Spring Fest kicks off Thursday

MOSES LAKE - From a carnival, concerts and parade, the Moses Lake Spring Festival beginning Thursday offers entertainment for all.

Memorial weekend activities kick of at 4 p.m. Thursday with the Haworth Family Shows carnival at Frontier Middle School. Food and craft booths will also open from 4 to 9 p.m. Thursday and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

The beer garden also opens at 4 p.m. Thursday and will be from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday.

Friday's list of entertainment includes performances by the Moses Lake choir and band at 9:30 a.m. at the Centennial Amphitheater in McCosh Park located at 401 W. Fourth Ave. A dancing performance, music by the Bloodline Band, and a salute to the U.S. Armed Forces are among the other acts Friday.

The Surf n' Slide Water Park opens from 4 to 8 p.m. Friday with a special session for season pass holders only.

The Spring Festival Car Show gets underway Friday night with a poker run and drive through town. Car owners are asked to meet at 6:30 p.m. in the parking lot at Moses Lake High School on 803 E. Sharon Ave.

The annual 3-on-3 basketball tournament begins Friday night with games from 4 to 8 p.m. and continue all day Saturday.

Friday entertainment concludes with a lip-sync contest, with music from the disco era, at 7 p.m. The winner of the competition will win $400.

A 5-kilometer fun run and walk and a 10 kilometer run will kick off Saturday's events beginning at 8 a.m. at McCosh Park, finishing at the water park. An awards ceremony will be held following the race at 10 a.m.

The official car show begins at 8 a.m. Saturday, with classic cars parked along Third Avenue starting at Gumwood Street downtown. Cars will be on display until 3 p.m.

Activities at McCosh Park begin at 11 a.m. and include performances from Cowboy Buck and Elizabeth, A.I.M.. Gymnastics and the Lake City Blues.

Saturday's festivities conclude with the Grand Moonlight Parade, which will follow an opposite route than previous years. The parade begins at 8:30 from Frontier Middle School, down Third Avenue and makes its way back to Fourth Avenue and Dogwood Street.

The theme this year is "Salute to Homegrown Heros," and will feature a float called "Because of the Brave," which was a crowd favorite at The Spokane Lilac Festival this year. The float was designed by Toby Black, the parade chairman.

"I wanted something that our community could be happy with," Black said. "I just wanted it to go along with our parade theme this year."

The float won the third place Grand Marshal award in Spokane.

Sunday's events, beginning at 1 p.m., will feature musical acts until 5 p.m. followed by a free showing of the movie "Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted" at 8 p.m. at the amphitheater.

The festival concludes Monday with the triathlon and duathlon at 8 a.m. at Montlake Park along Interstate 90. Triathletes begin with a quarter-mile swim, followed by a 10-mile bike ride and a 3.1-mile run. The duathlon course includes a 10-mile bike ride and 3.1-mile run.

For more information on the Spring Festival, go to www.moseslakespringfestival.com.