Spring Fest coming May 21-24

MOSES LAKE — Spring Fest just keeps on growing.

According to the city of Moses Lake’s cell phone-counting data, the city’s population more than doubled last year at McCosh Park over Memorial Day weekend.

“Fifty-four thousand people attended our venue last year,” said Spring Fest Committee member Lori Valdez. “And that’s not including kiddos who do not have a cell phone.”

Just about everything you could hope to find at a community festival is at Spring Fest. There’s a carnival. There’s a car show. There are lots and lots of food and crafts. There are athletic tournaments, fun contests, homegrown entertainment and free concerts from some well-known entertainers.

The fun starts Thursday, with a doughnut-eating contest sponsored by Corner St. Donuts and a lip sync battle sponsored by Trino Peña of Nest Realty. The theme for the lip sync is “Night at the Disco,” with classic music from the 1970s.

“Right now we have four contestants,” Valdez said. “It’s been a struggle trying to get people to sign up, but we’ll see how it goes.”

Friday, there’s a free concert with Ying Yang Twins, followed by Ginuwine.

The Ying Yang Twins had a string of hip-hop hits in the 2000s, including “Salt Shaker,” “Wait (The Whisper Song),” “Shake,” and “Badd,” according to promoter Groove Entertainment. R&B singer Ginuwine started out in the early 1990s with the Swing Mob, then went solo in 1996 with hits like “Pony” and “Differences,” and now performs as part of the trio TGT, according to AAE Music.

Saturday is traditionally chock-full of homegrown entertainment, with local dance troupes, musicians and exhibitions. AIM Gymnastics starts off the show at a10 a.m., and the stage alternates between local acts until the Moonlight Parade at 8:30 p.m. The evening will finish with a free concert by local band Foolish Fortune.

Also starting Saturday are a number of athletic competitions, including the 3-on-3 basketball tournament, the Spring Spike volleyball tournament and an early-morning 5K/10K fun run. The basketball tournament, which generally fields more than 100 teams, will carry over to Sunday. There will also be a bean bag toss tournament Sunday.

Sunday’s entertainment lineup isn’t nearly so extensive, but there will be two more free concerts, from country musicians Chase Matthew and Hunter Hayes.

Matthew is known for hits “Darlin’” and “Love You Again,” according to his website, and is a member of the Grant Ole Opry in Nashville, Tennessee. He’s released three studio albums.

“He has four hit songs on the radio right now,” Valdez said.

Singer-songwriter Hayes has been nominated for five Grammy awards, according to his website, and plays more than 30 instruments.

Off the stage, there’s a whole lot going on. The Moses Lake Farmers Market will be downtown on Saturday, and the carnival will be set up at Lions Field across from the park all four days.

The car show will have a little more elbow – or fender – room this year, Valdez said. The committee received permission from the city to close Third Avenue from Beech to Dogwood Street, except for the block with the post office, she said.

“We’ve got a little bit more real estate,” Valdez said. “Our car show always runs out of room and has to turn people away, so we’re gaining two more blocks that we can put cars on.”

The food offerings are also moving a little beyond the park, she said. There will be some set up at Ahlers Park across from Frontier Middle School, but the food trucks will be about a block away in the parking lot at Third Avenue and Cedar Street.

The sheer size of Spring Fest has a few drawbacks, Valdez said. The park can become crowded; hotels are booked solid well before Memorial Day weekend and parking can be difficult to come by near McCosh Park. But organizers have no wish to move it to a larger venue, she said.

“We really want to keep it a community event, to draw in tourism and help our community,” Valdez said. “It’s a kickoff for your summer, and we love the venue at the park. Where else can you have a venue that’s on the lake? The ambiance there is amazing.”

More information about Spring Fest, including a complete schedule, can be found at www.springfestinmoseslake.com.

An earlier version of this story gave the Farmers Market's location incorrectly. It has been corrected above.

    The Moses Lake High School cheerleaders march in the Moonlight Parade at last year’s Spring Fest.
  

    A vintage Chevy glints in the sun at last year’s Spring Festival Car Show. This year’s show will be even larger, with two more blocks of Third Avenue devoted to it.