Trimmed and ready
JOEL MARTIN | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 1 year, 9 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
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.