State Grange convention held in Moses Lake

Reed, Brewer amongst 118th annual convention's speakers

GRANT COUNTY — For the first time, the Washington State Grange is holding its annual convention in Moses Lake.

Grange Communica-tions Director Dan Hammock explained the event, taking place in Building 16 at the Grant County Fairgrounds Wednesday through Saturday, is the time organization members gather to discuss and vote upon policy.

The convention is the organization's 118th annual event.

The event also includes state contests, arts and crafts, talent contests, entertainment and youth and junior programs.

Grange delegates voted several years ago to hold the convention regionally, Hammock said, so two conventions are held on the east side of the state, and then two held on the west side of the state. Next year's convention meets in Colville.

Hammock estimated between 400 to 700 people will be in attendance at the event, between delegates and members of the public.

Displays are free and open to the public Thursday evening through Saturday morning and the talent program, also open to the public, starts Friday at 7:30 p.m. The State Grange session is open to the public Thursday beginning at 1:30 p.m. and all day Friday.

Grant County Economic Development Council Executive Director Terry Brewer is scheduled to be amongst the speakers at the event, which include Washington Secretary of State Sam Reed Friday at 11 a.m. and John Brock of the Ruckelshaus Center, who speaks Thursday at 11 a.m. about minimizing the impact of critical areas' ordinances on agricultural land.

Brewer said he is scheduled to speak Thursday at 2 p.m.

"We were asked, and I don't ever turn anybody down, at least not yet," Brewer said. "They described it as a statewide attendance, and they would have people there from counties around the state who may be interested not only in what's going on in Grant County and Moses Lake, but what we did to help bring this about. So we're always happy to talk to people about not only what we're doing, but how we do it."

Brewer hopes others may be able to benefit from the council's knowledge and experiences.

"We exist because we have good members who support us, investors who fund our organization," he said. "The more people who know about what we do, what an organization like ours is capable of doing with financial support, maybe they'll go home and talk among their peer group, friends and business associates and write a check to their local economic development agency, who they may not have supported in the past."

Brewer said having the convention take place in Grant County gives a chance to highlight local success stories.

"Things related to ag and food processing, certainly, but all the other good things which are going on in our community for the good of our economy," he said. "We're certainly outside the norm for a rural county. It's maybe not something some of them are very familiar with, because they don't get a newspaper which covers us or a TV station. Having a chance to show off what's going on here, what we're all about, I think is a great opportunity for the community."

"We're pretty familiar with what the county has done to attract the Yahoo!s and people like that," Hammock said. "By wiring the whole county with fiber optics, high speed, they're really ahead of the game as far as that kind of thinking, so we wanted (Brewer) to speak. We have members all over the state and maybe (he can) give them some ideas on how they can build up the economy of their own counties."