Senior Picnic gathers senior resources in one place
JOEL MARTIN | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 3 months AGO
Seniors and others tour the resource and business booths at last year’s Moses Lake Senior Picnic. More than 40 exhibitors were expected for this year’s picnic, which is June 10.
FILE PHOTO
Members of the Helping Hands Committee at Brookdale Hearthstone create patriotic-themed centerpieces for the Senior Picnic, which takes place June 10 at the grant County Fairgrounds.
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. | June 5, 2026 5:55 AM
MOSES LAKE — The Senior Picnic is more than just a luncheon.
“(It’s) a one-stop shop for seniors to come and learn about the resources available to them throughout the community,” said Terri Riley-Brown, an account executive with Assured Home Health and Hospice and one of the primary organizers of the event. “What's out there? What can they do? (They can) actually talk to someone in person about how to access those resources or get more information.”
This is the Senior Picnic’s 12th year, organized by the Moses Lake Chamber of Commerce in conjunction with the Columbia Basin Senior Networking Forum, sponsors from the senior living community and businesses that cater particularly to seniors. Last year about 900 seniors came, according to Chamber Director Debbie Doran-Martinez, not counting the caregivers and family members who came along. The event is free for anyone 55 and older, and only $5 for everyone else.
It occupies both the Commercial and the 4-H buildings at the Grant County Fairgrounds. One building will house the picnic itself, with lunch prepared by the assembled senior living facilities. The other will host more than 40 businesses and organizations with information geared, especially for seniors. About 100 volunteers will help make it happen, Riley-Brown said. There will be a shuttle service from the parking lot to the picnic, so seniors don’t have to walk any more than they want to. Live music will be provided by Shy-Ann, and there will be lot of door prizes.
The theme for this year’s picnic is “Celebrate America’s 250th,” and attendees are encouraged to dress in their red-white-and-bluest, star-spangledest attire. The Helping Hands Committee at Brookdale Hearthstone made more than 90 semi-quincentennial-themed centerpieces for the tables, according to Senior Living Sales Specialist Kzaristi Cox.
“Let’s turn the fairgrounds into a sea of patriotism,” the Chamber wrote in an email to the Columbia Basin Herald.
The event runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., with lunch served at noon. The rest of the time, seniors and their companions can explore the booths dedicated especially to their needs.
“They're all right there in one location so they can make the loop and touch base with anybody that they're interested in,” Riley-Brown said. “If they're looking for housing assistance, if they're looking for transportation assistance, if they're looking for just about anything that a senior could need, we're hoping we have a resource available for them to come and talk to.”
Senior Picnic
Wednesday, June 10
10 a.m.-2 p.m.
Lunch served at 12 p.m.
Grant County Fairgrounds
3953 Airway Drive NE
Moses Lake
Members of the Helping Hands Committee at Brookdale Hearthstone create patriotic-themed centerpieces for the Senior Picnic, which takes place June 10 at the grant County Fairgrounds.ARTICLES BY JOEL MARTIN
Quincy National Night Out scales down
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Quincy Police retirements leave big shoes to fill
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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.