The Dirt: Ax-throwing venue Jumping Jackalope coming to downtown Spokane
Ax-throwing venue Jumping Jackalope is coming to downtown Spokane.
Co-owner and general manager Miguel Tamburini is renovating the former site of Space is the Place into an ax-throwing venue and bar at 224 W. Riverside Ave.
Jumping Jackalope will have 12 to 16 lanes for patrons to throw axes at wooden targets painted with a bull’s-eye and rings. It will also host team-building events and league nights, Tamburini said, adding the league winner will have a chance to represent the state in ax-throwing championships.
Tamburini, a competitive ax thrower and coach, placed in the top 24 participants in the World Axe Throwing League’s 2019 World Axe Throwing Championship, which airs on ESPN.
Ax throwing has become popular in recent years as an organized sport and a recreational activity. The World Axe Throwing League has grown to more than 175 clubs since it was founded in 2017.
Tamburini launched Jumping Jackalope with Ted Darr and Jason Kearney after Darr relocated to Spokane and noticed there weren’t many ax-throwing venues in the city.
Tamburini, who describes ax throwing as “a little bit like therapy but cheaper,” aims to provide patrons with a new skill and a fun experience.
Once permits for the project are approved by the city, Tamburini anticipates it will take about a month to complete renovations in the building. He hopes to open Jumping Jackalope when Spokane County is approved for Phase 3 of Gov. Jay Inslee’s Safe Start reopening plan.
Balloon bar coming to U-District
Renovations are underway for a boutique balloon bar in the University District, according to plans filed with the city.
Pop Balloon Bar will occupy more than 1,000 square feet in the Riverwalk Building at 1003 E. Trent Ave., Suite 150. The business was founded by Hayley Lydig, an event planner who also owns Hayley Lydig Events Inc., according to the company website.
Pop Balloon Bar is accepting bookings for onsite balloon installations and garland deliveries. It is slated to open in the fall.
The project designer is Spokane-based Fusion Architecture. The project valuation is $5,000, according to an application filed with the city.
Review filed for raceway
Plans for a multitrack off-road event center in Deer Park appear to be moving forward.
Property owner Joe Hilderband recently filed an environmental review with the Washington State Department of Ecology to build an oval dirt track, bleacher seating, parking and a private access road on 18 acres at 5151 W. Enoch Drive.
The second phase of Mill Pond Raceway is anticipated to be built in three to five years and will include a motocross track, additional bleachers and RV parking, pending facility profitability and water system approval, according to the environmental review.
The facility will operate primarily between April and September, hosting two to three events per month, according to the environmental review.