The Splash
16 • July 21, 2011
community
Italian Festival spices up LL Farmers Market By Kelly Moore Splash Staff Writer
The American Italian Club of Spokane will return to the Liberty Lake Farmers Market to host the 4th annual Italian Festival this Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The “Festivale Italiano” is a community celebration of the American-Italian tradition. The group is going with a somewhat pared down version from last year’s event after facing the deaths of two beloved club members within days earlier this month. Former presidents and longtime members Charlie Vingo and Wayne Rohme passed away just as the club started the festivalplanning phase. Club Vice President Holli Parker said the deaths rattled the club, but carrying on the festival was something they never questioned. “We’re going to have the tried and true basics there,” Parker said. This includes perhaps the most familiar Italian Festival fixture: an 11-foot replica of the Leaning Tower of Pisa. A photographer will be on hand for free pictures in front of the tower with props.
“Charlie (Vingo) loved having the tower out and about — it was his pride and joy,” Parker said. “Now, this year, it’s even more meaningful to have it out there.” Still, the festival revolves around fine Italian food. Cooking demonstrations are scheduled throughout the day, and Parker said vendors usually have Italian-themed specials. The American Italian Club of Spokane has a bake sale at the festival where they sell cookies made from their grandmothers' recipes. Proceeds from the sales will benefit the Doug Flutie Jr. Foundation for Autism. “It’s more about promoting the club than it is about getting out there and selling stuff,” Parker said. “That’s what our club is about.” New this year, opera singer Adriano Ferraro is scheduled to perform opera demonstrations. The club hopes to expand the festival back to a two-day event next year with activities in the park the Friday before the market, Parker said. For more information, visit www.llfarmersmarket.com.
Splash file photo
An 11-foot replica of the Leaning Tower of Pisa, a staple fixture of the Italian Festival, will be on display Saturday at the Liberty Lake Farmers Market.
Kiwanis takes reigns of Family Campout Community members invited to camp at Pavillion Park this weekend
be another option for dinner which will be available from 6 to 8 p.m. At dusk on Saturday, “Shrek 2” will be shown in the park. There will be a sausage and pancake breakfast the following morning from 8 to 10 a.m.
By Julia Marquiss Splash Intern
This year, the Family Campout torch was passed from Greenstone Homes to the Liberty Lake Kiwanis Foundation. Kiwanis members are putting on the event which begins at 5 p.m. Saturday and wraps up at 10 a.m. Sunday in Pavillion Park. Pat Dockrey, a Kiwanis member who has been involved in the campout since its beginning in 2009, said it was a logical takeover since Kiwanis had already provided the meals for the campout in years past. He said Kiwanis decided to extend the event simply because it’s a fun project, and the group has received a lot of positive feedback in past years during the Sunday breakfast. “I hope we can grow this over the next few years and make it an event that people look forward to each spring,” says Dockrey.
Because the campout is charging only $12 per camper (ages 2 and under and free), Dockrey said Kiwanis is not anticipating making a lot of money so this event will be more of a community service. Any funds raised will go to the Kiwanis Foundation for scholarships. “(Our scholarships) aren’t just for the senior-in-high-school-going-to-WSU type of thing,” Dockrey said. “We also fund trade schools. This past year we gave a scholarship for a beauty school.” Splash file photo
Liberty Lake Kiwanis is hosting the Family Campout this weekend in Pavillion Park. The camp starts with check in between 5 and 6 p.m. and tent setup between 5 and 8 p.m. Campers are asked to bring a tent,
sleeping bag, pillow and warm clothes. For this year’s campout, Dockrey said Kiwanis will have a portable wooden oven for cooking pizzas. Hot dogs will
Dockrey said the easiest way to register is to sign up online at www.liberty-lake. kiwanisone.org. People can also use the mail-in forms provided in The Splash or sign up the night of the campout during check in from 5 to 6 p.m. For additional questions, contact Dockrey at 926-3198 or pdockrey@ gmail.com.