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Spokane Hoopfest

3x3 basketball competitions in the United StatesCulture of Spokane, WashingtonSpokane, WashingtonSports in Spokane, Washington
Spokane Hoopfest at Riverfront Park, June 2014
Spokane Hoopfest at Riverfront Park, June 2014

Hoopfest is an annual outdoor 3-on-3 basketball tournament held in Downtown Spokane, Washington. It is the largest event of its kind in the world. In 2011 the event drew 27,876 players on 7,046 teams. It began in 1989 with 2,009 players on 512 teams, and has grown to over 6,700 participant teams. It is estimated that around 175,000 fans visited the event in both 2010 and 2011 (and likely for many years before, although estimates had not been observed for previous years), meaning that the total number of people at Hoopfest could be measured at around 200,000 including players, fans, and volunteers. This number nearly equals Spokane's 2010 Census population of 208,000.Hoopfest is not just a basketball event, as there is often live music being played in Riverfront Park, along with merchandisers and various food tents. A very wide range of players are allowed to play, as the only requirement is that players must be entering at least the third grade in the fall following Hoopfest. A few men in their seventies have participated in Hoopfest. Matching uniforms are very common among the male and female high school divisions, and some teams have taken it as far as to wear Halloween costumes.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Spokane Hoopfest (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

Spokane Hoopfest
North Stevens Street, Spokane

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Geographical coordinates (GPS)

Latitude Longitude
N 47.6614769 ° E -117.4184936 °
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Riverfront Park Clock Tower

North Stevens Street
99201 Spokane
Washington, United States
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Spokane Hoopfest at Riverfront Park, June 2014
Spokane Hoopfest at Riverfront Park, June 2014
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Riverfront Park (Spokane, Washington)
Riverfront Park (Spokane, Washington)

Riverfront Park, branded as Riverfront Spokane, is a public urban park in downtown Spokane, Washington that is owned and operated by the Spokane Parks & Recreation Department. The 100-acre (40 ha) park is situated along the Spokane River and encompasses the Upper Spokane Falls, which is the second largest urban waterfall in the United States. The site of the park and the surrounding falls were a Native American gathering place, which had a number of fishing camps near the base of the falls. The first American settlers came in 1871, establishing a claim and building a sawmill near the falls that would later be purchased by James N. Glover, who was aware of the water power potential of the falls and that the Northern Pacific Railroad Company had received a government charter to build a main line through the area. By the late 19th century, much of the area along the Spokane Falls had become industrialized with sawmills and flour mills, utilizing the fast-moving Spokane River and Spokane Falls for its hydropower. Flumes and waterwheels were used to mechanically drive sawmills and flour mills located along the river. To satisfy the growing demand for electricity and modernize the city, the Washington Water Power company constructed a timber dam (replaced in 1974) on the river at the Lower Falls in 1890 and another dam on the Upper Falls in 1922. These operating hydroelectric facilities on the falls from the park's industrial past are among the sights of interest in Riverfront Park. Located on the site of a former railyard, the park site's potential as a showcase for the Spokane Falls was recognized as early as 1908, but it would be another 64 years before those visions could be realized. Downtown Spokane, including what is now Riverfront Park was a hub for passenger and freight rail transport and remained that way for several decades. In 1972, the active railyards were removed, and the area around the Spokane Falls reclaimed, when construction commenced on an urban renewal project that built a fairground to host the upcoming environmentally-themed Expo '74 World's fair. Post-fair plans for the site which hosted the fair from May 4 to November 3, 1974, called for the preservation of the site as a legacy of Expo '74 and converting it into an urban park after the fair's conclusion. After several years of work to convert the site, Riverfront Park was officially opened in 1978. Several of its most recognizable buildings such as the U.S. Pavilion, Spokane Convention Center, and First Interstate Center for the Arts remain from Expo '74 as legacy pieces. The park is also home to historic features such as the Great Northern clock tower and Looff Carrousel; other sites of interest near the park include the River Park Square mall, Mobius Science Center, and The Podium sportplex. The park sees over three million visitors annually and has a Spokane Visitor Information Center at 620 W. Spokane Falls Boulevard with maps and information on local attractions, history, and tours.

Riverfront Park Carousel
Riverfront Park Carousel

The Riverfront Park Carrousel, also known as the Looff Carrousel and the Natatorium Park Carousel, is a carousel in Spokane, Washington built in 1909 by Charles I. D. Looff as a gift for Looff's daughter Emma Vogel and her husband Louis Vogel, who owned Natatorium Park in Spokane. It remained at Natatorium Park until 1968 when the park closed. The carousel was then relocated to its present location at Riverfront Park in 1975 where it continues to operate. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on September 19, 1977. The Looff still contains its original 1900 Ruth & Sohn band organ, which plays 87 key B.A.B. rolls, although due to deteriorating player rolls, a digitized recording is played during the carousel's operation. The organ was manufactured in Waldkirch, Germany and imported by Looff around 1900. The carousel contains 54 horses, one giraffe, one tiger, one goat and two chariots, all hand carved by Looff himself. It also has a ring dispenser, which allows the outside riders to grab a ring during each pass and then toss the ring at a clown with a hole for his mouth. If the rider is successful in capturing the brass ring, they can turn it in to win a free ride on the carousel.Since 1975, the carousel has been located on the south bank of the Spokane River in Riverfront Park. The park was constructed for the 1974 World's Fair, and certain structures remained in the park after the fair closed. The building that hosted a German beer garden for the fair became the new home of the carousel in the summer of 1975. As a part of a bond passed in 2014 to revitalize Riverfront Park, a new building was designed to house the carousel. The new building was designed with more space to queue and host events, and large windows to improve views of the Spokane River from the inside and views of the carousel from the outside. The new space opened in 2018.During the COVID-19 Pandemic, the Carrousel and other building amenities were closed for nearly a year. The pandemic forced a closure of the attraction on March 17, 2020, but the ride resumed operations on March 1, 2021. During the pandemic, a new ride was added when the local toy and sporting goods store founded in 1946, the White Elephant, decided to close its doors and it’s beloved white elephant ride that adorned the front entrance for decades was gifted to the city in July 2020. The elephant, known as Isidore, was formerly featured in Natatorium Park alongside the carousel and was reunited with the carousel animals in the Looff building.