In brief: Staged news will fete Constitution

RIVERSIDE – On Saturday, the Esther Reed Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution will have a special presentation to celebrate the Constitution, as part of as Constitution Week.

The event will begin at 1:30 p.m. near the Harold Balazs fountain, by the Looff Carrousel in Riverfront Park. The program will feature Spokane actor Christopher Lamb standing on a soapbox, giving historically accurate news of the writing of the Constitution, as that news might have been given by a Town Crier of the time. He will be surrounded by an audience including people dressed as Colonial militia, Colonial citizens, Civil War soldiers and suffragettes. The second half is a short presentation regarding the responsibilities of citizenship under the Constitution.

For additional information call (509) 328-8320.

Concert benefits local drummer

BEMISS – Music lovers are invited to a benefit concert and auction for Mark Pieroni on Sunday at Bluz at the Bend, 2721 N. Market St. Doors open at 4 p.m. and the fun runs until midnight.

Pieroni, a longtime local musician/drummer of Spokane’s The Perones, has been accepted into the liver transplant program at Swedish Hospital after being diagnosed with liver cancer. Pieroni’s brother, Jon, the lead singer of The Perones, died of liver disease about a year ago. The event will help raise funds for Pieroni’s medical expenses and upcoming surgery.

Local musicians performing on Sunday include Big Mumbo with Robert Vaughn, The Perones, Cary Fly, The Fat Tones, Trailer Park Girls and more. Auction items include rare books, jewelry and art by David Govedare, Tom Norton and Kathleen Cavender.

For more information call Kathleen Cavender at (509) 868-3684.

Bluegrass coming to St. John’s

ROCKWOOD – The community is invited to “Bluegrass in the Cathedral” on Sept. 30 at St. John’s Cathedral, 127 E. 12th Ave., to benefit Catholic Charities of Spokane.

Bluegrass fans can begin the evening with a beer-and-wine social at 5:30 p.m., and the bluegrass tunes start at 7, with the Panhandle Polecats and Molly and Tenbrooks.

Tickets for the concert are $10 per person. Beer is $3 a bottle and wine is $5 a glass.

Tickets may be purchased through TicketsWest at (800) 325-7328. For more information, call Catholic Charities at (509) 358-4264 or St. John’s Cathedral at (509) 838-4277.

EWU food drive brings in tons

CHENEY – Eastern Washington University’s community food drive to benefit the Cheney Food Bank, Cheney Outreach and Spokane’s Second Harvest was a success. The drive brought in 5,352 pounds of food and $13,684 to help local people in need.

The Cheney Food Bank will receive approximately $6,400 in cash donations, along with a portion of the food to stock their shelves. The “backpack for food” program for Communities in Schools of Spokane County will receive approximately $4,620.

COPS fundraiser will be Oct. 15

NORTHWEST – COPS Northwest is selling tickets for their all-you-can-eat pancake breakfast, to be held at Applebee’s North, 9634 N. Newport Hwy, from 8 to 10 a.m., on Oct. 15.

Tickets are $6 per person. Proceeds will benefit COPS Northwest.

To purchase tickets and for more information, call (509) 625-3336.

Friends of Manito to host kids’ fair

MANITO/CANNON HILL – The Friends of Manito will hold the annual Children’s Renaissance Faire on Saturday in Manito Park, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The event will include storytelling, games, music, magicians and crafts, and kids can dress in Renaissance costumes.

The event is free and open to the public.

For more information visit www.thefriends ofmanito.org.

Fundraising walk aids ALS patients

SPOKANE VALLEY – The seventh annual Walk to Defeat ALS will be Saturday at Mirabeau Meadows Park, 2426 N. Discovery Place. Check-in is at 9 a.m. and the walk begins at 10 a.m.

The walk is part of the ALS Association’s national signature event to raise funds for research and community-based patient services. ALS, commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, afflicts more than 30,000 Americans.

To register for the walk, visit www.walktodefeat als.org or call (866) 786-7257.