorsement application.” But Treloar claims that she only went through the process so she could introduce herself to the local Democrats and that she told them she didn’t plan on accepting an endorsement. To Treloar’s credit, she was quoted saying the same thing in a June 22 Inlander article six days before the meeting. But Conroy doesn’t remember Treloar telling the Democrats that. (NATE

SANFORD)

PRIMARY EDUCATION

School’s out for the summer, but the tests continue. Thirty-seven school board hopefuls from six school districts are vying for spots in the general election as voters prepare to cast their ballots in the Aug. 1 primary election. While more than half of the school board races will move directly to the general election ballot, candidates for the Spokane, Medical Lake, Cheney, West Valley, Rosalia and Deer Park school districts will be whittled down to the top two vote-getters in the primary. Medical Lake boasts the largest school board primary in the state with 17 candidates — including three incumbents — looking to fill four seats. Meanwhile, two of the three candidates for the Spokane School Board, incumbent Mike Wiser and Ericka Lalka, are the only primary school board contenders in these six districts who have reported campaign finances, raising $1,040 and $2,375 respectively, according to the Public Disclosure Commission. Candidate statements, experience and contact information can be found at votewa.gov. (COLTON

RASANEN)

FOR THE WIN

Last year was one for the award books. So says the Association of Alternative Newsmedia, which recognized the good work the Inlander did in 2022 during its annual convention in Dallas this weekend. Nate Sanford won second place in beat reporting for his work covering Camp Hope, the large homeless encampment in east Spokane that dominated headlines for much of the past year. Sanford, along with former staffer Daniel Walters, won second place in feature story writing with their cover story about outgoing Sheriff Ozzie Knezovich. Samantha Wohlfeil got the honorable mention in the solutions journalism category with her story on the work being done by the Colville Confederated Tribes to re-establish wild lynx in Washington. Our photographers, Young Kwak and Erick Doxey, also got the honorable mention in the photography competition. Lastly, our columnist CMarie Fuhrman won first place for a collection of her columns, which the judges said were “beautifully written and taking on such important subjects. Minimalist prose with a maximal effect.” Congrats to us! (NICHOLAS DESHAIS)

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Katey Treloar

A Name That Flows

Spokane’s men’s pro soccer team looks to the river for inspiration

BY WILL MAUPIN

It was a sight that would shock many in-the-know soccer fans: supporters decked out in Seattle Sounders gear happily fraternizing with fans donning the Portland Timbers’ forest green and gold. These two archrivals found some common ground in downtown Spokane last Friday — a hometown team to bring them together.

Spokane’s new men’s professional soccer team is the Spokane Velocity. The club announced the name in front of a packed house at Brick West Brewing Co. on a sweltering mid-July evening, but the heat didn’t seem to matter as an overflowing crowd spilled out onto the brewery’s patio.

The name and team crest, also made public at the event, are an homage to the Spokane River, flowing just a couple of blocks away from the still-under-construction ONE Spokane Stadium, which the team will call home.

The unveiling was made through a video presentation featuring shots of the river running high and fast, roaring over the falls. Before finally revealing the Spokane Velocity name and crest, the video referenced the “powerful” and “bold” aspects of the river and referred to it as “a driving force of nature, continuously pushing us forward.”

“I graduated from Lewis and Clark High School, and I took physics my senior year,” Velocity co-owner Katie Harnetiaux tells the crowd after the video. “Velocity is directly related to power and force, and the key here is that we can put a team on the field, but we can’t do it without you. You all are the power and the force behind the team that’s coming to this town.”

If the crowd size is any indication, there looks to be a lot of power and force behind the Velocity.

The announcement was made Friday at 5 pm, but the house

FOLLOW THE TEAM

Instagram: @spokanevelocityfc

Twitter: @spokanevelocity

uslspokane.com

Spokane soccer fans packed Brick West for the big reveal. ERICK DOXEY PHOTOS

was packed well over an hour in advance. By 4 pm, the line for a beer was nearly 10 minutes long, and it only grew from there.

After the announcement, an even longer line snaked its way around the perimeter of the patio adjacent to the taproom. That queue was for the chance to buy the club’s first merchandise and apparel, including hats, scarves and shirts emblazoned with the Spokane Velocity name and logo.

The logo — or crest, as it’s known in the soccer world — also pays tribute to the river. Four vertical bands of aqua blue, stylized to appear as flowing water, are set underneath the word “velocity.” The first and last letters of “velocity” frame the water to evoke the Monroe Street Bridge’s grand arch over the Spokane Falls.

Local agency Treatment designed the crest and club branding, which includes black or white to offset the teal-blue crest.

The Spokane Velocity will begin play in USL League One in March 2024 at ONE Spokane Stadium. The team competes on the third tier of the U.S. soccer pyramid, below Major League Soccer and the USL Championship. Spokane is set to be the 13th team in the league, with the others based in mostly midsize cities, most of which are located in the southeastern U.S.

Team co-owner Ryan Harnetiaux joked before the announcement about the lack of a regional rival for the club but said he already has a team in mind that he considers a rival for the Velocity.

USL deputy CEO Justin Papadakis also praised Spokane as special, noting that the Velocity is a part of larger growth and change occurring in the city.

“Spokane is one of those cities that has changed a lot. When we look at the new Spokane, if you go down to the Riverfront [Park] over the past five, 10 and certainly past 20 years, so much has changed,” Papadakis says. “From day one, [Velocity owners] Ryan and Katie, Jordan and Whitney [Tampien], they thought about this new Spokane and wanted to create a club that represents the city they love on the national and international stage.”

Friday’s announcement was just one of many that the organization behind the Spokane Velocity plans to make in the coming months. The still-unnamed women’s team, which will also take the pitch next year, is set to have its identity released sometime in October.

For potential fans who may have missed Friday’s name reveal event, there are still opportunities to get involved with the club ahead of next spring’s opening match. Season tickets for Spokane Velocity are running low, however, with about 200 remaining as of press time.

Prior to the name release and subsequent merchandise sales, another brand was on display at Brick West. The 509 Syndicate, the first supporters’ group for the Velocity, was in full force with members rocking scarves emblazoned with the group’s name.

509 Syndicate President Jonathan Ehrenberg says the group has its next meeting Aug. 8 at Flatstick Pub in downtown Spokane. The event is open to anyone interested in joining the nonprofit supporters’ group, which plans to march from Flatstick through Riverfront Park ahead of every Velocity home game. n

USL Spokane co-owners Ryan and Katie Harnetiaux.

Giving the Ax

Bright Comet’s second production is a rock-inflected exploration of the crime that made Lizzie Borden infamous

BY E.J. IANNELLI

On an August morning in 1892, Andrew and Abby Borden were killed on separate floors of their Fall River, Massachusetts, home. Each had received several violent hatchet blows to the head. Law enforcement immediately identified a handful of suspects and potential accomplices in the gory crime, but ultimately it was the wealthy married couple’s youngest daughter, Lizzie, who was tried — and later acquitted — for their murders.

The jury of 12 balding, bewhiskered men might not have felt that the evidence against Lizzie was airtight, but public opinion and folk legend generally hold that she’s the one who delivered the skull-splitting blows. There’s a catchy, old skipping-rope rhyme that gleefully recounts how Lizzie gave Abby 40 whacks, Andrew 41.

So, assuming Lizzie indeed wielded the deadly hatchet, what would provoke such a violent act? Was it insanity? Indignation? Rage? Greed?

The rock musical Lizzie, created by Steven Cheslik-DeMeyer, Alan Stevens Hewitt and Tim Maner around 2010, explores some of those motivations by drawing on historical records and the ample corpus of speculative history on the Borden murders. For years there were strict directives about

how Lizzie could be staged, effectively limiting new productions to clones of the original. But those rules relaxed very recently, which has made Lizzie a prime candidate for revivals both big and small.

Locally, it’s Bright Comet Theatre that’s now handing Lizzie her ax. Following its debut back in February with an all-femme Lord of the Flies, the ascendant theater group is launching a local two-week, four-performance run of the musical on July 28.

Lizzie might only be their second production, but it’s one that the show’s director, Dominique Betts, has been hoping to stage for close to a decade.

“The album had just dropped in 2013 when I was 15 or 16 years old, and I looked into it. I was like, ‘Lizzie Borden? There’s a musical?’ And I listened to it and fell in love with it. It became my favorite musical. Throughout the past 10 years, I’ve been showing it to everyone I can,” she says.

To secure performance rights, Betts appealed directly to the show’s creators. They informed her of the recent change in licensing arrangements, likely a savvy response to current trends in musical theater. Betts notes that Lizzie is the “foundation for shows like SIX,” the British-born hit musical about the wives of Henry VIII, who, like the Borden parents, also met with grim ends. (SIX comes for Spokane’s Best of Broadway series in January 2024.) Although both musicals use rock-based music to tell their stories, Lizzie is far more earnest.

“We didn’t want to do the ‘SIX-ificiation’ with this one,” Betts says. “SIX is fun, and it’s a concert based off historical events, but it’s a little more light when it comes to the material. You can’t do that to this one and do it justice.”

For this production of Lizzie, Betts is looking to emphasize its intimacy. Some of that is achieved naturally through the show’s standard cast of just four actors. Here, that’s Elizabeth Theriault (as Lizzie), Skyler Moeder (older sister Emma), Dana Sammond (live-in maid Bridget Sullivan) and Keva Shull (close friend Alice Rus-

sell). But the performance space at M.A.D. Co. Lab Studios will also put the audience closer to the action — which, in some cases, could result in some spatters of stage blood.

“The staging of Lizzie is normally really broad, and it’s almost like a rock concert. There are aspects of that in our staging, but we’re focused on the human side of everything,” Betts says.

“We’re doing the first act in traditional 1892 clothing and then going full tilt into this goth fantasy for the second act to symbolize that [Lizzie’s] free now and she gets to express herself in ways that she never thought she would.”

As the title character, Theriault is savoring the opportunity to play a historical, fact-based figure.

“It gives you a great wealth to draw upon as an actor. There’s so much there that I don’t need to go off into some fringe territory. It’s all right there. She and her sister were held captive by their father, who would lock the doors. He was a very cheap, frugal man who refused to spend his money on his daughters. It gives me a great jumping-off point,” she says.

Along with its roots in the historical record, Lizzie also tells its story through a rock- and punk-style songbook. Through songs like “Burn the Whole Thing Up” and “Mercury Rising,” the cast harmonizes their way toward creating some understanding of why the lead might have felt compelled to swing the hatchet.

“Whether or not she admitted to doing it, or whether or not she knew more about what happened, she spent the rest of her life maybe not atoning for what she’d done, but trying to make things better for people. She was a huge philanthropist,” Betts says.

“It’s not necessarily like [Lizzie] is saying she was right for doing it,” Theriault adds. “But, then again, was she right for doing it?” n

Lizzie • July 28-Aug. 5; Fri-Sat at 7:30 pm

$20

M.A.D Co. Lab Studios

brightcomettheatre.com

The cast of Bright Comet Theatre’s take on Lizzie, the rock musical about an infamous ax murder. TAYLOR CUMMINGS PHOTO

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O-FISH-IANT

Ultimate wedding guest unlocked. If you (like me) have always dreamed of Ribby the Redband Trout attending your future wedding, you’re in luck. As of this month, the Spokane Indians mascot is now an ordained minister and can be booked to officiate weddings in the Spokane area. Since Ribby can’t talk, I can only assume he’ll give a little shake and boop his nose on the marriage certificate to make everything official… Or his “handler” will translate. Yeah, most likely that. You can request Ribby’s wedding services online at milb.com/spokane/team/mascots. (MADISON PEARSON)

TO DO, OR TO DON’T

Social media’s popular “in or out” lists can enhance living in the moment

BY SYLVIA DAVIDOW

Apros and cons list is a great way to make executive decisions on big moments in life such as moving to a new city, taking on a new job, or adding a person or pet to your household. But what if I told you that milestones are overrated, and it’s the small moments in life we should be focusing on instead?

Because we’re constantly thinking about how to be a better version of ourselves in the future we often take our present selves for granted. I’d argue that we use social media too much to paint this aspirational vision. However, some apps could potentially be the key to living fully in the present.

I have this astrology app on my phone called Co – Star. It’s not AI per say, but the app texts out personal phrases it believes each individual should abide by each day. I find the concept utterly fascinating because it helps me to distinguish my wants from my needs every day. The app also creates a specialized list of “dos and don’ts” which pair with the phrase and, apparently, if you follow them you’re in line with the truest version of yourself. Something like that.

We’re all aware that our TikTok feeds curate content the app believes best suits each person. Personally, I find this to be true because I, too, am guilty of thinking about how to upgrade to my future self. Enter Eli Rallo (TikTok @elirallo), a social media influencer with degrees in journalism from University of Michigan and Columbia University Journalism School. She loves to offer advice about small things she did that led to living it up in New York City as a freelance writer with her first book, I Didn’t Know I Needed This, coming out in the fall.

Formerly known as @thejarr on TikTok, Rallo went viral after posting about her spiced-up version of snack mix. Now with a following of more than 727,000, the influencer has branded herself as a “rule inventor” who makes lists of things she believes will

create

better life experiences for people. Her most popular videos apply to people at different stages of dating, but she also creates rule lists for basically any opportunity, ranging from a beach day, to a lazy Sunday and — my personal favorite — rules to spice up any mundane day.

Though her Instagram (@eli.rallo) audience is smaller, Rallo posts impactful monthly lists of things that are “in” and “out.” Ins may be things deemed popular within society at the time or that serve seasonal purposes. For example, in July, Rallo believes that women who grill, Little House on the Prairie dresses, and staycations and going out to breakfast are IN. Outs, on the other hand, are deemed as opposite of the current trend cycle, shunned by the public, or even create a toxic mindset. Rallo thus says, for example, that ukulele apology videos, pitting women against each other, and billionaires are OUT.

Rallo is a popular-culture connoisseur and upand-coming influencer, which arguably gives her the credentials to make these lists, and she knows her followers listen to her. It’s why I believe her debut book is destined to become a New York Times bestseller.

But here’s the thing: The way you live life shouldn’t be decided by one person or one app with a certain level of power over society. Follow the rules or don’t.

As Rallo often says, “I don’t know what your prerogative is.” Just as a popular book can help someone get back into reading, lists of ins/outs can help someone get back to living life to the fullest each month and can allow for them to holistically be the happiest versions of themselves. They help weed out unhealthy aspects of an individual’s life and make room for things that serve comfort, inspiration and, overall… purpose. Life needs spicing up every once in a while. Change is good, it keeps life interesting. And interesting lives make interesting people with purpose. n

STUNNING SHOWCASE

More than 40 sports celebs will be driving and putting around the world-famous Coeur d’Alene Resort Golf Course on Saturday, July 29, all while raising money for the Community Cancer Fund, which since 2014 has brought in nearly $30 million in the local fight against cancer. As part of the Fan Zone experience, eight Gonzaga Men’s Basketball players will be on hand to sign autographs from 11 am-12:30 pm, including Anton Watson, Ben Gregg and EWU transfer Steele Ventners. Tickets are $20 and support the CCF; kids 13 and under are free with an adult. Details at showcasegolf.com. (MADISON

PEARSON)

THIS WEEK’S PLAYLIST

Noteworthy new music arriving in stores and online on July 28.

POST MALONE, AUSTIN. The famously tatted hybrid pop star’s latest album — bearing his actual first name as its title — pushes his boundaries by featuring him playing guitar on each track.

CARLEY RAE JEPSEN, THE LOVELIEST TIME. The day before the Canadian pop star stops at the Gorge to open for Boygenius, she drops the optimistic companion piece to her 2022 album, The Loneliest Time

JONI MITCHELL, AT NEWPORT. Speaking of the Gorge, if you didn’t catch Joni’s dazzling set there in June, fill that folky void with this new live album of the legend’s surprise comeback gig at the 2022 Newport Folk Festival. (SETH SOMMERFELD)

Eli Rallo is TikTok’s queen of lists.

TOMATO, TOMATE

BY ELIZA BILLINGHAM

Forty years ago, Martha Holmberg knew exactly what she wanted to do: train as a chef at one of the top culinary schools in France. She didn’t know she would eventually author or co-author nine cookbooks, including a James Beard award winner. She didn’t know she would write hundreds of pages on the humble tomato, creating an authoritative text on the fruit, Simply Tomato, which hit shelves this June. She didn’t know she would cultivate a successful career on the east coast, then in Portland, then in a new, developing food scene in Spokane.

Back then, when Holmberg was in Denver prepping salads for a small cafe, she only knew that for $25,000, she could study at École de Cuisine La Varenne, the premiere bilingual culinary school started by Anne Willan on the Rue Saint-Dominique

But Holmberg didn’t have 25 grand.

So she put her name on the work study waitlist, which was about two years long. A month later, she missed a phone call. The cassette tape on her answering machine played back a posh British accent: “This is Anne Willan. I’m looking for an intern to work with me on a new book. I can’t pay you. But you’ll get all your school for free after we’re finished.”

Holmberg took the unpaid internship in Washington D.C. and moved in with her parents to save on rent. On her first day working for Willan, she answered the phone. The voice on the other end — that singsong voice — had brought French cooking to the televisions of servantless American home cooks.

“This is Julia,” the voice said. “Could I speak with Anne, please?” Holmberg put Willan on the phone with, yes, Julia Child, a good friend of Willan’s. Holmberg breathed a sigh of relief.

“Okay,” she told herself, “this is all going to work out just fine.”

Holmberg did eventually earn a grand diplômé, the highest culinary degree, from La Varenne. She then went on to be the editor-in-chief and publisher for Fine Cooking magazine, food editor for The Oregonian, founder of MIX magazine, and CEO of the International Association of Culinary Professionals. Holmberg most recently worked with Joshua McFadden on the awardwinning Six Seasons: A New Way with Vegetables

To celebrate her newest cookbook, Simply

Martha Holmberg’s Simply Tomato satisfies home cooks and grand diplômés alike with a single fruit

Martha Holmberg JOHN D’ANNA PHOTO

Showcase fresh tomatoes in Holmberg’s recipe for Greek salad.

COURTESY OF ARTISAN BOOKS/ ELLEN SILVERMAN PHOTO

Tomato, Wishing Tree Books hosts Holmberg on July 27 to share more about her work. Holmberg is chatting with local food writer and baker Kate Lebo, who helped Holmberg test recipes for the book, about everything from good essays, good eats, and, of course, good tomatoes.

Adiligent intern, Holmberg kept answering phones for Willan. Willan was impressed, boasting to a colleague that Holmberg was a “wonderful administrator.”

“F— you, lady,” Holmberg thought to herself. “I’m a chef.”

Holmberg finally started school at La Varenne when she was 30. Her enthusiasm never waivered. I love reducing, she wrote in one of her first notebooks. She geeked out over the simple process of cooking down liquids to make powerful spoonfuls of consommé and jus.

After she graduated, Holmberg worked as a personal chef, then took a job at the legendary Greenbrier resort in West Virginia. But she had started culinary school at a different stage of life than the twentysomethings willing to glorify the abuse and intensity of high-end kitchens.

“And then I realized, they’re all working when everybody else is playing,” Holmberg says. “I also got a taste of writing about food from doing the internship. And I was like, ‘Oh, well, this is really cool, because I get to be around food. I get to cook food. I get to eat food. But I don’t have to grind it out in a restaurant every day.’”

As a French-trained chef, Holmberg could speak a kitchen’s language. As a writer, she could translate it for a lay audience. And once she admitted that she was, indeed, a good administrator, she could lean into her executive skills of meeting deadlines and coordinating logistics. So she wrote and edited magazines for people who wanted to learn how to cook, ensuring that recipes were successful and chefs were properly recognized for their work.

Holmberg spent the last decade and a half in Portland, Oregon, finding a sense of home on the west coast. She and her partner John moved to Spokane in 2021 when they felt the need for a new life and more camping and better access to trout fishing. They pared down their kitchen and packed up the car. But Holmberg knew one thing would stay the same.

“Tomatoes is the one thing that I can think, way back, all my various houses — I always had some kind of tomato,” she says. Spokane would be no different.

Holmberg’s tomato garden is more like a jungle gym. Stakes and cross beams look like parallel bars, with small strings hanging down like ropes. The gymnasts are tomato vines, trimmed and trained to climb up the strings so that clusters of heavy fruit eventually hang over the top.

“I keep thinking, ‘Wouldn’t it be great to go to study and get your Master Gardener certificate?’” Holmberg says. “But I’m not very disciplined. Sounds like way too much work.”

Content as an amateur gardener, Holmberg says tomatoes have the highest effort-to-payoff ratio, since “the difference between a homegrown tomato and a grocery store tomato is just night and day, right?”

She considered them a personal, bumbling adventure. That is, until publishers came knocking.

“I think my agent said, ‘You’ve been writing everybody else’s book. You need to write your own book. What do you want to write about?’”

Holmberg doesn’t remember thinking much about it.

“I was just like, ‘Oh, how about tomatoes?’”

Despite the fruit’s global fan club, there aren’t many cookbooks dedicated solely to the simple tomato. Holmberg changes that. She gives the tomato main-character energy on toast and sheet pans, in pastas and cocktails.

She even revisits something she dismissed years ago for being too fussy: tomato water.

“It’s like clear tomato juice that drips out of the tomato and it’s really intensely flavored, and like, whoa, the essence of tomato,” she says. “But it seemed to me to be something that you only did in a restaurant and not something for a home cook.”

But with gallons of fruit from almost twodozen tomato plants collecting in her kitchen, Holmberg realized tomato water was a pretty hands-off process with dramatic, delicious results. It freezes well, transforms risotto, and invigorates sparkling sodas.

Simply Tomato is meant to be used year-round, and Holmberg doesn’t snub respectable tomato products like canned tomatoes and tomato paste. (She does, however, recommend buying whole canned tomatoes and dicing, chopping, or pureeing them at your own discretion.)

Her love for reduction never waned. As she developed the book, she started dreaming of single variety tomato concentrates. “Imagine concentrated Sungold paste!” she says, wide-eyed. Simply Tomato gives chefs at every skill level these brand new, savory daydreams. Creativity and celebration should be the prerogative of any home cook, Holmberg says, no matter if you’re feeding a crowd or yourself.

“I really want people to cook for themselves whether they have anybody else there or not,” Holmberg says. “I lived by myself for a long time. And I was like, ‘Well, who better to cook for than me?’ You can cook exactly what you want and you can feel good about yourself.” n

Casey Affleck, Zooey Deschanel, Walton Goggins and Noah Jupe star in Dreamin' Wild. COURTESTY ROADSIDE ATTRACTIONS

Wild Dreams Don’t Die

Culturally, you can’t get much farther from Hollywood than Fruitland, Wash. The rural community quietly rests roughly an hour-and-a-half drive northwest of Spokane, and there’s no stardom glitz to be had for the 800 or so hardworking folks who live there.

And while it’s not home to any Hollywood trappings, it’s certainly home to a real life story that seems like a silver screen dream. And now… it is.

BY SETH SOMMERFELD

The new film Dreamin’ Wild tells the dramatic true tale of Fruitland’s most famous sons — Donnie and Joe Emerson. For those unfamiliar with their Inland Northwest lore, the siblings, with financial support from their logging dad, self-recorded an album on their farm when they were teens in the late 1970s. With Donnie as the driving force as the songwriter, guitarist, and keyboardist, and Joe holding it down on the drums, the album in question — Dreamin’ Wild — was a wildly eclectic mix of rock, pop, soul, and funk that completely belied the duo’s age, location, and musical exposure.

But nothing really came of the album. Donnie grew up and stayed active in music around Spokane, eventually partnering with his wife Nancy Sophia to make local music and opening a recording studio, while Joe stuck around working in Fruitland.

But after over 30 years in obscurity, everything changed when Matt Sullivan, co-founder of Seattle repress record label Light in the Attic, came across Dreamin’ Wild and was floored by what he heard. He offered to rerelease the album in 2012, and it subsequently became a music nerd phenomenon — getting rave reviews from Pitchfork, garnering New York Times (and Inlander) features, and generally offering the Emerson brothers a second musical act. But it also created a lot of emotional turmoil for Donnie, who struggled with the unexpected resurgence of a creative project he’d viewed as a life-defining failure for decades.

That journey is captured now in cinematic form under the same name — Dreamin’ Wild. The film — written and directed by Bill Pohlad (who directed the Gold Globe-nominated Brian Wilson biopic Love & Mercy) and starring Casey Affleck (Donnie), Walton Goggins (Joe), Beau Bridges (Don Sr.), Zooey Deschanel (Nancy), Noah Jupe (teenage Donnie) and Jack Dylan Glazer (teenage Joe) — gets a national release on Aug. 4, bringing the Emerson’s Inland Northwest tale to the masses.

“It’s a bit mind-boggling to say the least,” Sullivan says. “Since Light in the Attic got involved, we always would almost jokingly say it’s a made for the silver screen story. But the fact that it actually came to fruition is pretty remarkable.”

But it was far from an easy journey. And the final chapters of Donnie Emerson’s musical journey have yet to be written.

FRUITLAND TO FRUITION

Dreamin’ Wild stands in stark contrast to the current cinematic era of hyperstylized, often sugarcoated musical biopics (think: Bohemian Rhapsody, Elvis, Rocketman). It’s not a movie about rock star glamour and frenetic fantasy sequences. The main thing Pohlad strives for is authenticity.

The production actually took place largely on the Emerson farm (with some Spokane scenes in there, too), and Donnie, Nancy and the rest of the family were involved with Pohlad, trying to get things right from the very beginning.

“We looked at the first script and made our changes to make it authentic. Because during COVID, it was really tough for Bill to come here and spend time,” Nancy says. “I said, ‘You want reality? We’ll give you reality. Good, bad and ugly. … We don’t shy away from the real life of the drama, but it has to be real.’”

“I was touched that they filmed at the actual farm in Fruitland,” Sullivan says. “The first time we met with Bill and the producers, that was one of the first questions I asked, hoping that would happen.”

Donnie and Nancy are no pushovers when it comes to the grind of the entertainment industry, having been working musicians for decades, so they were practical about a film adaptation of the story. They decided to let Pohlad make the film because he’s the producer, director and writer. They figured if the original studio, Focus Features, got cold feet, Pohlad’s production studio wouldn’t let the film die. Their instincts were rewarded when Focus pulled out during COVID, but Pohlad was undeterred by the setback.

“If you have a director who wrote this? That’s his baby,” Nancy says knowingly.

Dreamin’ Wild brings the Inland Northwest tale of the Emerson brothers’ unlikely rock resurgence to the big screen, while Donnie and Nancy Emerson continue their musical journey

Dreamin’ Wild

Having a music-based film adds layers of complications to a production (masters, publishing, etc.), but the Emersons were up to the challenge, even if negotiations got so overwhelming that sometimes they simply had to turn off their phones.

“People are like, ‘This must be so fun for you!’ And I just give them that look — like a deer in headlights,” Nancy says. “I have fun when I go to Disneyland. That’s not what this was. But it’s beyond anything that most people will experience. The adrenaline is unbelievable. The high is unbelievable. It’s surreal.”

THE GENUINE ARTICLE

Beyond being shot at real-life locations, what rings the most true throughout Dreamin’ Wild is the Emersons’ familial bonds. It’s the type of movie that generations can watch together and all enjoy. (“We are so grateful that it’s PG,” Nancy mentions three times while we’re chatting.)

Sullivan says the love depicted on screen between the Emersons is exactly what he encountered on his first visit to Fruitland, marveling at how there were no tensions or angry regret in the family in spite of hardships and financial losses they had faced over the years.

“I’m 47 years old, and I’ve met a lot of people, especially doing this Light in the Attic job,” Sullivan says. “And there’s just no one like [the Emersons]. They’re just the genuine article. They’re just such a wonderful loving family.”

That familial sense even led Pohlad to get emotional on stage after screenings of the film, which played at the Venice Film Festival and Seattle International Film Festival.

“Bill got teary eyed on stage. I started to almost cry,” Nancy says. “We’re talking six years of getting to know each other. For Bill Pohlad to say, ‘I’ve never met a family

like this. This family is amazing. It changed my life.’ Forever we’ll have a brotherhood because we went through this together.”

There’s undeniably a strong undercurrent of the Emersons’ faith that resonates throughout Dreamin’ Wild. It’s most certainly a strong Christian movie without being anything close to one of the modern pseudo-propagandistic Christian films made by a Christian studio that only appeals to Evangelical Christian audiences. Instead of a judgmental or fire-and-brimstone approach, it depicts the warmth of a family bonded around a belief in Jesus’s love.

“I want everyone to be able to watch this and know that there is faith within this family,” Nancy says. “I love all different types of movies. … But I love movies, that as you’re watching the movie, you become a Christian from watching the movie. It’s got a taste of Christianity and true family love.”

Even though the Emersons were heavily involved with the process, Dreamin’ Wild doesn’t sugarcoat things. To be quite frank, Affleck’s portrayal of Donnie makes him look like a straight-up dick sometimes (like when he has a minor meltdown after a big Light in the Attic showcase at the Showbox in Seattle). And the subject himself is fine with that. Because it’s real.

“I am kind of a complex character,” Donnie admits. “I won’t hide behind my idiosyncrasies. I won’t do that. But that’s why I was happy with what Casey did. I actually cried so much when I saw the first screening. It was like watching myself and analyzing who I am, you know?”

“I cried during a couple of things with Donnie. I could feel it through my bones,” Nancy adds.

“Even though it’s about music, it’s really about a family going through things with their children, and what they put into their kids,” Donnie continues. “It’s about

that struggle, that guilt, of maybe not living up to the expectations that you wanted it to.”

ANOTHER CHANCE

The film offers a musical showcase for anyone still unfamiliar with the Dreamin’ Wild album. Many of the album’s songs have caught on even if people are unaware of the context. For example, loads of people use the tune “Baby” as their wedding song without knowing the song’s atypical path into the musical consciousness.

“I think it’s just the purity of it — the music — it’s a genuine article,” Sullivan says. “Once you know the context, it makes even more sense. The fact they knew absolutely nothing about the traditions or music industry when they were doing this… you couldn’t really recreate it even if you tried. So there’s just such a genuine quality to it that just magically comes together. It’s like lightning in a bottle.”

But Donnie also worked on new music for the movie. Without spoiling too much, the film ends with a fairly magical cinematic moment involving a performance of the new tune “When A Dream is Beautiful.” To record the song, one which Sullivan calls “epic” and “breathtaking,” Donnie and Nancy traveled to Nashville’s famed RCA Studio A (where Elvis Presely and Dolly Parton have laid down tracks) with mega-producer Dave Cobb (Chris Stapleton, Brandi Carlile, Jason Isbell, the A Star is Born soundtrack, etc.).

“If you listen to the lyrics, it’s for everybody’s second chances. Take another chance,” Nancy says. “And our son’s name is Chance. So every time Donnie hears that part of the song, he gets kind of choked up, I get choked up. Take another chance. And that’s for everybody. Every single person that’s going to see this movie and hear that song, we want that song to hit them authentically.”

“WILD DREAMS DON’T DIE,” CONTINUED...

Donnie Emerson, Bill Pohlad and Casey Affleck hang on set. COURTESY OF ROADSIDE ATTRACTIONS

A RUNDOWN OF HOLLYWOOD’S PRIOR VISITS TO THE INLAND NORTHWEST

Spokane may not be Hollywood, but Dreamin’ Wild is hardly Spokane’s first big-screen venture. The film industry has visited our region several times over the years to take advantage of our parks, historic downtown buildings and outdoor splendor. Here’s a rundown of some prominent feature films using the Inland Northwest as a backdrop — from whimsical fantasies to historical dramas to bloody horror.

ANOTHER CHAPTER

And while many would be totally content after seeing their lives portrayed on the big screen, Donnie and Nancy just see the film as the next stepping stone for their joint career. They’ve never slowed down making melodies — either under the monikers Donnie Emerson & Dreamin’ Wild or Donnie Emerson with Nancy Sophia.

“Well I’m trying to be optimistic,” Donnie says. “Nancy and I have never stopped playing music. And so I want to see the future come out of the film. It’s going to recognize all of our music; not just from the past, but the stuff that we’re doing now and stuff we’ve done for the film.”

The pair also find themselves in a strange cultural moment for the release of a major motion picture. With the Screen Actors Guild and Writers Guild of America on strike currently, the typical stars who’d be out promoting their new films aren’t able to in the name of union solidarity. (Nancy stresses that her “heart and prayers go out to” those striking and that she believes they’re fighting the good fight against the studios’ desires to overuse artificial intelligence instead of paying people.) The situation weirdly creates an opportunity for the Emersons, who don’t write or act, to get their voices and faces out there to promote Dreamin’ Wild

VISION QUEST 1985

This underdog sports story, starring Matthew Modine as a teen wrestling phenom and Linda Fiorentino as the drifter who falls for him, features some great shots of 1980s downtown, as well as scenes set in Rogers, Shadle and Ferris high schools. It’s also got Madonna performing her No. 1 hit “Crazy for You” at the Bigfoot Tavern on North Division. Streaming on Roku and Tubi

ALWAYS 1989

Steven Spielberg used Eastern Washington towns Ephrata and Sprague, as well as the forests of the Idaho Panhandle, as magical settings for his remake of the 1943 fable A Guy Named Joe. Richard Dreyfuss, Holly Hunter and John Goodman star, and the legendary Audrey Hepburn makes her final film appearance. Digital rental

TOYS 1992

Yes, this cloying fantasy starring Robin Williams as a man-child saving his late father’s toy factory is… awful. But in between the scenes filmed on candycolored soundstages is gorgeous and eye-catching outdoor footage filmed near the Palouse, most notably in the golden wheat fields of Rosalia. Streaming on Starz

...continued on page 29

“Even right now with the film going through distribution, we could sit back. I could say, ‘Well, you know, I’m not going to do anything. I’m just gonna sit back and ride the wave. I’ve got so much music in the film, I don’t have to worry about anything. When it goes to streaming, I’m all good,’” Donnie says. “But that’s not my makeup. My makeup is to prove a point to all these other young artists out there and to myself, that the journey doesn’t end, it’s all about moving forward.”

Though Donnie and Nancy are in talks with new agents and managers and are planning to go on tour soon, they’re not overlooking how special it is that Dreamin’ Wild is now forever captured on celluloid. Being able to share it with Donnie’s parents (now 92 and 89 years old) and their two kids (22 and 20), serves as another chapter in the Emersons’ special family story. Much like when Donnie and Joe were jamming as teenagers, it’s a moment that won’t soon be forgotten.

“For the younger artists, I want them to appreciate their moments of playing together. I really, really do,” Donnie says. “They’re always looking for that golden ring. I’ve chased it and chased it. And they need to appreciate those moments of playing with each other. Because as soon as they get done playing, it’s done. Those moments will be gone.”

Well… unless someone makes a movie about them. n

Dreamin’ Wild arrives in theaters on Aug. 4. “When a Dream is Beautiful” and other music from the film will be available when Light in the Attic releases the soundtrack on the same day, with vinyl and an online store (donnieandjoe.com) coming later this year.

Donnie and Nancy Emerson at the premiere of Dreamin’ Wild.

COURTESY PHOTO

Dreamin’ Wild

Teenage Symphonies

The Spokane-shot Dreamin’ Wild is a testament to the love and mercy of the Emerson brothers

When I think back to the summer of 2012, the soundtrack is Donnie and Joe Emerson’s Dreamin’ Wild. The album, independently recorded in the late ’70s by teenage brothers from Fruitland, Wash., had just been dusted off and reissued, a thrift store curio that was suddenly being embraced by 21st-century hipsters everywhere.

I listened to Dreamin’ Wild over and over that summer, entranced by its mood, pulled in by its effortless melodies. It’s endearingly clumsy and unwaveringly sincere, and because the Emersons were isolated physically and culturally, the music has an unstudied honesty and spontaneity. Listening to those songs today, it not only feels like I’m eavesdropping on the Emersons making them 45 years ago, but it transports me to the summer I first encountered them. I can remember who I was with, the type of beer we were drinking, what we talked and laughed about deep into the night as Donnie and Joe’s song “Baby” purred on the speakers for the dozenth time.

Now there’s a film, also called Dreamin’ Wild, that dramatizes the album’s unusual journey out of obscurity, and its best moments capture the magic of the Emersons’ music. On its face, the movie is a standard artistic redemption story about a musician confronting an unexpected second act in his career. But it’s also an evocation of the past, of a fuzzy memory floating back into your conscience.

The story proper begins a little over a decade ago. Donnie (Casey Affleck) and his wife Nancy

REVIEW BY NATHAN WEINBENDER

(Zooey Deschanel) are playing together in cover bands, often as background music to distracted banquet rooms. They own a Spokane recording studio, but clients are canceling sessions and the bank is calling to collect. Then Donnie hears from Joe (Walton Goggins) that music blogs have caught wind of Dreamin’ Wild, and now the boutique Seattle label Light in the Attic wants to re-release their album.

As the brothers prepare for a reunion show of sorts, they struggle with notoriety in different ways. Joe, who lives a stone’s throw from the house where he grew up, sees the rediscovery of Dreamin’ Wild as an exciting diversion, and as a chance to spend more time with his brother. Donnie, who’s been a working musician for most of his life, has second thoughts about becoming famous not for his new music, but for something he made as a kid.

Interspersed with these scenes are flashbacks to the late 1970s, filmed on the actual Emerson family farm, that show us how the album came to be. How teenage Donnie (Noah Jupe) and Joe (Jack Dylan Grazer) begin to experiment with music — Joe on drums, Donnie on guitar and just about every other instrument. How their father (Beau Bridges) builds them a recording studio where they can create their own albums. How thousands of Dreamin’ Wild LPs collect dust in the basement, and how the family nearly loses their homestead because of it.

The movie Dreamin’ Wild was written and directed by Bill Pohlad, whose 2014 debut Love & Mercy examined the artistry of the Beach Boys’

Rated PG

Brian Wilson from two distinct points in his life. Pohlad adopts a similar structure here: The past and present are often in conversation with one another, and the youthful ambition and tireless creative spirit of young Donnie and Joe stands in stark contrast to the world-weary pragmatism of their adult counterparts.

DREAMIN’ WILD

Directed by Bill Pohlad

Starring Casey Affleck, Walton Goggins, Zooey Deschanel, Beau Bridges

This is a gentle, lowkey movie; it’s so lowkey, in fact, that it sometimes comes across as sleepy rather than meditative. It also misses an opportunity to deepen the character of Nancy: She’s Donnie’s main collaborator and partner, and while she briefly vents her frustrations about her own artistic ambitions being disregarded, the movie similarly gives them short shrift. Pohlad is primarily concerned with the sacrifices fathers make for sons and brothers make for brothers, but it’s disappointing that he lets Deschanel, herself an accomplished musician, vanish for long stretches of the film.

But Dreamin’ Wild is an unmistakably heartfelt movie, and it ends on a few lovely grace notes, including one that brings the real Emersons into the fold. As a filmmaker, Pohlad inherently understands why this long lost album was such a wondrous discovery, and why it still sounds so uncanny and yet so perfect. Its title is apt, too: This is a story about how dreams can come true, but it’s never when you expect and never in a way you can control. n

Dreamin' Wild hits the mark with its family focus. COURTESY OF ROADSIDE ATTRACTIONS

A RUNDOWN OF HOLLYWOOD’S PRIOR VISITS TO THE INLAND NORTHWEST

BENNY & JOON 1993

It’s arguably the definitive Spokane movie, essentially functioning as a tour of distinctive Inland Northwest locations: Peaceful Valley, Riverfront Park, Ferguson’s Cafe and Mary Lou’s Milk Bottle, all as they looked 30 years ago. Johnny Depp, Aidan Quinn and Mary Stuart Masterson were the marquee names, but there’s also early work from future stars like Julianne Moore, William H. Macy and C.C.H. Pounder. Streaming on Amazon Prime, Hoopla, Kanopy, Tubi and Pluto TV

SMOKE SIGNALS 1998

The first wide-release feature film made by a predominantly Native American cast and crew, this adaptation of a Sherman Alexie short story was filmed in downtown Spokane and on the Coeur d’Alene Reservation. It has since been preserved by the Library of Congress for its historical and cultural significance. Streaming on Paramount+, Hoopla and Pluto TV

THE BASKET 1999

Set during World War I, this is the family-friendly story of German orphans who are transplanted to the Pacific Northwest and an inspiring schoolteacher (Peter Coyote) who introduces his small town to basketball. Directed by North by Northwest’s Rich Cowan, the film focused on the visual splendor of the region, with plenty of golden-hour shots of the landscape. Streaming on Amazon Prime, Roku, and Tubi

MOZART AND THE WHALE 2005

From the Oscar-winning screenwriter of Rain Man, this romantic drama stars Josh Hartnett and Radha Mitchell as autistic adults who fall in love. Whether or not that casting would fly today, the film features the Gonzaga University campus, the Cat Tales wildlife preserve, and a fantasy scene set in the main atrium of River Park Square. Streaming on Hoopla

HOME OF THE BRAVE 2006

Spokane was again in the spotlight with this George W. Bush-era drama, directed by regular Martin Scorsese collaborator Irwin Winkler, about soldiers returning from the Iraq War and re-adjusting to society. Samuel L. Jackson, Jessica Biel, Christina Ricci and 50 Cent star. Streaming on Roku, Hoopla, Tubi and Pluto TV

THE WARD 2010

When he made the twisty ghost story The Ward, horror master John Carpenter hadn’t directed a movie in a decade. He hasn’t made one since. The film was shot primarily at Eastern State Hospital, and while it didn’t receive a wide release in the U.S., reviews praised the atmosphere of its setting. Digital rental

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KNIGHTS OF BADASSDOM 2013

LARPers go up against actual hellspawn in this goofy, gory action-comedy with an all-star, nerd-approved cast: Steve Zahn, Ryan Kwanten, Summer Glau, Danny Pudi and Peter Dinklage. The movie, shot in Spokane’s Riverside State Park, is infamous for its post-production troubles, and director Joe Lynch is still trying to release his preferred cut. Streaming on Amazon Prime, Tubi and Pluto TV

BOON 2022

A sequel to 2021’s Red Stone, this noirish thriller stars Neal McDonough as a retired hitman who jumps back into action to protect a woman and her young son from a crime syndicate. Shot in and around Spokane during the pandemic lockdown, it’s the kind of movie your dad might love. Streaming on Peacock, Kanopy, Roku, Hoopla and Tubi —

Dreamin’ Wild

TO PREP FOR DREAMIN’ WILD, WATCH THESE UNDERRATED FILMS ABOUT SIMILARLY UNDERRATED MUSICIANS

Movies about beloved musicians are a dime a dozen, but sift through the earnest biopics and career-spanning documentaries and you’ll discover a storied subgenre: movies about great musicians who deserve more credit than they get. Some of those films, like the Oscar-winning Searching for Sugar Man and 20 Feet from Stardom, give their central musicians an extra boost of notoriety. But most remain relatively unknown, just like their subjects. Here are some cinematic deep cuts about unfairly overlooked artists you should consider streaming.

ANVIL! THE STORY OF ANVIL (2008)

In the headbanging ’80s, Canadian hair metal band Anvil had the shredding stage antics that could have made them the next big thing. It never happened. Often called the real life This Is Spinal Tap, this documentary follows the aging rockers on a disastrous European tour, and it’s often as funny as any scripted comedy. Streaming on Paramount+

A BAND CALLED DEATH (2012)

The Hackney brothers of the ’70s band Death were anomalies in their hometown of Detroit: a trio of Black teenagers making fuzzy, furious hard rock in the birthplace of Motown. This doc finally gives Death its due, showing how they found their sound and accidentally prefigured the rise of punk. Streaming on Redbox

BIG STAR: NOTHING CAN HURT ME (2012)

Now they’re canonized, but there was a time when power-pop pio-

neers Big Star were the sort of band that only your coolest friend’s older brother knew about. This doc explores why it took so long for them to take off, and how they influenced everyone from KISS to R.E.M. to countless ’90s alt-rockers. Streaming on Tubi

BLAZE (2018)

Another of director Ethan Hawke’s portraits of underappreciated artists and their processes (see also: Seymour: An Introduction), this time dramatizing the final years of country musician Blaze Foley. He never found fame during his short life and is admittedly still pretty obscure, so this film functions as much as a primer as a biopic. Streaming on Kanopy and Tubi

THE DEVIL & DANIEL JOHNSTON (2005)

With his warbly voice and hand-drawn album art, the late Daniel Johnston developed a fanbase that included Kurt Cobain, Butthole Surfers and Sonic Youth. His cult grew even bigger following Jeff Feuerzeig’s gripping 2005 bio-doc, which brings emotional context to Johnston’s nakedly sincere lyrics. Digital rental

THE RUNAWAYS (2010)

Most musical biopics chart both highs and lows, but The Runaways,

about the short-lived but influential all-girl rock band, is a catalog of horrors about being a young woman in show-biz. It features great work by Kristen Stewart as Joan Jett, Dakota Fanning as singer Cherie Currie, and a ferocious Michael Shannon as sleazy self-imposed svengali Kim Fowley. Digital rental

SUZI Q (2019)

Suzi Quatro’s blend of early rock ‘n’ roll and glam made her a ’70s superstar in Europe and Australia. But the Detroit-born singer and bassist never hit it big in her home country. This documentary effectively argues that most hard rocking women (including the Runaways) have taken cues from Quatro. Streaming on Kanopy

THE WRECKING CREW (2008)

Maybe you don’t know their names, but the group of L.A. session musicians known as the Wrecking Crew played on countless classic recordings of the ’60s and ’70s (from Frank Sinatra and Cher to the Beach Boys and the Partridge Family). Directed by Denny Tedesco, son of Wrecking Crew guitarist Tommy Tedesco, this heartfelt doc puts faces and names to some of rock’s most famous riffs. Streaming on Peacock, Tubi and YouTube

Blowing Up the Biopic

Christopher Nolan explores atomic history in the ambitious but muddled Oppenheimer

BY JOSH BELL

As dazzling as Christopher Nolan’s filmmaking style often is, he still can’t escape the trappings of the historical biopic with his three-hour epic Oppenheimer, an overstuffed and often overwhelming account of the man known as the “father of the atomic bomb.” Spanning a period of decades in the life of physicist

J. Robert Oppenheimer (Cillian Murphy), the movie builds to one of the most important events in human history and then spends another hour on petty political squabbles. Nolan gives nearly equal weight to these two elements, framing the story around a pair of contentious government hearings.

The first is the 1954 Atomic Energy Commission hearing about revoking Oppenheimer’s security clearance, ostensibly over his potential communist sympathies. Oppenheimer’s testimony covers his entire career, from his time as a student in Europe in the 1920s to his

ALSO OPENING

AMANDA

This quirky Italian drama finds the 24-year-old Amanda, an upper-class failure-to-launch outcast, trying to reconnect with childhood friend Rebecca, who is similarly stunted and refuses to leave her room.

Not rated At the Magic Lantern

TALK TO ME

When a group of high schoolers come across an embalmed severed hand, they discover it can cause quick possessions, which they turn into somewhat a viral party game. But (inevitably) they take things too far, opening a portal through which spirits begin to terrorize them. Rated R

leadership of the Manhattan Project, the government initiative to develop the first atomic bomb during World War II. It’s a familiar biopic structural device, and Nolan mostly sticks to it, toning down the nonlinear storytelling he’s known for.

The movie still jumps around in time, though, mainly in its depiction of a second, much more public government hearing, the Senate’s confirmation of Secretary of Commerce nominee Lewis Strauss (Robert Downey Jr.) in 1959. For anyone not familiar with the details of Oppenheimer’s life, it’s not immediately clear what Strauss’ confirmation has to do with Oppenheimer, even after the movie shows Strauss recruiting Oppenheimer for an academic position following the war. Strauss’ presence seems almost superfluous for the first two-thirds of the movie, as Nolan devotes most of his attention to the monumental project of developing the bomb.

New Mexico. Oppenheimer hand-picks a team of scientists to join him at a location that he’s also hand-picked, and he’s both arrogant enough and brilliant enough to run things his own way, sometimes even in opposition to the military’s preferences. Murphy plays Oppenheimer as confident but troubled, and while he’s sometimes inscrutable, both to his associates and to the audience, he’s always captivating.

Rated R

Directed by Christopher Nolan

Starring Cillian Murphy, Robert Downey Jr., Matt Damon

That’s when Oppenheimer is at its most gripping, as Oppenheimer is recruited by Gen. Leslie Groves (Matt Damon) to oversee the top-secret program headquartered at Los Alamos,

Nolan himself is both arrogant enough and brilliant enough to recruit an absurdly stacked cast of familiar faces, many of whom show up to deliver just a handful of lines. The extensive array of scientists are hard to tell apart, even when played by recognizable actors, and very few of them exhibit any distinctive personality. Emily Blunt, as Oppenheimer’s wife Kitty, and Florence Pugh, as his mistress Jean Tatlock, make slightly more memorable impressions, but ultimately the supporting characters are all subordinate to Oppenheimer.

OPPENHEIMER

That’s what makes Strauss’ prominent position in the movie’s third hour so frustrating, especially after the bravura presentation of the Manhattan Project’s successful nuclear test. The deployment of the bomb seems like it would be the climax of Oppenheimer’s story, but instead Nolan digs into the minutiae of those government hearings, which shift from framing devices to the primary focus. Nolan relies on awe-inspiring practical effects to illustrate the all-consuming power of the first nuclear detonation and its impact on Oppenheimer, which contrasts with the stark black-and-white visuals of the Strauss scenes.

The prickly, vindictive Strauss devoted himself to ruining Oppenheimer’s post-war career for apparently small-minded reasons, and Downey makes him suitably reprehensible. But the political machinations come across as a footnote to the terrifying wartime achievements, dragging down the movie’s momentum. Thanks to Murphy, Oppenheimer remains a compelling figure even as the movie around him slowly implodes. n

Cillian Murphy is worthy of praise, even if the man he’s playing is not.

Half-Hearted Haunting

Disney’s Haunted Mansion makes the classic ride into a forgettable movie

BY JOSH BELL

Aside from the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, Disney hasn’t had much luck with feature-film adaptations of its theme park attractions, including The Country Bears, Tomorrowland, Jungle Cruise, and 2003’s The Haunted Mansion. That last one gets a do-over in the new Haunted Mansion, which represents a marginal improvement over the Eddie Murphy-starring original, but still fails to capture the charm of the classic ride or establish a distinctive identity of its own.

While the 2003 film was a family-driven comedy, the new Haunted Mansion is more of an ensemble piece, led by glum paranormal investigator and former astrophysicist Ben Matthias (LaKeith Stanfield). After the death of his wife, Ben has given up on his science career and taken a job leading historical walking tours in New Orleans, while strenuously denying the existence of ghosts. Still, Ben’s invention of a camera that can supposedly capture true images of the paranormal attracts the attention of local priest Father Kent (Owen Wilson), who’s been recruited to help doctor and single mother Gabbie (Rosario Dawson) with her… well haunted mansion.

Gabbie and her young son, Travis (Chase Dillon), bought the dilapidated property and were immediately held hostage by the many specters inhabiting the house, who eventually also ensnare Ben, Father Kent, psychic medium Harriet (Tif-

fany Haddish) and history professor Bruce Davis (Danny DeVito). Unable to leave without being pursued by spirits, they must discover the secrets of the house and rid it of the evil presence tormenting anyone who sets foot inside.

might be less beholden to Disneyland fan service and closer to Simien’s stylish 2020 horror comedy, Bad Hair

The explanation for who is haunting the mansion and why is convoluted and not particularly interesting, incorporating narrative elements from the ride along with contributions from screenwriter Katie Dippold (The Heat, 2016’s Ghostbusters). Thematically, Dippold and director Justin Simien focus on the grieving process, which is fitting for a story about ghosts but drags down a movie that’s meant to be a family-friendly horror comedy.

HAUNTED MANSION

Rated PG-13

Directed by Justin Simien Starring LaKeith Stanfield, Rosario Dawson, Owen Wilson

Stanfield effectively conveys Ben’s sadness, but that just makes him a bummer in the midst of all the theme-park silliness. Stanfield and Dawson are stuck carrying the movie’s weak emotional core, which lets Wilson, Haddish and DeVito cut loose with the comedy, and they each get a handful of amusing moments. Winona Ryder nearly steals the show in a single-scene appearance as a deadpan, uniquely unhelpful bed-and-breakfast proprietor at a separate historical mansion with a troubled past. Her attention-grabbing performance points to a more oddball version of the movie that

In that movie, Simien put together a sometimes unwieldy but entertaining blend of satire and supernatural threats. There are no such hints of social commentary in Haunted Mansion, which is superficial and rarely clever, and even the incorporation of familiar set pieces from the ride feels rote rather than inventive. After the cultural specificity that Simien brought to Bad Hair, set at an “urban” music video channel in 1989, he offers no particular vision for Haunted Mansion, which never comes off as anything more than a corporate brand extension. Its approach more closely resembles throwaway late ’90s/early ’00s schlock-horror remakes like House on Haunted Hill and Thirteen Ghosts than the spooky classics that inspired its source material.

The Pirates of the Caribbean movies owe their success to the initially refreshing creation of Johnny Depp’s Captain Jack Sparrow, but there’s no equivalent standout character in Haunted Mansion. With its passable special effects, mild humor, solid performances and perfunctory life lessons, Haunted Mansion is a mostly tolerable way to spend two hours, but it’s not nearly as memorable as a 10-minute theme park ride. n

A thrill ride, Haunted Mansion is not.

THE BOYS

ARE BACK IN TOWN

The vicarious bliss of Boygenius’ rise to the top of the rock world

BY SETH SOMMERFELD

All of a sudden, Boygenius is one of the bigger rock bands on the planet. This year the trio of singer-songwriters

Phoebe Bridgers, Julien Baker and Lucy Dacus has graced the cover of Rolling Stone, booked a headlining concert at Madison Square Garden (which immediately sold out), and the supergroup’s new record — aptly named The Record — topped the Billboard Rock charts while also going No. 1 in the U.K.

As a massive fan of all three women for years, I’ve been struck by a strange emotional reaction to this wild success: I’m… proud?

I grant that’s an entirely ridiculous feeling to hold that’s both slightly detached from reality (I don’t know them, though I’ve interviewed them professionally) and probably at least partially some ingrained societal patriarchal hang-up. But it’s also the inverse of that acidic brand of hipster gatekeeping that often hangs like a toxic cloud over music fandom. The sense of vicarious joy from seeing them thrive comes because I’ve been supporting these women’s individual careers for longer than most and — much more importantly — their gently sad songs have given me immense support in my sorrowful lows.

You know that scene in Greta Gerwig’s Little Women where Bob Odenkirk surprisingly shows up as the March family patriarch on Christmas and warmly embraces his daughters, declaring:

“My little women, how you’ve grown”?

That’s basically how I feel about Boygenius.

The diminutive Julien might be the runt of the litter, but she’s also the one that I first came to adore. I decided to check out her gig at the Vera Project in Seattle in February 2016, and it was one of those instantly blown-away moments. There were only maybe a dozen people in the all-ages safe haven, but Julien’s solo set was completely captivating — displaying the contemplative calm and devastating lyricism that would become her trademark while playing songs from her stunning debut LP, Sprained Ankle. By the time she returned to the Vera that October, the smattering of attendees had become a sold-out throng of folks, yet everyone in the room remained silent throughout the set. It was a magical, respectful serenity and a testament to Julien’s captivating presence. The next year I trekked from Seattle to my hometown of Billings, Montana, just to see her open an arena show for Paramore (I thought it would be very weird but kinda great — which it was). Even as she’s grown past her solo sound on her subsequent great albums — Turn Out the Lights and Little Oblivions — she’s still a dynamo of sadness who can shine in any setting.

Phoebe was a chance discovery that blossomed into unques-

Bridgers, Dacus and Baker are the real boys of summer.

tionable fandom. I stumbled across her in a church in Austin at the tail end of South By Southwest in 2017, months before releasing her debut album that began her buzzy ascent. Amid a crowd of maybe a couple dozen, I didn’t then fully grasp her prowess. When said album — Stranger in the Alps — dropped, it almost immediately established her as the leading bummer poet voice in the realm of millennial angst. With a songwriting vision far beyond her years, Stranger managed to make aimless existential depression sound catchy in a refreshing manner. When her follow-up LP Punisher arrived a few months into COVID lockdown, even a fervent supporter like myself couldn’t have predicted how huge it would become. It turned Phoebe into a legit celebrity by giving an empathetic emotional outlet for disillusioned young adults in a time when everything about the world felt morbidly surreal.

Lucy was the last to hit my sweet spot, but once she clicks, it’s impossible to shake the calm-and-composed, cynical-but-daydreaming nature of her rich contralto. While most music fanatics really took notice of her when she released her 2018 sophomore record Historian (with the modern indie rock epic “Night Shift” serving up a knockout), her songcraft bloomed into even more grandeur on 2021’s Home Video, a heart-wrenching collection of queer coming-of-age tunes that hit with a wallop. (I also once got her dad into a Boygenius show when a list screw-up left him without a ticket… so that’s a fun wrinkle.)

When it was initially announced that Julien, Phoebe and Lucy were teaming up, the chance of them making subpar music together was essentially zero. But Boygenius being amazing out of the gate still felt overwhelming. The band’s 2018 self-titled debut EP is one of the tightest collections of songs released in the past decade with its blend of pitch-perfect folk harmonies layered on an indie-rock foundation. It’s really hard to express how borderline impossible it is to have such instant musical chemistry. You can’t fake the flow found on tunes like “Bite the Hand” and “Ketchum, ID.” Over the course of six gorgeous and detail-rich songs, the trio’s vocals and melancholy meshed in a way that felt both effortless and timeless, while somehow always remaining balanced — no one gets lost in the shuffle, and none of the three try to be the “star” of the group. It’s clear these three fully check their egos at the door when it’s time to be a band.

That showed through when Boygenius stopped for a gig at the Moore Theater in Seattle in 2018. It was a euphoric musical marathon: Lucy, Phoebe and Julien all played full sets of their own before coming together to play every song off that debut EP. It’s easily one of the best shows I’ve ever attended — and I attend a lot — a dazzling gem that I’ll keep as a treasure in my memory’s chest until my fading days.

It took awhile for Boygenius to reconvene — a few little things like COVID and Phoebe absolutely blowing up and becoming a star will do that — but the ladies didn’t lose their fastball or graceful sonic connection in the time away. The Record expands on their knack for seamlessly flowing in and out of one another’s sonic spaces with abundant and enriching elegance. The songwriting is rich in small, emotionally resonant details, be it via Phoebe’s sad contemplative meditations (“Emily I’m Sorry”), Julien’s hollering rock (“$20”), Lucy’s ice-cold love tunes (“True Blue”) or one of the tracks where they split the lead vocal duties (“Cool About It”). The album is a testament to the tenderness of organic, creative camaraderie.

That all leads to Boygenius’ headlining show this weekend at the Gorge (with A+ support from Carly Rae Jepsen and Illuminati Hotties). It’s one of the few shows on the band’s slate that’s yet to sell out, and it’s impossible to think of a better setting to first experience the songs of The Record live. It’s a place where I’ve seen majestic sets from Julien and Phoebe at past Sasquatch! Festivals, but those seem merely like distant cherished memories when I see how far Boygenius has come both as individuals and as a collective.

“My queer little musical women, how you’ve grown…” n Boygenius, Carly Rae Jepsen, Illuminati Hotties

July 29 at 8 pm

Sifting Through the Sonic Sands

Prepping for another musical summer at the Festival at Sandpoint

For 40 years, the Festival at Sandpoint has brought music and community to its namesake riverside town, always bringing in a myriad of artists representing a multitude of genres to share their talents with the Idaho Panhandle.

While concertgoers can expect some changes from prior years, like no re-entry into the venue, no hard-sided coolers and — perhaps most notably — the loss of the festival’s iconic tent, these changes have allowed the festival to increase capacity this year.

With it being Festival at Sandpoint’s 40th anniversary, the fest’s executive director Allison Baranski says attendees can expect some celebratory fun.

“A part of our mission is music education, generating regional economic impact for rural North Idaho, and bringing these amazing cultural experiences to such a kind of rural area.” Baranski says. “Being able to provide an annual opportunity to gather and celebrate for 40 years in Northern Idaho is pretty cool.”

Here’s what you can expect from this year’s lineup (for more details visit festivalatsandpoint.com):

THURSDAY, JULY 27

BRIT FLOYD

Since forming in 2011 and performing over 1,000 shows, Brit Floyd has become a highly regarded cover band, bringing the sound and theatrics of Pink Floyd’s 1994 world tour to the stage once more. This Brit Floyd set primarily showcases the legendary album The Dark Side of the Moon (in celebration of the record’s 50th anniversary), but the tribute act will perform other famed tracks from the classic rock band’s extensive discography.

FRIDAY, JULY 28

GARY CLARK JR. WITH BRADY WATT

Grammy-winning artist Gary Clark Jr. fuses the acoustic and soulful sounds of blues and rock with hip-hop, creating an experimental blend of genres new and old. Hailing from Austin, Texas, Clark’s albums have landed on the Billboard Top 10 multiple times and garnered widespread acclaim. Clark will be joined on stage by Brady Watt, a bass player and producer from New England, who has an

BY SUMMER SANDSTROM

online series called “Bass & Bars” for which he collaborates with artists and creates a stripped-down bassline performance of their songs.

SATURDAY, JULY 29

TRAIN

No need to sail across the sun to hear Train perform some of their charting hits, such as “Hey, Soul Sister” and “Drops of Jupiter.” While this show is sold out, there’s always a chance you’ll find a ticket to ride on the secondary market.

SUNDAY, JULY 30

THE STRING CHEESE INCIDENT

With 12 albums blending elements of bluegrass, psychedelia and progressive rock sounds, the String Cheese Incident has remained dedicated to supporting the music community as a whole by performing at a variety of philanthropic events. They’ve made a name for themselves as an innovative musical force with a stage presence that’s as captivating as their discography.

THURSDAY, AUG. 3

MICHAEL FRANTI & FRIENDS

Looking for an upbeat and energizing day suited for all ages? When Michael Franti & Friends take the stage Thursday afternoon during the festival’s Family Hour – a performance intended to get audience members of all ages moving to the music – their high-energy reggae, pop and hip-hop inspired songs will get you out of your seat and onto the outdoor dance floor.

THURSDAY, AUG. 3

MICHAEL FRANTI & SPEARHEAD WITH SOJA

Michael Franti reclaims the stage later that evening for a sold-out show, joined by SOJA, a reggae band that deepens their musical style by collaborating with artists from across the world. If you missed your chance to get tickets, fret not; Franti’s afternoon gig still has tickets for Sandpoint’s reggae enthusiasts.

FRIDAY, AUG. 4

REO SPEEDWAGON WITH CHARLIE FARREN

Zero tickets remain for the rock legends REO Speedwagon. The band’s drive shines through their continuous touring and record production since 1967, with a multitude of hit singles that almost anyone can sing along to. They’ll be joined by Charlie Farren, a Boston rock artist with a unique sound and captivating vocals, who stops in Sandpoint as part of his ongoing solo acoustic tour.

SATURDAY, AUG. 5

ASHLEY MCBRYDE WITH ZACH TOP

From biker bars to the main stage, singer songwriter Ashley McBryde’s country music has a unique edge and rock ‘n’ roll flare that shines the light on her lyrical songs. Her latest album Ashley McBryde Presents: Lindeville was a collaboration with a variety of artists including Brothers Osborne and Brandy Clark, for which she received her sixth Grammy nomination. She’ll be joined by special guest Zach Top, an artist with the goal to revive the spirit of ’90s country music. Together, the two will transport listeners to a rural dancehall, made complete with a can of cold beer in hand.

SUNDAY, AUG. 6 THE PRINCESS BRIDE IN CONCERT

Each year, the Festival at Sandpoint concludes its two weeks of performances with a symphonic show. This year, the Spokane Symphony is accompanying the beloved big-screen adventure of The Princess Bride. With a full 60-piece orchestra playing the original score throughout the run of the film, the fantastical and romantic elements of the movie are elevated for first time viewers and cult fans alike. The performance is being conducted by Spokane Symphony’s Morihiko Nakahara, who is known for bringing a charismatic presence to the podium and drawing the audience into the score through his symphonic interpretations. n

The Sandpoint shores offer some great concertgoing. YELLOW GOAT STUDIO PHOTO

COUNTRY SUNNY SWEENEY

Spokane does a fine job courting major country headliners to places like Spokane Arena and Northern Quest Casino, but it can sometimes seem like the smaller-scale touring country acts don’t have much of a concert foothold ’round these parts. So when an artist like Sunny Sweeney stops at the District Bar, fans of the genre should take note. It’s not every day someone who’s had three singles that charted on Billboard’s country charts (“From a Table Away,” “Drink Myself Single” and “Staying’s Worse Than Leaving” from 2011’s Concrete) stops here for a bar gig. Sweeney’s inviting yet gritty singer-songwriter voice should get folks dancing as she plays tunes from her 2022 album, Married Alone

— SETH SOMMERFELD

Sunny Sweeney, Erin Enderlin • Wed, Aug. 2 at 9 pm • $21 • 21+ • The District Bar • 916 W. First Ave. • sp.knittingfactory.com

Thursday, 7/27

J ADELO’S PIZZA, PASTA & PINTS, Brassless Chaps

ARBOR CREST WINE CELLARS, Christy Lee

J BOOMERS CLASSIC ROCK BAR, Ken Davis Trio

J BRICK WEST BREWING CO., Kyle Richard and Friends

CHAN’S RED DRAGON ON THIRD, Thursday Night Jam

CHECKERBOARD TAPROOM, Weathered Shepherds

COEUR D’ALENE PARK, Tango Volcado

J D-MAC’S AT THE LAKE, Kevin Franklin

J FESTIVAL AT SANDPOINT, Brit Floyd

J HISTORIC DAVENPORT HOTEL, Dr. Don Goodwin

LUCKY YOU LOUNGE, Mister Sister

J THE NEST AT KENDALL YARDS, Soul Proprietor

J NORTHERN QUEST CASINO, 3 Doors Down, Candlebox

J PINE STREET PLAZA, The Cherry Sisters

J RIVERSTONE PARK, Pamela Benton, Angelica Rose

J STEAM PLANT RESTAURANT, Just Plain Darin

J STELLA’S ON THE HILL, Lake Town Sound

J TIMBERS ROADHOUSE, Cary Beare Presents: KINGSIZE

J TRUE LEGENDS GRILL, Carli Osika

Friday, 7/28

J AK ASIAN RESTAURANT, Jake Rozier

J THE BIG DIPPER, Wax, 1Ton (of Potluck), Jarv, DJ1l,

POST-PUNK HIGH VIS

After taking one listen to the aggressive post-punk of London’s High Vis, it’s not a shock to learn that the band was formed by a bunch of former hardcore kids. While you don’t have to parse his words through screams, singer Graham Sayle maintains the ferocity of someone who’s comfortable in a thrash pit during High Vis’ intense sets even if the music backing him is closer to Gang of Four than Black Flag. With Spokane being one of only nine U.S. dates for the Brits (in support of its 2022 album Blending), it’s a rare chance for locals to experience a great international band that the rest of the country won’t get to see.

— SETH SOMMERFELD

High Vis, Pit • Wed, Aug. 2 at 8 pm • $16-$18 • 21+ • Lucky You Lounge • 1801 W. Sunset Blvd. • luckyyoulounge.com

Eric Acebo, Nathan Chartrey, Young Dante

J BING CROSBY THEATER, Leo Kottke

J BRICK WEST BREWING CO., Dahveed Bullis

CHAN’S RED DRAGON ON THIRD, Bobby Patterson & the Two Tones

CHINOOK LOUNGE, Just Plain Darin

J THE COEUR D’ALENE RESORT, JoJo Dodge

THE DISTRICT BAR, Kadabra, Kung Fu Vinyl

J J FESTIVAL AT SANDPOINT, Gary Clark Jr.

J HISTORIC DAVENPORT HOTEL, Kate Skinner Trio

LUCKY YOU LOUNGE, James McMurtry, Bettysoo

J MAJESTIC PARK, Soul Proprietor

J NIGHTFALL LIVE, The Ronaldos

J ONE SHOT CHARLIE’S, Eclectic Approach

J PARK BENCH CAFE, Under the Trees Concert Series PARK BENCH CAFE, Hannah Siglin

PEND D’OREILLE WINERY, Weibe Jammin’

SILVER MOUNTAIN RESORT, Ben Vogel

SPOKANE VALLEY EAGLES, Stagecoach West

J THE FOX THEATER, The FABBA Show

Saturday, 7/29

BECK’S HARVEST HOUSE, Desert Highway Band BLUE HERON CAFE, JamShack

CHAN’S RED DRAGON ON THIRD, Slap Shot, Belly Dancers

CHINOOK LOUNGE, Just Plain Darin

CONKLING MARINA & RESORT, Theresa Edwards Band

J D-MAC’S AT THE LAKE, Jake Rozier

DAHMEN BARN, Thunderstorm Artis

THE DISTRICT BAR, All White Affair with DJA1 & McSquared

J J EMERGE, Cicada Sessions: Heat Speak

J FESTIVAL AT SANDPOINT, Train, Better Than Ezra

J J GORGE AMPHITHEATER, Boygenius, Carly Rae Jepsen, Illuminati Hotties

J HAYTON GREENE PARK, Palouse Music Festival

J HISTORIC DAVENPORT HOTEL, Sacha Boutros, Brent Edstrom Quartet

J HISTORIC DAVENPORT HOTEL, Brent Edstrom Trio

LUCKY YOU LOUNGE, Zella Day, Okey Dokey NOAH’S CANTEEN, Che Stratte

J ONE SHOT CHARLIE’S, Eclectic Approach

PEND D’OREILLE WINERY, Ben Vogel

PLAYERS & SPECTATORS, ‘90s Country Really Rocks!

J PONDEROSA BAR AND GRILL, Wild Wooly Duo

J REPUBLIC BREWING CO., Courtney Patton, James Coates, Kory Quinn

ROCKET MARKET, Indy & Taylor

J TRUE LEGENDS GRILL, Gil Rivas Musician

ZOLA, Blake Braley

J = THE INLANDER RECOMMENDS THIS SHOW

J = ALL AGES SHOW

Sunday, 7/30

ARBOR CREST WINE CELLARS, David Raitt and Baja Boogie Band

BECK’S HARVEST HOUSE, Salt Band

J THE COEUR D’ALENE RESORT, Red Books Trio

J FESTIVAL AT SANDPOINT, The String Cheese Incident

J HISTORIC DAVENPORT HOTEL, Dr. Paul Grove

HOGFISH, Open Mic

KELLY’S BAR & GRILL, Working Spliffs

J ONE SHOT CHARLIE’S, Mel Dalton

Monday, 7/31

BRICK WEST BREWING CO., Live Karaoke

J D-MAC’S AT THE LAKE, North Idaho’s Got Talent Season 5

J EICHARDT’S PUB, Monday Night Blues Jam with John Firshi

RED ROOM LOUNGE, Open Mic Night

J STELLA’S ON THE HILL, Gil Rivas Musician

Tuesday, 8/1

LITZ’S PUB & EATERY, Shuffle Dawgs

LUCKY YOU LOUNGE, Arlo Mckinley, Justin Wells

OSPREY RESTAURANT & BAR, Pamela Benton

J TRUE LEGENDS GRILL, Dallas Kay

ZOLA, The Night Mayors

Wednesday, 8/2

BECK’S HARVEST HOUSE, Jovie and the Honeychuckle

CHAN’S RED DRAGON ON THIRD, Wednesday Night Jam

J D-MAC’S AT THE LAKE, Chuck Wasileski

J THE DISTRICT BAR, Sunny Sweeney, Erin Enderlin

THE DRAFT ZONE, The Draft Zone Open Mic

J LUCKY YOU LOUNGE, High Vis, Pit, Room 13

MCEUEN PARK, Alive After 5: Rhythm Dawgs

OSPREY RESTAURANT & BAR, Tod Hornby

RED ROOM LOUNGE, The Roomates

J THE FOX THEATER, Kip Moore

ZOLA, Brittany’s House

Coming Up ...

J J SPOKANE ARENA, Foo Fighters, The Breeders, Aug. 4, 7:30 pm.

J J PAVILION AT RIVERFRONT, The Head and the Heart, Father John Misty, Aug. 6, 6-10 pm.

MUSIC | VENUES

219 LOUNGE • 219 N. First Ave., Sandpoint • 208-263-5673

ARBOR CREST WINE CELLARS • 4705 N. Fruit Hill Rd., Spokane Valley • 509-927-9463

BABY BAR • 827 W. First Ave. • 509-847-1234

BARRISTER WINERY • 1213 W. Railroad Ave. • 509-465-3591

BEE’S KNEES WHISKY BAR • 1324 W. Lancaster Rd.., Hayden • 208-758-0558

BERSERK • 125 S. Stevens St. • 509-315-5101

THE BIG DIPPER • 171 S. Washington St. • 509-863-8098

BIGFOOT PUB • 9115 N. Division St. • 509-467-9638

BING CROSBY THEATER • 901 W. Sprague Ave. • 509-227-7638

BLACK DIAMOND • 9614 E. Sprague Ave. • 509891-8357

BOLO’S BAR & GRILL • 116 S. Best Rd., Spokane Valley • 509-891-8995

BOOMERS CLASSIC ROCK BAR • 18219 E. Appleway Ave., Spokane Valley • 509-368-9847

BUCER’S COFFEEHOUSE PUB • 201 S. Main St., Moscow • 208-596-0887

THE BULL HEAD • 10211 S. Electric St., Four Lakes • 509-838-9717

CHAN’S RED DRAGON • 1406 W. Third Ave. • 509-838-6688

COEUR D’ALENE CASINO • 37914 S. Nukwalqw St., Worley • 800-523-2464

COEUR D’ALENE CELLARS • 3890 N. Schreiber Way, Coeur d’Alene • 208-664-2336

CRUISERS BAR & GRILL • 6105 W Seltice Way, Post Falls • 208-446-7154

CURLEY’S HAUSER JUNCTION • 26433 W. Hwy. 53, Post Falls • 208-773-5816

EICHARDT’S PUB • 212 Cedar St., Sandpoint • 208-263-4005

FIRST INTERSTATE CENTER FOR THE ARTS • 334 W. Spokane Falls Blvd. • 509-279-7000

FOX THEATER • 1001 W. Sprague Ave. •

509-624-1200

IRON HORSE • 407 E. Sherman, Coeur d’Alene • 208-667-7314

IRON HORSE BAR & GRILL • 11105 E. Sprague Ave., Spokane Valley • 509-926-8411

JOHN’S ALLEY • 114 E. Sixth St., Moscow • 208-883-7662

KNITTING FACTORY • 911 W. Sprague Ave. •

509-244-3279

LEFTBANK WINE BAR • 108 N. Washington St. • 509-315-8623

LUCKY YOU LOUNGE • 1801 W. Sunset Blvd. • 509-474-0511

MARYHILL WINERY • 1303 W. Summit Pkwy. • 509-443-3832

THE MASON JAR • 101 F St., Cheney • 509-359-8052

MAX AT MIRABEAU • 1100 N. Sullivan Rd., Spokane Valley • 509-922-6252

MILLIE’S • 28441 Hwy 57, Priest Lake • 208-443-0510

MOOSE LOUNGE • 401 E. Sherman Ave., Coeur d’Alene • 208-664-7901

MOOTSY’S • 406 W. Sprague Ave. • 509-838-1570

NASHVILLE NORTH • 6361 W. Seltice Way, Post Falls • 208-457-9128

NORTHERN QUEST RESORT & CASINO • 100 N. Hayford Rd., Airway Heights • 877-871-6772

NYNE BAR & BISTRO • 232 W. Sprague Ave. •

509-474-1621

PEND D’OREILLE WINERY • 301 Cedar St., Sandpoint • 208-265-8545

THE PODIUM • 511 W. Dean Ave. • 509-279-7000

POST FALLS BREWING CO. • 112 N. Spokane St., Post Falls • 208-773-7301

RAZZLE’S BAR & GRILL • 10325 N. Government Way, Hayden • 208-635-5874

RED ROOM LOUNGE • 521 W. Sprague Ave. •

509-838-7613

THE RIDLER PIANO BAR • 718 W. Riverside Ave. • 509-822-7938

SEASONS OF COEUR D’ALENE • 1004 S. Perry St. • 208-664-8008

SPOKANE ARENA • 720 W. Mallon Ave. • 509-279-7000

SOUTH PERRY LANTERN • 12303 E. Trent Ave., Spokane Valley • 509-473-9098

STEAM PLANT • 159 S. Lincoln St. • 509-777-3900

STORMIN’ NORMAN’S SHIPFACED SALOON • 12303 E. Trent Ave., Spokane Valley • 509-862-4852

TRANCHE • 705 Berney Dr., Wall Walla • 509-526-3500

ZOLA • 22 W. Main Ave. • 509-624-2416

WORDS MEMORIZING PIE

This is one class you won’t want to flake out on. Washington State Book Award winner and local baker/author Kate Lebo is rereleasing her 2014 cookbook Pie School: Lessons in Fruit, Flour & Butter, completely revised and with 20 new recipes. Among them she shares the secrets of brandied apple and cracked cardamom pie, marionberry pie with hazelnut crumble, or lamb, pumpkin and quince pie, if you’re into pie for dinner (though who hasn’t eaten a piece of apple pie for dinner?). Preorders are open now and the book ($30) is available on Aug. 1. To celebrate, Auntie’s is hosting a re-release party, and Lebo is bringing, well, pie. Plus, she’ll teach all the partygoers how to make unstoppable pie crust with local flour from Palouse Heritage. Come hungry and leave happy, probably covered in flour and with your own personal tutor in all things sweet and savory.

— ELIZA BILLINGHAM

Kate Lebo: Pie School • Tue, Aug. 1 at 7 pm

• Free •

SPORTS CHARITABLE CYCLING

COMMUNITY A WICKED TALE

Auntie’s Bookstore

• 402 W. Main Ave.

• auntiesbooks.com

• 509-838-0206

Looking for a fun way to get outside, ride your bike and support Spokane Valley students? The Spokane Valley Cycle Celebration, presented by Valleyfest, holds three rides throughout the morning: the 50-mile “Hills Around the Valley” race at 8 am, the 25-mile “Adventure Ride” at 9 am and 10-mile “Family Friendly” ride at 9:30 am. Children 12 and under can ride for free, and registration for youth ages 13-17 is $15 while adults pay $29. All proceeds go towards the Valleyfest Children’s Foundation, a grant program that provides students with financial support to pursue their artistic, scientific or scholarly interests. Plus, after you conclude your chosen race, grab a celebratory slice of pizza from Brother’s Office Pizza at Mirabeau Point Park. — SUMMER SANDSTROM

The Salem witch trials is an infamous event in American history. For one night only, locals get an opportunity to experience the historic event as Coeur d’Alene’s Crime Scene Entertainment hosts its “Salem Witches Murder Mystery” event. Transform into a character with set objectives from the time period and investigate “who dunnit” and who was affected based on a series of clues throughout the evening. The characters, accusations and certain events are taken straight from historical records and transcripts of the actual witch trials in Salem, Massachusetts. Participants themselves may even discover they’re the murderer or a victim. If you don’t care to participate in this wicked theme, check out Crime Scene’s schedule of upcoming, themed events through the end of the year.

—

SYLVIA DAVIDOW

Salem Witches Murder Mystery

Sat, July 29 from 6-9 pm

$39

Crime Scene Entertainment • 2775 N. Howard St., Coeur d’Alene • crimesceneentertainment.com

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.

WORDS NO SHELF CONTROL

There are few things as magical as an elementary school book fair. The school library transformed into a wide world of never-ending possibilities, the shiny banners strung across the shelves. And nothing feels as thrilling as picking out a beautiful new book to add to your collection. If you want to feel that magic all over again, head to Brick West Brewing Co. this weekend as the brewery transforms into a book fair for readers of all ages. Auntie’s Bookstore is bringing over a huge selection of books including best sellers, staff picks, kids books and, of course, books by local authors. It’s not exactly like your childhood book fair since sipping beer is encouraged, but the nostalgic feeling will be second to none.

— MADISON PEARSON

Books & Brews Book Fair • Sat, July 29 from 11 am-6 pm • Free admission • Brick West Brewing Co. • 1318 W. First Ave. • auntiesbooks.com • 509-838-0206

MUSIC SUNSET SOUNDS

On a warm summer night when the sunlight starts to fade and being outside is comfortable enough for a meandering evening stroll, consider a walk to the park — Manito Park, that is. Every Friday evening through August, local musicians set up their gear outside the historic Park Bench Cafe to entertain anyone who happens to wander on through. The cafe itself is, of course, open for the season and offering refreshing sips and bites, including Thomas Hammer coffee, Ben & Jerry’s ice cream, and other snacks. Sharable specials served only on concert nights include hummus plates and charcuterie boards. Up next on the schedule is Hannah Siglin (July 28), followed by Nick Grow (Aug. 4), Kori Ailene (Aug. 11), Rockwell Band (Aug. 18) and Three Lane Highway (Aug. 25). Bring a lawn chair and settle in for one of the best parts of Spokane summers.

— CHEY SCOTT

Under the Trees Concert Series • Fridays from 6-8 pm through Aug. 25 • Free • All ages • The Park Bench Cafe • 1928 S. Tekoa St. (Manito Park) • fb.com/ParkBenchManito/

I SAW YOU

LADY FROM CARDIFF We had a great chat at Ace Hardware on the South Hill. Wish I had asked for your phone number, so we could chat even more. Let me know if you’re interested.

GENEROUS GARLAND MOVIEGOER We had been waiting in line for half an hour to see Benny & Joon at the Garland Theater for the Sunday show. As we approached the door, a man came out to inform the people in line that the movie was sold out. A woman ahead of us immediately stepped out, looking crestfallen at the news. She was older and had obviously come to the movie alone. There was audible dismay from everyone in line, and we all started looking around to see if anyone could help this woman. You stepped out of line from behind us to run after her down the street telling her you had an extra ticket. She stepped back into line with you, wearing a gracious smile, looking like she had just won the lottery. Your kindness made this woman’s day. It’s nice to see the spirit of Spokane from the days of Benny & Joon still exists. A few of us teared up, and the gentleman in line ahead of us stated that it was the best thing he’d witnessed all week.

YOU SAW ME

WHAT DID I DO WRONG? At yoga, you yelled at me, saying I snapped at you too much. I apologized profusely and begged you to tell me as I can’t imagine snapping at you except the day I started to tell you our

grandson’s father died and I got emotional. You refused to engage and said never speak to you again, that we’re not friends. Please, let’s talk and clear the air.

CHEERS

RECOVERED PHONE Many thanks to the person who recovered my phone at Grocery Outlet downtown on Friday the 21st. You give me faith in humanity.

HUGE THANKS TO SPOKANE POLICE My ‘93 Toyota Paseo was stolen on June 16 from the house where I was working as a caregiver. The officer I spoke with was very optimistic, caring and kind. Police recovered it approximately 15 hours later. My car has so much sentimental value as my fiancee had gotten it for me in 2007. He was later diagnosed with terminal cancer and died in 2009. Besides an ambulance, it was the last car he rode in. I can still picture him in the passenger seat sometimes. To say I was devastated by this loss is an understatement. Thank you so very much to the Spokane Police Department for finding it, to All Service Towing for safely towing and storing it, to all the wonderful people on Facebook who tried to help locate it, and to everyone at Preedys Tire and Automotive, who have kept a 30 year old car running like new. I am so grateful!

JEERS

WHAT WOULD YOU WANT DONE? To the white Honda minivan driver that decided it was OK to park so close to my car at My Fresh Basket on Wednesday, July 19, that I could not get into my driver’s side door. I asked the store to page you, and you were most inconvenienced that I was not standing by my car (in the hot sun while my cool groceries sat in my hot car) and when we finally connected in the store your replay was “I’m almost done shopping…” Really? Not, maybe, “I’m so sorry to have done this — let me move my car.” The store manager walked me out to see if he could help and said there was no way for either of us to get in. It felt really great on my healing, fractured kneecap to have to climb into my car over my center console to leave. What would you hope someone would do for you if this happened to you?

ENFORCEMENT A big jeers to the city for NOT enforcing the ban on fireworks. They threatened to fine my landlord $500 for

having a truck on my lawn, yet this July 5 I went down to the Albi BMX Park parking lot where I saw dozens and dozens of trashed Roman candles and all sorts of other fireworks that are supposedly illegal in our county. Where were the police? This is on the edge of a wooded area, and I think it’s total bullshit that the city cannot enforce a rule once a year. Thank God they

the menfolk’s thoughts and hoped they’d be featured in the spirit of inclusivity and all. Just saying...

RE: BAD STATE GOVERNMENT I just don’t understand how some of y’all are this dense. Abortions and abortion pills are future Medicaid savings. THINK ABOUT IT: less people, less wear on roads, less mental

and after apologizing profusely they let me know that there was a homeless man in the restroom doing drugs, that he had been asked to leave twice and that the cops had been called. They also mentioned that the building owners refused to put codelocks on the bathroom doors in fear that it would “exclude a vulnerable population” or some other nonsense. Well now, I’m

didn’t burn the forest down. I’m all for fireworks. I love them. I love guns too. And I love celebrating our nation’s independence, but let’s not burn down our neighborhood. JEERS to the city for not enforcing any of their stupid rules except the ones they want to or they can make money off of.

PARTISAN CITY HALL Wow — it only took the Inlander 37 years to figure out City Hall may be partisan (as it has been since Jim Chase in 1986). Wonder how many years it will take to figure out our Supreme Court, and much of our justice system, is also deeply partisan.

PERSONAL ADS EDITING Every time I post an ad that references the social challenges of living with an autism spectrum condition, any reference to autism or the word autism itself is edited out. Why? This is an important factor to context in my personal ads as to how my brain works and why I do what I do in regards to whatever or whomever I’m writing an ad about or to. Also sometimes important facts are deleted from my ads that should be kept for clarity. Most of the details are still kept anonymous without deleting so much context. Also, it really sucks to make jokes and have them completely botched and omitted to the point there is no longer a punchline compared to the orginal text.

WHAT ABOUT MEN? Your question on the street — asking what type of Barbie readers would design — appears a bit onesided. You didn’t include any men. Seems backwardly gendered, or were you just afraid of what their answers would be? How silly. As a reader I was curious about

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

health services needed, less housing needed, less humans suffering in poverty, less people struggling and having to rely on state services in the future, less future taxes we’re paying. That’s called a cost SAVINGS! Let women make responsible and realistic choices about their future and what they could financially accomplish by themselves, if they had to. NOBODY wants an abortion. It is a traumatic choice some have to make, when they know they can’t take care of another human at this point in time, and the male parent is not reliable or helpful. So forcing them to give birth, usually on state Medicaid, seems like the right decision to all of you? Why are we complaining about our state government helping women and helping our state finances in the future ? I don’t even have to know you to know the person who originally wrote this is a privileged white male or a female who has your husband use his brain, instead of you using your own. Disgusting. Find some empathy or get some counseling! Either way, shut up about abortion. You know nothing about it obviously. So quit with your hate speech and blame. Mind your business. Maybe read a book or work on educating yourself about realities that exist outside of your white picket fence.

WONDERFUL BUSINESSES, TERRIBLE LANDLORDS This jeers goes out to the negligent owners of a certain building on East Main Avenue. I went in with my family last Friday to enjoy some pizza and beers. All was well with our night out until my 10-year-old needed to use the restroom. Not two minutes later and my boy came back to the table complaining that the bathroom “smelled like chemicals” and gave him a headache. I immediately went and talked to the staff at the pizza place,

throwing in my two cents! As a taxpaying mother of two, who loves supporting our wonderful local businesses, it blows my mind to think that a landlord would put the health and safety of their patrons and staff at risk merely to check some PC box. Shame on you!

NO RESPECT FOR PRINCE Jeers to all the local oldies and classic rock radio DJs in the area who cut and mangle Prince’s classics to make them “radio friendly.” The brilliant intro of “Let’s Go Crazy” gets mashed to potatoes, while songs like “Little Red Corvette,” “When Doves Cry” and “Purple Rain” (at the very start of the solo!) are cut short like your favorite Netflix series — they deserve AT LEAST an extra minute. Yet you’ll still give full play to “Stairway,” “In the Air Tonight,” the “Heartbreaker/Living Loving Maid” combo...

REALLY SPOKANE? Loud cars. Big trucks. Tattoos. And graffiti. What more Spokane?

NOTE: I Saw You/Cheers & Jeers is for adults 18 or older. The Inlander reserves the right to edit or reject any posting at any time at its sole discretion and assumes no responsibility for the content.

EVENTS | CALENDAR

BENEFIT

IGHT UP THE NIGHT FUNDRAISER Silent/live auctions, light appetizers and music by The Rising. Proceeds benefit Light A Lamp, a nonprofit suicide prevention program. July 28, 6-10 pm. $45. Barrister Winery, 1213 W. Railroad Ave. lightalamp.org (509-465-3591)

SCRAMBLE FOR HOSPICE This fundraiser supports northeast Washington’s community-based, nonprofit hospice in its mission to provide customized care and support to patients and their families. Aug. 4, 8:30 am-2:30 pm. $150. Indian Canyon Golf Course, 4303 W. West Dr. hospiceofspokane.org

WALKRUNREAD 5K The 5k, Kids Dash, and community event features a morning of activities for the whole family. Proceeds benefit the nonprofit Literacy Project of North Idaho. Aug. 5, 7:30-11 am. $10-$30. Black Bay Park, 1299 E. 3rd St. fb.me/e/1dIWzIbOq

COMEDY

CHRIS PORTER Porter is an American comedian and was a finalist on season 4 of Last Comic Standing. July 27, 7:30 pm, July 28, 7:30 & 10:15 pm and July 29, 7 & 9:45 pm. $18-$30. Spokane Comedy Club, 315 W. Sprague. spokanecomedyclub.com (509-318-9998)

JEFF FOXWORTHY Foxworthy is most known for his self-titled TV show, “you might be a redneck” one-liners and for touring with Larry the Cable Guy. July 27, 7-10 pm. $70. Coeur d’Alene Casino, 37914 S. Nukwalqw. cdacasino.com

COMEDY CLASH: A COMPETITIVE IM -

PROV SHOW Improvisers compete in a head-to-head clash until there’s one sole survivor. July 28, 7-8:30 pm. $15. Harding Family Center, 411 N. 15th St. levitytheatre.com

COVER TO COVER A fully-improvised comedy show inspired by local authors! July 28, 9-10:15 pm. $15. Harding Family Center, 411 N. 15th St. levitytheatre.com

INK BLOT The Blue Door Players analyze each night’s audience, Rorschach style. July 28, 7:30 pm. $9. Blue Door Theatre, 815 W. Garland Ave. bluedoortheatre.com (747-7045)

SPOKANE COMEDY CLUB AUDITIONS

Local comedians are invited to audition for regular work at the Spokane Comedy Club. July 30, 7 pm. $5-$12. Spokane Comedy Club, 315 W. Sprague. spokanecomedyclub.com

IMPROV JAMS Fans of improv can try something new, brush off the rust and just have fun. Mon at 7 pm through Aug. 28. Free. Blue Door Theatre, 815 W. Garland Ave. bluedoortheatre.com

NEW TALENT TUESDAYS Watch comedians of all skill levels work out jokes together. Tuesdays at 7 pm. Free. Spokane Comedy Club, 315 W. Sprague. spokanecomedyclub.com

OPEN MIC STAND-UP Wednesdays at 7:30 pm. See site for details. Free. Spokane Comedy Club, 315 W. Sprague. spokanecomedyclub.com

DON MCMILLAN McMillan has been doing his one-of-a-kind, PowerPoint-driven comedy show for over 20 years. Aug. 3, 7:30 pm. $25-$40. Spokane Comedy Club, 315 W. Sprague. (509-318-9998)

FUNNY FUNNY FUNNY JOKE JOKE

JOKE A monthly night of knee-slapping and guffawing featuring comedians from across the U.S., hosted by

Josiah Carlson. First Thursdays from 7:30-10 pm. $15. Garland Theater, 924 W. Garland Ave. (509-327-1050)

DAN CUMMINS Cummins is a standup comedian, podcast host and has a comedy album, Revenge is Near. Aug. 4, 7:30 & 10:15 pm and Aug. 5, 7 & 9:45 pm. $35. Spokane Comedy Club, 315 W. Sprague. spokanecomedyclub.com

COMMUNITY

COMMUNITY SEW-IN Bring your current quilting project to socialize, get advice or whatever else you might need.

Thu from noon-3 pm through Aug. 31. Free. Coeur d’Alene Public Library, 702 E. Front Ave. cdalibrary.org

U.S. SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION 70TH ANNIVERSARY Members from the small business scene are invited to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the U.S. Small Biz Admin. July 27, 11:30 am. Free. Central Library, 906 W. Main Ave. sba.gov (509-444-5336)

COLVILLE 4TH FRIDAYS This monthly program features a community art walk, concerts, vendors and more. July 28, Aug. 25, Aug. 31, and Sep. 22, 4-8 pm. Colville, Wash. colvilletogether.org

FEED THE BUFFALO This tour includes the farm history, a talk on bison and a Q&A session. Also meet, greet and hand-feed the bison. Fri-Sat from 12:30-1:30 pm through Sep. 2. $6-$7. Win-Tur Bison Farm, 4742 W. Highway 231. winturbisonfarm.com

ROLE-PLAYING GAME DROP IN Improve your RPG skills by watching and participating in games. Fridays from 4-8 pm and Saturdays from 1-5 pm. Free. RPG Community Center, 101 N. Stone Street. rpgcenter.org

SPY CHALLENGE ESCAPE ROOM Solve clues to complete a super secret challenge. Ages 10-12. Registration required. July 28, 2-2:45 & 3:30-4:15 pm. Free. Cheney Library, 610 First St. scld.org

WEEKENDS ON WALL Downtown Spokane is piloting a series of public events along Wall between Main and Spokane Falls Blvd. to support local artists, vendors and more. Interested participants can register online. Activities include Friday Night Live (music and food trucks), Summer Saturdays (interactive events and performances) and the Sunday Art Mart (arts, crafts, vendors of original works). Fri.-5-8:30 pm through Aug. 31. Free. downtownspokane.org/ wall-weekends

WHEATLAND BANK HORSE & CAR-

RIAGE RIDES Enjoy an 8-minute loop through the scenic Riverfront Park and downtown Spokane. Fri from 5-9 pm through July 28. Free. Downtown Spokane. downtownspokane.org

WORLD TRAVELER TEEN ESCAPE

ROOM Practice teamwork by solving puzzles, riddles and conundrums to escape the room. Ages 13-18. Registration required. July 28, 2-3 & 3:30-4:30 pm. Free. Deer Park Library, 208 Forest St. scld.org (509-893-8300)

GLASS ON GRASS This 30th annual show features Corvette owners showcasing their cars for spectators to peruse. July 29, 9 am-2:30 pm. Free. Mirabeau Park Meadows, 13500 Mirabeau Parkway. spokanecorvetteclub.org

ACCEPTANCE SPOKANE A peer-supported safe space for LGBTQIA+ youth (ages 16-19) to meet and discuss issues and topics, and promote mental health awareness and acceptance of oneself.

The last Saturday of every month from 3-4 pm. Free. Atomic Threads Boutique, 1905 N. Monroe St. fb.me/e/3cxf4vKyL

ADA CELEBRATION: BRIDGING COMMUNITIES Celebrate the 33rd Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act with free music, food, presentations, resources and a vendor fair. July 29, 11 am-3 pm. Free. Riverfront Park, 507 N. Howard St. dacnw.org

EL MERCADITO A Latino cultural market featuring fresh food, local vendors, a free health clinic, immigration resources and more. Last Sat of each month from 11 am-3 pm. Free. A.M. Cannon Park, 1920 W. Maxwell Ave. latinosenspokane.org/mercadito

HISTORIC WALKING TOURS Join local historian Chet Caskey for a tour of Riverfront Park. Learn the history of the Spokane Falls, Pavilion, Clock Tower and more. Sat at 10 am and noon through Aug. 26. Free. Riverfront Park, 507 N. Howard. riverfrontspokane.com

SAVE THEIR LIVES: PROTEST FOR NO-KILL ADVOCACY A peaceful protest taking place six months after a dog was euthanized at SCRAPS animal shelter. Bring water and a sign. Stay on the sidewalk during the protest as to not disrupt employee work. July 30, 5-7 pm. Free. SCRAPS Regional Animal Shelter, 6815 E. Trent Ave. spokanecounty.org/scraps (509-477-2532)

NATIONAL NIGHT OUT AGAINST

CRIME As part of Summer Safety Week, celebrate on Wall between Main and Spokane Falls. Includes networking, community building, a chance to meet safety and local law enforcement reps, games, prizes, free ice cream and more. Aug. 1, 4-7 pm. Free. Downtown Spokane. downtownspokane.org/event/ national-night-out-against-crime

SPY CHALLENGE ESCAPE ROOM

Solve clues to complete a secret spy challenge. Ages 10-12. Registration required. Aug. 1, 11-11:45 am, 2-2:45 & 3:30-4:15 pm. Free. North Spokane Library, 44 E. Hawthorne Rd. scld.org

WORLD TRAVELER TEEN ESCAPE

ROOM Practice teamwork by solving puzzles, riddles and conundrums to escape the room. Ages 13–18. Registration is required. Aug. 1, 2-3 pm. Free. Cheney Library, 610 First St. scld.org

COFFEE & CONVERSATION This event aims to help people feel seen and heard within the community. Conversation is free form, plus low-key activities like coloring, puzzles and more. Every Wed from 10:30 am-noon. Free. Central Library, 906 W. Main. spokanelibrary.org

KERNEL Come to Spark during the Kendall Yards Night Market to earn a voucher for fresh fruits/vegetables by completing activities related to nutrition, gardening and exercise. For youth under 18. Wed from 5-8 pm through Aug. 23. Free. Spark Central, 1214 W. Summit Pkwy. spark-central.org

COFFEE IN THE GARDEN Gather in the garden for refreshments, demonstrations, and conversation with Jean Wakeley painting rocks. Aug. 3, 10 am-noon. Free. Create Arts Center, 900 Fourth St., Newport. createarts.org

FIRST FRIDAY ART & FOOD TRUCK

RALLY Celebrate First Friday at the Spokane Valley Farmers Market and enjoy food from local food trucks. Aug. 4, 4-8 pm. Free. CenterPlace Regional Event Center, 2426 N. Discovery Pl. spokanevalleyfarmersmarket.org

...continued on page 46

Propaganda Returns

ANALYSIS BY WILL MAUPIN

More than a decade has passed since Washington voters legalized recreational cannabis. Since then, 23 states have done the same, along with entire countries like our neighbors to the north in Canada.

Despite the cascade of legalization washing over the western world, old mindsets that resemble the propaganda film Reefer Madness still exist when it comes to cannabis.

Just this past week, Kevin Sabet, the former White House Office of National Drug Control Policy adviser for Presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama, went on Fox News to deride the current state of affairs when it comes to cannabis.

“Marijuana is the most misunderstood drug in our country today,” Sabet told Fox News host and former

NOTE TO READERS

Be aware of the differences in the law between Idaho and Washington. It is illegal to possess, sell or transport cannabis in the State of Idaho. Possessing up to an ounce is a misdemeanor and can get you a year in jail and up to a $1,000 fine; more than three ounces is a felony that can carry a five-year sentence and fine of up to $10,000. Transporting marijuana across state lines, like from Washington into Idaho, is a felony under federal law.

U.S. Rep. Trey Gowdy on Sunday Night in America with Trey Gowdy

Sabet also co-founded the Foundation for Drug Policy Solutions this year. But despite his resume, Sabet appears to be the one who most misunderstands cannabis.

Sabet opened his argument by conflating the nation’s mental health crisis with cannabis legalization.

“There’s a massive increase in mental illness as a result of this increase of marijuana use,” Sabet said. “We know that today’s marijuana can quintuple your risk of psychosis and schizophrenia, which is the worst thing you can imagine, it increases about six times the risk of suicide.”

While there are genuine concerns about cannabis and mental health, especially when considering the ever-increasing potency of legal cannabis, Sabet’s appearance on

Fox was nothing more than a fearmongering distraction.

“You can’t walk down the streets of so many of our major cities without smelling it everywhere,” Sabet claims.

That’s clearly not true, but More Americans than ever favor legalization. Recent Gallup polls have shown that 68 percent of Americans favor recreational cannabis legalization.

“They really just want to smoke weed and legitimize their own lifestyle, and the reality is we’re paying a huge, huge price for this,” Sabet claims, when asked about those in favor of legalization.

Speaking of costs, Washington state brought in over $500 million in cannabis tax revenue over the last fiscal year. n

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.

Anti-cannabis activists are finding their time in the sun

Kevin Sabet worked for three presidents as drug czar.

20-50%

Open

WARNING: This product has intoxicating effects and may be habit forming. Cannabis can impair concentration, coordination, and judgment. Do not operate a vehicle or machinery under the influence of this drug. There may be health risks associated with consumption of this product. For use only by adults 21 and older. Keep out of the reach of children.

EVENTS | CALENDAR

FILM

MOVIES IN THE PARK A series of family-friendly movies in Sally’s Park. Bring blankets and/or lawn chairs. Snacks/ drinks available for purchase. Fridays at 7:30 pm through Aug. 4. Free. The Salvation Army Spokane, 222 E. Indiana Ave. spokane.salvationarmy.org

STARSHIP TROOPERS Hosted by Moscow Film Society as part of their Totally 90s Action series. July 28, 7-9 pm. $7. The Kenworthy, 508 S. Main St. kenworthy. org/events-calendar/starship-troopers

YOUR NAME Presented as part of KPAC’s Absolute Anime series. Your Name from writer-director Makoto Shinkai is one of the highest grossing anime films of alltime. July 29, 1, 4 & 7 pm. $7. The Kenworthy, 508 S. Main St. kenworthy.org/ events-calendar/your-name

FREE KIDS MOVIES: THE SECRET LIFE

OF PETS Max is a spoiled terrier who enjoys life in a New York building until his owner adopts unruly Duke. July 31-Aug. 4, daily at 9:30 am. Garland Theater, 924 W. Garland Ave. garlandtheater.com

KING KONG (1933) KPAC presents Films

From the Vault, classic films screened from our very own collection. Aug. 1, 7-9 pm. Free. The Kenworthy, 508 S. Main St. kenworthy.org (208-882-4127)

MOVIES AT THE PAVILION: PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN Watch the first movie in the series under the Pavilion. Bring a lawn chair, blanket and your own food/ drinks. Aug. 2, 8:30 pm. Free. Pavilion at Riverfront, 574 N. Howard St. riverfrontspokane.com (509-625-6000)

TERMINATOR 2: JUDGMENT DAY

Hosted by Moscow Film Society as part of their Totally 90s Action series. Aug. 2, 7-9 pm. $7. The Kenworthy, 508 S. Main St. kenworthy.org (208-882-4127)

CAT VIDEO FEST 2023 A compilation reel of the latest and best cat videos culled from unique submissions and classic internet powerhouses. A portion of the proceeds support Humane Society of the Palouse. Aug. 3-4, 7-8 pm. $10. The Kenworthy, 508 S. Main St. kenworthy. org (208-882-4127)

FOOD & DRINK

BBQ & BANDS A pulled pork meal with live music by Zoramena. July 27, 5-7 pm and Aug. 24, 5-7 pm. $15-$20. The Culinary Stone, 2129 N. Main St. culinarystone.com (208-277-4116)

BRING YOUR OWN VINYL NIGHT Bring your own vinyl to spin while sipping on craft cocktails and listening to music. Thursdays from 3-10 pm. The Boneyard, 17905 E. Appleway Ave, Ste A. sidehustlesyrups.com (509-435-6773)

BEVERLY’S KENTUCKY TRAIL BOUR-

BON DINNER Immerse yourself in the heritage of Kentucky’s finest bourbons. Beverly’s food and beverage team guides guests through a curated selection of rare bourbons. July 28, 6-9 pm. $125. Beverly’s, 115 S. Second. beverlyscda.com

RIDE & DINE Enjoy a scenic gondola ride, live music and a barbecue on the mountaintop. Options to mountain bike available. Fri from 3-8 pm through Sep. 1. $8$51. Silver Mountain Resort, 610 Bunker Ave. silvermt.com (208-783-1111)

WINE TASTING Taste various regional wines. Buy two bottles and receive your tasting free. Sun from 2-4 pm through

Sep. 3. $10. The Culinary Stone, 2129 N. Main St. culinarystone.com

RIVERFRONT EATS A food truck series featuring live music. See website for list of food trucks. Tuesdays from 11 am-2 pm through Aug. 22. Riverfront Park, 507 N. Howard St. riverfrontspokane.com

WINE DOWN WEDNESDAYS Beverly’s sommelier Justine Recor offers complimentary tastings and wine knowledge. Wed from 4-9 pm. Free. Beverly’s, 115 S. Second St. beverlyscda.org

BBQ & BANDS A street taco meal with live music performed by Vinyl Instinct.

Aug. 3, 5-7 pm. $15-$20. The Culinary Stone, 2129 N. Main St. culinarystone.com

MUSHROOM FORAGING FOR BEGINNERS Learn how to identify edible mushrooms and their look-alikes, what cautions to take, how to find ideal mushroom habitats and how to cook/preserve them.

Aug. 5, 2-4 pm. Free. North Spokane Library, 44 E. Hawthorne Rd. scld.org

CAMP COCKTAIL: HAVANA This class focuses on iconic drinks from Prohibitionera Havana. Learn, create and taste three cocktails. Aug. 6, 5-7:30 pm. $75. Hogwash Whiskey Den, 304 W. Pacific Ave. raisingthebarnw.com (509-464-6541)

MUSIC

MUSIC ON MONDAYS The Rusty Jackson Trio performs classic country music. July 31, 6-7:30 pm. free. Coeur d’Alene Public Library, 702 E. Front Ave. cdalibrary.org

SPIRIT OF SPOKANE CHORUS Sit in on the rehearsals of the Spirit of Spokane chorus. Tuesdays from 6:30-9 pm. Free. Opportunity Presbyterian Church, 202 N. Pines Rd. spiritofspokanechorus.org

FRIDAYS AT THE CLOCK Family-friendly concerts feature live music from Washington State University music students, activities for children and more. Aug. 4,, Aug. 25 and Sep. 8, 6:30-8 pm. Free. Bryan Hall Theatre (WSU), 605 Veterans Way. events.wsu.edu (509-335-7696)

INO’S OPERA TRUCK A night of opera favorites during First Friday at the MAC. Aug. 4, 7 pm. Free. Northwest Museum of Arts & Culture, 2316 W. First Ave. inlandnwopera.com (1-800-418-1485)

INO’S OPERA TRUCK A night of opera favorites in Kendall Yards. Aug. 6, 6 pm. Free. Olmsted Brothers Green, N. Nettleton St. and Summit Pkwy. inlandnwopera.com (1-800-418-1485)

SPORTS & OUTDOORS

THE SHOWCASE A three-day celebrity golf tournament benefitting Community Cancer Fund, a nonprofit providing resources and funds to cancer patients and their families. July 27-29. The Coeur

d’Alene Resort, 115 S. Second. showcasegolf.com (208-765-4000)

WILDERNESS EXPLORERS Adventure outdoors through books, activities and guest experts that highlight fun, exercise, creativity and discovery. Ages 6-12. Thu at 11 am through Aug. 17. Free. Coeur

d’Alene Public Library, 702 E. Front Ave. cdalibrary.org (208-769-2315)

SCENIC CHAIRLIFT RIDES Ride the chairlift up the mountain with options to hike or bike back down. Fri-Sun from 10 am-3:30 pm through Sep. 30. $9-$13.

Lookout Pass, I-90 Exit 0. skilookout.com

NATIVE & XERIC PLANT MASTERY SERIES This four-part class teaches gar-

deners how to replace lawns with native plants, low moisture plants and more.

July 29, 2-3 pm. $10. Ritters Garden & Gift, 10120 N. Division St. 4ritter.com

RIVERFRONT MOVES: SHALA KUNDALINI FLOW & SOUND HEALING Experience kundalini yoga and learn about using kriya. This is an all-levels class. July 29, 10 am. Free. Pavilion at Riverfront, 574 N. Howard St. riverfrontspokane.com

RUN FOR YOUTH FUN FEST A familyfriendly raising funds to raise up lifelong leaders in Spokane’s poorest neighborhoods with options for a 1-mile run, a 5k or a fun run. July 29, 8:30 am-1:30 pm. $17.50-$35. Manito Park, 1800 S. Grand Blvd. runsignup.com/Race/WA/Spokane/RunForYouth (509-456-8038)

WSU SPOKANE COUNTY MASTER GARDENER PLANT CLINIC Ask experts about plant issues and get advice about plant selection, maintenance, environmentally friendly practices, pest management, effective landscaping practices and more. Sat from 11 am-3 pm through Sep. 30. Free. Shadle Library, 2111 W. Wellesley Ave. spokanelibrary.org

MOORE-TURNER HERITAGE GARDENS

TOUR Experience this unique garden as it looked in 1915. Learn about its discovery and carefully-planned restoration of the tea house, pond and pergola and heritage plants. July 30, 11 am-noon. Free. Moore-Turner Heritage Gardens, 507 W. Seventh Ave. heritagegardens.org

PLANTING FOR BIRDS & POLLINATORS

Learn about bringing more birds and beneficial insects into your yard. July 30, 2-3 pm. $10. Ritters Garden & Gift, 10120 N. Division St. 4ritter.com

SPOKANE VALLEY CYCLE CELEBRATION This event features three different rides: the 50-mile Hills Around the Valley; the 25-mile Adventure Ride; and the 10-mile Family-Friendly Ride. July 30, 8 am. $15-$29. Mirabeau Point Park, 2426 N. Discovery Place. cyclecelebration.com

YOGA FOR YOU! This adult yoga class is a blend of stretching, strengthening and balance work. Mon, 9:30-10:30 am through July 31. Free. Coeur d’Alene Public Library, 702 E. Front Ave. cdalibrary.org

CDA FULL MOON RIDE A leisurely ride around Coeur d’Alene with no set route. Bring bike lights and helmets. See link for starting locations. Aug. 1, 7 pm. facebook. com/groups/CDAfullmoonbikeride/

HIAWATHA FULL MOON NIGHT RIDE

Ride the historic route of the Hiawatha under the light of a full moon. Aug. 1 and Aug. 30, 8-11 pm. $40. Lookout Pass Ski & Recreation Area, I-90 Exit 0. RideTheHiawatha.com (208-744-1301)

BLACK LODGE BREWING RUNNING

CLUB All fitness levels welcome. Each week the club chooses from a 3k or 5k route. Wednesdays from 6-8 pm. Free. Black Lodge Brewing, 206 N. Third St. blacklodgebrewingco.com

PRACTICAL CENTERING YOGA Experience the benefits of yoga and pilates through these weekly exercise sessions. Wed from 1:30-2:30 pm. $18-$20. Northwest Museum of Arts & Culture, 2316 W. First Ave. northwestmuseum.org

HUCKLEBERRY HIKE Learn techniques for picking and storing berries with a huckleberry expert who takes you on a five-mile hike. Aug. 5, 10 am-2 pm. $49. Mt. Spokane State Park, 26107 N. Mt. Spokane Park Dr. spokanerec.org

LILAC CITY ROLLER DERBY DOUBLE

HEADER This roller derby double header features the Yetis vs. Hellgate at 5 pm

and Lore vs. Atomic at 7 pm. At the EWU URC Ice Arena. Aug. 5, 5-9 pm. $10-$15. lilaccityrollerderby.com

THEATER

FOOTLOOSE Ren and his mother move from Chicago to a small farming town with a ban on dancing instituted by the local preacher. July 21-30; Thu-Sat at 7:30 pm, Sun at 2 pm. $50-$65. Schuler Performing Arts Center, 880 W. Garden Ave. cdasummertheatre.com

IMPROV This open-invite event welcomes beginners and seasoned improv practitioners to hone their skills. First and last Thursday of every month, 5 pm. Free. Pend Oreille Playhouse, 236 S. Union Ave. pendoreilleplayers.com (509-447-9900)

SHAKESPEARE IN THE PARK: Performances of Hamlet and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead in rep. July 20Aug. 6, Thu-Sun at 6:30 pm and Aug. 31-Sept. 17, Thu-Sun at 6:30 pm, Sat-Sun at 2 pm. Performance locations vary, see site for details. Donations accepted. spokaneshakespearesociety.org

TREASURE ISLAND Jim Hawkins’ adventure begins when sea captain Billy Bones appears one morning in the Admiral Benbow Inn. Wed-Sat at 7:30 pm, Sun at 2 pm through July 29. $15-$25. Spokane Civic Theatre, 1020 N. Howard St. spokanecivictheatre.com (325-2507)

CONSTELLATIONS This romantic drama explores how even the smallest change can dramatically alter the course we take. Fri-Sat at 7:30 pm, Sat-Sun at 2 pm through July 30. $5-$25. The Forge Theater, 404 Sweet Ave. uidaho.edu/theatre REX THEATER CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION Events include silent film star Nell Shipman’s “The Grub-Stake,” filmed at Priest Lake. Historian Kris Runberg Smith discusses Shipman’s ties to the region. Donations include wine tasting and rides on the 1914 autostage. Stay for live music with the Meat Sweats. July 28, 5-10 pm. By donation. Beardmore Building, 119 Main St., Priest River. rextheater.org

MAYHEM AT TOADWORT SCHOOL: A WIZARDING MURDER MYSTERY NIGHT Immerse yourself in a Harry Potter-inspired murder mystery. July 29, 10 pm-1 am. $100. Natural 20 Brewing Company, 13216 E. Sprague. natural20brewing.com

VISUAL ARTS

DRAWN TO THE WALL VIII: INSTALLATIONS Artists Mariah Boyle, Katie Creyts, Tobi Harvey and Rob McKirdie drew directly onto the Arcade Gallery walls. Mon-Sat from 10 am-4 pm through Aug. 26. Free. Jundt Art Museum, 200 E. Desmet Ave. gonzaga.edu/jundt

HANNAH CHARLTON: THE ILLUMINATED BOOK OF THE CITY OF LADIES

A collection of illuminated manuscripts based on The Book of the City of Ladies by Christine de Pizan. Thu-Sat from 4-7 pm through July 29. Free. Terrain Gallery, 628 N. Monroe St. terrainspokane.com

PAINTING: KINDNESS ROCKS Paint rocks with creative designs and uplifting messages and learn about the Kindness Rocks Project. Bring your own clean rock. July 27, 2-3:30 pm. Free. Argonne Library, 4322 N. Argonne Rd. scld.org (893-8200)

THE WYETHS: THREE GENERATIONS A collection of works by N.C. Wyeth, one of America’s finest illustrators; his son Andrew, an important realist painter; Andrew’s son Jamie, a popular portraitist; and extended family members. Tue-Sun

from 10 am-5 pm through Aug. 20. $7$12. The MAC, 2316 W. First Ave. northwestmuseum.org (509-456-3931)

CULTURAL HEROES & HEROINES Featuring oil portraits of rock stars from the 60s and 70s in a new series of paintings by John Thamm. Also featured: Travis Chapman, Audreana Camm, Tom Quinn, Rick Davis, Roch Fautch, Darrell Willcox, and Matthew Wolf. Open Wed/Fri, noon6 pm, or by appt., through Aug. 11. Free. Shotgun Studios, 1625 W. Water Ave. shotgunstudiosspokane.com

33 ARTISTS MARKET A curated art market featuring 33 local artists selling the art and wares. July 30, 11 am-5 pm. Free. The Wonder Building, 835 N. Post St. 33artistsmarket.com

THE BIG PICTURES Member artists feature large pieces that don’t fit in their display cases. Mediums include photography, digital art, paintings and more. July 30-Aug. 26, daily from 11 am-7 pm. Free. Liberty Building, 203 N. Washington St. spokanelibertybuilding.com

ROBIN KAHN Jeweler Robin Kahn creates pieces with varying colors, textures and shapes. Aug. 1-31, daily from 11 am-7 pm. Free. Pottery Place Plus, 203 N. Washington St. potteryplaceplus.com

ART IN THE PARK Local artists guide participants in paintings inspired by Riverfront Park scenery. Aug. 2, 10-11:30 am. $25. Riverfront Park, 507 N. Howard St. riverfrontspokane.com (509-625-6600)

WORDS

MARTHA HOLMBERG FT. KATE LEBO: SIMPLY TOMATO Food writer Martha Holmberg is joined by local author Kate Lebo to celebrate her new cookbook, Simply Tomato. July 27, 6-7 pm. Free. Wishing Tree Books, 1410 E. 11th Ave. wishingtreebookstore.com

AUNTIE’S BOOK CLUB: VIRTUAL MYSTER/THRILLER Discuss Ian Rankin’s A Song for the Dark Times. July 27, 12-1 pm. Free. auntiesbooks.com (509-838-0206)

BOOKS & BREWS BOOK FAIR A book fair experience for adults and children alike. Sip beer and peruse tables of books provided by Auntie’s. July 29, 11 am-6 pm. Free. Brick West Brewing Co., 1318 W. First Ave. auntiesbooks.com

AUNTIE’S BOOK CLUB: GET LIT! This book club focuses on books and authors participating in EWU’s annual Get Lit! Festival. Discuss Farnez Fatemi’s Sister Tongue, at July’s meeting. July 30, 6-7 pm. Free. Auntie’s Bookstore, 402 W. Main Ave. auntiesbooks.com

KATE LEBO: PIE SCHOOL Local author Kate Lebo re-releases her book Pie School and hosts a pie demo. Register online. Aug. 1, 7 pm. Free. Auntie’s Bookstore, 402 W. Main. auntiesbooks.com

FAMILY STORYTIME IN THE PARK Enjoy 30 minutes of stories, songs, and fingerplays that explore the concepts of literacy and STEAM. Ages 2-5 and their families. Aug. 1, 10:30-11 am. Free. Edgecliff Park, 800 S. Park Rd. scld.org (509-688-0300)

AUTHOR STORYTIME: AMANDA FLAYER CHIF Amanda reads aloud from her book, TAN which celebrates ordinary and extraordinary qualities of animals. Aug. 2, 10:30 am. Free. Wishing Tree Books, 1410 E. 11th. wishingtreebookstore.com

BROKEN MIC Spokane Poetry Slam’s longest-running, weekly open mic reading series. Wednesdays at 6:30 pm; signups at 6 pm. Free. Neato Burrito, 827 W. First Ave. bit.ly/2ZAbugD n

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58. “Superman” villain ____

Luthor

59. “Baby Cobra” comedian Wong

62. Soccer great Diego

65. Kind of justice or license

67. Risks on a rig

68. Reduced

69. Snack brand since 2008 ... and

this puzzle’s theme

70. Drink whose name consists of two synonyms

DOWN

1. Tree in the willow family

2. Frog habitat

3. “____ Club” (#1 hit for 50 Cent)

4. Oxfam or CARE, e.g.

5. NBA team that drafted Kevin Durant in 2007

6. Observed, to Tweety

7. Designer Cassini

8. One-named “Queen of All Media”

9. Biblical group bearing gifts

10. Phillipa who was the original Eliza in “Hamilton”

11. Tattoo parlor supplies

12. Jacob’s twin

13. Comics character with “muskles”

15. “Buona ____!”

21. Walter ____, geologist credited with the theory that dinosaurs were killed by an asteroid impact

24. Played the lead

25. Ph.D.’s next hurdle

27. Feline breed from an Irish Sea isle

28. Make ____ of (jot down)

29. West Pointer, e.g.

30. Like old-fashioned diapers

32. “Polka Face” singer Yankovic

34. The “L” of Samuel L. Jackson

35. Pitt and Paisley

36. Up to now

38. Scrooge’s “Phooey!”

39. “Back to the Future” actress Thompson

44. 1992 film with the ballad

“A Whole New World”

48. Battle of Hastings combatants

50. “Free your pores” brand

52. Seize, like a car

53. Panic! at the Disco genre

54. Like some church matters

55. “Alice’s Restaurant” singer Guthrie

57. The “E” in DOE: Abbr.

59. Just slightly

60. Wallace who co-founded Reader’s Digest

61. Cold treat on a stick

63. Continent to go to to go to Togo: Abbr.

64. ____-backwards

66. Spanish “that”

Play where the big winners play.

Little Dragon Eatery

FRIDAY & SATURDAY | 11 AM – 9 PM

SUNDAY & MONDAY | 11 AM – 8 PM

Experience our newest dining venue at Coeur d’Alene Casino. Little Dragon Eatery offers great options for quick and easy dining for lunch and dinner. Come enjoy your favorite Asian inspired dishes like sweet & sour pork, orange chicken, pork fried rice and more.

70 Winners of $1,000 Cash!

SATURDAY, JULY 29 TH | 7 PM

It’s good vibes and big rewards during the $70,000 Summer Lovin’ Giveaway. You could be one of seventy winners to walk away with a cool grand!

On July 29TH starting at 7 pm, seventy tickets will be drawn electronically. Qualified winners will receive a groovy $1,000 in cash!

Earn entries starting July 4TH . Play your favorite video gaming machines with your Coeur Rewards card and get one entry for every 500 points earned.

See the Coeur Rewards booth, CDA Casino app or cdacasino.com for promotional rules.

Reward Your Play!

SIGNUP ANDGET EXTRA PLAYCASH

Join the rewards club that gives you more! You’ll instantly be eligible for gas discounts and as a Coeur Rewards Club member, you’ll earn points every time you play with your card. You can redeem these points for Extra Play Cash, merchandise, restaurants, gas, and more. Joining is free and easy. Plus, you’ll receive $10 Extra Play Cash just for signing up. Stop by the Coeur Rewards booth today!

Must be 18 years or older and have a valid ID to join Coeur Rewards. Sign up offer is valid for new Coeur Rewards members only.

July Special

SUMMER SALAD

$9.95 CHICKEN | $14.95 SHRIMP SKEWER

This light and refreshing salad is made with Napa cabbage, bell peppers, cucumber, fried noodles and nuts. Served with a peanut salad dressing. See cdacasino.com for more details.