Valleyfest

The Spokane area is home to many nationally known events, and Valleyfest organizers have aspirations that the Spokane Valley festival will soon be one of them. The community-oriented festival has grown from a one-day celebration with a tiny parade to a three-day event that’s holding the Valley’s first nighttime parade in more than 16 years, and bringing in well-known musicians.

This year’s Valleyfest starts Friday night and continues through Sunday.

Valleyfest Director Peggy Doering is responsible for much of festival’s success. And she says she’s not done yet.

“Many festivals were started in church basements and spare bedrooms by grassroots groups, and grew into national tourist events,” Doering said. “So we can always dream big.”

The Spokane Valley resident started her work with Valleyfest in 1990 organizing food booths and making cotton candy. She became director in 1996 when the first director, Sue Delucchi, moved away.

Doering remembers each Valleyfest, and the growing pains that have gone along with the event that’s now in its sixteenth year.

“The first parade had two fire trucks, a garbage truck and three kids on bikes,” Doering said.

Friday night will mark Valleyfest’s first nighttime parade, which will showcase Spokane Valley by traveling down a stretch of East Sprague Avenue. The parade, themed “Hearts of Gold,” will include more than 100 entries and more than 2,000 people. Doering also boasts the parade’s first inflatable balloon, a 35-foot Volkswagen from Best Buy’s Geek Squad.

Norma Ventris, Greg Bever and Linda Ashlock, widow of Denny Ashlock, are this year’s parade grand marshals. The three were selected to lead the festivities because of their roles in creating Mirabeau Point Park, new home to Valleyfest, and CenterPlace, a community center, which will officially open Saturday with a ribbon cutting.

In past years, Rep. Tom Foley, former speaker of the House from Spokane, was the most famous grand marshal of the parade, Doering recalled. Valleyfest received national media attention that year.

“That was the year we had the Secret Service here,” Doering said. “I was so surprised when I saw them at the pancake feed. I offered them something to eat, but they said no. Time magazine or Newsweek, one of them had a photo of Foley in the parade.

“But we also had a lot of protesters along the parade route that year,” she said. “And that prompted us to change our policy about people who were campaigning for office being in the parade.”

Friday’s parade will kick off the festivities, which span three days instead of being packed into one, another first.

Valleyfest has gone through great growth along with Spokane Valley, and people who have heard about it in Missoula and in Oregon have started coming, Doering said.

“It has a unique family feel, and everything is free,” the director said of Valleyfest’s draw. “Many people come as vendors.”

Last year’s move from Terrace View Park to Mirabeau Point Park to accommodate the increased attendance and participation was another sign of growth. More than 28,000 people made their way to Valleyfest last year.

The number of participants has also increased from a handful of booths to 130, which include nonprofit organizations, entertainment, arts and crafts and food.

The entertainment has evolved from popular local acts to musicians with national status. Two original members of the former rock band Heart – Roger Fisher and Mike Derosier – will perform with the Geoffrey Castle Band.

The live music continues with LaRae Wiley, who performs Native American influenced acoustic folk-rock, plus musical performances by high school bands, Spokane Taiko Drummers, Big Red Barn, 7th Degree and Sidetrack.

Instead of having one stage, there will be four entertainment stages, Doering said. Two stages will be in Mirabeau Point Park, one will be at CenterPlace, and the other at the YMCA’s skate park.

Doering, who quit her job as volunteer coordinator at Meal on Wheels to be the Valleyfest’s director is now in her 10th year.

“She does this out of love for the event and the Valley,” said Valleyfest co-chair Mary Farley. “It’s truly a big part of her heart.

“Peggy has boundless energy,” Farley said of Doering’s ambitions. “She is our Energizer Bunny. We can all be there lying on the floor complaining we can’t possibly do any more, and she is still going.”

Doering admits her volunteers are spread as thin as they can possibly get, and she’s going to eventually need more. The amount of volunteers hasn’t gone up, despite the Valleyfest’s growth, the volunteers are just wearing more hats, she said.

Doering is excited about the changes and new additions to Valleyfest, and she has no plans to slow down.

“I’m working with the Spokane Sports Commission about adding some kind of regional sports event,” Doering said. “It’s too early to say exactly what we’re doing, but it would take another level of volunteers. On the parade, I’d like to develop it so that we have a national sponsorship so they advertise for it, and market it.

“We want to retain the genuine personality of Valleyfest,” she said. “But there are opportunities to include activities in the week before or the week after to involve more people.”

While Doering is continuously considering Valleyfest’s future, she’s also basking in this weekend’s festival.

“The week before Valleyfest is my favorite,” Doering said. “I get to build a city.