Join the Redband Rally
During the 2017 season, the Spokane Indians Baseball team, together with the Spokane Tribe of Indians and City of Spokane introduced the Redband Rally Campaign in honor of Spokane's signature fish, the native Redband Trout. This campaign is designed to bring awareness to the Redband trout and the Spokane River and rally the community to protect and keep the river clean. The Redband Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss gairdnerii) is a beautiful, unique and important species of fish in the Spokane region, and was one of the first foods of the Spokane Tribe of Indians. To create a visible presence and to honor the native Redband trout, the baseball team introduced a new logo that is featured on apparel, signage, headbands and artwork. We believe that the Redband trout embodies the ideals of our team and its players: hard-fighting, resilient and adaptive under ever-changing circumstances.
Promotion and Education
To promote the campaign in a fun and entertaining way, the Spokane Indians introduced a mascot named Ribby the Redband Trout. Ribby appears each night in the 6th inning (with his little minnow friends) to help rally the team to victory. His mission is to help rally the team to victory and teach people about our river and what we can do to help protect it. Click here to learn more about Ribby the Mascot.
Another promotional element of the campaign is the Redband Headband. The Redband Headband serves three purposes: 1) Creates engagement in a fun and entertaining way as fans of all ages wear the headbands during the game 2) educate fans about the importance of the trout with information on the inside of the headband 3) encourages fans to take action by donating money to protect and preserve the Spokane River.
The Indians have seen the magic of and the Redband Headbands first hand. One example includes the dramatic come from behind victory on the day the campaign was launched. In addition, the Indians amassed an amazing eight walk-off wins during the first year of the Redband Rally, culminating with a ninth-inning victory in the season finale to secure a spot in the postseason.
Additional examples of promotion and education include:
2018
The introduction of the Redband Ale served exclusively at Avista Stadium courtesy of No-Li Brewhouse. A donation from No-Li Brewhouse is made annually to the campaign.
On July 6, the Spokane Park Board renamed Glover Field to Redband Park. The Park Board voted unanimously to rename Glover Field and Peaceful Valley Riverwalk to Redband Park, in honor of the Redband Rainbow Trout that spawn in the area and the Redband Rally campaign.
2019
The Spokane Indians installed an educational marker in the Hall of Fame Plaza to explain the Redband Rally Campaign elements and educate fans.
Merchandise
Indians players do their part to support the campaign by wearing Redband uniforms at select games throughout the summer. These jerseys are auctioned off at the end of each season with proceeds benefiting the Redband Rally Campaign.
Fans can also support the campaign by purchasing Redband Rally merchandise online or at the ballpark, with a portion of each sale being donated to the Redband Rally fund.
Community Fund
To take action and extend the campaign beyond Avista Stadium, the Indians established the Redband Rally Fund with our community partner, the Innovia Foundation. This fund is managed by members from the Spokane River Forum, the Spokane River Keeper, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, the Spokane Tribal Fisheries Department, Trout Unlimited Spokane Falls Chapter and the Spokane Indians Baseball team.
The fund collects money which is distributed annually towards projects that support the Spokane River. In kind community efforts are also led by the Indians. Examples of these yearly projects include:
2017
In conjunction with Mark Peterson and the 4 News Now Extreme Team, Spokane Indians staff and the Spokane Tribe of Indians rehabilitee the baseball field at Glover Park. This abandoned baseball field project included new dugout benches, infield dirt and overall grooming. Now playable, this field is open to baseball, softball and kickball enthusiasts.
2018
Posted a $1,000 reward for the conviction of the person who illegally killed Redband trout caught in the Spokane River. Pledged $500 to more signs on the Spokane River for Redband habitat/rules/ identity to help prevent further poaching.
Established a $1,000 annual scholarship for local elementary school science teacher to use for a Redband education day on the Spokane River. This money can be used to take students on a field trip to Redband Park and be used for transportation and guest speakers.
2019
The fund made a $5,000 contribution to the Spokane River Forum to establish a sculpture at the entrance to Redband Park in partnership with the City of Spokane's efforts to revitalize the area.
In-kind donations to the establishment of the new Raft & Paddle launch located at Redband Park.
The Spokane River Forum partnered with the City of Spokane Parks and Recreation to create Redband Plaza with the Redband Rising sculpture as the centerpiece. The sculpture, park and plaza area is a tribute to redband trout.
This builds upon efforts to reclaim and revitalize Redband Park, previously called Glover Field. Last spring, the Forum partnered with the WA Department of Commerce and city to build a $250,000 non-motorized boat launch that was an instant success.
