Biggest Spring Fest yet comes off without a hitch

MOSES LAKE — Sometimes, everything just comes together. This year’s Moses Lake Spring Fest was one of those times. 

“This is the smoothest event we’ve had since I’ve been a part of it,” said Board President Sean Sallis. “Everything just seemed to be clicking on all cylinders. It got kind of crazy, but the flow was great, from the parade to the 3-on-3 (basketball tournament) to the fun run.” 

Actual attendance counts aren’t in yet, but most of the registered events had record numbers of participants, according to Board Member Lori Valdez. The fun run that kicked off Saturday morning drew 585 participants, she said. The LakeSiders Car Club Car Show had 180 entries and there were 126 teams for the 3-on-3 tournament. 

The entertainment went well too, Sallis said. Friday evening had concerts from 1990s alt-rock bands Eve 6 and Spin Doctors. On Saturday night local band Dimestore Prophets performed, and Sunday featured rappers Chingy and Bow Wow. All the concerts were free, and all were well attended. 

“The (Centennial Amphitheater) was packed,” Sallis said. “During Bow Wow, it was raining, and people kept coming in. They were standing there getting wet watching this concert. It’s one of those core memories that people are going to have their whole lives.” 

This was the first year that the volleyball tournament has been a part of the festival, and it’s off to a good start, Valdez said.  

“We had 12 teams for volleyball,” she said. “We’re hoping to double that for next year.” 

The lip-sync contest wasn’t quite so filled, Valdez said. There were six entries, three in each age category. 

“So, everyone was a winner,” she said. 

Because the festival is growing so quickly and there are only so many board members, Valdez said, events like the volleyball tournament and the lip-sync contest only happen if someone comes forward and volunteers to organize them. The organizers would like to bring back bed races next year, or maybe remote-controlled car races or pickleball, she said, but only if a business or an individual steps up to run them.  

“We’re already tapped out,” she said. “We would love to bring more things, but we just can’t handle any more than what we’ve got going.” 

There were more than 100 food and commercial vendors, Valdez said, so many that some had to go on a waiting list. 

“(It’s) the most I ever have had,” she said. “We ran food and commercial all the way down to the covered picnic area. We’ve never done that before. We had to get a generator from Pro Rentals, because we have no electricity down there.” 

All the work paid off, Sallis said, in the form of feedback from the community. 

“The people that run it, we’re the ones who see all the little hiccups or things that could be better, but I heard no complaints,” he said. “We received a record number of thank-yous on all sides. One of the board members got stopped in Safeway by someone thanking him for everything that we did.” 

    Bass player Jack Daley, left, and singer Chris Barron of Spin Doctors perform at the Moses Lake Spring Festival Friday.
  

    Eve 6 lead singer Max Collins performs at a free concert at Moses Lake Spring Fest Friday.
  

    Budding artists have Third Avenue for their canvas during the Spring festival Saturday.