Festival of Trees lights up the holiday season
JOEL MARTIN | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 7 years, 9 months AGO
Joel Martin/Columbia Basin Herald Attendees look over the offerings and evidently like what they see at the 24th annual Habitat for Humanity Festival of Trees.
Joel Martin/Columbia Basin Herald The tree donated by Moses Lake Presbyterian Church brought with it a few of the donors’ (and hopefully the buyer’s) favorite things.
Joel Martin/Columbia Basin Herald Besides the auctioned prizes, there was also an array of wreaths up for raffle at the Festival of Trees Saturday night.
Joel Martin has been with the Columbia Basin Herald for more than 25 years in a variety of roles and is the most-tenured employee in the building. Martin is a married father of eight and enjoys spending time with his children and his wife, Christina. He is passionate about the paper’s mission of informing the people of the Columbia Basin because he knows it is important to record the history of the communities the publication serves. | December 2, 2018 8:15 PM
MOSES LAKE — The overhead lights were dimmed, but the 4-H Building at the Grant County Fairgrounds was alive with twinkling, inviting lights for the 24th annual Festival of Trees, the fundraiser for Habitat for Humanity of Greater Moses Lake.
Around 140 people were there to enjoy a dinner catered by Michael’s on the Lake and place their bids for magnificently decorated Christmas trees with presents beneath them to please any taste. There was a tree donated by Friends of Habitat that was decorated in wintry blue, silver and white and surrounded by car care items. Another, donated by Guild Mortgage, was labeled “Comfy and Cozy Are We.” Beneath its boughs nestled a giant stuffed animal, stockings, hot cocoa makings and other things to enjoy next to a Christmas fire.
Samaritan Healthcare’s contribution was described as “safe and kid-friendly” and was festooned with crayons, toys and puzzles.
Not everything that was up for auction was in the form of a tree. A sturdy metal bench with a Seahawks motif was on the block, created by Lucilla Anderson from materials donated by Genie Industries. There was also an array of wreaths to raffle off at $10 a ticket. Selena Martinez of Washington Trust Bank, a first-time volunteer, sold tickets for the raffle. Wreath No. 2 was especially popular, so Martinez herself put her tickets on No. 6, which had fewer takers.
The one thing all the items had in common was that they were poised to bring in money to support Habitat for Humanity’s ministry in the coming year. The amount of money raised wasn’t available by press time, said co-president Shelly Detrick.
Chris Voigt, director of the Washington State Potato Commission, served as the master of ceremonies for the evening. Chuck Yarbro Jr., a fixture at charitable auctions in the Basin, delivered the rapid-fire patter that sold the trees. And the blessing over dinner, in keeping with Habitat’s Christian orientation, was delivered by Pastor Eric Frey of Moses Lake Presbyterian Church.
The Golden Hammer award was presented to Wade Sackett of S&K Service, who has worked on Habitat’s last three houses, Detrick said.
An emotional part of the evening came when Madison Jennings, whose Habitat house is nearing completion, spoke to the crowd about how much her new home meant to her and her family. Jennings, who has a son and a daughter, expressed special thanks to retired contractor Terry Hall, whom she credited with teaching her how to work on her house, as well as to the Habitat community at large.
“It was so overwhelming to think that she’s a single mom, she’s going to college to get her bachelor’s degree, her life is full and busy, but she’s done it,” Detrick said. “I mean, she has found the strength through God and grace to do what was asked of her and kept a gracious spirit to everybody who helped her.”
“I was in tears,” she added.
ARTICLES BY JOEL MARTIN
Quincy National Night Out scales down
QUINCY — Quincy’s National Night Out was more compact this year, which worked out well, said QPD Sgt. Joe Westby, who’s in charge of event planning for the Quincy Police Department. “National Night Out is a big event, and the fact that we’re able to shrink it up is like a breath of fresh air,” Westby said. “If you're always doing the same thing, it's kind of nice to switch things up and see how it works.” National Night Out took place Thursday on the block of C Street next to the police station, a shift from previous years when it was held at Lauzier Park. The smaller space meant fewer emergency vehicles for children to explore, but it also meant less walking for attendees. Grant County Fire District 5 brought a fire truck, and the Grant County Sheriff’s Office had a patrol boat. Renew, the Grant County behavioral health agency, had a booth and so did Quincy Partnership for Youth. Veterans Operation Creation sang the national anthem, and the Quincy Animal Shelter brought kittens that piled over each other making friends with passersby. As before, the QPD served grilled hot dogs.
Quincy Police retirements leave big shoes to fill
QUINCY — There are some big shoes to fill at the Quincy Police Department. “We’re losing 48 years of experience between them,” Quincy Police Chief Ryan Green said at the retirement party for Capt. Jorge Trujillo and Det. Damon Powell Thursday. Trujillo, who grew up in Sunnyside, has been with QPD for 19 years, he said, coming on as a patrol officer fresh out of the military. From there he served as a field training officer, a detective and finally captain. “I consider him my left-hand man,” Green said. “He runs the operations side of the house … He knows the agency very well, and he knows the community.” Trujillo has some projects around the house to tackle now that he’s retired, he said.
Big fun on a small scale
Wheat Land Communities’ Fair opens Thursday
RITZVILLE — The Wheat Land Communities’ Fair isn’t as big or as flashy as some of the county fairs around central Washington, but the folks who keep it going like it just the way it is. “It’s somewhere you can go and get an old-time traditional feeling, and you’re comfortable letting your kids roam the grounds and experience all that it has to offer,” said Board Member Lori Williams. “It’s more of a feeling than (one) specific thing,” The fair starts Thursday in Ritzville and runs through Sunday. Starting Friday, the 56th Ritzville Rodeo will take place alongside the fair at the rodeo grounds. This year the entertainment budget was expanded, Williams said, to be able to offer more fun that’s covered by the cost of admission. For the kids, there’s face painting, balloon art, Lego crafts, races, contests and games. Children can also ride on a little train towed around the fairgrounds behind a tractor.