When I first learned that Spokane had an annual Bloomsday celebration I was elated to think I'd landed in an area where people know how to observe properly the day depicted in James Joyce's famous Ulysses, but it turned out that the Spokane version differs from other observances by that name by not being devoted to commemorating the wanderings of Joyce's Leopold Bloom, but instead simply celebrating the lilac blooms of spring--with a huge downtown footrace.

This cheerful sculpture at the edge of the park salutes the annual event, complete with a competitor in a wheelchair.