Red, White and Boom gets a head start on Independence Day
JOEL MARTIN | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 1 year, 2 months AGO
Fireworks burst in the sky over Moses Lake’s Centennial Amphitheater at a previous Red White and Boom celebration. This year’s event is Thursday.
FILE PHOTO
Attendees get ready to hear a concert at last year’s Red, White and Boom celebration.
Local rockers Dimestore Prophets will perform at Red, White and Boom Thursday.
Longtime Moses Lake musicians Lake City Blues will play free Thursday at Red, White and Boom.
Vendors offer something chilly to beat the heat at last year’s Red, White and Boom in Moses Lake.
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. | July 1, 2025 3:00 AM
MOSES LAKE — In some ways, Moses Lake is ahead of the curve. Independence Day celebrations are one of those.
Like last year, Moses Lake’s Red, White and Boom celebration will be held July 3. For several years before that, Independence Day festivities were held on the Saturday before July 4. The reason isn’t just because we love to be first out of the gate, said Moses Lake Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services Director Doug Coutts.
“The fireworks company cannot come out for us on the Fourth of July,” Coutts said. “There’s only one that I’ve been able to find that provides the insurance and such that we need is at bigger cities doing larger events that pay more money.”
Holding the Independence Day festivities a little early makes for a more laid-back, after-work vibe, Coutts said. Besides the fireworks, there will be food vendors and two free concerts.
The concerts are part of the Moses Lake Creative District’s Summer Concert Series, and will showcase two well-established local bands: alt-rockers Dimestore Prophets and the traditional rhythm and blues band Lake City Blues.
“They’re really fun,” said Creative Programs Director Jenni Shelton, who arranges the summer concerts. “They’re upbeat and really, really entertaining.”
Going with local bands for the summer concert series rather than bringing in expensive big-name performers is a better use of the city’s money and gives locals a boost, Coutts said.
“We like to have the local guys,” he said. “(We’re) supporting the local groups that are out there that can play music. I think it's a great use of their talents, a great highlight for them and highlight for us to have them there … we've got a lot of great local talent here and as we continue down this road, I think we're going to get more and more groups showing up and wanting to be a part of this. So, I'm excited for it.”
Red, White and Boom
Moses Lake
McCosh Park
July 3
Dimestore Prophets 6:30 p.m.
Lake City Blues 8:30 p.m.
Fireworks show 10 p.m.
Attendees get ready to hear a concert at last year’s Red, White and Boom celebration.
Local rockers Dimestore Prophets will perform at Red, White and Boom Thursday.
Longtime Moses Lake musicians Lake City Blues will play free Thursday at Red, White and Boom.
Vendors offer something chilly to beat the heat at last year’s Red, White and Boom in Moses Lake.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.