Brews and Tunes takes over downtown Moses Lake
JOEL MARTIN | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 5 years, 9 months AGO
Sandi Watson, left, pulls a sample of Squirrel Fight Brewing’s On Golden Blonde with her husband, Squirrel Fight co-owner Troy Watson, at Brews and Tunes Saturday.
Joel Martin/Columbia Basin Herald
Joel Martin/Columbia Basin Herald Lake City Blues makes it wail on the sidewalk outside Windermere Real Estate on Third Avenue Saturday. The Moses Lake-based band was one of nine featured at Brews
Free Beer Nuts plays its brand of Irish folk rock and punk at Settlers Country Mercantile for Brews and Tunes Saturday.
Joel Martin/Columbia Basin Herald
Joel Martin/Columbia Basin Herald Rylei Franks performs durinng Brews & Tunes Saturday in Moses Lake.
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. | March 2, 2020 12:29 AM
MOSES LAKE — Twelve businesses. Nine bands. And a community tired of staying indoors through the winter. It all added up to a great time Saturday afternoon as downtown Moses Lake came alive for the annual Brews and Tunes festival.
Organized by the Downtown Moses Lake Association, Brews and Tunes placed a local (or near-local) brewery in each of a dozen downtown businesses, where each brewer poured samples of two of its creations. Attendees bought tickets and sample glasses to taste the beers, while local musicians gave their performances in the businesses as well. Not all businesses had entertainment, said Downtown Moses Lake Association treasurer Denise Lloyd, because some of them lacked the space.
This year’s event, the third so far, saw a marked increase. Last year the event sold 250 tickets; this year DMLA member and Columbia Basin Herald publisher Caralyn Bess estimated 332 sales. Even more impressive, the event sold out completely the night before, which Lloyd said has never happened.
Only two of the brewers at the event were actually located in Moses Lake: Squirrel Fight Artisan Brewing and Ten Pin Brewing. There was also Ancient Lakes Brewing from Quincy and Rocky Coulee Brewing from Odessa, as well as breweries from Leavenworth, Wenatchee, Pullman and Seattle.
“We try to mainly do Washington (breweries),” Lloyd said.
Attendees picked up their tickets and glasses at stations set up at the Smith Martin Building at Third and Division and Michael’s Market and Bistro, located at Broadway and Beech. From there they tried brews bearing names like Boom Shaka Lager, Peanut Butter Death and On Golden Blonde. Fruit beers were popular, including brews made with blackberry, blood orange and pineapple.
Most of the bands stayed indoors, but Moses Lake-based Lake City Blues took to the sidewalk, spreading guitar licks and harmonica riffs down the street. The band is a staple at Moses Lake community events and is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year.
“We’ve had a good steady flow of people,” said singer Rick Serra. “Very receptive, showing their appreciation. Very cool.”
ARTICLES BY JOEL MARTIN
New home, new life
Looking back at pet adoptions in 2025
MOSES LAKE — 2025 turned out to be a good year for some pets, and some humans as well. Here are a few of the critters that found forever homes at local shelters this year.
Home team
Hayden Homes employees collect more than a ton of food for local food banks
MOSES LAKE — Hayden Homes, and its partner company Simplicity by Hayden Homes, went a step beyond their mission of affordable housing this month, with donations to organizations across the Northwest fighting food insecurity. Especially at this time of the year, it becomes more in the spotlight to think about families out there that are struggling,” said Rees Wasney, regional vice president of Hayden Homes in the Tri-Cities. “It’s a tough time.” Hayden Homes chipped in $66,000 to 15 nonprofits across Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Western Montana, according to an announcement from the company. In addition, the Hayden team amassed more than 2,500 pounds of non-perishable food for local food banks.
Nazarene Church toy swap brings needed Christmas joy
WARDEN — The Moses Lake Nazarene Church’s toy swap was scheduled for two hours Sunday afternoon, but it didn’t last nearly that long. “People were lined up from one o’clock on,” said Kaleigh Sullivan, who organized the event.