BASIN EVENTS Sept. 11-19 2026
JOEL MARTIN | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 1 month AGO
A parade, games and dinner await at Hartline Community Days Saturday.
FILE PHOTO
Quincy will pull out the stops at Farmer Consumer Awareness Day Saturday.
Both Quincy and Moses Lake will hold their National Night Out events Tuesday. The events were postponed in August due to smoky skies.
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. | September 11, 2026 1:20 AM
COLUMBIA BASIN — Wherever you are in the Columbia Basin, there’s probably something fun happening near you. Here are a few possibilities.
Sept. 11
Community Shred Day
Protect your personal information by keeping bank statements, credit card bills, medical records and tax forms out of the hands of identity thieves. Personal papers only; no binders or hard drives. No charge. 9 a.m.-12 p.m. at Washington Trust Bank, 402 S. Ash St., Moses Lake. Info: www.watrust.com/shred.
B Street Block Party
Music, dancing and community under the stars. Live music by The Wicked Pickles. 5:30-10 p.m. on B Street in downtown Quincy. Info: 509-787-2140 or quincyvalley.org.
Sept. 12
Care Fair
Local nonprofits and service organizations ready to show what they’re all about and ways to give back to the community. 8 a.m.-1 p.m. at McCosh Park, 567 S Dogwood St, Moses Lake. Info: caremoseslake.com.
Farmer Consumer Awareness Day
Farmer Consumer Awareness Day is a day for farmers to show how food is produced, and for consumers to learn. The festival includes a parade, farm equipment display, quilt show, vendors, tours, fun run, car show and more. 9 a.m. at Quincy Middle School, 16 Sixth Ave. SE, Quincy. Info: www.quincyfcad.org.
Hartline Days
Parade, fun run, games, live auction, vendors and more. Proceeds go to local scholarships. Fun run starts at 8 a.m., parade 10:30 a.m., auction 1 p.m. at Hartline Community Park. Info: 509-641-0323.
Sip & Stroll
Visit local businesses and sample wines, beers, ciders and spirits made locally and regionally. 10 a.m. in downtown Moses Lake. Info: downtowmmoseslake.org.
Sept. 15
Moses Lake National Night Out
Meet the people who keep the community safe. Free hot dogs, games, dunk tank and more. 6 p.m. at Sinkiuse Square. Info: 509-764-3887.
Ephrata National Night Out
Join Ephrata Police and other first responder agencies for a party in the park. Free hot dogs as well as emergency vehicles to check out, games and informational booths. 6 p.m. at Lions Park, 536 Parkway Blvd. Info: 509-754-2491.
Sept. 16
Create & Cackle
Join fellow artists, makers and creatives to hang out and finish that project you’ve been working on. 6 p.m. at The Main Event, 116 W. Main Ave., Ritzville. Info: 843-323-2218.
Sept. 17-20
Deutschesfest
Beer garden, live music and more in downtown Odessa. Info: www.deutschesfest.net.
Sept. 19
Autism Community Day
Community celebration focused on inclusion, connection, acceptance, and family fun. Bounce house, corn dogs, coffee, games and resources for autism families and others. 10 a.m.-2 p.m. at Grant County Courthouse, 35 S Ct. SW, Ephrata.
Walk to End Alzheimer’s
Fundraiser to support research into Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias. Registration 9 a.m., flower ceremony 10 a.m., walk begins 10:30 a.m. at McCosh Park, Moses Lake. Info: https://bit.ly/ALZWLK25.
This weekend at the movies:
Fairchild Cinemas: Buddy (R); By Any Means (R); Cars: 20th Anniversary (G); Coyote vs. Acme (PG); Insidious: Out of the Further (PG-13); Practical Magic 2 (PG-13); Runner (PG-13); Spider-Man: Brand New Day (PG-13); The Fix (R); Uprising (R). See www.fairchildcinemas.com for show times.
The Showhouse: Practical Magic 2 (PG-13).. See othelloshowhouse.com for show times.
Ritz Theater: The End of Oak Street (PG-13). 7 p.m. Friday, and Saturday, 3 p.m. Sunday. See www.facebook.com/RitzvilleRitz for updates.
Quincy will pull out the stops at Farmer Consumer Awareness Day Saturday.
Both Quincy and Moses Lake will hold their National Night Out events Tuesday. The events were postponed in August due to smoky skies.ARTICLES BY JOEL MARTIN
Endless battle
Noxious Weed Control Board works to keep invasive plants under control
MOSES LAKE — Some of the nastiest plants in Grant County were the topic of a class led by Jay Johnson, a consultant with the Grant County Noxious Weed Control Board, Tuesday. The Noxious Weed Control Board, as its name would suggest, is tasked with keeping weeds under control in Grant County. That’s not a small job; the board’s website lists 129 species of noxious weeds that are found around Grant County. A noxious weed is defined as an invasive, non-native plant that threatens agricultural crops, local ecosystems or fish and wildlife habitat, according to the Noxious Weed Control Board. Washington state law requires that these weeds be identified and their spread kept to a minimum, if not completely eradicated. “We’re one of those agencies a lot of people don’t really understand,” Johnson said. “We’re a county office and … our funding is tax-based assessment. When you get your tax bill and you look down at all the expenses that you pay for, there we are.”
BASIN EVENTS: Oct. 16-24
COLUMBIA BASIN — Whether you feel like shopping, crafting, learning or seeing a show, there’s something happening for you this week in the Basin. Oct. 16 ‘My Family (Mi Familia)’ screening Spanning three generations, “My Family (Mi Familia)” is a heartfelt drama that follows the Sánchez family as they build their lives in East Los Angeles. Through love, hardship, triumph, and sacrifice, the film explores the immigrant experience, the strength of family bonds, and the traditions that connect one generation to the next. Lowrider show and taco truck before the screening. Sponsored by Columbia Basin Allied Arts, EDUBS C/S and the Moses Lake Creative District. $12 per person. Doors open at 6 p.m., film begins at 7 p.m. at the Moses Lake Civic Center Auditorium, 401 S. Balsam St. Tickets and info: www.cba-arts.org.
Moses Lake author encourages women to look beyond church culture norms
MOSES LAKE — A Moses Lake author’s book, “A Christian Woman Striving to Live Her Faith in a Man-Controlled World,” takes aim at the role to which many churches relegate the female half of their congregations. “It’s to encourage women in the faith,” Linda Curran said. “A lot of churches say, ‘Teach Sunday school, do this, do that, but don’t (evangelize.)’" In her book, Curran recounts a time when she moved to a new community and joined a church there. She was surprised to learn that, as a new female member, she had been automatically assigned church cleaning duties. When she questioned it, she wrote, she was met with condescension and her objections were brushed aside. In other churches, she said, women who were capable of teaching were relegated to “women’s ministry.”