Dancing with the Moses Lake Stars returns Jan. 10
JOEL MARTIN | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 8 months AGO
Amador Castro, left, takes the stage in full Elvis regalia at last year’s Dancing with the Moses Lake Stars. Castro will return as a judge for this year’s show Jan. 10.
FILE PHOTO
From left: James Shank, Heather Mason, Joy Howard and Adam Munro will show their best footwork Jan. 10 in Dancing with the Moses Lake Stars.
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. | January 4, 2026 12:15 PM
MOSES LAKE — Six homegrown hoofers will take the stage again Jan. 10 at Dancing with the Moses Lake Stars.
“It’s part comedy (and) part dancing – of course,” said Carla McKean, a board member of the Central Basin Community Concert Association, which puts on the show as its annual fundraiser. “So many people have their favorite dancer coming in. They know the people, so they’re rooting for them.”
This is the third year for the fundraiser, according to an announcement from the CBCCA. Last year’s show raised more than $13,000.
Six community members will be paired with six professional dancers from the Utah Dance Company and spend a week training for the performance, according to the announcement. On Saturday, they’ll perform in competition at the Wallenstien Theater for an audience and a panel of three judges. The judges will give their ratings after each performance, and once all the dancers have shown their stuff, the audience will vote.
Each audience member gets one vote with admission, but there’s a twist: additional votes can be bought for $5 each during the intermission.
“We tell people to bring an extra $20 or $50 or $100 and buy more votes for the dancer of their choice,” McKean said. “They can stuff the ballot boxes to their heart’s desire and make their favorite dancer win.”
Additionally, the dancers collect donations on the CBCCA website before the event and receive extra votes based on the amount raised.
The entire show will be recorded on video, with DVDs available for pre-purchase for $20 through the CBCCA website or for $25 after the show.
This year’s dancers will be Adam Munro, Emily Duvall, Brian McGowan, Heather Mason, James Shank and Joy Howard. Judges are Julie Annable, Amador Castro and Christian O’Shea. Castro performed in last year’s Dancing with the Moses Lake Stars and Duvall stood in for a judge who was unable to make it. The music will be themes from classic TV shows, McKean said.
It’s not difficult to recruit dancers and judges from the community, McKean said. About half of the participants reach out to her to volunteer. The folks she does go out and recruit are usually very happy to say yes.
“People get really excited,” she said. “They hear about it and are willing to do something new and different.”
Dancing with the Moses Lake Stars
7 p.m. Jan 10
Wallenstien Theater
6989 College Parkway NE
Moses Lake
Tickets and donations: communityconcertsml.com
From left: James Shank, Heather Mason, Joy Howard and Adam Munro will show their best footwork Jan. 10 in Dancing with the Moses Lake Stars.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.