Former Moses Lake pianist receives Finnish knighthood
JOEL MARTIN | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 1 year, 4 months AGO
Moses Lake High School graduate Collin Hansen was recently honored with a knighthood for his contributions to the arts in Finland.
COURTESY PHOTO/COLLIN HANSEN
The Order of the Lion of Finland was created in 1942 when Finland was at war with the Soviet Union, in order to allow both Finnish and foreign nationals to be honored for their contributions to the country.
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. | April 25, 2025 1:25 AM
MOSES LAKE — A former Moses Lake man was recently honored with a knighthood in Finland.
Collin Hansen, a 1975 graduate of Moses Lake High School, was awarded the Order of the Lion of Finland at a ceremony March 18.
“It’s an honor that every year … the president (of Finland) awards certain members of society,” Hansen said. “(It) was for my contribution to Finnish musical life and also, in my work at the university, helping a younger generation of musicians in Finland.”
Hansen, a highly-accomplished pianist specializing in chamber and vocal music, studied at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, N.Y., and then took a master’s degree at the prestigious Sibelius Academy in Helsinki, according to the committee that awarded him the honor. He has taught at the Sibelius Academy since 1987.
“His inspiring student- and composition-oriented teaching has inspired entire generations of Finnish pianists, both at the Sibelius Academy and in numerous summer courses, to become enthusiastic about music,” the committee wrote.
Hansen’s talent became obvious at an early age, according to his mother, Vonnie Hansen, who lives in Moses Lake.
“From the time he could walk, he got up to the piano and touched the keys,” Vonnie Hansen said. “By the time he was 4 years old, he was playing his Sunday school songs by ear. He started taking piano lessons in the first grade.”
The Order of the Lion of Finland was created in 1942 to recognize outstanding civilian or military conduct, according to the Finnish government’s website.
In addition to his teaching, Hansen is also the creative director of the LuomuLaulu, or Time of Music, Festival in Viitasaari, Finland.
“We do concerts in granaries and barns, chamber music and lots of vocal music,” he said. “We have massive classes and students come and live in people’s guest houses. Central Finland is absolutely wonderful; it’s a pristine part of the country on a lake. We’ve had famous opera singers and chamber musicians come. It’s absolutely wonderful.”
The Order of the Lion of Finland was created in 1942 when Finland was at war with the Soviet Union, in order to allow both Finnish and foreign nationals to be honored for their contributions to the country.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.