The results of a small and informal public survey conducted on the streets of Spokane are in: We are woefully ignorant of the amenities our city has to offer.
Excerpt from the Spovangelist Quiz to determine Social-Recreational-Civic IQ:
- Have you ever heard of KYRS Thin Air Community Radio, 92.3FM?
- Do you know what Magic Lantern Theater is? Ever been in there?
- When was the last time you went to an Eastern Washington State Park?
- Have you ever read a local blog? Do you remember its name?
- What was the last local social or political news issue that you followed?
- Have you ever been to the MAC? Do you know what that stands for?
- Can you name two art galleries downtown?
- Can you name two social assistance service centers?
- Ever been to a Farmer’s Market in Spokane?
- Have you ever participated in Bloomsday, Hoopfest, etc.?
- Do you know where the Centennial Trail is at?
The three most common reactions to the survey were:
- “Gosh, I really should get out more often. How do you know all of this stuff?”
- “I can’t believe I haven’t heard of these things before! I’ve been wanting and looking for [insert amenity here] but didn’t realize Spokane already had [amenity X]. That sounds really neat!”
- “Why are you asking these questions? Do you work for the city?”
How to take a chunk out of this appalling lack of awareness? Why not sign up for a three day evening workshop designed to quickly and concisely hook people up with all the best Spokane has to offer!
The curriculum could be easily tailored to various demographic groups (seniors, new parents, young & single, etc.) and would include not just a series of Top 10 Lists, but would provide insider advice on the best ways to explore these new destinations and experiences. An innovative Power Point format could be augmented with guest presentations by experts in certain topic areas, and laced with interesting facts about Spokane that are fun to share at cocktail parties and family reunions.
This course would be of particular interest to newcomers in the area. Why take 5 years of piecemeal trial and error to eventually stumble across what you are looking for when you could take it from the experts and hit the ground running next weekend? Corporate employers could offer this course as a perk in their relocation packages. The workshop could be developed into a powerful local economic development tool, and could seek sponsorship from local groups of interest that are willing to provide incentives for students to pay them a visit. This is socially conscious intentional consumerism at its best.
When people say we need more richies from California to make our local businesses viable, maybe what we really should focus on is some good old fashioned public awareness to drum up vitality from within.
Tags: 5 Comments
5 responses so far ↓
I’m impressed by your initiative. This sounds like a fun idea. Marketing becomes the next issue. Maybe next time you’ll add this question:
How did you find out all the great things to do in Spokane? Did you attend the Spovangelist “It’s Yours, Own It!” evening classes?
Very well done - I applaud your efforts!
I myself am a bit annoyed with “our own” collective perception and understanding of this region.
It’s time for a little Spokane 101 - thanks for your persistence Professor Spovangelist!
I am sure you are ware by now that the Magic Lantern has closed. In it’s nine month run I saw 6 movies there (compared to 1 at the other theaters). There was a problem with the staff and a problem with getting movies before they hit DVD. I like art house theaters but poorly run businesses are poorly run businesses and won’t succeed. This closing is not a failure of Spokane lack of cultural support but just a bad attempt at a good idea.
Actually, the Magic Lantern has recently re-opened. It’s on Main between Division and Browne. Check it out.
Molotov Cocktails!