Easter-Egg Hunts And Church Top List Of Weekend Activities
Plan ahead for a quiet, solemn weekend, even if you won’t be celebrating Easter.
Because this is one of those times when the People Who Plan Things didn’t plan much for fear of interfering with the Ultimate Planner. If you know what I mean.
There’s usually a dearth of entertainment options on Easter weekend. This year is no different, although there are a few events you could squeeze in here and there between coloring eggs, hunting for them and going to church.
The best one is in Cheney. Eastern Washington University concludes its American Indian Awareness Week with a grand finale powwow, tonight at 7 and from 1 p.m. to 1 a.m. Saturday.
This traditional powwow draws more than 1,000 participants from 25 tribes throughout the Northwest states. It caps a weeklong tribute to American Indians that included special performances and lectures.
The powwows will be held at the EWU Pavilion. The public is urged to attend; it’s free.
Beyond bathroom tile
Momentum Gallery and Spokane Art School are co-hosting the once-in-a-lifetime “Quarry Tile National Ceramics Invitational” through May 27.
The show includes extraordinary works and visions of eight leading ceramic artists. From murals to platters to sculptures, the artists capture all the uses and beauty of ceramics.
You can see the exhibit at the art school, 920 N. Howard, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. today and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday. Pieces are also on display at the Momentum Gallery, 221 N. Post, open today and Saturday from noon to 5:30 p.m.
Comedy comes back
It’s been awhile since Spokane had regular comedy nights with any success. Uncle D’s Comedy Underground hopes to change that with occasional visits from the pros.
It starts tonight with an all-ages show at 7 at Cavanaugh’s River Inn in the Shoreline Room. At 9 p.m., the under-21 crowd clears out to make way for Showtime’s Rod Long, a well-known comic.
The 7 p.m. show is $3 a person or $5 per couple. It’s a non-alcohol, nonsmoking show that features Bob Bailey (juggler) and Mick Akin (impressionist).
Long has been hailed as someone who will make you laugh through your tears. He’s well-known in Seattle and has opened for Ray Charles, Lou Rawls and others. Tickets for his show are $10 a person. Call 325-SEAT or get them at the door.
Readings
Poet Michael Heffernan, EWU’s Distinguished Visiting Writer, will give a reading from his works, including “Love’s Answer,” at Auntie’s Bookstore tonight at 7:30.
And the man known as “the other James Bond writer,” John Gardner, will be at Auntie’s to read from his new novel, “Confessor.” It’s free Saturday at 7:30 p.m.
Four other options
There will be crowds Saturday at Joe Albi Stadium and the Spokane Fairgrounds for Junior Bloomsday and the Silver Classic Car Auction, respectively. You might want to be there.
Junior Bloomsday kicks off at 9 a.m., with kids ages 5 to 12 running loops of one-half mile to two miles. It’s always fun, very rowdy and even suspenseful, as parents peer frantically for their kids to reappear after an unusually long run.
The car auction is a kick for buyers or lookers alike. You’re sure to see a variety of classic cars and may be tempted to bid on one if they seem to be going low.
Doors open at 8 a.m., the bidding starts at 10 a.m. Admission is $5.
The National Coalition of 100 Black Women, Inc., is holding its first membership drive from 2 to 4 p.m. Saturday at B&B Art Gallery, 208 W. Sprague.
And, finally, the Easter Egg Hunt in Spokane’s Riverfront Park will be at 2 p.m. in front of the Clock Tower. Kids ages 1 to 10 will be able to participate.
Best of all, all Riverfront Park rides will be open and special discount coupons will be given to egg collectors.
Stuff next week
If you’ve ever read the works of political columnist Molly Ivins, you know she speaks her mind. She’ll do so in Spokane at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday in the Martin Centre.
Ivins, a three-time Pulitzer finalist, is well known for her no-nonsense approach to writing about government and politicians. She’s a fantastic, hilarious speaker.
Call 325-SEAT for tickets. They cost $7.50 for students (with ID), $15 for general admission and $25 for the patron section, which includes reserved seating and entrance to a reception following the lecture.
The Spokane Folklore Society invites you to a Musician’s Jam Session and Contra Dance from 8 to 10 p.m. Wednesday at the Woman’s Club Hall, 1428 W. Ninth.
All area music makers and callers are invited. Dancers, too. You don’t need to bring a partner and you don’t need to know how. All dances are taught. The event is smoke-, drug- and alcohol-free.
Admission is $3.
On Wednesday, sculptor Kiki Smith will speak as the final artist in Cheney Cowles Museum’s National Endowment for the Arts Visiting Artists Series.
Smith is one of the best known of a new generation of artists who work with the figure. She uses human anatomy to describe social and cultural issues in a way both idiosyncratic and non-didactic.
She’ll speak at 7:30 p.m. at the museum. It’s free.
David Axelrod, 1992 Kaiser Award winner, will read from his works on the Washington State University campus at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday. The free reading will be in Avery Hall’s Bundy Reading Room.
And, finally, Leon Lederman, 1988 Nobel Prize winner in physics, will speak at this year’s Spokane Scholars Banquet on Thursday at 6 p.m. at the Spokane Ag Trade Center.
Tickets are $16 each, available at all area high schools. In addition to Lederman’s speech, six local students will be given awards for academic excellence.
MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: GETTING OUT A traditional - and sometimes chilly - way to begin Easter is at sunrise service. And, of course, it’s not really authentic if you aren’t outdoors where you can actually see the sun rise. For this experience, arrive at Greenwood Memorial Terrace, 211 N. Government Way, at 6:30 a.m. Sunday.