Basin Summer Showdown coming Saturday
JOEL MARTIN | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 2 years, 1 month AGO
Classic vehicles will line the streets in front of the Grant County Courthouse Saturday for the third annual Basin Summer Showdown.
COURTESY PHOTO/OPEN IRIS VISUALS
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 23, 2024 1:20 AM
EPHRATA — The Basin Summer Showdown car show will take to the streets in Ephrata again Saturday.
“I’m hopefully going to be over 150 (entrants) again,” said organizer Ricardo Gutierrez. “Last year, I had 150 show up, which was almost double what I had the year before.”
There are 20 vendors lined up as well, Gutierrez said, compared to last year’s nine.
This is the show’s third year, Gutierrez said. The first year he held it at the Grant County Fairgrounds, but last year it moved to the streets in front of the Grant County Courthouse. It will run from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Advance registration is $20 and can be found at bit.ly/3Y9eWAL. Registration the day of the show is $30.
Several local car clubs are planning to make appearances, Gutierrez said, but there are people coming from as far away as Oregon, Idaho and British Columbia. He put an ad on social media and it spread far and wide, he said.
“Oh my gosh, my reach has just been crazy,” he said. “I posted it to hit up Washington, Oregon and Idaho, and it’s hit over 7,000 people already and it shows like 500 people interested. So I’m hoping for a big turnout.”
There will be raffle drawings as well, Gutierrez said, with prizes donated by local businesses like Dave the Tire Guy and Bill the Buff Man in Ephrata, as well as Griot’s Garage in Tacoma and auto parts retailer Summit Racing Equipment. Porky’s Hot Dogs, Blacky’s Smokin’ Sweet Barbecue and Taqueria Mazatlan will keep both exhibitors and viewers fed. Gutierrez, who also owns Open Iris Visuals, will be taking photos of vehicles at the event, which he will share for free with the vehicles’ owners.
“It's all about bringing all the locals together and people from out of town,” Gutierrez said. “It’s pretty awesome seeing all the different people traveling just to come out here for our show.”
Joel Martin may 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.