Derby Dames, car chases, fireworks, and much more

What and eventful week. The last seven days have been jam packed with action in the Coulee. So in case you missed it, recap through my eyes and ears.

There is a little store in Electric City that has been there as long as I can remember. H&H Grocery is where my recap starts. I think we started a new 4th of July tradition this year. The Norris family is a jewel in the crown of our community; we spent time at their fireworks stand with Klendon and Susan Duclos, Kramer Carlson (Go Huskies), and others. BBQing and laughing and trying to break into a locked car.

As a side note: Don’t ever leave your car running with your dogs inside after your child begs you to stop and buy fireworks. The dogs are smart. They locked themselves in and went and took a nap in the back seat. After a few hours a local young man, who will remain nameless, showed up and within seconds had the car unlocked.

After the very appreciative mother drove away, we got to experience a tank war, thanks to Phil (James) and KDawg (Kramer), and I think Phil screamed a little. I also had to show James how to seal the deal on a fireworks sale too. It was a great example of family and friends hanging out and celebrating together.

If you missed the Roller Derby, then you missed out on a great family-friendly sporting event that will be a mainstay in the area for years. Of course we all have homework to do so we can understand the rules and the vocabulary that goes along with this contact sport. It was amazing to see these dedicated skaters from all over the Northwest come together and put on a great show.

The brand new to Roller Derby local girls have skills, too. Shanks and Kitten scored a lot for their teams and of course Chick Norris went out with a bang and a bruise or two. I can’t wait for the next event and to see even more of our locals banging knees with other great skaters. A big thanks goes to Rayne for leaving this legacy for future generations, and continued support from the community is needed to keep the Derby Dames rolling.

The Kids Carnival was the highlight of the craft fair below the VC this year. There was plenty to do for the youngsters and some adults as well. We watched as Pitt Brothers Mark and Jeff jousted each other like two American Gladiators and then Nate got into the mix as well. A lot of kids took their best shot at making Jess shut up, in the dunk tank. We have a lot of cheaters in the Coulee.

It was fun to see all the smiles from the little ones. Brad White and Jeremy Utz also took their turn in the dunk tank, as well as some little ones that just had to get wet. Can’t say that I blame them, it was hot. There was also a pie eating contest that James Norris walked away with a shallow victory over favorite Brandon White. I heard many parents saying thank you for having this event. The kids were happy and most had to drag their kids away.

In the middle of all this, there was a car chase through the streets of Nespelem, Elmer City, Coulee Dam, Grand Coulee, Electric City and beyond. Thank goodness no one was hurt. It was scary to hear the recap of citizens that watched the chase out of an action movie take place right in front of their homes.

Speaking of scary, a freak wind storm on Sunday night sparked a fire near Elmer City. I sat and watched from Crown Point with about 30 other cars as the large flames looked as if they were about to eat the Highway Tire building. I could not help but think of the 19 firefighters who lost their lives in Arizona as the gusting wind pushed the flames larger and larger. A lot of prayers were said in this short period, I’m sure.

Good job, firefighters. They saved the day again and dosed the monster in a short amount of time against Mother Nature’s fury.

So I hope your holiday was just as fun as mine. Oh, and I owe a couple of you little kids a good dunking