UMANI brings music, dance and more Sept. 26
JOEL MARTIN | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 35 minutes AGO
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 16, 2026 3:00 AM
MOSES LAKE — There are some great performances coming up at the UMANI festival next week, Columbia Basin Allied Arts Director Shawn Cardwell said.
“We have CeAtl Tonalli coming back for our opening ceremony,” Cardwell said. “We’re closing the night with Bishop Snow. He’s a performer out of the San Diego area who’s really well-known in the lowrider community. He’s sort of our headliner.”
Snow is a rapper, according to a social media post from CBAA, blending old-school West Coast influences with modern hip-hop. CeAtl Tonalli, which has performed at UMANI in the past, is a Seattle-based troupe that demonstrates authentic Aztec dance and traditions. Another regular guest at UMANI, Mariachi Huenachi, carries with it the Mexican mariachi tradition.
UMANI, now in its fifth year, celebrates the various Hispanic heritages found in the Columbia Basin. While many of the performers represent facets of Mexican heritage, others will cast a wider cultural net. Hijos de Agüeybaná brings Bomba music, an Afro-Caribbean tradition from Puerto Rico, according to their promotional materials. Another returning act, Hermanos de los Andes, plays South American folk music with authentic traditional instruments.
“Not only do they perform (with) traditional flutes and drums and other instruments from that area, but they bring a huge (group) of dancers that wear the most incredible and jaw-dropping clothing,” Cardwell said.
Hermanos de los Andes will also lead a workshop on traditional Native American instruments, Cardwell said. Other workshops, in both English and Spanish, will focus on poetry, photography and videography, she said.
As in the past, Third Avenue will be lined with lowrider cars. Paul Carney, owner of E-DUBS C/S and one of the event sponsors, has been tirelessly promoting the show to lowrider organizations nationwide, Cardwell said.
New this year will be a quinceañera parade downtown, in which any girl who celebrated her quinceañera in the last year is invited to ride. Past UMANI festivals have included Mexican luchador wrestling, but that’s on hiatus this year, Cardwell said.
The festival’s name derives from both the English “humanity” and Spanish “humanidad.”
“It’s the heart of both those (words),” Cardwell said. “The heart is the same whether it’s in English or Spanish. The idea was to create a name that wasn’t owned by any language or any person. It’s an all-new space, an all-new word where people can some together and celebrate each other and the community as a whole.”
UMANI
11 a.m.-6 p.m. Sept. 26
Sinkiuse Square
Moses Lake
Moses Lake’s UMANI festival Sept. 26 will feature art, music, food and a lowrider car show.ARTICLES BY JOEL MARTIN
UMANI brings music, dance and more Sept. 26
MOSES LAKE — There are some great performances coming up at the UMANI festival next week, Columbia Basin Allied Arts Director Shawn Cardwell said. “We have CeAtl Tonalli coming back for our opening ceremony,” Cardwell said. “We’re closing the night with Bishop Snow. He’s a performer out of the San Diego area who’s really well-known in the lowrider community. He’s sort of our headliner.” Snow is a rapper of Black and Mexican ancestry, according to a social media post from CBAA, blending old-school West Coast influences with modern hip-hop. CeAtl Tonalli, which has performed at UMANI in the past, is a Seattle-based troupe that demonstrates authentic Aztec dance and traditions. Another regular guest at UMANI, Mariachi Huenachi, carries with it the Mexican mariachi tradition.
BASIN EVENTS Sept. 11-19 2026
COLUMBIA BASIN — Wherever you are in the Columbia Basin, there’s probably something fun happening near you. Here are a few possibilities.
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.