The Memorial Day One 🇺🇸

Run Clubs, Brews and Buys are Calling 💸

May 22, 2025

SpoCo Mays are stunning and Memorial Day makes anyone visiting the region go weak at the knees for good reason. . .

It’s supposed to be an absolutely tantalizing summer teaser:

Case <> Point

Sunshine forecasts, farmers-market season popping off, and half the town power-washing decks like it’s an Olympic sport.

So, how do you spend this long weekend without squandering the vibe? A few thoughts:

  1. Chase the sales— from REI’s gear blowout to Whitaker’s mattress markdowns.

  2. Hit a farmers market and let local strawberries ruin supermarket fruit forever. BTW. . . after some digging Scale House Market Opens 5.31.25 🎉

  3. Book a sunset cruise on Lake CDA, charcuterie in one hand, camera in the other.

Summer’s revving its engine—don’t just watch it idle.

In other news. . . bad weekend to be a beer patio. . . Here’s why 👇

No-Li 13th Anniversary Bash

Sat May 24

Lucky 13 and still swinging. No-Li turns its university-district beer hall into a birthday free-for-all: score a pint of Wrecking Ball Stout or Big Juicy IPA and—if you’re among the first 400—walk out with a limited-run anniversary hat. Expect new-release taps, patio games, and the kind of Spokane pride that smells like citrus hops and barbecue smoke. Show up early, toast the crew that put “Spokane-Style” beer on the map, and leave with brim swag to prove it.

Pilsner Picnic 2025 @ Brick West

Sat May 24 | 21+

Nine breweries, one sunshine-soaked beer garden, zero pretension. Drop twenty bucks and you’re armed with a collector pint glass plus nine 5-oz tastes—think Whistle Punk, Perry St, Bale Breaker, and other regional hop wizards all riffing on the humble pils. Buffalo Jones supplies the live soundtrack while you decide which crisp, bread-crust masterpiece pairs best with patio fries. Light beer? Yes. Lightweight? Hardly. Pace yourself; pilsners hide their punch behind that golden halo.

HopDash Brewfest — Sun May 25 | CDA | 21+ | $35

CDA Marathon ends, the real cardio begins: glass-lifting reps downtown. HopDash is the official after-party, which means unlimited pours from a dozen regional breweries, cideries, and a rogue wine station because hydration is overrated. Flash your pre-May 10 ticket and you score the coveted HopDash pint-can glass; procrastinators get foam-cup envy. Live bands crank out lake-day guitar riffs while food truck Oh Baby! slings handheld carbs your glycogen can actually process.

Every dollar fuels the North Idaho Centennial Trail, so your IPA habit literally keeps 23 miles of asphalt smooth. Run, walk, or Uber in—just get there. Headphones off, pint up, legs shot, spirit restored.

Outlaw Music Festival – ONE Spokane Stadium
Thursday, May 22 | Doors 3 PM | First chord 4 PM

Willie Nelson’s turning 92 and still tours like your favorite dive bar stays open—enter the Outlaw Music Festival’s 10-year victory lap

Parking its buses at ONE Spokane Stadium. Lily Meola warms the stage at 4 PM, Sierra Hull shreds sweet mandolin by 4:55, then Billy Strings rips bluegrass into cosmic jazz hands at 6:10. At 7:55, Bob Dylan ambles on, croaking riddles you’ll pretend to decode. Finally, Willie & Family close 9:40-ish, braiding harmonica wails with THC-laced legend until 10:40.

It’s six hours of Americana god-tier storytelling, cheaper than therapy and louder than your neighbor’s lawnmower. Wear something breathable, budget for $18 tallboys, and bring respect for a lineup that could teach Spotify a thing or two about algorithms.

Tickets? Still a few left—grab ’em now or spend Memorial weekend explaining why you skipped history in the making.

Get Your Tee Times . . . Uhh—now

Golf. . .  I know some of my friends’ personalities are reliant on their handicap. For me, I usually just see the game as more of an expensive walk. . . then again, I’ve never done a good job mixing competition with socializing. The good news, we have plenty of great “trails” to explore in the region. These are prime days to catch a 5AM tee time and be at work by 9 – Now, I know that many of us are not planning on locking in our tee times at Manito CC, or Gozzer, but we can only dream. . . Below are 20 options–most of which–are nearby. Personally I look like this (but everyone says I look like Scottie Scheffler 🤷):

Had to include Gamble: it’s world renowned, gorgeous and don’t require a flight to get there.

Gamble Sands GC – Brewster, WA
Modern links stunner; often ranked among America’s Top 100 You Can Play.

Circling Raven GC – Worley, ID
Golfweek’s perennial #1 in Idaho. 620 tribal acres of pure scenic fire.

Coeur d’Alene Resort GC – Coeur d’Alene, ID
Home of the iconic floating green. A must-play resort experience.

Palouse Ridge GC – Pullman, WA
Bold collegiate course with a rep among golf nerds and Golf Digest.

The Idaho Club – Sandpoint, ID
Jack Nicklaus design hugging the Pack River. Afternoon public tee times.

Indian Canyon GC – Spokane, WA
Historic Chandler Egan track. Still one of the city’s best walks.

The Creek at Qualchan – Spokane, WA
Spokane’s most modern muni. Creek-laced and surprisingly technical.

Downriver GC – Spokane, WA
1916 throwback with massive local loyalty and riverside walkability.

MeadowWood GC – Liberty Lake, WA
Top-10 public course (Golf Digest ’96). Open feel, great for all levels.

Liberty Lake GC – Liberty Lake, WA
Sleek, renovated muni with mini-Chambers Bay flair jk. . . comparing to Chambers is a crime. 

Deer Park GC – Deer Park, WA
Smooth greens, resort energy, and lots of water features.

Prairie Falls GC – Post Falls, ID
“Smart” course tech meets hotel/sim hybrid. Great for groups.

Highlands GC – Post Falls, ID
Ponderosa-lined fairways and a grill that hits post-round.

Twin Lakes Village GC – Rathdrum, ID
Super friendly vibe with lake views and tree-lined fairways.

Latah Creek GC – Spokane Valley, WA
Forgiving and fun with sneak-up-on-you difficulty.

Wandermere GC – Spokane, WA
Short, tight, and charming. Hugs the Little Spokane River.

Kalispel G&CC – Spokane, WA
Private club with limited public access via The Davenport. Hidden gem.

Avondale GC – Hayden Lake, ID
Semi-private pine-surrounded course with a laid-back local edge.

Trailhead GC – Liberty Lake, WA
Solid 9-holer with a short game-friendly layout. Good for the ego. 

The Links GC – Post Falls, ID
True links feel. Breezy, wide open, and refreshingly different.

Chasing a Runner’s High? 👇

Run clubs seem to be all the rage, they’re a great way to meet some new — health-focused folks, and you’re met with a nourishing, refreshing adult beverage at the end. . . sounds like a winner to me. That being said, my cringeworthy level of competition might have me at your run club acting-up like:

Beer bribes > banana slices. Every Wednesday at 6 PM, Brick West Brewing empties its taproom of laptops and restocks it with runners. The drill: 3–5 riverfront miles, high-fives at the Monroe Street Bridge, then straight back for a pint that basically erases the calorie math. All paces, all excuses—just don’t complain when the post-run playlist turns from Lizzo to metal.

Think cardio with caffeine and zero pretense. This Liberty Lake / Valley-based crew meets Sundays for 5–6 conversational miles that somehow end at a coffee shop serving pour-overs and smug pastries. Pace ranges from stroller-friendly to “Strava segment stalker,” but everyone circles back for Ciders at Trailbreaker.

Tuesdays (tempo) and Saturdays (long). Routes bounce from McEuen Park to Tubbs Hill like caffeinated squirrels, capped with a mandatory latte stop because recovery = steamed foam. No chip times, no ego—just a rotating cast of North Idaho misfits chasing endorphins and cheap waffles.

The OG of Spokane social miles. Show up any Thursday, find 250 people in neon green, run a 3–4 mile downtown loop while chanting “Sláinte,” then descend on whichever pub is sponsoring that week’s pint special. Rack up ten runs and you earn the fabled Flying Irish shirt—your official license to brag, mid-IPA, that you’re “basically a regular.”

Choose your pain: 26.2, 13.1, or the “I still like brunch” 10K/5K. Lake Coeur d’Alene frames the course like a motivational poster; pine-scented air doubles as free aromatherapy. Medal, banana, and complimentary mimosa at the finish. Legs? Toast. Ego? Flambé. Brunch tastes better when you’ve bled electrolytes for it.

Sunday Funday Baseball

Day game = no shadows on the plate, cheap beers in the shade, and that gentle minor-league hum that cures your Saturday sins. Kids run bases after, adults run to the Hop Shop for one more tallboy. The seventh-inning stretch plays “Country Roads,” and for a moment life feels as simple as peanuts and Cracker Jack.

Genus pairs home-brewers with pro-brewers like a beermaking dating show. Six collab beers, 4-oz pours, a pun-heavy ballot sheet (“Pitch Your Yeast, Not Your Vote”), and you decide which weird a** recipe gets bragging rights. One keg features lemongrass & pear; another dabbles in smoked pineapple. Palate cleanse? Butter-garlic pretzel bites the size of your fist. Democracy is delicious.

Sun 25, 7 PM start

Flick on a headlamp, coast 15 miles of downhill rail bed, and stop on trestles for Milky Way selfies. The tunnels? Pitch-black except your beam, dripping with ice-cold water, echoing like nature’s rave cave.

Thu 22, 9 AM

Survivalist-chef Charlie Bouck teaches you to ID wild onion, yarrow, and stinging nettle (spoiler: gloves). Two-mile loop, edible plant snack break, and a handout authorizing brag posts: “I eat weeds now.”

Aside from the retail therapy and a bonus Monday off, let’s remember the reason we even get to grill in peace: the men and women who traded comfort for country. Pay respect and show love for those who’ve made the ultimate sacrifice. Here’s the lineup:

Saturday 24th – Race to Remember 5K, Fairmount Memorial Park

Sunday 25th – Salute-to-Service Concert & Car Show, Riverside Memorial Park

Monday 26th – Memorial Tributes, Fairmount
• Heroes Breakfast 8 AM (Vets eat free (As they should)).
• Flag Cruise 10 AM: bike convoy from Riverside to Fairmount, flags whipping in the wind
• Veterans Service 11 AM: Marine Corps League leads a no-fluff, full-heart ceremony.

Now, back to the less reverent, and endearing content

Memorial-Day-Weekend Steals & Deals (Spill style)

There are sales all over the place, but I think it’s worth calling out a few that are going on while it’s nice out this weekend. . . Make sure you run or sprint to these deals. Anything less would be just lazy.

Whitaker Family Furniture â€“ N. Monroe, Spokane
All-May mattress madness. Family-run showroom slashing prices on beds, couches, dining sets—everything short of the kitchen sink (though they’ve probably got a table for that too). Friendly staff, zero pressure, maximum nap potential.

Lowe’s – Multiple Spokane-area stores
Appliances, grills, patio sets, lawn mowers—basically a “summer out-of-office” starter pack. Veterans already score the everyday discount; everyone else gets Memorial markdowns across every aisle. Grab lumber, flags, and a new fridge in one caffeine-fueled lap.

Home Depot – Liberty Lake + North Spokane + Valley
The orange apron empire’s Memorial Day Sale = patio furniture on clearance, power tools whispering your name, paint promos begging for a makeover. Perfect for DIY hero arcs or panic-buying an AC unit before the first heatwave.

REI – Spokane
Anniversary Sale (May 16-26). Up to 50 % off packs, tents, trail shoes, plus an extra 20 % off one item for members. Stock up, then disappear into the woods like a well-prepared outlaw.

New Leaf Nursery â€“ Hayden, ID | May 23-25
Annual plant blowout: veggies, perennials, shrubs, trees, the works. 9 AM–4 PM daily; arrive early for the weird heirloom tomatoes.

Spokane Farmers Market – Coeur d’Alene Park, Browne’s Addition | Sat May 24, 8 AM–1 PM
Season opener lands Memorial weekend. Dozens of growers slinging greens, eggs, meats, honey, pastries—support local ag and flex that reusable-bag swagger.

Welp. . . That’s all folks 👋