Cold Diggers opens stand in Moses Lake
JOEL MARTIN | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 10 months, 3 weeks AGO
Cold Diggers is a family operation, and owners Laura and Martin Farias brought some of their nine children and five grandchildren to the ribbon-cutting ceremony Monday. From left: Maceyn Green-Cerrillo, Senaya Strnad, JJ Strnad, Laura Farias, Nene Green-Cerrillo held by Martin Farias, Davian Strnad, Destinee Godoy with baby Adonai Green-Cerillo, Elijah Godoy and Sayo Godoy.
JOEL MARTIN/COLUMBIA BASIN HERALD
Laura Farias, with her husband Martin Farias, numerous children and grandchildren and members of the Moses Lake Chamber of Commerce, cuts the ribbon on Cold Diggers’ new location at Nelson Road and Pioneer Way in Moses Lake.
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. | October 16, 2025 1:00 AM
MOSES LAKE — The name of the new ice cream and waffle stand at Nelson Road and Pioneer Way came out of the blue.
“We already had a different name picked out,” said Laura Farias, who owns the new business with her husband, Martin Farias. “But ‘Cold Diggers’ came to me randomly, and it was super catchy. I bounced the idea off my 9-year-old son and he loved it, so we went with it.”
The Fariases have been offering homemade ice cream at the Moses Lake Farmers Market since the market opened for the year in May, she said. In July they added waffles to their menu, and now they’ll continue to offer both from a trailer next to FAA Coffee House.
“We were getting great feedback from customers,” Farias said. “So, we just decided to make it full time. This is just the starting point for us.”
The ice cream is made by a couple whom Farias preferred not to identify, she said, but it’s received national awards for two flavors, she said. The waffles are made in partnership with Waffle Me Up, based in Boise, Idaho. The menu will include breakfast waffles with bacon and eggs, she said, and also sweet waffle concoctions. The Fariases are especially proud of their churro waffles, she said.
“We’ll do that with some Abuelita’s hot cocoa,” she said. “That will do well during the colder season.”
Cold Diggers will have its grand opening at noon Saturday and then be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., Farias said. The featured flavor at the grand opening will be pumpkin cheesecake, she said, in keeping with the fall season, and there will be face painting for the children.
The Fariases had gathered their family — which includes nine children and five grandchildren — for the ribbon-cutting ceremony Monday. Martin and Laura Farias both have day jobs, but Martin is taking some time off to get the business started, and one of their daughters will work at the stand as well.
“Everybody likes ice cream,” Martin Farias said. “I like to see the kids when they taste something that they like. This is a business where you can see the (customers’) enjoyment right away.”
Laura Farias, with her husband Martin Farias, numerous children and grandchildren and members of the Moses Lake Chamber of Commerce, cuts the ribbon on Cold Diggers’ new location at Nelson Road and Pioneer Way in Moses Lake.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.