Yakima Valley weekend picks: Dance team performances, STEM fair and a big band concert

Spring has arrived and brings pom poms, volcanology, agriculture and the Yakima Valley Big Band. 

Fill your weekend calendar with details below: 

State Dance and Drill

Dance and drill teams from all over Washington state will compete this weekend in the Yakima Valley SunDome, 1301 S. Fair Ave. Divisions 1A, 2A and 3A will perform Friday and 4A will perform Saturday. Doors open at 11:30 a.m. and events begin at 12:30 p.m.

Dance and drill teams perform in six categories: dance, hip-hop, kick, military, pom and show.

Local teams competing include:

Selah: hip hop team at 12:40 p.m., pom at 6 p.m. Friday.

Eisenhower: hip hop team at 1:10 p.m., pom team at 2:05 p.m. Saturday.

Sunnyside: hip hop team at 1:55 p.m. Saturday.

Individual day tickets cost $14 for ages 12-61 and students without valid ASB cards, and $11 for ages 5-11, students 12-17 with valid ASB card, military with ID and ages 62 and older.

Passes for both days cost $24 for ages 12-61 and students without valid ASB cards, and $18 for ages 5-11, students 12-17 with valid ASB card, military with ID and ages 62 and older. Purchase in advance at www.statefairpark.org.

Visit yhne.ws/2025statedancedrill for a complete schedule and list of competing schools.

Last Friday

Yakima Valley Vintners will host Sami Castillo from 5-7 p.m. Friday at the Yakima Tasting Room, 1606 W. Nob Hill Blvd.

Castillo is from the Dominican Republic and studied music at Yakima Valley College. He has traveled to many places, performing guitar jazz favorite hits.

Yakima Valley Vintners’ Yakima Tasting Room has small food plates available as well as non-alcoholic beverages. The space is kid- and pet-friendly.

Reservations are encouraged and can be made by emailing info@yakimavalleyvintners.com or by calling 509-574-4794.

STEM Fair

La Salle High School’s second annual STEM Fair will take place 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday, March 29, at the La Salle campus, 3000 Lightning Way, Union Gap. The fair is open to the public and free for all ages.

STEM stand for science, technology, engineering and math.

The featured keynote speaker will be Dr. Hannah Shamloo from Central Washington University, speaking about volcanology.

Hands-on learning activities and demonstrations will take place throughout the campus by La Salle’s STEM departments as well as from over 20 partnering organizations.

Topics to explore will include agriculture, robotics, plant biology, mammals, reptiles, physics, chemistry, astronomy, aeronautics and volcanology.

Food trucks Tacos El Rey and Christ the Teacher elephant ears will have food to purchase on site.

UpBeats! Concert Series

The Yakima Valley Big Band will be the featured performance at Sunday’s UpBeats! Concert series. The band’s performance starts at 6 p.m. at Central Lutheran Church, 1604 W. Yakima Ave.

The UpBeats! concert series is free and open to the public. Donations are accepted and go to Yakima Music en Acción.

The Yakima Valley Community Band started in 1919, offering free music to the public. The nonprofit organization plays shows year-round and is known for its Concerts in the Park free programs in the summer. Community band members range from junior high school students up to retirees, including members of the Yakima Symphony, music educators and amateur musicians.

Band members started the Yakima Valley Big Band in 2022. It's a swing band that performs iconic hits from the swing era as well as modern favorites from the stage and screen.