MOSES LAKE - Former Sen. Harold Hochstatter likes to brag that he used to be head of the old Neppel group and Thursday he was able to share his memories during the celebration of Moses Lake's 75th birthday.

Current and former mayors and city councilmembers joined the public Thursday afternoon for a cake cutting at the Moses Lake Civic Center.

Those in attendance were also treated with many historical documents laying out the timeline of the incorporation of Moses Lake in 1938.

Hochstatter, born in Moses Lake back when it was still Neppel, was happy to see more than 50 community members show up for the festivities.

"I'm just honored to see this many folks," he said. "I was born in this town. I was there before the town was."

Hochstatter also looked back at the many changes of the early days of Moses Lake.

"The change was a big deal," he said. "Growing up as a kid in a little town was wonderful."

He said back when the area was just sagebrush, he would spend his evenings out hunting jack rabbits. It's a different time now, he said, adding he misses the small town feel.

When he was thinking about a speech he might make Thursday, he said he's been able to look at the good and bad over the years.

"There's something lost and there's something gained," Hochstatter said. "You have to look at what's gained.

When the Larson Air Force Base closed, Hochstatter said many thought the city would disappear. Same with when the sugar plant closed.

"The farmers stayed and I'm glad they did," he said.