Ephrata Chamber to host first business expo
JOEL MARTIN | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 3 years, 5 months AGO
The Ephrata Chamber of Commerce is hosting its first business expo this coming Wednesday with almost 50 local businesses in attendance. Visitors are welcome to stop in at the Ephrata Rec Center at 112 Basin Street SW in Ephrata to find out what local businesses have to offer.
COURTESY PHOTO/GOOGLE MAPS
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. | April 8, 2023 1:27 PM
EPHRATA — The Ephrata Chamber of Commerce will host its first annual Business Expo Wednesday. The new event has received unexpected, but welcome support, chamber officials said.
“Our goal was 25 businesses,” said Chamber Director Rita Witte. “We actually got 47.”
The expo is an outgrowth of the chamber’s regular Business After Hours events, Witte said. Britney McLeod, the chamber’s office assistant, and board member Jenni Bates put out the word on social media and in the chamber’s newsletter, and that was all it took to get businesses signing up.
For most businesses, participation is free. The goal isn’t to make money on the expo, Witte said, but to get businesses connected.
“The only booth that was charged was, if somebody was not a member, they were allowed to come in, but they had to pay $50,” she said. “And if they decided they wanted to become a chamber member, then that $50 went towards their membership. So it's just trying to get businesses out there talking to each other.”
The expo will be held from 4 to 7 p.m. at the Ephrata Rec Center, 112 Basin St SW. There will be light hors d’oeuvres and some giveaways, Witte said. The chamber is putting together a gift basket, she added, and some of the participating businesses are planning giveaways as well.
“Hopefully this works,” she said. “If not, we're gonna have a lot of businesses visiting, and that's OK. And next year, maybe we have to see how we need to up our game. If it works, then we'll go with what we did, and add more.”
Ephrata’s population is growing, Witte said, and the business community is growing as well. That’s something not every town can say.
“We've got a great community,” she said. “We really do. It may be small, but it is a great community. And it's fun to put these events on and bring people into town and see what we have to offer. Because we have a lot to offer.”
Joel Martin may be reached at [email protected]. He covers the Homes beat and the communities of George and Royal City.
Participating businesses:
4 Seasons Farm Services
Amy’s Artistic Expressions
The Bookery
Central Painting
Churchill Mortgage
Clear Risk Solutions
Cloudview Farm
Columbia Basin DRC
Columbia Basin Foundation
Columbia Basin Hospital
Desert Oasis Design
Devine Chiropractic
Dolz
Ephrata Chamber of Commerce
Ephrata Community Dental Clinic
Ephrata Eye Care
Ephrata Senior Center
First Interstate Bank
The Glamour Garage Salon & Spa
Gordon Gardens
Granco Credit Union
Grant County Health District
Grant County Journal
Grant’s, Inc.
Grocery Outlet
Heart Matters
Heavenly Painting & Remodeling
Heavenly Roofing
iFiber Communications
JBH studio
Kiwanis International
Moberg Rathbone Kearns
Moore Furniture
Paul Lauzier Foundation
QCL Inc.
Realty Executives of Grant County
Roof Maxx
Rotary Club of Ephrata
The Rustic Rooster
Sole Performance
TOPS Club Inc.
U.S. Bank
Windermere Real Estate
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.