Dolly’s coming to town
HELLO, DOLLY. It’ll be nice to have you back in town. That would be Dolly Parton, who just announced this week that her “Hello, I’m Dolly” tour will hit Spokane on Dec. 18.
This tour will be her most extensive tour in 20 years, and will have an “intimate feel,” according to the promoters. The show will be in the Star Theatre, the smaller and cozier configuration of the Spokane Arena.
The show will cover every part of Parton’s four-decade career, from such early songs as “Joshua” and “Coat of Many Colors” to her recent mountain-tinged albums, “Little Sparrow” and “The Grass is Blue.”
The opening act will be the Grascals, a bunch of Nashville pros who will also serve as Dolly’s backup band.
Tickets will go on sale Oct. 2.
Discount ‘Producers’ matinee
A new $32 ticket price has been announced for the Sept. 23, 2 p.m. matinee performance of “The Producers,” the raucous Mel Brooks musical coming to the Spokane Opera House.
That’s as much as a $25 discount over the previously announced ticket prices for that show. It is available for new purchases only.
Also, this price is offered only for that Thursday matinee performance, not for any of the other shows in the eight-performance run, Sept. 21-26.
Ticket are available through TicketsWest outlets (325-SEAT, 800-325-SEAT, www.ticketswest.com).
Jamie Farr pinch-hits as George
In other Best of Broadway touring news, Jamie Farr (Cpl. Klinger in “M*A*S*H”) has taken over the Spokane date of “Say Goodnight, Gracie.”
That’s the one-man show about George Burns that was originally a vehicle for Frank Gorshin. However, because of health concerns, Gorshin is not doing all of the national tour dates. Farr is stepping in to do some of them, including the Feb. 16 date at the Spokane Opera House.
Tickets are available through TicketsWest.
Tim Adams moves – but not far
Tim Adams, a Spokane weathercaster for most of the last three decades, did his last broadcast at KHQ-6 last Sunday.
On Tuesday, he started his new gig at KNDU-TV and KNDO-TV in the Tri-Cities and Yakima, respectively. Those are KHQ’s sister stations and Adams will now be the main evening weather anchor for them.
“I get to be The Guy again,” said Adams, by phone from Kennewick. “It’s pretty neat. Up there (in Spokane) I was back on weekends and reporting a couple of days a week, which was OK for me, but not my first love.”
He has an apartment in Kennewick, but will still commute on weekends to his home in Spokane, where his two college-age daughters live.
Adams has been a weathercaster on and off for 26 years, and has been with KHQ for the past 12 years. His broadcasting career has been interrupted a couple of times by the call of duty; as a Navy Reservist, he did a one-year stint in Bosnia and 10 months in Bremerton after 9/11.
Changes at KPBX
Some shuffling is taking place at KPBX-FM (91.1, Spokane Public Radio) in the wake of Marty Demarest’s departure this summer.
Steve Jackson will take over as the permanent local host for “Morning Edition.” He will also continue to be the local announcer for “The Connection,” the morning show on sister station KSFC-FM (91.9).
John Vlahovich, currently “All Things Considered” host in the afternoons, will focus on reporting and editing. So the station is seeking a new local host for “All Things Considered.”
Cathedral and the Arts series
The Cathedral and the Arts series, which stages arts events at St. John’s Cathedral, has announced its 2004-05 series.
Here’s what’s coming up at that venerable and glorious location:
• Annual Fall Antique Show and Sale, Oct. 7 to 9: This will include a new event, the Preview Party and Sale, on Oct. 7.
• “American Carols,” Dec. 5: Free community holiday concerts, 4 and 7:30 p.m.
• “A Tapestry of Dance,” Jan. 15: A concert featuring the piano duo of Kendall Feeney and Margaret Brink, 7:30 p.m.
• “The Human Journey,” March 19: A concert featuring the Spokane Youth Orchestra and the Spokane Area Children’s Chorus, 7:30 p.m.
For information about the series, call 245-3107.
Von Trapps return
This just in: the singing Von Trapp Children, the grandchildren of the famous family immortalized in “The Sound of Music,” are making a return visit to Spokane for a concert Nov. 17 at The Met.
Tickets are $32 and $24 ($16 for children 12 and under), and go on sale next Friday at 10 a.m. through TicketsWest.