R&B trio to perform in Spokane
Destiny’s Child is coming to the Spokane Arena on Sept. 7 as part of two landmark events: the group’s final tour and the Arena’s Tencennial Celebration.
Tickets for the pop trio – Beyonce, Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams – will go on sale Friday at 10 a.m. through TicketsWest outlets (325-SEAT, 800-325-SEAT, www.ticketswest.com).
This will be Destiny’s Child’s third-to-last performance. After Spokane, the tour goes to Seattle and then on to the final performance in Vancouver, B.C., on Sept. 10.
Unless, of course, they get back together someday and have a second final tour.
Other freshly announced Arena shows: Brad Paisley, Sara Evans and Sugarland on Sept. 25; Casting Crowns on Oct. 9; and Rascal Flatts on Nov. 6.
Is Tencennial a word?
Meanwhile, what was the other landmark event? The Arena’s Tencennial Celebration?
“Tencennial? Is that a word?” wondered Spokane Arena general manager Kevin Twohig during a press conference Thursday. “For Matt Gibson, our marketing director, anything is a word.”
Actually, “tencennial” makes sense, considering it means 10th anniversary.
That’s right, the Spokane Arena turns 10 in mid-September, so a big Tencennial Celebration open house has been scheduled Sept. 21 from 5 to 9 p.m.
The public will be invited in to shoot hoops on the Arena floor, tour the locker rooms, win numerous door prizes and eat birthday cake. It will be similar to the recent 30th birthday party at the Spokane Opera House. And it all will be free.
A decade of trivia
To whet your appetite for this event, here’s a little Spokane Arena trivia test:
What was the Arena’s first event? (The San Jose Sharks vs. the Vancouver Canucks, an NHL hockey exhibition game on Sept. 17, 1995.)
What was the Arena’s first concert? (Boyz II Men on Sept. 25, 1995, after Elton John fell through and country singer John Michael Montgomery canceled at the last minute.)
Who was the Arena’s biggest concert draw? (Garth Brooks, who sold out five nights in a row in 1998.)
Which major concert act has come back the most times? (Reba McEntire, four times).
Who is about to tie that record? (Neil Diamond, who makes his fourth visit on Sept. 15.)
How many people have attended events at the Arena? (7.6 million.)
The StoryCorps in Moscow
Here’s your chance to tell your life story and have it end up in the Library of Congress.
A StoryCorps mobile recording booth arrives in Friendship Square on Moscow’s Main Street on Aug. 25.
As National Public Radio listeners already know, StoryCorps is a national initiative to document America’s oral history.
Several “story booths” have been set up around the country in which people can record their stories. 2,000 stories have already been collected, and some have aired on NPR.
There are two permanent booths in New York City, at Grand Central Terminal and near the former World Trade Center site. Two other mobile booths are touring the country, and the Moscow, Idaho, visit will be the first in the Northwest.
Washington State University’s Northwest Public Radio is hosting the booth, and will later air a selection of local stories.
Participants must be in pairs – one interviews the other. A trained facilitator will be on hand to guide people through the process.
The booth will stay in Moscow through Sept. 5. For information, visit www.storycorps.net.
A big MAC grant
The Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture has received a $146,464 grant to help catalog its vast North American Indian collection.
This is the MAC’s biggest and most recognized collection and the museum is planning a comprehensive exhibit in 2009. Meanwhile, it’s important to inventory, catalog and digitize the collection so that it can remain available for use while the exhibit is developed.
This grant will be used for that work.
‘Beyond the Beltway’
Bruce DuMont’s syndicated “Beyond the Beltway” political talk show will be broadcast live from the studios of KXLY-AM (920) today from 4 to 6 p.m.
The show is normally produced in Chicago, but every so often DuMont takes the show on the road to one of his affiliates.
One thing is for sure: Spokane is way beyond the Beltway.
A Fuhrman signing
KGA-AM (The Big Talker, 1510) talk show host Mark Fuhrman will read from and sign his new book, “Silent Witness: The Untold Story of Terry Schiavo’s Death” at Auntie’s Bookstore, Main and Washington, on Monday at 7:30 p.m.
This book is about … well, you know.
A special ‘Beast’ performance
The Coeur d’Alene Summer Theatre will have a special, cut-rate matinee performance of “Beauty and the Beast” on Aug. 13 at 2 p.m.
Usually this summer stock theater doesn’t cater to kids under 5. But this show, based on the Disney version, should appeal to the little ones as well.
So the organization has added a performance strictly for children and families, thanks to grants from Target stores and the Helen Burke Travolta Fund. The theater has donated more than 300 tickets to nonprofit organizations serving families and children.
The rest of the tickets will be sold at vastly reduced rates to families with children. Call (800) 4-CDATIX for prices and details.
The regular run of “Beauty and the Beast” is Aug. 6 through 20 (including a regular performance later on Aug. 13, at 7:30 p.m.).