BLOGS

√ CheckList: Five cheap things that look like fun

Blog: Culture Check

What are you doing at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month? At 11 a.m. Nov. 11, 1918, a bunch of military big-wigs from Germany and the Allied nations signed an armistice that effectively ended World War I. For you whippersnappers who missed the text message, this was a big deal, one of modern history’s major turning points.



Since then, Armistice Day has morphed into Veterans Day, but the sentiments remain the same — to honor and thank everyone who’s served the U.S. in all wars.

Along those lines, on Wednesday morning (11 a.m., 11/11) a cool parade glides past Memorial Park in Wenatchee. As always, it’ll have a couple of marching bands and lots of scouts, soldiers and a few horses. Veterans in Chelan also plan an 11 a.m. parade down Woodin Avenue.

Other affordable fun you might salute this week includes:

√ More Scary Stuff, Please (tonight through Saturday) — Not quite done with Halloween? Then the Eastmont High School drama squad will make your tell-tale heart go ker-thump-a-thump. In “Masque: Selected Stories by Edgar Allan Poe,” five of the horror master’s tales come to life on stage in a production adapted by student Kyle Levine. The blood-curdling starts at 7:30 p.m. in the high school auditorium, 955 3rd St. N.E., East Wenatchee. Admission $7. Info: 888-1218.

√ Art, Poetry, Music and Snacks (Friday) — It’ll be worth making the rounds of a few downtown Wenatchee businesses for their First Friday events. Start with art at 5 p.m. at Two Rivers Gallery, 102 N. Columbia St., where you’ll find quality works by members on display (with snacks). Then head over to Read It Again Books, 11 Palouse St., by 6 p.m. to catch poets of the local Iamblers group read their stuff (with snacks). Then make your way to Caffé Mela, 17 N. Wenatchee Ave., for an open mic beginning at 7 p.m.

√ Wait ... Here’s More on First Friday (Friday) — In Leavenworth, the Icicle Art Gallery, 347 Division St., holds an artist reception (yep, with snacks) for Cashmere painter and sculptor Bryan S. Miller. His multimedia works look darned interesting. Info: 668-4663. In Chelan, the whole downtown cranks up for the holidays with art, music, quilts, kids activities, snowmobile presentations and — gulp — even a bit of pre-Christmas hullabaloo. Fun starts at 5 p.m. Info: 682-4322.

√ Free Folk Music by Boston Band (Tuesday) — If you’re near the WVC campus around 12:30 p.m., stop by the Van Tassell Center Student Lounge to listen to Broken Blossoms, a popular folk/pop/bluegrass band from way back east. The group was originally gathered as a backup band for singer-songwriters in Boston, but quickly evolved its own identity and sound. Free. Info: 682-6800.

√ Listen Up: Naval Carriers and Local Canyons (Tuesday) — Swab out the ear canals; this is a big day for lectures. First, Erick Erickson and Karl Bates recount their heavy battle action aboard the aircraft carrier USS Saratoga in World War II. The 2 p.m. program will be held at the Wenatchee Valley Museum & Cultural Center, 127 S. Mission St., and admission is $5 for adults, $4 for seniors. Later that evening, Brent Cunderla chats about the geologic formations of the Tumwater and Icicle canyons. His talk starts at 6:30 p.m. at Barn Beach Reserve, 347 Division St., Leavenworth. Recommended donation is $5. Info: 548-7584.

CheckList is a weekly posting for Culture Check, a wenatcheeworld.com blog, where Mike Irwin writes about art, movies, books, bad TV, oddball places and anything else he finds interesting. You can reach him at 665-1179 or irwin@wenatcheeworld.com.