Great Music Is All Around, But You May Have To Drive A Bit

Fri., July 21, 1995

Anne Windishar

If you want good music this weekend, hit the road.

There are three music festivals this weekend, far and farther. But if they live up to press material, they could be worth the drive.

The largest is the Winthrop Rhythm & Blues Festival at the Blues Ranch, one mile west of Winthrop (north of Lake Chelan).

It’s about a four-hour haul, but blues greats like Booker T & the MGs, Dorothy Moore, Too Slim and the Taildraggers and others will be waiting. There’s a giant street dance tonight and the show runs from noon to midnight on Saturday, from noon to 6 p.m. on Sunday.

Tickets, as well as reservations for lodging and on-site camping, are available from Central Reservations, (509) 996-2148. Advance admission is $35 for all three days. Tickets at the gate are $40. Kids under 12 are free.

If your tastes tend more toward reggae, hit the Roots Mountain Reggae festival Saturday outside Tonasket in north central Washington.

Headlining the event this year is IJahman Levi, a British-based Jamaican reggae singer who rarely makes a North American appearance. Several other national and regional acts will perform.

Billed as a benefit for the Community Cultural Project of Tonasket, the event will raise money for a cultural center - a smoke-free and alcohol-free place for people to gather for music, dance, education and networking.

Tickets are $25 at the gate, which opens at 10 a.m. The price includes camping until noon on Sunday. The concert is 12 miles east of Tonasket on U.S. Highway 20, at the Barter Fair site. No alcohol permitted.

On a smaller scale, the Panida Theatre and Gregory’s Restaurant in Sandpoint are holding Creole on the Creek, a night of Cajun food, fun and jazz behind the theater.

Jambalaya and red beans and rice are on the menu, but there will be hot dogs and burgers for the wimps. The event is a fund-raiser to pay off the remaining Panida mortgage. Tickets are $14, $5 for kids 10 and under. Tickets are available at Java Adagio, Eve’s Leaves or Gregory’s Restaurant, all in Sandpoint.

WoodWorks

Republic is combining its annual Ferry County Draft Horse Show with WoodWorks: Washington’s Timber Heritage, a celebration of cultural expression found throughout the state’s rural timber communities.

WoodWorks, funded by the National Endowment for the Arts and other organizations, brings with it six artists and craftspeople, and nine poets, singers and storytellers.

Exhibits and demonstrations show the variety of artistic expression devoted to depicting timber-related activities or working with wood directly. Poets and storytellers recite funny and tragic rhymes, sing old logger songs and talk about the timber experience.

At the same time, the draft horse show will be in full swing, with single and team events in the Ferry County arena. Several events will demonstrate the skill and strength of trainer and horse teams.

There’s a craft show, performing artists (including chain saw sculptors) and square dancing Saturday night.

Call the Republic Area Chamber of Commerce for complete information and directions at (509) 775-2704.

Music, music and beads

The Lake Chelan Bach Feste continues this weekend with three festival concerts: tonight and Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 4 p.m. at the Chelan High School performing arts center.

These concerts feature the festival’s symphony orchestra and chorus. On Saturday, two short operas will be performed at the same place: “The Telephone,” by Menotti; and “La Divina,” by Pasatieri.

Call (800) 4-CHELAN for ticket information.

Con Brio!, a classical guitar duo, will hold a concert at The Cutter Theatre in Metaline Falls at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday. Tickets, available at the door, are $5. And there’s on-site child care for $2.50 per child.

Artist Nicole Campanella will demonstrate her beadwork in the Museum Shop at Cheney Cowles Museum on Sunday from 1 to 4 p.m. For the last 10 years, Campanella has been devoted to the American Indian artistry of beads, leather and nature’s materials. The free demonstration is sponsored by the museum.

Later next week

I.K. Dairo will perform Wednesday at 8 p.m. in the Bryan Hall Auditorium at WSU’s Pullman campus. The Nigerian performers are considered the founders of Nigerian pop music - juju music or Afro-pop. Dairo invented the new genre in the 1960s by combining traditional Yoruba music with electric guitar and accordion. The concert is free.

The next lecture in the Cheney Cowles Museum series “Rivers and Dams: Promises, Progress and Perils” is 7:30 p.m. Wednesday. Members of local Indian tribes will talk about the consequences of the dams on the Spokane and Columbia rivers. The lecture is free.

, DataTimes MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: Getting out We know that going to the beach will occur to most of you who want to beat the heat. But if you’re in a quandry about which beach, don’t forget the county park at Bear Lake. It’s about a half-hour drive north of Spokane (just past Chattaroy) on the Newport Highway. The lake’s open noon to one hour before dark; the fee is $1.50 per person, kids 6 and under get in free. Pack your own snacks and air mattress. And leave the pooch home, no pets allowed at this beach.

This sidebar appeared with the story: Getting out We know that going to the beach will occur to most of you who want to beat the heat. But if you’re in a quandry about which beach, don’t forget the county park at Bear Lake. It’s about a half-hour drive north of Spokane (just past Chattaroy) on the Newport Highway. The lake’s open noon to one hour before dark; the fee is $1.50 per person, kids 6 and under get in free. Pack your own snacks and air mattress. And leave the pooch home, no pets allowed at this beach.