Cheney Mayfest; Floods, Flowers and Feathers both this weekend

A pair of festivals could turn Cheney and nearby Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge into a couple of busy places this weekend.

The third annual Cheney Mayfest takes place Friday and Saturday, May 29-30, downtown. Friday night will feature a street dance with live music by the Kelly Hughes Band along with fire eating performances by the Spokane Aerial Fire Troupe. Saturday, the 3-on-3 basketball tournament tips off at 8 a.m., along with vendor booths at College Avenue and First Street and in the Bank of America parking lot.

The Friends of the Cheney Library book sale begins at 9 a.m. in front of the library. At 10 a.m. the annual “4 & 1/2 Block Walk” for the American Cancer Society kicks off from Owl Pharmacy.

There will be a variety of activities all day Saturday until 4 p.m., including horse and pony rides, bouncy castles, a car show, live music and dancing by Eastern Washington University students, a human foosball court, food, beverages and more.

Also taking place Saturday a short 5-mile drive down Cheney-Plaza Road is Turnbull Refuge’s fourth annual Floods, Flowers and Feathers Festival. The festival provides opportunities to learn about local wildlife and their habitats, the geology of the Channeled Scablands landscape and other aspects of the refuge.

Activities include “Sounds of the Night” with EWU biology graduate student Chris Brady, “Projectiles!” by Spokane’s Mobius Science Center and an interactive display of fire fighting apparatus. There will be bird walks, a “Birds, Flowers and Mammals Walk” with EWU biologists and a photography walk with professional nature photographer Chuck Kerkering.

Information booths and activities include making a pinwheel with the help of Cheney Library staff, decoy painting for kids by Ducks Unlimited and leafing impressions from students at EWU Snyamncut residence hall.

The festival runs from 8 a.m. – 3 p.m. A list of activities and specific times is available online at http://www.fws.gov/refuge/Turnbull.

John McCallum can be reached at jmac@cheneyfreepress.com.