The Redband Rally campaign is one of the City of Spokane's educational elements to create awareness about efforts to manage stormwater and protect the Spokane River and aquifer. In recent years, the City of Spokane installed combined sewer overflow (CSO) tanks city wide to reduce the amount of untreated water (from combined sewage and stormwater) that discharges into the Spokane River. These tanks help collect overflow from stormwater and the City's sewer system and send it to Water Reclamation Facility for treatment. CLICK HERE for information about stormwater in Spokane and learn how you can help!
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.
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 sixth inning to help rally the team to victory! CLICK HERE to learn more about Ribby the Redband Trout.
Another promotional element of the campaign is the Redband Headband which creates engagement by: 1) Having fans of all ages wear the Redband Headbands during the game to help rally the team to victory 2) Educating fans about the importance of the Redband Trout with information on the inside of the headband and 3) Encouraging 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—including the dramatic come-from-behind victory on the day the campaign was launched! The team had a total of eight walk-off wins (in just 38 home games) during the 2017 season and qualified for the postseason on the season's final day thanks to, you guessed it, a walk-off #RedbandRally win!
Spokane Indians players do their part to support the campaign by wearing Redband Rally uniforms on every Wednesday home game throughout the season. 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 at the Spokane Indians Team Store, with a portion of each sale being donated to the Redband Rally 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.
In a truly unique partnership with No-Li Brewhouse, the Redband Rally Campaign debuted the first ever Redband Rally Beer Bat at Avista Stadium during the 2021 season. These bats, which are available for purchase exclusively at Avista Stadium, are filled with 25 oz. of your favorite No-Li beer and include a donation to the Redband Rally Campaign Fund. The 2022 season saw the release of two new editions of the beer bat which feature designs that highlight Spokane's scenery and iconic Monroe Street bridge.
In addition, the Spokane Indians and No-Li collaborated on a signature beer to celebrate the Redband Rally Campaign - the Redband Tangerine Wheat Ale - which is available exclusively on-tap at Avista Stadium and No-Li Brewhouse.
You too can help us protect Spokane's hometown fish by making a tax-deductible donation today. Your gift will be donated to local groups that provide advocacy, education, protection, conservation and restoration of Redband and river habitat. Donations will help support the following organizations: Spokane River Forum, Spokane Riverkeeper, Spokane Tribal Fisheries, Trout Unlimited Spokane Falls and the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.