Sip & Stroll to offer greater variety of sips
JOEL MARTIN | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 3 weeks 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. | August 25, 2026 3:00 AM
MOSES LAKE — Sip & Stroll, the Downtown Moses Lake’s annual celebration of wine and local business, is expanding its horizon this year.
“In years past, Sip & Stroll has been mainly wine,” DMLA Executive Director Mallory Miller said. “This year we decided to include beer (plus cider and spirits). It’s like a taste of everything. We wanted it to feel like an event everybody could attend.”
The idea behind Sip & Stroll is the same as in years past: patrons browse through 17 downtown businesses, each of which has at least one winery – or, this year, a brewery, cidery or distillery – offering tastes of their wares. There are also nonalcoholic drink options at each stop.
In addition, there will be a beer garden set up at Sinkiuse Square offering full-size drinks and entertainment. DJ Ezmer will spin tunes for the first part of the day, and then local band The Poor Boyz will take over. Grant Transit Authority will bring one of its new electric buses to Sinkiuse Square to let the public have a look.
The downtown restaurants are getting in on the act too, Miller said. Besides the booth vendors that set up in the street, some downtown restaurants will offer ticketholders samples of their offerings.
Part of Third Avenue will be closed off for Sip & Stroll and there will be some activities outside, but the real happenings are inside the businesses, Miller said.
“People think that if the streets aren’t full, then it’s not a successful event,” she said. “But that’s the opposite of what we’re trying to do.”
Tickets are $40 for an individual and $70 for a couple, according to the DMLA website. Those come with a customized glass, seven tasting tickets and a tote bag. There’s also a VIP ticket for $75 per person that brings with it early access, 10 tastings plus two complimentary mimosas and a meal voucher good at downtown restaurants. Tickets can be bought in advance at the DMLA website until the day of the event, and in person at the DMLA office on the day of the event for an additional $5.
In keeping with the 250th anniversary of America’s founding, the theme for this year’s Sip & Stroll is “Celebration of America,” Miller said. Costumes are encouraged but not necessary.
“We want everyone to dress up in their best Americana vibe,” Miller said. “Whatever they wore for the Fourth of July.”
Sip & Stroll
10 a.m.-3 p.m. Sept. 12
Downtown Moses Lake
ARTICLES BY JOEL MARTIN
BASIN EVENTS Sept. 11-19 2026
COLUMBIA BASIN — Wherever you are in the Columbia Basin, there’s probably something fun happening near you. Here are a few possibilities.
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.