This Earth Day, find out more about what Christina Ridenbaugh is doing to help out Hoopfest and the Earth:
Today marks the 50th celebration of Earth Day. In honor of Earth Day, Hoopfest would like to highlight one of our most dedicated volunteers, Christina Ridenbaugh, who helps keep Mother Earth happy during Hoopfest weekend. Christina has been a volunteer at Hoopfest for 11 years, leading the Clean-up and Recycling team. Because of her leadership, the streets of Spokane are left cleaner than they’re found before Hoopfest.
For Christina, being a part of Hoopfest weekend is about more than picking up the trash. “I can’t imagine not being a part of Hoopfest! It’s the countless hours of planning, hard work, and commitment that so many others have put in for the past 30 years. I want to honor them and their legacy by doing the absolute best job I can,” said Christina.
Trash collecting can be fun!
Cleaning up trash during Hoopfest (and the rest of the year) is a necessary task in keeping our Spokane and our Earth looking in tip-top shape. Though it can be a daunting task, throughout the years Christina has found a way to keep the work fun. “A few years ago we started a scavenger hunt for our teams,” said Christina. She mentioned that some pretty interesting items can be found throughout the weekend, so she constructed a list of random items. The team that finds the craziest trash items before the weekend ends gets the coveted Trash Trophy.
Christina recognizes the hard work that her volunteer team does during Hoopfest weekend. “We are so extremely proud of our clean up and recycling teams for all they do to keep the streets of Spokane clean,” said Christina. She sums it all up with a little saying: First in, last out! All in, All weekend!
Christina sums up her experience being a volunteer at Hoopfest by saying: “I am truly proud and humbled to be a part of the largest 3 on 3 basketball tournament on earth!” We are so grateful that Christina has been with us and continually makes Spokane and our world a better and cleaner place!
To show your support for Christina and her awesome Clean-up and Recycling team this Earth Day, trash your trash and recycle your recyclables!
Here are some tips for what you can do throughout Hoopfest weekend to help the Clean-up & Recycling team:
- Use a reusable water bottle
- Make sure your trash and recyclable gets into their proper receptacles
- If you see trash around your court or on the streets, throw it away
- Say thank you to the Clean-up & Recycling volunteers for making the Spokane streets and Hoopfest look pretty!




About Hoopfest
Spokane Hoopfest is the largest 3on3 outdoor basketball tournament on Earth. That means over 6,000 teams, 3,000 volunteers, 225,000 fans and 450 courts spanning 45 city blocks! Beyond basketball, Hoopfest is an outdoor basketball festival with shopping, food and interactive entertainment. We are so excited for you to join us and be a part of the Best Basketball Weekend on Earth!
In Case You Missed It:
- Check out the wallpapers from April 2020.
- Read our full COVID-9 response here
- How to virtually celebrate Earth Day with the City of Spokane