By Vicki Hillhouse NOTE: For details and tickets for this year’s festival, visit: https://www.wwcmf.org/ There’s a running joke with the Walla Walla Chamber Music Festival about its open public rehearsals: A violinist and cellist are sitting in a bar. One says to the other, “You were late.” The other responds, “You were early.” The gag … Read More
By Vicki Hillhouse In the woodshop of Walla Walla artist Zac Merten, making furniture is a spiritual experience. The proprietor behind Zac Merten Design traces his woodworking roots all the way back to work as a National Park Service employee. On the backcountry trails, surrounded by mountains and solitude, he developed an interest in the … Read More
By Vicki Hillhouse A typewriter. A lawn chair. A squirt gun. Seemingly common, often nostalgic, items are celebrated on the canvases of artist Matthew Pierce. “I think my paintings are an attempt to preserve things that kind of divorce from the digital realm — an attention to things that are temporary,” he says. Pierce came … Read More
By Vicki Hillhouse There was a period when fabric artist Jessica Cook was so captivated by the process of hand-dying textiles that she almost forgot to make anything out of them. “I just kept dying more and more fabric, until finally I said to myself, ‘I need to do something with all of these beautiful … Read More
By Vicki Hillhouse A lot of people don’t consider themselves artists when they visit The Refinery for the first time. Put some clay in their hands, though, and you can witness a shift, says potter, artist and founder Jess Portas. Located at 205 S. Second Ave., The Refinery is a community pottery and art studio … Read More
By Vicki Hillhouse An heirloom-dyed knitwear collection was the farthest thing from Elaine Vandiver’s mind when she and her husband bought farm property at the state line in 2013. But there she was with 10 acres of land that sprouted into a vibrant ocean of green grass. The two llamas that came with the property … Read More
Calling all spirit lovers; DW Distilling needs to be on your shortlist for your next visit to Walla Walla! This small-batch craft distillery specializes in producing brandy, and was just named the number-one craft brandy distiller in the country by USA Today in their 10Best Readers’ Choice award (read the full article on that here)! … Read More
The Walla Walla Valley has a vibrant, expanding LGBTQ+ community; along with some pretty amazing LGBTQ-owned businesses! Show your Pride in June (and all year long!) by supporting these wineries, shops, and restaurants on your next trip to Walla Walla! Bergevin Lane Vineyards: Founding partner and winemaker Annette Bergevin has created a stunning tasting room … Read More
Just a short and scenic 25-minute drive from Walla Walla is a delicious reason to visit Waitsburg, Washington. American 35 is a welcome addition to the quaint downtown with its family-friendly vibe, craft cocktails, and wood-fired pizza. Tom and Judy Bennett have owned and operated their mobile wood-fired pizza truck, Fiasco Pizza, for years. Their … Read More
By Vicki Hillhouse There’s a reason the daybreak launches at the Walla Walla Balloon Stampede are rife with good vibes. “My theory is that negative people don’t want to get up that early in the morning,” cracks Shari Gale, crew chief for the Knight-N-Gale hot air balloon team. For more than 40 Stampedes, Shari and … Read More
