Washington Voices

Ten bands from Washington and one from Montana braved the cold last Saturday to show off their hard work this fall at the Pacific Northwest marching band competition at Joe Albi Stadium. A marching band show is more like a musical production. The wind players and the drum line not only march and play, but also perform a few dance moves.

On a pillar inside the Sprague Avenue entrance of the Davenport Hotel is a plaque honoring a man who resided at the hotel for a portion of the five years he lived in Spokane (1924-’29). The plaque is on a pillar opposite two other plaques declaring the hotel a National Historic Site. How fitting that these commemorations are in close proximity, for the man mentioned on the first plaque was a national treasure himself – Vachel Lindsay, an American poet whose genius was in transforming poetry into performance art, incorporating a theatricality into its recitation that was musical. The first American poet invited to lecture at Oxford, England, he was nationally known and gave poetry recitations to such luminaries as President Woodrow Wilson.

A typical farm museum is home to a collection of diesel-burning, gas-steaming and horse-powered pieces of farm equipment in various stages of working condition. Sometimes a few farm animals are part of the collection, and often visitors will find peculiar looking hand tools – no batteries required – from a couple generations ago. What most people don’t expect is a huge collection of ironstone china, a heavy-duty variety of dishware, painted in classic, beautiful patterns of thistle, morning glories and tea leaves, but that’s what can be found at the North Spokane Farm Museum.

The American Legion Auxiliary Unit 196 in Medical Lake is raffling off a quilt made by its members to benefit local veterans. The quilt has been displayed around the West Plains since July and is now at the Bank of Whitman, 8727 W. Highway 2, Airway Heights.

The Freeman and Liberty School Districts are a mix of contested and uncontested races in the ballots being mailed out this week for the November election. In Freeman the field was narrowed to two in the race for the seat left vacant by the resignation of Vicki Sellers. John Zingg and Allen Crist advanced from the primary election. Incumbents Chad Goldsmith and Diane Woodman are running unopposed for re-election.

While entertaining audiences, theater has the power to illuminate life and relationships. But for the actors, it can also forge and strengthen relationships. At least that’s what it’s done for the community theater group the Sage Players. The amateur theater group formed as an offshoot of a Readers’ Theatre class facilitated by Anne Selcoe through the Community Colleges of Spokane’s Institute of Extended Learning Senior Program. The class had so much fun with the play “Our Town” it decided to perform a stage reading of it last fall with the launch of the Sage Players.

A message from Drew Swank’s family … Thank you from the bottom of our hearts to all the folks throughout the Inland Northwest and beyond who’ve so lovingly reached out to our family to comfort us in this time of brokenheartedness. You’ve been so gracious in helping us to remember and to say goodbye to our son, Drew.

Ronnie Ryno is a teacher, a mother of two, and a wife. Two years ago, she added a fourth element to her repertoire: fashion designer. “I was thinking about the impact designing has had on my life. It’s filled an empty space that I didn’t even know was there,” she admitted, “That sounds pretty cheesy, but is perfectly true.” Ryno, 35, grew up in Spokane Valley and graduated from Gonzaga Prep. She attended Pitzer College in Claremont, Calif., for a year and then Whitman College in Walla Walla. She graduated from Eastern Washington University with a bachelor’s in English literature, a teaching degree and a special education teaching degree. Currently she works as an elementary school teacher in the special education department of Riverside School District in Chattaroy.

When it comes to cool jobs in Spokane, Peter Jantz pretty much has it made: He takes care of the Camp Sekani mountain bike park at the bottom of Beacon Hill, just off Upriver Drive. What could be more perfect for someone who loves to ride his mountain bike? “It’s pretty nice out here,” Jantz said, straddling his bike outside the little house where he lives. “Most people are very nice and there’s really not a lot of trouble here.”

There is a group of women at the Cheney Care Center clacking their knitting needles together for a good cause. The Twisted Sisters knitting group meets about once a month. They are about 30 knitters ages 17 through 98. They are residents, staff members, family or friends of the care center. Last week, the group presented 13 blankets to provide warmth and comfort to people in need.