Drinking beer to fight cancer
Richard Byrd/Columbia Basin Herald A good time was had by all who attended Craft Out Cancer in Moses Lake on Saturday.
Richard Byrd/Columbia Basin Herald Local and regional breweries had the chance to showcase their beer at Craft Out Cancer.
Richard Byrd/Columbia Basin Herald Singer Jamie Nasario, with a wall of beer kegs at her back, hits a high note during Craft Out Cancer on Saturday.
MOSES LAKE — You wouldn’t necessarily think fighting cancer and sampling some of the finest craft brews around would go together, but at Craft Out Cancer in Moses Lake on Saturday there was no better combination to be found.
The event, which was sponsored by the Columbia Basin Cancer Foundation and Ten Pin Brewing, featured beer samplings from eight breweries across the region, field games, a dunk tank, raffles, live music by Jamie Nasario and Luke Basile, Jimmy Lester with Thief of Hearts, and Dimestore Prophets, and food from Tacos el Rey. The proceeds from the event go directly to the cancer foundation to ensure the many different services they provide to local cancer patients continues.
“We sponsor cancer patients in Adams and Grant counties,” Columbia Basin Cancer Foundation Executive Director Angel Ledesma explained.
Some of the services the foundation provides include free busing for cancer patients through the People For People Health Express Shuttle, which takes patients from the Moses Lake Clinic to Wenatchee, gas vouchers, monthly support groups, wigs and head coverings, educational materials and financial assistance with nutritional supplements for cancer patients.
“What the money will go to is our services. We offer a lot of services. We have a food program, we give away over $5,000 in gas cards, we have a support group and it just provides money for all of our services for our cancer clients,” Ledesma stated.
Ledesma said the idea for Craft Out Cancer was hatched when B.J. Garbe and Sam Russell, both of whom are with Ten Pin Brewing, got on board with the idea. The end result was a fun-filled afternoon out on the lawn near Ten Pin’s brewery with final counts showing over 400 people coming throughout the afternoon and into the evening on Saturday.
Saturday’s event was the first ever. Organizers are adamant that the event will return again to further help the organization’s efforts.
Richard Byrd can be reached via email at city@columbiabasinherald.com.