Tree lighting kicks off holiday season in Moses Lake
JOEL MARTIN | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 2 years, 9 months AGO
The holiday tree in Sinkiuse Square blazed to life Friday at the annual Downtown Moses Lake Association tree lighting.
JOEL MARTIN/COLUMBIA BASIN HERALD
Kasee Smith and her grandsons Kaden Fitterer, 2, and Kyren Fitterer, 4, have their picture taken with Santa Claus, sometimes known as Wiley Farrer, at the tree lighting Friday in Sinkiuse Square in Moses Lake. Kyren admitted he’d asked Santa for a Mighty Pup.
Two-year-old Ivory Ruiz does crafts at a table set up at the Downtown Moses Lake Association’s tree lighting Friday.
Mario Flores, owner of Porky’s Hot Dogs, serves up steaming hot sausages at the downtown tree lighting Friday.
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. | November 10, 2023 7:33 PM
MOSES LAKE — The holiday season began Friday in Moses Lake, with the annual Downtown Moses Lake Tree Lighting ceremony at Sinkiuse Square.
“This is a huge event,” said Mallory Miller, executive director of the Downtown Moses Lake Association which organized the tree lighting.
It was had to come up with an accurate count of the people who were there, with all the children running about, but Miller estimated about 300 at any given time. There was free hot chocolate on offer from Bark Avenue and a craft table where children could get creative with their holiday spirit. Red Door Cafe, across the street from the square, stayed open a little late to let revelers have a place to step inside, sit down and get warm. Santa Claus was there, in the person of Wiley Farrer of Quincy, assisted by his elf Allyson Crow of Moses Lake. Dale Roth spun holiday tunes and emceed the event.
Porky’s Hot Dogs of Moses Lake was doing a thriving business in steaming-hot sausages. Owner Mario Flores said he’d sold about 80 hot dogs in the first hour and a half.
The DMLA organized a scavenger hunt, where youngsters could go from business to business and collect tokens. This also gave the parents a chance to see what the businesses had to offer, Miller said.
The organizers were encouraged to go all out after seeing the turnout at the Harvest Festival on Oct. 28, she added.
“We had like 1,500 kids last year at the Harvest Festival and this year we had 2,500 to 3,000 kids come through,” she said. “Because of the huge buzz that we had after Harvest Festival, we had more people talking about this event. So we wanted to make it more of an event rather than just the tree lighting.”
The festivities started at 4 p.m., and by 6 the crowd was ready for the main event. Roth counted down from 10, the switch was flung, and the tree blazed into glittering life.
“Happy holidays,” Roth shouted to the whooping crowd. “It’s time to step into Christmas!”
Joel Martin may be reached via email at [email protected].
Kasee Smith and her grandsons Kaden Fitterer, 2, and Kyren Fitterer, 4, have their picture taken with Santa Claus, sometimes known as Wiley Farrer, at the tree lighting Friday in Sinkiuse Square in Moses Lake. Kyren admitted he’d asked Santa for a Mighty Pup.
Two-year-old Ivory Ruiz does crafts at a table set up at the Downtown Moses Lake Association’s tree lighting Friday.
Mario Flores, owner of Porky’s Hot Dogs, serves up steaming hot sausages at the downtown tree lighting Friday.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.