Miss Omak Stampede Shelby White rode her horse at the ’49er Days parade on Saturday in Winthrop.
Classroom in Bloom plant sale
Classroom in Bloom will again be conducting its spring plant sale this year from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. on Saturday (May 15). Preview vegetable and flower starts for purchase, some seeds and Classroom in Bloom gear. All funds raised will go towards school garden education programs. Masks and social distancing will be enforced. www.classroominbloom.org/new-events for information about the sale.
Repair Cafés
Methow Recycles is offering a Repair Café from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. on Saturday (May 15) focused on sewing and mending. The free event is at 12 Airport Road in Twisp. There is no cost, but donations are welcome.Drop-ins are welcome, but those with reservations will be prioritized. Reservations will only be honored for the time slot you reserved. Email miles@methowrecycles.org to make a reservation.
Upcoming Repair Cafes: May 22, electrical/mechanical fixes; June 5, tool sharpening/wood fixes; June 12, sewing/mending; June 19, electrical/mechanical fixes. Visit http://methowrecycles.org for more information.
Red Cross blood drive
The American Red Cross will host a blood drive from noon to 5 p.m. on May 20 at the Winthrop Barn. Call 1-800-733-2767 or visit redcrossblood.org to make an appointment.
Small business grants available
The Economic Alliance has announced a new round of funding for the Okanogan County Small Business Support Initiative.
Applications will be available starting May 15; the application deadline is May 28.
The state Department of Commerce has committed $25,000 in funding for small business assistance. Grants of up to $2,500 will be awarded to Okanogan County businesses that have been adversely impacted by the COVID-19 public health pandemic.
Targeted in this round of grants are new businesses that started up after March 1, 2020, and that have been in business at least six months with eligible expenses incurred beginning when they started their new business through the date of their application, and that have 20 or fewer employees.
For more information, visit www.economic-alliance.com/grants. Email Roni Holder-Diefenbach to request an application at rholderdiefenbach@economic-alliance.com, or call (509) 826-5107.
Fundraiser for Miss Omak Stampede
Bear Creek Golf Course near Winthrop will host a fundraiser for Shelby White, Miss Omak Stampede 2021, on May 22. White is a 2020 graduate of Liberty Bell High School, and is the first Miss Omak Stampede from the Methow Valley.
The event begins with a cocktail hour and silent auction at 5:30 p.m., followed at 6:30 by pig roast prepared by White’s family, dessert and a live auction. Cost is $15, or free for kids 5 and younger. For information, call or text Erin at (509)322-0762.
Awards for school nurses
School nurses Adriana Vanbianchi of the Methow Valley School District and Amanda Davis of the Pateros School District have been recognized with the 2021 Friend of Children Award by the North Central Educational Service District (NCESD). The award honors “the significant role health services staff play in ensuring schools are prepared to address COVID requirements in order to keep our schools, students, and communities safe,” according to a NCESD press release. The award was created in 1992 and recognizes outstanding individuals in the communities represented by the districts within the NCESD’s service area: Chelan, Douglas, Grant and Okanogan counties.
Kiwanis auction
Winthrop Kiwanis, which again had to forego its annual fundraising event the Bite of the Methow as it did in 2020, will instead hold an online auction beginning June 4 and continuing through June 13.
Auction items will be available for pick-up at Mack Lloyd Park in Winthrop on Saturday, June 19, between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m., just in time for Father’s Day on the June 20. If COVID restrictions allow, Kiwanis will also offer pulled pork sandwiches in the park.
For information, visit https://winthropkiwanis.com.
