Halloween in Ephrata
JOEL MARTIN | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 1 year, 10 months AGO
A motley crew of trick-or-treaters crosses Division Street at Ephrata’s downtown trick-or-treat Thursday.
JOEL MARTIN/COLUMBIA BASIN HERALD
The whole Fletcher family turned out for Ephrata’s downtown trick-or-treat event Thursday. From left: Camryn, 5; Dad Corey; Emery, 4; Mom Erin and Cayden, 2.
A green alien carries Kameron Shiflett, 7, to a bowl of candy at Ephrata’s downtown trick-or-treat event Thursday.
Seven-year-old Cal Chamberlin is the Big Unit himself, Mariners legend Randy Johnson for Ephrata’s downtown trick-or-treat event Thursday.
Costumes weren’t just for kids at Ephrata’s downtown trick-or-treat event Thursday. Representing Kids Hope were Celina Garcia, left, and Trisha Glenn.
The Ephrata High School chapter of the National Honor Society awaits the next rush of candy-seekers at Ephrata’s downtown trick-or-treat event Thursday. From left: Erika Morford, Aryz Navarro, Dayana Nalasco, Baylie Broesch, Adelyn Simmons, Emma Padilla and Charles Flynn
Three-year-old Aiden Winfrey does his best to be frightening at Ephrata’s downtown trick-or-treat event Thursday.
Aurora Rang, 7, left, and Wyatt Motzkus, 7, head down Basin Street Northwest in search of candy at Ephrata’s downtown trick-or-treat Thursday.
Mary Poppins, who is known as 5-year-old Adelaide Shelley the rest of the year, walks daintily to the next candy stop at Ephrata’s downtown trick-or-treat Thursday.
Teddy Frei, 5, makes a run for the candy at Ephrata’s downtown trick-or-treat event Thursday.
Ryann Harris, left, as Pomni from “The Amazing Digital Circus,” and Erica Harris, as M3gan, the terrifying doll from the movie of the same name, lead their parents Cathi Harris, left, and Ryan Harris through Ephrata’s downtown trick-or-treat event Thursday.
Ender Rippet, 9, is Deadpool astride his unicorn at Ephrata’s downtown trick-or-treat event Thursday.
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 5, 2024 1:00 AM
EPHRATA — Forty businesses and organizations teamed up Thursday to give young – and some not-so-young – costumed visitors a trick-or-treating experience in downtown Ephrata.
The whole Fletcher family turned out for Ephrata’s downtown trick-or-treat event Thursday. From left: Camryn, 5; Dad Corey; Emery, 4; Mom Erin and Cayden, 2.
A green alien carries Kameron Shiflett, 7, to a bowl of candy at Ephrata’s downtown trick-or-treat event Thursday.
Seven-year-old Cal Chamberlin is the Big Unit himself, Mariners legend Randy Johnson for Ephrata’s downtown trick-or-treat event Thursday.
Costumes weren’t just for kids at Ephrata’s downtown trick-or-treat event Thursday. Representing Kids Hope were Celina Garcia, left, and Trisha Glenn.
The Ephrata High School chapter of the National Honor Society awaits the next rush of candy-seekers at Ephrata’s downtown trick-or-treat event Thursday. From left: Erika Morford, Aryz Navarro, Dayana Nalasco, Baylie Broesch, Adelyn Simmons, Emma Padilla and Charles Flynn.
Three-year-old Aiden Winfrey does his best to be frightening at Ephrata’s downtown trick-or-treat event Thursday.
Aurora Rang, 7, left, and Wyatt Motzkus, 7, head down Basin Street Northwest in search of candy at Ephrata’s downtown trick-or-treat Thursday.
Mary Poppins, who is known as 5-year-old Adelaide Shelley the rest of the year, walks daintily to the next candy stop at Ephrata’s downtown trick-or-treat Thursday.
Teddy Frei, 5, makes a run for the candy at Ephrata’s downtown trick-or-treat event Thursday.
Ryann Harris, left, as Pomni from “The Amazing Digital Circus,” and Erica Harris, as M3gan, the terrifying doll from the movie of the same name, lead their parents Cathi Harris, left, and Ryan Harris through Ephrata’s downtown trick-or-treat event Thursday.
Ender Rippet, 9, is Deadpool astride his unicorn at Ephrata’s downtown trick-or-treat event Thursday.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.