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Greetings from Spokane's Bing Crosby Advocates!
- Bing Crosby Advocates
- Oct 10
- 5 min read
It's time to be updated on what's going on with all things Bing in May 2025!
In This Edition:
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TRIVIA QUESTIONS: (Answers toward the bottom of this page) 1) What annual charity benefit event -- that continues to this day -- did Bing and his brother Larry start in 1937? 2) Where in Spokane did Bing first get bit by the "golf bug"? |
BING CROSBY ADVOCATES IN THE NEWS
HAPPY BIRTHDAY BING!
Bing Crosby Advocates and Gonzaga University celebrated Bing's 122nd birthday a day early, May 2, 2025. We gave out close to 400 birthday cupcakes, primarily to students passing in front of the Crosby Center and Bing's statue.
BING IN SPOKANE'S LILAC FESTIVAL PARADE
Bing joined Bing Crosby Advocates at the Spokane Lilac Festival Torchlight Parade on May 17. Special thanks to John DeJong and his 1916 Model T Ford, just like the one Bing and his friend, North Central High School grad Al Rinker drove to Los Angeles in October 1925.
Here is a link to a Facebook reel of our journey (before it started raining on our parade)!
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SPEAKING OF MODEL Ts Look for Bing Crosby Advocates at the Spokane Model T Club's booth at the All Wheels Swap Meet, Spokane County Fairgrounds, July 12 & 13. We'll have Bing there with the 1916 Model T Ford, just like the one Bing and Al took to California! |
BING IN THE NEWS May 7, 2025: A look inside Bing Crosby’s Hillsborough mansion that is on sale for $40 million (KPIX)
January 25, 2025: Bing Crosby’s grandson Steve Crosby views destroyed Pacific Palisades home (Fox News)
January 8, 2025: “Star Trek ”Actress Denise Crosby (Bing's granddaughter) Says 'The Only House I've Ever Owned' Destroyed by Palisades Fire: ‘Now, Ashes’ (People)
December 2, 2024: "David wasn’t going to do the show, and his mum said, ‘No, you HAVE to work with Bing Crosby!’ She was a fan": The story of David Bowie and Bing Crosby's Little Drummer Boy (Music Radar)
December 7, 2024 Bob Hope & Bing Crosby's 7 Road Movies, Ranked Worst To Best (Screen Rant) |
VIDEO SHORT: BING & LIDGERWOOD HILL What do 13-year-old Bing Crosby, the 'muscle car' of snow sleds, and the hill below the intersection of Lidgerwood St. & Fairview Ave. in Spokane have to do with the most listened to song in world history?
Watch Another Spokane History Nerd, Dave Reynolds, explain and share some surprises in this video story:
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CELEBRATING 100 YEARS OF BING'S CAREER In late October 1925, Bing and his pal and North Central High School grad Alton "Al" Rinker played their last gig on the stage of the Clemmer Theater (now Bing Crosby Theater). Determined to make it big in show biz, they loaded Bing's drum set into Al's 1916 Model T Ford, and headed up the Sunset Highway to eventually land in Los Angeles.
Bing Crosby Advocates are helping celebrate this 100-year milestone by:
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SUMMER SERIES: SUNDAYS AT THE CROSBY'S PLACE
Bing Crosby Advocates, working with Gonzaga's Foley Library, are hosting a series of free events where the community can learn more about the life of Spokane's most famous son.
Each presentation will take place at 3:30 in the Bing Crosby House Museum at 508 Sharp Avenue. Each will last an hour or so.
June 8: Lauren Harris, BCA board member and author of the forthcoming children’s book about Bing, will discuss Bing as a kid. June 22: Steve Blewett, BCA board member and retired Eastern Washington University professor, will discuss Bing’s contributions to the nation’s morale during World War II. June 29: Brad Rovanpera, former BCA board member, will present on Bing's private side. July 13: Tom McArthur from KSPS will discuss what records and radio would have sounded like to Bing during his time growing up in the Bing Crosby House Museum. July 20: Stephanie Plowman, director of the Bing Crosby House Museum, will talk about Bing’s education. July 27: Dave Reynolds, BCA's board president, will discuss the local beginnings of Bing’s love for sports, especially baseball and golf. Aug. 3: Bill Stimson, BCA founder and retired journalism professor from Eastern Washington University, will cover the story behind the controversial autobiography written by Bing's first-born son Gary. Sept. 14: Ted McGregor, publisher of The Inlander, will discuss the value of famous people to the places where they grew up. |
BING CROSBY HOLIDAY FILM FESTIVAL
Mark your calendars! We have already scheduled the next Bing Crosby Holiday Festival for Saturday, December 6, 2025, at the Bing Crosby Theater in downtown Spokane. You know we'll be showing White Christmas on the big screen. Stay tuned to see what surprises we may have in store! |
BING CROSBY HOUSE MUSEUM Bing's childhood home, at 508 E. Sharp in Spokane, is adjusting to summer hours. The museum is always open Saturday afternoons from 1:00 to 4:00, when trained docents from Bing Crosby Advocates are on hand to show you around and answer your questions. Gonzaga University students staff the museum on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm. Here is the museum's webpage:
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WANNA GET INVOLVED?
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TRIVIA ANSWERS 1) Bing and his brother Larry Crosby started the Bing Crosby National Pro-Amateur Golf Tournament, or just the "Crosby Clambake" at the Rancho Santa Fe Golf Club in 1937. Several years after his death, it became the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. 2) At the age of 15, Bing became a caddy at Spokane's Downriver Golf Course. He got paid 50 cents (equal to $11.52 in 2025) for carrying a bag clubs for golfers. Later in his career, Bing came back many times to enjoy Downriver and other Spokane golf courses. |
SEE YOU NEXT TIME!
As the Bing Crosby Advocates, we celebrate Bing's life and legacy and showcase his connections to his hometown of Spokane. |
BCA is a 501(c)(3) charitable and educational non-profit organization. Want to support our work?
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