Moses Lake takes to the streets in Spring Fest Parade
JOEL MARTIN | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 3 months, 1 week AGO
Daisy the goat (right) checks out the balloons decorating the Little Farm Daycare float in the Spring Fest Parade Saturday evening.
JOEL MARTIN/COLUMBIA BASIN HERALD
Tara Hibbard helps Remi Tracy, 5, get her costume in order for the Spring Fest Parade.
More than 40 volunteers holding a giant American flag prepare to march in the Spring Fest Parade Saturday. About half were associated with the Moses Lake High School Air Force Junior ROTC program, said Spring Fest Board President Sean Sallis; the rest responded to a last-minute social media appeal.
The McFarland Middle School cheerleaders came from Othello to join in on the Spring Fest Parade Saturday.
Abigail Flores, 6, scoops up some candy at the Spring Fest Parade Saturday.
The Moses Lake High School marching band makes its way down Third Avenue in the Spring Fest Parade Saturday.
Generations Church chose a colorful theme for its float in the Spring Fest Parade.
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. | May 28, 2026 3:20 AM
MOSES LAKE — The Little Farm Daycare float in the Spring Fest Parade carried a contingent of children, and also a kid of a different kind: an 8-month-old goat named Daisy.
“That’s what characterizes us,” said owner Yessica Cabrera. “We’re Little Farm, so we have goats at the daycare. We’re a nature-based daycare.”
The parade featured marching bands, cheerleaders, businesses, political candidates and civic organizations all filing through downtown Moses Lake under the setting sun Saturday. Leading the way were emergency vehicles, followed by Grand Marshal Vern Hellewell and a giant American flag that spanned the street, held overhead by more than 40 people. The flag was an example of the community making the parade its own, said Spring Fest Board President Sean Sallis.
“Air Force Junior ROTC had some kids committed to it that could come, but we needed another 20 people,” Sallis said. “So, we put out a Facebook live (video) and now they’re all here and they’re holding the flag. It’s cool how the community rallies together for this event.”
This was the first Spring Fest parade for Dr. Mike Rees, who opened Smile Surfers Dental Clinic just about a year ago.
“It’s been a fun first year and we’ve had a lot of support,” Rees said. “It’s nice to give back and do what we can.”
Appropriately for a dentist, the Smile Surfers float didn’t have any candy to throw out to children, but there were shirts and bubbles. Bubbles also surrounded the float from Generations Church, the back of whose float was festooned with a bright-colored burst reading “Jesus is the Light of the World.”
The light theme was kind of a last-minute effort, said Associate Pastor Tiffanney Graham. “We had a different plan and somebody got really sick, and we couldn’t use their vehicle,” Graham said. “So, two weeks ago, we had to come up with another plan. It was a quick decision.”
The Moses Lake High School marching band joined the parade, along with the MLHS cheer squad. All of the girls on the cheer team turned out, said Coach Toby Black, but none of the three boys on the squad did.
The Spring Festival is a huge endeavor, and the parade, as with the rest of the festival, was put together by a five-member board and a small army of others, Sallis said.
“We appreciate our city and the officials who helped us get this thing done,” Sallis said. “The five of us give our time alongside so many other volunteers, stepping into different roles for the weekend in really cool ways.”
Tara Hibbard helps Remi Tracy, 5, get her costume in order for the Spring Fest Parade.
More than 40 volunteers holding a giant American flag prepare to march in the Spring Fest Parade Saturday. About half were associated with the Moses Lake High School Air Force Junior ROTC program, said Spring Fest Board President Sean Sallis; the rest responded to a last-minute social media appeal.
The McFarland Middle School cheerleaders came from Othello to join in on the Spring Fest Parade Saturday.
Abigail Flores, 6, scoops up some candy at the Spring Fest Parade Saturday.
The Moses Lake High School marching band makes its way down Third Avenue in the Spring Fest Parade Saturday.
Generations Church chose a colorful theme for its float in the Spring Fest Parade.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.