Trimmed and ready
JOEL MARTIN | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 1 year, 11 months AGO
Attendees check out a tree – and evidently like what they see – at a previous Habitat for Humanity Festival of Trees auction. This year’s auction is Dec. 7.
FILE PHOTO
Kayla Hoffer (seated) and Anna Lucero (standing) decorate a tree for a previous Habitat for Humanity of Greater Moses Lake Festival of Trees.
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A snowman waves from one of the trees at a previous Festival of Trees.
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 19, 2024 1:20 AM
MOSES LAKE — Folks who are pining for a Christmas tree will find them all spruced up with lights and decorations at the annual Festival of Trees on Dec. 7.
The event is Habitat for Humanity of Greater Moses Lake’s biggest fundraiser of the year, said Executive Director Rebecca Mabius. It will be held in the Advanced Technologies Education Center at Big Bend Community College.
“This year we have 13 trees that will be available for purchase, and they’re donated and decorated by individuals and businesses here in the community,” Mabius said.
The tinseled tannenbaums, which are 7½ to 9 feet tall, are themed and often come with gifts underneath them. They’ll be sold off at a live auction conducted by Chuck Yarbro Auctioneers. There are other auction items as well: six service or experience packages for the live auction and 27 donated silent auction items.
The evening will start at 5 p.m. with a social hour – actually an hour and a half – when people can wander around and check out the trees and other auction items, Mabius said. Appetizers and dinner will be provided by Enzo’s, Eleventh Hour will provide mocktails, and Shenanigenz will bring the bar.
“We do a dessert dash as well,” Mabius said. “We have 32 desserts that are donated by local businesses or created by individuals in the community. I feel really fortunate; we only have to purchase two this year, and we're purchasing them from somebody who's actually donating two (others).”
This year, Habitat is adding another tier of cheer: five-foot trees decorated by local nonprofit organizations. Those trees will also be auctioned off, and 30% of the proceeds will go back to the nonprofit, Mabius said.
“We live in this community, and we all work together, especially in the nonprofit realm, because that's what you have to do if you want to make it,” she said.
This year marks Habitat for Humanity’s 30th year in Moses Lake. Habitat for Humanity is a Christian-based, non-sectarian organization that builds free homes for families, according to its website. The family then pays an affordable mortgage back to Habitat, which uses the money to pay for its next home. The homes are built by local volunteers, and the family itself puts in hundreds of hours of work in the construction. The goal is to provide as many people as possible with a decent, affordable home they can call their own.
Since 1994, Habitat for Humanity of Moses Lake has built 15 homes for 15 families, Mabius said. The most recent is in the final stages of construction in the Larson Community. HFHGML doesn’t receive any state or federal funding, Mabius said.
“That's why it's so essential for us to try to raise as much as we can at our fundraiser, because this is local funds supporting local individuals,” she said.
The next home HFHGML has planned will be built in 2026, Mabius said. For next year, the organization is going to concentrate on its Brush with Kindness program, which provides repairs to existing homes for people in need.
“We work with seniors, veterans and low- to moderate-income families to live safely within their home,” Mabius said. “We'll do anywhere from small projects such as installing handrails … to as large as helping with installing showers or other other amenities within the home to ensure that they stay safe.”
The color scheme for the Festival of Trees this year is royal blue with silver and gold, Mabius said.
“We want people to feel like they're in a winter wonderland and be able to spend and have a great time,” she said. “Engage with us, engage with their friends, drink some wonderful wine and beer, create memories and have as much fun as you can.”
Festival of Trees Gala
Saturday, Dec. 7
5-9:30 p.m.
ATEC Building, BBCC
The print edition of this story gave an incorrect date for the Festival of Trees, and also an incorrect title for Rebecca Mabius. The event is Dev. 5, and Mabius' title is executive director. The errors have been corrected above.
Kayla Hoffer (seated) and Anna Lucero (standing) decorate a tree for a previous Habitat for Humanity of Greater Moses Lake Festival of Trees.unknown
A snowman waves from one of the trees at a previous Festival of Trees.ARTICLES BY JOEL MARTIN
Endless battle
Noxious Weed Control Board works to keep invasive plants under control
MOSES LAKE — Some of the nastiest plants in Grant County were the topic of a class led by Jay Johnson, a consultant with the Grant County Noxious Weed Control Board, Tuesday. The Noxious Weed Control Board, as its name would suggest, is tasked with keeping weeds under control in Grant County. That’s not a small job; the board’s website lists 129 species of noxious weeds that are found around Grant County. A noxious weed is defined as an invasive, non-native plant that threatens agricultural crops, local ecosystems or fish and wildlife habitat, according to the Noxious Weed Control Board. Washington state law requires that these weeds be identified and their spread kept to a minimum, if not completely eradicated. “We’re one of those agencies a lot of people don’t really understand,” Johnson said. “We’re a county office and … our funding is tax-based assessment. When you get your tax bill and you look down at all the expenses that you pay for, there we are.”
BASIN EVENTS: Oct. 16-24
COLUMBIA BASIN — Whether you feel like shopping, crafting, learning or seeing a show, there’s something happening for you this week in the Basin. Oct. 16 ‘My Family (Mi Familia)’ screening Spanning three generations, “My Family (Mi Familia)” is a heartfelt drama that follows the Sánchez family as they build their lives in East Los Angeles. Through love, hardship, triumph, and sacrifice, the film explores the immigrant experience, the strength of family bonds, and the traditions that connect one generation to the next. Lowrider show and taco truck before the screening. Sponsored by Columbia Basin Allied Arts, EDUBS C/S and the Moses Lake Creative District. $12 per person. Doors open at 6 p.m., film begins at 7 p.m. at the Moses Lake Civic Center Auditorium, 401 S. Balsam St. Tickets and info: www.cba-arts.org.
Moses Lake author encourages women to look beyond church culture norms
MOSES LAKE — A Moses Lake author’s book, “A Christian Woman Striving to Live Her Faith in a Man-Controlled World,” takes aim at the role to which many churches relegate the female half of their congregations. “It’s to encourage women in the faith,” Linda Curran said. “A lot of churches say, ‘Teach Sunday school, do this, do that, but don’t (evangelize.)’" In her book, Curran recounts a time when she moved to a new community and joined a church there. She was surprised to learn that, as a new female member, she had been automatically assigned church cleaning duties. When she questioned it, she wrote, she was met with condescension and her objections were brushed aside. In other churches, she said, women who were capable of teaching were relegated to “women’s ministry.”