SpokeFest holds drawing for 120 kids bikes
CYCLING – SpokeFest, Spokane’s annual September cycling celebration, is teaming up with Mountain Gear to give away 120 Strider bikes to get area tots balanced and riding.
Strider balance bikes are propelled by the child’s feet or gravity to teach the fundamentals of riding.
Family or friends can enter any kid age 18 months to 5 years by writing a sentence or two about how much fun the child would have on a Strider bike.
The child must live in Spokane County. Somebody must be available to pick up the bike on June 4 from 10 a.m.-noon at Mountain Gear Retail Store, 2002 N. Division St.
During that time, a Giveaway Party with refreshments will be open to the public so kids can test ride a Strider Bike (helmets will be available).
Send the entry via email to events@mountaingear.com. Deadline to enter is May 27.
Winners will be selected randomly and will be notified via email on June 1. Ten of the bikes will be given away as door prizes at the party.
Local youngsters can practice their skills and participate in the Spokane Strider Cup race on July 9. Register for that event at striderbikes.com/spokane.
Ancestral living skills camp scheduled
WORKSHOPS – Between the Rivers Gathering, an extended ancestral living skills workshop geared for families, is returning for its fourth year from May 30-June 4 near Valley, Washington, north of Spokane.
Demonstrations and workshops by 30 primitive skills instructors from around the West include hands-on primitive skills instruction, from Upper Paleolithic to Early American homesteading.
The family-friendly event includes classes, camping, communal meals and camaraderie for all ages. It also features programs for children and teens.
Classes cover bows, basketry, blacksmithing, bookbinding, buckskin tanning, camp craft, clothing and decoration, fibers and weaving, flint knapping, leatherwork, traps and snares, stone tools, seed saving and sustainable gardening, shelters, survival skills, weapons, wild food, wild medicinals, woodworking, musical instruments, friction fire and more.
Classes, workshops and meals are for paying participants. Most participants will take classes all week, camp on site and eat meals communally. Day fee for non-campers. No fee for visitors who want to walk through camp and observe but not participate in classes.
Blackwell Island launch opens May 26
WATERSPORTS – Blackwell Island boat launch and recreation site on Lake Coeur d’Alene will open for the summer season on May 26, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management office in Coeur d’Alene says.
The site will be open daily from 5 a.m. to 11 p.m. Fees are $6 per day or $40 for the season.