Coulee Recollections

10 Years ago

Total Health Events, LLC, of Blaine, Wash, the same company that put on last fall’s triathlon, is hosting the “Over The Dam Run” 5K/10K and a half marathon on Sunday, May 8 on Colorama weekend. The original race began in 1977, organized annually by an avid group of runners from the Coulee, Spokane and eastern Washington, but numbers of participants in recent years has dwindled. Race Director Jonathon Hoskins says a major attraction for many runners will be the chance to run on the top of Grand Coulee Dam, which had been closed off to the public after 2001.

The Grand Coulee Dam Area Chamber of Commerce’s marketing committee is seeking funds for a $15,000 radio ad campaign to promote this year’s tourism season. George Hitzler recently met with the Electric City town council, explaining the radio buy on nine stations that would greet and tell drivers coming over to Eastern Washington about the Grand Coulee Dam area. He asked the council for $2,500 from the town’s hotel-motel tax money which comes from a 2-percent charge on lodging within the town and is paid monthly from Grant County as the tax accumulates. The town council voted $500 for the campaign, noting that they had budgeted $3,200 for tourism promotion this year and have already awarded funds to the GCD royalty and the chamber. The town’s hotel-motel tourism tax fund currently has a balance of $30,000.

The Grand Coulee Dam School District heard that student enrollment has dropped from 787.2 full-time students in September to 760.67 in March, falling 26.5 full-time-equivalents (FTE’s) in one month.

20 years ago

The Star and Pappy’s Pinwheel Pizza of Grand Coulee are sponsoring a special Kids Section in this year’s Colorama Parade.The sign-up sheet says: “If you can ride a bike or pull a wagon through the parade route, then gather your friends and put your decorating ideas together for the May 13th parade.” Prizes will be awarded and all participants receive ribbons.

Stanley Norm and Charlene Worsham have applied to the Wash. State Liquor Board for the transfer of a class EF license, to sell beer and wine for off-premises consumption, at the Midway Mini Mart in Grand Coulee. The license is currently held by Steven Palanuk, doing business as Midway Mini Mart. Anyone wishing to support or oppose the transfer, should contact the Regulatory Services Division, WSLCB, in Olympia.

Springtime shirt sleeve weather greeted kids of all ages on the run with baskets and plastic bags at the GCD Lions Club annual Easter Egg Hunt at the middle school field last Saturday. Winning egg hunters included: 1-3 year olds, 1st Kim Romo, 2nd Chelsie Sanford, 3rd Nat Johnson; 4-5 year olds, 1st Timmy Taylor, 2nd Jacob Netimann, 3rd Kyle Graves; 6-7 year olds, 1st Melinda Fry, 2nd John Sharr, 3rd Mason Fry; 8-10 year olds, 1st Jessica Powell, 2nd Abner Hutchinson, 3rd Zachery Thiefault.

Kathy Winzer, of Coulee Dam, was chosen as the April Director of the Month at the Colville Tribal Convalescent Center, located at the Colville Indian Agency. She is the Center’s acting director of Nursing Services where she designed and implemented the nurses’ aide training program. She said that she enjoys working at CTCC because it’s an upbeat place and has flexible hours. Her husband, David, is a veterinarian in Grand Coulee and the couple have four children at home.

30 years ago

Patty Michaud, 15, a sophmore at Lake Roosevelt High School, recently served as a legislative page for the Washington State House of Representatives. She was sponsored by Rep. Tom Bristow, D-Inchelium. She is the daughter of Jack and Flores Michaud of Coulee Dam.

Coulee Community Hospital received an annual donation from the Wells Foundation, founded by the late A.Z. Wells, of the Wells Fruit Co. and Wells and Wade Hardware of Wenatchee. CCH is one of 17 beneficiaries in North Central Washington and this year’s allocation of $18,000 will be placed in the Coulee Medical Foundation which provides for new equipment purchases. Dignitaries at the ceremony included: Rod Johnson, Seattle Bank; John Norby, CCH board chairman; Robert Castrodale, Coulee Medical Foundation chairman; Joe Adams, Wells & Wade Hardware rep.; G.E. Anders, Wells Foundation Allocation Committee member; and Del Morissette, hospital administrator.

Localites Cecil and Eleanor Trefry of Grand Coulee recently attended the National Association of Wheat Grower’s annual meeting in Honolulu, Hawaii. In other news, Ainie Powell and D.J. Brenchley hosted the early March meeting of the Grand Coulee Rebekah Lodge #315 where nine members celebrated their 39th birth dates (January-March): Edith Allying; Mae Baker; Maxine Butts; Betty Holloway; Fritzi Horton; Lena Irwin; Elsie Longley; Frances Sather; and Hazel Tallent. And Mrs. Bill Berry of Coulee Dam asked to talk to,via a public message in The Star, if there was anyone locally or hereabouts who was a member of the Mothers Club of Coulee Dam that had been directed by Mrs. Olive Green.