Dinosaurs, or at least fragments of their fossils, will make an appearance at the Inspired by Nature show and sale this weekend at the Hells Canyon Grand Hotel’s Seaport Inn & Suites, 701 21st St., Lewiston.
A business called Prehistoric will sell fossils, like this carcharodontosaurus tooth, at the Inspired by Nature show.
A business called Prehistoric, which spe cializes in fossils, joins the lineup this year, alongside the rocks and minerals, metal art, paintings, photography, leatherwork, jewelry and other nature-inspired vendors the event is known for.
Prehistoric owner Doug Bradstreet, who owns stores in Lincoln City, Ore., and St. Augustine, Fla., will be at the show with a variety of items, including 25-million-year-old shark teeth that generally start between $5-$10, according to Kelly Gaffney, a Prehistoric employee.
“He’ll bring things like small T-Rex pieces, carcharodontosaurus teeth, megalodon teeth,” Gaffney said. “Fossilized teeth just seem to be the thing.”
He’ll also offer pieces made from selenite, a soft mineral often carved into spheres, eggs, towers and bowls, as well as objects carved from the fossils of prehistoric cephalopods, such as goniatite and orthoceras.
Gaffney worked at both of Bradstreet’s stores for many years and continues to help with them on an as-needed basis, she said. She moved to Lewiston three years ago after visiting family here many times over the years, and she thought of Bradstreet’s business when she saw the Inspired by Nature show was coming up.
Bradstreet started collecting fossils as a child, Gaffney said, and “his hobby turned into a business that he loves to do.”
In addition to fossils, like mosasaurus skulls and jaw sections, his stores sell artwork, including “steampunk taxidermy,” featuring bugs like beetles and butterflies paired with gears and clockwork mechanisms.
But it’s the fossils that first catch most customers’ eyes, Gaffney said, including a camarasaurus tail at the Lincoln City site that’s listed at about $100,000. Seeing it leads many visitors to assume the store is a museum.
“People walk in, and they walk straight to the counter and they ask ‘How much is admission?’ ” she said.
Inland 360 file
Phoebe poses for the camera as her owner, Shoshanna Martin, left, visits the Tye Dye Everything vendor tent at the 2023 Moscow Hemp Fest at East City Park in Moscow.
Hemp Fest’s 27th annual event is set for Saturday in Moscow park
Saturday’s 27th annual Moscow Hemp Fest brings music, munchies and the medical marijuana movement to East City Park, 900 E. Third St.
Festivities are scheduled from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., including an appearance by Boise HempFest founder Serra Frank, who will share a message from longtime cannabis activist Dana Beal about efforts to legalize marijuana in Idaho, according to a Hemp Fest news release.
Beal, who founded the Global Marijuana March in 1999, was charged with marijuana possession earlier this year and is awaiting a mid-May trial in Boise.
“We have been trying to change the laws in Idaho and bring awareness to the benefits of cannabis for medicinal purposes with citizen initiatives. Sadly, the last petition has not gotten the 60,000 necessary signatures to make it to the Legislature,” organizer Arlene Falcon wrote in the news release. “But we won’t give up and a new initiative is in the works to help our state get on board, like the rest of the country.”
The event’s more than 40 arts and craft vendors will be selling items like hemp jewelry, rocks and crystals, art and tie-dye clothing, and food vendors Battleground Truck, Sushi Man, Marianas Tamales, The Smoke Ring, Pho:20 Café and Jupiter Jane Traveling Cafe will be on site.
The music lineup includes a generous sampling of area bands, including Bill LaVoie of local band Corn Mash, with original tunes; Yellow Dog Flats, playing Americana; Grateful Deadgrass, with a nod to the Grateful Dead; Holy Jose & the Cactus Herders rocking out with Andru Gomez and friends; The Pond, playing “jamgrass” tunes; The Jason Perry Band, bringing blues, funk and soul; Snacks at Midnight, with high-energy rock ’n’ roll; and Solid Ghost, playing instrumental psychedelic songs (see Mad Marv’s Music Den).
DJs moon_raye and Blaze will entertain between sets.
More information, including the full music schedule, is at moscowhempfest.com.
The Swap brings comics, records to a new venue
The Swap comic book and record buy-and-sell event comes to Lewiston from noon to 6 p.m. Saturday at a bigger venue, the Elks Lodge, 3444 Country Club Drive.
The change came after so many vendors signed up in the first 24 hours for last year’s event at Clarkston’s Riverport Brewing Co., organizer Will Thompson, of PacNor Productions (see note below), had to create a waiting list.
Riverport’s “enthusiastic support” helped build the event, Thompson said, from its start in 2017 to returning three years ago after a pandemic hiatus.
With the additional space this year at the Elks, participants are planning an increased cosplay presence, with a meetup planned for 3 p.m. in the dining area. Cosplayers should avoid bulky costumes and are asked to keep them PG, as The Swap is a family event,
Wilson
Also bigger this year are the door prizes, including two from actor and activist Rainn Wilson, known to many as Dwight from “The Office.” Wilson, who has family in the Lewiston area, donated a signed copy of one of his books and a personalized video message with a signed photo.
Every person who pays the $5 entry fee (ages 6 and younger are admitted free) gets a raffle ticket, and additional tickets can be purchased for $2 each or three for $5. Drawings will be held at the top of the hour, starting at 1 p.m., for which winners must be present, with the exception of the video message grand prize, Thompson said, which will go to the person drawn, present or not.
A portion of the door and raffle tickets sales will be donated to a nonprofit founded by Wilson and his wife, Holiday Reinhorn, that helps women in Haiti live independently. More information is at lidehaiti.org.
Swap fans know its vendors typically go beyond comic books and vinyl records to include figurines, artwork, stickers, VHS, used books and other pop culture goods. Saturday’s event will be no exception, with 30 tables booked, Thompson said.
Notably, graphic artist Lars Brown, of Coeur d’Alene, will be selling and signing his books, and former Clarkston resident Rantz Hoseley will be at comic book and game store Safari Pearl’s table signing books he’s written and edited, including last year’s graphic novel, “Judas Priest: Screaming for Vengeance.”
Lewiston’s Art Uncorked will have a table with kits for purchase, including painting projects kids can work on while parents shop, and burgers, hot dogs and fries will be available for purchase, as will beer and wine for attendees 21 and older.
“It’s a really relaxed, communal atmosphere,” Thompson said of the dining area available at the new venue. “It’s a great place to strike up a conversation with other folks.”
Note: The Swap is presented by PacNor Productions and Inland 360.
Stone (she/her) can be reached at mstone@inland360.com.
