Festival being planned for pigging out in Moses Lake

Promoter hopes to set July festival in McCosh Park

MOSES LAKE — A free four-day festival planned for next July should have everything to bring 20,000 people to the city's McCosh Park, its organizer said.

Still in early stages, festival organizers plan to bring live entertainment and food booths to the park in a similar vein to Spokane's "Pig Out in the Park."

Organizer and promoter Bill Burke, of Burke Marketing and Promotion, has hopes to bring a Grant County flavored event to the park.

"I don't want to duplicate what's already there," Burke said, "I'd like to find an event that's brand new."

The event wouldn't be the first for Burke in Grant County, who has been promoting the Moses Lake Summer Concert Series for 15 years. Next year, he has hopes the festival will run alongside one of the McCosh Park concerts, while also bringing in additional live entertainment and food and arts and crafts merchants.

"It seemed like the logical next step with what my relationship with Grant County could be," Burke said of the event.

His plan received praise from the Moses Lake City Council last month, whose members unanimously approved Burke to put on the festival in McCosh Park from July 20-23, 2006.

Burke has said the entertainment would include a few regional musical acts and at least one national act. Included as well would be a highlighting of local artist booths. A winery and brewfest are also in the works for the event.

Burke is currently meeting with potential participants, and local health and government officials to create an event he said could be a successful draw for the whole family. A name for the event will likely be determined in the next month.

Moses Lake Parks and Recreation Director Spencer Grigg has worked with Burke's agency on the summer concert series. Grigg is also chairman of the Grant County Tourism Commission, a commission that has budgeted to help promote the festival in Grant County.

"Having attended the restaurant fair in Spokane many times," Grigg said, "I think there's huge potential here."

Burke has said the event would be designed to complement others throughout the summer in Grant County, only adding another event to the calendar. Grigg, too, said that such a festival would work well, while not detracting from other events around the Basin. The more events happening in Grant County, Grigg said, would mean more events for the people in the area to enjoy.

"If there's an individual who can make it happen here," Grigg said, "he is that individual."

Burke said the fact that attendance at the Grant County Fair has been as high as 70,000 means that filling McCosh Park with 20,000 people over four days is a realistic target.

"I'd like to think we could produce an event that brings in 15,000 to 20,000 over a four-day run," Burke said.

The draw is one Burke said could create tourism prosperity and be a boon for the county's retail trade.

Moses Lake Business Association Executive Director Sally Goodwin said downtown merchants would have to see a draw from thousands of visitors for such an event. Having brought Burke to town to speak in the past, Goodwin said Burke has the skills to draw the people and make such an event a good experience.

"It's something we can definitely use," Goodwin said, "it's something we definitely need in Moses Lake."

Jacie Daschel agreed. As chairperson of Vision 2020 and president of the Moses Lake Chamber of Commerce, Daschel said the event is just the kind the area needs to bring out locals and tourists alike. She said bringing people from western Washington for food and music could be the kind of event that tourism and development speakers have been encouraging the community to do.

"I think it will be a drawing tool, and that's what we need," Daschel said.