Quincy celebrates a tapestry of cultures
JOEL MARTIN | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 7 years, 10 months AGO
Joel Martin/Columbia Basin Herald A quartet of young ladies demonstrates classical Kalalaya dance from India at the Quincy Celebration of Cultures Saturday.
Joel Martin/Columbia Basin Herald Andy and Beryl Goto of Quincy serve up sushi and English trifle at the Quincy Celebration of Cultures Saturday.
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. | October 14, 2018 11:39 PM
QUINCY — The weather may have been windier than a truckload of campaign promises, but the first annual Celebration of Cultures in Quincy still drew a good-sized crowd to Heritage Park Saturday. Around 500 people came out for food, art, music and dancing from around the world, organizer Harriet Weber estimated.
One enjoyable way to experience a new culture is by trying its food, and yummy stuff was in abundance. Attendees bought tickets at the entrance to the park to spend at the food booths rather than using cash directly. Pupusas from El Salvador, German sausage and Jalisco-style tacos were popular offerings.
What makes Jalisco tacos different from other tacos? Fidencio Lopez stopped serving them up for a moment to answer.
“Jalisco makes the best tacos...”
“On the planet,” supplied his son Edwin.
“In the universe!” Fidencio finished proudly.
Not far away Janet Van Dienst of Quincy, assisted by some friends from Lynden in northwestern Washington, was serving up cookies and pastries from the Netherlands. Especially popular were her freshly deep-fried olie bollen, which are sort of like donut holes. The name means “oil balls,” which may not sound like the most appetizing of names, but that didn’t seem to deter the line of people waiting to get their hands on some.
Japan and England shared a booth, not for lack of space but because the couple representing those countries are married and have been for 45 years. Beryl Goto, who emigrated from London, served out English trifle while her husband Andy, born in Seattle to Japanese parents, offered up sushi. Beryl made all the food for both of them, they said.
Food wasn’t all that was available. In the barn, various performances were going on including mariachi, Irish step dance, American clogging and classical Kalalaya dancing from India. Meanwhile, Mandy Ottley taught kids to do primitive knitting from Scotland, wrapping yarn around two thick sticks to form rows that could be combined into a blanket, while other craft enthusiasts learned about gyotaku, or Japanese fish painting. The Wanapum tribe brought its Native American Discovery Unit, a large bus with displays of traditional Wanapum culture.
The event replaced the annual Harvest Festival in Quincy, Weber said. For next year, “we’ve already had people come forward and say that they would like to share food or something from their culture.”
“There’s at least 24 distinct countries of origin from people that we know of who are living in Quincy,” she added. “We can’t do them all every year, but highlighting five or six a year might be a good goal.”
Sonia Padron, who was selling food tickets, was gung-ho about the future.
“As soon as we shut this one down we’ll be talking about next year,” she said.
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.