Spring festival kicks off Thursday
Workers were making progress on assembling rides for the upcoming Moses Lake Spring Festival Tuesday near McCosh Park. The event starts Thursday and ends Sunday.
MOSES LAKE - The 31st annual Moses Lake Spring Festival kicks off Thursday at McCosh Park.
The festival, which runs May 26-29, features something for everyone, including a carnival, basketball tournament, car show, live music, parades and food and commercial vendors.
"It's a bigger and better festival," said Teri McCurry, festival president.
Pre-sale carnival tickets are available for $25 at the Moses Lake Chamber of Commerce, T.E.A.M., Cobblestone Corner, Sterling Savings Bank and American West Bank. The carnival opens 4 p.m. Thursday. Thursday is also "buddy night," so two people ride for the price of one.
Music group Vocal Trash will perform twice at the festival: 6 p.m. Friday and 2 p.m. Saturday at the Centennial Amphitheater in McCosh Park.
"They're almost like Stomp. They have a huge following," said McCurry. The Texas group uses car parts, trash cans, lids, water bottles, barrels, pots, pans, buckets and brooms as musical instruments in a stage show that includes a cappella harmonies and break-dancing. People as far away as Seattle and Tri-Cities have called to say they're coming to see the group in Moses Lake, said McCurry.
Other music and dance groups will perform throughout the weekend. Magician Jeff Evans will perform Saturday.
The festival also features familiar events, such as the lip sync contest, which draws a lot of people, said McCurry. This year's lip sync contest showcases music from the 1960s. First prize is $300, second prize is $150 and third prize is $75.
Another popular event, the three-on-three basketball tournament, has grown so much that 25 teams had to be turned away this year, said McCurry.
The Kiddie Parade is held at 6 p.m. Saturday. Participating children meet at Sinkiuse Square at 5:30 p.m.
Saturday's Grand Moonlight Parade features around 14 to 16 floats, McCurry said.
Thousands of dollars were spent this year on the festival's float for the parade. The theme is "God bless the USA," and the float is a tribute to the military. The Moses Lake royalty of the Distinguished Young Women program will ride on the float this year, she said.
Moses Lake Mayor Jon Lane will march as the Grand Marshall in the parade.
The festival is May 26-29 at McCosh Park. For more information, call 509-361-9779, e-mail info@mlspringfest.com or visit www.moseslakespringfestival.com