Sunday, October 11, 2026
41.0°F

Brookdale Hearthstone Christmas Parade delights seniors, children

JOEL MARTIN | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 9 months, 1 week AGO
by JOEL MARTIN
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 7, 2026 3:00 AM

MOSES LAKE — The spirit of Christmas paid a visit to Brookdale Hearthstone on Dec. 23, with a parade, a visit from Santa and lots and lots of candy for children. 


“(Our residents) deserve the best,” said Brookdale Hearthstone Lifestyle Director Imelda Broyles. “And unfortunately, some of them don't drive. So we said, let's bring (Christmas) over here and start a new tradition.” 


The stockings weren’t hung by the chimney with care, exactly. Participants brought in a pair of socks to donate to Care Moses Lake, and in return received a stocking they could take around and collect candy. 


“I don't know how many stockings we had, but I know it was well over 120 stockings and we ran out,” said Brookdale Hearthstone Living Sales Specialist Karisti Cox. “We had kids who had their stocking caps that they took off their heads and were using them.” 


About 200 pairs of socks were collected, Broyles said. 


Santa and Mrs. Claus led a parade of small floats through the halls of Brookdale Hearthstone into the dining room. The floats were made by residents and staff, and included cleverly-constructed gingerbread houses, a sleigh and Santa’s workshop. The Clauses settled into chairs with a sign reading “North Pole” and waved as the floats, staff and children filed through. 


Many of the floats and displays came from local businesses and organizations that had partnered with Brookdale Hearthstone for the occasion. 


“They wanted to support this cause,” Cox said. “They saw something great in it.” 


The event drew support from the Kiwanis club, Big Bend Community College, Door to Door Moving, Assured Home Health and Hospice, Savoy Life, Cobie’s Dry Cleaning, the Moses Lake Police Department, Lowe’s, My Little Sunshine Childcare Center and Columbia Bank, according to Broyles.  


“Our residents are incredibly happy and grateful,” Broyles wrote in a message to the Columbia Basin Herald. “For many of them, moments like this mean everything … This parade is about bringing joy to those who can no longer go out to see parades, creating connection, and reminding our residents how deeply valued and loved they are.” 

    Local businesses and organizations entered floats in the Brookdale Hearthstone Christmas parade.
 
 
    About 200 people, mostly children, swapped a pair of socks for a stocking to fill with candy at Brookdale Hearthstone Dec. 23.
 
 


ARTICLES BY JOEL MARTIN

Fall is time to clean out the garden and get ready for next year
October 9, 2026 3 a.m.

Fall is time to clean out the garden and get ready for next year

MOSES LAKE — 2026 is at that awkward stage; the days are still almost summer-warm, but the nights are beginning to get chilly. That means there’s a lot to accomplish before winter comes howling to our door. “It’s time to start cleaning up your garden,” said Columbia Basin Garden Club President Valerie Parrott. “Spent annuals, most vegetable plants, tomato plants, it’s time to pull them up … It’s time to start harvesting your carrots, too, and dig your potatoes. You don’t want your potatoes to freeze.”

One for the books
October 9, 2026 3 a.m.

One for the books

Literary-themed auction raises funds for Boys & Girls Club

MOSES LAKE — The Boys & Girls Clubs of the Columbia Basin’s 31st annual dinner and auction was a literary mishmash Saturday, where Alice in Wonderland and the Mad Hatter mingled with the Cat in the Hat, the Dread Pirate Roberts and Buttercup and denizens of Middle-Earth. “We’re bringing books to life,” said Resource Development Director Nicole Jackson, who did the lion’s share of planning the event. “Our vision from the get-go was to look out in the banquet hall and see books come to life around every table.” One of the items traditionally auctioned off at the event is the right to select the next year’s theme, and last year Chuck Yarbro Auctioneers won that right. The theme they chose was “The Enchanted Library.”

BASIN EVENTS: Oct. 9-17
October 9, 2026 3 a.m.

BASIN EVENTS: Oct. 9-17

COLUMBIA BASIN — The days are warm, the nights are getting chilly and there are plenty of chances to get out and about. Here are a few.