Family Picnic Day to offer free family fun
JOEL MARTIN | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 6 months, 1 week AGO
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. | June 9, 2025 1:15 AM
MOSES LAKE — Now in its third year, the Downtown Moses Lake Association’s Family Picnic Day is hitting its stride.
“The food and booth vendors are all going to provide an activity of some sort for kids to do,” said DMLA Director Mallory Miller.
One exhibitor will show children how to make a battery out of a penny, Miller said, and another is planning on helping them make hats and T-shirts. The DMLA itself will organize something from picnics of yore: potato races.
“I got some potato sacks donated from Simplot,” Miller said. “I’m really excited to see how those go.”
The Malditos Car Club will bring a small car show, on the grass so children can interact with them, and there will be free face painting. The dunk tank was a success last year, and it’s returning as well, she said. There will also be beanbag toss games, a story time with the Moses Lake Public Library and an obstacle course for children to work out their wiggles on.
As the event has grown, the focus has been more and more on family participation, Miller said. In the past there has been as open mic for live music, but that’s off the schedule for this year.
“It's really hard to get musicians to sign up, and it was from 12 to 1 (p.m.), so it was kind of a short period of time. I decided to ax it for this year because I want to focus more on the family fun side of it, like fun kids’ music, instead of taking away from the kids’ activities and having live performers.”
There will be a collection of food vendors, including one selling Dippin’ Dots, Miller said. But families who want to are perfectly welcome to bring their own food, spread out a blanket and enjoy the afternoon.
“People can just come and hang out and have a good time,” Miller said. “There will be some things that they can purchase, but most of it will be free.”
Family Picnic Day
Moses Lake
Neppel Landing
104 S. Alder St.
Saturday, June 21
11 a.m.-2 p.m.
Family Picnic Day on June 21 will include free face painting, as well as a host of other activities for children.ARTICLES BY JOEL MARTIN
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