Wildfires have burned over 700,000 acres across the state, and the Spokane Complex fires alone have destroyed over 830 homes, displacing thousands of people.
With the damage expected to exceed $1 billion, the idea of rebuilding can be daunting for communities.
In an effort to raise money for wildfire relief, nonprofit Spokane Artists For Change and the Spokane Tribe will partner for a two-day music festival that will be held Friday and Saturday at the Spokane Tribe Casino, which the tribe donated the use of.
“It’s a unique situation in that these fires have affected our homelands and how we’ve been given this chance to help those in need,” said Triston Andrews, Marketing Director for the Spokane Tribe. “We’re happy to be a part of this.”
All ticket sales and vendor fees for the Spokane Strong Music Fest will go toward wildfire relief for the Spokane Complex fires and the Modrite Fire on the Inchelium Reservation in Ferry County.
Shaun Jones, director of Spokane Artists For Change, described the "heartbreaking" sight of driving through the damage on Rifle Club Road and Indian Trail.
Jones, who is also a fixture of Spokane’s music scene, lives in Nine Mile Falls. His area was under a level two evacuation, meaning he had to get set to leave.
“I was lucky, but so many others weren’t. You drive past the Bowl and Pitcher at Riverside and it looks like a war zone,” he said. Jones’s family lost their house to arson when he was seven years old, so he knows what it’s like to have a home suddenly and violently taken away.
Jones said so many artists volunteered to perform at the festival that organizers had to "unfortunately turn people away.”
“Maybe we should have made it three days,” Jones said. “I’m sorry we couldn’t get everyone on stage, but knowing so many people wanted to give their time and talent is wonderful to see.”
Approximately 50 local and regional artists will perform, including Jaeda, Fire From Ashes, Zack Pass, Skellee, Jones as GrandMixer GMS and more. A $20 ticket grants entry to both days and the fee for vendors to set up is $25.
Jaeda, a rapper, producer, pop artist and active community organizer in Spokane for over 20 years, had her own close call with the Bradeen Hill Fire in Stevens County last month. The inferno almost burned down her family home in Gifford, but firefighters were able to save the house.
“It’s a wake up call on how we should be putting each other and our planet first,” she said of Washington’s early and costly wildfire season. “My house is still standing and I’m okay, but there are so many throughout our region that have lost everything. Whether people want to recognize it or not, that’s our community, our neighbors and I feel like we have to do something in whatever capacity we are able to.”
The Spokane Strong Kickoff Party will be at the casino and feature local hip hop and EDM artists from 7 to 11 pm Friday night.
The Spokane Strong Main Event featuring local musicians, DJs, vendor booths, food trucks and family-friendly activities is Saturday from 11 am to 11 pm.
If you’re interested in volunteering or being a vendor at Spokane Strong Music Fest, email spokaneartistsforchange@gmail.com and put Attn: Volunteer or Attn: Vendor in the subject line.
Sophia Mattice-Aldous is a Murrow News fellow working directly with newsrooms at The Newport Miner and RANGE Media through a program administered by Washington State University. Her reporting is available for use via Creative Commons with credit.
