News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
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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...
This is an open letter of thanks to everyone who advocated for, supported, gave a forum for discussion, or assisted us to get the message out, regarding a piece of legislation that would have had a detrimental impact on rural healthcare in Washington State and especially our communities. Because of your willingness to express your concerns about this bill, the Senate listened, and the bill was not enacted. This bill would have had short and long-term devastating effects, and if enacted, would have forced Coulee Medical Center to consider...
There should be plenty to do around town with 10 events planned for 2022 in the Coulee area, including a monthly market with beer and music, but the biggest event faces multiple challenges this year. The Grand Coulee Dam Area Chamber of Commerce has a slew of events scheduled for the year. The Triple Fish Challenge is scheduled for April 9-10; Colorama from May 6-8; the Culpepper & Merriweather Circus on June 2; Koulee Kids Fest on June 18; the First Friday Night Market will run from June to October, the Festival of America on July 4; the Run...
A lot can be accomplished in a lifetime. The Grand Coulee Dam Area Chamber of Commerce is starting a new award for lifetime achievement in honor of Colleen Manley who died unexpectedly earlier this year at the age of 63. “If you have been a part of this community, then you knew Colleen,” Chamber Executive Director Rachelle Baughman said at their March 8 meeting. “She was a huge aspect of this community. Colleen did a lot. She was a part of the chamber, she was a part of the Rotary, she was a part of the Lions. I’m not even sure of everything sh...
The Grand Coulee Dam Area Chamber of Commerce announced officers and board members at their annual membership meeting March 8. Hollie Reed is taking on the secretary position, which is the only change in officers. Natalie Nachtigal-Dennis will remain as president, Patty Oliver as vice president, Scott Hunter as past president, Alicia Adamson as treasurer, and Morgan Tillman, Nic Alexander, Solveig Chaffee, Sarah Holt and Matthew Pleasants serving as board members at large. Rachelle Baughman, formerly Rachelle Haven, is executive...
The Grand Coulee Dam Area Chamber of Commerce is hosting a Colorama Commitee Meeting at their office on Midway Avenue in Grand Coulee at 5:30 p.m. tonight, March 15. The meeting is open to anyone "that can come help us network and share ideas of ways to make this Colorama a success!" Chamber Director Rachelle Haven said....
"What a year to start a business," Morgan Tillman said last night about starting her Elmer City salon in 2020 in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Tillman's Apothecary Salon was awarded Business of the Year by the Grand Coulee Dam Area Chamber of Commerce. "It was quite a wild ride," Tillman said. "I'm thankful to be a part of the chamber and the community that's been so welcoming." "There's a lot of excitement around this business, which I think is fabulous," Patty Oliver of PK's Culinary...
A man who was unconscious in his burning car gets to continue to live with his family thanks to local heroism. Three Jess Ford employees saved the Ephrata man's life in December. Joshua Bessette, 46, of Ephrata, was on his way to work at the Grand Coulee Dam on Dec. 3 at about 7 a.m. He was driving north on SR-155 at about milepost eight between Coulee City and Grand Coulee near the Million Dollar Mile, when, according to a report from Washington State Patrol Trooper John Bryant, he left the...
Elmer City folks were excited for the arrival of Santa and Mrs. Clause Monday night on the top of a Grand Coulee fire engine, along with other seasonal favorites of kids - Elsa and Anna, and even the Grinch. The visit was arranged by the Grand Coulee Dam Area Chamber of Commerce. The firefighters in Elmer City were ready to receive their guests and had people warming up by a campfire while they waited. The celebrities visited Coulee Dam too, and Grand Coulee and Electric City got visits Tuesday...
The Grand Coulee Dam Area Chamber of Commerce raised $10,000 last Saturday in their annual Vintners & Brewers Auction. "This year's Vintners & Brewers Auction went well!" said Rachelle Haven, executive director for the chamber. "Thanks to our generous community, we raised $10,000! We couldn't be more grateful to our donors and community members for all their support in this event. Without them, we wouldn't be able to continue our efforts in year-round festivals. We so look forward to getting...
Going once! Going twice! Sold! To the lady in the ugly sweater! A virtual auction, a collaborative dinner provided by local restaurants, an ugly sweater contest, wine and beer? What’s not to like? The Vintners and Brewers Auction, hosted by the Grand Coulee Dam Area Chamber of Commerce, will take place on Saturday, Dec. 4, with dinner pickups from 12-2 p.m. at PK’s Culinary on Midway Avenue in Grand Coulee. The virtual auction will be held online from 6 to 8 p.m. The dinner includes loaded potato soup from the Hi-Dam Bar & Grill, smashed map...
Long lines were a good thing, with grinning kids and some contestants scrambling for more candy last Thursday at the PTA's Trunk or Treat event at Lake Roosevelt Schools. Crews on six emergency services vehicles and people with 10 individually themed trunks handed out candy to eager children chauffeured by parents. People could vote on their favorite numbered trunk by giving a monetary donation to the PTA. The trunk that earned the most votes (money) at the end of the night was awarded the...
You can vote for your favorite scarecrow out of 17 total placed outside of local businesses and some residences in the Coulee community. The Grand Coulee Dam Area Chamber of Commerce is holding the scarecrow contest, which has had "a great outcome," according to Executive Director Rachelle Haven. Haven said she would like the event to be a regular thing depending on community feedback. "The scarecrows have all turned out awesome and very creative!" she told The Star in an email. The chamber has...
Crows might be afraid to fly through the Coulee - with a scarecrow contest coming to decorate local towns. The 2021 Scarecrow Trail is being held by the Grand Coulee Dam Area Chamber of Commerce and will place scarecrows made by locals at local businesses for people to see and choose their favorite. Those wanting to build a scarecrow have just until Oct. 11 to register with the chamber, and the scarecrows will be displayed from Oct. 16 until Nov. 7 at businesses in Electric City, Grand Coulee, a...
We could all use a morale boost these days, and a little bit of kindness can go a long way. Rachelle Haven, executive director of the Grand Coulee Dam Area Chamber of Commerce, has started a project called Coulee Kind that encourages people to perform “random acts of kindness.” “I started [Coulee Kind] because I had been hearing from business owners that they were struggling with morale within the community, whether it be employees, themselves, or customers,” Haven told The Star. “I know a lot of people are home right now due to the delta var...
Harvest Fest has been cancelled due to a surge in COVID-19 cases. The board of directors of the Grand Coulee Dam Area Chamber of Commerce called a special meeting Sept. 1 to make the decision on the seasonal festival, originally planned for Sept. 18-19, Chamber Executive Director Rachelle Haven said. “The decision was not made lightly,” she said. “While we know that everyone wants to get back to business as usual and in person events again, we felt, with the surge of COVID cases in the community, it would not be responsible of us to host an ev...
On Sunday, July 18, 2021, Colleen Marie (Bryant) Simpson, loving mother and grandmother, passed away at the age of 66 peacefully with her two daughters by her side. Colleen was born on July 18, 1955, to Pauline Vivian (Laufer) Bryant and Dr. Maurice E. Bryant in Lewiston, Idaho. The family moved to the Grand Coulee Dam area in 1967, and she graduated from Lake Roosevelt High School in 1973. Colleen had two daughters, Tara and Laura, with Dale W. Rinker. Colleen loved volunteering and being part... Full story
Ben Hughes, running for Grand Coulee City Council, picks his battles when it comes to the issues, and among them is consolidation of Grand Coulee with Electric City. "I love the town, I want to help," Hughes told The Star on Tuesday about why he's running. "We have a really beautiful town full of great people and I want to help those people live a better quality of life if I can." Hughes, who has lived in Grand Coulee since 2015, is interested in bringing in businesses to the community, which...
It’s the Fourth of July weekend, and with local towns all forbidding or severly restricting fireworks use this year, local residents will just have to enjoy the professional fireworks show that launches from the Grand Coulee Dam on Sunday, July 4, at about 10:30 p.m. following the laser show. In the wake of historically high heat over the last week, some municipalities that simply align with state fireworks laws are banning them this week. That includes Electric City, which held an emergency council meeting on June 29 to outright forbid ... Full story
“Koulee Kids Fest was such a great time!” Grand Coulee Dam Area Executive Director Rachel Haven about last Saturday’s event. “I believe it was a success. Kids were smiling from ear to ear all over town.” Three-year-old Cairo Billups won the iPad Mini and Beats headphones grand prize drawing that kids entered by participating in the event. This year’s Koulee Kids Fest featured L-Bow the Clown. “L-Bow the clown was so much fun!” Haven said. “L-Bow’s act included unicycling and juggling, making balloon animals and hats, and the grand finale of a f...
Get your passports ready; Koulee Kids Fest is taking place on June 19 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. with lots of free activities for kids to participate in around the town. The “passports” are used by the kids to go to various activities and get their passports stamped at up to 16 local businesses offering fun activities to qualify to win prizes. “My hope for Koulee Kids Fest is for it to draw families outside, support the community, and engage in some safe and fun activities,” Grand Coulee Dam Area Chamber of Commerce Chamber Executive Directo...
Although there will be no tours of the Grand Coulee Dam this year, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation is working on a plan for the return of the Laser Light Show and for opening its visitor center. USBR Public Affairs Specialist for the Columbia-Pacific Northwest Region Erika A. Lopez told The Star that tours will not be conducted this year at Grand Coulee Dam “because of CDC–recommended COVID-19 restrictions.” “Visitors will be unable to safely maintain social distancing of six feet on the tour buses and dam elevator,” she said. Lopez also said...
The Grand Coulee Dam Area Chamber of Commerce is asking for cooperation in keeping everyone safe during Colorama. The chamber issued the following guidelines: “Masks are to be worn at all times (except when actively eating or drinking) at all Colorama Festival activities, including all events being held in North Dam Park (Beer Garden, Food Fair, Arts and Crafts, Kids Festival Zone, Helicopter Rides), and the Parade down Midway. “We ask the community to do their best at making personal choices that keep themselves and their families safe whi... Full story
The Colorama parade will be held like normal along it’s Midway Avenue route, but button raffles will be held online with multiple prize drawings held over multiple days. “The parade is on!” Grand Coulee Dam Area Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Rachel Haven told The Star in an email. Haven received official word that the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation will be opening B Street, which runs near the fire station they are constructing, as an alternate route which allows Midway Avenue to be used for the parade. Colorama buttons are also out and f...
With five more dead in Grant County from COVID-19 and vaccine hesitancy apparently on the rise, health officials issued pleas this week for people get use the available “tools to take the fight to the virus.” The five deaths reported by Grant County Health District Monday night bring the county’s total fatalities to 120, and officials noted the ages of those who don’t survive is trending younger than it was early on as seniors were the first non-healthcare group to be allowed to get vaccinated. All Moses Lake residents, they were man in his... Full story