News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
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It's been an interesting year for the Grand Coulee Dam Area Chamber of Commerce, especially if you're President Natalie Dennis. Dennis and others outlined past challenges and future plans and directions last Wednesday night at the chamber's annual meeting and awards dinner. Dennis told attendees at PK's Culinary that the chamber is once again facilitating "business after hours" events where business owners can "speak with like-minded people and bounce ideas off of each other." Two have been... Full story
Here’s a look at the most popular stories in The Star over the last year. January Stolen car found abandoned at Keller Ferry after chase A stolen Cadillac that police stopped following because of a new state law was found at the Keller Ferry Marina the next day anyway. Washington State House Bill 1054 took effect in 2021 and limits, among other things, the circumstances in which an officer can pursue a vehicle in a chase, including circumstances related to probable cause, weather conditions, the safety of others, and more. A local officer h...
Children talk and stare at Santa and Mrs. Claus, who stopped at Mason City Memorial Park in Coulee Dam Dec. 14 in an event arranged by the Grand Coulee Dam Area Chamber of Commerce. It also featured other characters popular during the season, such as Elsa. Cocoa around the fire was popular too. Firefighters helped by making the place look like daylight with big lights on their fire trucks. - Scott Hunter photo...
It’s October, and watching the 1993 Disney film “Hocus Pocus” in the park, in addition to enjoying food, drink, and craft vendors, may be the perfect way to spend your Friday night. On Oct. 7, the last “First Friday” event of the year will take place from 5-9 p.m. at North Dam Park. The event will include food and craft vendors, a beer garden featuring selections from One Tree Cider, Rocky Coulee Brewing, and other options, a DJ set by Jimmy Philips, and an 8 p.m. screening of the movie. Grand Coulee Dam Area Chamber of Commerce Executive... Full story
The Coulee area looked so festive last year with scarecrows that another Scarecrow Trail is planned this year by the Grand Coulee Dam Area Chamber of Commerce. During the scarecrow trail, residents and businesses display scarecrows outside of businesses and in their neighborhoods. This year’s event will be held from Oct. 15-Nov.15 and participants have until Oct. 14 to register to be included in the contest, with awards given for first, second, and third place. “We are sure that the scarecrows displayed will be nothing short of fantastic! Let...
It was constructed nearly three years ago, but people behind putting up an informative kiosk at North Dam Park, delayed by circumstances, decided to hold a ceremony to officially open it last Saturday. The kiosk tells historical information about the area, and gives overviews of some of its features. Washington State Parks' Coulee Corridor Area Manager Dennis Felton and board member Birdie Hensley were joined by longtime corridor president Tim Alling, who cut the ribbon on the basalt...
Local park district commissioners have secured funding from the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation to help keep North Dam Park alive for several years to come, provided matching funding can be secured for a park that is the center of community-wide events. “It looks like we have done it, mission accomplished,” Commissioner Kevin Portch of the Coulee Area Parks and Recreation District said Aug. 31 in an email to the other commissioners and interested parties, including The Star. CAPRD, which manages North Dam Park, located on USBR land, was in some fin...
North Dam Park will host another First Friday event on Aug. 5 from 5-9 p.m. that will include live music, mixed cocktails, food, and vendors, organized by the Grand Coulee Dam Area Chamber of Commerce. Dry Fly Distillery will be providing the alcohol in the beer garden in the form of cocktails in a can with drinks like huckleberry lemonade, Moscow mules, bloody Marys, gin & tonics, greyhounds, whiskey smash, and more. Two musicians will provide the acoustic ambience Friday. Local musician Randy...
North Dam Park can continue to be maintained, at least for a while longer, as more funding has been donated by the community to the Coulee Area Park and Recreation District. At their July 13 meeting, CAPRD commissioners were presented with a $5,600 check by Grand Coulee Dam Area Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Rachelle Baughman who started a page at the online fundraising site, GoFundMe.com. Commissioner Kevin Portch said that CAPRD also received $900 in private donations separately from that online donation site. The group voted to...
Several community members met with park district commissioners last week in a workshop setting to help solve a funding problem that could potentially close North Dam Park, again. The good news is that the community is responding with money and ideas. After the chamber of commerce set up a GoFundMe online donation account for the park, people immediately began donating to help raise its stated $10,000 goal. As of Tuesday night, it had raised over $5,200. Coulee Area Park and Recreation District...
A crowd of people shopped, listened to music, enjoyed frosty brews and ate food at North Dam Park in the First Friday event held there July 1. "It was a great night," said Morgan Tillman, who helped organize the event for the Grand Coulee Dam Area Chamber of Commerce. "I think everyone that came enjoyed themselves, and it was quite busy!" Republic Brewing sold beer, acoustic musician Rylei Franks provided the tunes, and Porky's Hot Dogs purveyed food for the event. Over a dozen vendors took the...
A number of community members who value North Dam Park are working to keep it afloat for the remainder of 2022. The park could close for lack of funding in August of this year, a result of the Coulee Area Park and Recreation District having been unable to renew a contract with the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation before the end of 2021. The district is in the process of renewing their contract with the bureau for 2023, but in the meantime, is set to quit maintaining the park, including lawn care, water, power, and garbage services, in mid-August. Tha... Full story
A lot of kids enjoyed the fun and games of Koulee Kids Fest over the weekend. "Koulee Kids Fest was so much fun," Grand Coulee Dam Area Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Rachelle Baughman said. "The weather was beautiful and there were so many happy faces." She said that 132 "passports" had been turned in from children, with 7-year-old Myles Salverson winning the random drawing from those for a hoverboard. Kids were required to complete six out of 15 stations at Kids Fest in order to turn...
People agree that housing for seniors in the area is needed, but the effort comes with a hefty price tag in the $15-$20 million range. The Grand Coulee Dam Area Senior Center spent $7,500 on a feasibility study for senior housing in the area in collaboration with Centerline Development, which owns the former Center School and surrounding land on Spokane Way in Grand Coulee. The study’s conclusion that there would be demand for such a facility and service led to a $20,000 engineering study. The senior center contributed another $17,500 toward t...
The Grand Coulee Dam area is in the spotlight of a new video being made to highlight the attributes of the area. Voortex Productions, out of Wenatchee, is working with the Grand Coulee Dam Area Chamber of Commerce to produce a promotional video. "I am so excited about this project!" chamber Executive Director Rachelle Baughman said. "The purpose and mission behind this video is to highlight the Grand Coulee Area and unite the community. We want to give our community something to be proud of, as...
Koulee Kids Fest this Saturday will bring in a magic show, a car show on Main Street and kids' activities throughout local businesses. The whole event is tied together with "passports" that kids get validated at activities they take part in, qualifying them for a grand prize - a hoverboard. Look on page 9 of this issue to see the map of participating sites. There's everything from jump rope to flower planting to corn dog dipping. Passports are available at Coulee Hardware, Loepp's, Coulee Wall...
The annual Run the Dam 5k, 10k, and half-marathon event is being expanded to include a two-day festival. According to details shared in a post shared to the Run the Dam Facebook page, as well as the Grand Coulee Dam Area Chamber of Commerce Page, the Run the Dam event will take place from Sept. 16-17. “We know you love Run the Dam and now there’s even more to love!” a page for the event reads. A beer garden is planned for the Friday evening of Sept. 16, and all day on Saturday; live bands will perform throughout the two days; there will be a...
Morgan Tillman, right, poses with her niece Avery Tillman and her new added braids, left, and her friend Hannah Heintz, who were customers at Morgan's Auntie's Salon booth at last week's first First Friday event, which she helped organize. With 10 vendors and two food trucks it was deemed a success despite moving inside the old Center School at the last minute for rain. "We are so excited for our next one on July 1 back at North Dam Park, featuring Republic Brewery in our beer garden, as well...
Update: This Friday's June 3 event has been moved to the inside of the former Center School on Spokane Way in Grand Coulee due to the rainy weather. This Friday marks the first First Friday event for the Coulee, with vendors, food, and more to provide a fun time to start your weekend. The first Friday of each month means shopping and entertainment from June through October in a new kind of event for the area. This Friday, June 3, is the first of its kind, and future “First Fridays” will be held on July 1, Aug. 5, Sept 2, and Oct. 7. Vendors and...
A big top circus is coming to town June 2, and the sponsoring Grand Coulee Dam Area Chamber of Commerce is working to promote the event that was a big hit last time it came here. The Culpepper and Merriweather Circus is planning two shows - at 5 and 7:30 p.m. But there's more to the experience they offer than watching from the bleachers. Those who can are welcome to "watch the big top rise" at 9:30 a.m. that morning. "You'll also get a chance to tour the grounds, learn all about life on the...
The Grand Coulee Dam Area Chamber of Commerce has announced today that it will be visiting scenic Ireland September 20, 2022 and is inviting chamber members, family and friends of chamber members to join them on this once in a lifetime experience. Rich in history, scenic Ireland is the destination for this exciting trip. Enjoy an eight-day journey and go where Ireland takes you. Visit stunning destinations such as Limerick and the Cliffs of Moher. On this amazing trip you will also encounter breathtaking panoramic views of the Dingle...
You can sing your heart out and win $100 towards a local business at a karaoke contest at this year’s Colorama. The contest will be held at the beer tent at North Dam Park on Friday, May 6, at 7 p.m., and so will be limited to participants age 21 and over. Morgan Tillman, of Apothecary Salon, will be the master of ceremonies for the event, and said that if the contest goes well there could be more in the future, including for those under 21. “I was just trying to find an activity that is inexpensive and that I knew that our community would lik...
It may look different than past years, but there will be a Colorama festival this year, including a parade, a petting zoo, a rock climbing wall, a lot of giant inflatable things including a bounce house, a karaoke contest, helicopter rides, vendors, and more. Some of those features have come together in just the last month, one in the last week. Missing from the list is the carnival that people have come to know over the years, and there are other challenges, as well. "Coming into 2022, we are...
The idea of consolidating Coulee area towns was discussed briefly at a recent meeting of area mayors, with the general opinion expressed being that it is complicated. During the April 6 Regional Board of Mayors meeting, the group discussed at some length how to pull off a spring-cleaning event, a frequent topic with the group. When asked by The Star if they felt consolidation would help simplify what seems to be a convoluted process by having one conversation instead of four between four different towns, a few spoke on the topic. Elmer City...
The annual Grand Coulee Dam Area Chamber of Commerce Triple Fish Challenge drew 50 anglers in 23 boats who caught a lot of fish over two days in highly variable spring weather. Saturday was windy and rough on Banks Lake, but after a day of sunshine Sunday, smiles were everywhere as they lined up for the final weigh-in at Coulee Playland. On day one, Jim Stanley caught the 3.38-pound smallmouth bass in the adult category. Derek Hilderbrand netted 7.97-pound walleye. No one caught a trout. Among...