Moses Lake tree lighting kicks off the holidays
JOEL MARTIN | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 9 months, 1 week AGO
About 400 people gathered at Sinkiuse Square in Moses Lake Nov. 21 for the annual Downtown Tree Lighting.
COURTESY PHOTO/MALLORY MILLER
Between the new LED snowflakes, upper right, and the festivities, the Moses Lake Downtown Tree Lighting was reminiscent of a Hallmark Christmas movie, said DMLA Director Mallory Miller.
Moses Lake’s Downtown Tree Lighting included a fire engine children could climb into and explore.
Darren Starr poses for a photo with Satna at the Downtown Tree Lighting Nov. 21.
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. | November 27, 2025 3:00 AM
MOSES LAKE — Moses Lake has reached a landmark, according to Downtown Moses Lake Association Executive Director Mallory Miller.
“A lot of people noticed our new LED snowflakes, and people said it looked a lot like the Hallmark Channel,” Miller said. “(That) really made me happy, because that’s something I’ve been trying to do for a couple of years for downtown Moses Lake.”
About 400 people came out Nov. 21 for the Downtown Tree Lighting, the unofficial kickoff to the Christmas season in Moses Lake. The tree itself is a 24-footer that will stand in Sinkiuse Square until the holidays are over. The occasion was marked with music from DJ Dale Roth, crafts and coloring sheets for the children and hot cocoa from the Viking Eatery and Coffee Bar, Miller said. Santa Claus made an appearance, arriving on a fire engine.
A highlight that returned this year was the downtown shopping scavenger hunt. Ten downtown businesses hid ornaments somewhere in their shops, and children went from sop to shop looking for them. And where the children went, the parents followed, getting acquainted with businesses they might not have known about before.
“It was really cool to see people running through the streets, and shopping locally,” Miller said. “That’s one of the reasons I love the scavenger hunt. People come up to us at the (DMLA) table and ask ‘Where is this place?’ I don’t know, go find it. That’s the whole point of the scavenger hunt.”
The event was helped along by lots of local sponsors, Miller said. Spokane Teachers Credit Union bought the LED snowflakes, which were installed among the traditional wreaths on the light posts downtown. Renewal by Anderson, Viking Eatery and Arrowhead Roofing also stepped up to make the occasion happen, she said.
The next event downtown will be the Ag Appreciation Parade, which is next Friday.
“These are just fun events we put on for everyone to come and enjoy,” Miller said.
Nance Beston contributed to this report.
Between the new LED snowflakes, upper right, and the festivities, the Moses Lake Downtown Tree Lighting was reminiscent of a Hallmark Christmas movie, said DMLA Director Mallory Miller.
Moses Lake’s Downtown Tree Lighting included a fire engine children could climb into and explore.
Darren Starr poses for a photo with Satna at the Downtown Tree Lighting Nov. 21.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.