Republican Party fairgrounds booth gets upgrade
CHERYL SCHWEIZER | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 8 months, 1 week AGO
Colby Clausen prepares to install handles on a new cabinet inside the Republican party booth at the Grant County Fairgrounds.
CHERYL SCHWEIZER/COLUMBIA BASIN HERALD
Vickey Melcher puts the finishing touches on freshly painted windowsills around a new window in the Republican booth.
Vickey Melcher, left, and Shannon Hintz, right, check the positioning of a new map that will show the redrawn 13th Legislative District.
Senior Reporter Cheryl Schweizer is a journalist with more than 30 years of experience serving small communities in the Pacific Northwest. She began her post-high-school education at Treasure Valley Community College and enerned her journalism degree at Oregon State University. After working for multiple publications, she has settled down at the Columbia Basin Herald and has been a staple of the newsroom for more than a decade. Schweizer’s dedication to her communities and profession has earned her the nickname “The Baroness of Bylines.” She covers a variety of beats including health, business and various municipalities. | July 29, 2025 2:00 AM
MOSES LAKE — With the Grant County Fair dead ahead, it’s sprucing-up-fixing-up-freshen-up the booth time. The Grant County Republicans are working on a top-to-bottom renovation.
“It’s looking pretty cool.” said Vickey Melcher, who’s leading the volunteer crew. “We’re pretty excited about it.”
The booth, just inside the main gate, is getting new paint inside and out, some new windows and interior remodeling. A partition inside the building has been removed to open the entire space, Melcher said.
“(Fair officials) helped us with some of (the improvements),” Melcher said, such as the new roof. Because the improvements stay with the booth, no matter who uses it in the future, fair officials also purchased the interior and exterior paint and the new windows.
Volunteers were putting the finishing touches on the interior Friday afternoon, painting the windowsills and installing a cabinet against one wall.
“The cabinet is a donation to the booth,” Melcher said.
The old refrigerator was replaced with a new cooler, donated by the GOP. One of the old air coolers was removed and replaced with a window. Shannon Hintz, one of the volunteers, said additional windows will be replaced next year. The updated interior is all white.
“It’s all fresh looking,” Melcher said.
Volunteers are providing all the labor, from taking out the partition to painting the exterior.
Vickey Melcher puts the finishing touches on freshly painted windowsills around a new window in the Republican booth.
Vickey Melcher, left, and Shannon Hintz, right, check the positioning of a new map that will show the redrawn 13th Legislative District.ARTICLES BY CHERYL SCHWEIZER
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