Washington Voices

The Valley HUB is a large but unassuming building in a field near Interstate 90, tucked behind a boat dealership and an RV dealership. Inside, however, the facility can host multiple simultaneous games of basketball or volleyball or both at once. The event facility at 19619 E. Cataldo Ave., just inside the boundaries of Liberty Lake, will be showcased during an open house for all ages Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Local coaches and experts will teach multiple sports, including basketball, volleyball, soccer, baseball, badminton, tennis and boxing. Mascots from local teams will compete for the HUB Sports Center Cup.

A park nearly a decade in the making is finally a reality as Spokane Valley’s new Discovery Playground approaches completion. The playground is scheduled for a grand opening in May, but only a few weather-dependent construction details remain. The general contractor, Ginno Construction of Coeur d’Alene, had announced that it planned to be finished by Christmas, well ahead of the city’s construction estimate. “They came very close,” said Parks and Recreation director Mike Stone.

On Monday evenings, the Masonic Center in downtown Spokane echoes with the sweet sound of strings, as members of Spokane Youth Symphony gather to rehearse. Since 1949, this organization has fostered the budding talent of young musicians. In honor of this contribution to the community, Mayor Mary Verner has proclaimed February as Spokane Youth Symphony Month.

First rule of the science competition: don’t touch the piano. Second rule: there’s no time to get lattes at the coffee stand in the lobby. Third rule: have fun. More than 170 middle school students from all over Spokane piled into Gonzaga University’s Cataldo Hall on Monday morning, ready to test their skills as windmill operators, foil boat floaters and straw tower builders.

Kylee Denevan, a sophomore at Whitworth University, was crowned Miss Spokane at Northern Quest Resort and Casino on Sunday. She will represent Spokane at the state pageant in Burien, Wash., in July. She received a $1,100 cash scholarship, a $6,000 in-kind scholarship from Gonzaga University, along with other gifts and awards. She was awarded $215 for most contestant program book ad sales; $50 for most pageant ticket sales; and $25 for most pageant personals sales. Other contestants include: Lauren Kuhn, first runner-up and Overall High Talent Award winner, received $700 in scholarships; Tiffany Yoder, second runner-up and Overall High Private Interview Award winner, received $500 in scholarships ; Kelly Fordham, High Non-Finalist Talent Award winner, was awarded a $200 scholarship; and Susan Harrison, High Non-Finalist Private Interview Award winner, received a $200 scholarship.

This Saturday many folks will be “freezin’ for a reason” in the frigid waters of Medical Lake as the fourth annual Polar Plunge gets under way. Since its inception, this event has raised thousands of dollars for Special Olympics Washington. Airway Heights police officer Mikeal Suniga has enjoyed participating in the Polar Plunge. So when the staff sergeant with the Washington State Air National Guard was deployed to Iraq earlier this year, he was disappointed to know he’d miss it.

On Super Bowl Sunday, Psycho Santa, Noddy from New Orleans, Madame Curry of the Spokane Opera, a mermaid named Splash and half a dozen others were conceived in the front room of Shear Illusions Salon and Boutique, 807 N. Argonne Road. The creators were participants in a Wackadoodle Doll Workshop, and they had fun. “It’s more of an experience than a workshop or class,” said Shear Illusions owner and hair stylist Bert McCollum. “So many women who participated professed not to be creative, but they bloomed and were proud of their creations.”