Othello parade brings out folks of all ages
JOEL MARTIN | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 2 years, 11 months AGO
Row upon row of riders clip-clop their way down Main Street for the annual Othello Parade Saturday.
JOEL MARTIN/COLUMBIA BASIN HERALD
Othello Parade Grand Marshal Anthony Dailey, right, prepares to toss a cowboy hat into the crowd of youngsters lining Main Street Saturday morning.
Four-year-old Melanie Spencer of Othello gets in a little artwork before the Othello Parade Saturday.
The Special Olympics Dream Team brought just one of the many floats in the Othello Parade Saturday morning.
Chrissy Hernandez, who lives in Kennewick but grew up in Othello, shows that people never really outgrow parade candy.
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. | September 16, 2023 4:14 PM
OTHELLO — People young and old, local and visiting, lined Othello’s Main Street Saturday morning for the Othello Parade. The weather was beautifully cooperative, warm but not scorching, and not a cloud to be seen.
The parade is an annual highlight of a week of community celebration. The Othello Fair and the Othello PRCA Rodeo and Demo Derby both began Wednesday and ran through Saturday.
The pavement along the route was marked with chalk art on both sides of the street. Participants formed up along North 13th Avenue, starting in the parking lot of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and filling up the eight blocks down to Main Street.
The traditional color guard and vehicles from the Othello Police Department and Adams County Sheriff’s Office came first, lights flashing and sirens blaring. Grand Marshal Anthony Dailey came next, riding atop a vintage fire engine and throwing child-sized cowboy hats into the crowd.
“I’ve been on the fair board for 31 years and with the fire department for 32,” he said. “This year I was chosen.”
Behind Dailey were more emergency vehicles, the Othello High School band playing “On Wisconsin” and “Three Cheers for the Red, White and Blue” with the cheer squad close behind, and local businesses and candidates for office with supporters on floats and pickups throwing candy and small toys. The parade followed Main Street to Third Avenue, then dispersed.
Chuck Spencer, who now lives in Moses Lake but grew up in Othello, was there helping his 2-year-old daughter Mila pick up candy. He came with his family from Post Falls to Othello in 1986, he said, and graduated from Othello High School.
“It’s mostly the same,” he said. “The biggest differences are the City Hall and the DSHS building. It’s still the same old town.”
The parade is also comparable to the ones he remembers from his childhood, he said.
Chrissy Hernandez, who also grew up in Othello but now lives in the Tri-Cities, said watching the parade was a family tradition.
“This has been our spot since day one,” she said. “(The parade) grows every time. It’s neat to see so much community and business involvement ... I love the different activities.”
Joel Martin may be reached 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.