❤️ Your Monday Spokane update

Good morning, Spokane!

It's Lilac Festival week, and this city is buzzing and the Zephyr just kept their playoff hopes alive in the most dramatic way possible. Whether you spent the weekend watching 14 marching bands strut through downtown or catching that goal in the 69th minute at ONE Spokane Stadium, you already know: this was a good one.

In today's Spokane Pulse:

Let's get to it.
— Laina & Lucas Wyland

⚽ The Spokane Zephyr earned a critical three points Friday night with a 1-0 home win over DC Power at ONE Spokane Stadium. Emma Jaskaniec buried a right-footed shot in the 69th minute to keep Spokane's USL Super League playoff hopes alive. The Zephyr now sit just one point behind Dallas Trinity with one regular-season game remaining.

🌸 The 73rd annual Junior Lilac Parade marched through downtown Saturday morning with more than 60 units and 14 marching bands under this year's "Embrace" theme. It's the only middle school marching band competition in the region, and the energy was exactly what you'd expect from hundreds of kids who've been rehearsing since January.

🚌 Spokane Transit hit a 10-year ridership high last week, with more than 40,000 people riding the bus on a single day. STA credits rising gas prices (the Spokane average hit $5.37 a gallon) and sees an average of 562 more daily riders compared to this time last year.

🎬 Spokane's film and TV industry is having a moment. A new Spokane Journal of Business report details how the region's landscapes and architecture are drawing production crews, with the local industry hitting what the Journal calls "sustainable growth" after years of building infrastructure.

🎊 The 6th annual ANHPI Heritage Festival brought Asian, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander cultures to Riverfront Park on Thursday and Friday with food trucks, a luau, a fire-knife show, and the 14th Family Fun Fair. Admission was free, and the turnout matched the spirit of aloha.

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Learn to make Thai crispy pork belly two ways at Spokane's beloved Kitchen Engine, tucked inside the Flour Mill. Chef Nick Ivers leads this hands-on class for up to 17 guests — come hungry.

Indie rock legends bring their 2026 tour to Spokane for what should be one of the best weeknight shows of the spring.

Book 8 of Dungeon Crawler Carl drops May 12, and Jupiter's Eye Book Cafe is throwing a trivia night to celebrate. Questions are based on Book 1 only, so even newer fans can jump in. Costumes encouraged, drink specials all night.

Remarkably Bright Creatures author Shelby Van Pelt visits Gonzaga for a conversation with Spokesman-Review Managing Editor Lindsey Treffry. She'll talk about her bestselling debut and its upcoming Netflix adaptation.

Got a favorite shirt with a rip you keep ignoring? Spokane Zero Waste's Mend-It Cafe has volunteer menders who'll fix up to three clothing or textile items on the spot — for free. First-come, first-served.

Spokane Riverkeeper and Roots of Resilience present two nights of bold films exploring conservation, watersheds, and community resilience.

The beloved neighborhood market kicks off another season with local produce, food vendors, live music, and that unmistakable South Perry vibe.

🎤 A Prairie Home Companion: America The Beautiful Tour — Garrison Keillor brings the full cast to the Fox Theater for the first stop on the 2026 tour. Tickets are on sale now. (May 30)

🐔 The Farm Chicks Vintage & Handmade Fair — After 20+ years, this is the final Farm Chicks. Two days of vintage finds, handmade goods, and free parking at the Spokane County Fairgrounds. (June 6-7)

It's Lilac Festival week, Spokane! The Torchlight Parade lights up downtown Saturday, and we want to know: what's your all-time favorite parade memory? First time you saw the fire trucks? Marching with your school band?

Hit reply and tell us!

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