'Light Up Moses Lake' to feature reverse parade

MOSES LAKE — A new take on a Moses Lake tradition will be part of the “Light Up Moses Lake” celebration beginning Friday.

Moses Lake Chamber of Commerce President Debbie Doran-Martinez said “Light Up Moses Lake” was developed in response to the cancellation of the annual Ag Appreciation Parade and Christmas tree lighting ceremony. What kind of holiday event would be compatible with the restrictions and regulations imposed due to the COVID-19 outbreak?, she said organizers asked.

The answer was suggested by a Moses Lake merchant, she said, and was an adaptation of an event last summer.

“We kind of focused on the Senior Picnic, where we did what we called a reverse parade,” Doran-Martinez said.

Rather than lunch being served, seniors drove through and picked up lunch. So, instead of entries in the Ag Appreciation parade rolling down Third Avenue while the spectators stay put, the farm machinery will stand still while the spectators drive by.

The parade entries will be parked at the Grant County Fairgrounds. The drive-through times will be 5 to 7 p.m. Friday.

Sponsors of “Light Up Moses Lake” include the Columbia Basin Herald, Moses Lake Chamber of Commerce, Downtown Moses Lake Association, city of Moses Lake, Grant County Health District, Grant County Fairgrounds and KDRM. Donations will in turn be donated to Habitat for Humanity of Greater Moses Lake, Community Services of Moses Lake (the Moses Lake Food Bank) and Community & Family Services Foundation, which supports children in foster care.

While the coronavirus outbreak has discombobulated almost everything in 2020, businesses and homeowners are putting up Christmas decorations and lights. So, the organizers are sponsoring a Christmas lighting contest.

The fees will be donated to Habitat for Humanity of Moses Lake.

All entries will be included in a map available for downloading Thursday, and paper copies will be in Sinkiuse Square on Friday night. The Christmas lights map will be available throughout the month.

Along with the lighting contest and the reverse parade, organizers will sponsor a nonperishable food and toy drive Friday night. Donation locations will include Sinkiuse Square and the fairgrounds, and, prior to the event, at the Community and Family Services Foundation office, 209 S. Ash St., and the Columbia Basin Herald, 813 S. Third Ave.

The toys will be donated to the Community & Family Services Foundation, and distributed to foster families in Moses Lake. Toys must be new and unwrapped. The food donations will go to the Moses Lake Food Bank.

For more information or to register, visit moseslake.com.

Reporter Cheryl Schweizer can be reached via email at cschweizer@columbiabasinherald.com.