SOAP LAKE – Anyone who’s been to Soap Lake for a bite to eat at the Del Red Pub and heard live music there or seen a production at the Masquers Theater knows that Soap Lake has a thriving arts scene. The arts are an important part of the community, and now even the state of Washington recognizes that. 

Soap Lake has officially been recognized as having a formally established creative district as of Feb. 6, said Ruthan Tobiason the Soap Lake Creative District said.  

“We’re thrilled and relieved that we pass the test, so to speak, to be accepted and granted this designation,” she said. “The state has some very specific requirements we need to follow.” 

The district has until March 6 to update its strategic plan and make some other adjustments to maintain the designation, but Tobiason said the group is on the road to getting that done. The designation will provide a $5,000 grant from the state with a requirement for in-kind or cash-matching donations from a local level. The money from the grant must be spent by June 30.   

“We just have to prioritize it and spend it on the right things; any (part) of our first-year plan,” Tobiason said.  

That includes moving the coalition that created the district forward by making the district more organized and collaborating with community members to improve the district. The district goes from Smokiam Park which includes the Calling the Healing Waters Sun Dial, down to Main Street and along that street with the Masquers Theater being the arts anchor for the district. The boundaries start on Main Street and go east to Daisy and north to the Soap Lake Visitors Center, she said. 

Within the district is a quilt retreat center, the B&B Mancaves NW antique center, Del Red for its live music, multiple restaurants and the city library which is a resource for the arts both as an information source and event venue supporting the arts. Hair salons and other local boutiques are also included, and more businesses may be added later, Tobiason said. It’s all a matter of including all of the arts and arts-related businesses and organizations, including local artists working throughout the community.  

Tobiason said she and the rest of the Soap Lake Creative District Team also appreciated the work of Shawn Cardwell, director of Columbia Basin Allied Arts for her support and knowledge as the group has worked toward recognition.  

Other community partners have included the Soap Lake Prevention Coalition and the city, she said.  

Soap Lake City Council Member Judith Gorman said she was excited for the folks who have worked for the last few years to make the creative district a reality. She congratulated fellow Council Member Kayleen Bryson for her work in pushing the district’s approval forward.  

“She gets a lot of people to work together; she’s good at that,” Gorman said. “And so, it’s her and a team of people that have carried this forward, and she’s had a lot of support.”