Jam-packed weekend at Spring Festival

MOSES LAKE - A full schedule of events, from a car show to basketball to the opening of Surf 'n Slide water park, is scheduled for Memorial Day weekend during the annual Spring Festival.

Activities begin on Thursday afternoon, with the Haworth Family Shows carnival opening at 4 p.m. The carnival will open at 1 p.m. Friday and 11 a.m. Saturday and Sunday. Food and craft booths are open from 4 to 9 p.m. Thursday and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

An adult beverage garden also opens Thursday, from 4 to 9 p.m. It's open from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday.

Friday features local and professional entertainment, with performances by the Moses Lake choir and band at 10 a.m. in the Centennial Amphitheater in McCosh Park, 401 W Fourth Ave. Dancers, "rock and roll cloggers," a choir, classic rock bands and a salute to the U.S. Armed Forces are among the other acts performing Friday.

The Surf 'n Slide water park opens from 4 to 8 p.m. with a special session for season pass holders only. Swimmers will not be admitted without photo identification.

The Spring Festival Car Show gets underway Friday night, with a poker run and cruise around town. Car owners are asked to meet at 6:30 p.m. in the parking lot at Moses Lake High School, 803 E Sharon Ave. Cruisers take to the roads around Moses Lake until 9 p.m. when cars and owners reassemble in the parking lot at the Moses Lake Dairy Queen, 1117 S Pioneer Way. Cruisers must be 18 years of age to participate in the poker run.

The annual 3-on-3 basketball tournament begins Friday night, with games from 4 to 8 p.m. Children's divisions begin with third grade, and there are four adult divisions. Each team plays a minimum of four games.

Friday winds up with the 32nd Annual Lip-Sync contest at 7 p.m. at the Centennial Amphitheater. The contest will feature music of the 1980s and 1990s. That's followed by a new event, a family-oriented dance, beginning at 8:30 p.m. at the tennis courts in McCosh Park. Lake City Blues is the featured act.

Saturday's events begin with the five-kilometer fun run and walk and 10-kilometer run, which begin at 8 a.m. in McCosh Park. Participants are split into age groups, beginning with 6 years of age and younger and continuing up to 70 years of age and older. There are also divisions for people pushing strollers and for people over certain weight limits. Awards will be announced at about 10 a.m. The course closes at 10:30 a.m.

The official car show gets underway at 8 a.m., with participants parking their rides along Third Avenue starting at Gumwood at 8 a.m.. Cars will be on display until 3 p.m., with awards announced at about 2:30 p.m. All proceeds from the show are donated to the Moses Lake Food Bank or the automotive scholarship program at Big Bend Community College.

Activities begin at McCosh Park at 11 a.m.; acts include gymnastics, magicians and musical acts.

The 3-on-3 basketball tournament continues from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., with awards following the last game.

The Farmer's Market moves to Third Avenue for Spring Festival; vendors will set up at the clock tower intersection, with the market running from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The water park will be open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, and 4 to 8 p.m. Monday, Memorial Day.

Saturday winds up with the children's parade at 6 p.m. and the Grand Moonlight Parade at 8:30 p.m.

Children's parade participants line up at 5:30 p.m. at Sinkiuse Square. The parade route continues down Ash St., over to Fourth St., down Dogwood St. to Third St. and back to the fountain.

The grand parade lineup starts at Ivy Street, and participants parade down Fourth Avenue to its intersection with Pioneer Way (popularly known as the five corners); the route loops down Third Avenue, back to Ivy Street

Festival director Teri McCurry said there are good viewing spots all along the route, but Fourth Avenue usually has a little more room. "Anywhere on Third Avenue is absolutely packed," she said.

Activities in McCosh Park begin at 1 p.m., with musical acts from 1 to 5 p.m. A free showing of the movie "Puss In Boots" begins at dusk in the amphitheater.

The weekend winds up with the annual triathlon-duathlon Monday, beginning at 8 a.m. at Montlake Park, bordering Interstate 90. Triathletes start with a quarter-mile swim, followed by a 10-mile bike ride and a 3.1-mile run. The biathlon course includes a 10-mile bike ride and a 3.1-mile run.

Age groups start with 19 years of age and under, and go to 70 years of age and older.

People who want more information about any festival activities can go to the event website, moseslakespringfestival.com, or contact event director Teri McCurry, 509-361-9779.