Marissa Youngers knew a little something about the team at Meadow Wood Children’s Center before placing her child, Chandra, into their care. She attended MWCC as a school-ager in the 1990s with her younger brother, Trevor.
Fawn Dunn is the director of Meadow Wood Children’s Center, a family business she has been a part of since July 1995. She remembered Marissa well when she came to tour the facility with her husband as an expectant mother before Chandra was born.
“Chandra started in the infant room at Meadow Wood Children’s Center when she was 3 1/2 months old,” Dunn said. “She is now in our toddler class and is doing wonderful.”
Spokane Transit (STA) is Liberty Lake’s full-service mobility provider, with an array of convenient options that may have you saying, “My other car’s an STA bus.”
“You don’t have to marry us, just date us,” said E. Susan Meyer, STA’s Chief Executive Officer and fellow Liberty Lake resident. “Using public transit doesn’t mean you never drive, but it can mean you only need to own one car.”
So which mobility services are right for you?
Fixed Route Bus Spokane Transit operates 147 buses on 40 different routes, covering 248 square miles within Spokane County. Three of these routes serve the Liberty Lake Park & Ride: • Route 74: Direct access to East Indiana services and Spokane Valley Mall, this route serves the Mirabeau Park & Ride then continues downtown via I-90. • Route 172: Travels from Liberty Lake Park & Ride to downtown Spokane via I-90. Ideally suited for commuters and students as, during peak commute hours, buses leave for downtown every 15 minutes. • Route 98: Gets you to great shopping, restaurants and services along East Sprague and connects with the Valley’s transportation hub, the Valley Transit Center.
Vanpool Vanpool is like carpooling, but with groups of people who live and work in approximately the same areas that can share the commute to work in a van provided by Spokane Transit. Vanpools cater to long distance commutes anywhere within eastern Washington and north Idaho, as long as the van starts or ends within STA’s boundaries.
Vanshare If you can take the bus most of the way to work, but need a ride from home to a transit stop, or from a park & ride to your workplace, Vanshare can bridge the gap.
Paratransit Spokane Transit takes pride in offering the best possible van transportation to customers eligible for paratransit service under the Americans with Disabilities Act guidelines. Paratransit provides service to over 8,000 ADA-eligible customers, their guests and their personal care attendants.
Trailbreaker Cider 2204 N. Madson Road, Liberty Lake
Starring its namesake — WSU Creamery’s Cougar Gold Cheese — this sandwich is toasted to melty perfection. Additional ingredients include bacon, heirloom tomato and thinly sliced Walla Walla sweet onions — as well as a couple other cheeses (you know, just to be melt-iculous about it).
Why you’ll love it
First things first, when talking about Trailbreaker Cider, you can’t overlook that this sandwich can be enjoyed with an incredible cider. Made on-site. In a first-class venue.
“Our facility is quite unique in that we are one of the few cideries in the United States that produces cider from apples year-round in one facility,” Owner Trent Maier said. “We do not generally import any apple juice and typically produce as many of our products on-site as possible.”
Those products include a selection of 16-20 hard ciders at any given time (and a couple-three of the non-alcoholic variety), along with a variety of food options, from pretzels to hummus to wraps. Among many popular items, the Cougar Gold Grilled Cheese has become a standout.
“I think it appeals to many people with the Cougar name, and it’s very delicious so that doesn’t hurt either,” Maier said.
Everything on the food menu comes with a gluten-free option, and the ciders are gluten free as well. There are also vegan menu items, and the Trailbreaker team runs an allergy-conscious kitchen to cater to all patrons. The menu also features kid-friendly fare, echoing the family-friendly vibe of the establishment. Even when it’s not happy hour (half-price appetizers 3 to 6 p.m. daily), ownership keeps affordability a primary consideration.
“We opened to the public last July and have steadily increased our kitchen capacity and food production since that time,” Maier said. “Our goal is to always develop new and creative food choices that are made with the best ingredients we can find while still being affordable for anyone.”
The open design of the facility allows for fun and unique seating for diners and makes it an ideal venue for events.
“Our facility is quickly becoming the premier event center within Liberty Lake,” Maier said. “The fact that we offer food, beverages and plenty of room for groups of all sizes without charging for use of the space is proving to be a nice addition to the community, and we couldn’t be happier about finding our niche within this awesome Liberty Lake area.”