An array of fun stuff, mostly free, is coming up this Saturday, June 16 throughout the Grand Coulee Dam Area.
The annual Father’s Day weekend event is geared to kids 12 and under, but includes lots of things adults will enjoy, too. And kids who take part can win a variety of prizes at a drawing later, including a Kindle Fire.
Here’s the skinny, in a chamber of commerce provided poster:
Visitors to three Columbia River dams, including Grand Coulee, can join in on a high-tech educational treasure hunt that could earn them a special patch simply by taking part in the “D3 Geocache Challenge” beginning May 27 and continuing through Labor Day.
The visitor centers at Bureau of Reclamation’s Grand Coulee Dam; U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Chief Joseph Dam; and the Chelan County Public Utility District’s Rocky Reach Dam will be the starting point to discover the hidden treasures of hydropower production and other essential facts about the role large dams play in the Pacific Northwest.
Geocaching uses GPS (global positioning system) devices GPS-capable smartphones to find a “cache” or treasure box containing educational information and a prize. It’s great fun and can lead you on many adventures, including this one, which offers even more to see when you find the cache at Grand Coulee Dam, and amazing tour all by itself.
For those completing all three geocaches at Grand Coulee, a special prize awaits at the visitor center. Those wanting to win the D3 Geocache Challenge patch must visit all three dams and complete all the caches.
Each visitor center will hide three or four caches on their grounds, for educational purposes.
“This is a great opportunity for visitors to have some fun exploring these areas while also winning a special patch showing that they met the challenge,” said Lynne Brougher, Grand Coulee Dam public affairs officer.
The fun starts when participants receive a “D3 Challenge Passport” along with GPS coordinates at each visitor center and follow the coordinates to locate at least three or four geocache sites at each dam. Each site will consist of a box containing an educational activity sheet. Remember to bring a pen or pencil to complete the activity sheet.
Participants will record answers to questions they learned while touring the dams and return the completed sheets to the visitor center to have their “passport” stamped and earn a prize. Questions can include facts about hydropower production, irrigation, flood control or recreation.
Tour guides will be on hand to explain the D3 Challenge and assist participants in getting started on their adventure, Brougher said.
For more information call the Grand Coulee Dam Visitor Center at (509) 633-9265.
Our latest printed issue of the Visitors’ Guide is at the printers’, but in this day and age, why wait?
Take a look right now by clicking on the image below to open it up in your browser (Flash required, sorry; so here’s a link for iPhone or iPad access. It’s limited.)
The 55th Colorama celebration is coming on fast. It begins May 10, with the opening of the Paradise Amusement Carnival and lasts through Sunday with the Cleatis Lacy Memorial Bull Riding event, May 13, at the Ridge Riders Rodeo grounds.
The events:
• The carnival kicks off at 5 p.m. Thursday, opens Friday at 3 p.m. for two sessions and again Saturday at 11 a.m. for two sessions.
There are discount tickets at various venues in the area through Thursday. Discount tickets go for $25 for each session (savings of about $10) and are available at The Star newspaper, Chamber of Commerce office, North Cascades National Bank, H&H Grocery and Coulee Dam Federal Credit Union.
• Come to the traditional Arts & Crafts Fair at North Dam Park, opening at 10 a.m. both Friday and Saturday. Don’t worry about lunch because there are a lot of good food booths.
• The Pro-West Rodeo lasts three days this year, with the added Sunday Cleatis Lacy Bull Riding event. The rodeo begins at 6 p.m. Friday, 3 p.m. Saturday, and 2 p.m. Sunday.
• The Senior Cowboy Breakfast takes off at 7 a.m. Saturday and runs until 10:30 a.m. Better show up and get fed before the big parade.
• The big parade, the highlight of the Colorama celebration, begins at 11 a.m. and travels from Les Schwab on Federal Avenue, then down Midway Avenue.
• The Over the Dam Run, for 5K, 10K and half marathon take off on the east side of Grand Coulee Dam and end up at North Dam Park.
• The popular “Walk Across the Dam” sponsored by the Rotary Club will again be offered as a new-school fund raiser.
• Colorama Buttons are on sale throughout the community. Purchase one for $3 and you could be the winner of several prizes being offered.
• More events: Check out the arm wrestling contest Saturday at Pepper Jack’s. And Curt Davis will play guitar and sing at North Dam Park at 12:30 p.m. Saturday.
NO TOURS SCHEDULED IN 2021. VISITOR CENTER IS OPEN.
The Grand Coulee Dam Visitor Center is open daily and public tours are being offered. The visitor center is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tours are given daily into the John W. Keys, III Pump-Generating Plant at 10 a.m., noon, 2 p.m. and 4 p.m.
This is a change from last year, when visitors toured the Third Power Plant, which is now being prepared for a big upgrade.
Visitors will ride a shuttle bus to the pumping plant where they will view the gigantic pumps that lift water from Lake Roosevelt to be delivered throughout the Columbia Basin Irrigation Project.
Visitors will then ride the shuttle bus across the top of Grand Coulee Dam for spectacular views of Lake Roosevelt and the Columbia River as it winds through the town of Coulee Dam.
The one-hour tours are on a first-come, first-served basis. Also, no reservations are taken and space is limited.
Beginning May 26, the Visitor Center hours will be extended from 8:30 p.m. to 11 p.m. during the summer season. This will also mark the beginning of the popular laser light show, which will run nightly through the end of September.
For more information, call (509) 633-9265.