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Spangle Harvest Fest a celebration for town

Glennda Briggs stands outside Spangle Washington in front of a large flag that the Service Club bought for the town. Briggs helped found the Spangle Harvest Festival in 1996. (CHRISTOPHER ANDERSON / The Spokesman-Review)
Wendy Huber Correspondent
Glennda Briggs stands outside Spangle Washington in front of a large flag that the Service Club bought for the town. Briggs helped found the Spangle Harvest Festival in 1996. (CHRISTOPHER ANDERSON / The Spokesman-Review)

SPANGLE – With the help of a couple of friends, Glenda Briggs began the Spangle Harvest Festival in 1996 and has been organizing it since.

At first it was only the three of them planning and running the whole event. When the Spangle Service Club allowed women to join about 10 years ago, then they, too, helped with the festival. It’s still a time of frenzied activity up to the last moment.”

“The Harvest is always a last-minute deal because everyone is on vacation in August,” smiles Briggs.

Starting with a fun run Saturday morning, followed by a pancake breakfast and a variety of events such as a craft fair, bike race, and home run derby, there is plenty to arrange. But for Briggs, who is also past president of the Spangle Service Club, it’s just one more way to show her regard for the town.

“This is one of the best communities you’ll ever live in. Ever,” says Briggs, whose job during the festival is to hustle about the grounds, ensuring all is going well.

One of the more uncommon offerings of the festival is the Chips Kids ID Project. Sponsored by the Masonic Lodge and the Spangle Service Club, a DNA swab, dental impression, fingerprints and video are taken of children. Then all the information is given to the parents in case the child ever goes missing or is abducted and needs to be identified.

This is just one of the free events of the festival. Music will be provided all day, and there’s a parade, an evening dance with Classic Country Entertainment – all with no admission fee.

“We don’t do this to make money,” says Briggs. “It’s to give the town a fun day.”

Although there were only 240 people in the last census taken of Spangle, between 800 and 1,000 people attend the Spangle Harvest Festival, spread throughout the day. Many residents of surrounding towns attend in reciprocation for Spangle residents attending their festivals. This is one custom the small towns have to support each other.

The biggest crowd is for the parade, but a lot depends on the weather and the time of harvest. If the harvest is late then the farmers will still be busy and won’t yet be celebrating.

There are about 20 people on the festival committee. They usually start planning in the spring, then by June, the end of the official year for the Spangle Service Club, comes the real focus. The committee members enjoy discussing entertainment for every age.

“It’s a family affair, something for everyone,” said Vonice Parker.

“The bottom line is that it’s just a fun event for the whole family,” said Jerry Schieche.

On the day itself there will be nearly 50 volunteers at the festival. The Spangle Saloon will reopen for the first time since their June fire. The best part for Briggs, however, is the townspeople.

“To look around, and see some of the people that don’t get out very often, but they come out for this day, is what makes this town what it is,” says Briggs. “It’s the community that makes this town.”