Moses Lake Ag Parade fills downtown with lights and cheer
JOEL MARTIN | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 8 months, 4 weeks AGO
Santa and Mrs. Claus ride in a truck-drawn sleigh at the Downtown Ag Appreciation Parade Friday.
COURTESY PHOTO/ANDREW KOEPPEN
Sinkiuse Square teems with partygoers for the Ag Appreciation Parade and Street Party Friday. The weather was cold and foggy, but there were free fries, cocoa and s’mores to take the chill off.
Dancers show their fancy footwork at the Ag Parade and Street Party in downtown Moses Lake Friday.
A trailer full of toys lights up Third Avenue in the Ag Parade Friday.
Santa Claus rides high above the Moses Lake Ag Parade in a Genie Industries lift.
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. | December 10, 2025 1:20 AM
MOSES LAKE — It was foggy and chilly in downtown Moses Lake Friday, but the community spirit was warm for the Downtown Ag Appreciation Parade and Street Party.
“I just talked to some people and they were, like, ‘This is our first year and this is awesome,’” said Downtown Moses Lake Association Executive Director Mallory Miller.
The event, held on the first Friday of December every year, has been a Moses Lake tradition since the 1990s, according to Columbia Basin Herald archives. Several blocks of downtown Moses Lake were closed off in the afternoon as parade floats lined up in the Surf ‘n Slide parking lot and partygoers in Sinkiuse Square enjoyed free french fries from Simplot, free hot cocoa sponsored by Spokane Teachers Credit Union and Viking Eatery, and free s’mores sponsored by Steve Crapson of Allstate Insurance and James Shank of Edward Jones. Other food and craft vendors did a thriving business in the streets.
“It’s going fantastic,” said Jim Huff, who was selling Unique Kettle Korn and cotton candy with his wife, Karen. “It’s our first time here.”
Most of the small downtown businesses stayed open late, and the party drove a stream of customers through their doors.
“It’s been a lovely afternoon with people out and about downtown checking out what we have to offer,” said The Boutique owner Lynn Nesmith. “Even with the road closure today, we had a good amount of people in this morning. This afternoon was a bit quiet, but as soon as they started setting up and decorating and the music and vendors came, we had a really nice group of people come through.”
On the stage at Sinkiuse Square, young dancers showed their stuff under the big lighted tree, and DJ Dale Roth spun holiday music.
At 7 p.m., the parade began to make its way down a foggy Third Avenue. The Ag Parade traditionally features farm equipment decked out in Christmas lights, and there was plenty of that. There were also classic cars, groups marching with banners and inflatable costumes galore. Santa Claus appeared in several places, including soaring overhead on a Genie Industries lift.
“I love this event so much,” Miller said. “It’s a great place for people to shop local and support small businesses.”
Sinkiuse Square teems with partygoers for the Ag Appreciation Parade and Street Party Friday. The weather was cold and foggy, but there were free fries, cocoa and s’mores to take the chill off.
Dancers show their fancy footwork at the Ag Parade and Street Party in downtown Moses Lake Friday.
A trailer full of toys lights up Third Avenue in the Ag Parade Friday.
Santa Claus rides high above the Moses Lake Ag Parade in a Genie Industries lift.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.