Soap Lake celebrates summer at Suds ‘N Sun
JOEL MARTIN | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 2 years, 1 month AGO
Four-year-old Sophia MacLeod, right, and her cousin Nolan Bellonio, 9, get acquainted with a goat at the petting zoo at Soap Lake’s Suds ‘N Sun festival Saturday.
JOEL MARTIN/COLUMBIA BASIN HERALD
A row of classic vehicles lines Main Avenue East in Soap Lake for the annual Suds ‘N Sun celebration.
This 1967 El Camino was one of the classic vehicles on display at Suds ‘N Sun in Soap Lake Saturday.
A young racer prepares to cross the finish line at the Soap Lake Suds ‘N Sun Soap Box Derby. Coverage of the derby was in Monday's paper and may be found online at https://bit.ly/SNSDERBY24.
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. | July 9, 2024 1:40 AM
SOAP LAKE — Soap Lake’s Suds ‘N Sun festival began at 9 a.m. Saturday and already it was around 80 degrees. But that didn’t stop locals from finding shady spots to sit, talk and enjoy the goings-on downtown. Main Avenue East was blocked off at the highway for the Soap Box Derby and a car show, which boasted about 15 vehicles, hoods open, gleaming in the morning sun.
The festival was an all-day affair, with the car show and a 3-on-3 basketball tournament through the morning. The Seattle Cossacks motorcycle drill team was set to perform in the afternoon, followed by a grand parade and, of course, fireworks.
Over at East Beach Park, vendors were set up offering all kinds of food and crafts. There was also a petting zoo, where youngsters could get acquainted with goats, pigs, sheep, rabbits and more. The traveling menagerie doesn’t have an official name yet, but it’s currently called the Brought to You Petting Zoo, said owner Jenny Coppenbarger.
The petting zoo is actually part of a farm animal rescue Coppenbarger operates, she said as she walked a year-old bull named Chicken around the park.
“His mama left him in the field,” Coppenbarger said. “The farmer called me and said, ‘You can have him, (but) don't expect him to live.’ I spent a week in my laundry room with him getting him back to healthy. He's still pretty small for a year old, but he won't get much bigger because he's only got a partial stomach.”
All of the animals Coppenbarger takes to fairs and festivals are rescues, she said. Letting children make friendly contact with animals gives them a different perspective.
“We like to make sure that like people are aware, teaching compassion and teaching people the proper way to be around animals, not to be scared of them,” she said.
Joel Martin may be reached via email at [email protected].
A row of classic vehicles lines Main Avenue East in Soap Lake for the annual Suds ‘N Sun celebration.
This 1967 El Camino was one of the classic vehicles on display at Suds ‘N Sun in Soap Lake Saturday.
A young racer prepares to cross the finish line at the Soap Lake Suds ‘N Sun Soap Box Derby. Coverage of the derby was in Monday's paper and may be found online at https://bit.ly/SNSDERBY24.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.