Tag Archives: Balfour Park Spokane

A Happy Thursday Rundown

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Happy Friday Eve, my friends! I hope your June is off to a fabulous start and that life is good. Let’s jump right into my latest Thursday Rundown…

250th Anniversary Kickoff – I love a good patriotic event and I also find incredible significance in America’s upcoming 250th anniversary. So when I learned that the City of Spokane Valley was hosting “Celebrating America’s 250th: Picnic in the Park,” it took no arm twisting to get me there. Even though he had a soccer match right before it, I hauled Beau with me to Balfour Park where a military band played, Revolutionary-era groups convened, and the American flag flew. Make no mistake about it, I plan to celebrate all summer long.

Beau hanging with some colonial men at the “Celebrating America’s 250th: Picnic in the Park” event at Balfour Park in Spokane Valley,

Free Ice Cream – I have gone on record stating that the best perk about working for Eastern Washington University is the free bus pass. Well, I can now identify my second favorite perk. On Tuesday an ice cream truck pulled up near our building and distributed free ice cream to everyone—students and staff alike! It was a tough decision between the ice cream Oreo sandwich or the Reese’s ice cream bar but I went with the latter. Nothing like taking a random break at 11 a.m. on a Tuesday for a free sweet treat.

I pose with my colleagues in EWU University Relations on June 1, 2026. We were surprised when the ice cream truck pulled up near our office and started handing out free treats. Ryan Gaard is on the left and Emily Ausere is on the right. Both are very talented designers.

Happy First Birthday, Neteyam! – Over the weekend, we attended our godson’s 1st birthday party. Sid, the kids, and I were honored to be the only non-family members invited to Neteyam’s bash that took place at the delicious Outlaw BBQ. It is hard to describe how cute and good-natured Neteyam is. We told his mom and our good friend, Fidela, that this was one of our favorite ages for our own kids. Speaking of Fidela, she celebrated her third wedding anniversary with Dylan yesterday…congrats!

Fidela, Beau, Neteyam, and Sidney pose for a photo at our godson’s birthday party held at Outlaw BBQ.

Happy Anniversary, Miranda and Jay! – While we are on the subject of anniversaries, I want to give a very special shout out to my sister and brother-in-law. Today they celebrate their 15th wedding anniversary. The ceremony took place in Hillyard on a hot day. It was nice to celebrate with so many of our extended family members and the pasta at the reception venue that day was on-point.

Miranda and Jay are celebrating their 15th wedding anniversary today.

Top Cheeses – Today is National Cheese Day and 1.5 years ago I celebrated its cousin’s national day (National Cheese Lover’s Day) by counting down my top five favorite cheeses. Because I feel nice tonight, I am going to save you a click if you wish and just give you my list. In order from #5 to my all-time favorite cheese, here you go: parmesan cheese, queso, blue cheese, Cougar Gold, pepper jack.

Parmesan cheese is one of my top five favorite cheeses.

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Another Thursday Rundown in the books! Fair warning, there will be no rundown next week but there will be a blog post. Adding to the unusual blogging week is the fact that I hope to post an end-of-school-year entry on that Friday as well—but we shall see. Until then, have a fantastic weekend. Don’t Blink.

Cops & Kids

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On Saturday, I took Beau to Cops & Kids, an inaugural community event that was held at Balfour Park in Spokane Valley. Cops & Kids boasted inflatables, games, food trucks, a car show, and—of course—law enforcement fun.

The Spokane Valley Police Department brought tools, vehicles, personnel, and more for attendees to view and engage with. I wanted to share a few of the things that Beau liked best…

The department’s SWAT vehicle was on display and Beau wasted no time climbing in the back. Inside was a police officer who patiently answered all of my son’s questions. Most of them dealt with the equipment inside.

Beau hanging out in a Spokane Valley Police Department SWAT vehicle at the Cops & Kids event.

Beau also met a SVPD K-9. Of course, Beau asked the officer about the function of the muzzle but I had questions, too. I asked about the dog’s training, length of service, and attack methods. These dogs do more than just jump on suspects—they bite them. But the officer I was speaking to stressed that the K-9 isn’t used for minor criminals but for those bad guys who pose a real threat to others. The dog will subdue the suspect by biting the arm, thus giving officers time to move in for the arrest.

Beau meets a Spokane Valley Police Department K-9 at the Cops & Kids event.

The helicopter definitely stood out at Balfour Park. We missed its landing and takeoff but seeing it up close was still pretty cool. They were allowing people to jump inside the cockpit but it was such a hot day that we refrained.

Beau poses in front of a Spokane Valley Police helicopter at the Cops & Kids event.

What interested Beau the most, however, was the drones! Yes, I used the plural form. SVPD brought a regular-sized drone and a mini drone. The latter is used to actually enter buildings and residences. The officer I talked to indicated that his primary responsibility with the department is to solely fly drones. The demonstrations were super cool as the video feed from the drone was projected onto a large screen in the back of a squad car.

Beau looks at a Spokane Valley Police drone at the Cops & Kids event.

Thank you to the Spokane Valley Police Department for playing such a big role in the Cops & Kids event! Your access and service are both appreciated. Don’t Blink.