Classic cars, marching bands and floats make their way along East Main Street during the annual Flag Day parade in Fairfield on June 12, 2010. SR photo/Colin Mulvany

For the 101st time, the small town of Fairfield will host a Flag Day celebration this weekend. The community made a big to-do last year for the 100th celebration, but things are a bit more toned down this year. Things start at 7 a.m. Saturday with late registration for the Flag Flyin' Fun Run in the Lower Park (the run starts at 8) and the fireman's breakfast in the Community Center on Main (which continues until 9:30 a.m.)

The kids parade down Main Street starts at 10:30 a.m. and the grand parade will follow at 11 a.m. Lunch will be available in the Community Center after the parade. Parents can bring the kids to Thiel Park where there will be music, a bouncing castle, food, vendors and crafts all day. Adults can visit the beer garden that will open at 11:30 a.m. and keep serving up the suds until dark.

It sounds like there will be something for everyone on Saturday. Fairfield is easy to find. Just head south on Highway 27 until you hit Fairfield. The challange will probably be in finding a place to park.

It seems awfully early to be talking about the elections scheduled for this fall, but it's really not. The candidate filing week is June 6-10 and there are a ton of seats up for election in local city councils and school boards. Anyone who doesn't file at the Spokane County Elections Office by the end of the day on June 10 will not be on the ballot this fall. Some candidates, however, have already thrown their hat in the ring by filling out Public Disclosure Commission documents so they can start fundraising now.

The City of Spokane Valley has four council seats up for election and three of those already have announced candidates. Councilman Dean Grafos is running for re-election and planning commission chairman John Carroll has filed to run against him. The newest appointees to the council, Arne Woodard and Chuck Hafner, are running for election in order to continue serving out the terms they were appointed to. So far no one has filed to run against them. Councilman Bill Gothmann has announced he will not run for re-election and so far no one has filed for his seat (though I am hearing things that indicate that will change soon).

And it's not just Spokane Valley. This fall the Liberty Lake Mayor and four council seats are up for election. There are three seats on the Millwood City Council, plus three each on the Fairfield City Council, Latah City Council, Rockford City Council, Central Valley School District and Freeman School District. There are two seats up for grabs for the East Valley School District, the Liberty School District and West Valley School District. Plus there will be a scattering of fire district commissioners and one Liberty Lake Sewer and Water District commissioner on the ballot.

For an off year election, the ballot is going to be pretty crowded in November. So sit down and buckle up. It should be a fun ride.

The town of Fairfield recently had several trees removed from Hart Park. The wood will be given away on a “true need basis.” Those interested in getting some of the fire wood must be Fairfield residents and must be able to haul it away themselves. A limited amount is available. There is a sign up sheet in City Hall and the decision on who will receive the wood will be made at closing time Friday.

The town of Fairfield will host a special meeting Tuesday to discuss upcoming work to be done in Hart Park. Residents are encouraged to attend to give input and hear about the plans. The meeting will begin at 6 p.m. tomorrow in Hart Park.

People in certain neighborhoods have already seen the bright orange “road construction” signs popping up, which means it's time for the annual road construction season story in the Valley Voice. It will run tomorrow, complete with a nice map and information on the estimated start and stop times for each project. Then you'll be able to plot out your traveling routes for the coming months.

Residents in Fairfield will start seeing a new six percent utility tax on their electric bills in July after the city council recently approved the tax. Reporter Lisa Leinberger will have a story on a World War II veteran who recently visited a humanities class at Central Valley High School to talk about his war-time experiences. There will also be another Spokane Valley City Council candidate annoucement.

The Washington State Patrol has closed Highway 27 between Fairfield and Tekoa because of poor visibility. It is unknown when the road may reopen. Be very careful when driving through areas prone to drifting and blowing snow.

Apparently if you live in Otis Orchards or Fairfield you can't use your snow day to head to the library to check out a fresh batch of books. The Spokane County Library District has closed those branches because of the weather. Check here for a full story.

North Palouse Community Food Bank president Sheila Dyer assists a client last Thursday. Although the food bank is open only limited hours, Dyer will let people set up appointments for emergency needs. The food bank serves Fairfield, Rockford, Latah and Waverly. SR photo/J. Bart Rayniak

We've got items from just about every corner of the Valley in today's Valley Voice. Retired educator Chuck Hafner has thrown his hat in the ring by filing paperwork to run for a Spokane Valley City Council seat in November - but he hasn't decided which one yet. There will be three to chose from; the ones currently filled by Bill Gothmann and Dean Grafos and the seat vacated by Rose Dempsey.

The East Valley School District board voted this week to ask voters to pass at $33.75 million bond on April 26. It would mean improvements to Trentwood, East Farms, Otis Orchards, Skyview and Trent Elementary schools.

The North Palouse Community Food Bank has been quietly serving the communities of Fairfield, Rockford, Latah and Waverly since 2005. It relies on the generosity of residents and community food drives. Reporter Lisa Leinberger checked in with the third graders at Pasadena Park Elementary who have made crafts for the Iditarod mushers.

The Spokane Valley City Council voted to ban the sale of e-cigarettes to minors and also to accept a grant to put in sidewalks on 24th between Adams and Sullivan.

We've got tons of good stuff coming your way again in Thursday's Valley Voice. The East Valley School Board voted to take the plunge and ask residents to approve a bond on the April ballot. The Spokane Valley City Council had a fairly short meeting Tuesday, but did vote to approve a ban on selling e-cigarettes to minors.

The North Palouse Community Food Bank in Fairfield has been well supported by the community. It serves the towns of Fairfield, Rockford, Latah and Waverly and we went down there last week to so how they do it. Reporter Lisa Leinberger talked to some third graders at Pasadena Park Elementary who have been learning about the Iditarod sled dog race. The students made centerpieces that will be shipped to Alaska to decorate the tables of the mushers who will gather for a banquet.

There will also be another Spokane Valley campaign announcement for the November election. You'll have to check out the Valley Voice tomorrow for more details. 

Saturday's Valley Voice is going to be packed with good stuff. Even though Monday is a holiday, I plan to drop in and post some links. But if you can't wait that long, tomorrow you can check out our newly redesigned Voices web page that just pops with pictures.

The Fairfield City Council held a public hearing this week to discuss a proposal to add a 6 percent utility tax on electrical bills to help pay for street maintenance. A crowd of about 20 residents turned out, which is a large showing in a town of only 587 residents.

The Spokane Valley Fire Department arrested Anthony W. Sotin in connection with two recent arson fires. He was indicted by a Federal grand jury this week. His lengthy criminal record includes a previous conviction for arson.

Both Spokane Valley and Liberty Lake have been having problems with garage burglaries lately. Police urge people to lock up at night to foil the thieves that are apparently roaming the neighborhoods in the early morning hours looking for crimes of opportunity.

Reporter Lisa Lienberger talked to some Ness Elementary students who spent part of their day recently helping hand out food for Second Harvest at Millwood Presbyterian Church.

Since there is no Spokane Valley City Council meeting tonight, I may head south and drop in on the Fairfield City Council meeting instead. At tonight's meeting there will be a public hearing on a proposed utility tax to raise money for street maintenance, which will probably garner some interest from residents. There should be time for a questions from the public. The meeting starts at 7 p.m. at Fairfield City Hall, 218 E. Main.

A whole bunch of roads in south Spokane County are closed because of blowing and drifting snow, but the one that probably impacts Valley residents the most is the closure of Highway 27 from Fairfield to Oakesdale. I also heard some reports earlier of three cars stuck in a big snow drift at Barker Road and Euclid. I’m not sure if that has been cleaned up yet, so it might be best to steer clear of the area. Anyone interested in the full list of highway closures can visit the Department of Transportation web site.

If you have pictures of winter weather that you would like to share, send them to me at ninac@spokesman.com and I’ll get them posted.  

The town of Fairfield has rescheduled its public hearing on the proposed 2011 property tax levy to 7 p.m. on Nov. 23 at City Hall, 218 E. Main. Also, the Fairfield council voted this week to raise sewer rates $3 a month in 2011 and an additional $2 a month in 2012 and 2013.