Springdale’s Haunted House Returns

October 3, 2012

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Lock your doors and shut your windows as we have received reports that ghosts, goblins and witches have been seen again in Springdale. It’s true. The ghosts, goblins, witches and ghouls have all returned to the Haunted House located downtown at the Grange.

The Haunted House has existed for more than 30 years and it was originally started by Mr. Malcolm Hargrave. Today, the Haunted House is sponsored by the Camas Valley Grange #842, and 50 percent of the proceeds go to the Grange and the other 50 percent goes to props and maintenance of the Haunted House. The Grange uses the proceeds to host a free Veterans Dinner every November and a free Christmas Dinner every December for the community.

In addition to the Haunted House, there will be a Carnival which will include a Ducky Pond, a Ghost Toss, a Bat fishing game, a Ring Toss and Face Painting. There will be a Creepy Café where people can purchase inexpensive snacks and refreshments. There will also be a Kiddy Theater where children can watch movies such as Casper the Friendly Ghost and Scooby Doo.

The Haunted House will be open on October 19, 20, 26 and 27, from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. The cost is $3.00 in advance or $4.00 at the door and a ticket holder must be at least six years old.

Laree White, Rich Miller, and Theresa Smith are three of the many local residents who work year round on the Haunted House. According to Laree White, “Every year we change the Haunted House but this year we changed the maze completely too”. White and Theresa Smith stated they always need new assistants to dress up in costume or help work on the Haunted House. If anyone is interested in helping as a character or as an assistant, they should go to www.thehauntedhouse.org.

The Haunted House in Springdale is one of the best Halloween events in the area and it’s all for a good cause. If you aren’t too scared to leave your home and drive to Springdale, you will experience a great family event at a very reasonable cost.

Submitted by Mike Brunson

In This Photo: The Dead Man, the Witch, and the Zombie return to Springdale’s Haunted House.

Ballet Company Gets Custom Studio

September 27, 2012

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After teaching ballet for 30 years, Ann Benedict, director of Northern Ballet and Performing Arts, has a customized studio space with a permanent barre and soon-to-be full wall of mirrors.

The NBPA studio is located at 106 E Main Street inside the former J&J Trading Co. building now owned by Dan and Trisha Macrae who completely gutted the interior after purchasing it as investment rental space in 2010.

Benedict approached them early in the renovation process at the possibility of creating a ballet studio and they customized the space to her specifications, which will also be rented to others on days she does not use it.

The space has a permanent ballet barre, recessed lighting, new flooring, a back dressing room, and two half bathrooms nearby. Benedict said she is most excited about the opportunity to have full wall of mirrors, although they are not yet installed.

A two-way mirror will also be built in one wall for parents to see their children during classes as Benedict said they perform differently knowing their parents are watching.

Dan Macrae said they also have space in the front of the building they plan to design for retail store front and will have 10 units of temperature-controlled storage units in the back for rent as well.

Benedict started classes at the new Main Street studio on Sept. 11 and teaches students of all ages and skill levels three full days a week. She teaches about 40-45 students per year, which is a substantial number for this size area, she said.

They do a large annual performance each spring called the Northern Ballet and Performing Arts Festival, in addition to performances at Chataqua and other opportunities as they become available. The festival will continue at the Colville High School Auditorium as Benedict said she likes to have a nice stage for that event.

Benedict grew up in Los Angeles and studied ballet since she was seven years old. She had a rigorous training schedule taking multiple ballet classes a week as well as jazz and modern styles. She received scholarships from two major dance schools, attended the American School of Dance in Hollywood, performed with the L.A. Dance Theatre, and studied under many renowned artists.

“I had incredible teachers, the tops in the business,” Benedict said.

In 1980, after she had stopped dancing, Benedict moved to Valley, Wash. to raise a family. She said she always knew that she wanted to move out of the city and discovered Valley while visiting family in the area.

“It’s a breathtakingly beautiful place,” Benedict said.

Although she did not originally plan to teach ballet, she quickly found a demand for it in the area. She taught once a week off and on in Valley throughout the years, but that eventually grew to three days a week in Chewelah. She originally taught at the Chewelah Senior Hall and then moved to the Chewelah Civic Center.

She teaches Checceti-style ballet, which focuses on core placement, as it is what she learned during the majority of her training and education.

“I enjoy teaching because of the sense of core strength,” Benedict said. “I love ballet, giving the kids opportunity to learn art, obtain discipline, and know perseverance.”

“I love getting talent and seeing it grow, it’s so exciting,” she added.

For more information on NBPA, contact Benedict at 937-2150.

By Kellie Trudeau, The Independent

In This Photo: Ballet students at Northern Ballet Performing Arts practice on the ballet barre in the new studio at 106 E. Main Avenue.

Retired City Employee Joins Council

September 27, 2012

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Former City Administrator Dorothy Knauss was sworn in as the newest member of Chewelah’s City Council at the September 19 regular meeting.

Knauss was recommended by the interview committee led by Councilwoman Krisan Lehew. The committee interviewed one other applicant, Teresa Shannon.

Lehew said that the committee based their decision on the level of experience offered by both candidates and chose the one with the most knowledge to offer the city, especially considering the current state of the city’s finances. Knauss was employed by the city for 20 years from 1979 to 1999. She held positions of bookkeeper, City Clerk, Clerk/Treasurer, and City Administrator during that time. She also served as President of Eastern Washington Finance Officers Association while Clerk/Treasurer. She has lived in the Chewelah area for 59 years.

In her cover letter, Knauss also expressed an interest in running for Mayor at the end of Mayor Clancy Bauman’s term.

After a unanimous vote of the council approving Knauss’ appointment, the oath of office was administered by City Attorney Charles Schuerman.

During audience comments, Nils Johnson criticized the council for the current state of the city.

“You’re making bad choices,” Johnson said referring to some of the service cuts that the council is considering in order to balance the 2013 budget, especially the elimination of all library funding.

Johnson noted some of the reasons that he moved his family to Chewelah, which included the parks, civic center, library, and the welcoming feel of the community. He explained that his occupation is “portable” which allows him to choose the right community for his family while being able to work from almost anywhere. He suggested that there are many other families in the same situation looking for a nice community like Chewelah. Johnson urged the council to “think outside the box” when searching for solutions to the current budget crisis. His recommendations included selling the electric utility to a private company and then taxing the utility, borrowing money to provide services, negotiate with the state auditor for a grace period to implement changes, and consult with business leaders or school administrators to find creative solutions.

Bill Johnson spoke next regarding the issue of cats roaming freely outdoors. He noted that when owners allow their cats to roam they are subjecting them to diseases, poisons, attacks by other animals, abuse by humans, and speeding vehicles.

According to Johnson, problems with roaming cats include overpopulation, rabies, killing of birds and wildlife, and neighborhood problems from defacating, digging, and urinating on others’ property.

He asked the council to consider a cat licensing, control and restraint ordinance that would ensure that cats receive the care and protection that they deserve.

Scott Schlafman of Chewelah Community Radio 102.7 FM approached the council to request $2,000 from hotel/motel tax funds to be used to help purchase the equipment necessary to meet a high power transmitter requirement by July of 2014. He said the equipment will cost approximately $8,000 and the non-profit radio station currently has $1,500 for the purchase. The request was referred to the finance committee.

Teresa Shannon of Chewelah Chamber of Commerce thanked the council for the monies recently received from the hotel/motel tax fund.

Mayor Clancy Bauman announced that mail was received from Inland Northwest Blood Center (INBC)thanking the city for their support of the blood drive. INBC indicated that 42 donors attended the most recent drive to “give the gift of life.”

City Administrator Mike Frizzell announced that three bids were received for the museum office remodel project. The low bid was from Dave Alby’s Highmark Construction for $7,845.10. The other bids received were from Baumann Brothers Construction and Moose Country Construction for $9,419.78 and $16,294.00, respectively. After brief discussion, council voted unanimously to award the contract to Alby’s Highmark Construction.

The funding for the project was received previously from the Crossroads on the Columbia Digital Archiving Project, a grant-funded project that digitally preserved many of the documents and photographs in the Chewelah Museum.

In old business, Ordinance No. 844 was unanimously approved by council to amend the 2012 budget.

In new business, Councilwoman Sharon Ludwig noted that a letter was received from Sunshine Disposal & Recycling Regional Manager Steve Wulf proposing that his company purchase the assets of the city’s garbage service for $70,000.

In his letter, Wulf suggested that the purchase price, along with $245,000 that the city has reserved for a new garbage truck, would leave the city with approximately $315,000 to help balance next year’s budget.

Additionally, he estimated that Sunshine Disposal & Recycling could provide garbage collection services at 50 cents per month less than the city’s current residential service rate.

By Jared Arnold, The Independent Staff

In This Photo: City Attorney Charlie Schuerman swears in Dorothy Knauss as the new Chewelah City Council member in the Council At-Large position during the Sept. 19 meeting.

Cougar Power: Chewelah Beats Colville

September 13, 2012

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Derek Smith threw three touchdown passes, and he and Cordell Bean each added two Chewelah scores on the ground, as the Cougars shocked the Colville Indians 45-21 last Friday night for their first football win of the season.

Smith completed 14 of 23 passes for 234 yards. The senior quarterback threw two touchdown passes to Ben Johnstone and one to Bean. He also galloped 65 yards on a keeper play for another Chewelah touchdown.

The Cougar offense, which had fumbled away a win against Deer Park the previous week, ran like a finely tuned machine at Colville. Chewelah added 175 rushing yards to finish the game with 406 total yards against the Indians.

This time, the Cougars never gave up a fumble or an interception on their way to seven touchdowns. Instead, they were on the receiving end of two fumbles and an interception. Sam Cobb and Blake Owens each had a fumble recovery, and Smith picked off a pass. All three Colville turnovers triggered Chewelah touchdowns.

The victory was the first for Chewelah over Colville since ….well….it has been a few years …clear back to 2004, when the Cougars beat the Indians 21-7 on a wet and muddy field in Colville.

Last Friday’s game was similar to the game against Deer Park the previous week. Chewelah led Deer park 18-7 before halftime. Likewise, the Cougars held a 20-7 lead at Colville at halftime.

It was the way Chewelah played the second half that made the difference. The Cougars never scored in the second half against Deer Park and lost by a 28-18 score, mostly due to five fatal turnovers. At Colville, they scored four more times in the second half and never had a fumble or an intercepted pass to earn a 45-21 win.

“Do you think our kids got the message?” grinned Coach Jim Fisk rhetorically.

It was Fisk who made a quick revision in Friday night’s game plan after seeing that his Cougars were outsized by Colville’s bigger players.

“Let’s run a lot of sweeps early in the game and see what kind of shape their big kids are in,” he told Chewelah’s offensive coordinator and play caller, Coach Patrick Mitchell. “Let’s run them from sideline to sideline for awhile to wear them down a little and then we’ll start throwing the ball deep.”

Fisk’s plan began to show results in the second quarter when Smith threw back to back completions to Johnstone, one going for 16 yards and the other going for a 15-yard touchdown. Later in that same quarter, Smith connected with Bean for a 55-yard touchdown pass.

Chewelah went into the second half determined to hold onto the ball. No fumbles. No passes intercepted. The Cougars succeeded in both categories. Check. Check.

Instead, Chewelah scored four more touchdowns to rout the Indians, 45-21, in their own back yard.

Cobb’s fumble recovery on the second half kickoff set up the first Cougar touchdown of the third quarter. Chewelah took possession of the ball on the Colville 12-yard line. Two plays later, Bean scored on a five-yard run to give the Cougars a 26-7 lead with only 46 seconds gone off the scoreclock.

Midway through the third quarter, Smith ran a quarterback sweep toward the Chewelah sideline. After picking up some blocks at the corner, he cut back across the field and scored. His 65-yard touchdown run gave the Cougars a 32-7 lead with 7:12 remaining in the period.

Chewelah scored two more times in the fourth quarter. Faced with a fourth down at the Cougar 37-yard line, Smith threw a 21-yard completion to Dustin Crowell to move the ball into Colville territory. A reverse to Caleb Wiebe gained another 23 yards to the Indian 14-yard line. Then, Johnstone caught a touchdown pass from Smith to give the Cougars a 38-21 lead with 6:06 left to play in the game.

Smith’s pass interception led to Chewelah’s final touchdown of the night. On its first play following the ensuing Cougar kickoff, Colville threw a pass that was tipped into the air. Smith grabbed it. He immediately threw a 42-yard completion to Wiebe that put the ball on the Indian two-yard line. Smith scored on the next play to paint the final coat of Cougar blue on a 45-21 victory.

The first 10 minutes of the game were crucial to the Cougar win. During that time, the Chewelah front four decided they were not going to be bulldozed by the bigger Colville offensive line. Likewise, the smaller Cougar offensive linemen learned they could use their blocking schemes to create openings in the Indian defensive front.

Those two realizations gave the Cougar linemen the confidence they needed to contribute mightily to the win. Chewelah’s defense limited the Colville running attack to only 192 yards.

In addition, two key defensive plays that ended Colville’s first possession of the game were of paramount importance. First, Olson stuffed an Indian ballcarrier for a four-yard loss. Then, on the very next play, Trey Barnett made a tackle that separated the ball from the ballcarrier, and Owens made the recovery at the Colville 41-yard line. Barnett also had two sacks against the Indians.

Five plays later, Wiebe caught a 16-yard pass from Smith that gave Chewelah a first down on the Indian seven-yard line. Bean scored on the next play for a 6-0 Cougar lead.

Smith topped Chewelah ballcarriers with nine carries for 81 yards. Combined with his 234 yards passing, he finished the game with 315 all-purpose yards. He is steadily closing in on the Cougar career passing yardage records.

Bean carried the ball 11 times, gaining 38 hard-earned yards and two touchdowns. He also had two receptions for 53 yards and another touchdown.

Ty Curtis, Mackinzie Miller, Johnstone, Wiebe, and Owens also had carries for the Cougars.

Johnstone led Chewelah receivers with five catches for 76 yards and two touchdowns. Wiebe caught four passes for 67 yards. Crowell had three catches for 38 yards.

For the second week in a row, Johnstone led the Chewelah defense with 12 tackles. He had 13 against Deer Park

Barnett had seven tackles, including two behind the line of scrimmage. Smith and Owens each had six. Wiebe and Crowell had five apiece.

This Friday night, the Cougars travel to Lakeside for their first Northeast A League ballgame. The Eagles come into the game with a 1-1 season record. They lost to Pullman and then defeated Davenport.

By Geno Ludwig, The Independent

In This Photo: The jubilant victorious Cougar Football team rejoices after belting out their fight song on the Colville Indians home field Friday night after crushing the Indians 45 to 21! Kim Johnstone photo

Chamber Dinner, Auction Will Feature Well-Known Fly Tier

September 5, 2012

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The 2012 Chewelah Chamber of Commerce Dinner and Auction will feature world-renowned fly tier John Newbury as the featured artist on Saturday, Sept. 22 at the Chewelah Civic Center. Doors open at 5 p.m.

Newbury, of Chewelah, will demonstrate how he ties fishing flies throughout the evening, and a few pieces will be up for auction, among many other items, to help raise money for the Chamber of Commerce.

The centerfold pages from “Proof” magazine featuring 64 of Newbury’s flies will be mounted with three actual flies in a shadowbox and available for bidding at the live auction. Other prints of individual flies by photographer Tony Roslund will be in the silent auction.

Silent auction bidding begins at 5 p.m. and the live auction will begin around 7 p.m. when silent auction bidding is closed. Dinner will be served at 6 p.m and the evening will have an seasonal fall theme.

The Chewelah Cougar Boosters are providing the food that includes chicken alfredo, caesar salad, garlic bread and dessert. The booster club and Chamber will split the net proceeds from the dinner ticket sales.

Dinner tickets cost $12.50 each and can be purchased at Akers United Drug, Valley Drug, the Nordlig Motel, Sety’s Ace Hardware and the Chewelah Chamber of Commerce office. You do not need to purchase a dinner ticket to attend the auction

Beer and wine will also be made available at the no-host bar.

Auction items include a load of firewood and a variety of other items donated by local businesses including 49 Degrees North lift tickets, loads of grave and landscaping rock, salon gift certificates, and hotel packages.

Cash, checks, debit and credit cards will be acceptable payment for winning bidders.

The Chamber auction committee is still seeking donations for auction items. Call Sherri Hansen 936-3720 or Diane Evans at 936-1502 for more information.

The winning ticket for the Chamber of Commerce Golf Cart Raffle will be drawn at the end of the event as well. Tickets cost $5 and are sold by several Chamber members. They will also be sold throughout the dinner and auction. The golf cart is a 2006 E-Z Go Gas Golf Cart custom painted by Redline Finishing.

The Chamber of Commerce made over $11,500 at the 2011 auction. Since then they have sponsored activities such as the patriotic decorating contest, the Main Avenue and Park Street light pole banners, the city-wide yard sale, and city clean up and beautification efforts.

Chamber member Diane Evans said “It’s guaranteed to be a great event.”

The Chamber office is open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday through Friday.

John Newbury will also be featured on Sept. 7 at the Steam Plant Grill in Spokane for a free event to benefit Project Healing Waters (see above article for more information).

By Kellie Trudeau, The Independent

In This Photo: John Newbury, of Chewelah, is well-known for tying flies. Newbury will be the featured artist at the Sept. 22 Chewelah Chamber of Commerce Dinner and Auction. Tony Roslund photo

Cougar Football to Open at Home

August 30, 2012

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Coach Jim Fisk has had the same reply every year when he has been asked to comment on performance of his Chewelah Cougar football team at the pre-season jamboree. Last Monday’s comments were no different.

“We have a lot to work on and little time to get it done,” said Fisk. “We have practices on Tuesday and Wednesday, our pre-game practice on Thursday, and our first game of the season against Deer Park on Friday. That doesn’t give us much time to fix things.”

Fortunately, Deer Park’s football team is locked into the same time frame as the Stags prepare to come to Snyder Field for Friday’s season opener. They have had the same three days to improve.

As usual, the jamboree gave Fisk and his staff an opportunity to evaluate the play of all of their ballplayers in a simulated game situation. They were also able to determine what worked well and what did not. Then, they had Tuesday’s and Wednesday’s afternoon workouts to concentrate on needed changes and improvements.

Of course, Fisk’s scripted play list included only the basic formations and plays on offense. Defensive alignments and stunts were also limited to the basics. The Cougars will play all three of the other teams that participated in the jamboree during the upcoming season, starting with Deer Park this Friday night. They will meet Riverside and Lakeside in league play.

Most prospective starters for Friday night’s home opener played in only half of the jamboree. That gave the rest of the Cougars ample time on the field to impress their coaches. Their performances will help the coaches make decisions concerning battles for different positions on both sides of the ball. In other words, a player’s position on the depth chart may have changed since Monday evening.

One noticeable change for Chewelah was its return to a four-three defense.

“Our personnel this year is better suited for playing a four-three,” said Fisk.

Another change seen Monday evening was the moving of senior Ben Johnstone to the strong side linebacker. He was the Cougar middle linebacker last year.

Also notable was the appearance of senior lineman Stephen Zerr along the Cougar sideline at the jamboree. He missed the first two weeks of practices, so he will not be eligible to play in this Friday’s game. Time will tell how long it will take him to work his way back into the lineup.

Joining Zerr on the sideline was senior lineman Austin Heine, who has sustained a possible season-ending shoulder injury. Finding someone to fill his spot in the line was one of Fisk’s Monday night goals.

The probable starting lineup for the Cougars will be: Chris Lambert at center, Dustin Olson and Jamie Olson at the guards, Adam Collins and Sam Cobb at the tackles, Caleb Wiebe and Mason Miller at the wide receivers, Ben Johnstone and Dustin Crowell in the slots, Cordell Bean at runningback, and Derek Smith at quarterback.

The Cougars will play six of their ten games at home this season. They start with pre-season games against Deer Park this Friday night and at Colville the following Friday. Then, they travel to Lakeside for their first league encounter on September 7.

The Northeast A League will be a seven-team conference this year with the loss of Colville and the additions of Medical Lake and Kettle Falls.

Season passes for individuals and families are now available at the Jenkins High School office.

Kickoff time at Snyder Field is set for 7:00 p.m. on Friday night.

By Geno Ludwig, The Independent Staff

In This Photo: Riverside’s quarterback gets “air” with a hard hit by Ben Johnstone knocking his pass off its mark! The Cougars played the preseason jamboree at Deer Park on Monday, August 27. Kimberlyn Johnstone photo

Stevens County’s Travelling Terrior Strikes Again

August 30, 2012

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Just in time for the new school year, Cambridge Books has released Postcards from Mr. Pish: East Coast Edition, the fourth book in the educational Mr. Pish series by K. S. Brooks. It’s currently available on Amazon.com and will become available through bookstores and other online venues soon.

Postcards from Mr. Pish Volume 3 follows the adorable Jack Russell Terrier, Mr. Pish, as he embarks on a new adventure, traveling from New Hampshire down the East Coast and into Georgia. The book features full-color photographs designed to captivate and teach children about American geography, history and culture.

“Once again, Mr. Pish entertains and educates,” JD Mader, award-winning writer and clinical reading specialist, said of Postcards from Mr. Pish Volume 3. “Here is a character you can relate to and endless roads for exploration. What more could you ask for? Kids will love hanging out with this little canine as he encounters and interacts with the world around him.”

On August 23, 2012, Mr. Pish and K. S. Brooks were featured on Conversations Live Radio as part of a special show entitled “Dog-Gone Great Books.” Mr. Pish has developed a large fan base since 2011 when he completed his travels across 43 States, Washington DC, and 7 Provinces of Canada in hopes of promoting outdoor learning and literacy.

More information about all of Mr. Pish’s educational books and author K. S. Brooks, as well as a link to listen to the Conversations Live special, is available at www.MrPish.com.

In This Photo: Local author K.S. Brooks with her dog, Mr. Pish.

Providence St. Joseph’s Hospital Named Leader in Clinical Excellence

August 23, 2012

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Providence St. Joseph’s Hospital in Chewelah Washington was one of 10 VHA member critical access hospitals nationwide to receive the 2012 VHA Leadership Award for Clinical Excellence.

The VHA 2012 Leadership Award for Clinical Excellence honors member organizations for meeting or exceeding national performance standards for clinical care and improving the patient experience. The award is conferred annually on those health care organizations that achieve top performance on the clinical core measures established and tracked by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (SMS) and in the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Health Providers and Services (HCAHPS) survey that measures patient satisfaction at hospitals nationwide.

Providence St. Joseph’s Hospital is honored to receive the Leadership Award, as it represents consistent attention to providing the best care to every person, every time. “We have a great team and our Performance Improvement Committee reviews performance results each month and follows up with the clinicians to ensure care processes achieve the intended results for our patients and families,” said Cecelia Tapp, Director of Quality and Accreditation. (Providence Health & Services Strategic and Management Services)

The 2012 VHA Leadership Award for Clinical Excellence along with the Rural Healthcare Quality Network Certificate of Outstanding Performance in Recognizing your ‘Best Practice’ in Publicly Reporting Quality of Care were presented to the physicians and staff at Providence St. Joseph’s Hospital by Robert D. Campbell, President of Providence St. Joseph’s Hospital and Chief Executive for Providence Health Care Stevens County on Thursday, August 16, during the hospital’s Spirit Week festivities.

In This Photo: Pictured L-R: Michelle Wasco, RN, Vice President of Clinical Services, Becky Miner, RONE Educator, Christine Hayman, Pharmacist, Tara Livingston, RN, Nurse Manager, Acute Care Unit, Margaret Retherford, Chaplain, Robert Campbell, President/Chief Executive

Progress on the Peak

August 23, 2012

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On Friday morning, August 17, Colville Valley Concrete delivered 35 cubic yards of concrete to form the base of the drive terminal tower on 49 Degrees North’s new Angel Peak chairlift. In addition to this terminal at the summit, a return terminal and 19 other towers have been constructed for the new double chair lift. The resort plans to open the lift this season. The lift, covering 4400 feet of slope length and rising 1150 vertical feet, will have the capacity to carry 1100 skiers and snowboarders per hour. Pictured here working the concrete are Shane Garner and George Salas. Jared Arnold photo

Conductor Returns for Tenth Chewelah Concert

August 16, 2012

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Morihiko Nakahara is the conductor for the tenth annual Music on the Mountain concert scheduled September 8, 2012. Nakahara, a crowd favorite, has conducted all Spokane Symphony concerts in Chewelah except for two since the series began.

Recognized by critics, orchestras, and audiences alike as “a splendid conductor” possessing “a poet’s sensitivity and a craftsman’s efficiency,” Morihiko Nakahara began his tenure as Music Director of the South Carolina Philharmonic in Fall 2008. Nakahara also enters his tenth highly successful season with the Spokane Symphony Orchestra, first as Associate Conductor and now in a redefined role of Resident Conductor. Performing at Chewelah’s first Music on the Mountain concert was Nakahara’s first official performance as a conductor with the Spokane Symphony Orchestra.

Known for his charismatic presence on and off the podium, innovative and audience-friendly programming skills, endearing humor, and thoughtful interpretations of both standard and new repertoire, Nakahara continues to thrill the audience at every Music on the Mountain concert.

Acclaimed as a versatile artist and passionate believer in music education for all ages, Nakahara leads a series of successful educational and community access concerts with the Spokane Symphony Orchestra every season. In addition, he has been a popular clinician, guest conductor, and speaker at various educational institutions throughout the Northwest. As a personable ambassador for classical music, Nakahara makes frequent appearances on local media outlets as well as at local businesses and service clubs.

A native of Kagoshima, Japan, Nakahara holds a Master of Music degree in Instrumental Conducting from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, where he studied with Rodney Winther. In 1998 he received a Bachelor of Music degree in Music Education with distinction from Andrews University. He has done additional conducting studies with Larry Rachleff, Mark Gibson, Jerry Junkin, and Alan Mitchell. He has taught at Eastern Washington University and Andrews University. Currently, he divides his time between Spokane and Columbia, S.C.

In This Photo: Morihiko Nakahara, Spokane Symphony Orchestra Conductor

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