There’s one person who gets all the credit for instilling in me a love of vintage fashion: my Gramma Scott. Growing up, I spent hours in her sewing room as she made adorable matching sets for my elementary school wardrobe, and later on we sewed a vintage-inspired prom dress together, plus countless other projects. Closets in her home overflowed with clothes she’d made for herself and other family members over the decades, which always made for memorable dress-up sessions.
While she’s been gone since 2006, every time I purchase, wash or mend a “new” addition to my vintage-filled closet, I think of her and the sewing skills she passed on so that I can repair or slightly adjust a piece to better fit. Vintage clothing is special for so many reasons, which we explore in this week’s VINTAGE ISSUE. Aside from being sustainable, unique and eyecatching, vintage clothing tells a story. Each piece sings of its past lives and the people who once donned it, the seamstresses who painstakingly crafted it, and the journey it took to move from one closet to the next. It deserves to be worn and cared for, and passed on from generation to generation.
— CHEY SCOTT, Editor
FAREWELL SPOKANE!
THE OAK RIDGE BOYS RETURN TO THE STAGE WHERE “ELVIRA” FIRST PLAYED IN 1981.
JULY 28
COMMENT
STAFF DIRECTORY
PHONE: 509-325-0634
Ted S. McGregor Jr. (tedm@inlander.com) PUBLISHER
Jer McGregor (x224) GENERAL MANAGER EDITORIAL
Chey Scott (x225) EDITOR
Samantha Wohlfeil (x234) NEWS EDITOR
Seth Sommerfeld (x250) MUSIC & SCREEN EDITOR
Madison Pearson (x218)
LISTINGS EDITOR, DIGITAL LEAD
Colton Rasanen (x263), Dora Scott (x282) STAFF WRITERS
Chris Frisella COPY CHIEF
Young Kwak, Erick Doxey PHOTOGRAPHERS
Jason Baxter, Josh Bell, Will Maupin, Tara Karr Roberts, Carrie Shriver CONTRIBUTORS
Anne McGregor INLANDER HEALTH & HOME EDITOR
Ellis Benson, Bee Reiswig, Marta Szymanska INTERNS
PRODUCTION TEAM MANAGER, CREATIVE, DIGITAL & MARKETING
Tom Stover (x265)
PRINT PRODUCTION & IT MANAGER
Derrick King (x238)
SENIOR GRAPHIC DESIGNER, EDITORIAL DESIGN LEAD
Leslie Douglas (x231)
GRAPHIC DESIGNER OPERATIONS
Dee Ann Cook (x211) BUSINESS MANAGER
Amanda Bodie (x210)
ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE SPECIALIST
CIRCULATION
Frank DeCaro (x226)
CIRCULATION MANAGER
Travis Beck (x237)
CIRCULATION SUPERVISOR
WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE ERA OF FASHION?
ISAAC KATCHER
There are too many to choose from… Workwear from the ’50s is like such cool utility, and the shapes and fabric — I’d have to go with that. It’s really hard to find, though.
So why would you choose ’50s workwear?
Because I don’t have any of it and I want some. I’ve seen French military pants from that era that I’m obsessed with.
TERRI JOHNSON
I would say the 1960s.
What do you like from the 1960s?
The older record albums, you know, the old T-shirts from concerts long ago.
MALIA CRAVEN
Probably the ’50s, and the reason being is because people did dress better back then, and I loved my grandmother’s and my mom’s vintage clothes from back then. But admittedly, they had no stretch, so they weren’t the most comfortable — but they really looked stylish and clean and it was fun and they brought in some really pretty colors.
ANNA PHILLIPS
Art Deco is my favorite era of almost everything
What do you like about it?
Just the jewelry and the design of the clothes.
What do you like about it compared to modern? It was just more intricate and fragile and it took a lot to make those clothes... Modern is just different.
EMMA KELLY
I feel like I’d have to say ’80s.
Why?
I feel like the majority of things that I find thrifting around are from the ’80s. And I feel like if I were to be born in a different time period, I would definitely be from the ’80s. I feel like all that stuff kind of speaks to me in a way.
INTERVIEWS BY MARTA SZYMANSKA 7/2/2025,
524 W Main Ave, Downtown Spokane thepurgatory.com Sun-Thu 12pm-11pm Fri-Sat 12pm - 12:30am
Generous donations provided lifesaving equipment for baby Cameron, born 14 weeks early and weighing only 1 pound and 6 ounces. The Giraffe Omnibed helped him grow stronger until his mom could hold him for the first time.
Help patients like baby Cameron: https://foundation.providence.org/wa/eastern You can make a difference today!
“ It was the best feeling in the world to hold and touch my baby. Those who donated to make that technology available are absolute heroes.”
– Tanisha Townsend, Cameron’s mom
JOIN OUR WHISKEY CLUB
TORCH SONG
Written by Harvey Fierstein Directed by Troy Nickerson
JULY
The Persistence of People… and Plants
Trips to two sides of the planet show how grief and joy intermingle and coexist
BY TARA KARR ROBERTS
Just after sunrise on June 7, my friend Caitlin and I stood in the rain in Prague’s Old Town Square, soggy and exhausted in our pajamas, alone except for a couple tipsy German dudes, and watched the famous Astronomical Clock chime 5 am.
I’d arrived in Prague in May to teach a university class, with just two weeks’ notice — an unexpected opportunity to revisit a city I adore, where I’d taught in 2023 but never expected to end up again. The moment at the Astronomical Clock was the culmination of the sort of odd morning that only happens when you advise college kids in a foreign city. As we headed back to our hotel, Caitlin and I laughed about how remarkable it was to be there, and I gushed about the strange beauty of the world.
Then, on our way to McDonald’s to buy some crack-of-dawn french fries, we passed the mass of drunk tourists who hung out on the
sidewalk outside the bar under our hotel. For three weeks, I’d listened to them screeching, dancing to songs that all had the same relentless beat. I saw the trash and vomit they left behind, along with crepepaper confetti that city workers had to scrape off the cobblestones.
“I hate them,” I growled.
I spent the rest of the walk to McDonald’s repeating that word I’d been taught as a child never to use about fellow humans (along with a bunch of other words that would’ve gotten me in big trouble as a kid). Later, Caitlin dramatically reenacted for our friends how rapidly my tune had changed.
Flailing between joy and rage might be my theme for summer 2025.
On a personal level, this summer has been pretty damn awesome: those surprise three weeks in the Czech Republic and Germany with Caitlin and our lovely students, followed by a vacation on Kauai with my husband to celebrate my 40th birthday and our 20th anniversary.
The Astronomical Clock in Prague’s Old Town Square has been marking the lives of the Czech people since 1410. CAITLIN CIESLIK-MISKIMEN PHOTO
JULY 11 | 7PM HELMER NOEL WITH HANNAH JACKSON
22 - AUG 2
1427 W. Dean Ave | www.hamilton.live
This powerful, hilarious, deeply human story follows Arnold Beckoff - a drag queen and torch singer searching for love, family, and acceptance in 1970s New York.
But then there’s everything else. I’d been struggling to address that dissonance and the attached feelings (Look at you, prancing across gorgeous European cities and luxurious islands while the world burns, you privileged American jackass!), mostly choosing avoidance.
In Kauai’s Limahuli Garden and Preserve, as my husband and I admired an Ālula, a Seussian marvel of a plant that is likely extinct from its native Kauai cliffs, the emotion I needed hit me: grief.
Grief is sadness infused with love. It’s feeling the loss of something — a plant, place, or person, an illusion or an idea — that mattered
Grief has been simmering beneath a lot of my rage this summer. I was pissed at the partying barflies for indulging themselves while damaging a beautiful place and making other people suffer, and I’m pissed at the powerful people who treat the whole world like their personal sidewalk-outside-the-bar.
But grief had been hiding beneath my most treasured moments, too.
I got to appreciate the Ālula because of the brilliant botanists who saw the impending loss and responded, dangling from cliffs to rescue seeds and slowly cultivating plants.
My love for Prague expanded this year as I got to know the city better, including its dark past. On a tour of important sites from during and after World War II, our guide outlined the Czech Republic’s brutal history of authoritarian takeovers and shared the trauma of learning at age 16, when the 1989 Velvet Revolution ended Communist Party rule, that everything she’d been taught was a lie. I saw how that grief fueled her to tell the truth about her country’s history and to resist authoritarian narratives today.
“…grief had been hiding beneath my most treasured moments…”
I spent a few hours in Berlin on my way home, where I visited a garden built by two churches once separated by the Berlin Wall. It was lush and peaceful, dotted with kids playing and people talking (and one helpful guy who was patient with a clueless American who couldn’t figure out the gate latch). A sign made it absolutely clear that this beauty was meant to acknowledge the site’s former horror, not cover it up.
As I was off having adventures, my friends in the U.S. were sharing pictures of signs that popped up in national parks in June, asking visitors to report “any signs or other information that are negative about past or living Americans or that fail to emphasize the beauty, grandeur, and abundance of landscapes or other natural features.”
I was reminded of Kurt Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse 5, which I read before visiting Dresden, Germany, with my students. Perhaps its most famous line is the imagined epitaph of protagonist Billy Pilgrim, who (like Vonnegut) witnessed the 1945 bombing of Dresden as a prisoner of war: “Everything was Beautiful and Nothing Hurt.” It’s ironic, wistful, or deluded, depending how you want to read it. But it’s definitely not the one thing Billy says it is: the truth.
Without “negativity,” I would have seen some nice things this summer, but they wouldn’t have mattered. I wouldn’t remember them, and I would do nothing in response to my encounter with them. In the long run, they’d be crepe-paper confetti: exciting for one moment, trash the next.
Grief is part of being human: It shouldn’t be controversial to say that we need to acknowledge our losses and failures to fuel our joys. n
Tara Karr Roberts is a writer who lives in Moscow with her husband and sons. Her novel Wild and Distant Seas was published in January. Follow her on Bluesky and Instagram @tarabethidaho.
HEALTH
Getting PrEPared
FDA approves twice-yearly injection that prevents HIV, thanks in part to research by a Spokane doctor
BY COLTON RASANEN
Afew weeks ago, Grant Ogren and Rhea AshbyDurall, the executive director and the outreach manager of SAN (formerly Spokane AIDS Network), met with their representative from Gilead Sciences, the pharmaceutical company known for its antiviral drugs that treat and prevent HIV and AIDS. It was an impromptu meeting meant for the trio to catch up, but it soon turned out to be one of the most exciting they’ve had in the last decade.
As they began chatting in SAN’s cozy Sprague Avenue office, Ogren says the representative alluded to a medical milestone that was on its way, but said she couldn’t spill the beans just yet. Moments later, however, the big announcement came through — the U.S. Food and Drug Administration had approved a twice-yearly injection of the drug
lenacapavir (Yeztugo) to prevent HIV.
“When that came through, her phone just started buzzing, and she’s like, ‘Oh, I guess I have a meeting in an hour, and I have two meetings tomorrow morning, and I have meetings all tomorrow afternoon,’” Ogren says. “It was all around the marketing portion of the drug because they hadn’t even released the drug name prior to that.”
Ashby-Durall says it was one of the most exciting milestones in HIV prevention since the introduction of preexposure prophylaxis, or PrEP, in 2012. These are daily pills that are 99% effective at preventing HIV infection, but can be inconvenient because the efficacy decreases dramatically when doses are missed.
“It was such a joyous moment,” Ashby-Durall says. “We’ve gone from finally having a pill that you take every
day that was also a little hard on the body — it was actually very hard on the body — to now, this [injection] with very little side effects and a sense of normality.”
Aside from common side effects, such as nausea, dizziness and tiredness, some of the major potential side effects of the daily PrEP pill, Truvada, include: new or worsening kidney problems or kidney failure, severe liver problems, and the softening of bones.
By comparison, the main known side effects of lenacapavir used for prevention are nausea, headache and pain at the injection site.
Ashby-Durall currently takes Cabenuva, an every-other-month injection that treats their HIV infection. While it’s not as infrequent as the six-month lenacapavir injections for
Dr. Rachel Safran’s research at Spokane’s MultiCare Rockwood Clinic helped lay the groundwork for a new HIV prevention drug.
ERICK DOXEY PHOTO ...continued
prevention, they say the injectable for their treatment has been worlds easier than taking medication. While taking a pill every day may seem normal to some, to those trying to treat their HIV or prevent it in the first place, it can be a daily reminder of what is still a stigmatized disease.
“Two months has already given me a sense of normality that I haven’t had prior to the injections,” they say, explaining that they hope this medical milestone indicates researchers can and will also figure out less frequent forms of treatment. “But, you know, if [eventually] I’m doing a shot once a year or once every so many years, it gives me a sense of my life back.”
“There’s a lot of people that don’t even get on PrEP because, well, that means they’re having risky sex or this or that,” Ogren says. “So if you’re going in and getting an injection every six months, nobody needs to know about that, and you’re making yourself safer.”
Dr. Rachel Safran is a primary care physician at MultiCare’s Rockwood Clinic, as well as the HIV research lead for the MultiCare Institute for Research and Innovation. She has spent more than a decade in Spokane focusing her medical work on primary care and HIV treatment and prevention.
“I have always been a science nerd at heart, and sort of understanding why things are the way they are and how they work is what got me into medicine,” Safran says. “When I started doing clinical work with people living with HIV or who would benefit from prevention, it became very clear to me that it’s the often stigmatized and ostracized population, and I felt like I was in a unique position to sort of be working with that community … to really make sure
that my patients in the community were benefiting from the newest things and the best science available.”
In Spokane, she worked on one of three clinical trials, titled Captivate, to understand how the new drug lenacapavir would work. She met with people who had been recently diagnosed with HIV and had them use the drug as their first treatment option and then she evaluated their response to it. This led to the FDA approval of lenacapavir to treat HIV in 2022.
Safran did not participate in the studies that proved lenacapavir could also be used for HIV prevention, but she says the data she gathered made that research progress quicker.
“That [research] is really what helped us figure out what was the right dose, what was the safety profile, how well tolerated was it and how did patients accept it because it is an injection,” Safran says. “Looking at those side effects is what really allowed for it to be escalated into a prevention research study.”
Though it may sound like a vaccine that prevents people from getting an illness, Safran says that’s not quite the case here.
Lenacapavir is known as a capsid inhibitor, which binds directly to the HIV-1 viral capsid proteins, preventing the virus from replicating. In simpler terms, it works as a cellular defender, preventing HIV from infecting the body.
“Think about it as part of your maintenance preventive healthcare schedule, getting a shot once or twice a year to prevent an infection. It just works differently than a vaccine,” Safran says. “Instead of having the immune system protect you, it truly is a medication that blocks the virus itself, which is why we can also use it for treatment.
“This is just yet another tool in our armamentarium for ending the HIV epidemic,” Safran continues. “It might not be right for everyone, but we have multiple different prevention options, and just getting tested and knowing your status is the most important first step for our community.”
The approval of lenacapavir as a PrEP option is also exciting because the research that led to its approval is more diverse than it’s ever been before, Safran says.
“A lot of the initial prevention studies really focused on the most common population, which is men who have sex with men,” she says. “For this drug they tried to look at cisgender women in Sub-Saharan Africa, they looked at people who inject drugs, and were able to show that it works just as well in all those diverse populations, which is really the first time we’ve actually seen that data, particularly in cisgender women.”
Currently, bimonthly injections are available for HIV treatment (Cabenuva) and HIV prevention (cabotegravir), but neither Dr. Safran nor leadership at SAN know when folks can actually start getting the twice-yearly injections, because they’re so new.
“We’re all just trying to figure out what that process will look like for insurance coverage and cost to make sure that it’s also accessible to all of our patients,” Safran says.
“I think probably in the next two months, we might have a different conversation about how many people are on it, just because we’ll actually have people on it,” AshbyDurall says.
When it comes to the cost of lenacapavir, Ashby-Durall says uninsured patients can expect to pay upwards of $14,000 for each injection, or about $2,300 a month. How-
ever, with insurance and other programs meant to make HIV prevention more affordable, such as Gilead’s co-pay savings program that assists people with out-of-pocket costs, Ashby-Durall doubts anyone in Washington state will have to pay that much.
“You just have to know how to navigate this system and if you’re really lucky, you’ll have a pharmacist who genuinely cares. For example, when I was super broke I was trying to save money wherever I could, so I stopped taking my antidepressants, and my pharmacist laid into me because I was basically choosing HIV drugs or antidepressants,” Ashby-Durall says. “She’s like, ‘No, you need both of these to stay alive, we’ll figure it out.’ And she did because she had access to cost-sharing and co-pay reduction tools.”
SAN can also help folks navigate the system.
“We can figure out who they need to talk to for just about anything very easily,” Ashby-Durall says.
While this recent FDA approval of twice-yearly injections is a major win in the field of HIV prevention, Safran says there are worries that the federal government may defund future research.
“It started initially with cuts to overseas funding, with cuts to USAID. To learn about this disease and for the treatments and prevention, it requires people all over the world to do this research, and so we are certainly very nervous about having limited resources abroad, and eventually that could lead to limited resources here in the U.S.,” Safran says. “But a lot of health care organizations are stepping up and trying to make sure that we can continue doing this research work, even if there isn’t federal funding. I am empowered by seeing that there are people who still care about the scientific outcomes, though we just might have to find creative ways to pay for it in the future.” n
coltonr@inlander.com
Prop 1 Replacement
Spokane updates its anti-camping rules; Mayor Brown proposes further changes to help build affordable housing
BY SAMANTHA WOHLFEIL
After months of discussions and two recent lengthy City Council meetings, Spokane has updated its anti-camping rules. The new ordinance, which passed 5-2 (City Council members Jonathan Bingle and Michael Cathcart opposed) on June 30, makes it a misdemeanor to “knowingly obstruct” or camp on public property anywhere in the city.
However, even the prime sponsors aren’t completely happy with the ordinance, which repealed existing laws and consolidated rules about sitting or lying on the sidewalk and camping. The city’s anti-panhandling rules were also repealed and updated in a second ordinance the same night.
Initially, City Council members Zack Zappone and Kitty Klitzke sponsored an updated camping ordinance with a briefing sheet stating it was “reinstating the provisions of Proposition 1.”
But when that version came up for a vote at the June 16 council meeting, dozens of community members spoke out against the measure, which would’ve required police officers to give 7-day notices to provide time for homeless outreach workers to contact campers before they would be issued citations.
To many, that read nothing like Prop 1, a measure nearly 75% of city voters approved in November 2023,
which banned camping within 1,000 feet of schools, day cares, parks and other child-oriented spaces. Prop 1 also made camping a misdemeanor, but allowed police to issue those citations immediately if a bed in a low barrier shelter had been available within the previous 24 hours.
In April, the Washington Supreme Court ruled Proposition 1 was illegal on the grounds that it was an administrative change that should’ve been handled by the City Council, which could have instated those policies.
Zappone argues the new ordinance is even more sweeping than Prop 1 and the city’s previous camping and sit-lie rules, as it outlaws those actions 24/7 throughout the city. It requires “a notice” be given before citations are issued, which he says means officers could enforce camping right away, if they deem it appropriate.
“What we hear from police is best practice is we’re going to offer you resources first, and if you’re refusing to take resources then we’re going to issue a citation,” Zappone says.
But Bingle argues the language is vague enough that enforcement will not be possible.
“The problem with this one is not the map,” Bingle says. “The problem is the enforcement of it.”
City Council plans to review how things are going after 90 days.
Bingle also says it’s a bad sign that providers and business owners alike spoke out against the rules on June 30.
Indeed, Emilie Cameron, the president and CEO of the Downtown Spokane Partnership, voiced concerns and asked the council to establish a hospitality zone downtown with additional enforcement measures. Meanwhile, Angel Tomeo Sam, who works with Indigenous domestic violence survivors and those who’ve suffered from substance use disorder, expressed concerns the rule was unsupported, as it doesn’t come with behavioral health beds, a hospitality zone, social workers or additional housing units.
“We don’t have the trust or the tools in place to prevent this from becoming another cycle of displacement, trauma and incarceration,” Tomeo Sam said during public comment.
HALF THE SOLUTION
During the nearly six-hour June 30 meeting, Zappone acknowledged that the new ordinance only deals with enforcement and does not fix the issue of where people should go. He said the next thing to tackle is funding for things such as shelter beds, safe stays and safe parking areas, affordable housing, treatment beds and more.
Bingle suggested the city consider bonding out its revenue from a sales tax allowed under Washington House Bill 1590, which passed in 2020. That money, which can be used for affordable housing, could also be used to pay for supportive services, including substance use and mental health treatment beds.
But on Monday, July 7, Mayor Lisa Brown announced a proposal to rename the 1590 fund the Housing Equity and Attainable Residences Trust or HEART fund, and dedicate all that revenue to a package of affordable housing policies she hopes to implement in order to build 22,000 units of affordable housing by 2046.
At a press conference near the South Perry District, in front of the Liberty Park expansion apartments — a project partly funded with a $4 million combination of affordable housing sales tax money and federal grants — Brown said the city will look to change multiple policies to assist in the construction of affordable units.
Subject to City Council approval, the city could also allow developers to defer street and building permit fees to free up money in the early stages of construction, update the city’s unified development code to make it more concise, and waive general facilities charges (the fees to connect to city water and other services) for affordable housing projects.
Spokane Planning Director Spencer Gardner said the permit fees could instead be due at the time a project receives its certificate of occupancy, which is an easier time for many developers to free up cash flow. Gardner also said the building code will be updated as part of the city’s comprehensive plan update, which is due by the end of 2026.
“Housing supply is the key to more affordability,” Brown said. “Housing supply helps prevent homelessness.”
Habitat for Humanity-Spokane CEO Michelle Girardot said the new measures, especially waiving general facilities charges, will be transformational, as sometimes the difference between getting a family into a home they can afford can be as little as a few thousand dollars. She said she often hears people talk about the “good old days” of when housing was affordable.
“The reality is, some of us in this community have never seen those good days,” Girardot said, “and these initiatives, these ordinances are going to transform that and truly create a Spokane where we truly all belong.” n samanthaw@inlander.com
This week, Spokane Mayor Lisa Brown introduced more affordable housing tools the city could provide. SAMANTHA WOHLFEIL PHOTO
Guilty Plea
Kohberger pleads guilty to Moscow murders. Plus, hundreds panic on the 4th in Riverfront Park, and Riverkeeper calls for end to biosolids
BY INLANDER STAFF
For more than two years, Bryan Kohberger has been the sole suspect in the November 2022 murders of four University of Idaho students after forensic and DNA evidence tied him to the crime. He maintained his innocence while awaiting trial in jail. The case was moved from Latah County to Ada County to avoid potential juror bias and was set to go to trial this summer. However, after a failed attempt to take the death penalty off the table due to an autism diagnosis he received behind bars, and months of delays over what evidence could be presented in court, Kohberger has pleaded guilty to murdering Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin. As part of the plea deal, Kohberger will avoid the death penalty and agreed to serve four consecutive life sentences without the opportunity to appeal. Ada County Judge Steven Hippler accepted the plea deal on Wednesday, July 2, and Kohberger will be sentenced at a July 23 appearance. (COLTON RASANEN)
FALSE ALARM
Each year the sky above Riverfront Park fills with colorful explosions celebrating the Fourth of July, but this year, moments after the fireworks began they abruptly stopped. Spokane Police officers responded to a call about a fight near the Clocktower, but rumors began to spread that there had been a shooting. From the Inlander’s Kendall Yards office, a steady stream of people could be seen fleeing the area shortly after the fireworks stopped. Though attendees quickly ran away from Riverfront Park, police say there was never an active shooter. “Nothing was observed to verify any type of shooting took place,” the Spokane Police Department states. “Adding to the confusion, an announcement was made over the speaker system for people to basically take cover.” The firework show continued about 20 minutes later once the police department determined the area was safe, but many of those who left did not return to the park. (CR)
ALPHABET SOUP POLLUTION
A study released by the national Waterkeeper Alliance shows the toxic chemicals known as PFAS are being released near wastewater plants and agricultural areas. Waterkeeper organizations in 19 states tested sites upstream and downstream of 22 wastewater treatment facilities and 10 sites where biosolids were applied. Biosolids — the soil-like stuff remaining after sewage is treated — are often applied to fields as a fertilizer. Elevated PFAS levels were found downstream of 95% of the treatment plants and 80% of the biosolids sites. Spokane Riverkeeper’s testing found PFAS concentrations were 5,000% higher downstream of permitted biosolids sites than the background levels found upstream. “Unmonitored and unregulated PFAS compounds in biosolids used for fertilizer are poisoning our creeks,” said Jule Schultz, waterkeeper for Spokane Riverkeeper, in a press release. “These forever chemicals don’t break down. They accumulate in the environment, in our fish, and in our bodies. It’s time for the state to take a hard look at the biosolids program and take action to protect our waterways from this toxic legacy.” The organization is calling on Washington agencies to immediately halt the land application of biosolids containing PFAS. (SAMANTHA WOHLFEIL) n
Get a monthly bill discount.
Washington customers: Start paying less for energy each month.
Apply for Avista’s My Energy Discount today. Even if you didn’t qualify before, you probably can now! It’s easier than ever.
No paperwork. No appointments. Good for two years.
Call (800) 227-9187 or apply online at myavista.com/myenergydiscountWA
Behind the Masks
Ron and Marsha Feller entertained and educated kids with their creative paper creations for four decades. Now, see their art on display in Spokane
BY CARRIE SHRIVER
Awise wizard gazes out with kind eyes. A golden, smiling sun radiates warmth. A lion with a fiery mane proves he’s the king of the jungle. Each of these visages are intricate, three-dimensional masks made from all kinds of paper. And the man behind
the masks — literally — is artist Ron Feller, who also credits his late wife, Marsha, with supporting his creative process.
“Marsha was just as important a part of the mask making and writing as I was,” Feller, 83, says.
For 40 years the duo crossed the country, visiting schools to inspire kids and teachers with their creativity, exciting imaginations long after class was dismissed.
The Fellers’ programs were a medley of storytelling and performance. They used masked characters and special effects like pyrotechnic flash pots to make a dragon — or sometimes Marsha — disappear. Marsha often employed dance, and Ron played various instruments. They encouraged audience participation by inviting teachers or students to provide sound effects during the presentations.
And Ron, of course, crafted a mask or puppet on the
stage from start to finish while telling a story. The couple then left behind instructions for masks and puppets so students could make their own creations later.
Inspired by medieval paintings of puppet stages which sat atop a puppeteer’s head, the person beneath hidden by drapes of fabric, the Fellers’ shows also included their own version built on a conical hat called a coolie.
“That was an important part of our program for several years because people just loved it. This puppet stage could move and then stop, and the characters would speak,” Feller says. “Anyway, we could come up with telling a story, because that was one of our messages — you tell stories with music, with movement, with puppets, with masks. We would put those things in our programs so they could make use of that information.”
The Fellers’ artistic career was first ignited by a performance during Spokane’s hosting of the 1974 World’s Fair. The couple, both teachers at the time, were blown away during a performance by the Elizabethan Players from Britain. They enjoyed it so much that they returned the following night for another evening of singing, poetry, masks, storytelling, and theater scenes.
“They had some really top-notch movement, people, storytellers, singers,” Feller recalls. “And when we saw that show we said, ‘This is it.’ We immediately started putting
Ron Feller turns simple paper into spectacular visages. ERICK DOXEY PHOTOS
some programs together. We started making masks, and Marsha was doing things with stories, and I was contributing with music and poetry, and that was a model for what we wanted to do.”
After graduating from Central Washington University in the mid 1960s, Ron landed a job in Spokane as a middle school music teacher. Marsha graduated a year later, and began working at a local school for hearing impaired students that emphasized total communication via lip reading, facial animation, movement and dance. By the time the World’s Fair came to town, Marsha was teaching fifth grade, and Ron music.
Ron’s love of art — and all things paper — began, however, long before witnessing that fateful Expo performance. As a child in the 1940s, he’d spent a lot of time in the hospital due to being born without a hip socket in one leg. To entertain himself during those long stays, he cut and folded paper into his own masks and puppets.
Select pieces currently on display at Chrysalis Gallery
Featured artists at Barrister Winery, August 2025
More info: thefellersartsfactory.com
Fast forward to the mid’70s, when the Fellers started taking their one-of-a-kind arts showcases to schools. They continued teaching, and performed at several schools throughout Spokane while honing their program. By the late ’70s, they felt confident enough to audition for a national booking agency. It was a smash hit, and they hit the road full-time, performing in schools across the East Coast.
“I think we did almost 500 shows that year,” Feller says. “It was a lot, but it was a place to learn how to do what we were doing.”
After returning home, the Washington State Arts Commission hired them as part of a cultural enrichment program providing educational entertainment to rural schools.
“Oftentimes they would ask us to stop and stay in a school or
Some of the Fellers’ paper masks are displayed at Chrysalis Gallery on the South Hill.
RON & MARSHA FELLERS’ MASKS
Something Fresh Is Growing This July
at the Scale House Market!
Roll up your sleeves, grab a friend, and join us for a summer full of fun, food, and learning!
Hands-on classes and workshops for every age and interest.
WHAT YOU’LL LEARN:
• How to prep a meal using ingredients from the Market
• Tips for food preparation and preservation
• Garden-based activities for all ages
• Insights from real farmers and food makers
Whether you’re 9 or 90, these lively, interactive sessions will teach you something new — and connect you with the local food, flavors, and community that make this region shine.
Grow your skills. Fill your plate. Feed your soul. JULY CLASS FOCUS: KIDS IN THE KITCHEN, COOKING FUNDAMENTALS FOR ALL AGES, AND CULTURAL CELEBRATIONS IN FOOD.
Want to know about our latest events and classes? FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL!
“BEHIND THE MASKS,” CONTINUED...
community for several days,” Feller says. “We would make masks and use the masks as a springboard to write songs and stories.”
The Fellers expanded their repertoire to more hands-on workshops, like writing poems and songs using a word bank. They taught simple bookbinding and stamp making techniques, too.
“So at the end of a visit, all the kids would have a mask, a song that they had written together and a book of their work,” he says. “If we had time we would help them turn it into a performance piece using poetry and movement. The masks just cried out for simple dance patterns which Marsha would do almost instantly. She was really good at choreographing things on the spot.”
The couple’s visits were so popular, they were often invited back by the same schools.
“Then someone from the Kennedy Center saw our masks and asked us to do a book,” Feller says.
The self-published book, Paper Masks and Puppets for Stories, Songs and Plays, was published in 1986.
“We sold, I think, 20,000 copies right away,” he notes.
ed attention to the student if they didn’t want it. She had a very gentle way of bringing all that out, but a very enthusiastic way.”
Schupman also worked with children, first as a teacher, and later as a music and artistic director. She often used the Fellers’ work to teach.
“The kids absolutely loved the project,” she says. “Just every time I did it, they went crazy for it.”
Of course, the Fellers equally loved their career working with kids.
“We were lucky enough to be able to earn a living doing what we love. We would come back to Spokane in the summer and make a whole new set of masks, develop a whole new set of programs, and start off in the fall,” Feller.
Today, he can still wield a pair of scissors like an expert.
He makes a few cuts in a piece of paper folded in half. He slices out a space for eyes, unfolds the sheet and then folds down the top half, forming a beak and brow. In less than 30 seconds, he’s made the base of a yellow bird mask.
The book helped boost the Fellers’ name, and they received even more requests to provide their programs in places like Tucson, Las Vegas, and Los Angeles. That success led to a second book, Fanciful Faces and Handbound Books: Fairytales, which was a way to ensure kids, teachers, and parents could continue the creative fun long after the Fellers had departed for their next tour stop.
“They were just magical,” Tamara Schupman recalls.
She first met the Fellers, friends of her mother’s, as a child. An elementary music teacher, Schupman’s mother invited the duo to her classroom many times over the years.
“Ron had a twinkle in his eye, artistic. He really drew them in,” Schupman says. “Marsha would hear somebody humming to themselves and say ‘Yes, that’s it. Let’s put some words to that,’ and didn’t draw unwant-
The Fellers reluctantly retired from their school teaching tours in 2020. But their good friend and now business partner, Ken Eschete, didn’t like the idea of all those amazing masks created and saved over 40 years remaining unseen.
“I recognized that they had created this vast amount of inventory and knowledge, Eschete says. “When they had to stop taking it on the road, it just went into storage, and they closed the door. I just could not see that.”
Thanks to Eschete’s encouragement and technological expertise, the Fellers’ artwork went online about four years ago. Mask templates and both books are now available for purchase at thefellersartsfactory.com.
“I’m not sure where all this will go, but I’m just glad that we can somehow still get it out to a few kids,” Feller says. “Because of these templates and books, some families, some schools are still making them, writing stories, songs and poetry. That’s what we wanted to happen.” n
The couple took their artistic storytelling program on tours to schools around the country.
ROUNDABOUT ART
THE BUZZ BIN
A new sculpture designed by Colville Tribal Member Louis Boyd has been unveiled on Spokane’s Five Mile Prairie, inside the roundabout circle at Five Mile and Strong roads. Titled “In the Shape of Family,” the artwork depicts a life-sized deer family — a buck, doe and fawn — and was publicly revealed last week during a ceremony with members of Spokane City Council and the Kalispel Tribe. The three pieces were fabricated by Boyd and other journeymen welders with Kalispel Metal Products at the Kalispel Career Training Center in Cusick. In a press release about the sculpture’s installation, Boyd said: “This sculpture honors Indigenous families and offers something for everyone across mother earth who sees it: a reminder that we are not meant to match — we are meant to belong. That is what it means to be ‘In the Shape of Family,’ where spirit, difference, and connection are honored as family.” (CHEY SCOTT)
ON THE PODIUM
Last month, we profiled Lotus Leong-Chesbrough just before she travelled to Zaragoza, Spain, to represent the U.S. in the Foosball World Cup. Though the master fooser has played for decades and has been to the triennial tournament twice before, she’s never been able to clinch a spot on the podium. That changed this year as she took home two bronze medals, one in the senior mixed doubles category with Tracy McMillin and another in the women’s doubles category with Kelly Wyant, for the U.S. team. In total, the U.S. team brought home 16 medals — five gold, five silver and six bronze — earning a first place finish for the country’s senior national team. (COLTON RASANEN)
THIS WEEK’S PLAYLIST
Noteworthy new music arriving in stores and online on July 11.
WET LEG, MOISTURIZER
If you question whether the blissfully brash and cleverly cutting English postpunk band will experience a sophomore slump after their dazzling 2022 self-title debut, be prepared to “Catch These Fists.”
THE SWELL SEASON, FORWARD
The folk duo that broke onto the scene as the Oscar-winning musical stars of Once drop their first new album in 16 years.
CIARA, CICI
While she’s no longer consistently topping the charts like she did in the early 2000s, Ciara has settled into being a mainstay in the modern R&B landscape. (SETH SOMMERFELD)
Vintage Fashion In or Out?
Fashion tips and tricks from local experts, as well as a mini guide to modern vintage style
BY ELLIS BENSON, BEE REISWIG AND MARTA SYZMANSKA
From nautical stripes to cowboy boots, the vintage fashion scene has witnessed a whirlwind of trend mashups in recent years. Between bouts of minimalism and maximalism, it feels like the current life cycle of fashion trends grows shorter and shorter with each passing season. Within this rapidly evolving trend ecosystem, it can be hard to get a finger on pulse of what’s actually “in.” Instead of browsing around the dark recesses of Pinterest, we went straight to the source: fashion vendors and others heavily involved in the local vintage fashion community.
— ELLIS BENSON
CONFIDENT COUTURE
Ash Holmes is many things: a singer, a painter, a model and a fashionista in her own right. But most of all, she sees herself as a performance artist.
“It all comes together to create one big piece of art that is Ash,” Holmes says.
Spokane didn’t have a big art scene when Holmes was growing up. In fact, she used to see the city as boring and kind of conservative. But lately she’s noticed that Spokanites are branching out more, noting that “not everyone’s wearing the same thing.”
The trends Homes has seen that seem to stick around tend to be vintage classics: leather, denim and animal prints. A more specific trend of the moment, especially in Spokane, is ’90s fashion.
“That kind of street style: denim, baggy pants, color blocking, sneakers, you know never really go out of style,” Holmes says.
Wearing vintage has long been seen as cool, but it continues to reach mainstream highs in the modern day. Holmes wears vintage almost every day, often mixing and matching different eras, styles and colors.
“Really anything that I think would look good and would make me feel good, even if it doesn’t go together,” she says about putting together an outfit.
She says following the trends isn’t a big factor in her decisions. Instead, she picks something that she hopes will make people’s day when they see it.
What she wants to see next in the fashion world is more people being experimental — wearing crazy colors and interesting pieces and mashing them all together into a look that works.
But Holmes’ biggest fashion and vintage tip? Confidence.
“You’ve got to wear the clothes, don’t let the clothes wear you.”
— BEE REISWIG
NOUGHTIES MAXIMALISM
Since Madison Detlaff started selling second-hand clothing on Depop six years ago under the seller handle industryflunk, she’s seen a massive shift from ’80 revival to a full-on embrace of everything 2000s, with customers who once sought waist-hugging mom jeans now leaning toward midriff-baring low-rise jeans.
One of the most contentious questions regarding the status of current trends is whether minimalism or maximalism is in. Detlaff personally feels pulled to maximalism, as she believes it can be an outlet for joy.
“I think it’s something that makes people happy,” she says. “I know it makes me happy, especially when things are going on in the world — it’s just so fun to have so much to look at.”
Although Detlaff thinks minimalism is also trending again on social media, she feels as though fellow Gen-Zers have historically had a distaste for it because of its popularity with Millennials in the 2010s.
“Especially with young people, I think, they hate that so much from the Millennials who are giving a lot of minimalism,” she says.
Continuing on the love for the 2000s and maximalism, Detlaff’s current favorite trend is capri pants and blinged out tops.
“They’re just, like, crazy. I really like those. I think it’s so much fun.” — ELLIS BENSON
QUALITY > QUANTITY
Fay Hulihan has been involved in the vintage fashion scene since the 1990s, eventually acquiring enough clothing that she needed a storage unit for all of it. She started her career as a vintage clothing vendor in 2016 under the name Red Leaf Vintage, a homage to her Canadian roots.
Ash Holmes models pieces for Red Leaf Vintage.
RETRO TRENDS ON THE RISE
Here’s just a smattering of the vintage-inspired fashion trends that have cycled back into the mainstream
THE NOUGHTIES: Indie sleaze, accent sunglasses, Affliction brand, leg warmers, and even low-rise jeans are making a comeback.
VINTAGE LINGERIE: Your grandma’s sheer nighties, slips and lacy camis are now super chic when worn as tops or dresses.
VINTAGE WESTERN: Fringe, cowboy boots, bootcut pants and denim everything, plus bandanas worn tucked into the top of button-up shirts or tied around the head, David Foster Wallace style.
DENIM EMPHASIS: Jorts — love it or leave it.
MINIMALIST: Capsule wardrobes and quality over quantity.
RECESSION CORE: Skirts get shorter in good economic times, and longer in worse. An embrace of second-hand clothes and a rejection of luxury.
NOSTALGIA FASHION: Think early 2000s era pieces your mom would have worn, like fitted blouses, capris, casual sandals, narrow eyeglasses and pencil skirts.
“I had thousands upon thousands upon thousands of pieces of clothing, so after that it kind of just turned into, I guess, a business.” Hulihan says.
In the wake of the fast-fashion crazed 2010s, the 2020s are seeing more people embrace vintage and second-hand pieces.
“In 2020, there was this huge shift of so many people reselling, thrifting, and all that became so cool,” she says.
For Hulihan, the quality of fabrics in older pieces is one of the biggest advantages when buying vintage clothing. Most fast-fashion brands, for example, use polyester instead of cotton or linen, making for lower-quality, worse feeling clothing.
“People are starting to catch on to how bad polyester is,” Hulihan notes, which she believes is why many people intentionally seek clothes made from natural materials like cotton, linen, wool and even rayon, which is spun from processed plant pulp.
“I’m happy to see more people searching out better fabrics,” she says.
While Hulihan keeps up with fashion trends, she feels as though the fast-moving cycles are taken advantage of by companies looking at profit over people or the environment. Instead of following each and every trend, Hulihan likes to mix trendy items with timeless classics. She especially loves mixing different eras of vintage clothing in an outfit.
“I feel like when you take different eras you can make something super fashionable.”
— ELLIS BENSON
TIME TRAVELING
Before Michael Kay became a vintage seller at Chosen Vintage in downtown Spokane, his personal clothing collection was so fly that strangers would ask to buy the shirt off his back.
Kay’s interest in secondhand and vintage clothing started long before he made it his career, while visiting thrift stores and estate sales with his mom in search of hidden treasures.
“It was a hobby at first because I was really just into the fashion sense of it,” Kay says. “Over time I got more into selling… My parents said, ‘Hey either get rid of this stuff or sell it,’ so I did my first pop-up downtown.” ...continued on next page
MUSIC. BEER. STARS.
Vintage Fashion
Since Kay started his business, Time Machine Workshop, over 10 years ago, he’s seen a great increase in people buying and wearing secondhand and vintage fashion. When he started his business, he’d sell what are now highdemand pieces or brands for $5 each, as the market was much smaller. Now, it’s not unheard of that a vintage pair of JNCO wide legs from the ’90s or Levi’s jeans from the ’50s or ’60s could sell for several hundreds of dollars.
In 2025, the biggest trends on Kay’s radar are baggy jeans and jorts, as well as Y2K, ’90s and ’70s era clothing. In the world of Spokane fashion, he notices people wearing more outdoorsy clothing brands such as Birkenstock, Patagonia and Arc’teryx, which he credits to the nature-loving habits of Washingtonians. He says his own personal style largely consists of streetwear style clothing.
Kay says vintage fashion is special to him because it’s a form of personal expression, and each individual piece of clothing is often one of a kind.
“Sometimes you get those one-of-one pieces that nobody else will ever have,” he says. “There’s pieces that are distressed, ripped and faded that you can’t make — that stuff is [achieved] over time and wear. It’s like a piece of treasure in your closet instead of just another piece of fashion. Stuff like that is why vintage is cool, because it’s something that reflects something personal about you.”
— MARTA SZYMANSKA
Get the Look
You never know what you’ll find on your next visit to one of the region’s vintage clothing shops
BY CHEY SCOTT
In the past decade, the Spokane area’s vintage scene has exploded, with numerous shops opening that are entirely dedicated to stocking threads and accessories from every major era of 20th century fashion (and a little bit of the early 21st). As a longtime vintage connoisseur with a love for mostly mid-century styles, I frequent each in order to refresh my own overflowing closet.
The following alphabetical list of shops are among the region’s best. Do bear in mind that almost any vintage/antique shop or vendor mall in the region is likely to have smatterings of retro wear, but for the sake of time and space we simply can’t list them all.
1889 SALVAGE CO.
2824 N. Monroe St.
Instagram: @1889salvageco, 509-315-4485
Though it may be best known for its eclectic mix of furniture and home decor pieces that can add a cozy, retro flair to any living space, 1889 has plenty of threads mixed into each of its vendors’ artfully arranged spaces. For example, check out longtime vendor Follow Your Art, whose space is neatly stocked with color-sorted (mostly women’s) pieces — both vintage and contemporary — for a double dose of sustainable shopping. Also find plenty of antique jewelry, accessories and much more spread throughout this charming local store located in the heart of North Monroe’s vintage-centric business district.
BOULEVARD MERCANTILE
1012 N. Washington St.
Instagram: @boulevard_mercantile, 509-327-7547
For a decade now, Boulevard Mercantile’s owners and partner vendors have been bringing local shoppers a carefully curated and ever-changing mix of vintage and antique wares, including lots of unique threads. Starting out in the historic Boulevard Building at the intersection of Northwest Boulevard and Monroe, the shop quickly outgrew its confines and in early 2020 moved to its current home on North Washington Street, across the street from ONE Spokane Stadium. Boulevard is now home to several clothing-focused vendors — Evening Star Vintage, Red Leaf Vintage and Collective Threadz — yet nearly all of its sellers offer racks of frequently restocked fashion from eras past.
CHOSEN VINTAGE
7 W. Main Ave.
Instagram: @chosenvintage509, 509-443-3602
Shoppers could spend hours scouring the racks inside Chosen Vintage and still never see it all. The labyrinth shop — it often feels like the space located on downtown Spokane’s east end goes on forever once you’re inside — is home to more than a dozen vendors of all sizes and specialties, so no matter your style, size or age, you’re likely to find a special piece or two on any given visit. Among Chosen’s long vendor list are established players like Time Machine Workshop alongside numerous up-and-coming pickers who each bring their own particular flair to the lineup. From flannels and tees to dresses and denim, Chosen’s got it all in spades.
Collectors of a certain age know that Collective Threadz on Garland carries the torch for a long-gone local vintage trove, Drop Yer Drawers (also fka Drum Yer Drum). After moving into the storied spot in fall 2022, Collective Threadz’s partner owners and vendors completely rejuvenated the space, filling it with pieces that span the decades, the bulk of which is priced with budget-conscious shoppers in mind. It’s the kind of shop you’ll want to reserve an hour or more for in order to truly thoroughly search the packed racks for treasures in your size and style. As of spring 2025, Boulevard Mercantile teamed up with Collective Threadz to host a selection of that shop’s higher end finds.
DO IT WITH SOUL
112 S. Cedar St.
doitwithsoul.com
With its roots firmly planted in the sustainable fashion realm from the start, Do It With Soul in downtown Spokane’s flourishing West End District is a beacon for fashionable
Red Leaf Vintage FAY HULIHAN PHOTO
Veda Lux
|MICAH SHURE / @SHUREPHOTOGRAPHY PHOTO
folk who march to their own beat. While treasure seekers can find vintage pieces from all eras, DIWS’s hallmark is a bevy of one-of-a-kind, repurposed and upcycled pieces made from discarded textiles: flannels emblazoned with old T-shirt graphics; out-of-style skinny jeans (yes, sorry Millennials…) turned into edgy barely-there mini skirts, and much more. Plus, the women-owned local shop — it’s a family affair led by sisters Erin Corder-Brown and Emily Barbour — also curates an inventory of moody, witchy, and bohemian-esque trinkets and home decor goods both new and old.
Located just north of the Monroe Street Bridge, FinnBoy offers much more than its name implies. Yes, owners Darcy Caputo and Bobb Drake collectively specialize in records, barware and books, but step into the northernmost wing of the store to find a whole room of vintage threads. Stocked by multiple local vendors, FinnBoy’s selection boasts tons of worn-in T-shirts, cozy jackets, gently-used shoes and everything else to dress yourself from head to toe.
GAS & GRAIN
504 E. Lakeside Ave. (Suite #8), Coeur d’Alene gasandgrain.com, 208-660-6457
Tucked inside Coeur d’Alene’s historic Rockford Building, a hub for creative entrepreneurs ranging from artists to floral designers, Gas & Grain has a smaller footprint than many of its local counterparts. It makes up what it may lack in size with its upscale boutique-like curation and presentation. Owned by Alex Jayne and Josh and Bri Wells, Gas & Grain peddles well-worn Americana workwear that surely have some stories to tell as evidenced by fraying threads, paint stains and other wear. Shoppers can also find beautiful vintage jewelry, pins, hats and other accessories including unique upcycled totes made from old canvas, feed sacks, and other sturdy textiles.
GLOBAL NEIGHBORHOOD THRIFT & VINTAGE
919 E. Trent Ave. global-neighborhood.org, 509-868-0001
After moving in 2019 from its original home on Indiana Avenue to its current and comparatively massive warehouse in Spokane’s University District, Global Neighborhood Thrift added “Vintage” to its name. The move offered the beloved local nonprofit — its mission supports recently arrived refugees via programs like ESL education and job training — a chance to sort out its best vintage garb into a designated department. That space has only expanded exponentially in the few years since, offering treasure hunters the chance to dig for their next favorite fits for a fraction of resale prices. When you go, keep your eyes peeled for the adored (and adorable) store cat Smudge. Legend has it that a “Smudge Sighting” may foreshadow a lucky find…
STATIC AGE VINTAGE
2814 N. Monroe St.
Instagram: @staticage.vintage
New to the scene as of spring 2024, this well-stocked shop in the heart of the North Monroe Business District was founded by longtime vintage aficionados Brandon Martell and BreeAnna Caballero. While shoppers pursue the well-organized racks of tees, pants, dresses and more,
they’re treated to some mood-setting music on the record player up front, usually some classic punk or rock. Rare vintage band shirts flutter from the rafters beneath skylights, giving the space a bright, cheerful vibe. Static Age stocks plenty of trendy Y2K-era threads, alongside pieces from each decade of the 20th century back to the 1940s, plus a space devoted to vinyl in the shop’s front corner. On nice days, one might even find sale racks out front.
TELEPORT VINTAGE + CO.
917 W. Broadway Ave. teleportvintage.com, 509-290-6545
For more than four years now, Teleport has been slinging a plethora of vintage duds from all eras from inside its historic, brick-walled building on West Broadway Avenue, just a few blocks north of the downtown core. Founded by longtime local vintage purveyor Paul Forster, Teleport offers both a wide array of the more rare, collector-worthy pieces (just peep the upper walls and rafters for a look at these gems) alongside loads of trendy retro threads that hit hard with the Gen Z crowd. The shop is also known for hosting the annual Teleport Block Party each fall, during which house and guest vendors spill onto the street outside alongside artists, musicians and DJs for a funky, festive tone.
VEDA LUX, VEDA LUX RELIQUARIUM
1106 S. Perry St. / 114 S. Madison St. vedalux.com, 509-475-1674
The longest-running shop on this list is also the tiniest. Veda Lux in Spokane’s South Perry District has been a fixture of the scene since 2010, when owner and vintage proprietress Summer Hightower began letting locals play dress up in her “dollhouse” boutique. Besides slinging vintage clothing pieces from all decades, Hightower also sells handmade statement jewelry and accessories: earrings, necklaces, body chains and more. The shop’s annual Earth Day fill-a-bag sale is one of its most popular events, but the boutique also pops up all over town at events like The Farm Chicks Show, Terrain’s Bazaar and more.
As of this spring, Hightower expanded Veda Lux’s footprint on an exponential scale by opening the new Veda Lux Reliquarium on downtown’s West End inside a historic space next door to Hotel Indigo. Replete with jewelry, clothing, houseplants, home decor, artwork (like preserved butterflies and spiders inside glass frames) and more, the new space fully captures Hightower’s maximalist mindset. n
T.S the Solution in Time Machine Workshop at Chosen. KYRAH MADDY / @KYRAHMADDYCREATIVE PHOTO
Olivia Vika at Teleport Vintage + Co. ERICK DOXEY PHOTO
Find Red Leaf Vintage’s looks at Boulevard Mercantile. KIRA WESTLUND / @KIRALYNNPHOTO PHOTO
Vintage Fashion
One In A Cha-Million
The Cultivated Chameleon on North Monroe blends hand-curated, sustainable fashion with fresh bites
BY MADISON PEARSON
Some coincidences are too strange to ignore. It wasn’t all that unusual when Sarah Wolfe and Sarah Washburn both showed up at the same last-chance sale for the closing of Apricot Lane Boutique in River Park Square almost a decade ago because, at the time, they were total strangers. After bonding over a pair of cute bellbottoms, they went their separate ways.
But things got curious when they met again at a costume party that same week. And even more peculiar when they found out they share a first name.
“We were both dressed the most insane at that party,” Wolfe says.
“She was painted green like the Wicked Witch of the East,” Washburn adds. “And I was a bloody unicorn.”
After one too many coincidences, the pair became friends and bonded over their shared love of fashion and all things vintage. After slinging clothes and food out of Tazza Bistro, which Wolfe owned and operated inside the Rock Pointe Corporate Center, and at various local vendor fairs, the duo decided that 2025 was the year they’d team up to open a brick-and-mortar storefront for their vintage clothing outlet.
Blending Wolfe’s prior foodie venture with the pair’s passion for fashion, Cultivated Chameleon boasts a curated collection of vintage clothing, accessories and furniture along with fresh, made-to-order food in the same space.
“We decided to dream up the biggest dream we can and just go for it,” Wolfe says. “The moment felt right and we went full send.”
Since the store’s grand opening in January, Wolfe and Washburn have garnered a batch of regular customers
who pop in for lunch or to browse its vintage offerings. Others discover the Monroe Street shop as they pass by on foot and peek inside.
The space, which was previously occupied by Mayor Lisa Brown’s campaign offices as well as Giant Nerd Books, has been completely transformed into a charming, captivating boutique with rolling clothing racks, antique furniture and warm, glowy lighting. It’s also accentuated by a mural painted by the duo’s friend, Joshua Martel, of foliage in gold paint.
“Every detail that we talked about when we were dreaming this place up has come to life,” Wolfe says. “From the mural to the opposing eclectic wall on the side, all of the little things came to fruition and make it that much more perfect.”
Evibrant floral ’60s mumus and trunks full of porcelain clown dolls, the racks and shelves are filled with vintage gems. (And if you venture to the bathroom, you’ll be met with more vintage clowns than you can count.)
The two pride themselves on offering more than a typical vintage store.
Cultivated Chameleon’s bistro menu features small bites like pastries ($3) and matcha clusters ($5), breakfast paninis ($7-$10), a variety of sandwiches ($8-$11) as well as smoothies ($8) and smoothie bowls ($11).
CULTIVATED CHAMELEON
709 N. Monroe St. Open Tue-Sat 10 am-6 pm Instagram: @cultivatedchameleon
ach piece on Cultivated Chameleon’s racks was handpicked by Wolfe and Washburn. They focus on finding garments in a multitude of sizes, aiming to cater to plus-size individuals who want to wear vintage pieces. They also keep prices as low as they can. The store has a $1 bin and a $1 rack featuring continually rotating items.
“Hand curating everything adds an extra layer of fun,” Washburn says. “Sometimes, there are specific pieces we want for the store, but we don’t know when we’ll find them or when they’ll show up. So when they do, it’s that much sweeter.”
From a bright blue, fringe-laden cowgirl dress to
“It’s been nice having the food with it,” Wolfe says. “The food draws people in, but while they’re waiting, they can get their cute weekend outfit, get the little piece they don’t normally have time to shop for.”
Additionally, the store has already hosted a handful of events in the six months it’s been open, including an open mic night, a visual arts showcase, a local music showcase and a Pisces dance party. Wolfe and Washburn look forward to amping up the shop’s event schedule now that they’re settled in.
“We want to do a soundbath, pop-up shops for local vendors,” Washburn says. “Anything can happen.”
Throughout their friendship, Wolfe and Washburn have used the phrase “For every version of you” to guide them through each venture, which, they say, perfectly translated into the vision for Cultivated Chameleon.
“We’re chameleons,” Wolfe says. “We’re down for whatever. The name stays true. Every time you come in here, it’s going to be new and different. We want to have an item for everybody.” n
Chameleon co-owners Sarah Washburn, left, and Sarah Wolfe. ERICK DOXEY PHOTO
Feelin’ the Heat
New shop Heat Street brings vintage and streetwear style to Spokane’s Garland district
BY DORA SCOTT
On opening day, a line of eager customers wrapped around the block from Garland Avenue, waiting to step inside Spokane’s newest vintage and streetwear shop. Some customers arrived as early as 6 am, determined to score rare sneakers and one-of-a-kind vintage pieces.
Heat Street officially opened its doors on May 17, marking the next step for owner Macey Morales, who started reselling vintage clothes via social media in 2019 as a senior in high school.
“At that point, I was into fashion but it was always just like a little side hustle, like a way to make a little extra lunch
money,” she says. “And I never really thought it would turn into anything like this.”
She branded the venture as Heat Street in 2020 and began hosting pop-up events in 2022 both in the Tri-Cities (Morales is from Pasco) and Spokane while also studying at Whitworth University.
“Getting to interact with customers, see their reactions to the pieces, is one of the most fulfilling things ever,” Morales says.
By 2024, the business had built a strong following with local customers, and Morales hosted a year-end event titled “The Finale.”
“We named it ‘The Finale’ just because it was the last event of the year, but our followers in our community kind of took it as, ‘Oh, this is the end,’” says Morales, prompting her to open the store.
After months of searching — even driving around town to peer in empty storefront windows — she found the perfect location at 1011 W. Garland. With Heat Street’s branding centered on a vintage Porsche 911, Morales envisioned a shop that felt like a sleek, repurposed garage.
“I saw this space and it was the only one with the garage door and concrete floors — just very much our aesthetic,” she says.
Morales got the keys on May 1 and transformed the space in just 17 days.
“Heat Street” is spray painted in white on
the checkout stand, and framed art lines the walls above racks of clothes. A collage wall to the right of the cash register features a commissioned piece by local graphic designer Caden Blessing. The artwork pays tribute to Heat Street’s past pop ups, with posters Morales created for each of the 30 events rolled and tucked into a Marlboro cigarette-inspired box beneath the words “Packed With History.”
Just past the art wall is a display of roughly 150 sneakers, ranging from classic Jordans to contemporary favorites. Most are new, but others are gently used. As a basketball and soccer player, Morales was drawn to sneakers even before she got into vintage clothing.
“It’s just something I really love and there’s kind of a lack of sneaker culture here in Spokane compared to a bigger city like Seattle or Portland,” she says.
While Heat Street’s bread and butter is its street and sportswear — T-shirts, crewnecks, jerseys, denim, hoodies, snapbacks and more — Morales hopes to appeal to a broad range of shoppers.
Unlike many vintage stores that rely on permanent vendors, Heat Street rotates its featured vendors every two weeks, mixing their goods in with the store’s collection to keep the inventory fresh and exciting. “Another big reason why we did it is there’s just not enough opportunities for small vintage vendors,” Morales says. “We want to give people more opportunities to get their name out and [do] the kind of stuff that we wish was around when we started five years ago.”
Heat Street’s current guest vendor, Superlunary Vintage, focuses on women’s Y2K fashion. Although this summer’s slots are already booked, applications for future vendor spots are set to open this fall.
Besides Morales, Spokane-based Riotgirl Jewelry is the store’s only other permanent vendor, selling handmade punk and Y2K-inspired jewelry.
Heat Street also operates on a buy/sell/trade model, allowing customers to bring items in for cash or store credit.
Shoppers who swing by to check out the new shop may happen upon one of its more unexpected features inside the bathroom, where Morales has left markers for customers to write messages on the walls.
Despite being open only a short time, the black walls inside are already covered in gold, red and silver Sharpie notes like, “You are worthy and this store is proof of it,” and “So excited to be a part of this journey.” It’s a permanent and growing record of Heat Street’s newest chapter. n
Macey Morales opened Heat Street on Garland in mid-May. YOUNG KWAK PHOTO
Diamond in the Rough
Jewel of the North brings soul-inspired gastropub bites to Browne’s Addition
BY DORA SCOTT
Ahistoric former mansion on the corner of Pacific Avenue and Cannon Street in Browne’s Addition has seen many restaurant concepts inside its storied walls come and go. But with their new gastropub, Jewel of the North, co-owners Brooks Thomas and Allen “AJ” Hansen hope to break this pattern and become a permanent neighborhood staple.
“It’s definitely a different challenge, you know, we have to let these people know we’re down here because people say it’s a curse in this building and whatnot,” Thomas says. “I don’t want to be around for a year or two. We plan to be here for the long haul.”
Thomas and Hansen took over the lease in February and officially opened on May 3, just in time for prime patio season. The two longtime friends and colleagues first met while working at Cascadia Public House.
“That’s how AJ and I met and just basically a bunch of talks, late-night drinks and all that led us to opening this,” Thomas says. “And just if anybody’s out here doing it, we can do it ourselves.”
Thomas brings a taste of his Southern roots to
Spokane. Originally from Augusta, Georgia, he designed a pub fare menu with soul food influences while still keeping it approachable for the neighborhood. Highlights include the chicken sandwich ($22) with Spiceology’s maple bourbon brine and Elixir Sauce’s habanero mayo. There’s also the catfish sliders ($16), macaroni and cheese ($14), and banana pudding ($7), the latter made from his mom’s recipe.
“So we just tried to find a balance that works in the neighborhood while still having some Southern elements, without going all the way south because [Hansen’s] not from the South,” Thomas says.
Although the menu is simple and straightforward, it focuses on quality. The burger options include a vegetarian Beyond Burger ($23), while a classic beef version ($21) features meat from Browning Beef ranch in Spangle. Customers can customize the cheese, sauce and other toppings. The fries ($9) are topped with Cajun seasoning, and sweet potato fries are available, too. Or, get your hands dirty with the chicken wings ($19).
Soon, its owners hope to also expand the menu to
include weekend brunch.
Thomas and Hansen can often be seen working in all areas of the restaurant, from cooking to serving. Hansen also leads the bar and curates Jewel of the North’s drink selection. And while the duo originally envisioned a sports bar, they shifted their plans to match the loungelike atmosphere upstairs.
“It would have been just the wrong concept, so we kind of changed it on the fly and tried to make some of the cocktails match the vibe, like some old-time cocktails, gimlets and Sazeracs and stuff you don’t really see these days,” Hansen says.
One standout is Huncho’s old fashioned ($15), a nod to Hansen’s childhood nickname and the cocktail he’s most proud of. You’ll also find some cocktails with a twist like the vodka-based apple fizz mojito ($12), or the grapefruit negroni ($12) that uses Dry Fly Distilling’s gin.
When sitting at the bar, look for the art of local landmarks like the Clocktower, painted by artist Ryan Bagley on the glass behind bottles of spirits.
Outside, a spacious patio welcomes well-behaved
A southern-style chicken sandwich with sweet potato fries. YOUNG KWAK PHOTOS OPENING
dogs on leashes, and is complete with water bowls and a dedicated menu for your pooch. Proceeds from dog treats sold benefit the Spokane Humane Society. Each of the four treat options are named after pets of the restaurants’ ownership partners. Bianca’s Besties ($2.50), for instance, features four treats made with chicken, duck and lentils.
Running a business in the historic building comes with plenty of hurdles. Built in 1901 and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1976, the red-painted house where Jewel of the North now operates has a long history. The Guse family lived there for 58 years until it was sold in 1959 and divided into apartments.
In recent decades, the building was turned into a commercial space and has cycled through restaurants including Browne’s Tavern from 2014 to 2017, Browne’s Bistro from 2019 to 2022, and most recently Cafe Buenos Aires, which closed in December after being open for only a few months (its owners had to unexpectedly move away from the area).
The multi-level layout also presents logistical challenges. The basement houses a prep area, storage and walk-in freezer, the main floor has the kitchen and dining space, while the upper floor is the bar and more seating.
One crucial fix was repairing the dumbwaiter that helps move ice, dishes and more between the different floors. Staff also rely on walkie-talkies for smooth communication and service.
While buildings on the historic register have limitations on what renovations can be made, Thomas and Hansen gave the inside a fresh coat of paint, redid some of the stairs, took out a dividing wall in the bar area, and made the outdoor patio area even more appealing with refreshed landscaping and plants.
Jewel of the North inherited much of the kitchen equipment from the space’s former Argentinian cafe and bakery, which was appealing to Thomas and Hansen as first-time owners.
Before meeting at Cascadia, both owners logged plenty of experience in the food and beverage industry. Thomas, who moved to Spokane in 2000, worked at D.Lish’s Burgers for 15 years, then Tomato Street and finally Cascadia. Hansen, originally from Rexburg, Idaho, came to Spokane in 2018 to play football before pivoting to focus on bartending.
“We knew it was going to be hard,” Hansen says of stepping into ownership. “But it forces you to think about things that you never even had to think about before and teaches you a lot of things.”
“Watching the money come in and out you definitely have a different respect for owners and different sectors of business,” Thomas adds.
While there are long days and unexpected challenges, seeing their family’s pride makes it well worth it.
“Just being about to look at my wife and [hear] her say, ‘You finally lived out your dream,’ and being able to say the same thing with AJ, like we have our own place now,” Thomas says. “Those are moments that you just feel like you never get back, and those are special for me.” n Jewel of the North • 1924 W. Pacific Ave. • Open Tue-Sun 11 am-10 pm • jotnspokane.com• 509-862-4620
Foodie Fresh Sheet
Summer food events, awards, restaurant openings and closings in the Spokane area
BY DORA SCOTT
Summer’s in full swing, and that means plenty of things to do, from savoring the region’s local bounty to enjoying the heat with a cold beverage in hand. Here’s a sampling of what’s coming up.
Fans of fine spirits and cigars can look forward to the Legends Cigar & Spirits Festival at Northern Quest Resort & Casino on July 12, from 7 to 10 pm. The event promises top-shelf spirit tastings, premium cigars, barbecue, live music and a chance to mingle with fellow enthusiasts. Learn more or buy tickets at northernquest.com.
In light of the recent ambush murders of Kootenai County Fire and Rescue Chief Frank Harwood and Coeur d’Alene Fire Department Battalion Chief John Morrison at Canfield Mountain, local businesses have rallied in support of local firefighters, first responders and the victim’s families. No-Li Brewhouse is now pledging 100% of the sales from its upcoming Fight Fire Weekend event, July 18 and 19, to the Red & Blue Foundation, which will directly support the families of the Canfield incident.
“In the reality and heartache of this tragedy, we seek to unify and show resilience together,” said No-Li owner John Bryant in a press release. “Our collective strength lies in not succumbing to fear or isolation, but in bringing our community together to honor these firefighters and support their families.”
On the last Saturday of each month, El Mercadito, a monthly outdoor Latino farmers market in the South Perry District, features food vendors, artisan goods and live entertainment. Hosted by nonprofit Latinos En Spokane, the market was developed to create access to free fresh produce, walk-in medical services with CHAS, cultural activities and more. Upcoming summer market dates are July 26 and Aug. 30, from 11 am-3 pm.
For gardeners with an overwhelming harvest, the Cheney Library is hosting a produce swap on Aug. 1, encouraging neighbors to exchange excess fruits, vegetables and herbs.
AWARDS
Spokane’s Elixir Sauce Co. was recently in the spotlight, winning Best Hot Sauce in Washington
from the popular hot sauce discovery and review platform Sauced, further putting the region’s smallbatch producers on the map.
“This recognition is a huge milestone for us,” said John Zagajeski, Elixir Sauce Co.’s sales and marketing manager in a press release. “We feel lucky to be a part of Spokane’s small business scene and will always cherish representing Spokane and all the small businesses we work with on the national spicy stage.”
OPENINGS & CLOSINGS
Downtown Spokane recently welcomed Sporks, located at 502 W. Riverside Ave. on the second floor of the skywalk system. The casual breakfast and brunch eatery is in its soft opening phase, but is already drawing in carb lovers with its menu of buttery biscuits ($7-$16), croissant sandwiches ($16), waffles ($6-$12) and seasonal specials. A grand opening is scheduled for the end of July.
Just outside of Loon Lake, at 4535 Railroad Ave., Clayton Burger recently reopened after closing in 2021. Locals and roadtrippers alike have another chance to enjoy its popular burgers, milkshakes and hand-cut fries, which have been feeding hungry customers for more than six decades.
The Grain Shed is set to close its downtown Spokane taproom at 111 S. Cedar St. on July 27, citing a focus on its original South Perry location and wholesale baking operations.
Also downtown, Peace Pie shuttered its spot inside the Saranac Commons (19 W. Main Ave.) in late June. Plans for space’s future tenant have not yet been announced.
Tiny Tiki (307 W. Second Ave.) is temporarily closed to move down the street to a slightly larger space, though its new address hasn’t been announced. The new spot will feature a shaded patio, and owners plan to host an array of events like live music and trivia. n
Jewel of the North’s owners AJ Hansen, left, and Brooks Thomas.
Elixir Sauce Co. has been named Washington’s best. LESLIE DOUGLAS PHOTO
ALSO OPENING
ABRAHAM’S BOYS: A DRACULA STORY
Set in 1915, this horror period piece finds famed vampire hunter Abraham Van Helsing moving his wife and sons to a remote California ranch to try (unsuccessfully) to escape his past. Rated R
DIE LIKE A MAN
This coming-of-age film follows an LA teenager who wrestles with morality and his future after his father-figure mentor asks the teen to kill one of his old — and rehabilitated — gang rivals. (Producer and Spokane native Sean Burke is doing a Q&A after the 7 pm screening on July 11.)
Rated PG At the Magic Lantern
SKILLHOUSE
From the writer of three films in the Saw franchise, this horror flick finds 10 influencers trapped in a mansion. Whoever gets the least social media likes (or tries to escape) dies. Rated R
TATAMI
Mixing elements of sports movies and political thrillers, this drama co-directed by Iranian and Israeli filmmakers follows an Iranian woman competing at the World Judo Championships who must decide what to do when the Islamic Republic threateningly tells her to withdraw from the competition rather than face an Israeli athlete. Not rated At the Magic Lantern
SUPER-MEH?
DC’s most famous superhero returns (again) in James Gunn’s competent Superman
BY JOSH BELL
Every so often, comic book companies like Marvel and DC publish oversized specials previewing upcoming major storylines and new launches. These overviews span the comic book universe, checking in with various characters as they set up their forthcoming adventures. Writer/director James Gunn’s Superman feels a bit like the cinematic equivalent of one of those specials, as it sets the wheels in motion for Gunn’s new version of the DC movie universe.
Rated PG-13
Gunn wisely opts not to tell the world’s most famous superhero origin story yet again, instead opening the movie with title cards that explain that superheroes (or “metahumans”) have existed for hundreds of years, and Superman himself was introduced to the public three years ago. Comic book readers don’t need the basics of each superhero reintroduced in each issue, and superhero movies have been around long enough that filmgoers don’t need that, either.
Hoult). In that way, Superman sticks to the formula: Across decades of movies and TV series, Superman and Luthor have fought dozens of times, and things turn out pretty much as expected.
The same goes for Superman’s romance with reporter Lois Lane (Rachel Brosnahan), his colleague at the Daily Planet newspaper, where he works under his civilian identity of Clark Kent. They’re already a couple, which allows her to challenge his assumptions about the best way to help humanity, and also gives their relationship a welcome, lived-in feel. Brosnahan channels some of the brash, fearless energy of her title character on The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, and she’s a lot more fun to watch than the likable but somewhat bland Corenswet.
Superman
Directed by James Gunn
Starring David Corenswet, Rachel Brosnahan, Nicholas Hoult
Most of the supporting characters are more fun to watch than Superman himself, which bodes well for the future of Gunn’s DCU but makes this first movie somewhat rote and dull. Since Gunn drops the audience into a fully formed superhero universe, Superman gets frequent support from a trio of heroes who call themselves the Justice Gang: Green Lantern (Nathan Fillion), Mister Terrific (Edi Gathegi) and Hawkgirl (Isabela Merced).
to in her movie, which opens next summer. That makes for a crowded film, and it doesn’t help that the main plot — involving Luthor meddling in a conflict between two fictional countries — is underwhelming. Gunn attempts to give the sometimes one-dimensional Superman a crisis of faith, as Luthor undermines the public’s confidence in their hero, and Corenswet’s best moments come when Superman doubts the mission he’s spent his entire life pursuing.
Gunn achieved mixed results when adding emotional depth to his Guardians of the Galaxy movies for Marvel, and while Superman is much less comedic than those snarky outer-space sagas, it’s still goofy enough that the earnestness usually comes off as hokey. Gunn unabashedly embraces the cheesiness that many comic book movies avoid, including comics-accurate superhero costumes that look completely ridiculous, and classic Superman lore like his servant robots and his superpowered dog Krypto.
Superman (David Corenswet) is an alien from the dying planet Krypton who was sent to Earth as an infant and raised by Kansas farmers, and Earth’s yellow sun gives him extraordinary powers. Anyone who doesn’t know that can pick up the details along the way, while Gunn goes about the business of pitting Superman against his standard archenemy, megalomaniacal billionaire Lex Luthor (Nicholas
Fillion’s Guy Gardner is not the most famous character to take on the Green Lantern mantle (those guys are reserved for the upcoming HBO Max series Lanterns), but he may be the most entertaining, with his rock-star attitude and affable narcissism. Mister Terrific lives up to his name by taking charge when Superman is out of commission, proving both resourceful and decisive. He treats Lois as more of a teammate and equal than Superman ever does.
There are also cameos by characters from HBO Max’s Gunn-created DC shows Peacemaker and Creature Commandos, plus a tease of what Supergirl (Milly Alcock) will be up
The CGI-heavy visual style doesn’t differ from the established superhero movie template, but Gunn’s willingness to go all-out with comic-book design sets Superman apart from the muted looks of many past Marvel and DC movies. Of the seven movies Gunn has directed, six are superhero movies, and the current co-chairman of DC Studios clearly loves the genre as much as anyone. As unwieldy as Superman can sometimes be, it’s overstuffed with characters and subplots because Gunn wants to put in as much cool superhero stuff as he can.
On that level, Superman is a success. It doesn’t reinvent or reinvigorate the superhero genre, and anyone tired of seeing the same type of storytelling in slightly different variations won’t be swayed by anything that Gunn presents. But for the many fans who like seeing their favorite characters in new but familiar tales, Superman will provide sufficient entertainment. If there has to be a new Superman movie, then this one gets the job done. n
David Cornswet dons the tights as the DCU gets rebooted.
The Man of Tomorrow Has Always Been The Man Of Our Moment
How Superman movies have reflected society at large
BY JASON BAXTER
Ever since his debut nearly 90 years ago, Superman has endured as an icon of Americana. Dreamt up by two sons of Jewish immigrants, Kal-El/Clark Kent was a refugee from across the stars, raised in the heartland by a childless couple of salt-of-the-earth farmers. On the silver screen, Superman’s depictions have served as signposts for the state of our nation: its ethos, its politics and even the trajectory of its media landscape. Each of the three cinematic eras of the Man of Steel have their own particular vibe, and stand as a monument to the character’s malleability, resiliency and nigh-invulnerable relevance.
Superman’s first proper onscreen feature-length adventure arrived in 1978, grandiloquently and redundantly
subtitled Superman: The Movie. Arriving shortly after George Lucas’ groundbreaking Star Wars, Richard Donner’s film likewise served as a curative for the cloud of anxiety hanging over post-Vietnam America, and the cynical, morallycomplex New Hollywood era it fostered. It was sunny, optimistic, and treated the comic book hero with reverence instead of dipping him too far into the waters of campiness. In the title role, Christopher Reeve made an indelible impression that endures to this day.
Sadly, it was downhill from there with the Reeve films. For Superman II, the director’s chair was wrested from Donner, and the franchise became increasingly reliant on silliness — including added comic relief in the form of Pryor and Cryer (Richard and Jon, respectively).
After Superman III, the character rights were sold to infamous low-budget schlock factory Cannon Films. The subsequent Superman IV: The Quest for Peace was an embarrassingly threadbare effort befitting the craven economic landscape of late-’80s America and the folly of Reaganom-
ics. It would be 19 years before Superman returned to multiplexes.
Superman Returns’ arrival in 2006 said less about the state of America in the new millennium than it did the state of Hollywood and where it was heading. Unlike the total reboot that was Batman Begins — released just one year prior, igniting a frenzy for intellectual property reboots — the Brandon Routh-led Superman Returns maintained a connection to the Reeve forebearers, albeit with a twist: the first and second installments were deemed canon (as in canonical, not Cannon Films), and third and fourth were intended to be effectively expunged from the cinematic timeline and our collective memory.
Thus was born the re-quel, which has become an increasingly common practice for legacy franchises. Superman Returns heralded the ascendance of a generation of filmmakers who grew up geeking out over genre classics, but who also wanted the ability to administer their extended narratives, cutting and pasting as they pleased. Despite serving as a bellwether for this kind of selective nostalgia, the Superman of Returns failed to, well, return again.
After the unprecedented success of his Dark Knight trilogy, multi-hyphenate filmmaker Christopher Nolan approached Warner Brothers with a concept to produce a rebooted take on The Last Son of Krypton, one that was more grounded — or as grounded as a movie about a bulletproof alien Adonis could be. Infamously-divisive director Zack Snyder was tapped to realize this 2013 version of a Superman that was, ironically, more down to earth.
Despite what Henry Cavill’s Man of Steel verbalizes about symbolizing hope, his angst and his actions are indicative of an America with still-fresh wounds from domestic tragedy and multiple overseas wars. He rarely quips or cracks a smile, he broods over his destiny, and he’s hesitant to act heroically in public for fear of xenophobic backlash. His shocking extrajudicial actions in the film’s city-destorying climax arguably justify the military’s wariness of him, despite paralleling the hawk-ish stance of American leadership during that era.
The future of the Man of Tomorrow is in writer/director James Gunn’s hands now, as he revamps the character for the third time. The new 2025 Superman appears to amalgamate aspects of its predecessors, including the image of a handcuffed Superman which also featured in Man of Steel, and John Williams’ iconic score for the 1978 version has been repurposed for the second time. What the film has to say about our country in these fraught times is, appropriately, up in the air.
Superman has long declared himself a champion of “the American way.” But what does that concept even mean in 2025? Maybe Superman can help us grasp that. Because his films across the decades have proven — in both their content and the circumstances of their productions — to be way American. n
Reeve, Routh, and Cavill all brought their own flair to Superman.
LOCAL
ALL’S FAIR’ IN LOVE & MUSIC
Spokane music scene
queen Karli Fairbanks works through life’s hurdles on Stay Radiant
BY SETH SOMMERFELD
When I think of Spokane music, I think of Karli Fairbanks and her many incarnations.
There’s the young folky singer-songwriter Karli — captivating audience members sitting cross-legged on the floor of the now-long-defunct music scene hotspot that was The Empyrean.
There’s the music scene matriarch Karli — who, after The Empyrean closed, went to work with her then-husband building The Bartlett, a spot that both nurtured local musicians and brought in top-flight talent. The one who helped create Lucky You Lounge after The Bartlett sadly had to close its doors.
There’s the evolving musician Karli — who switched to releasing her solo music as Windoe for well over a decade, served as a shimmering member of Super Sparkle and who’d bang out country covers at Alcohol & Feelings shows.
It’s been a whirlwind past couple decades for the standout musician and noted local visual artist. And eventually it kind of all came crashing down around her.
The venues are gone. The nom de plume is gone. The marriage is gone.
But the music? The music is never going to be gone.
After taking a deep breath to recover, she’s releasing a new album under her own name again for the first time since 2009’s The Breaking of Our Days. On Stay Radiant, Karli Fairbanks is back in full force.
Stay Radiant delivers a gorgeous array of tunes spanning the spectrum of Fairbank’s life experiences over the past few years. And, admittedly, that’s a lot for anyone to try to creatively encapsulate.
“It’s a very interesting collection of songs for me. Some of these songs are about this huge moment in my life where everything kind of, like, exploded, and I kind of thought I would end up writing a breakup album. But what happened was that enough time passed where life just kind of continued,” Fairbanks says. “And so there are a lot of stories in it that have happened to me
Karli Fairbanks is ready to bask in the radiance. ALISON WRIGHT PHOTO
and that I’ve gone through since. Some of them are about divorce. Some of them are about the businesses. Some of them are about this internal struggle — making sense of loss. And some are about other people that have come into my path. So the lyrics are basically just the flow of conversations I’ve had with myself over the past three years. And a lot has happened in my life, like the most intense bullshit I’ve ever gone through. And so those conversations are really dark. And then me trying to pump myself up.”
“And so I titled it Stay Radiant — that was the last song I wrote in the batch, and it really encapsulates the album,” she continues. “And that one feels very much like this cap on all of that — the way I try to talk to myself, and the way I try to, I guess, encourage myself while also letting myself be like in whatever space of grief that I’m in. It’s a window into what’s going on in my brain.”
After years and years of always making music with her ex-husband, a bit of reorientation was needed when approaching making Stay Radiant She began the new album’s songs as basic home recordings and then leaned on longtime collaborator Max Harnishfeger (Water Monster, Super Sparkle, Starcourt) to help come up with ways to flesh out the songs. Eventually, the pair linked up with their pal Justin Landis to co-produce and record the album at his Johnny Long Station studio in Sandpoint in mid-January.
The results speak for themselves. Stay Radiant’s 13 tracks feel, well, radiant. The lush full band production would seem right at home presented aside albums by the likes of modern folks stars such as Waxahatchee and Sierra Ferrell.
The album-opening “Good Dream” almost feels like Fairbanks having an out-of-body experience looking down on herself and filtering her observations through an ethereal dream pop folk lens. Tunes like “Let It Go Free” radiate with a warm Americana embrace of creative optimism, while there are also plenty of doses of more stripped-down sweet melancholy on tracks like “Bittersweet and “What Did I Give.” The emotional wallop of the album comes on the only two songs directly about her divorce, the back-to-back somber gutpunch of “If Not Every Mountain” and the defiant folk rocker that is “Only Ticket Left.” With those two in the rearview, Fairbanks steps into the graceful light of hope on the title track and the album-closing “Fire and Flood.”
On a lyrical level, Stay Radiant boasts an almost narrative emotional flow in part because Fairbanks’ songwriting has evolved to express her truths more clearly over the years.
“I think I’m just a better songwriter. My connection to music is songs. It’s why I keep coming back — I love writing songs,” she says. “When I listen to the stuff I was making at 19… I would intentionally write really cryptic lyrics, because I didn’t really know what to say. I didn’t know how to write any sort of direct language towards what I was trying to talk about. And so, honestly, I was just nothingness. I’d put words together that sound cool. And I actually have a lot of songwriters I love that write really cryptic language, I just think they’re more masterful at it and they actually are trying to say something. And I think over time, I’ve kind of been circling around this skill of trying to directly say something, and I can do that much better now. [There’s] the idea that the more directly you can talk about your own human experience, the more it will resonate. Instead of trying to cast a wide net, if you really say very specific things about what you’re going through,
it’s actually easier for people to find a pathway into what you’re saying.”
Stay Radiant has also shifted in the years that it’s been gestating. Fairbanks did her own emotional editing of which songs made the album in part because raw emotions shift with time.
“When I’m writing songs, I’m not thinking about anything. I’m not thinking about if anyone will ever hear it, I’m not thinking about if it’s good, I’m not thinking about if I’ll record it, I’m not thinking about who it’s about. I’m just writing it, because I know it’s just for me at that point,” she says. “So [how people will perceive the songs] absolutely weighs on me, but not until I get to the editing process. And I have so many songs that are not on this album because of that reason, because there’s certain things that are for me. There were a lot that I just never recorded because I knew it would be the kind of thing where five years down the road I’d be like [cringes] ‘eww.’ I’m the one who has to live with it for the rest of my life. [laughs]”
There’s a complicated interweaving sense of sorrow and relief that permeates Stay Radiant, one that arises from both the years of giving up a part of herself to be a pillar holding up Spokane’s music community and the contrasting sense of relief at not having to be that stanchion anymore.
“I put everything I had into The Bartlett. And when we had to close it, I felt like something was dying. It was like, so devastating to me,” Fairbanks says. “And I remember my therapist telling me something like, ‘But The Bartlett continues because you are The Bartlett. You’re the one that created this sense of community in the space.’ And like the four walls are obviously important, and we all miss it so much, but I think that’s been something that, over time, has definitely rung true. I can still show up and create that same energy in other places and in other things.”
To that end, Fairbanks will be creating a sense of that Bartlett-esque community with the release shows for Stay Radiant. On July 11, she’ll debut the album with a full band (with an “alternative visual setup”) at Placeholder Studios, and follow that up the next week with a Sandpoint gig at Idaho Pour Authority.
Karli Fairbanks has been many things to the Spokane music scene over the years, but now she’s trying to find contentment in just being fully herself. Stay Radiant is an opening of that next chapter.
“As a musician who doesn’t do it full time and doesn’t make any money from it, there’s just a lot of voices in my head that want to try to talk me out of it. So the intentionality is just to try to find this centered, grounded space within myself. I’ve decided to do this, no matter what my passing feelings are, and as I’m making this I want to put a sense of openness,” she says. “It’s almost like a spiritual thing of wanting to transfer energy from within me into this music. I really just want to have the creative process be a really authentic sharing of who I am.” n
Karli Fairbanks: Stay Radiant Album Release Show with Silver Torches • Fri, July 11 at 7 pm • $15 • All ages • Placeholder Studios • 104 W. Third Ave. • karli-fairbanks.square.site
Karli Fairbanks, Water Monster • Fri, July 18 at 7 pm • $15 • 21+ • Idaho Pour Authority • 203 Cedar St, Sandpoint • karli-fairbanks. square.site
Punky in Pink
The Pink Socks are helping keep Spokane pop punk alive with new EP Hurts Less Than Heartache
BY SETH SOMMERFELD
N— from Blink-182 and Bowling for Soup-esque silliness to Taking Back Sunday-esque emo melancholy — while always trying to be catchy and frenetically fun.
Wostalgia comes and goes in cycles, but it’s still a bit surprising that early 2000s pop punk has experienced such a revival in the past handful of years. Festivals like When We Were Young have gathered the era’s bands to smashing results. Blink-182 is back to being one of the bigger bands in the world. Groups like Alkaline Trio and Sum 41 have released their best albums in decades. The All-American Rejects went viral playing backyard college shows. Rappers like Machine Gun Kelly and Mod Sun have gotten much bigger by pivoting to pop punk. A new generation of pop punkers is rising up via TikTok. If you’re a fan of catchy melodies and power chords bolstering a low-grade rebellious edge, it’s a golden age.
hile The Pink Socks currently consists of Alex Shannon on drums, Jared Cereghino on bass, JT Stenbeck and Gary Gwinn on guitar, and Jeremy Fagan on lead vocals, there’ve been some shifts over the years. Originally, Stenbeck was the band’s singer, but the guys decided they needed someone else in that role, so they turned to the internet and found Fagan.
All that said, Spokane doesn’t exactly have the most robust local pop punk scene. That’s not to say there isn’t one, it’s just very niche. But now’s a good time to check it out as scene stalwarts The Pink Socks drop new music this week in the form of the EP Hurts Less Than Heartache
Across seven songs, Hurts Less Than Heartache chronicles some of the best elements of The Pink Socks. The album-opening title track is a hooky, playful comparison between heartbreak and physical pain (“A surgery performed with a baseball bat”). “Can’t Help Myself” offers up a high-adrenaline bad girl anthem with a screaming guest bridge from Nothing Shameful’s Ethan Harrison. There are love tunes like “More Than Enough,” plenty of lyrical jokes, and more somber reflections on the jokingly tongue-in-cheek titled number “Not Another Emo Song.”
Hurts Less Than Heartache showcases The Pink Socks crossing the whole pop punk spectrum
“So it’s 2016 and I get out of the military, and I come back home, and my friend Buzz is like, ‘Hey, man, there’s this pop punk band that wants a lead singer. They’re advertising in Craigslist, of all places,’” Fagan says. “And I was like, ‘Yeah, okay.’ So I showed up, and I could’ve went 50/50 — I could have either been horrifically murdered and found later or started a band. It turned out to be a band. And so I got right out of the military and jumped almost right into The Pink Socks.”
The name The Pink Socks was chosen because the guys wanted something that seemed safe, but had a less-than-savory undertone (gross out warning: I’ll let you look it up on Urban Dictionary yourself).
“They were explaining it to me, ‘We wanted something that was family-friendly, but then if you dig below the surface, it’s horrific,’” Fagan says. “I mean, it really fits a lot of our humor to a T, where it could be completely innocuous but at the same time it’s a little dangerous. It was good enough for me to go and tattoo it on my body forever.”
To parphrase Blink-182: Work Socks, I know... JONNO RUIZ PHOTO
EDI TA BLE TEXT EFFECT
Hurts Less Than Heartache emerged from the band’s weekly Monday night practices in the cozy confines of Cereghino’s garage. After recording the title track last year, the guys collectively realized that it’d been too long since they released an album, so they decided to gather up songs from the past few years and hook back up with producer Corey King to make the EP.
When chatting with The Pink Socks in Cereghino’s garage, it’s fun listening to the guys both praise and make fun of each other. One moment they’ll be throwing out compliments about Stenbeck’s background vocals or Gwinn’s flavorful “under-lick” guitar lines, and the next they’ll be busting each others’ balls. As adults playing pop punk they’re also refreshingly honest about frequently butting heads when it comes to their group songwriting processes.
“Jeremy is such a good lyricist, and he takes his art, his craft, so seriously,” Stenbeck says. “Sometimes we gotta be like, “Man, just that’s, that’s too good. It’s too deep…”
“...just throw a fart joke in there!” Cereghino interjects.
“I have a hard time coming down to that level, but every time I do, it’s always fun,” Fagan admits. “I forget that, so it’s just difficult for me. And I think me and JT, because we share lyric writing — and anybody else who wants to throw in lyrics, to be honest — we like to throw humor in enough that it’s become a thing where we have our own brand of humor. So now when we’re like, ‘Oh, we’ve got to put a Pink Socks spin on it,’ we understand what that means. I mean, I wrote pretty seriously on this album and the last one about my divorce, but some of it comes across humorously, and some of it doesn’t. It depends on how emo you want to feel.”
“Being in a band is work. It’s like five marriages,” Cereghino jokes.
The new record is also a family affair in a more literal sense, thanks to the group background singing on “More Than Enough.”
“We invited all of our friends and family to come in for all the gang vocal parts. There were like 30 people in [the garage],” Fagan says. “So in there somewhere is my mom — who won’t say the f-word — singing out loud, but then you don’t hear her in the f-word parts.”
“We had our kids in there, too,” Cereghino adds. “It was fun.”
“My nephew, Ryan, who’s autistic, he wouldn’t sing, but he did the clap parts,” Fagan continues. “He loved the clap stuff. And so he’s in there.”
The Pink Socks look to keep that tight-knit feeling going with an all-ages Hurts Less Than Heartache release show at The Big Dipper. There was a conscious effort by the band on certain tracks to dial back the technical musical aspects in favor of more poppy accessibility and easy-to-sing-along-with choruses.
“We found that getting the audience involved is the most fun part of the shows,” Shannon says. “Instead of us performing for you, we want to perform with you.”
The members of The Pink Socks have no delusions of grandeur, they just want to create a fun, communal environment for pop punkers of all-ages.
“When you come to a Pink Socks show, you’re one of us,” Fagan says. “We like to involve the crowd and the people that actually come out and support us in what we do. Because honestly, we’re all getting older, and we’re not going to be famous, so we’re just doing this to have a good time. And if you want to have a good time with us, then you’re absolutely welcome, no matter how weird or misunderstood you are.”
Stenbeck interjects with a simpler humorous summation. “Jeremy says that when you come to Pink Socks shows, it’s like an Olive Garden — when you’re here you’re family.” n
The Pink Socks: Hurts Less Than Heartache EP Release Show with The Emergency Exit, Pulling 4 Victory, Thundergun Express, Southbound • Sat, July 12 at 6:30 pm • $15 • All ages • The Big Dipper • 171 S. Washington St. • thebigdipperspokane.com
SOFT ROCK BARRY MANILOW
J = THE INLANDER RECOMMENDS THIS SHOW
Thursday, 7/10
ARBOR CREST WINE CELLARS, Ron Greene
J COEUR D’ALENE PARK, Dues Band
GARLAND DRINKERY, Speak Easy: Open Mic Night
J JAGUAR ROOM (CHAMELEON), Rushadicus
J NORTHERN QUEST CASINO, Billy Currington, Kip Moore, Marlon Funaki
J SACRED HEART HEALING GARDEN, Poor Boy’s Delight
J QQ SUSHI & KITCHEN, Just Plain Darin
RED DRAGON (THIRD AVENUE), Thursday Night Jam
RED ROOM LOUNGE, Thurrsdays EDM Night
STELLA’S ON THE HILL, Karma’s Circle
J TIMBER RUN RESERVE, Kevin Shay Band
TRUE LEGENDS GRILL, Jason Lucas
ZOLA, X24, Frances Browne
Friday, 7/11
BARRISTER WINERY, The Kevin Shay Band
CENTRAL LIBRARY, Rock the Stage: Teen Concert
J THE GRAIN SHED, Haywire
GREEN CITY SALOON, DJ KJ
J HAMILTON STUDIO, Helmer Noel, Hannah Jackson
J JAGUAR ROOM (CHAMELEON), Tongues, Children of Atom, KAPSLOK, Poise
J MIKEY’S GYROS, Rushadicus
NIGHT OWL, Four On The Floor Fridays
LOCAL MUSIC FEST CANNONBALL
J PARK BENCH CAFE, Under the Trees: Dave Long
J PEND D’OREILLE WINERY, Justin Lantrip
J J PLACEHOLDER STUDIO, Karli Fairbanks: Stay Radiant Album Release Show with Silver Torches
J PUEBLA MEXICAN RESTAURANT, Latin Dance Party
RED ROOM LOUNGE, Lady Dice, Trenell Madison, FSA
J J SPOKANE ARENA, Barry Manilow
THE GOODY BAR AND GRILL, Midnight Open Mic
J TRUE LEGENDS GRILL, Steve Starkey TRVST, Sav WALLACE, Wallace Music Fest
WHISPERS LOUNGE, Kyle Richards ZOLA, Kaitlyn Wiens, Deb the Wolf
Saturday, 7/12
J J THE BIG DIPPER, The Pink Socks: Hurts Less Than Heartache EP Release Show with The Emergency Exit, Pulling 4 Victory, Thundergun Express, Southbound
J BROWNE’S ADDITION, Cannonball
THE CHAMELEON, Patio Theory
J INDABA FLAGSHIP CAFÉ, Rosethrow & Spro
J JAGUAR ROOM (CHAMELEON), Aaron Golay & The Original Sin, Landon Spencer
After 60 years of crooning, Barry Manilow is embarking on his farewell arena tour this summer. Lucky for us, one of those stops brings him to Spokane Arena on July 11. It’s almost assuredly the last chance you’ll have to catch the 81-year-old icon singing soft hits like “Mandy,” “Can’t Smile Without You,” and “Copacabana (At the Copa)” in the Lilac City. After his decades dominating the adult contemporary charts, making him one of the best-selling musical artists of all time, get ready for your heart to melt under the weight of Mr. Manilow’s barrage of power ballads one final time.
— SETH SOMMERFELD
Barry Manilow • Fri, July 11 at 7 pm •
$24-$533 • All ages • Spokane Arena • 720 W. Mallon Ave. • spokanearena.com
If you wish music festivals felt more like backyard parties, Cannonball delivers that vibe in a literal sense. The free local music bonanza returns to Browne’s Addition for its sixth edition with a lineup featuring Spokane standouts like Whiskey Dick Mountain, The Holy Broke, Timeworm, Tomboy, Andy Rumsey with Phil Brannan, Nathan Chartrey and a headlining set by Cosmic Fantasy that includes an immersive light show. The summer shindig atmosphere is further enhanced by DJ Unifest spinning tunes between sets, Seds Delicious Dogs selling better-than-your-backyard-BBQ hot dogs, and a beer garden (stay hydrated!). Beating the heat by splashing into the sonic summer waters via Cannonball is always a winning choice.
— SETH SOMMERFELD
Cannonball
J Q’EMILN PARK, The Kevin Shay Band RED ROOM LOUNGE, Latin Night with DJ Americo
J BEARDED GINGER BAR & GRILL, Cassandra Wheeler
THE GOODY BAR AND GRILL, Midnight Open Mic
TRVST, KosMos the Afronaut WALLACE, Wallace Music Fest ZOLA, Blake Braley
Sunday, 7/13
ARBOR CREST WINE CELLARS, Lake City Blues
J BECK’S HARVEST HOUSE, The Kevin Shay Band
J THE BIG DIPPER, We’re The Currency, Willing Hands, Dead Energy, Puddy Knife
J HAMILTON STUDIO, Hot Club of Spokane
HOUSE OF BRUNCH, KosMos the Afronaut LIVE AT ANDRE’S, Curly Taylor & Zydeco Trouble
J SOUTH HILL GRILL, Just Plain Darin
J SPOKANE TRIBE CASINO, Lanie Gardner
WHISPERS LOUNGE, Ryan Schneider
Monday, 7/14
J THE BIG DIPPER, Acerbity, Toxic Vengeance, Dissonance, Devil’s Advocate
J J JAGUAR ROOM (CHAMELEON), Quindrey Davis Benefit Concert: Blake Braley, Tristan Hart Pierce, Fat Lady, Tanya, Latrice & Sessionz, The Night Mayors
RED ROOM LOUNGE, Red Room Open Mic
STELLA’S ON THE HILL, Nate Stratte and Friends
STILETTO ENTERTAINMENT PHOTO
Tuesday, 7/15
J OSPREY RESTAURANT & BAR, Osprey Patio Concert Series: Kosta La Vista
J PRINCE OF PEACE LUTHERAN, Big Phat Band RED ROOM LOUNGE, Turn Up Tuesdays with Scozzari
SWING LOUNGE, Live Music Tuesdays ZOLA, The Zola All Star Jam, David Jeter
Wednesday, 7/16
THE DRAFT ZONE, The Draft Zone Open Mic
J JAGUAR ROOM (CHAMELEON), Izzy Burns and The Hippocrats
J MATCHWOOD BREWING CO., John Firshi
J MCEUEN PARK, Paper Flowers
J NORTHWEST MUSEUM OF ARTS & CULTURE, Age of Nephilim, Snacks at Midnight, Jaeda, Jacob Rountree
J OSPREY RESTAURANT & BAR, Osprey Patio Concert Series: Kosta La Vista
J PACIFIC AVE PIZZA, Square Wave Wednesday RED ROOM LOUNGE, Red Room Jam
J TIMBERS ROADHOUSE, Cary Beare Presents TRVST, The TRVST Open Decks
ZOLA, Akifumi Kato, TDC
Just Announced...
J SPOKANE TRIBE CASINO, Social Distortion (Resheduled), July 20.
Over 100 artists have come together to create an evening full of fun in downtown Coeur d’Alene for Emerge’s 12th annual Block Party. Find any type of art you can imagine: film, live performances, painters, sculptors and even poetry. If the last of those piques your interest, visit Coeur d’Alene Poet Laureate Jennifer Passaro in her poetry tent. You can also stop by the roller skating dance performance or enjoy entertainment by actors from Lake City Playhouse Theater, as well as music by Spokane hip-hop artist T.S the Solution. And make sure you feed not just your artistic spirit while sampling local food and drinks during one of Emerge’s biggest fundraisers of the year. — BEE REISWIG
Emerge Block Party • Fri, July 11 from 5 pm-midnight • Free • All ages • Emerge • 119 N. Second St., Coeur d’Alene • emergecda.com • 208-930-1876
COMMUNITY IN BLOOM
Spokane County is home to the largest certified organic lavender farm in the United States, Evening Light Lavender Farm, which boasts over 24,000 plants. The local farm celebrates this bounty each summer during its annual festival, which offers something for everyone: folks who are into making crafts, supporting local businesses, and those who simply enjoy breathtaking views. The festival showcases the farm during peak July blooms, making for great photo opportunities. Hang out for an hour or two or spend the day infragrant fields while enjoying lavender-themed food and other goods from the festival’s multitude of local vendors.
— ELLIS BENSON
Evening Light Lavender Festival • Sat, July 12 and Sun, July 13 from 9 am-5 pm • $12-$45 • Evening Light Lavender Farm • 5552 S. Wallbridge Road, Deer Park • eveninglightlavender.com •
THEATER PRAIRIE GIRL
For the first stage play to grace the halls of Bonners Ferry’s historic Rex Theater in nearly 90 years, organizers went big, with a cast of 75 actors, plus filling all those backstage duties like costuming and more. The selected play’s setting stretches back even further in time, to the late-1800s, when famed pioneer-turned-author Laura Ingalls Wilder and her family were traversing the American Midwest as homesteaders in search of a better life. This children’s theater production features both kids and adults in roles for beloved characters like Ma, Pa, Laura, Mary and others. Between scenes from both Laura’s youth and later life, the play traces her journey from the prairie to page, as she later set out to chronicle her family’s story in her famous Little House books.
— CHEY SCOTT
Laura Ingalls Wilder: Voice of the Prairie • July 11-13; Fri-Sat at 7 pm, Sun at 2 pm • $12 • Rex Theater • 7222 Main St., Bonners Ferry, Idaho • rextheatergroup.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.
BENEFIT THE BEAT GOES ON
In October 2023, the Spokane music scene lost a titan with the passing of Quindrey Davis, a talented drummer, loving husband, father and friend to so many in the local scene. Davis died just days after a leukemia diagnosis, and ever since his friends and family have been perpetuating his memory through music. This Monday, the Chameleon is hosting a benefit concert on what would have been Davis’ 31st birthday in honor of his life and legacy. With performances from friends of Davis’ like Blake Braley, Tristan Hart Pierce, The Night Mayors, Latrice & Sessionz and more, donations will fund a mural of Davis that’s planned to be painted later this year. Don your QD shirts, groove to some tunes, and remember to “play like Drey.”
— MADISON PEARSON
Quindrey Davis Benefit Concert • Mon, July 14 from 5-9 pm • All ages • Free; donations suggested • The Chameleon • 1801 W. Sunset Blvd. • chameleonspokane.com
VISUAL ARTS SECOND IS THE BEST
No, you didn’t miss it — Spokane’s monthly night of art-tastic fun was postponed due to the 4th of July holiday last week. Instead, celebrate a rare Second Friday this week with local art at your favorite local galleries and venues. Spokane Art School is showing off its faculty and student work with a display of various art forms. “Found” at Terrain Gallery features works by local artists Krista Brand, Cyn Short, Bradd Skubinna and Val Wahl that explore the use of common and discarded materials, which should make for some visually interesting pieces. The Liberty Gallery is featuring eight local photographers (including the above image by Mike DeCesare) who share images of the natural world. The recently opened D2 Gallery on West First Avenue showcases the work of bergen in “American Calligraphy,” which emphasizes the impact that calligraphy has had on contemporary aesthetics. Check out Inlander.com/events for more Second Friday listings.
— MADISON PEARSON
Second Friday • Fri, July 11; most receptions from 5-8
Responding to Need
First responders face unimaginable dangers; local businesses like No-Li Brewhouse and David’s Pizza stand with them
Five years ago, after wild res had burned through the town of Malden south of Spokane, No-Li owners John and Cindy Bryant rushed to the site to see how they could help. Upon arriving, they found Mark Starr, owner of David’s Pizza, was already there.
“ e timbers were still smoldering. e Red Cross had just arrived,” Starr recalls. “I went there to feed everybody. And sure enough, I got there a little bit before them. John was like, ‘Why didn’t we just ride with you?’”
With devastating wild res becoming more frequent in the Inland Northwest, communityminded, regionally rooted businesses like David’s Pizza and No-Li Brewhouse have felt called to step up and o er support where they can.
For the past decade, No-Li has been raising hundreds of thousands of dollars for families displaced by res through its Fight Fire with Beer initiative. at program has also donated to the Washington State Fire ghters’ Association.
As part of Fight Fire with Beer, No-Li raised
SUPPORT THE RED & BLUE
The two-day Fight Fire With Beer event (July 1819) will be a team fundraiser sponsored by No-Li Brewhouse and the Spokane FireFighters Local 29 to support fallen firefighters, their families and first responders impacted by the Canfield Mountain tragedy in Coeur d’Alene.
“In the reality and heartache of this tragedy, we seek to unify and show resilience together,” says No-Li owner John Bryant.
Funds will be raised through the FFWB event
over $100,000 in the wake of the Malden and Pine City wild res. And in 2023, No-Li partnered with KREM2 News to raise more $215,000 — in just 12 hours! — for victims of the Gray (Medical Lake) and Oregon Road (Elk) wild res. And starting this month, No-Li is getting behind the e orts to support the families a ected by the tragedy at Can eld Mountain (see details below).
Last year, No-Li expanded on its e orts with A Brew for the Brave. e program allows anyone to nominate a local or wildland re ghter to receive a complimentary No-Li gift card. It’s back again this year, with 200 available and is as easy as lling out the form at nolibrewhouse.com/ wb.
“Our citizens, our emergency services, our local businesses — that’s our community,” Starr adds. “Which is why people like John and me take it so personally when our community gets damaged. As soon as there’s a need, John jumps right up and gets involved. at’s why No-Li is setting the standard for community support.”
at the Bier Hall, where you can try three new small-batch releases, and also at monthly pint night sales, or by purchasing Fight Fire Lager six-packs and T-shirts. No-Li is guaranteeing a $30,000 cash donation, and 100% of the funds raised by Fight Fire with Beer goes directly to The Red & Blue Foundation (redbluefoundation. org), which distributes monies directly to the families affected by the Canfield tragedy.
David’s Pizza owner Mark Starr
I SAW YOU
1898 PUBLIC HOUSE You were outside on the patio and I was inside the restaurant. I would like to invite you to see and hear our band. myfunband@gmail.com
YOU SAW ME
CUTE BEARDED COURT MONITOR Thank you
CHEERS
LILI NAVARRETE I just want to say a big huge thanks to Spokane City Council member Lili Navarrete! Thank you for your service to our city. Thank you for standing up for our community again and again. Whether it was going up against ICE or greedy developers, I’ve always been impressed by your courage and strength. Thank you.
CHEERS TO THE CHEERSERS! It’s probably not fair but I absolutely judge how well we are doing as Spokanites by the ratio of Cheers to Jeers each week. These days there are plenty of things to Jeer but I so appreciate those who send in positive notes and remind us all to look for the good in our everyday lives. Cheers to the Cheersers!
NOW THAT YOU’VE GRADUATED... You might as well know. Old age is nothing more than a gong show, periodically interrupted by beautiful dreams of standing at the pearly gates, invariably ending in a cold
sweat and the office Nazi from high school: “Where’s your HALL PASS? Who the heck do you think you are? Get back to your classroom RIGHT NOW or this goes on YOUR PERMANENT RECORD!” love, Grandma.
YOU SAVED OUR BIRD! Cheers to all the strangers who looked for our beloved Ernie, then who tracked him, put out food and water for him, and tried to catch him. Because of you, that little cockatiel survived over 72 hours in the big outdoors so we could bring him safely home. Thank you!
STAR The Star of Bethlehem or Christmas Star is a celestial phenomenon mentioned in the Gospel of Matthew. This narrative has been a source of both theological and astronomical interest for centuries. Many Christians see the star as a sign of Jesus’ birth while the Eastern Orthodox Church views it as a symbolic guide for the Magi. Other interpretations include the Seventh-day Adventists seeing it as shining angels and Jehovah’s Witnesses believing it was a sign created by Satan. Scientific theories suggest the star could have been a planetary conjunction and some researchers point to a triple conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn in 7 BC and a particularly close to the Jupiter-Venus conjunction in 2 BC. What do you believe? Me, I believe it was a spacecraft from Venus because we are not alone in the universe and never have been.
AMERICAN REVOLUTION Timeline of the American Revolution 1773 > Boston Tea Party 1774 – 1775 > Continental Congress 1776 > Declaration of Independence 1777 –1781 > Articles of Confederation 1787 – 1788 > U.S. Constitution
THANK YOU The woman ahead of me, in the check-out line, was confessing to the cashier that her doctor had just told her that she was in “heart failure.” The clerk listened and then abandoning the register walked around and embraced the woman. I do not use self check-out anymore. Several times in several stores I have witnessed clerks who listen to customers confess their burdens. Why? It is safe. It is needed. These clerks are unsung heroes. How often do they serve as social workers or 1st responders? Certainly they are the very best advertisement a store could have.
JEERS
TRY THIS! Fly an American flag in Mexico, especially on your home and see what
happens. History shows: You’ll get ONE warning to take it down, immediately. It’ll be your only warning. Then, typically, your property will be taken from you and not returned. Not just your flag..your home!! It won’t be purchased from you, it’ll be taken. I saw you, downtown Spokane protesting with the protesters but you stated you didn’t really know what you were protesting. Perhaps, freedom? To gather and speak was what you did, but you didn’t know why, nor your message? Flying a Mexican flag?!? Try to understand what you think it is you believe. I was returning home from my third job, having worked them for decades after legally arriving in this free-est place on earth, becoming a citizen, the right way, after years. It’s worth every breath I take. Every step I take. Please don’t ruin it for others seeking true freedom. (Why were you spending your time not knowing...why?) May you know true peace..and a free life.
STOP THE FREEWAYS! Why are we putting in more freeways while other cities are ripping theirs out? We could create nice public spaces that would benefit the entire community. The only thing the north south freeway will do is sell expensive homes north of town. They aren’t even building access ramps in town. It’s meant to move traffic through town at our expense. It’s not meant to benefit Spokanites. Let’s build efficient, environmentally friendly transit and stop this nonsense.
DOG PARK Ummmm there is an “unofficial” dog park north of the river its behind Joe Albi stadium in the back of that cemetery and its NICE. A lot of people visit it actually morning is best.
HOW ABOUT A 2% REDUCTION ...in Legislature salaries and benefits every year? Instead of raising gas tax, where are the equitable fees on heavy electric vehicles? They damage the roads just like they go through tires. Figure out a better way!
CONSTELLATION-KAREN AT THE DISTRICT
To the woman who tapped me on the shoulder at the New Constellations show and asked me to move because I was “blocking your view”… ma’am, I’ve been standing there for 30 minutes. You walked in, scoped out the tallest guy in the room,
then chose to plant yourself directly behind me like it was a height-based trust fall. That’s not how concerts work. That’s not how physics works. That’s not how anything works. I’m sorry you couldn’t see over me, truly. But here’s the deal: I didn’t build myself like a lighthouse just to personally block your joy. I came to see a show too— just like you. Except I did something radical. I arrived early and stood where I wanted to be. Meanwhile, you had an entire galaxy of space up by the stage, but you settled behind the eclipse and then blamed the moon for being round. Here’s a thought: next time, instead of policing tall people’s existence, maybe just walk a few feet in another direction. Or—brace yourself— enjoy the music with your ears. That’s what they’re for. Let the rest of us vibe in peace without unsolicited height shaming.
NAACP VP IS WRONG The term “Moron” and its related synonyms denied folks access to resources & opportunity. It’s well documented & researched. That’s why people who have intellectual disablities are a protected class under Equal Opportunity & DEI work. Part of why folks who aren’t YT were stigmatized is exactly that YT people said they were not intelligent enough to fend for themselves. The potential the implication that YT people aren’t denied access even if they are “incompetent” is a popular notion, that seems true looking at those governing. Was the implication the teacher was a “M?” He’s been fired. That made an example of him, & showed YT!! We all lost Medicaid. But bless your hearts. It wasn’t to long ago that those suffering from ptsd, depression, add, addiction, autism, adverse childhood experiences etc were also labeled incompetent, lacking in intelligence until it was understood otherwise. And yet still they are looked down upon and told, “just get over it.” “Accept life, just be happy and grateful with what you have.” Sound familiar? ALOT of people in DEI work really need to do more research. I don’t see any of them losing their positions though!!!!! For shame!!!!
CONGRATS CONGRESSMAN Congressman Baumgartner just voted to cut funds for Medicaid. This will almost certainly result in the closure of at least two hospitals in rural areas, end life-saving aid for thousands in
the district, and make it more difficult to access medical services that can save lives. How’s that for Pro-Life? Congratulations, Congressman. All you did was confirm that you’re more afraid of the President than of your constituents.
RE: RE: MAYBE 5% Hardly a surprise the Inlander would print responses that fit their left leaning Fake News CNN (for Spokane) agenda. So, the people out in the street “Exercising” their First Amendment rights have to have two jobs to make ends meet? But they have time to riot in the streets? Actually, they Don’t pay enough taxes in Spokane to cover the actually costs of the police presents! But complain about those Terrible people that don’t Pay for their tabs-interesting! Fortunately, almost collusively the police screw up a technicality in the arrests and the prosecuting attorney’s office drops the charges. That’s not fixed? I also noticed that your Hero George Soro’s son married Anthony Wieners ex-wife. Any of you fly your polluting private jets like ALL the top Democrats did to Matha’s Vineyard? Not a word from you on one that? So, IF you’re Pro Iran getting a nuclear bomb your t-shirt should read “Iran! Nuke Spokane First!”
MY MONEY IDAHO BANKS...DON’T THINK SO! Idaho banks are popping up all over the place in Washington. What would be the reason I would let them use my hard earned Washington dollars? Idaho charges double for Washington residents to camp and requires Idaho income tax when working in their state. Please support Washington banks and credit unions.
COLD AS ICE Jeers to the Garland owner. The Garland theater is an invaluable institution in Spokane that provides a space for our community to come together and celebrate art, and your actions and behavior are akin to Ebenezer Scrooge. May you be haunted by three ghosts to gain some clarity about how your greed is threatening a gem in our community. n
BENEFIT
OXFORD HOUSE CAR WASH A car wash benefitting Oxford House of Spokane, a nonprofit, member-run network of homes providing clean and sober living support for people in recovery from alcohol or drugs. July 12, 10 am-3 pm. $5. Journey Church, 4224 E. Fourth Ave. oxfordhouse.us (509-558-0892)
SCOOPS AND BOWLS Urban Art Coop’s annual fundraiser in which attendees buy a handmade bowl starting at $15 and receive free ice cream in the bowl at the time of purchase. Proceeds benefit the coop directly. July 12, 10 am-4 pm. $15+. Manito Park, 1800 S. Grand Blvd. urbanartcoop.org
COMEDY
FIONA CAULEY Fiona Cauley uses her quick wit and dark sense of humor to give some insight into what life is like as a disabled female comic. July 10, 7 pm. $27-$37. Spokane Comedy Club, 315 W. Sprague. spokanecomedyclub. com (509-318-9998)
CAGE MATCH An improv battle featuring various improvisation games. See which team makes it to the finals and wins the coveted award. Fridays at 7:30 through Aug. 29. $9. Blue Door Theatre, 319 S. Cedar St. bluedoortheatre.org
MARLON WAYANS Marlon Wayans is an actor, producer, comedian, writer and film director. His films have grossed more than $736 million in domestic box office and $1 billion in global box office. July 11-12, 7 & 9:45 pm and July 13, 7 pm. $52-$67. Spokane Comedy Club, 315 W. Sprague. spokanecomedyclub.com
EXPEDITION A family-friendly improv show featuring the Blue Door Theatre players playing a variety of improv games with audience suggestions. Every Saturday at 7:30 pm. $9. Blue Door Theatre, 319 S. Cedar St. bluedoortheatre.org (509-747-7045)
JAY LENO Acclaimed late-night icon and stand-up comedy powerhouse, Jay Leno is best known as the longtime host of The Tonight Show, where he entertained millions with his quick wit and everyman charm. The show also features special guest Arsenio Hall. July 18, 8 pm. $66-$206. Spokane Tribe Resort & Casino, 14300 W. SR Highway 2. spokanetribecasino.com (877-789-9467)
COMMUNITY
ADVENTURE AWAITS: RECREATION IN NORTH IDAHO This exhibit celebrates the diverse ways people have enjoyed the great outdoors in North Idaho — from kayaking and fishing on Lake Coeur d’Alene, hiking the Bitterroot range, to the slopes of Silver Mountain. Daily from 11 am-5 pm through Sep. 30. Free. Museum of North Idaho, 115 Northwest Blvd. museumni.org COFFEE IN THE GARDEN An event highlighting a new creative each week including demonstrations, activities and refreshments. Artists include Shaun Deller, Lynn Walters, Bill Moore, Linda Cassella and more. July 10-Aug. 21, Thu from 10 am-noon. Free. Create Arts Center, 900 Fourth. createarts.org
FIRE: REBIRTH AND RESILIENCE An exhibition exploring the catastrophic 1889 fire that destroyed more of Spokane’s downtown core. The exhibit features information on historic and contemporary fires, illustrating how
destruction is a catalyst for rebirth and resilience. Tue-Sun from 11 am-5 pm through Sep. 28. $9-$15. Northwest Museum of Arts & Culture, 2316 W. First Ave. northwestmuseum.org
FREE IMMIGRATION CLINIC A free clinic for anyone in need of an immigration legal consult. Second Thursday of each month from 5-7 pm. Free. Latinos en Spokane, 1502 N. Monroe St. latinosenspokane.org (509-558-9359)
PRIEST LAKE FOREST FIRES: YESTERDAY THROUGH TODAY Matt Butler, former Fire Management Officer for the U.S. Forest Service on the Idaho Panhandle National Forests, will discuss Priest Lake fire history and its impact on forest fire management. July 10, 7 pm. free. Priest Lake Community Church, 25 Creekside Dr. priestlakemuseum.org
SIP SHOP & CULTURE A night of drinks, food, art and live music at New Leaf Nursery. Artists include Kathy Blount, Valerie Holloway, Cory Bomar, Brooke Baggett and more. Live music from Balboa Park. July 10, 4:30-8 pm. Free. New Leaf Nursery, 12655 N. Government Way. newleafnurseryhayden.com
GALACTIC SHENANIGANS NIGHT
MARKET & STREET FAIR A night market featuring a vendor fair, live music, immersive art exhibitions and a galactic theme. July 11, 5-9 pm. $3. Catalyst Building, 601 E. Riverside Ave. thewavybunch.com (208-920-1856)
POST FALLS FESTIVAL A three-day community festival featuring live music, local food, arts & crafts and fun activities for all ages. July 11-13; Fri-Sat from 11 am-8 pm, Sun from 11 am-4 pm. Free. Q’Emiln Park, 12201 W Parkway Dr. postfalls.gov (208-773-0539)
SANDPOINT PRIDE 2025 Sandpoint’s annual pride celebration featuring drag performances, vendors, resources and more. July 11-13. Free. Sandpoint. safeidaho.org/sandpointpride
EVENING LIGHT LAVENDER FESTIVAL
2025 This annual festival features a wide array of local shopping and dining vendors, along with live music, crafting and U-pick lavender fields. July 12-13, daily from 9 am-5 pm. $13-$45. Evening Light Lavender Farm, 5552 S. Wallbridge Road. eveninglightlavender.com
HONORING TRADITION: THE ARTS & CRAFTS LEGACY This special guided tour will focus on how the Arts and Crafts Movement influenced the architecture and decor of The Campbell House and so many others from that period. It will highlight fun stories and how original objects have returned to the house they once belonged. July 12, 11 am. $12-$15. Northwest Museum of Arts & Culture, 2316 W. First Ave. northwestmuseum.org (509-456-3931)
LEGENDS CIGAR & SPIRITS FESTIVAL
An evening of shopping for cigars and spirits and educational opportunities. Also includes dinner and music from Justyn Priest. July 12, 7-10 pm. $95. Northern Quest Resort & Casino, 100 N. Hayford Road. northernquest.com
SHARING THE DHARMA DAY Come explore an American Buddhist monastery of monks and nuns who practice in the Tibetan tradition. The day includes a guided meditation, a teaching on the topic of the day, vegetarian potluck, and a discussion. July 13, 10 am-3:30 pm. By donation. Sravasti Abbey, 692 Country Lane. sravastiabbey.org
SUNDAYS AT THE CROSBY HOUSE A series of educational workshops featur-
ing local authors, historians and various experts who share information about Bing Crosby and his hometown. July 13, 3:30 pm. Free. Crosby House Museum, 508 E. Sharp Ave. gonzaga.edu
CHALK THE BLOCK A sidewalk chalk festival for all ages and skill levels. Grab a bucket of chalk from the gallery, choose a spot on the sidewalk and draw whatever you want. Prizes are award to five different category winners. July 15-19, daily from 10 am-5 pm. Free. Teascarlet Fine Art, 6389 Kootenai St. teascarlet.com (208-946-8415)
WINDOWS 11 WORKSHOP A tech workshop for anyone using Windows 10 who is looking to make the transition to Windows 11. In this workshop, you ll receive hands-on overviews of tools, information on choosing the right edition and clear guidance for new users. July 17, 4:30-5:30 pm. Free. CHASE Tech 8, 327 E. Pacific Ave. chasetech8.com
FILM
MOSCOW FILM SOCIETY: UNDER THE SKIN A mysterious young woman seduces lonely men in the evening hours in Scotland. However, events lead her to begin a process of self-discovery. July 10, 7-9 pm. $8. The Kenworthy, 508 S. Main St. kenworthy.org (208-882-4127)
SUMMER FAMILY MATINEE: WILLY WONKA & THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY
A poor but hopeful boy seeks one of the five coveted golden tickets that will send him on a tour of Willy Wonka’s mysterious chocolate factory. July 10, 1-3 pm. Free. The Kenworthy, 508 S. Main St. kenworthy.org (208-882-4127)
MATERIALISTS A young, ambitious New York City matchmaker finds herself torn between the perfect match and her imperfect ex. July 11, 7 pm, July 12, 3 pm and July 13, 7 pm. $8. The Kenworthy, 508 S. Main St. kenworthy.org
OUTDOOR MOVIES IN THE PARK: MOANA 2 A screening of Disney’s Moana 2 in Balfour Park. Snacks are available for purchase, bring your own seating. Movie begins at sunset. July 11. Free. Balfour Park, 105 N. Balfour Road. spokanevalley.org (509-688-0300)
SUMMER MOONLIGHT MOVIES: ROOKIE OF THE YEAR A free screening of Rookie of the Year in Airway Heights’ Sunset Park. Bring lawn chairs, blankets and snacks. Movie begins at dusk. July 11. Free. Sunset Park, 924 S. Lawson St. airwayheightsparksandrec.org
FUNDI: THE STORY OF ELLA BAKER A special screening of FUNDI: The Story of Ella Baker followed by a Q&A after the film with Humanities Professor Terry Buffington. July 12, 12-2 pm. Free. Shadle Library, 2111 W. Wellesley Ave. spokanelibrary.org (509-444-5300)
CINEMA CLASSICS: THE SEVENTH
SEAL Disillusioned after a decade of battling in the Crusades, a knight encounters Death on a desolate beach and challenges him to a fateful game of chess. July 13, 4-6 pm. $8. The Kenworthy, 508 S. Main St. kenworthy.org
FRIDAY NIGHT MOVIE: BURNING
While working in South Korea, Jong-su bumps into a girl who used to live in his neighborhood. After the two of them get reacquainted, Hae-mi introduces him to a wealthy and mysterious man named Ben and the two get tangled in Ben’s unique hobby. July 18, 6:30 pm. $8. Northwest Museum of Arts & Culture, 2316 W. First. northwestmuseum. org (509-456-3931)
EVENTS | CALENDAR
FOOD
& DRINK
PAIRINGS IN THE PINES A progressive tasting event that invites you to stroll through Pine Street Woods as you enjoy locally crafted food and thoughtfully selected wines while immersed in the sights and sounds of nature at the forest’s edge. July 10, 4:30-8 pm. $140. Kaniksu Ranch, 4295 N. Deer Lake Rd. kaniksu.org
COEUR D’ALENE BREWFEST A daylong celebration of local brews featuring samples of over 30 beers and ciders, food, yard games and live music. July 12, 1-7 pm. $35-$55. McEuen Park, 420 E. Front Ave. cdadowntown.com (208-769-2252)
MEET THE WINEMAKER: TRUTH TELLER Chris Loeliger from Truth Teller wines hosts a tasting and tells the story of each wine. July 12, 2-5 pm. $25. Cellar & Scholar, 15412 E. Sprague Ave. cellarandscholar.com (509-218-6226)
CRAVE NORTHWEST Crave! Northwest is dedicated to uplifting the culinary scene in the Northwest. This year the three-day food festival is chef-focused, showcasing the creative talents of chefs and tastemakers from around the region while highlighting the flavors of the great Northwest. July 17-19, daily from 6-9 pm. $65-$90. Spokane Valley CenterPlace, 2426 N. Discovery Pl. cravenw.com
NO-LI FIGHT FIRE WITH BEER WEEKEND Two days of small batch brews with DJ Exodus playing live tunes all weekend. Ticket includes a bucket hat, access to the limited edition brews and pours all weekend long. July 18-19, noon. $15. No-
Li Brewhouse, 1003 E. Trent Ave. nolibrewhouse.com (509-242-2739)
NORTHWEST WINEFEST 2025 Sample wines from around the Pacific Northwest while enjoying local food vendors, mountain activities and live music. July 19-20. Schweitzer, 10,000 Schweitzer Mountain Rd. schweitzer.com (208-263-9555)
MUSIC
BACKSTAGE SESSIONS: PALOUSE FORRO Featuring accordion, drums and bass, Palouse Forro specializes in North Eastern Brazilian music. July 12, 7:30-9 pm. $8. The Kenworthy, 508 S. Main St. kenworthy.org (208-882-4127)
THE DIVAS IN CONCERT: WHAT SHE WANTS Join Sandra Marlowe, Gaye Kruger Ribble, Carol Davis, Robin Hambey, Claudia Gallagher and Caitlin Weber for two nights of powerhouse vocals and unforgettable stories. July 18, 7 pm and July 19, 7 pm. $35-$50. The Jacklin Arts & Cultural Center, 405 N. William St. thejacklincenter.org (208-457-8950)
SATURDAY WITH THE SYMPHONY: The Coeur d’Alene Symphony performs, puts on aninteractive activity and a book is read by the children’s librarian. Every third Saturday at 11 am. Free. Coeur d’Alene Public Library, 702 E. Front Ave. cdalibrary.org (208-769-2315)
SPORTS & OUTDOORS
RIVERFRONT MOVES: ECLIPSE POWER YOGA A unique exploration on the mat
featuring fun playlists designed to uplift and invigorate, supporting your poses and generating energy. Instructed by Eclipse Power Yoga. July 10, 6-7 pm. Free. Riverfront Park, 507 N. Howard St. riverfrontspokane.org (509-625-6600)
BIKE-ABOUT: BRING YOUR BIKE TO THE HIVE DAY Bring their bikes to ride on the bike course and children 18 months-3 years of age are invited to ride the strider bikes on a separate bike course. July 11, 11 am-12:30 pm. Free. The Hive, 2904 E. Sprague Ave. spokanelibrary.org
TREE IDENTIFICATION WALK: INDIAN PAINTED ROCKS Educators from The Lands Council introduce the fundamentals of tree identification during this interactive walk. Become familiar with common trees in our area and learn which features are helpful in determining species. July 11, 8-10 am. Free. scld.org
CONQUEST OF THE CAGE MMA fighters face off in the ring at the Pend Oreille Pavilion. July 12, 7 pm. $79-$162. Northern Quest Resort & Casino, 100 N. Hayford Rd. northernquest.com (509-242-7000)
WILDFLOWER WALK Take a guided hike with area experts to look for various wildflowers in nature. Meet at Yoke’s Fresh Market on Market. July 13, 10 am-2 pm. $49. Wildland Cooperative, 8022 E. Green Bluff Road. my.spokanecity.org
ROOFTOP YOGA SUMMER SERIES Relaxing sessions of yoga led by certified instructors under the sky at MØDE Campus. All levels are welcome. Bring a mat and a water bottle. July 8-29, Tue from 7-8 pm. Tues., 7-8 pm through July 29. Free. Møde Work, 2110 N. Molter Road. findyourmode.com
2025 ROSAUERS OPEN INVIATIONAL A 54-hole individual golf tournament with a cut after 36 holes benefitting Vanessa Behan. July 18-20. $370-$400. Indian Canyon Golf Course, 4303 W. West Dr. pnwpga.com (509-953-3780)
THEATER & DANCE
MJ A musical looking at the creative mind and collaborative spirit that catapulted Michael Jackson into legendary status. Tue-Sat at 7:30 pm, Sat also at 2 pm, Sun at 2 pm and 6:30 pm through July 13. First Interstate Center for the Arts, 334 W. Spokane Falls. broadwayspokane.com
LAURA INGALLS WILDER: VOICE OF THE PRAIRIE From The Little House on the Prairie to her fascinating rise as a literary star, this play brings insight to the beloved children’s books and celebrates the life of Laura Ingalls Wilder. July 11-13; Fri-Sat at 7 pm, Sun at 2 pm. $12. Rex Theater, 7222 Main. rextheatergroup.com
RODGERS & HAMMERSTEIN’S A GRAND NIGHT FOR SINGING This musical features hit songs from musical treasures by Rodgers & Hammerstein like Oklahoma!, Cinderella, The Sound of Music, South Pacific, Carousel and The King & I. July 11-19; Fri-Sat at 7:30 pm, Sat-Sun at 2 pm. $25-$48. University High School, 12320 E. 32nd Ave. svsummertheatre.com
JAPANESE OBON DANCE CLASS Learn easy Bon Odori dances for the annual Obon Festival led by certified instructor Izumi Pierce. July 13, 12-1:30 pm. Free. Spokane Buddhist Temple, 927 S. Perry St. spokanebuddhisttemple.org
TORCH SONG This play follows Arnold Beckoff—a drag queen and torch singer searching for love, family, and acceptance in 1970s New York. July 17-Aug. 2, Thu-Sat at 7:30 pm. $37.50. Hamilton Studio, 1427 W. Dean Ave. theaterontheverge.com (509-327-9501)
VISUAL ARTS
KRISTA BRAND, BRADD SKUBINNA, VAL WAHL AND CYN SHORT: FOUND Artists Krista Brand, Bradd Skubinna, Val Wahl and Cyn Short explore the use of common, sometimes discarded materials to compose installations or create new objects. Thu-Sat from 4-7 pm through July 27. Free. Terrain Gallery, 628 N. Monroe St. terrainspokane.com
MARCIA MCDONALD Local painter Marcia McDonald showcases landscape and abstract paintings. Daily from 10 am-7 pm through July 31. Free. Pottery Place Plus, 203 N. Washington St. potteryplaceplus.com (509-327-6920)
SPOKANE ART SCHOOL FACULTY & STUDENT SHOW Faculty and students from Spokane Art School display artwork. Mon-Fri from 10 am-5 pm through July 31. Free. Spokane Art School, 503 E. Second Ave., Ste. B. spokaneartschool. net (509-325-1500)
TESA KAWAKAMI: WHAT IF YOU STAY Artwork from Seattle-based artist Tesla Kawakami whose oil paintings xplore themes of nostalgia, destruction, identity and transformation. Mon-Fri from 8 am-5 pm through Aug. 29. Free. Chase Gallery, 808 W. Spokane Falls Blvd. spokanearts. com (509-321-9416)
MIRRORS A curated art series launch by Matt Schwenk featuring artwork from Seattle’s RKVR, Spokane’s Skyler Powell and Big City Art Studio’s Dylan Lipsker. July 11, 5-8 pm. Free. Moeckel Studio, 154 S. Madison St. moeckelstudio.com (509-217-6831)
BERGEN: AMERICAN CALLIGRAPHY
An exhibit showcasing calligraphy’s impact on contemporary art. July 1126, Wed-Sat from 11 am-6 pm. Free. D2 Gallery and Studio, 310 W. First Ave. d2gallerystudio.com (509-981-7153)
EMERGE BLOCK PARTY The annual block party features over 100 local artists selling their art and goods. Additionally, the party features films and performance artists showing and performing their work. July 11, 5 pm-midnight. Free. Emerge, 119 N. Second St. emergecda.com (208-930-1876)
GIGGLES: HUMOR IN ART A show created by Diane Rowen Gamire featuring regular New Moon artists’ humorous work. Second Friday: July 11 from 4-9 pm. July 11-31, Wed-Sat from 11 am-5 pm through July 31. Free. New Moon Art Gallery, 1326 E. Sprague Ave. manicmoonandmore.com (509-413-9101)
DRAGON EGG DICE BAG Create your own dice bag by way of crochet with instructor Andi Keating. July 12-19, Sat from 10 am-noon. $61. Spokane Art School, 503 E. Second Ave., Ste. B. spokaneartschool.net (509-325-1500)
OUTDOOR PAINTING MEETUP: RU -
surroundings to better replicate them in your art. Experienced artists will be on hand to help guide new artists through the process. Located at Golden Gem Mercantile. July 12, 8 am-noon. Free. Fairfield Library, 305 E. Main St. scld.org
PRINT PLAYGROUND Kids are invited to experiment with different techniques to create unique prints. From stamping with everyday objects to making textured rubbings and exploring simple press prints, this hands-on program encourages creativity and discovery. July 16, 1-2 pm. Free. Indian Trail Library, 4909 W. Barnes Rd. spokanelibrary.org
CITY OF MOSCOW PORTABLE COLLECTION The Portable Collection is comprised of over 120 works, which are prominently displayed in City of Moscow buildings. It represents a broad spectrum of artistic media and styles and reflects the city’s commitment to the arts. July 17-Aug. 28, Mon-Fri from 8 am-5 pm. Free. Third Street Gallery, City Hall, 206 E. Third St. ci.moscow. id.us/230/Third-Street-Gallery
WORDS
GINA TARNACKI: 100 THINGS TO DO IN WASHINGTON STATE BEFORE YOU DIE The options of how to spend a day in Washington seem endless, but local travel writer Gina Tarnacki will help you pinpoint the experiences you must have in your lifetime and how to have the best time while doing so. July 12, 1-3
with local author Sharma Shields. Bring your favorite writing tools, dress for the weather and com prepared to write with guidance from Sharma. July 12, 9-10:30 am. Free. Riverside State Park Bowl & Pitcher, 4427 N. Aubrey L. White Parkway. spokanelibrary.org
POETRY FOR EVERYONE: A WRITING WORKSHOP Drop in for a poetry workshop accessible to anyone interested in expressing themselves through poetry. Bring your old stuff, create new stuff, and collaborate with other community members on their stuff. Led by Sarah Rooney. July 15, 1-2:30 pm. Free. Shadle Library, 2111 W. Wellesley Ave. spokanelibrary.org (509-444-5300)
SUMMER STORYTIME An outdoor storytime featuring books, songs, parachute play and more. Geared toward kids ages 2-5, but all ages welcome. Tue from 10-11 am through Aug. 12. Free. Liberty Park Library, 402 S. Pittsburgh St. spokanelibrary.org (509-444-5300)
WRITING OUR PASTS: POETRY AS MEMORY Join Hive artist-in-residence Allegra Armstrong for an evening of poetry writing. Participants will explore recalling the five senses in memory and how to render our memories on the page in immersive ways. July 15, 5:307 pm. Free. The Hive, 2904 E. Sprague Ave. spokanelibrary.org
JESS WALTER: SO FAR GONE Local author Jess Walter discusses his newest novel, So Far Gone and signs copies of the book. July 17, 7 pm. $14-$57. Palouse-Clearwater Environmental In stitute, 1040 Rodeo Dr. bookpeopleof moscow.com (208-882-1444)
THE FESTIVAL AT SANDPOINT
Cannabis Closures
Looking into the data behind retail violations in Washington’s legal cannabis market
BY WILL MAUPIN
Few industries are as strictly regulated as Washington state’s legal cannabis market. The state has the power to shut down producers, processors and retailers, though it rarely takes such action.
One Spokane business found itself on the wrong side of that authority this year.
Royals Cannabis on North Division Street has been shut down by the state after regulatory violations.
Multiple attempts by the Inlander to contact representatives from Royals went unanswered.
A June 24 final order from the
Liquor and Cannabis Board indicates that Royals’ license is suspended unless and until it pays back at least $265,331 in cannabis excise taxes and penalties (which continue to accrue) and removes the current owner from any involvement in the business within 90 days.
Royals received multiple warnings and then violations for failure to submit monthly tax reports/payments between March 2024 and January 2025, according to the order. A Jan. 31 notice that the license is revoked until tax payments are made is still taped to the business’ door, and the Royals website is no longer functional.
As of mid-June, there have been 2,657 documented regulatory violations by licensed retailers, producers and processors in the decade-plus since recreational cannabis was legalized in Washington.
Of those, at least 55 have fallen into the same category that has caused an issue for Royals.
Despite the seemingly high number of violations over the past 11 years, the number of businesses shuttered by the state is relatively low.
While almost all other businesses
operating legally within the state of Washington are liable to close for any number of reasons, cannabis retailers are a unique case. Cannabis retailers can only operate legally if they have a licence issued by the state’s Liquor and Cannabis Board, or LCB, and there are only a set number of those licences available.
According to the most recent state data, there are 451 active cannabis retail licenses in the state, 32 of which are located in Spokane County.
When a licensed retailer closes, whether it’s forced to do so by the state or it simply goes out of business, its license can eventually be made available for a new retailer to take its spot.
As the Inlander was unable to contact representatives from Royals, it’s unclear what the future holds for its specific licence.
What is known, however, is that Spokane County has a set number of licences available. As of 2024, that number was 33, though that is set to rise slightly with the impending implementation of the state’s cannabis social equity program.
Since the state’s legal marketplace opened in 2014, 26 licensed retailers have gone out of business for one reason or another in Spokane County alone. n
Unpaid taxes? Might lose your license.
BE
For more information, consult the Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board at www.liq.wa.gov.
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.
GRAND REOPENING
68. Refuge from the sun
69. “Where the Sidewalk ___” (Shel Silverstein book)
