Inland NW links

Events by date

Sports teams are listed here according to the month in which their seasons begin. Most of the established events happen at the same time every year, but if you're really into one, you might want to check the site a month or so early and make sure of the dates. Suggestions for Inland Northwest events to add here are welcomed, especially if they already have Web sites.

TicketsWest
TicketMaster
online concert and
event tickets

January to March

Northwest Bach Festival http://www.nwbachfest.com/: Two weeks around the end of January every year
Spokane International Film Festival (SpIFF) http://www.spokanefilmfestival.org/: Two extended weekends in late January and early February
Spokane National Boat Show http://www.spokaneboatshow.com/: Late January into early February at the Spokane County Fair & Expo Center
Spokane International Auto Show http://www.spokaneautoshow.com/: Early February at the Spokane County Fair & Expo Center
Inland Northwest Motorcycle Show http://www.spokanemotorcycleshow.com/: Late February at the Spokane County Fair & Expo Center
Great Western Sport Fishing Show http://www.greatwesternsportfishingshow.com/: First annual show Feb 29-Mar 2 2008 at the Spokane Convention Center
Coeur d'Alene Film Festival http://www.cdafilmfestival.com/: New for 2007: a three-day weekend in early March, in downtown Coeur d'Alene
Annual Kosher Dinner at Temple Beth Shalom (Spokane) http://www.spokanetbs.org/: A Sunday in early March; Jewish music and kosher food
Bighorn Outdoor Adventure Show http://www.wildlifecouncil.com/bighornsubsite/: Four days in mid-March at the Spokane County Fair & Expo Center, since 1960
Spokane Shock http://www.spokaneshock.com/: af2 arena football (the minor league of the AFL) late March through July, with home games in Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena, mostly Saturday nights. In their 2006 expansion year, the Shock went 14-2 and won the late-August Arena Cup league championship game. Then after a 12-4 season in 2007 and lots of big talk, they went out and dumped their first playoff game. Oh well.
Spokane Auto Boat Speed Show http://www.spokaneautoboatspeedshow.com/: Late March or early April at the Spokane County Fair & Expo Center, since 1963

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April to June

Get Lit! http://www.ewu.edu/getlit/: Literary festival in late April, various locations in Spokane and Cheney, including author presentations and readings, writing workshops and panels; since 1999
Custer's Spring Antique & Collectors Sale http://www.custershows.com/antique/spring/details.htm: Late April at the Spokane County Fair & Expo Center
Spring Barrel Tasting: Tour and taste at Spokane wineries Mothers' Day weekend (second Sunday in May) see the Spokane Winery Association site for details.
Walla Walla Hot Air Balloon Stampede: Including Saturday Nite Glow Show; held in mid-May, see Walla Walla Valley CofC events calendar.
Bloomsday http://www.bloomsdayrun.org/: A 7.46 mile (12 km) fun run held every May since 1977, with circa 50,000 runners in recent years.
Spokane Lilac Festival http://www.lilacfestival.org/: Series of yearly events held since 1938, including the 68th Annual Spokane Lilac Festival Armed Forces Torchlight Parade, May 20, 2006, which is always on the third Saturday in May, Armed Forces Day.
Artfest: Yearly arts festival, the weekend after Memorial Day, in Coeur d'Alene Park in the Browne's Addition neighborhood, sponsored by Northwest Museum of Arts & Culture and Spokane Art School. Held concurrently with Elkfest concert series.
Tour d'Alene: This early June bike ride to benefit a youth diabetes campaign apparently has no Web presence yet; call (509) 624-7478. Ride 2.7, 15.3, or 33 mostly flat miles on the Trail of the Coeur d'Alenes, starting from Plummer at the west end; minimum pledges $19 youths, $56 adults.
Lind Washington Combine Demolition Derby http://www.lindwa.com/: Early June; Lind is about 15 miles southwest of Ritzville, just off US 395.
River City Fiddle Fest: Nationally recognized contest, in Post Falls the first full week of June. No Web site I could find as of the 2006/7 events; try Googling the event name in quotes.
Loreen Miller Memorial Bike Ride http://www.cancerpatientcare.org/: Early to mid June benefit for Cancer Patient Care (see link in health care section) with century, half-century, and 12-mile family ride options
Car d'Lane http://www.cdadowntown.com/index_cardlane.asp?pageid=1498: Mid-June classic car show (1978 & older) on downtown Coeur d'Alene streets, sponsored by Coeur d'Alene Downtown Association; see their site under Events if the link above doesn't work.
Spokane Indians http://www.spokaneindiansbaseball.com/: NWL minor-league short-season baseball, mid-June through early September. Home games are played in a very well-kept traditional ballpark called Avista Stadium, with just 7,162 seats, located at the Spokane County Fair & Expo Center. Get on TicketsWest online a week or so in advance and get yourself tickets for the $9 upper box seats. Parking is free, hot dogs and beer are not, and they have lots of snack choices besides hot dogs. (Lower box seats are mostly season ticket holders; the other main option is $5 bench seats facing the outfield.)
Hoopfest http://www.spokanehoopfest.net/: "The biggest street basketball festival in the world" (3 on 3) held at the end of June: 800 hoops. They block off all of downtown over the weekend. Best on broadband.
Ironman Coeur d'Alene triathlon http://www.ironmancda.com/: End of June (swim 2.4 miles, bike 112 miles, run 26.2 miles)

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July to September

Tour of the Coeur d'Alenes http://www.roundandround.com/TourCDA/TourCDA.php: A one-day benefit bike ride in early July, on the Trail of the Coeur d'Alenes. Round trip route options from 28 to 130 miles, starting from Wallace ID in the Silver Valley, or donate $10 extra, ride 50 miles downhill/flat to Harrison ID on the lake, and ride a bus back up to Wallace (limited signups). Breakfast, dinner, and food stops.
Ritzville Blues Festival http://www.ritzvilleblues.com/: Early July. I'm still having a hard time with the concept of a blues event hosted in Ritzville. I can see how living there would give me the blues.
Cheney Rodeo http://www.cheneyrodeo.com/: Second weekend in July
Sandpoint Wooden Boat Festival (Sandpoint ID) http://www.sandpoint.org/boatfestival/: Second weekend in July
South Perry Street Fair: Mid-July
Valley Girl Triathlon (Liberty Lake WA) http://www.valleygirltri.com/: Mid-July "sprint-distance triathlon" for women only (swim one-third mile, bike 12 miles, run three miles). Apparently the attraction is a less competitive, safer start.
Schweitzer Bluegrass Festival http://www.schweitzer.com/: Third weekend in July, free admission; Schweitzer Ski Resort is near Sandpoint in Bonner County, which borders Kootenai County on the north.
Coeur d'Alene Casino Julyamsh powwow (Post Falls ID) http://www.cdacasino.com/: Late July at the former dog track; largest annual powwow in the Inland Northwest. See the casino events page for dates. The powwow ought to have a static page that's there at all times, but they seem to take it down after each year's event.
Allegro's Royal Fireworks Concert http://www.allegrobaroque.org/fireworks.php: Baroque arts festival, concert, and fireworks, held the last weekend of July in Riverfront Park for more than twenty years
Dragon Boat Festival http://www.spokaneparksfoundation.org/paddleforparks/default.htm: End of July dragon boat race on the Spokane River downtown, to benefit Spokane Parks Foundation
Spike & Dig http://www.spikeanddig.com/: Early August sixes volleyball tournament at SCC
Festival at Sandpoint (ID) http://www.festivalatsandpoint.com/: Early August outdoor concert series, with name artists and fancy ticket prices
Art on the Green http://www.artonthegreen.org/: Yearly arts festival since the late 1960s, held in early August on the campus of North Idaho College in Coeur d'Alene. CdA's Downtown Street Fair (Sherman Ave) and Taste of the Coeur d'Alenes (City Park) are held the same weekend.
Spokane Highland Games http://www.spokanehighlandgames.org/: Early August; Scottish music, dancing, and athletics at the Spokane County Fair & Expo Center
Eight Lakes Leg Aches http://www.lcsnw.org/events.html: Early August benefit bike ride sponsored by Lutheran Community Services to fight leukemia; 30, 50, and 80-mile options with lots of climbing. The 2006 ride was the eighth annual.
Garland Village Arts & Music Festival http://www.clickspokane.com/garland/festival.html: Neighborhood street fair, second Saturday in August.
Blue Waters Bluegrass Festival http://www.bluewatersbluegrass.org/: Mid-August in Medical Lake
Fairchild AFB Skyfest: Excellent August* weekend airshow, featuring the US Air Force Thunderbirds about every other year, including 2006. I strongly recommend a straw hat, sunscreen, water bottle (drink lots!) and cushy shoes and socks. Skyfest 2008 is scheduled for August 9-10, including the US Navy Blue Angels and an F-22 Raptor demo.
North Idaho Fair & Rodeo http://www.northidahofair.com/: Yearly in late August at the Kootenai County Fairgrounds
Spokane Falls Northwest Indian Encampment http://www.powwows.com/calendar/calendardisplay.php?eventid=5069: Late August in Spokane's Riverfront Park, and usually a week later on the Spokane reservation. This powwow is older than Julyamsh but not as big.
National Lentil Festival http://www.lentilfest.com/: Pullman WA in late August
GoodGuys Hot Rod & Custom Car Nationals http://www.good-guys.com/: Late August at the Spokane County Fair & Expo Center
Pig Out in the Park http://www.spokanepigout.com/: Spokane's version of the Bite of Seattle, in Riverfront Park over the extended Labor Day weekend (first week of September).
Seattle Seahawks http://www.seahawks.com/: NFL football, September through February. Obviously the games aren't played in the Inland NW, but they have lots of fans in local taprooms during the season.
Spokane Chiefs http://www.spokanechiefs.com/: WHL hockey, September through March.
Tour de Coeur http://www.acsidaho.org/: Early September bike ride benefits American Cancer Society Idaho; 20 flat miles on the Centennial Trail or 30 miles with climbing beside Lake Coeur d'Alene.
Spokane County Interstate Fair http://www.spokanecounty.org/fair/sif/: Early September at the Spokane County Fair & Expo Center
Tour des Lacs http://www.roundandround.com/TourDesLacs/TourDesLacs.php: A well-supported one or two-day benefit bike ride in mid to late September, from Spokane to Coeur d'Alene and back, including short route options on the Centennial Trail. Route options available from 40 to 122 miles, flat or with climbing; breakfast, dinner, food stops, and other services. Usually about 1000 riders, with about one-third from out of town; the 2006 ride was the 16th annual TDL.
Valleyfest (Spokane Valley WA) http://www.valleyfest.org/: A Friday through Sunday in late September; arts & crafts, fun run, car show
Idaho State Draft Horse International Exhibition (Sandpoint ID) http://www.sandpoint.org/drafthorseshow/: Late September
Greek Festival at Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church (Spokane) http://www.holytrinityspokane.org/: End of September: lunch and dinner, Friday and Saturday. Also dancing, coffee, deli, imports, and Orthodox bookstore; they've been doing this every year since the 1930s.
Prosser Balloon Rally http://www.prosserballoonrally.org/: End of September. Prosser WA is in the lower Yakima valley between the Tri-Cities and Yakima.

* Skyfest used to be held the weekend of Armed Forces Day, the third Saturday in May. Then one year it snowed briefly during that weekend, and the Air Force freaked out and switched to late July, which had them picking up heatstroke cases instead. Now apparently it's going to be in August. I was there the day it snowed, and that was a great show day. I waited out part of the snow flurry standing under the tail of an A-10, munching a slice of pizza.

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October to December

Mennonite Country Auction & Relief Sale http://mennonitecountryauction.mennonite.net/: First Saturday in October, at the Menno Mennonite Church, 20 miles west of Ritzville. Lots of country food to buy and eat or take home; also crafts demonstrations, reportedly including an ice cream maker driven by a miniature steam engine. The site has a link to a map and directions page. Mennonite communities all over the US host similar events to benefit global relief efforts.
Custer's Fall Antique & Collectors Sale http://www.custershows.com/antique/fall/details.htm: Early October at the Spokane County Fair & Expo Center
(Halloween)
Spokane Fall Folk Festival http://www.spokanefolklore.org/FolkFestival.html: Folk, ethnic, and world music and dance on the SCC campus in early November, on several stages; looks like fun. Similar to the Northwest Folklife Festival held over Memorial Day weekend in Seattle; the 2006 Spokane festival was the 11th annual.
Inland Crafts http://www.inlandcrafts.org/: Mid-November three-day juried crafts sale and exhibition, now held in the new convention center; the 2006 show was the 24th annual.
Holiday Wine Festival: Tour and taste at Spokane wineries the weekend before Thanksgiving; see the Spokane Winery Association site for details.
(Thanksgiving)
Fair Trade Festival: Late November, free; sweatshop-free clothing, jewelry, pottery and other handicrafts, in the Community Building in downtown Spokane.
(Christmas)
First Night Spokane http://www.firstnightspokane.org/: Alternative New Year's Eve celebration and downtown arts festival, with an emphasis on events for families with children.

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