School may have started, but summertime festivals of all kinds still are going strong. Get out there and enjoy the fun before you start your homework. And be sure to check out the calendar for more stuff.
Aug. 23
Author Fred Mensik of Pomeroy, who wrote a book about the Snake River dams and their effect on spawning fish, will sign copies from noon to 2 p.m. Aug. 23 at the Bookie on the campus of Washington State University in Pullman.
Mensik’s book, “Whistling Past the Tombstones: Or Remove These Dams,” was self-published in June through Outskirts Press.
The Bookie is at 1500 N.E. Terrell Mall.
Mensik also will sign copies of his book from 1 to 3 p.m. Sept. 14 at And Books Too in Clarkston, 918 Sixth St.
Aug. 23
The final Alive After Five community event of the summer is planned from 5 to 8 p.m. Aug. 23 on Sixth Street in downtown Clarkston.
This event was originally planned for Aug. 9 but was rescheduled after extreme heat was forecast for that date.
Live music, a variety of vendors and activities for children are on tap.
Aug. 24 and 26
The final planetarium show of the summer at Washington State University in Pullman will light up the “sky” Aug. 24 and 26.
“Galaxies like Dust” will begin at 7 p.m. Aug. 24 and 5 p.m. Aug. 26 at the WSU Planetarium in Room 231 of Sloan Hall.
According to the planetarium website, “In this show, we dive into the frothy spacescape of galaxies. Composed of gas and dark matter, galaxies are the crossroads of astrophysics, where everything from stellar structure to black holes to cosmology seems to have some effect.”
Cost is $5 regular price (cash or check only) and free for ages 6 and younger.
Aug. 24-25
The sisters make their return to thank their supporters in “Nunsense II: The Second Coming,” by the Washington State University School of Music at 8 p.m. Aug. 24 and 25 in Pullman.
The production, which also was staged at WSU late last month, will take place in the Bryan Hall Theatre on campus.
The sequel takes place six weeks after the nuns have held their first benefit, returning to the theater to produce a “thank you” to all the people who have supported their past efforts. In this comedic musical, the sisters get bitten by the theater bug, try to impress a talent scout in the audience and try to keep Sister Mary Amnesia from being taken away by Franciscans, according to the play’s website.
The four sisters will be played by Katie Berndt, Kristina Gaumnitz, Leticia Monteiro and Anya Guadamuz with Lori Wiest, a member of the WSU School of Music faculty, portraying Mother Superior. The production is directed by Julie Anne Wieck, also a School of Music faculty member.
Tickets will be available at the door 90 minutes before each performance. The cost is $10 for students and senior citizens, and $15 regular price.
Aug. 25
Two of the main events of the 32nd annual Lewiston’s Hot August Nights will be Aug. 25 in the heart of downtown.
The free annual Saturday Show and Shine, featuring lots of chrome and fancy paint jobs on automotive gems of all vintages, will be from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Main Street.
That evening, the concert will feature Uncle Kracker outdoors at Boomers’ Garden, 0301 Second St. Gates will open at 5 p.m., with music by Aaron Cerutti beginning at 5:30 p.m. and Diversion Drive taking the stage at 7 p.m.
Uncle Kracker is the stage name for Matthew Shafer. He got his start performing hip-hop and rock with Kid Rock, and released his first solo album, “Double Wide,” in 2000. His recent releases have been country, including his latest single, “Floatin’ ” released this summer.
General admission tickets are $45 for the concert and tickets are available at Boomers’.
Aug. 25
The Return to Riverside Music Festival will feature a daylong schedule of live music outdoors Aug. 25 at Ponderosa Park in Potlatch.
Gates open at 9:30 a.m. at the venue, 760 Ponderosa Drive. Cost is $15 with children ages 10 and younger getting in for free. Advance tickets are available at the historic WI&M Depot from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. today through Sunday. Attendees are welcome to bring blankets and lawn chairs and coolers will be allowed, but outside alcohol is forbidden.
The music schedule is:
10:30 a.m. — Chad Bramlet and Deep Blue Noon — the Hansen Family 1:30 p.m. — American Honey 3 p.m. — the Idle Ranch Hands 4:30 p.m. — Curtis/Sutton and the Scavengers 6 p.m. — the Hankers 7:30 p.m. — the Last Chance Band
Vendors will sell food and beverages at the event throughout the day.
Riverside was the name of a venue that had its heyday in Potlatch from the 1930s to the late 1960s, featuring performances by the likes of George Jones, Johnny Cash and Hank Thompson, according to www.returntoriverside.org. The venue burned in the early 1970s, but the music festival in the Potlatch park kicked off in 2016 to rekindle its memory.
