Family Picnic Day to offer free family fun
JOEL MARTIN | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 1 year, 1 month 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
Basin vets honored with quilts
MOSES LAKE — Some Basin veterans were honored Monday, not with medals or a parade, but with quilts. “Many people see beautiful quilts and admire the colors and patterns and stitching, but it is much more than fabric and thread,” said Jenn Tincher, who leads Soap Lake Freedom Quilts of Valor. “Every quilt represents countless hours of planning, cutting, piecing, quilting, binding, labeling and praying. It carries with it the hands and the hearts of us volunteers who may never have served in the military ourselves, but we want to thank you and let you know that your sacrifices have not been forgotten. Each stitch is a reminder that someone cares, someone remembers you and someone is very grateful for what you have done.” Quilts of Valor met at Grace Harvest Church in Moses Lake to present quilts to 13 Basin veterans, of whom seven were able to be present. The quilts’ designs were varied: some were simple triangle or square patterns; others had flag motifs. One quilt had stars and stripes surrounding a bald eagle with a U.S. flag behind him. Each had been created by a team of seven ladies from the area who collaborate to pick the patterns, cut the fabric and assemble them. Those are matched up with veterans who either are nominated by somebody local or reach out through the organization’s website. Once 10 or so veterans have been nominated, the quilters hold a ceremony where the
Warden library hosts Mexican dance show
WARDEN — The dancers of Warden’s Ballet Folklórico Viva México performed at the Warden Library Thursday afternoon, entertaining one of the largest crowds a library event has drawn, said Librarian Jean Boersma. “We were pushing 100,” Boersma said. “They just kept coming.” About 15 dancers of wide-ranging ages and sizes demonstrated traditional moves from Mexico on the library lawn, in both denim shorts and skirts and full, flowing dresses in bright colors. The audience sat or stood in the shade of the tree on the library lawn, many of them holding up phones to capture the moment on video. After each dance, one dancer would shout, “Viva Mexico!” and the dancers would enthusiastically respond, “Viva!”
Man arrested in Thursday morning hit-and-run
MOSES LAKE — A suspect was taken into custody Thursday afternoon in the hit-and-run of a county road worker early Thursday morning, according to Grant County Sheriff’s Office Public Information Officer Kyle Foreman. Trino Mendez, 36, was booked into Grant County Jail on suspicion of hit-and-run attended complicity and vehicular assault, according to the Grant County Jail roster. No bail had been set as of Friday morning. The incident happened around 5:10 a.m. on North Frontage Road about a mile east of Dodson Road, according to the GCSO. Road crews were preparing the road for chip sealing when the worker was struck.