Harrington news

Friday from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. the Harrington Food Bank dispensed five tons of food at the Harrington Nazarene Church while God's Closet at the Harrington Community Church also had a good turnout and a great turnover of clothing which will allow their staff the space to put out a new supply of clothing that had been held in reserve. God's Closet was also open from noon to 3 p.m. on Saturday with a much lesser turnout during the dust storm, but enough activity to keep it open.

Saturday before 8 a.m., preparations were being made to get the warm water line ready for the Dog Wash event to be held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. which included a free wash, manicure and grooming for those canine patrons willing to cooperate. By 9 a.m. the wind was beginning to pick up but was still insufficient to deter dog lovers from attending. As the day progressed the winds increased. Despite those high winds that sent towels flying, baskets rolling and more than once, the swimming pool sailing across the street, a good soapy time was had by both dogs and humans alike. This year the event welcomed assistance from Kristi Poteet, a local groomer and boarder. Both old and new clients came to enjoy the warm water bath and special pampering. Carol's Maddy, Diamond and Grace and Kristi's Wilson were on hand to welcome all visitors. All guests were offered doggie treats. By the tail wags and lavish doggie kisses from big Shilo down to small Holly, young puppies Paddy and Anne, and the others in between indicated they all enjoyed their day at the spa. The generous donations of their owners reflected their appreciation.

Saturday evening, bluegrass music by Nu-Blu was performed in the recently refurbished Opera House auditorium from 7 p.m. to after 9 p.m. to an audience of about 65, considered an excellent crowd with the windy weather conditions threatening all day to cancel the event. The Nu-Blu musicians were stranded in the Pullman area much of the day, with frequent phone calls keeping Society personnel apprised of their status. When the roads opened and they were under way again, Society members relayed to numerous phone callers that the event would indeed occur. In spite of poor visibility and challenging wind gusts, as far as was learned, no accidents occurred involvinv persons trying to get to the performance.

And the performance? Yes, the Nu-Blu group, consisting of Carolyn Routh (bass and vocals), Daniel Routh, her husband (considered the band's Renaissance Man), Levi Austin (vocals, guitar, and banjo) and Milom Williams II (songwriter, vocalist and instrumentalist), performed their innovative bluegrass music. Their songs included Jesus and Jones (original song by Cheri Hefner and Rick Tiger, a tribute to George Jones), A Little Good News, It's Not That Cold In Montana, That's What Makes The Bluegrass Blu, Without A Kiss, Other Woman's Blues and It's A Good Day To Be With You.

For those unfamiliar with this group, Nu-Blu was formed in September of 2003 by Carolyn and Daniel Routh. Levi joined them in 2007 and Milom more recently, which completed their magical sound. The group is based in Siler City in central North Carolina. Harrington is their final stop of this tour. Carolyn's career was beginning to be shaped when she was just eight years of age, performing in church choir, school musicals and plays. At 18 she was in leading roles in Broadway musicals and at 20 she started her own gospel band. She is credited with "a life-long knowledge of the performing arts and what makes stage performing effective." Daniel began his career direction at age 12 with a guitar and adding a banjo, he was successful early in life in attracting awards. His passion for music is obvious with his skill with banjo, guitar, vocals and bass. He is also considered their business manager, production engineer and tour coordinator. Levi began with a banjo at age nine and performed regularly on a show and in competitions. He was 14 when he joined Nu-Blu. Milom began playing guitar at age eight and shortly thereafter tried the mandolin. He is also an experienced lead and harmony vocalist.

Intermission allowed Nu-Blu to offer their CDs and T-shirts for sale, as well as for everyone to find a snack and stretch before the conclusion of the performance. At the conclusion of their show, the audience begged for more with a standing ovation eliciting at least one more song. Tickets sold for $15 for a performance that would cost perhaps $60 to $100 in Spokane or a similar venue, but due to our size, the audience receives far more than they would "in the city" as here people were allowed to meet and greet the musicians personally. Normally, the Opera House Society does not try to compete with the harvest and seeding activities in the Harrington wheat belt by having performances in August, but this year was the perfect year to make an exception, since harvest was early and the farmers are now waiting for rain before beginning fall seeding. "Fantastic," "one of the best shows the Society has ever had," "very accomplished musicians" and "a huge success" were typical of the comments overheard from those in attendance. Nu-Blu is now en route home to North Carolina with a stop in Nashville.