A full deck
JOEL MARTIN | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 3 years, 4 months AGO
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. | May 8, 2023 1:30 AM
MOSES LAKE — It’s had a few names in its time, that old building at 302 W. Broadway Ave. It’s been Barney Google’s, Ginny’s, the Mighty Quinn, the LakeFront Bar & Grill and most recently, the Broadway Bar & Grill. Now it’s going to get a whole new lease on life.
“The whole building is going to be stucco,” said Anna Van Diest, who with her husband Rob bought the building in November 2021. “It's going to be an off-white, like a bone color, with black windows and doors. And we're going to have a couple of new windows put on the front.”
The building will house offices for several businesses owned by the Van Diests, and will also host a new brewery, Moore Brewing. The brewery will allow the building to capitalize on one of its best assets, the deck overlooking the lake.
“We're working on redoing the deck right now,” said Van Diest. “We're going to really maximize the space there. We've already hired a gentleman to do wrought-iron decking back there. We're also going to be adding three garage doors to the back, just to kind of allow that brewery to maximize that outdoor space. Because what better place to be than on Moses Lake?”
“We are working on branding the building as a location destination, just to be called The Deck,” said Lori Moore, co-owner of Moore Brewing. “That’s kind of a big feature for us, is the deck space itself.”
The brewing equipment will be housed in the space adjacent to the deck, where the bar and kitchen were at one time. The equipment was ordered the same day the Moores signed the lease, at the end of April.
“Brewing equipment is all custom-made to your specs and your space,” Moore said. “We have a tentative ETA of Aug. 1. And so we'll be working on interiors, starting with things like plumbing, electrical – all those big things have to happen before we work on décor. Our goal is to try to get all of that stuff done by the time the equipment comes. And then the focus at that point will just be on brewing really good beer.”
Moore Brewing Company is a new enterprise. Moore’s husband Chris and his son are both avid home brewers, she said. The company’s slogan will be “Drink Moore Beer,” she added.
Van Diest said the plan is to expand the deck so as to make use of the dock that extends into the lake right behind the building. That way patrons can tie up their boats and pop in for a beer, she said. It will also be more accessible to people walking the trail alongside the lake.
The Van Diests own the parking lot next door as well, and Van Diest said the plan is to invite some food trucks to set up out there to complement the brewery. Moore said the brewery may offer some light fare – sandwiches, maybe – but they don’t want to compete with the many good eateries in town. Mostly, they just want to create a relaxed, family-friendly atmosphere.
“We're really looking for a different kind of brewery vibe,” she said. “We've been to tons of breweries; we've definitely got our favorites. And it's not really just about the beer, it's also about the atmosphere. We're trying to create something that is a little bit more, I don't know, small, intimate feeling.”
Joel Martin can be reached via email at [email protected].
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.