Local artists invited to share work at Easter shows
JOEL MARTIN | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 5 months, 3 weeks AGO
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will host an Easter-themed art show in Moses Lake and Ephrata March 27-28, and artists from all over the community are invited to show participate.
COURTESY PHOTO/LADAWN REYNOLDS
Art in all media is welcome in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Easter art shows March 27-28.
The artworks in the Easter art shows March 27-28 will be on display at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, with dividers to keep the work from being damaged. Shows will be held at both the Moses Lake and Ephrata stakes.
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. | March 16, 2026 3:00 AM
MOSES LAKE — Artists, and people who enjoy art, are invited to participate in Easter art shows in Moses Lake and Ephrata this month, hosted by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The theme for the shows will be “A Walk with Christ,” said Becky Earl, a member of the Moses Lake Stake’s communications committee.
“It’s to elevate Easter and make (people) a little more aware of Easter and the resurrection of Christ,” said LaDawn Reynolds, a member of the Ephrata Stake’s Communications Council.
Both the Ephrata Stake and the Moses Lake Stake have received some artwork already, and anybody in the community who would like to show their art is invited to bring it for display as well. Any medium is welcome: painting, drawings, sculpture, even poetry. There’s no size limit; both locations have halls large enough to accommodate anything that comes in.
“People are bringing cross-stitch; we’ve got paintings,” Reynolds said. “We have some youth who are doing statues in clay they’ve made representing the Savior.”
The subject matter should have something to do with Jesus’ death and resurrection, both organizers said; no Easter Bunnies or eggs. If an artist wants to portray the Crucifixion, that’s fine, Reynolds and Earl said, as long as it’s not graphic enough to frighten children.
Children are welcome to contribute as well, Reynolds said.
“We’re asking the kids in grade school, if you have a picture of Jesus you want to color, color it and we’ll post it,” she said.
Artists in the Ephrata show can be brought Friday afternoon from noon to 6 p.m., or Saturday from 9 a.m. to noon. The show will be from 2 to 6 p.m. Saturday, and artists can take their work home afterward. In Moses Lake, the art will be displayed at 6-8 p.m. both Friday and Saturday. Artists who would like to contribute can bring their art about an hour before the show opens, and organizers will find a place for it, Earl said. Both shows will have the art set back from viewers and people stationed to keep an eye on it, so it doesn’t get damaged.
“We’ll have people spending the night in the building for security,” Earl said. “There will be ushers if people have any questions about the artist or the art … There’s also going to be little vignettes of music. So, anyone who loved Jesus or art or music would enjoy it.”
At the Ephrata show, the church will have a room off to the side decorated to resemble the Via Dolorosa, the route Jesus walked through Jerusalem on his way to the Crucifixion, and a backlit model of a tomb, Reynolds said. A church member is making homemade cookies for anyone who wants to enjoy as well, she said.
The Ephrata Stake did an art show last year, but it was put together in a hurry and mostly involved members of their own church, Reynolds said. This year the church is making a special effort to invite the rest of the community to participate.
“We (felt) like the way the world is going, with attacks on churches and Christian schools back east, we’ve got to do something in the Basin to stick together,” Reynolds said. “It doesn’t matter what your (church) is. If you believe in Christ, we all need to band together … We might have different ideas when it comes to religion, but we have more common ground than we have not.”
Where and when
Ephrata
1301 Division Ave. E
Art drop-off 12-6 p.m. March 27 and 9 a.m.-12 p.m. March 28
Display 2-6 p.m. March 28
Moses Lake
1515 S. Division St.
Art drop-off around 5 p.m.
Display 6-8 p.m.
March 27 and 28
Art in all media is welcome in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Easter art shows March 27-28.
The artworks in the Easter art shows March 27-28 will be on display at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, with dividers to keep the work from being damaged. Shows will be held at both the Moses Lake and Ephrata stakes.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.