Country Sweethearts Banquet raises funds for cancer patients
JOEL MARTIN | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 8 years, 7 months AGO
Joel Martin/Columbia Basin Herald Attendees check out the auction items at the Columbia Basin Cancer Foundation’s Country Sweethearts banquet Saturday night.
Joel Martin/Columbia Basin Herald Ten Pin Brewing Company served up its signature beers Saturday night at the Columbia Basin Cancer Foundation banquet.
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. | February 5, 2018 2:00 AM
MOSES LAKE — The 4-H Building at the Grant County Fairgrounds was alive with activity Saturday night as 350 people came to enjoy the annual Country Sweethearts banquet and auction. The event raised over $124,000 for the Columbia Basin Cancer Foundation, according to the foundation’s executive director, Angel Kneedler.
The Country Sweethearts banquet began with a social hour (actually, closer to two hours) featuring hors d’oeuvres and wine and beer while potential buyers browsed through the many items available for the silent auction. Ten Pin Brewing Company had taps set up to dispense their signature beers. In addition, attendees could have their photo taken on a stack of hay bales by Feller Orthodontics or their shoes shined by Peter Steffens of Moses Lake, who had a shoeshine stand set up by the entrance.
Dinner was catered by Michael’s On The Lake and boasted baron of beef, roasted chicken, parmesan mashed potatoes and the usual salad, veggies and rolls. Wine at the tables was donated by Jones of Washington winery and dessert was cupcakes made by the CB Tech culinary students.
Accompanying dinner was a video presentation by Video Street Productions highlighting the services the CBCF offers. Abigail Mathis, a little girl with leukemia, was the subject of a testimonial by her father Galen and her brother Christian, speaking about the ways the foundation has helped them in their time of crisis, particularly through the Meals that Heal program. Dinner was followed by a live auction with Chuck Yarbro and dancing to music supplied by deejay Dale Roth.
“It’s a great turnout,” said Dr. Michael Graham, the foundation’s board president. “We’re really grateful for all the support in the community.” He expressed particular appreciation for patient coordinator Jean Copley, saying “She and Angel (Kneedler) slave away doing a great job for us.”
The money raised by the banquet goes to finance a number of services for cancer patients in the Columbia Basin, including gas vouchers and a shuttle bus to Wenatchee for patients who need out-of-town treatment, wigs and head coverings to take some of the sting out of hair loss, a support group for patients and their families and much more, according to the foundation’s website. All the money is kept in the local community.
“It’s really heartwarming,” said Todd Haring of Moses Lake, a four-time attendee, “to see all the love that pours out at the end of the night.”
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.