SOAP LAKE — The waters of Soap Lake were lit up on Saturday night, with kayaks, canoes and paddleboards all decorated for the Moonlight Paddle.

The event hosted races as well as the parade-esque Moonlight Paddle, where participants of all ages took their vessels on to Soap Lake after sunset.

“We are excited about that,” Soap Lake Chamber of Commerce President Cindi Rang said of the turnout. “We know that the lake draws people from everywhere. We know that because when we’re down at the lake we hear people speaking Dutch, and German and French.”

The event brought in locals of Soap Lake and the Basin alike, as well as some paddlers from Spokane and as far as Colorado.

“We had people from as far away as Colorado, Kirkland, Spokane, and a few locals,” Rang said.

Registration and the activities opened at 3 p.m., with the races following soon after at 4 p.m. Races were held with two racers at a time, with prizes awarded to the winners.

“Our grand prize winner was a stand up paddle boarder from Colorado,” Rang said, “who did the course in 1 minute and 58 seconds. Our top four winners won $100 gift certificates from local businesses.”

Rang said that most of the racers came out for fun, with the added incentive of possibly earning a prize. This was true for Dannielle Walraf of Othello.

“It just sounded fun, something different,” Walraf said.

Walraf said she placed third in the races, which garnered her a gift certificate for a massage with My Feel Good Way in Soap Lake.

“It was fun, so the first race I raced my daughter,” Walraf said. “I didn’t know there was a second race, so they called us, I was kayaking up, and I raced another person, and got beat. But I still, overall, I think I got third.”

Along with the races and the Moonlight Paddle, activities like bounce houses and a beer garden were made available to those in attendance. The smell of barbecued burgers and the sound of music was ever-present throughout the day on Saturday.

“While the race was going on (the bounce houses) were packed,” Rang said. “It was really popular earlier.”

Money raised from the beer garden and food sales will be put towards signage, Rang said.

“We have some plans for a new billboard we have to put up and some new signage in the park, that’s what we’re raising money for.”

Later in the day, a drum performance was hosted by Dusty Koh, in the Drum your Prayers circle. Soon after the performance, the judging for decorated vessels began.

“It’s kind of a big deal,” Rang said of the attendees decorating their vessels. “People look forward to this.”

Once the sun began to set, attendees took to the water with their decorated vessels, which had several means of standing out on the water at night.

“We have a bunch of glow-in-the-dark sticks, and battery-operated lights,” Walraf said of how she planned to decorate her kayak. “She’s got some butterflies, and stars that we’re gonna stick on there.”

The paddle was led by a motor boat, and spread down Soap Lake before wrapping up before 10 p.m.

“We like the fact that we can have something where the families can come and the costs aren’t high,” Debra Gravelle said. “We want that community here, we want people to come to the park and just be with their friends and family.”

Ian Bivona may be reached at ibivona@columbiabasinherald.com.