Washington Voices

In the early 1900s the town of Valleyford, just south of Spokane, was thriving, with its own bank, two hotels, a school, newspapers, various businesses and a railroad depot. It’s a very different community now – not many buildings are left from those golden days – but it’s hardly a ghost town. Valleyford is celebrating its heritage this Saturday when the Valleyford Historical Club hosts its first historical walk at 11 a.m., starting from the On Sacred Grounds Coffee, Tea & Specialty Shoppe on the Palouse Highway. Members of the club will provide narration during the half-hour walk, with information distilled from written recollections of residents from the 1920s.

So you want to go on a road trip but you don’t have a car? Here’s an idea: take the bus. Obviously, Spokane Transit Authority doesn’t service Lake Coeur d’Alene – though that sure would be nice – but there are many other destinations around town it’s easy to get to on an STA bus. If you are a first-time bus rider, the best thing to do is use Trip Planner on STA’s website and look up the best connection to your destination.

The Rev. Victor Blazovich has only been in his new position as senior pastor at St. Mary’s Catholic Church since the beginning of the month, but he’s already enthusiastic about the parish and how he is fitting in there. St. Mary’s is the second largest parish in the Spokane Diocese and the largest in Spokane County. “It feels so right here in the Valley,” said Blazovich.

For years, Devonia Grashio stood behind her man, Air Force Col. Samuel C. Grashio. She watched him go off to war in 1941 as a flying cadet in the Army Air Corps. When he went missing, she took a course in drafting at Gonzaga University and went to work for Boeing to support her children. Her husband returned a year later and gained much attention as a survivor of the Bataan Death March and one of few to escape a POW camp in the jungles of the Philippines.

Not all art is found in galleries or museums. In fact, motorists and pedestrians who travel through the railroad underpass on Fourth Avenue, east of Sunset Boulevard, have a visual treat in store. A serene aqua-colored river painted on a lilac background sparkles in its urban setting. That underpass is one of three receiving artistic makeovers this summer, courtesy of the Inland Northwest Community Foundation, Rotary Club 21 and the Spokane Arts Commission. Karen Mobley, the city’s arts director, said the Spokane Arts Commission has been working on graffiti abatement since the 1990s.

The only hint of the fantastic garden behind Randy and Sharon Miceks South Hill house was the pink Knockout roses lining the curb. The real treat was behind an Asian style gate that opened onto the perfect place to be after a hot summer day. The perfect garden to win the June Garden of the Month contest. Randy opened the gate and led us down a narrow stone path lined with leafy perennials and peonies. The heat of the afternoon disappeared. A few more steps and we were standing at the edge of a luscious series of garden rooms full of color and begging to be walked through.

In 1950, Patrick Tracy and his wife Norann opened up Tracy Jewelers on the northeast corner of Sprague Avenue and Argonne Road. He focused mainly on selling and repairing watches. This year, his daughter, Maureen Tracy, 58, will be celebrating the 60th anniversary of the store, now at 106 N. Evergreen Road.