Freedom Festival canceled, but fireworks go on
CHERYL SCHWEIZER | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 5 years, 9 months AGO
Senior Reporter Cheryl Schweizer is a journalist with more than 30 years of experience serving small communities in the Pacific Northwest. She began her post-high-school education at Treasure Valley Community College and enerned her journalism degree at Oregon State University. After working for multiple publications, she has settled down at the Columbia Basin Herald and has been a staple of the newsroom for more than a decade. Schweizer’s dedication to her communities and profession has earned her the nickname “The Baroness of Bylines.” She covers a variety of beats including health, business and various municipalities. | June 10, 2020 11:36 PM
MOSES LAKE — The Fourth of July still will be celebrated with fireworks in Moses Lake, though the Freedom Festival has been canceled, organizers have announced.
The fireworks will begin at about 10 p.m.
The carnival, live concert and other events scheduled for Moses Lake’s annual Freedom Festival weekend won’t happen this year, due to the COVID-19 outbreak.
The Freedom Festival is sponsored by the committee that also sponsors Moses Lake Spring Festival.
Freedom Festival joins Spring Festival and other events statewide, in being canceled this year because of the virus outbreak.
People are being asked to make some changes in their fireworks-watching routine on July 4. Sean Sallis, Freedom Festival’s committee president, said people are asked to avoid gathering in McCosh Park to watch the fireworks.
“Come up with creative ways to watch the show from your home, car, boat or other spots around town,” Sallis wrote.
Organizers of the July 4 celebration at George announced earlier that most of the traditional activities of the community festival have been canceled, but the fireworks show will go on. The show in George will begin at about 10 p.m. Veterans will raise the American flag at 11 a.m., with spectators asked to observe social distancing.
The July 4 celebration in Othello, including fireworks, has been canceled. The fireworks show in Othello has been moved to New Year’s Eve.
Cheryl Schweizer can be reached via email at [email protected].
ARTICLES BY CHERYL SCHWEIZER
Road closures, roundabout, mean construction season underway
EPHRATA — The grass is starting to turn green, the trees are starting to leaf out, construction crews are starting to build roundabouts – hey, it’s spring. At least one roundabout project is in its final phase, held over from fall 2025. The intersection of State Route 282 and Nat Washington Way will be closed the week of April 6 to allow crews to install permanent lights. “This really is the final (closure),” wrote Grant County Administrator Tom Gaines in a media release. “The roundabout will close at 6 a.m. Monday, and we plan to reopen by Friday, possibly sooner if the work finishes early.”
Ybarra announces run for Washington Senate
QUINCY — State Representative Alex Ybarra, R-Quincy, has announced his candidacy for the Washington Senate. If he’s elected, he would replace Judy Warnick, R-Moses Lake, who announced her retirement in March.
Othello Community Museum to open April 25
OTHELLO — With a couple of new exhibits, a new heating-cooling system, rearranged displays and a thorough cleaning, the Othello Community Museum will open for the summer April 25. The goal, said Molly Popchock, museum board secretary, is to operate for a full season.