Spring Is Near, And So Are All Those Home Improvement Projects

First, it was Punxsutawney Phil. Then, the National Weather Service. Believe one or both, but spring is here.

And you know what that means: It’s time to face that list of home improvement projects you compiled this winter. Or, it’s time to fantasize about all the projects you’d do if you had the cash.

The stuff dreams are made of will be in one place this weekend, at Jim Custer’s 1995 Home and Yard Show at the Spokane Interstate Fairgrounds.

Hundreds of vendors will be there, showing their wares for home improvement, home furnishing and yard and landscaping. Bring your checkbook if you’re serious about this spring thing.

Admission is $4; children under 12 are free. Hours are noon to 10 p.m. today, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday.

Or, procrastinate

If you’d rather use your money to make money (or lose it, as the case may be), head out to Eastern Washington University on Saturday for Club Vegas and Monte Carlo Night.

Monte Carlo Night is a real-money gambling event sponsored by the Eagle Athletic Association on the second floor of the EWU Pence Union Building. People 21 years and older are invited to try their hand at Black Jack, Over-Under Seven, 4-5-6, Roulette and Wheel of Fortune. Admission is free. It runs from 6:30 p.m. to midnight.

Club Vegas is a gambling-for-prizes evening with no age restriction, sponsored by the Associated Students of EWU, that runs from 7 p.m. to midnight on the PUB main floor. Pay $3 at the door for your play money and gamble for a variety of prizes. There will be music by The Trenchcoats and a hypnotist will also perform.

Of course, if you’d prefer to hold on to your money, you can simply go to the EWU Eagles basketball game against Northern Arizona at 4 p.m. at Reese Court. Admission is $5 and $6.

For music lovers

Acoustic music aficionados should catch Women Folk Productions’ evening of music Saturday by local singer-songwriters Kathy Colton of Coeur d’Alene and Wild Roses - Beth & Cinde of Sandpoint.

The coffeehouse-style event will be held at the Lakeside Center (421 Lakeside, Coeur d’Alene) at 8 p.m. Tickets are available at the door for $8 a person or $15 a couple. Call (208) 765-1788 for more information.

The Spokane Folklore Society series of family dances and potluck dinners continues Saturday from 4:30 to 8 p.m. at the Woman’s Club Hall, at Ninth and Walnut.

Dances will be taught to American and international folk music. Between sets, Cecilia McGowan will tell stories for young and old and Melanie Jablonsky will sing.

The potluck is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. Bring your own utensils, plates and a favorite dish to share.

Admission is $4, $3 for Folklore members, $2 for kids. All dances are drug-, alcohol- and smoke-free.

Plan ahead for this one: The Harlem Spiritual Ensemble, an American Negro spiritual performance group, will appear at WSU’s Beasley Coliseum at 8 p.m. Tuesday.

Comprised of six singers and two instrumentalists, the group has appeared throughout America since its Carnegie Hall debut in 1991. The group hopes to preserve the art of the Negro spiritual by singing songs like “Go Down Moses” in their original form. The songs are different from gospel music because the spirituals were composed in fields with no musical accompaniment. The Harlem Spiritual Ensemble is the only group performing this kind of music.

Reserve tickets are $12 to $15, $10 to $12 for seniors and $8 to $10 for students. General admission seats are $6. Call 335-1514 for reservations.

Stuff for sale

KPBX FM 91 is holding its fifth annual Recording and Videos Sale Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Cavanaugh’s Fourth Avenue.

The sale features both new and used CDs, records, video and audio tapes donated by local individuals and businesses, featuring everything from classical to contemporary music.

Proceeds benefit the listener-supported radio station.

Spokane Community College’s environmental science clubs are hosting a spring craft fair from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday in the SCC Lair Student Center.

The fair will feature handmade crafts by more than 100 vendors. It’s open to the public and admission is free. Proceeds will go for scholarships and student activities.

Playing around

You’ve got your choice of four community productions this weekend. Here they are:

“The Man of LaMancha” opens tonight at 8 at the Woodland Theatre in Kettle Falls. The musical runs Saturday (8 p.m.) and Sunday (2 p.m.) and March 2-5 and 9-11. Tickets are $8 in advance ($6 for Thursdays) and $10 at the door. Call 684-6811 for reservations.

Gonzaga University students will perform “Waiting on FM,” an annual presentation of student skits at 10 p.m. tonight and Saturday in Russell Theatre.

Tickets are $2 ($3 at the door). Call 328-4220, ext. 3253 for advance tickets.

EWU Theatre opens “Little Shop of Horrors” tonight at 8 p.m. in the University Theatre. The musical thriller runs Saturday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and March 3-4 as well.

Admission is $5 for the general public. It’s free to EWU students with valid identification. Call 359-6400 for more information.

The Cutter Theatre in Metaline Falls is hosting a lecture at 7:30 p.m. Saturday by Playworks called “Red Wagon: A Theatrical Exploration of Aging.” The event uses theatrical passages to present a montage about life’s changes through and beyond middle age.

Admission is free but donations will be accepted. Call 446-4108 for more information.

One last thing

The German-American Society of Spokane presents “Fasching” at 8 p.m. Saturday in the Deutches Haus, W25 Third. Fasching is the German version of Mardi Gras and the Society celebrates with a masquerade ball every year.

Admission is $8. For reservations call 747-6898 or 624-0664. You must be 21 or older.

MEMO: This sidebar ran with story: OUTSIDE This spring-like weather begs a walk in the park. Why not enjoy some of the lesser-known parks that won’t lure you with flowers later in the summer? For a walk among the trees, try Comstock Park on 29th Avenue or Audubon Park on Northwest Boulevard. Actually, any park-like space in your neighborhood will be suitable.