Things to do in the Coulee area
A band that claims to be Spokane’s loudest will play Friday night North Dam Park and Event Center.
The two-hour concert (7-9 p.m.) is free, sponsored by a hearing aid business (kidding, but it is free).
33 is allegedly responsible for forcing the management of popular music venues in Spokane to repaint interior walls with their 136-decibel sound. Just kidding about the paint, too, but I think that dB figure is right.
The band is being brought in by the Coulee Area Park and Recreation District.
Bummed that you missed last week’s free concert by Jr. Cadillac? Don’t be.
Sunbanks Lake Resort is offering a great lineup of about 19 bands listed for this weekend at their annual fall Blues Festival.
This is a beautiful setting and a great time. Call the resort for details and to see if there is any room available. Or get another room or campground locally.
Note: If you’re a boater, the only access to Banks Lake right now is at Coulee Playland, just down the street. The upside of this: The water is reportedly warmer than normal and beaches are BIG. This is a temporary thing for this year only. The USBR is lowering the lake for maintenance purposes.
This is the ultimate Good Time Band, and they’ll play in Grand Coulee Sept. 3.
Seattle’s legendary good-time rock n roll band… Jr. Cadillac will play at North Dam Park for your enjoyment Saturday, Sept. 3, and it won’t cost you a bloody thing!
These guys put on a helluva show. They’re entertainers and really, really fine musicians. Take a listen.
What do they play? A mixture of stuff from the four decades they’ve been teaching the Pacific Northwest how to have a good time. Start with Louie Louie and then get more fun.
We’re talking the big band, with horns and all that. No slowed down boom-chick-chick stuff. This is a big show.
And it’s free. Paid for (mostly) with Hotel/Motel taxes like the ones you pay whenever you check into a motel room or campsite. So kiss the next tourist you see. (If you are a tourist, leave a message and we can connect at the show!)
North Dam Park features a grassy amphitheater. Bring your blankets, your picnic stuff. Some shade and some sunscreen. We figure we can fit 1,500 people. First come, first served.
And get ready to rock at North Dam.
Sept. 3. from 4-7 p.m.
View Grand Coulee in a larger map
A recent visitor to the area was kind enought to post a great blog piece about their climb up Steamboat Rock.
Posting photos from significant stops along the route, you get to see how the climb looks before you decide to try it. (It’s pretty do-able for most folks, but it’s utterly without any services at the top).
I haven’t done this in a while, but it’s a worthwhile endeavor, especially is you’ve visited the Visitor Center at Grand Coulee Dam and understand how the Grand Coulee (the canyon, not the dam) was formed. It’s a jaw-dropper view from the top.
For a quick preview of it, see this couple’s great post.
Star gazers will have an opportunity to take advantage of an astronomy program, Saturday, Aug. 13.
The star gazer event will begin at Grand Coulee Dam’s Visitor Center auditorium at 7:15 p.m., and end up at Crown Point, using telescopes to search the skies.
The event is sponsored by the National Park Service and Washington State Parks, the Bureau of Reclamation and Grand Coulee Dam.
The program is similar to one held early in July.
The program begins with an introduction to the night sky by NPS Sky Ranger Janice Elvidge. That will take about 45 minutes.
The group will then gather at Crown Point, where telescopes will be set up for examination of a galaxy, nebula and the moon, as well as other wonders of the sky.
The entire program is free and suitable for persons of all ages.
Organizers encourage people to bring their telescopes and binoculars and to wear or bring a warm coat.