Friday, May 08, 2026
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PREVIEW: A look at Soap Lake's Folk and Food Festival

JOEL MARTIN | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 1 year, 9 months AGO
by JOEL MARTIN
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 15, 2024 2:55 AM

SOAP LAKE — Soap Lake’s inaugural Folk and Food Festival had a decent showing despite the triple-digit temperatures on Saturday. While performers did their thing on stage, the audience found a shady spot and enjoyed cold drinks to fight the heat. Full coverage of the event will be in Wednesday’s edition of the Columbia Basin Herald.

    The audience takes refuge on shaded grass at the park while listening to performers Saturday. This year’s Folk and Food Festival is the first for the city and organizers are hoping to make it an annual event.
 
 


ARTICLES BY JOEL MARTIN

Mail carriers to collect food Saturday
May 6, 2026 6:39 p.m.

Mail carriers to collect food Saturday

MOSES LAKE — Mail carriers in Moses Lake will collect food for the Moses Lake Food Bank Saturday, part of the annual Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive. “(We’re asking) for a small donation of non-perishable food by your mailbox,” said carrier Michelle Schmidt, who’s coordinating the drive this year for Moses Lake. “And then on Saturday when we’re delivering, we’ll be picking up the food as we go along our route.” Schmidt suggested marking the food donation clearly, so carriers don’t pick up someone’s delivery order from a store. Anyone wanting more information can ask their mail carrier. The drive, put on by the National Association of Letter Carriers the second Saturday in May, has been going on since 1993, according to the NALC’s website.

Palos Verdes moves into Moses Lake
May 8, 2026 3 a.m.

Palos Verdes moves into Moses Lake

Mae Valley homes a first for the Othello-based builder

MOSES LAKE — One of Othello’s biggest developers just started its first new housing development in Moses Lake. “We’ve been building in Othello for the past 12, 13 years, and then moved to the Quincy area seven, eight years (ago),” said Angel Garza, owner of Othello-based Palos Verdes. “We’ve always had our eye on Moses Lake.” Garza was there Wednesday to cut the ribbon at Sandhill Place, the new Palos Verdes development in Mae Valley. Palos Verdes has 31 lots under development, Garza said, with right of first refusal on another 50 or so, including some that face the Moses Lake Golf Club. The homes at Sandhill Estates are a little different from Palos Verdes’ previous floor plans, Garza said, something he had some reservations about at first.

BASIN EVENTS: May 8-16
May 8, 2026 3 a.m.

BASIN EVENTS: May 8-16

COLUMBIA BASIN — The weather is just about perfect and there are things going on all over the Basin. Here are some options to check out. May 8-10 ‘Dear Evan Hansen’ Basin Community Theatre presents the Tony Award-winning musical. 7:10 p.m. Thursday-Saturday, 1:10 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at the Moses Lake High School Theater, 803 E. Sharon Ave. Tickets and info: basincommunitytheatre.com.