‘Year of the Horse’
JOEL MARTIN | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 2 hours, 17 minutes AGO
From left: Up Town Art Gallery owners Judy Kalin and Leanne Hickman visit with Maxine Smith and her husband, cowboy poet Paul Smith, at the opening of the gallery’s equine-themed exhibition, “Year of the Horse,” Friday.
JOEL MARTIN/COLUMBIA BASIN HERALD
Kim Melbye, left, and Terry Meyers look over the displays at Up Town Art Gallery’s “Year of the Horse” show Friday.
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. | July 15, 2026 3:00 AM
MOSES LAKE — According to the Chinese zodiac, 2026 (and a little bit of 2027) is the year of the horse. That was a good reason, decided the owners of Up Town Art Gallery in Moses Lake, to hold a special art show centered around the magnificent creatures.
“We’ve got, I don’t know how many local artists,” said Judy Kalin, who co-owns Up Town Art Gallery with Leanne Hickman. “I think there are 10 or 12 of us.”
The equine theme took on a lot of forms: oils, watercolors, acrylics, charcoal and Hickman’s trademark painted feathers. There were rope baskets made from lariats, wooden horse sculptures and a stuffed unicorn as well.
The exhibit opening offered refreshments, karaoke and cowboy poetry by Paul Smith, who ranched in Nebraska for 30 years, and then served as a pastor for 22 years, he said. He hadn’t read his cowboy poetry in public for more than two decades, he said, but his wife Maxine volunteered him for the exhibit opening.
“We happened to be over at Michael’s (Market and Bistro) having a bite to eat, and Maxine wanted to come over here and have a look-see,” Smith said. “They were talking about this thing, and (Kalin) wanted to know if she knew a cowboy poet around here. And (Maxine) pointed and said, ‘Well, I think there’s one right here.’”
“I came over to check out the art work because I have an art degree, painting and drawing,” she said. “I was like, ‘Oh, look there’s an art gallery!’ So, I had to go in and meet the ladies. We both got to talking with them and lo and behold, we have a few ranchers in the midst of us, so they swapped stories and talked about horses.”
Up Town Art Gallery opened about a year ago and features a themed show like “The Year of the Horse” once a month, Kalin said. It’s been a learning curve, she said, but the exhibitions ae growing every time.
“We put out our announcements, and we get … more people from the surrounding areas like Wenatchee and Tri-Cities,” she said.
Up Town Art Gallery
301 W Broadway Ave. Ste A, Moses Lake
509-760-1468
Wednesday-Saturday 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Kim Melbye, left, and Terry Meyers look over the displays at Up Town Art Gallery’s “Year of the Horse” show Friday.ARTICLES BY JOEL MARTIN
‘Year of the Horse’
Up Town Art Gallery opens equine-themed exhibition
MOSES LAKE — According to the Chinese zodiac, 2026 (and a little bit of 2027) is the year of the horse. That was a good reason, decided the owners of Up Town Art Gallery in Moses Lake, to hold a special art show centered around the magnificent creatures. “We’ve got, I don’t know how many local artists,” said Judy Kalin, who co-owns Up Town Art Gallery with Leanne Hickman. “I think there are 10 or 12 of us.” The equine theme took on a lot of forms: oils, watercolors, acrylics, charcoal and Hickman’s trademark painted feathers. There were rope baskets made from lariats, wooden horse sculptures and a stuffed unicorn as well.
‘What Royal City is all about’
Summerfest celebrates small-town pride, community spirit
ROYAL CITY — Royal City celebrated the sunny season with its annual Summerfest last weekend, and the event was by any measure a success. “The feedback has been really great,” said Committee Chair Jill Larsen. “People loved the parade; it’s an election year, so that brings out more people. Our dancing horses were as popular as ever. I’m pretty sure we had around 75 horses this year.” This year’s Summerfest featured a couple of new events, both geared toward younger attendees. The Royal Ranchers 4-H Club hosted goat tying, which actually involved untying a ribbon from the tail of a goat. A 4-H volunteer held the baby goat still so the smaller competitors could get a hold on the ribbon; for the older kids, a mama goat led them on a chase around the ring.
Quincy Lakes Fire spurs evacuations
QUINCY — A fire that broke out in the Ancient Lakes area south of Quincy Saturday night prompted a Level 3, or Go Now, evacuation order. Nobody was hurt, and no structures were threatened, according to Grant County Fire District 5 firefighter Daniel Garland, who spoke from the scene. “We evacuated all the campers,” Garland said. “Probably five to seven people, no cars or trucks, not a crazy amount.” The blaze, dubbed the Quincy Lakes Fire, was officially at 200 acres Sunday morning, according to the National Interagency Fire Center, but Garland, who was at the south end of the fire, estimated it at closer to 800. It was discovered at about 9:30 p.m., according to the NIFC.