News briefs

New works on display at EWU gallery

Eastern Washington University Gallery of Art is displaying new works by artist Garrick Simonsen beginning Sept. 27 and running through Oct. 26. Simonsen will give a lecture on Sept. 27 at the gallery, located in the Art Building in the university’s Fine Arts Complex, at noon, with a reception immediately following.

According to a university news release, Simonsen is a fourth-generation Washingtonian, artist and musician. His artworks draw from a large collection of family history, depicted through the use of traditional materials and interdisciplinary approaches including dry-etching, encaustic, collage, hand-coloring and digital print.

Simonsen’s Swedish heritage and deep roots in Pacific Northwest history pull away from abstraction and focus on artifact and the timeless quality of both object and image. His works have been displayed at galleries and museums in Seattle, Boston, Portland, Ore. and New York.

The EWU Gallery of Art is open Monday – Friday from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. Admission is free.

Planting party Oct. 14 at Turnbull NWR

Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge, Spokane Audubon Society and Friends of Turnbull are hosting a community work party Saturday, Oct. 14 from 9 a.m. – noon at the refuge. This is part of an ongoing effort to restore native riparian habitat benefiting area wildlife species, with volunteers planting native saplings and building fencing to protect trees.

Everyone is welcome to participate. Refuge officials ask that groups register in advance in order to assist them with planning details.

Participants are encouraged to wear long-sleeved shirts, work pants and sturdy work boots or shoes and to bring gloves and if possible, shovels and pliers.

The refuge will host a potluck lunch with hamburgers, veggie burgers and hot dogs provided by the Friends of Turnbull. Please feel free to bring a favorite dish as well. Contact 235-4723, ext. 228 to coordinate.

Turnbull is located five miles south of Cheney on Cheney-Plaza Road. Work party participants should meet at the refuge headquarters, located two miles from the entrance to the beginning of the auto loop.

County library hosts writing workshops conference  

Spokane County Library District announces the third annual Spokane Writers Conference on Saturday, Oct. 14, from 10 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. at the North Spokane Library. During this one-day conference, attendees can register for eight different workshops available during four sessions.

Participants have the opportunity to meet local authors, a literary agent and others with an interest in writing. Writing and publishing workshop presenters include Kelly Milner Halls, Mary Cronk Farrell, Maureen McQuerry, Stephen Wallenfels and literary agent Christine Cohen. Workshops explore poetry, fiction, nonfiction, writing for children and publishing. Each requires prior registration to attend.

The Spokane Writers Conference falls on “Indie Author Day,” and library staff will have information about self-publishing and independent publishing, along with National Novel Writing Month, or NANoWriMo, which takes place during November.

For more information about the conference, including online registration for workshops, visit http://www.scld.org/spokane-writers-conference-2017.

Business to honor first responders Sept. 30

First Responders from all around Spokane and Northern Idaho will be honored when Lone wolf Harley-Davidson hosts a “First Responders Appreciation Day” Saturday, Sept. 30, from 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. 

In a news release, Lone wolf officials said they will host a day specifically for first responders and their families. There will be counselors on hand from St. Vincent de Paul of North Idaho to talk with those affected by trauma so they can ask questions about counseling for first responders and their families.  

The public is invited to this free event, which will also include bike games, contests, food trucks and much more. 

For more information about this event, contact Lone wolf event manager Aron Nelson at (509) 927-7433. Lone wolf Harley-Davidson is located at 19011 E. Cataldo Ave. in the Spokane Valley, just off Interstate 90 at the Barker Road exit.