By SHANON QUINN | INLAND360.COM
It was 1974. Gasoline was 55 cents a gallon, Americans could buy a new car for less than $4,000, and men everywhere were relaxing in stylish velour jumpsuits. And here on the Palouse, a tradition was born: Evening Campfire programs at Kamiak Butte.
Whitman County Parks and Recreation recently released this years’ schedule for the Evening Campfire programs.
The annual series, celebrating its 40th anniversary, is operated entirely by volunteers from the community and park board and runs nearly every Saturday evening May 17- Aug. 16.
Program representative Janel Goebel said one of the best things about the program is never knowing what could happen.
“Once, in the middle of a presentation, a turkey came wandering through,” she said.
Nature does not lend itself to predictability.
All of the free 2014 programs are family friendly, Goebel said. They also allow a view of Kamiak Butte after nightfall, seldom seen by anyone but campers, as the parks close at dusk to day-trippers.
“Some families make a day of it,” Goebel said. “They pack a lunch and spend the day in the park, finishing with the Evening Campfire program.”
Aside from nature hikes, programs will take place at the Kamiak Butte Amphitheater.
For updated information throughout the season, visit whitmancounty.org or make friends with Whitman County Parks and Recreation on Facebook.
The 2014 schedule
? May 17: Guided wildflower hike to summit of Kamiak Butte. Presented by Dan Leonard. 5:30-7:30 p.m.
? May 31: Women's lives in the early Palouse. Presented by Kathy Meyer. 7 p.m.
? June 7: Man tracking – search and rescue. Presented by Anne Fillers. 7 p.m.
? June 14: Palouse Discovery Science Center. Presented by Tiffany Sheeley. 7 p.m.
? June 21: Campfire sing-along songs. Presented by Tina Hilding and Von Walden. 7 p.m.
? June 28: The Palouse Prairie: Remnants and Recovery. Presented by Bertie Weddell. 7 p.m.
? July 5: Tools and trials of a trapper in the 1800s. Presented by Dan Leonard. 7 p.m.
? July 12: How Three Forks became Pullman and landed the state college. Presented by Glen Johnson. 7 p.m.
? July 26: Guided hike on the new West End Primitive Trail. Presented by Doug Flansburg. 5:30-8:30 p.m.
? Aug. 2: Whitman County's hidden gems. Presented by Marty Mullan. 7 p.m.
? Aug. 9: Program to be announced. 7 p.m.
? Aug. 16: Survival of rural towns in the 21st century. Presented by Alex McGregor. 7 p.m.
Quinn can be contacted at squinn@inland360.com or at (208) 883 4632
