JOEL MARTIN

Cowgirl up!

Five-year-old Harper Cary rides an inflatable bull in the Pee Wee Stampede at the Cowboy Breakfast Friday morning. Harper was later named Little Miss Moses Lake Roundup by the judges.

Sister city students ready for fair week

Students with the Moses Lake- Yonezawa Sister City Exchange shared a taste of America at the Cowboy Breakfast Friday morning at Sinkiuse Square. From left: Emmanuel Lopez-Zepeda, Shiori Ishizawa, Sayo Hiraga, Keziah Roman-Panlaqui, Yonezawa chaperon Treat Schubert, Moses Lake chaperon Amador Castro, Noa Goto and Ethan Ramsey.

National Night Out comes to Moses Lake

MOSES LAKE — The bells, lights, sirens and hoses were all on display Tuesday at Moses Lake’s National Night Out at McCosh Park, and about 2,500 people were there to see them, according to Moses Lake Police Sgt. Jeff Sursely.

Crystal clear

Fairygenix offers unique treasures for the home

MOSES LAKE — Sometimes, a business starts just because a hobbyist has too much of a good thing.

A quiet space

Boys & Girls Club opens Mental Health Quiet Room

MOSES LAKE — The Boys & Girls Clubs of the Columbia Basin cut the ribbon Tuesday on the new Mental Health Quiet Room at the McGraw Clubhouse, and it’s much needed, said Executive Director Kim Pope.

‘We’re human too’

Quincy National Night Out connects law enforcement with the community

QUINCY — The kids who came to Lauzier Park Monday evening for National Night Out knew what they wanted. “Mostly candy. They come up, they take the shots and run over for stuff,” said Tom Richardson, who was manning the Quincy Valley Medical Center booth. QVMC had set up a beanbag toss painted like a giant game of “Operation,” and youngsters who made a shot could take a treat. “They enjoy it. One year we had a kid who just kept looping through over and over just to keep playing.”

Missoula Children’s Theater to stage ‘The Wizard of Oz’ Friday and Saturday

OTHELLO — Missoula Children’s Theatre will present “The Wizard of Oz” Friday and Saturday at Bailie Memorial Youth Ranch, starring 64 local children from Adams and Franklin counties.

BRAND new thing

MOSES LAKE - Moses Lake Roundup Committee Member Buck Naff, left, burns a brand into a barrel of the rodeo’s new signature whiskey, Spurstride Wheated Bourbon, at the Loading Chute at the rodeo grounds Tuesday, accompanied by fellow Committee member Joe Ketterer and state Rep. Tom Dent, R-Moses Lake. Spurstride, distilled especially for the Moses Lake Roundup by Moses Lake Distillery, was served to the public for the first time at the Moses Lake Chamber of Commerce’s Business After Hours following the branding.

Miniature therapy horse visits Brookdale Hearthstone

MOSES LAKE — Of all the things residents at Brookdale Hearthstone Moses Lake expected to find in the halls of the assisted living facility, a horse wasn’t one of them.

Bulls, broncs and biscuits

Cowboy Breakfast kicks off fair week Friday

MOSES LAKE — The Grant County Fair is a big deal in Grant County, and it’s only fitting that it should have a proper introduction. That happens the Friday before the fair, which this year is Aug. 9. The breakfast, hosted by the Kiwanis Club of Moses Lake, will be from 7 to 10 a.m. at Sinkiuse Square next to the post office. “A lot of people who work in Moses Lake come and eat before they go to work,” said Dayna Dent, who’s coordinated the breakfast for the Kiwanis for the last three years.

Spirit of the rodeo

Moses Lake Roundup to unveil signature whiskey

MOSES LAKE — The Moses Lake Roundup Rodeo and Moses Lake Distillery will debut Spurstride, the rodeo’s official signature whiskey, tomorrow at Business After Hours at the Grant County Fairgrounds.

OMSI Science Festival coming to Othello

OTHELLO — The Othello Public Library will get a visit from the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry Aug. 19.

‘Extremely blessed’

Twin home-based businesses expand quickly

OTHELLO — Thirteen months ago, Kip and Ilene Burns cut the ribbon on a trailer containing their two home improvement businesses, Blinds for Any Budget and B&B Overhead Door Specialists. Today, they’re all over the map.

Making connections

National Night Out brings cops and community together

COLUMBIA BASIN — For some people, the only time they interact with the local police is when they’re asked for their license and registration. Several law enforcement agencies are out to change that next week at National Night Out, when law enforcement and other first responders take the opportunity to mingle with the public they serve at an outdoor celebration.

Wildfire Safety Day at Moses Lake Museum Saturday

MOSES LAKE — The Moses Lake Museum & Art Center will host Wildfire Safety Day Saturday as part of its ongoing Free Family Saturday series. The event is in conjunction with Washington State University’s Wildfire Perspectives Team.

Battle buddies

American Legion to hold auction to help vets find service dogs

EPHRATA — Sometimes, when Johnny comes marching home again, the war marches along with him. Thousands of American veterans commit suicide every year, according to the Veterans Administration, and countless more go on living with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. American Legion Post 28 in Ephrata wants to decrease that count one dog at a time.

Powell Brothers to perform in Moses Lake Aug. 9

MOSES LAKE — The Powell Brothers will take the stage at the Centennial Amphitheater at McCosh Park Aug. 9. as part of Moses Lake’s Summer Concert Series. The brothers, Taylor Powell and his younger brother Blake, are usually classified as a country act, but exactly what that means can vary from show to show, said their manager Chad Tolar. “They’re musically ADD, to tell you the truth,” Tolar said. “If you look at their YouTube and go down that rabbit hole, you’ll see outlaw country, you’ll see traditional modern, contemporary country, you’ll see blues, you’ll see Southern rock, you’ll see covers of The Weeknd. It’s an American country vibe that fits somewhere between Tom Petty and Vince Gill.”

OneD site manager took a roundabout path

MOSES LAKE — Nick Kamerath didn’t set out to run a high-tech chemical plant, but here he is. “If you were a high-performing academic student … (you were expected to be) either a doctor or lawyer and I didn't really necessarily want to be either,” he said. “I got out of high school and started doing general studies, kind of eliminating things like ‘Well, I don't want to do that, don't want to do that.’ And as I wrapped up my associate’s in general studies, it kind of narrowed down to chemical engineering. I was riding the bus to Weber State University, and the bus the other direction went to the University of Utah. So I just switched sides of the street to go the other way.”

'Venue' cuts the ribbon

MOSES LAKE – Venue Magazine owner Shawn Cardwell cuts the ceremonial ribbon on the first edition of the revived magazine Thursday. Cardwell recently purchased Venue, which had been on hiatus for five years, from founder Melea Johnson.

Jehovah’s Witnesses to gather in Tri-Cities

KENNEWICK — The 2024 convention of Jehovah’s Witnesses will be held at Toyota Center in Kennewick the weekends of Aug. 23-25 and Aug. 30-Sept. 1, according to an announcement from Jehovah’s Witnesses.

Make beautiful art at the Old Hotel this month

OTHELLO — There are lots of chances coming up to try your hand at art at the Old Hotel Art Gallery in Othello. “Our art classes are something that the Old Hotel has done for a very long time,” said gallery Director Samantha Copas. “I took classes here when I was a kid, and it kind of died off for a little bit … Then I got hired as the director last June, and that was something that I really wanted to bring back, turn it back into an Othello tradition.” The classes are planned now through mid-August, Copas said. Most of them are for all ages, and parents have the option to stay with their kids or not. Participants are encouraged to wear clothes they don’t mind getting stained, as good art is prone to be messy.

Home inventory up more than a third in the Evergreen State

MOSES LAKE — There are a lot more homes available in Washington state than there were a year ago, according to data released in July by the Northwest Multiple Listing Service.

Futsal courts coming to Moses Lake

MOSES LAKE — The Harrison K. Dano Park next to the Boys & Girls Club McGraw Clubhouse in Moses Lake is getting an addition, thanks to the city, the Seattle Sounders and a former Moses Lake resident.

CBCCA announces a varied concert season

MOSES LAKE — The Central Basin Community Concert Association is urging people who love music to get their season tickets early, according to an announcement from the association. “The best way to see all the shows is by purchasing a season membership,” the CBCCA wrote in the announcement. “We’ve announced our 2024-25 season and are excited for the music coming to the Basin.” The first performer for the season will be Kate Voss and the Hot Sauce. Voss got her start playing piano in clubs in Seattle with a variety of bands, according to her official biography. She studied jazz, but found her interests were more varied than that genre would allow, so she formed her own band to play a fusion of jazz, blues, pop, country, western swing, oldies, Americana and rockabilly. Besides piano, Voss sings with a voice reminiscent of Nancy Sinatra and Etta James, and also plays the ukulele bass and melodica. Her band, the Hot Sauce, can be anything from a duo to a sextet and backs her up with a danceable, nostalgic sound. On Oct. 17, Molly in the Mineshaft will take the stage with a mixture of traditional folk styles including Celtic, bluegrass and blues. The Utah-based septet wields an array of instruments including mandolin, banjo, guitar, cello, fiddle and bagpipes, backing up three vocalists’ harmonies. They’ve won numerous awards and championships for their instrumental work, according to their promotional materials.

Nothing like a good book

Children read to fuzzy friends at ACPR

OTHELLO — Adams County Pet Rescue’s first Kitty Litterature event July 13 worked out well all around, said ACPR Board Member Tammy Foley.

‘We are here to fight’

Purple Party gets community ready for Walk to End Alzheimer’s

MOSES LAKE — Alzheimer’s disease is a terrifying thing for many people: the fear that one day they will watch helplessly as they cease to remember their families and even who they are. The 150-200 people who came to the Purple Party at the Porterhouse Steakhouse in Moses Lake Thursday want to make that fear a thing of the past.

Pilot program

Civil Air Patrol trains young fliers in Ephrata

EPHRATA — This week, that plane buzzing overhead could be piloted by a teenager. The Civil Air Patrol in Ephrata is holding its Desert Eagle National Flight Academy, for CAP cadets between the ages of 16 and 19. They’ll get intensive flight instruction for 10 days, both in powered planes and on the ground, learning , said Lt. Col. Sid Wiggs, the public affairs officer for the academy.

Basin Summer Showdown coming Saturday

EPHRATA — The Basin Summer Showdown car show will take to the streets in Ephrata again Saturday.

‘I’ve always loved the ocean’

Seascapes and serenity at The Drip art gallery

MOSES LAKE — There’s a definite theme to Hannah Fountain’s artwork. “I always loved the ocean,” she said. “I love the water, and painting it has always been my favorite subject.”

Mae Valley housing going up

The Refuge development moves forward with home options

MOSES LAKE — The Mae Valley area is getting some more homes. Pro Made Homes, based in Kennewick, is building 52 homes at The Refuge at Mae Valley between Montana Street and the Moses Lake Golf & Country Club on the west end of Moses Lake.

FIRE REPORT: Wilson Creek fire crisps 180 acres

WILSON CREEK — A wildfire was reported at about 4 p.m. Thursday north of the town of Wilson Creek and west of Road 3 NE which had burned an estimated 180 acres by about 7 p.m. according to the Grant County Sheriff’s Office.

Basin Summer Showdown coming next Saturday

EPHRATA — The Basin Summer Showdown car show will take to the streets in Ephrata again Saturday, July 27.

Ephrata going chrome

Annual Car Show & Shine set for Saturday in downtown

EPHRATA — The cars – and trucks, and motorcycles, and whatever else – will gleam in the sun again Saturday at the Anything with Wheels Show and Shine car show.

FIRE REPORT: Sunbanks Fire mostly extinguished

ELECTRIC CITY — The Sunbanks Fire that flared up Tuesday afternoon in Electric City was mostly out Wednesday, according to a statement from the Grand Coulee Volunteer Fire Department. No flames were visible, but small flare-ups continued to appear. The fire burned 100 acres before it was extinguished, but no structures were reported lost.

Downtown businesses make the best of small spaces

MOSES LAKE — There’s a lot happening in the middle of Moses Lake, and it’s happening in smaller and smaller spaces. “Even with all the business closures that are happening around town, businesses that are still open are doing more initiatives to attract more people to their stores,” said Mallory Miller, director of the Downtown Moses Lake Association, which promotes the business community downtown. “We've got Artgarden, she's doing more classes. We've got Hello Nature which is bringing in things constantly. (Owner Magen Evans) is doing little sidewalk sales. So just bringing more people into downtown.” Moses Lake’s downtown business core has had its share of ups and downs over the years, as businesses come and go. Many of the businesses that were pillars of the downtown core 30 and more years ago – Pinky’s House of Fashion, Berry’s Department Store, Furniture West – are now the stuff of nostalgia. But in their place have come smaller concerns, many of them doubling and tripling up in the available spaces.

Twin artists on exhibit at Old Hotel

OTHELLO — The July Artist of the Month at the Old Hotel Art Gallery in Othello is actually two artists: twin brothers Aldemar and Valdemar Saavedra-Guerrero.

Royal City Summerfest delivers

ROYAL CITY — The Royal City Summerfest went off well over the weekend, said Jill Larsen, a member of the festival committee. “The heat was a little much, but it's always hot,” Larsen said. “So always we try to keep it in mind; that's why we tried to put all of our vendors in the shade.” The food vendors were arranged around the perimeter of Lions Park, with the craft vendors toward the front. The sunny part of the park was used for the Headlights and Summer Nights Car Show Friday evening. The vehicles arranged around the park ranged from antiques to low riders. There was even a perfect replica of the General Lee from the TV show “The Dukes of Hazzard,” right down to the horn that played “Dixie.” “We picked up this car about a year ago and it wasn't running,” said Jeff Cobb of Ephrata, who restored the General with his 13-year-old son Clayton. “So we updated the motor and the transmission … It’s a 383 motor with a 727 transmission, and we have a 440 at home in the shop that we’re rebuilding, getting ready to put it in.”

FIRE REPORT: Evacuation notices issued for Electric City

ELECTRIC CITY — The Grant County Sheriff’s Office issued evacuation warnings Tuesday afternoon in Electric City due to a wildfire that broke out near Sunbanks Resort. Level 2 warnings – be prepared to leave at a moment’s notice – were in place Tuesday afternoon for the area from Sunny Drive to Fifth Street North. Level 1 notices – get ready – were in place between SR 155 and Western Avenue.

Planting seeds of knowledge

WSU Master Gardeners looking for a few good volunteers

MOSES LAKE — Some people take playing in the dirt very seriously. “(The WSU Master Gardener program) is for gardeners who want to help other people garden,” said Barbara Guilland, “You have a real interest in gardening. It's not just a place to learn it, it's a place to learn how to tell other people about it.”

FIRE REPORT: Wetland fire burns 60 acres in Moses Lake

MOSES LAKE — A 60-acre fire broke out in the wee hours of Monday morning in an undeveloped wetland in Moses Lake, according to a statement released Monday afternoon by the Moses Lake Fire Department.

Masquers camp hits the high – and hilarious – seas

SOAP LAKE — Yo-ho-ho and a bottle of soda pop! The Soap Lake Masquers Summer Youth Theater Camp will put on “Captain Bree and her Lady Pirates” next week.

‘No sad tears today’

Boys & Girls Club funded for the rest of the year

MOSES LAKE — “It’s happy tears,” Boys & Girls Club Director Kim Pope told a little girl who asked why she was crying. “No sad tears today.” Pope had to fight back tears several times at North Elementary School Wednesday morning, as she accepted a donation from Group14 and other local businesses that would keep the club afloat through the year.

PREVIEW: A look at Soap Lake's Folk and Food Festival

SOAP LAKE – Soap Lake’s inaugural Folk and Food Festival had a decent showing despite the triple-digit temperatures on Saturday. While performers did their thing on stage, the audience found a shady spot and enjoyed cold drinks to fight the heat. Full coverage of the event will be in Wednesday’s edition of the Columbia Basin Herald.

FIRE REPORT: GCFD 7 knocks down fireworks fire

SOAP LAKE — Fireworks sparked a wildfire late Wednesday night, according to a statement from Grant County Fire District 7. At about 11:10 p.m., firefighters were called to a vegetation fire at Road 19 and Division Road, according to the statement. There they found a fire spreading at a moderate rate through light, flashy fuels. The first arriving brush engine made an aggressive attack and the fire was contained to 3.12 acres. Crews remained on the scene until 3:30 a.m. mopping up.

Disappearing America

Exhibit at Moses Lake Museum brings rural relics to life

MOSES LAKE — Artist Deon Matzen will make an appearance at the Moses Lake Museum & Art Center Friday to open her new exhibit. “My theme for this show … is “Vanishing Rural America,” Matzen said from her home on Whidbey Island. “I work on old barns that are falling down – the old-style barns, not the contemporary metal loafing shed-style barn – Trucks, barns, any kind of old detritus. Most of what you’ll see is that, although there are a number of wildlife paintings too. I call them ‘varmint paintings.’” The exhibit will kick off with a reception at 4 p.m. Friday where patrons can meet Matzen and nibble on refreshments while checking out the artwork.

FIRE REPORT: More than 100 human-caused fires in the Northwest so far this summer

PORTLAND, Ore. — Since June, there have been 100 human-caused wildfires on national forests and grasslands in Oregon and Washington, according to a statement from the U.S. Forest Service. While firefighters have been largely successful in putting out these preventable fires, the extremely hot and dry conditions are significantly ramping up fire danger across the region. “We’re entering a very dangerous time period in the Pacific Northwest wildfire season,” Ed Hiatt, Pacific Northwest assistant fire director for operations, wrote in the statement. “Mother Nature turned on the oven for a week in local forests and now we’re preparing for the potential of dry lightning and gusty winds.” Local responders are closely tracking these deteriorating conditions where any new wildfire will have the potential to spread rapidly and burn intensely right from the start. And as firefighters respond to lightning-sparked fires a preventable, human-caused wildfire can limit the availability of needed engines, dozers, helicopters and other resources.

Folk festival to debut in Soap Lake

SOAP LAKE — Soap Lake will spread its cultural wings this weekend with the first-ever Soap Lake Food and Folk Festival. The festival, which goes all day Saturday at Smokiam Park, will feature musicians from a variety of traditions, as well as food and craft vendors and periodic raffle drawings throughout the day. It’s put on by the Friends of the Lower Grand Coulee. “We've got Mexican music, we've got country music, we've got contemporary folk music, we've got southern folk music, we've got Delta blues,” said Kim Anderson, a lifelong Soap Lake resident who came up with the idea for the festival. “So we're all over the place.” Musicians include conjunto band Tejano Skyz, singer-songwriters Carl Tosten and Billy Stoops, country singer Myra Pearce, blues musicians The Delta G Band and Leif Totusek, whose compositions blend jazz, blues and soukous, a dance music style from central Africa. Many of the musicians have ties to the area, Anderson said; Pearce and Tejano Skyz are based in Moses Lake, and several members of the Delta G Band graduated from Soap Lake High School. Tosten also grew up in eastern Washington, according to his online biography.

FIRE REPORT: Moses Lake sends crews to Lake Chelan fire

MOSES LAKE — The Pioneer Fire burning along the eastern shore of Lake Chelan is still growing, and was at 12,265 acres Wednesday, according to the Washington State Department of Natural Resources. Containment remained at 14%. The fire, which has been burning since June 8, is being fought by 818 personnel, including six firefighters from the Moses Lake Fire Department, according to MLFD spokesperson Heather Kok.

Red Cross offers movie tickets to blood donors

OTHELLO — The American Red Cross will hold a blood drive in Othello on July 23, where donors can have a chance to save a life and get a free movie ticket to boot. According to Red Cross spokesperson Betsy Robertson, anyone who donates blood or platelets to the Red Cross during the month of July will be emailed a free movie ticket from Fandango, usable at the AMC Classic Theater in Kennewick, among others. The ticket giveaway is in partnership with Universal Pictures to promote their new film “Twisters,” but the ticket is valid for any movie if used before the end of the year, Robertson said. Additionally, each donor in July will be automatically entered in a drawing to win a 2025 Ram 1500 Bighorn pickup, Robertson said.

FIRE REPORT: Pioneer Fire still growing in North Cascades

MOSES LAKE — The Pioneer Fire burning along the eastern shore of Lake Chelan continued to grow Tuesday, reaching 10,677 acres, according to the National Interagency Fire Center. Containment remained at 14%. Eleven crews, 13 helicopters, five engines, 14 water tenders and 13 heavy equipment units were devoted to fighting the blaze, which has been burning since June 8.