Senior Picnic gathers senior resources in one place
JOEL MARTIN | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 1 month, 3 weeks 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
Growing fast
Gray Girl Farms nursery springs up near Royal City
ROYAL CITY — It’s one thing to grow and sell flowers. Owning a complete nursery is something else altogether, especially when you have only months to build it. “The learning curve has been really steep,” said Kylie Gray-Eilers. “I just always tell myself that every day is a new day.” Gray-Eilers isn’t a stranger to raising plants; her Gray Girl Farms has sold dahlias for almost eight years, and she holds a Dahlia Days festival every year in October. The dahlia operation was beginning to reach the point where she needed either to scale it back or grow, she said. So when she learned that Robin Prchal, owner of Emerald Desert Nursery in Quincy, was fixing to retire, Gray-Eilers decided it was time to expand.
Looking good
Institute of Beauty Professionals trains barbers, nail techs and more
MOSES LAKE — It takes a lot of training to make people look their best. “(A license to do) nails is 600 hours (of instruction),” said Institute of Beauty Professionals owner and instructor Nicholas Harle. “Cosmetology is 1,640 hours, barbering is 1,000, hair design is 1,440 and aesthetics is 750.” IBP takes its own private students and also serves the Columbia Basin Technical Skills Center’s cosmetology program, Harle said. Those students spend 2 1/2 hours a day at IBP and earn credits in lab science, technical science, first aid and fine arts, he said. There were 61 CBTECH students at IBP last year, he said, and there are about 25 full-time students.
BASIN EVENTS: July 24-Aug. 1
COLUMBIA BASIN — It’s hot and smoky outside? This is the Columbia Basin. We’re used to this. Here are some chances to get out and have some fun no matter what the sky looks like. July 25 Christmas in July at the Market Who says you have to wait until December for holiday cheer? Stroll through decorated vendor booths, shop amazing local makers and growers, enjoy holiday-themed fun, festive music, sweet treats, and surprises for the whole family. Wear your favorite Christmas shirt, Santa hat, or holiday outfit. 8 a.m.-1 p.m. at Moses Lake Farmers Market, McCosh Park, 401 W. Fourth Avenue. Info: www.farmersmarketml.com.