Having A Ball At The Mall

After 19 years of imagination, plans and promises, the Spokane Valley Mall finally opened Wednesday.

At 750,000 square feet - the size of 3 football fields - the mall is the largest retail complex ever built in the Spokane Valley, and the second-largest in the Spokane area.

More than 250,000 people flooded the multi-million dollar mall this week for all sorts of fun.

They shopped in 75 stores and waited for free tickets to “Independence Day” at the hip Act III Spokane Valley 12 Cinemas. Fashion gurus from Calvin Klein outfitted shoppers in the latest styles. Hungry visitors sampled tacos and sipped smoothies in the food court.

On Wednesday night, thousands listened to a center-court concert performed by the Spokane Symphony Orchestra and enjoyed a fireworks show in the night sky.

About 5 million hours of labor have gone into building the shopping center, providing more than 1,000 jobs during construction.

For scenes from the opening of the new mall, please turn to pages 6 and 7.

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: 2 Color photos