MOSES LAKE — There was a lot going Saturday in downtown Moses Lake, with a fundraiser walk, an art festival, a wine-and-music tour and a nonprofit expo all happening more or less at once.  

The day started at McCosh Park, where the Walk to End Alzheimer’s drew more than 200 people to raise money for dementia research. 

“The dollars raised through the Walk to End Alzheimer's is what pays for everything that the (Alzheimer’s) Association does,” said Erica Grissmerson, director of the Moses Lake event as well as 17 other walks in Washington, Idaho and Alaska. “Our 24-hour helpline, our care and support services, our education seminars, all the research that we do, everything that we do is paid through the Walk to End Alzheimer's.” 

The Walk started with a Flower Ceremony, in which participants carried plastic flowers color-coded to their connection to Alzheimer’s: blue for people dealing with Alzheimer’s, purple for those who had lost loved ones to the disease, yellow for caregivers and orange for folks who just wanted to show their support. The Moses Lake High School Molahiettes dance team was at the park to cheer on participants as they departed for the two-mile walk and again as they returned for the closing ceremonies. 

The fundraising goal was $38,500; the Walk raised $34,972 of that, according to the final tally on the Alzheimer’s Association website. 

In the afternoon, the attention shifted to the downtown core on Third Avenue, where the Care Fair, Sip & Stroll and Art on Third filled the streets and sidewalks. This is the second year the events have been coordinated to share a day and venue. Third Avenue was closed between Beech and Alder streets to accommodate the exhibitors, vendors and foot traffic. 

The eastern part of the space was occupied with Art on Third, hosted by Columbia Basin Allied Arts, and featured artists teaching attendees painting, woodburning and other hands-on art. 

“We had people coming down to specifically do book making with us,” said Allied Arts Executive Director Shawn Cardwell. “Our block printing with Artisans Co. was super fun for all ages and families. We had the Moses Lake Museum doing a painted canvas swap. It was great for all ages that stopped by. We also had double the vendors that we had last year, and they all seem to think they did OK.” 

Over on Division Street, the Care Fair offered attendees a chance to check out some of the nonprofit organizations that serve the community. Organizations like Young Life, the Kiwanis Club and the Salvation Army had tables and information out for folks who wanted to volunteer or just find out more. Care Moses Lake, which organizes the Care Fair every year, had a table set up where children could make paper pinwheels and was giving away apples from Okanagan Specialty Fruits and teddy bears called “Caring Bears.” 

“It’s been fun,” said Care Moses Lake volunteer Carol Bridges. “We’ve had lots of kid participation.” 

“It’s always good to get out in the community so people know what’s going on, what options there are,” said Lisa Naydenov with Young Life. 

The Care Fair boasted 19 different nonprofits this year, according to Care Moses Lake’s website. In past years, it’s been set up indoors, but this year they were out in the street and Care Moses Lake Director Michaelle Boetger said that made a difference. 

“Any time we can all get out in the community, it’s always a good thing,” Boetger said. “The whole point of the Care Fair (is to) get as many (nonprofits) in one location as possible. I think we’re making some good contacts. We’re doing better than last year, I think, because we’re more out in the open.” 

The whole downtown area was the scene of the Downtown Moses Lake Association’s Sip & Stroll. Downtown businesses opened their doors and hosted a winery, cidery or distillery, and many of them also had live local musicians performing. Patrons walked from shop to shop. sampling the beverages and checking out the music, and becoming more familiar with downtown businesses in the process. There were 21 stops on the three-block route. The event sold almost 400 tickets, according to DMLA Board President Denise Kinder. Sip & Stroll used to be called the Wine Walk, Kinder said; besides wineries, there were three cideries and two distilleries represented. 

Moses Lake Distillery had its flagship wheated bourbon and a vodka on display at the Gorgeous Bae Boutique, and had invited Dominic Rocha of Dominic’s Whiskey Review to give his analysis of the liquors. 

“The bourbon (had) good vanilla notes, light notes, and it’s a great entry point for anyone who wants to get into whiskey,” Rocha said. “This vodka, I’m not even a vodka guy, but I like this drink … it’s smooth tasting, it’s perfect for any cocktail. You can even, if you dare, sip it on the rocks as it is.” 

Oddstock Cidery in Ellensburg had brought a couple of ciders they hadn’t released to stores yet, said Marketing Manager Kelli Braddy, a huckleberry crumble and a ginger-molasses cider. The offerings were popular, she said. 

“We’ve had a lot of people come and try and even come back many times,” Braddy said. 

Several stops had non-alcoholic beverages, which Kinder said is new this year.  

“I think it was a great move,” Kinder said. “So many people call and ask, ‘Can we attend if we don't want to drink?’ Everyone is always welcome to come downtown, whether they have a ticket or not, but (if) they still want to participate and feel like they're in the mix, that gives them the option if they don't drink.” 

Merissa Stansbury and Katie Hill were on their sixth stop, they said, at the Edward Jones office, where Chris Daniel Winery of Quincy was offering a Malbec and a red blend called Dakota Red. 

“It’s been fun,” Hill said.  

“(We enjoyed) the people and chatting and seeing people you haven’t seen in years,” Stansbury said. 

    Katie Hill, left, and Merissa Stansbury, right, sample wines from Chris Daniel Winery in Quincy, poured by volunteer Mary Fisher at Sip & Stroll Saturday.
  

    Six-year-old Simon Vanderholm and his sister Zoey, 8, assemble pinwheels at the Care Moses Lake booth at the Care Fair Saturday, assisted by volunteer Carol Bridges.
  

    Desert Artists member Leanne Hickman teaches participants in Art on Third the technique of painting on feathers.
  

    Old No. Seven performs at Settlers Country Market during Sip & Stroll Saturday.