BADGER FORUM THURSDAY, MARCH 23 | Noon to 1 PM
Around the World in 412 Days
With former Pasco Mayor Matt Watkins
Former Pasco Mayor Matt Watkins took some time off to discover the world after 16 years on the City Council. His “discoveries” included Covid in Southeast Asia, war in Eastern Europe, and walking the Camino de Santiago in Spain.
He called it a “sabbatical” with friends and family. Some think he’s retired. He insists he’s not. He said, “I need to travel to become a better world citizen….so that I might become a better U.S. citizen.”
Following those that inspired him including Ernest Hemingway, Anthony Bourdain, various modern YouTube travelers, and a smattering of Don Quixote–he embarked on a three-year journey first landing in Singapore on New Years Eve 2020. The following morning as he was eating at a Michelin Star rated food stall in Chinatown, he read the news headline that changed our world forever, “Novel Virus Discovered in China”
Matt will share his discoveries with the Columbia Basin Badger Club at Noon on Thursday, January 19, 2023 immediately following the Club’s Annual Membership Meeting.
ANNUAL MEETING The Badger Club’s Annual Meeting will begin a half-hour before the Forum, at 11:30 AM. The Forum with Matt Watkins will begin on time at 12 Noon, but non-members are welcome to join at any time. Registration is the same for both sessions.
SAVE THE DATE: Thursday, February 23, 12 Noon to 2 PM The Columbia Basin Badger Club is hosting a Special Extended Forum Addressing Homelessness. Presenters will include former Tri-City Herald Publisher Rufus Friday, United Way president LoAnn Ayers, and Chris Patterson, who heads a new homelessness initiative in Spokane. It is free to attend, but registration is required
