Bloglander

What some may see as old, worn out or garbage, Spokane couple Michael Rideout and Kayla Cartelli see as opportunity. 

The two use every bit they can salvage from retired fire hoses to turn into handmade products. Generally, fire departments either auction off or throw away old fire hoses no longer fit for service. Rideout and Cartelli have started American Fire Co. with the goal of finding creative ways to recycle that would-be trash into treasure.

The couple's business serves as a great example of finding uses for items that would otherwise end up in a landfill. Other creative recycling tips, ideas and examples can be seen in the Inlander's Green Issue.

Since setting up shop two years ago, more than 3,000 can holders, 84 decorative flags and many other products made from fire hoses have been sold online to people across 49 states and five countries. In other words, business is booming.

“Instead of it [fire hoses] sitting in a dump, we’re giving it new life,” Cartelli says. “It’s a different medium. It’s a form of art. It’s just a different way to make something pretty.”

The Spokane Arena wants to hear from you.

The Arena has reintroduced its "Bucket List" poll, which allows folks a chance to sound off on who they'd most like to see grace the Arena stage. Voting is open now, and you can choose three of your favorite acts here. You have through May 9; the most requested artists will be announced shortly thereafter.

This isn't just another fun survey. The Arena uses the results as a jumping-off point for future bookings, and a number of acts who have appeared on past Arena bucket lists have eventually made it to Spokane: Foo Fighters, Elton John, the Eagles (performing May 8), Metallica (performing in December) and country superstar Garth Brooks, who topped the 2015 list (and — maybe you heard — sold out seven shows here last year).

Of course, we can't tell you who to vote for — though Garth would probably come back if you asked nicely enough — but here are a few suggestions from the Inlander music brain trust:

Bruce Springsteen — None of the Boss' major tours have ever made stops in the Inland Northwest, which is a shame, since we love a blue collar anthem as much as the next city. If we start yelling "BRUUUUUUUUCE" now, will he hear us by the time his Broadway residency is over?

Paul McCartney — Same goes for Sir Paul, who played Missoula in 2014 and Seattle in 2016 but has never given Spokane a shot. We're basically smack dab in between those two places, so maybe he'll throw us a bone next time.

Kendrick Lamar — The recent Pulitzer Prize winner is a commanding live performer, and he's arguably contemporary hip-hop's most vital voice. The Arena doesn't book rappers all that often, but surely they'd make an exception for Kendrick.

Beyoncé — Her already-legendary Coachella set proved that no venue can contain her, so getting Queen Bey to go anywhere is a feat unto itself. She was last here with Destiny's Child in 2005; let's hope the giant Radio Flyer intrigued her enough to come back.

U2 — Few bands know how to make a big room feel intimate like these Irish legends. While known for their elaborate stages and special effects, it's the deep catalog of stirring anthems that makes a U2 show special. When the do an arena run instead of playing football stadiums, how great would it be to see them in Spokane?

Lady Gaga — Whether she's going "full Gaga" and throwing a hyper-theatrical show, or simplifying things for jazzy collaborations with Tony Bennett or songs on her singer/songwriter-y most recent album Joanne, the woman is a mesmerizing performer who would draw from well beyond Spokane. 

Bruno Mars — You've seen the pop hitmaker kill it at the Super Bowl halftime show, and his tunes are unavoidable on radio. An Arena Bruno dance party could be one of the best shows of the year.

Iron Maiden — It appears the British metal masters haven't played Spokane since 1988 at the old Coliseum. Thirty years seems long enough, let's get Bruce Dickinson and Co. back to Spokane!

Hard to believe, but it's been 20 years since Joel and Ethan Coen's quirky crime comedy The Big Lebowski first rolled into theaters, introducing the world to L.A. slacker Jeff "The Dude" Lebowski and a colorful supporting cast of oddballs and weirdos.

We'll be celebrating the milestone with a screening of the beloved cult film at the Bing Crosby Theater on Wed, April 25. And because we're not into that whole brevity thing, we'll also be supplying beer from Iron Goat Brewing and free popcorn from our sponsors at Horizon Credit Union. You'll have to supply your own sarsaparilla; save the White Russians for after the show.

The brews start flowing at 6 pm and the program itself begins at 7 pm. The movie is rated R, and children under 17 will not be admitted without an adult guardian.

But that's not all. Come to the show dressed as your favorite Lebowski character and you could win prizes. Ratty bathrobes, bowling shoes, cowboy hats and viking helmets are all encouraged (Saddam Hussein costumes? Not so much.) Our own gang of nihilists will be judging which likenesses are the most striking — it'll be, like, just our opinions, man — and the winners will be featured in a commemorative Lebowski-themed photo that'll also be printed in the paper. It'll really tie your room together.

Purchase your tickets here, or contact TicketsWest at 325-7328.

There's just one show left in the current WestCoast Entertainment STCU Best of Broadway season, but before Dirty Dancing even tries to put Baby in a corner, you can start planning your ticket needs for 2018-19.

The new season was announced Monday, and while it will kick off a little later than usual as the INB Performing Arts Center gets a quick renovation between seasons, there's a lot to love between returning favorites and Spokane premieres, as well as some special one-night engagements and a new series of National Geographic Live!

Here's the lineup:

STCU BEST OF BROADWAY SEASON
• Finding Neverland, Nov. 15-18
• Waitress, Dec. 12-16
• Disney's The Lion King, Jan. 23-Feb. 3, 2019
• School of Rock, May 8-12, 2019
• Les Miserables, Aug. 6-11, 2019
Season tickets are on sale now, ranging from $238 to $417 for all five shows. A single-ticket on-sale date well be announced mid-summer.

SPECIAL ENGAGEMENTS
• A Magical Cirque Christmas, Nov. 20
• Legally Blonde The Musical, March 21, 2019
• Stomp, April 2-3, 2019

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC LIVE
• Pink Boots and a Machete with primatologist Mireya Mayor, Feb. 20, 2019
• Capturing the Impossible with extreme filmmaker Bryan Smith, March 27, 2019
• A Rare Look: North Korea to Cuba with photojournalist David Guttenfelder, April 24, 2019

This is the fifth season for National Geographic Live, and you can get a ticket package for all three shows for $81. Single-show ticket sales will be announced this summer.

It’s hard not to feel a tinge of civic pride and satisfaction after watching Visit Spokane’s newest promotional video of the city.

“Whoa, I live here?” you might think.

Yes. It’s a pretty cool place, and Visit Spokane's video does a good job of selling it.

Long, slow shots of the city and surrounding area depict its natural beauty and cool things to do. Aerial shots of the city’s neighborhoods, Spokane River, mountains and public parks (all in perfect weather, of course) set to some chill background beats show an ideal city to live in.

“What makes a region a destination? Everyone has their own opinion. But when a place like the Spokane region has it all, it's tough not to sing its praises. Blessed with a unique combination of outrageous outdoors and amazing attractions, incredible arts and delectable dining, and a historic past living seamlessly with a vibrant future. From thrilling whitewater or downhill adventures, to inspiring art and powerful Broadway performances, the Spokane region offers enough activities to pack any vacation calendar."

True enough. The video depicts something for everyone: delicious food, roasting coffee, a vibrant downtown, live music, public art, mountain biking, rock climbing — and it wouldn’t be Spokane if we didn’t have at least eight seconds of time dedicated to Gonzaga basketball.

Okay. Fine. We’re sold.

Calling all fans of the pink-bowed cartoon character known as Hello Kitty! The international feline is making a stop — sort of — in Spokane next weekend, on Saturday, April 21.

Sanrio's Hello Kitty Cafe Truck is setting up shop outside River Park Square from 10 am-8 pm (outside Williams-Sonoma on Main) to serve up giant cookies, pocket pies ($10), three-piece boxed cookie sets ($12), keychains ($6.50), stainless steel thermal bottles ($29-$36) and bow-shaped water bottles ($3), according to organizers.

There will also be Hello Kitty Cafe-branded T-shirts ($27), bow headbands ($30), boxed petit fours ($14) and boxed macarons ($15) for sale. While supplies last, customers can get a free mini-tote bag when they make a $25 food purchase.

The city formed a naming committee. It solicited hundreds of suggestions to find a timeless, and perfect name for the new University District Gateway Bridge, the $9.5 million bicycle and pedestrian bridge connecting the University District to the East Sprague area.

And after all that time, the city Plan Commission finally picked a winner: the, uh, University Gateway Bridge. Or maybe just the University Gateway.

Which, fine. Sometimes you travel the world searching for what you thought was missing, only to find what you'd been looking for was in front of you the entire time.

But University Gateway Bridge? Really? Isn't that name sorta dull?  Isn't it reminiscent of the Gateway bridges already in Australia, London, Iowa, Michigan, Texas and Mexico?

Doesn't "University Gateway" sound like the slow-loading website app where you have to enter in your FAFSA information to get financial aid for a third-rate college?

Since the City Council won't vote on the name until April 16, the city still has a chance to come up with a  cooler name.

So with that in mind, here are a couple of suggestions. The city is welcome to take any of these suggestions, as long as they include a little bronze plaque on the bridge, that says "NAME FIRST APPEARED ON INLANDER.COM, AMERICA'S BEST-READ URBAN WEEKLY."

1. T.J. Meenach Bridge 2: Meenach to the Future

2. The Bridge to Snookerville (celebrating Spokane's long legacy of pool halls)

3. The Sherman Alexie There's-No-Way-This-Name-Could-Backfire Bridge

4. The Arc of Spokane

5. Future Campus Brochure Art Crossing

6. Sprague McBridgin'

7 The It's Not U, It's Me District Bridge

8. The Gateway DS50 Core i3 Desktop PC Bridge

9. The George Wright Robert E. Lee Christopher Columbus Atrocity Crossing

10. "Designated Area of High Prostitution Activity. Vehicles Used to Further Prostitution Activity Will be Impounded."

11. YOUR AD HERE

12. Spokane, a Plan, a Span, Panama

13. The George McGrath City Council Public Forum Speech Bridge

14. Bridge Crosby

15. Bridge of Khazad-dûm (named after Anthony Khazad-dûm, early Spokane founding father)

16. Mike Leach Bridge, But Not the WSU Football Coach, the Other Mike Leach, One of My Dad's Former Youth Group Kids, You Don't Know Him

17. Dr. Brigette McBridge-Fais, DDS

18. Wildlife Crossing for the Most Dangerous Game of All  — Man!

19. The Ben Stuckart Memorial Don't-Name-The-Bridge-After-Somebody Bridge

20. The Bike-fröst

21 Bakken Oil Train Explosion Viewing Platform

22. The This-Is-Not-A-Trolley-Either Bridge

23. Miller's Crossing Crossing

24. The Please Don't Drop Pennies Off Of This At Passing Cars Bridge

25. I Paid $9.5 Million Through State, Federal and Local University District Funding and All I Got Was This Iconic Civic Landmark

26. The Salish word for "Canada Island."

27. 99 Problems, But a Bridge Ain't One

Most of all, however, the bridge needs a short name that communicates not only that it's a crossing, but that it's meant to connect the people to an academic institution. It needs to celebrate Spokane. It needs to recognize the intent to create an intellectual, data-oriented bio-technology hub in the area.

So with that in mind, let me propose:

28. CamBridge Spokanalytica

Whether your taste runs toward classic rock or '90s pop, country or comedy, Northern Quest Resort & Casino's summer concert series has a little something you might be interested in.

Alison Krauss, Brad Paisley, John Fogerty, Train, Kane Brown and Joan Jett are among the headliners announced Tuesday for this year. The venue added 1,000 seats in the offseason, raising its capacity to 5,000 for a lineup that's the biggest in the eight years Northern Quest has delivered the Pepsi Outdoor Summer Concerts.

Here's a breakdown of the shows, their starting ticket prices and on-sale dates; visit Northern Quest's website for more info:

June 18: Little Big Town with Jameson Rodgers, tickets start at $69, on sale March 31

June 28: I Love the '90s with Salt N Pepa, Vanilla Ice, Sir Mix-A-Lot, Color Me Badd, and Young MC, tickets start at $39, on sale March 31

July 10: Incubus with Minus the Bear, tickets start at $49, on sale March 31

July 17: John Fogerty, tickets start at $49, on sale March 31

July 27: Brad Paisley with Brown & Grey, tickets start at $69, on sale March 31

July 29: ZZ Top with Robert Cray, tickets start at $49, on sale March 31 (EDITOR'S NOTE: THIS SHOW HAS BEEN CANCELLED)

Aug. 3: Alison Krauss and Willie Nelson, tickets start at $59, on sale April 7

When Jen Landis isn't on stage as a dancer for the band Super Sparkle or jamming out with her band Mama Doll, she's often preoccupied with helping refugees in the area through her employer Global Neighborhood, a local nonprofit that aids in employment of refugees. Part of her job involves coming up with creative ideas to raise more proceeds for Global Neighborhood. Her most recent endeavor is a dance party fashion show on Friday, March 30, at the Bartlett.

If you want to support Global Neighborhood in a tangible way — besides shopping at their thrift shop — buy tickets and show up to dance. Although Landis says there is no apparent theme for the show, everyone can expect a killer playlist. Drinks and snacks will be available at the open bar.

The models strutting are all locals whose style Landis admires for one reason or another. Most fashion shows have a designer whose work is showcased, but here the models have more liberty and autonomy. Their task is to put together an outfit from Global Neighborhood Thrift. Landis will play the role of emcee and host, as she'll be making a commentary about the models' ensembles. The runway portion will run for a half hour and then everyone can groove to the music together.

Landis explains that two-thirds of GN's operating costs are covered through the thrift store and the remaining third comes from fundraising. The money that's raised will go towards keeping the store open, such as paying rent and salaries.

The aim is to also raise awareness of Global Neighborhood and local refugees.

"We want to expand the knowledge of what refugees are going through — that they live in this community, and that they're as much of this community as anyone else," Landis says.

Refugees employed at GN are usually on a six-month employment duration, or a job training program, while they take ESL classes. Most of the employees at GN don't speak English. Having experience at GN prepares them for other jobs by helping them build various skills and understand workplace customs and dynamics. Sudan, Somalia, Ukraine, Syria and Afghanistan are just a sampling of the countries where the refugees at GN come from.

Landis wants to encourage people to imagine life as a refugee by mentally putting oneself in their shoes and trying to fathom what it would feel like to leave one's life and home country behind, especially not of their own volition.

We like to post about cute and otherwise happy cat-related things for Cat Friday, but this week, we're here to share the unfortunate news that one of the world's most famous celebri-cats, Bento the Keyboard Cat, has passed away.

We learned the news this morning after seeing this video posted on Keyboard Cat's Facebook page:


The laid-back orange tabby owned by Spokane artist Charlie Schmidt was the second cat to take on the official title of Keyboard Cat. The original viral video featuring Schmidt's orange feline, Fatso, was recorded on VHS back in 1984.

Bento was adopted from the local shelter SpokAnimal back in 2010 and was 9 years old when he passed away last week, on March 8.