Party In The Valley This Year’s Valleyfest At Terrace View Park Will Let Valley Residents Show Community Spirit

Once a year Valley residents get a chance to come together as a community and celebrate what it means to live here. Today’s that day and Valleyfest’s the way.

With pomp and pageantry, a 9 a.m. rain-or-shine parade will kick off the big party. Sue Delucchi will lead the way as this year’s grand marshal.

Also marching will be the All-Valley Band, led by LaVerne Overbeck, band conductor at Bowdish Junior High School.

Anyone who plays an instrument can join the band, whose one and only song will be “Louie, Louie.” The band will reunite graduates of all Valley junior high and high schools as well as the band directors from the schools.

“Who knows how it’ll turn out?” said Overbeck. “It’s just going to be a whole lot of fun.”

Featured in the no-theme-necessary parade will be local veterans, clowns and any interested Valley residents - as well as the Lilac Festival float, the D.A.R.E. bus, Spokane police and sheriff’s cars and fire trucks, and a Kaiser Aluminum flatbed truck.

A contest for the best decorated bicycle will be judged during the parade.

Organizers made it clear that, this year, no politicians will be allowed to participate in the parade. They want the event to stay focused on families and community spirit, said this year’s director Peggy Doering.

Politicians can set up booths in the far southwest corner of the park, Doering said.

The parade will begin on McDonald Road at Keystone Elementary, turn left onto Saltese and end at Terrace View Park, where the festival-goers and picnickers will be waiting.

On hand in the parking lot will be Washington Water Power and Vera Power cherry-picker trucks for kids to take an in-the-bucket tour. The YMCA will have a small roller hockey arena set up for rollerbladers to take shots on goal. In the park, there’ll be an art fun center run by a local Camp Fire Boys and Girls group. At the center, kids can make a variety of pictures and crafts and play bingo.

Other arts and crafts booths will be set up along the perimeter of the park. Local organizations, including the library, hospitals, churches, schools and post office, will provide activities for the children such as face painting and toss-and-throw games. Doering wasn’t sure which organization was planning to bring some cats and dogs for a mini petting zoo.

“The biggest draw for this day is the community spirit that everyone shares in,” said Doering. Unity in the Valley is hard to come by and Valleyfest is the one thing that brings every one together, she said.

In 1990, about 4,000 people participated. That number has grown to the more than 25,000 who attended last year’s fest.

One of the most cherished Valleyfest traditions, the Oreo stacking contest, will again entertain the children and the squirrels underneath the cookie tables. The contest is sponsored by Tidyman’s, one of the event’s major supporters.

Jumping castles and batting cages will also be set up. Kids can register for the National Football League Punt, Pass and Kick contest, which is sponsored by Spokane County Parks. The day’s winner will go on to statewide competition.

And, of course, there will be lots of food. From an 8 a.m. pancake breakfast to taco, pizza and hot dog stands, no one should go hungry. The food is the only part of Valleyfest that people have to pay for.

Perhaps the most enjoyable aspect of Valleyfest will be the daylong entertainment provided by Valley residents. Workers set up a stage for the nine acts scheduled to appear. They include The Riders of the Rockin’ B Ranch, students from April Dawn Vogel’s voice school, the Greater Spokane Women’s Chorus and singer/songwriter Michael Robinson.

Even budding thespians are getting in on the fun. The Spokane Children’s Theater will perform the musical “Tom Sawyer,” and the Valley Theater Arts for Children will present a one-act play, “I’m a Celebrity.”

Some square dancing and knee slapping will occur when the Wild Rose Ramblers and Rose Buds take the stage. The Spokane Dance Center Dance Ensemble will put on its award-winning Broadway-style variety show. The Inland Northwest Dance Association will bring members from five area dance schools to perform together.

“You just never know what to expect from them,” said Gail Bongiovanni, dance association president.

“Last year, the little ones (ages 3 to 7) got up on the stage, sang the song and then took a bow. They had the audience in stitches.”

Festgoers already are saving their spots on the lawn for the Spokane Symphony’s 4 p.m. grand finale.

“The crowd definitely changes for that,” said Doering. “The families with small children tend to go home and older people come out, sometimes just for this performance.”

Doering said she was impressed with the number of local students who called her asking to volunteer at the celebration. Many of the teenagers had performed or participated in previous Valleyfests.

“These kids have come and enjoyed it in years past,” she said. “Now they’re coming back to the party to help others have fun. And that’s what it’s really all about.”

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MEMO: Three sidebars appeared with the story: 1. All-Valley Band takes all comers for parade march Years from now, musicians of all ages will fill Valley streets in small bands, each grouped by age and all belting out “Louie, Louie” as they lead the Valleyfest parade. That’s if LaVerne Overbeck has his way. Overbeck, the band director at Bowdish Junior High, will be conducting the All-Valley Band at this year’s celebration. He has great hopes for the ensemble - which has neither met nor practiced together before. “I envision it becoming bands within a band, all in different groups,” he said. There’d be senior citizens, teenagers, moms, dads and little ones all playing the unofficial state song. “We’re trying to start a Valley tradition,” he said. “Hopefully every year, they’ll be able to come back to the ‘Louie, Louie’ band and it’ll get bigger and bigger.” Overbeck doesn’t know the exact size of this year’s band. Members from nearly every Valley junior high and high school band will perform. But Overbeck said he’s not sure of any other volunteers. “I’m kinda crossing my fingers,” he said. “Won’t be sure until the day of who’ll turn out. Anything goes.” In his 24 years as band director at Bowdish, Overbeck said he’s never conducted a band in which the members never met before performing together. That’ll make Saturday’s lone 8 a.m. practice interesting. But, anyone who does help strike up the band won’t have too hard a time carrying the tune, he said. “If they’ve ever been a part of a pep band, they’ll know ‘Louie, Louie,”’ he said. Another reason for choosing the beloved song was that school started so close to Valleyfest. “We needed to pick something they might have done before.” There’s hardly any rules for being a band member. Simply wear any school’s colors or a shirt with a sports logo on it, he said. Hats and sunglasses are welcome, too. The band will play the song 10 to 15 times along the onemile parade route. “It’ll probably be very strange because their lips will cave in by the end,” said Overbeck. Jennifer Plunkett

2. Valleyfest schedule Valleyfest takes place today at Terrace View Park, 24th and Blake. Here’s the schedule of events: 8 to 11 a.m. Pancake breakfast in the park. Adults $4, Children $3.50 8 to 9:30 a.m. The Riders of the Rockin’ B Ranch will play during the pancake breakfast. 8 a.m. Fun run, Sunrise Elementary to park 9 a.m. Valleyfest parade begins at Keystone Elementary School 10 to 10:30 a.m. Students from April Dawn Vogel’s voice school will sing. 10:30 to 11 a.m. The Greater Spokane Women’s Chorus will present a barbershop quartet. 11 to 12:30 p.m. The Spokane Children’s Theater will perform the musical “Tom Sawyer.” 12:30 to 1:15 p.m. The Valley Theater Arts for Children will perform the one-act play “I’m A Celebrity.” 1 p.m. 1996 NFL Punt, Pass and Kick competition 1 p.m. Bingo, sponsored by U.S. Bank 1:15 to 2 p.m. The Inland Northwest Dance Association, with participants from area dance schools, will perform 2 to 2:30 p.m. Singer and songwriter Michael Robinson will perform some of his original songs. 2:30 to 3 p.m. The Wild Rose Ramblers and Rose Buds will square and round dance. 3 to 3:30 p.m. The Spokane Dance Center Ensemble will perform their award-winning Broadway-style variety show 4 p.m. Spokane Symphony concert.

3. If the weather’s wet… There’s rain in today’s forecast, and if the weather is too wet many Valleyfest activities will be canceled. Organizers say the parade and an 8 a.m. fun run will go no rain or shine, but other activities at the outdoor festival will not. The Spokane Symphony has set aside Sunday as a Valleyfest concert makeup date.