Norwegian Heritage Festival at PLU April 29

A Parkland event that is delightful to visit, called the Norwegian Heritage Festival is this Saturday, April 29, 2023. From 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., the PLU Anderson University Center will have booths with delightful Scandinavian items, Vikings, krumkake and creamy Rømmegrøt. Food, music and dancing will be had on the main floor and the…

Get those scholarship applications in by May 1

The Kiwanis of Parkland Spanaway gives a $1000 scholarship to a student from each high school in the Bethel and Franklin Pierce Districts each Spring. The deadline to turn in the applications is May 1, 2023. To apply, you can request an application from your school counselor. Kiwanis makes the decision on who wins the…

Bethel Apprenticeship Expo March 22

Join us on Wednesday, March 22 for our Apprenticeship Expo. The event runs from 5:30-7pm and will feature over 50 booths with representatives from unions, healthcare, IT, police agencies, construction companies and much, much more! We will also have three food trucks onsite if you get hungry during the event!

Food donations needed April 13

The need for food support is great in the Bethel and Eatonville communities. In response, the Rotary Club or Graham, Frederickson, Eatonville and the Kiwanis Club of South Pierce County have combined forces to address that need by holding a food drive that ends on April 13th. The Food Drive will be held at the…

B.E.S.T. Scholarship Auction March 10

[B.E.S.T is Bethel Education and Scholarship Trust] From the GBA Facebook page: The Graham Business Association (GBA) is hosting our annual scholarship auction on Friday, March 10, 2023, at 6 p.m.! We are excited to be back in person at our largest and most popular event of the year as it helps to fund scholarships…

Multicultural Night Feb. 16, Spanaway Elementary PTSA

By Marianne Lincoln When I attended Bethel schools, there wasn’t much diversity. Aside from the fact that many of my classmates at Elk Plain were multigenerational descendants of local tribes, there were not many Asian, Hispanic or African American classmates. Years later, I discovered the connection of our community to mixed blood families from Fort…

Local Kiwanis gifts first year teachers

It was an inspiration of Parklands-Spanaway Kiwanis President Bruce Rice. One night he was thinking about how difficult it is to graduate from college, be burdened with student debt, rent payments and also try to start teaching in a classroom where often teachers have to use their own resources to acquire supplies for their students’…

Help support Winterfest 2022

Each year, community services in the Parkland-Spanaway area support low-income families by collecting items for Winterfest. Families receive invitations from those community services to participate in the event. Winterfest has served hundreds of local families over the past 30 years. They share refreshments, hold a children’s fair with games, face painting, a visit with Santa,…

Stuff the Bus 2022 helping neighbors

The Bethel Transportation Department is once again holding their annual Stuff the Bus to help neighbors in need this holiday season. The bus will be at the Spanaway Walmart parking lot (20307 Mountain Hwy E) on Saturday, December 3, 2022 from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Donations are sought of clothing, gift cards, canned or…

Bethel’s ABC Day coming Oct. 1

Mark your calendars! ABC Day will take place on Saturday, October 1, 2022, at Bethel High School from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. There was a couple years the event was put off due to the pandemic, but it is back, as good as ever! Here is a short clip from the last ABC Day…

PLU opens a window for Parkland School in letter to Council

Pacific Lutheran University President Allan Belton opened a window of opportunity to the community who wants to save the Parkland School. In a letter to members of the Pierce County Council, he noted that the property is being made available for the purchase price of $2.85 million if the community can find a buyer within…