Time for the Big Event
Fifth annual program Jan. 28
SOAP LAKE — Coulee Corridor organizers are celebrating something big this month.
The group behind the national scenic byway intersecting the Columbia Basin will highlight the natural resources and history of that roadway later this month, when the Coulee Corridor Consortium holds their fifth annual "Big Event" Jan. 28 at Soap Lake Middle/High School.
Consortium President Tim Alling said the daylong event offers residents who live along the byway an opportunity to observe and learn about the group's activities over the last year.
"That's kind of what byways are all about, communities working together," Alling said, noting the byway is made up of numerous communities along the way.
With a theme of "Art on the Byway" the fund-raiser and outreach event helps promote the history and unique resources along the 150-mile route. The art theme, Alling stated in a news release, was chosen to honor and showcase the artists who live along Highways 17 and 155. Local artists will be on hand to display and sell their work, and Alling said the consortium's partners like the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife and the Soap Lake Conservancy will display educational information about their work.
Doors open for the event at noon, with a silent auction from 1 to 6 p.m. Don's Restaurant will be providing dinner at the event from 4 to 6:30 p.m. for a $6 donation.
The event's evening program begins at 6 p.m. with Othello City Administrator Ehman Sheldon as emcee. An elder of the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation will offer a blessing for the gathering. Other program highlights include a talk by author Jack Nisbet, who will share historic information about past artists who have lived and worked along the byway. American Indian storyteller Dayton Edmonds will also offer a presentation.
The byway was designated as a national scenic byway by the U.S. Department of Commerce last September, an accomplishment the consortium will celebrate at this year's event. The designation puts the byway in an elite group of 125 byways across America, and Alling said has opened the consortium up to expanded grant opportunities and an international audience.
"So many of the foreign tourists want to see the wide open America," Alling said. "The commerce department has decided to market in that direction."
Volunteers with Coulee Corridor are looking toward promoting the area's natural resources and its history from the Ice Age Floods, which swept through the area during the last ice age from Glacial Lake Missoula and left the current unique landscape along the corridor.
The Big Event serves as the annual fund-raiser for the Consortium, and visitors are welcome to become members. Individuals may join for $15, couples for $25 and business memberships are $50. Other Coulee Corridor merchandise will also be available. This year's event is being organized in part by the Soap Lake school's Gear Up program.
For more information on the event contact the Ephrata Chamber of Commerce (509) 754-4656, consortium president Tim Alling at (509) 633-3655 or Ken Caylor at (509)488-0550.