Serving Whitman County since 1877
Serving Whitman County since 1877
Ninety years of solid footing will be in peril once again in Tekoa for its 90th annual Slippery Gulch Festival Friday and Saturday. A parade, egg toss, musical show, tractor display, kids races, 3-on-3 basketball tournament, class reunions, live-band/dancing, fun run, bike ride, and fireworks will be on the schedule.
A new addition for this year is the “Wrinkle In Time Shops,” a collection of vintage item sellers in the Tekoa Community Center, open from 1 to 7 p.m. Friday and all day
Saturday starting at 9 a.m. Saturday morning kicks off at 7 a.m. with a bike trail ride at the entrance to the former John Wayne Pioneer Trail and the “Turn Back Time Fun Run” in which participants wear old Slippery Gulch t-shirts on the two-mile and five-mile courses. At the same time, the Chamber Breakfast runs from 7:30 to 10 a.m. at Tekoa High School followed by the kiddie parade at 10:45 a.m. The Grand Parade starts at 11 a.m., highlighted by Grand Marshals Scott and Paula Nelson.
Throughout the day, a horse-drawn wagon will give rides, sponsored by the Tekoa ambulance. The wagon will also take a group of honored, 70-year graduates of 1948 in the parade. More featured alumni will be classes marking their 10th reunion, 20th, 40th and 50th.
Floats in the parade line-up include the Spokane Lilac Festival’s showcase and the town of Chewelah. Tekoa’s own float will feature queen Destiny Thomas and Mr. Tekoa, Jaedyn Norwood, both seniors-to-be at Tekoa High School.
An extensive lineup of political candidates led by Congresswoman Cathy McMorris-Rodgers will appear, along with two parade entries from WSU.
Presenting the flag will be the 141st Air Force Refueling Wing Honor Guard.
After the parade, announcer Chris Smith will present awards to winners of the morning’s events as well as the week-long fishing derby in which kids catch fish in Hangman Creek and take them to Tekoa Hardware to be weighed.
At 12 p.m., after the last prize is given, people will line up for the day’s main event, the egg toss. Two-person teams compete to be the last to break an egg. The record distance is 93 feet, set in 2014 by Jeff Bruce and Gabe Smith.
At the lower park, kids games start at 1 p.m., along with a three-on-three basketball tournament, with teams divided into three age groups: sixth to eighth grade, ninth to 12th, age 18 and over.
At 2:30 p.m., the lights go down at Empire Theatre for “Big Al’s Speakeasy,” a 1920s-themed musical show.
Later in the afternoon, a free-throw contest will be held at 4:30 p.m. at the outdoor basketball court and the Tekoa Library will hold candy trivia from 4 to 5 p.m.
Into the night, the adult dance kicks off with Jamshack at 9 p.m. at the Tekoa Event Center. At 10 p.m., crowds will gather at the football field for fireworks.
On Sunday, though not associated with Slippery Gulch Days, a 1 p.m. golf tournament will be sponsored by “Every Woman Can,” a Northwest non-profit which supports breast cancer awareness.
Slippery Gulch Days 2018 t-shirts will be for sale for $15 at Eclair’s and Tekoa Foods.
Garth Meyer is a former Whitman County Gazette reporter.
Reader Comments(0)