Picnic to benefit Spokane Valley Heritage Museum

There is an increased chance of rain in the forecast for Thursday evening.

That forecast has nothing to do with cold fronts, low-pressure areas or barometric readings anywhere in the area. The weather forecasters on the nightly news aren’t making this prediction.

Still, the odds favor the wet stuff.

And just why, you ask, is there a better than average chance at precipitation Thursday?

The Spokane Valley Heritage Museum plans to celebrate its third anniversary.

With a picnic.

Picnic – a six-letter word that, especially during spring, attracts rain almost as well as a freshly washed and waxed automobile.

The museum’s anniversary celebration will run from 6 until 8 p.m. at Opportunity Presbyterian Church, 202 N. Pines Road. Rain or shine.

“Well, it will be indoors,” museum director Jayne Singleton laughed. “We’re holding it in the church’s banquet hall. That means no rain and no ants.”

The picnic is a fundraiser for the museum, and you can reserve a spot by calling 922-4570. Museum membership information will be available for those interesting in becoming a sponsor for Spokane Valley’s historic repository.

There will be picnic-style food, and music by the Valley Fiddlers.

And plenty of history on display.

“We’re going to have a selection of our display items there for people to see,” Singleton said. “I can’t tell you exactly what that will be because we’re still in the process of selecting what we’ll be taking over.”

Items of historic interest, such as framed historic photos, will be raffled off to raise funds.

The museum itself is located in a Spokane Valley landmark – Opportunity Township Hall, 12114 E. Sprague Ave., which was built in 1912 and is now listed in the Washington State and National Historic registers.

The museum’s current exhibit features the Greater Spokane connection to Grand Coulee Dam. A preview can be seen online at www.valleyheritagecenter.org.

“This has been a very popular program – surprisingly so,” Singleton said. “We weren’t sure at first how popular this would be. But when you have the eighth wonder of the world in your backyard like we do, you can’t be too surprised.”