‘It was humongous’
JOEL MARTIN | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 1 year, 2 months AGO
Vintage vehicles line the main drag of Wilson Creek at last year’s Little Big Show. The show’s turnout doubled last year, so organizers are planning expanded space for the car show.
FILE PHOTO
The Little Big Show includes vehicles like this 1962 Volvo.
Not every vehicle at the Little Big Show is a car or truck. This vintage bicycle was part of the lineup two years ago, and a local tractor club may bring entries this year as well.
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 11, 2025 3:00 AM
WILSON CREEK — The Little Big Show keeps getting bigger.
“Last year we doubled,” said organizer Nicholas Odorizzi. “We usually have 100 cars, and last year we had 208. It was humongous.”
That growth has made a little reorganization necessary, Odorizzi said. In the past, the cars lined Railroad Street and vendor booths were set up on Third Street, but this year the vendors will be at the town park and the cars will fill up the street.
There was no way to gauge exact attendance last year, but Odorizzi estimated 500-700 people came to last year’s show. Wilson Creek’s population was 204 at the last census.
“It’s a huge event for the town,” Odorizzi said.
The car show has been so successful that other events are joining in. The two-day Wilson Creek Bluegrass Jam moved its date this year to coincide with the Little Big Show, and many of the town’s residents are planning to coordinate yard sales for the same weekend.
The Wilson Creek Grange Hall was recently purchased, and the new owners are planning a Hot Wheels-themed giveaway, Odorizzi said.
The Little Big Show is still accepting registrations for both cars and vendors, according to the festival’s website. The charge for general vendors is $25. For food vendors, it’s $35, and for those wishing to show off their wheels, the fee is $15, or $20 the day of the show.
The definition of “car” for the show is somewhat liquid. Motorcycles and bicycles have shared the street with more conventional classic cars in the past.
“(An) antique tractor club called and was wondering if we had a tractor category,” Odorizzi said. “I’ve been trying to get the antique RV trailers, too, to come Friday night and camp.”
The population in the northern part of Grant County is less than half that of Moses Lake alone, according to the Grant County Economic Development Council, so the small towns that make up that population have to support each other’s festivals, Odorizzi said.
“We’re pushing more hometown support,” he said. “We’re trying to bring these little towns back and support them the best we can.”
The Little Big Show includes vehicles like this 1962 Volvo.
Not every vehicle at the Little Big Show is a car or truck. This vintage bicycle was part of the lineup two years ago, and a local tractor club may bring entries this year as well.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.