Mini golf at Sunbanks Lake Resort is one of many free activities for kids this weekend.
There’s a bull ride and wild horse race on Friday, then fireworks on Saturday night may be enjoyed from a park or from the waters of Banks Lake. That comes after Saturday’s Koulee Kids Fest with plenty of activities for the kiddos, and a traveling show going around Eastern Washington.
The Ridge Riders Rodeo Grounds in Delano on Alcan Road will host the bulls and wild horses at 6 p.m. on Friday June 15. Read more about it here
Koulee Kids Fest takes place on Saturday, with free activities, treats, and a show for the kids, all going on around town. Call the chamber of commerce for more info at 509-633-3074. Read more about it here
Fireworks will be launched on Saturday, June 16, from North Dam, and can be seen from the nearby Banks Lake Park, North Dam Park, Coulee Playland, and from the waters of Banks Lake. Read more about that event here
A traveling Chautauqua will be making stops in nearby towns such as Coulee City and Nespelem this week, with juggling acts, education, parades, music, and more. Read more about that here.
Young trapeze artists perform in a Wenatchee Youth Circus 2009 visit to Coulee Dam.
This weekend is for kids, cowboys and classic car lovers.
Saturday is the 12th annual Koulee Kids Fest, offering a whole range of activities. The chamber of commerce-organized event features, among other things, two performances by the Wenatchee Youth Circus.
Those performances will be at 2 and 6 p.m ., at the Lake Roosevelt football stadium.
The youth circus is sponsored by the Coulee Dam Federal Credit Union as part of its 75th year celebration. Admission is free and is open to the public.
A bull gains the upper hoof in a 2015 ride at the Cleatis Lacy Bull Ride.
Also this weekend, on Friday night, the Ridge Riders are sponsoring the Fifth Annual Cleatis Lacy Memorial Bull Ride at the Rodeo Grounds. That event begins at 7 p.m ., and features a $2,500 added purse for bull riders.
The evening also features a wild horse race and mini-bronc riding contest.
The Ridge Riders will have their Pendleton Whiskey and Coors Beer garden, and offer food and treats at its concession booth.
Price for the bull ride is $12; kids 10 and under get in free.
Kids can get started on their special day Saturday by picking up their passports and map at one of the following locations: Coulee Hardware, Grand Coulee Dam Visitor Center, or the concession stand at the Lake Roosevelt High School football field.
Things to do include chalk art, getting a look inside a fire engine or the MedStar helicopter, ride a pedal boat at Coulee Playland, do a little face painting, enter a coloring contest and play a round of mini golf at Sunbanks Lake Resort.
Although not officially part of Kids Fest, the Coulee Cruizers are set to offer their annual show and shine of collector cars at Banks Lake Park on Saturday, too.
Checking out cool cars at the Coulee Cruisers’ show and shine exhibit at Banks Lake Park.
When your energy begins to wane, you can get a pick-me-up by getting one of Julie Tillman’s turkey sandwiches at the Lake Roosevelt football field, between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m ., while supplies last.
Kids, cowboys, and car lovers, have fun this weekend.
There’s so much happening in the Grand Coulee Dam Area this Memorial Day weekend, it’s hard to know where to start.
Isle of Flags
The Isle of Flags honors veterans on Memorial Day.
But rightfully, that has to be an annual service called the Isle of Flags. It’s a tribute to local veterans who’ve passed on, but anybody from anywhere would find this simple, 40-minute ceremony overlooking Lake Roosevelt to be inspiring. More than 500 U.S. flags will fly in tribute at Spring Canyon Cemetery, along with those about to be dedicated.
The Isle of Flags ceremony starts at 11 a.m. Monday.
Cleatis Lacy Memorial Bull Riding and Wild Horse Race
Saturday, May 24 at 4 p.m. at the site of the best rodeo in the state, cheers will echo off the the coulee wall as cowboys take on the toughest 8 seconds in all of sports, riding bulls who know how to throw them like rag dolls. This event will also feature a wild horse race in which teams of three try to harness, saddle and ride through barrels horse so spirited they refuse to be “broke” in the old cowboy sense of the word. Admission is $10, or $8 for students. Kids under 10 get in free. And if you don’t have your kids with you, feel free to watch from the Ridge Riders’ whiskey and beer garden.
A bullrider holds on during the 2012 Cleatis Lacey Bullarama in Grand Coulee.
Largest laser show in North America debuts Saturday at 10 p.m.
On Saturday night at 10 p.m., the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation will debut its new laser light show on the face of Grand Coulee Dam. At more than a mile wide and as high as the Washington Monument, it’s the largest laser light show in North America. And it’s free.
This new show features all-new content on the history of the Columbia River, its people, the dam and its effects on the region and nation. The production and equipment to show it cost $1.6 million and replaces the original show that ran for 25 years.
I’ve seen some preview clips on the Internet, but I’m not going to post them here. Those do the show a disservice, because you cannot get the same effect reducing a mile-wide spectacle to a tiny screen. Just come and see it. The best place to watch it is at the Visitor Center at the dam or in the park just below the VC. But below is photo of people watching the show that ran for 25 years.
Visitors watch the old Laser Light Show on the face of Grand Coulee Dam.
