The annual Spokane Lilac Festival will celebrate its diamond anniversary next month with a number of fun events. This community celebration of the city and our armed forces is family friendly and includes activities for all ages, including a car show, golf tournament, parades, and more.
On Saturday, May 11, you can come support Spokane area kids by cheering them on during the Junior Lilac parade, which starts at 10 a.m. on Washington Street in downtown Spokane. School bands and drill teams as well as youth clubs will perform and march. Local mascot celebrities, city and county officials, and local businesses also take part. After the parade, head over to River Park Square to view the Lilac shoe box floats. You can also do some shopping (check out the brand new Sephora store!) and pick up some lunch at the food court or one of the restaurants inside the mall.
If a day of golf is more your style, then sign up for the Armed Forces Appreciation Golf Tournament on May 11 at 2:00 p.m. at the Coeur d’Alene Resort’s 5-star course. This will be scramble format with teams of 4. Cost is $90 per person, and registration ends May 3.
Thursday, May 16, you can hear Police Chief Frank Straub speak at the All City Civic Military Luncheon, 11:30 a.m. at the Davenport Grand Pennington Ballroom. Tickets are $35 or $425 for a table sponsorship. Register by clicking here. On the evening of May 16, the Pages of Harmony barbershop chorus will perform the Diamond Anniversary Men’s Chorus Spring Show at the Bing Crosby Theater. If you miss this show, you can also catch them on Saturday, May 18, at 3:00 p.m. in Riverfront Park.
The Festival culminates on Saturday, May 18, with the Cruzin’ the Falls Car Show and Cruise at 10:00 a.m. at Spokane Falls Boulevard and Howard and the Armed Forces Torchlight Parade, which begins at 7:45 p.m. To register your car in the car show, click here. The beautiful torchlight parade features lighted, colorful floats, dancing teams, high school bands, and more. Arrive early to stake out a spot to watch, or you can reserve bleacher seats here for $15.
1976 Lilac Festival parade.
In honor of the 75th anniversary of the festival, the Spokesman Review and the Spokane Lilac Festival Association have put together an heirloom quality coffee table book with nearly 300 photos capturing the essence of the festival from its beginnings in 1938 through the diamond anniversary this year. If you order it at this link, the Spokane Lilac Festival will receive $6 from the sale of each book.
Are you ready for the 37th annual Bloomsday race? If not, you still have time to register and to train. Bloomsday is an annual 12 K (7.46 miles) footrace open to all runners, walkers, wheelchairs, assisted wheelchairs, and strollers. It is held on the first Sunday in May (May 5 this year) on a scenic route that begins in downtown Spokane. Click here to view the course. From elite world class athletes competing for the top prizes to parents slowly pushing strollers and stopping for ice cream at Doyle’s on the way, people come from all over for this exciting event. It is more than a race; it is seven miles of live bands along the course (plus the SpoCon sci-fi masquerade!) with 48,000 or so participants making it to the finish line. Many people create fun, unofficial teams or wear costumes, so there is plenty to look at to distract yourself from the physical exertion. New this year, online registrants can sign up to have their results broadcast to Facebook, Twitter, and mobile phones as soon as they cross the finish line. Also new this year, the Fit for Bloomsday program will distribute trading cards, including Spaghetti Betty (carbo-loader extraordinaire) and Doomsday Hill-Billy (always inclined to run), at the Bloomsday tradeshow (May 3 and 4 at the Spokane Convention Center).
Young racers with SpoCon sci-fi masqueraders.
Register here through April 21. Cost is $17 plus $1.69 online processing fee. Late registration is available through April 28 and costs $35 plus a $3.49 online processing fee. You can also register in person at Sports Authority stores until April 16 or by mail (must be postmarked by April 16). Mail forms are available at Washington Trust banks, Safeway stores, Franz/Snyder’s Bakery Outlets, Holy Family and Sacred Heart hospitals, and most running stores. Free clinics hosted by Providence and Group Health to prepare for Bloomsday start this weekend. You can sign up here.
Spring is almost here! Now is the time to start dreaming and planning for home and yard improvement projects. At the 35th annual Spokane Home and Yard Show, you can see hundreds of displays and demonstrations to inspire you. Some of Spokane’s best landscapers will be on hand to answer questions and show the latest products and services. The show will be held February 28–March 3 at the Spokane County Fair and Expo Center. Parking is free, and adult admission is $7 for the entire weekend. Children 12 and under are free. Hours are noon–9:00 p.m. Thursday and Friday, 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Saturday, and 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Sunday. Thursday only, adult admission is buy one get one free.
Once you have figured out what you want to do to your house and yard this spring, come back to the Spokane County Fair and Expo Center for Custer’s 36th annual Spring Arts and Crafts Show to pick up a hand-crafted bird house, metal sculpture, fountain, or wall hanging. You can find myriad arts and crafts items from over 300 professional artists from around the U.S., including gourmet food items, hand-painted furniture, pottery, unique jewelry and clothing pieces, nature photography, and more. With over 78,000 square feet of exhibit space, this is the largest show of its kind in the Inland Northwest. This show runs March 8–10. Hours are Friday 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., Saturday 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., and Sunday 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Admission is $7 for adults for the entire weekend; children 12 and under are free. Parking is free.
If you are traveling to town for either of these shows, check out Stratford Suites’ beautiful rooms and great rates. All rooms offer fully equipped kitchens and 50” HDTVs. The convenient location is just minutes from the airport and downtown Spokane.
Photo in the LeDuc Benefit Show at the Liberty Building.
The first Friday of every month, downtown Spokane galleries and a handful of galleries in other Spokane neighborhoods stay open late to host receptions for a wide variety of art exhibits. But twice a year, this fun monthly art walk is something bigger—the Spokane Visual Arts Tour, one of the biggest nights of the year for art in Spokane. Galleries, wineries, stores, bars, and restaurants showcase excellent artists from around the region. Many venues offer light refreshments, and admission to everything is free! Add dinner at one of the many delicious local restaurants downtown, and you have the makings of a great date night, family outing, or evening out with friends. There are over 30 locations for the event. Most are open from 5–9 p.m. Click here for a schedule. You can download a walking map of downtown here. Here are a few of the larger exhibits featuring multiple artists you won’t want to miss.
Chase Gallery in City Hall, 808 W. Spokane Falls Blvd.
Explorations 13 is comprised of a wide variety of media from some of the best college-age artists in the region, drawn from five area colleges. Light refreshments will be served, and the band Canned Music will play.
The LeDuc Benefit Show will benefit the family of Gabby LeDuc, a 6-year-old artist-in-the-making who is undergoing treatments for leukemia. Works on display and for sale include sculpture by Richard Warrington, paintings by Kirsten Stobie, Kathleen Secrest, Bill Werle, Benjamin Grant, Owl Jones, and Christina Deubel, photography by Schindler Photography, and more. Check out more than 12 artists displaying on four floors with live music 5:30–8:00.
Kress Gallery (3rd level, Riverpark Square), 808 W. Main Ave.
A Child’s Eye from West to East features the work of Japanese students age 6–12 of the Nishinomiya UNESCO Association through a Sister City relationship with Spokane’s school district. Ensembles from the Spokane Public Schools presented by First Night Spokane Rising Stars, 5:30–7:30.
Spokane is a vibrant, fun, beautiful city to visit any time of the year. Something is always going on! Below is a list, by no means complete, of some of the most popular annual events that draw people from all over the region.
From Garden in the Sea, one of the films being shown at the 2013 Spokane International Film Festival.
This is a golden opportunity to see some of the previous year’s best films from all over the world on the big screen. Some of them may not ever be available on DVD in the United States. Festival passes are available. Individual tickets go on sale online January 12 and range from $5.00–$10.00. Films will be shown downtown in the Magic Lantern Theatre and the Bing Crosby Theater. Click here for a list of this year’s selected films.
Spokane celebrates all things Irish as well as a sense of community with a festive parade through downtown Spokane. Marching bands, creative floats, school groups from around the region, and dancing are some of the sights to be had. Come early to stake out a good place to watch! Click here for the parade route.
The first Sunday of every May, runners, walkers, and people using wheelchairs trek 12 km (7.46 miles) in and around downtown Spokane, WA in one of the nation’s largest annual foot races. Elite runners competing for the championships come from all over the world, but many more people are there for the fun of it. Flamboyant costumes, creative team themes, and great on-course entertainment are guaranteed to help distract you from the physical exertion. You can register online anytime through April 21 for $17 plus $1.69 online processing fee. Beginning March 1, mail-in forms will be available at various locations around town (must be postmarked by April 16).
Spokane is known for its gorgeous, though short-lived, lilacs that bloom in the spring. Each year, at around the time the lilacs are blooming, the community celebrates with a big torchlight parade, a car show, and several other events featuring the Lilac Royalty (princesses and a queen). The main events are on Saturday, May 18. The Cruzin’ the Falls Classic Car Show runs 10 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. downtown on Spokane Falls Boulevard, and the 75th Spokane Lilac Festival Diamond Anniversary Armed Forces Torchlight Parade starts at 7:45, also downtown. Click here for a full list of Lilac Festival events.
Coeur d’Alene’s IRONMAN triathlon course is one of the most scenic in the nation. Competitors swim two loops (2.4 miles total) in beautiful Lake Coeur d’Alene, cycle two loops (112 miles total) through rural, scenic North Idaho, and run two loops (26.2 miles total) parallel to the lake. Spectators cheer on the athletes during the running course. There will be 50 qualifying Age Group slots to the IRONMAN World Championship on offer at the 2013 IRONMAN Coeur d’Alene. About 2,800 people participate.
This very popular event is already sold out for general entries, but there are still Ironman Foundation entry fee spots available ($1,250, half of which goes to the Ironman Foundation). Come and support a competing athlete you know or just watch this incredible feat of endurance!
This is the largest 3-on-3 street basketball tournament in the world, with over 7,000 teams and almost 28,000 players in 2012. People of all abilities can put together a team and register, but the youngest players must be entering the third grade in fall of 2013. From the 3BA Elite Division to occasional players, there is a bracket for everyone, and prizes are awarded to the winners in each bracket. Registration opens March 15. If you want to be actively involved without playing, volunteer! Hoopfest is made possible by 3,000 people who volunteer their time.
Independence Day Festival, July 4
Music and other live entertainment, food, vendors, community booths, and fireworks at dusk at Riverfront Park.
At the Riverside State Park Equestrian Area on July 13, you can stomp in puddles all you want, whether you are 8 or 80, and no one will care that you are ruining your shoes and splattering everyone around you. In fact, it’s actually the point of the event to get just as filthy as you possibly can while negotiating a slippery, 3.5 mile obstacle course of walls, mud hills, pipes, giant slip ‘n slides, and more features. There is even a “Beer Chug Obstacle” (root beer also available) where you will chug a beer before attempting the challenge (for beer, you must present your ID and get a wrist band before the race starts). There is also a shorter Piglet Plunge for ages 2–12 (must be accompanied by a parent, $20 to register), a 1-mile course with kid-friendly obstacles and features like the “Hog Wash” and the “Pig Sty.”
Register as a team or an individual. Costumes, bad mustaches, and outrageous hair are highly encouraged, and you might just win prizes for them, along with other creative categories. Cost is $35.00 through January 31, then it goes up gradually until July 10, when it is $55.00.
Don’t miss one of the best free music festivals in the Northwest, held in Riverfront Park. This huge, six-day celebration begins on the Wednesday before Labor Day. Three stages plus roving entertainment provide something for everyone. Of course, there are also about 54 food booths offering up all kinds of cuisine, from foot-long hot dogs to samosas. Local and regional bands as well as national headliners play.
It’s all here—farm animals, amusement rides, rodeo, live music, art, crafts, giant produce, wickedly good junk food, trinkets, antique machinery, and much more. The fair ushers in the fall; it’s the last big summer weather event. Watch the website for details of the 2013 fair as they become available!
The exact dates have not been announced yet, but in the second half of September, the 4th annual Spokane Oktoberfest will be held in Riverfront Park. This 21-and-older event features a large variety of Washington state beers for tasting. Live music, German concession food, and an Oktoberfest costume contest are all part of the fun.
Green Bluff Growers Festivals, May through December
Green Bluff, home to a few dozen farms, is located about 15 miles north of Spokane in the scenic foothills of Mt. Spokane. During the summer and fall, you can visit growers and buy food directly where it is grown. You can even pick your own berries, tree fruits, pumpkins, and more. On festival weekends, farmers and shops offer live music, farm-fresh cuisine, tours, and more. Some farms have play areas for kids, petting zoos, wagon rides, and corn mazes. There are even wineries and candy makers to visit.
Green Bluff farms open up to the public beginning with the Blooms on the Bluff (flowers, plants, crafts) on Mother’s Day Weekend. At the end of June and beginning of July, you can enjoy some super fresh, sweet, local strawberries during the Strawberry Festival. Next is the Cherry Festival, two weekends in July, including the Cherry Picker’s Trot annual fun run. The Peach Festival runs late August through Labor Day, and the Apple Festival is late September to the end of October. You can even come back for holiday shopping during Holiday Memories November 23 through December 24 and cut your own Christmas tree or pick up unique, local food gifts. Each farm has its own hours and events. Click here for the growers’ map, from which you can access information pages for each farm
Just in time for post-holiday recuperation, the 8th annual Health Beauty Spa Show will offer dozens of fun mini spa treatments this weekend at Spokane Community College. Admission is just $7 ($5 with a non-perishable food or hygiene donation to the YWCA), and tickets for treatments are $5 each. Your pampering options include chair massages, mini makeovers, paraffin hand dips, glitter tattoos, hand scrubs with massage, updo hairstyles, and facial waxing. For a complete list of exhibitors and treatments, click here.
This show is a great opportunity to meet people from area health and beauty businesses. Spas, chiropractors, salons, and fitness centers will be on hand. If you want to get a total makeover, enter the before and after photo contest for a chance to win a night’s stay for two at the Bonneville Hot Springs and Spa. Complimentary before and after photos are provided by Infinity Photography and Design.
The Health Beauty Spa Show is Saturday 11 a.m.–6 p.m. and Sunday 12–5 p.m. Be sure to sign up for your must-do treatments first, as waiting lists fill up quickly. The show will be held in the Spokane Community College Lair Building, off Mission Street just east of Greene. Parking is free.
The biggest, most inclusive New Year’s Eve party in Spokane starts at 6:00 p.m. (some kids’ activities start at 3:00 p.m.) It runs until midnight, but you won’t run out of things to do and probably will not have time to see everything you want to! Click here for a description of the dozens of performance and attractions at First Night Spokane 2013. Admission buttons are just $12 through December 30 or $15 on December 31. Kids 10 and under are free when accompanied by a button-bearing adult. Get your buttons at Cenex Zip Trip stores, the River Park Square concierge desk, Auntie’s Book Store, or Mountain West Bank. Not going to be near any of those places in the next few days? Just order online and pick up your buttons at the Spokane Convention Center beginning at 3:00 p.m. on New Year’s Eve. Your button gets you into all First Night events.
The evening begins with a masquerade parade at 6:10 p.m. from the Spokane Convention Center to the Riverfront Park Fountain and ends at midnight with a fireworks show that starts at 11:50 p.m. In between, there is a large variety of entertainment for everyone. As always, First Night Spokane is alcohol free and family friendly. To help you decide, here are some great choices, one for each hour counting down to 2013.
Bring the kids to the Spokane Convention Center for three hours of fun. Activities are centered around this year’s First Night theme: Across the Universe: the Year of the U.F.O. Kids can create their favorite “Martian Marmot,” launch a rocket, get a robot hat, and put on a washable tattoo. There will be dancing, a “moon surface walk,” “space writing wall,” and music. There are even special activities just for tots 2–4 years old.
7:00 p.m.—Outrageous Wild Women Crown Making
Stop by first, or anytime throughout the evening, to decorate a personalized crown. Not just for kids! Grown-ups need to feel like royalty, too! Located in the Crescent Court, 2nd floor.
8:00 p.m.—SCC Players at the Spokane Public Library
Check out live theatre performances by the Spokane Community College Players at 7:00, 8:00, or 9:00 p.m. Last year’s show included actors performing unique folk stories from faraway lands; this year is sure to be equally interesting. While you are there, check out the photographs of Afghanistan by Casey Johnson.
9:00 p.m.—Blue Door Theatre, Convention Center Conference Theatre
Check out Spokane’s great improvisational comedy group, Blue Door Theatre. They will perform every hour all night. Every show is different because it is influenced by audience participation and random, on-the-fly ideas. Very entertaining, with jokes that require creativity rather than crudeness—it’s all clean humor.
10:00 p.m.—48 Hour Film Festival, Produced by NXNW
Each year, local film makers are invited to enter short films that must be written, filmed, and edited in just 48 hours. In case you are wondering (I was) how they prevent cheating, NXNW keeps the storyline requirements secret until the 48 hour timeline begins. Come watch the contestants’ submissions anytime throughout the night in the Spokane City Council Chambers meeting room in the lower level of City Hall. If you don’t have time to catch them during First Night, you can watch them on YouTube.
11:00 p.m.—Ice Skating and Looff Carousel Rides
End your night in the park to be close by when the fireworks begin. Your button provides free rides on the carousel and free ice skating at the Ice Palace (skate rental is not free, though). As you stroll through the park, stop at the many bonfires to warm up, or warm up by dancing to DJ music at the Riverfront Park Fountain. Visual artists will also be showing their work in the area.
Parking
Get a happy start to your night, rather than an irritating one, by choosing the easy, free parking option for First Night Spokane! Park at the Riverpoint Campus just east of downtown at 412 E. Spokane Falls Blvd. in the yellow lot for free. Then catch a free STA bus, which will run every 10 minutes from 3:00 p.m. until 1:00 a.m., to various venues of First Night. Catch a bus back at the end of your evening. Click here for a parking and shuttle service map. Easy peasy!
Before the flurry of the holiday season really gets underway, treat yourself to a day of tasting fine Spokane wines at the annual Holiday Wine Festival. Every Spokane Winery Association winery (there are 19!) will open their doors the weekend before Thanksgiving. Many of the wineries are located within walking distance of each other in downtown Spokane. Maps of the local wineries are available at all stops, and each will offer discounts during this special event. Some wineries will offer food selections and gift ideas. This is a great way to find gifts for your hosts during the holidays and to pick up your dinner wines for holiday get-togethers!
Be sure to hit Arbor Crest (4705 N. Fruit Hill Road)for a tasting and a rare tour of their historic Cliff House. The Arbor Crest Cliff House is a three-story Florentine style mansion with panoramic views of Liberty Lake, Spokane Valley, and downtown Spokane. The Cliff House is only open for tours two times a year, Holiday Wine Fest weekend and Spring Release weekend.
If you haven’t been to Marketplace Wine Bar (32 W. 2nd Street) yet, Holiday Wine Fest is a great time to try it. The comfortable, spacious tasting room offers vintages from two wineries, Emvy Cellars and Bridgepress Cellars. Cheese and sausage or hummus plates are available for purchase. Marketplace Wine Bar is located in the same building as the Spokane Public Market, so while you are there you can pick up some locally grown and produced food.
If you want to pick up some easy gifts (not that local wine is not a great gift all by itself!), head east to Latah Creek at 13030 E. Indiana. The gift shop features gourmet food, fun wine accessories, and gift baskets. During Holiday Wine Fest, Latah Creek will offer food, music, dancing, and of course tasting in honor of the release of their new Ellena Ellena wine, which is named after the winery’s co-founder Mrs. Ellena Conway.
If you do go to Latah Creek, it is worth your while to drive a little further and visit Liberty Lake Wine Cellars (1018 S. Garry Road, Liberty Lake), one of my favorite Spokane area wineries. The lovely tasting room, on the second floor of the winery, is set up like the kind of living room you would love to have. While you sip, you’ll enjoy fantastic views of Liberty Lake. During Holiday Wine Fest, $5.00 covers six tastings plus a take-home Liberty Lake Wine Cellars glass.
Travel Spokane is a website built to inform Spokane visitors about the latest news, events, and opportunities in Spokane. The information is provided free courtesy of Stratford Suites. If you are looking for a Spokane Hotel be sure to check out our website at www.stratfordsuites.com
The annual Spokane Lilac Festival will celebrate its diamond anniversary next month with a number of fun events. This community celebration of the city and our armed forces is family friendly and includes activities for all ages, including a car show, golf tournament, parades, and more.
![[del.icio.us]](http://www.travel-spokane.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/delicious.png)
![[Digg]](http://www.travel-spokane.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/digg.png)
![[Facebook]](http://www.travel-spokane.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/facebook.png)
![[Google]](http://www.travel-spokane.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/google.png)
![[LinkedIn]](http://www.travel-spokane.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/linkedin.png)
![[MySpace]](http://www.travel-spokane.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/myspace.png)
![[Reddit]](http://www.travel-spokane.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/reddit.png)
![[StumbleUpon]](http://www.travel-spokane.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/stumbleupon.png)
![[Twitter]](http://www.travel-spokane.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/twitter.png)
![[Yahoo!]](http://www.travel-spokane.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/yahoo.png)
![[Email]](http://www.travel-spokane.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/email.png)
