Culture in Tri-Cities, Washington

The Tri-Cities has many diverse events throughout the year ranging from sports events to car shows to art shows. The area also has many facilities to host these events. They include:

• Toyota Center (Kennewick)
• TRAC (Pasco)
• Three Rivers Convention Center (Kennewick)
• Gesa Stadium (Pasco)
• Benton-Franklin County Fairgrounds (Kennewick)
• Lampson Stadium (Kennewick)
• Toyota Arena (Kennewick)
• Gjerde Center at Columbia Basin College (Pasco)
• Columbia Park (Kennewick and Richland)
• Howard Amon Park (Richland)
• Edgar Brown Stadium (Pasco)
• Memorial Park (Pasco)

January

First Night

First Night is the Tri-Cities most popular New Years' event. Its family orientated events are a calmer alternative to events put on by local bars and night clubs. Many locals attend the event which changes locations every year.

Sportsman's Show

The Sportsman's Show is an outdoor sports expo held annually at the TRAC in Pasco. The show features a variety of demonstrations, vendors, a 3-D archery shoot, and a fishing pond. The three-day event is typically held during the third weekend of January.

February

RadCon

RadCon is a science-fiction and fantasy convention at Pasco's Red Lion Hotel. This three-day, non-stop event has anime viewing, gaming, an art show, card gaming, LAN parties, cosplay, raves and more. Region 5 summit of Starfleet International is also held during the event. It is traditionally held in February during President's Day weekend at Pasco's Red Lion Inn.

March

Irish Games

Held around St. Patrick's Day by St. Patrick's School, the event hosts live entertainment, a kid’s zone, a beer garden, a 3 on 3 Basketball Tournament and food. It is held at TRAC in Pasco.

April

May

Cajun Crawfish Boil

Started by Buddy Bentz, of Kennewick, the Cajun Crawfish Boil is an annual event taking place on the first Saturday in May at Jack-Son's Bar & Grill in Richland. The event boasts a feast of Southern style foods including over 1200 pounds of crawfish, live zydeco music, and a craw fish eating contest.

Classy Chassis Car Show

This annual car show takes place in downtown Kennewick in what is commonly called "The Parkade" (The most eastern part of Kennewick Avenue). It typically draws over 300 cars and is the second largest car show in the metro area behind Cool Desert Nights. The event takes place in late spring. The event is open and free to the public.

Classic Mustang and Car Show

This car show is for Mustangs only and is put on by the Pacific Northwest Mustang Club and has been an annual event since 1980. It traditionally takes place on Memorial Day weekend in Howard Amon Park.

IT Day Convention

IT Day is the largest IT (Information Technology) convention in Eastern Washington. It features vendors from the computer industry, health technology, education technology, mobile phone industry, video game industry, various area laboratories, universities, and others. It is held in the Tri-Cities due to its foundations in science and technology (e.g. Hanford Nuclear Reservation, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, the Fast Flux Test Facility, Washington State University, and Lockheed Martin). The convention is traditionally held in mid-May at the Three Rivers Convention Center in Kennewick. 2008's Convention featured guest speakers Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman from Discovery Channel's MythBusters, over 50 vendors, and various lectures and presentations. The event is open and free to the public.

Safety Expo

Currently held at the TRAC facility in late spring, this event gives people the chance to learn about area companies' approach to workplace and community safety. Local emergency services put on several demonstrations also. It annually attracts over 50,000 visitors. The event is open and free to the public.

June

Chalk Art Festival

The Chalk Art Festival is held at Richland's Uptown Shopping Center and allows anyone, from children to professional artists, to make a sidewalk square into a piece of art. It is typically held in mid-June (usually a weekend before Cool Desert Nights Car Show).

Cool Desert Nights

Cool Desert Nights is an annual car show that is the largest of many car shows held in the Tri-Cities over the summer. CDN is held during the last week and weekend of June at Richland's retro Uptown Shopping Center and Jefferson Park. It is open to all makes and models as well as trucks and motorcycles but it usually consists of classic and muscle cars. There are cross-city cruises, strip cruises on George Washington Way (one of Richland's busiest street), show and shines, street dances, live music, contests, slow drags, and vendors. There are typically over 400 cars every year. The event is open and free to the public. The streets dances usually include live music and a beer garden, bands that typically perform are The Kingsmen and local favorite, Colorblind.

Ye Merrie Greenwood Faire

Traditionally held in mid to late June at Richland's Howard Amon Park, the Ye Merrie Greenwood Faire is a Renaissance Fair that features the Greenwood Gypsie Dancers and Gypsie Musicians, the Greenwood Company of Musicians, the English Country Dancers, the Renaissance Dancers and Singers, the Madrigal Singers, and other performances.

July

Firework shows

The Tri-Cities plays host to three fireworks shows on Independence Day, two in Pasco (Gesa Stadium and Edgar Brown Stadium) and one on the Columbia River between the I-182 bridge and the Blue Bridge. All three can be seen from various hills surrounding the Tri-Cities.

Tri-Cities Waterfollies

The Tri-Cities Waterfollies is the most nationally visible event. The Waterfollies host the national circuit of American Boat Racing Association Unlimited Hydroplane races that attract tourists from all over the western part of the United States and Canada. The Waterfollies are usually held in Kennewick's Columbia Park in late July. The races are typically shown on ESPN. The festivities include an air show and several other activities.

Allied Arts Sidewalk Show

The Allied Arts Sidewalk Show is traditionally held the same weekend as the waterfollies (late July) and is one of the Pacific Northwest's largest art shows. Hundreds of art vendors fill Richland's Howard Amon Park along the Columbia River. The Allied Arts Sidewalk Show is a relaxing alternative to the robust Waterfollies. The event is open and free to the public.

August

Benton-Franklin County Fair

The Benton-Franklin County Fair is the area's largest event. The Fair includes a rodeo, carnival, parade, and concerts. It is usually held in the last week of August. There are annually over 100,000 visitors and it has attracted musicians such as Styx, Chicago, Smash Mouth, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Diamond Rio, Three Dog Night, and Willie Nelson.

September

Sausagefest

The Sausagefest is held annually in mid-September at Christ the King Catholic Church in Richland for over 30 years. It is the area's largest Oktoberfest-like celebration with live entertainment, a carnival, and various German foods and beer gardens. Although it is only a two-day event, it attracts tens of thousands of people every year. Its signature "parachute dining area" has been a Richland staple for years. The event is open and free to the public.

FLW Bass Tournament

FLW holds an annual bass fishing tournament on the Columbia River based in Richland's Columbia Point Marina and Park. Over 400 professional fishermen flock to the Tri-Cities for the three day tournament that is mainly focused around small mouth bass with some large mouth bass also. Activities for the public are free and include a trout pond, a Ranger boat simulator, Ultimate Warrior Challenge, and assorted fishing-themed games. The tournament usually takes place in September.

October

Cavalcade of Bands

The largest marching band festival in Washington State which normally hosts nearly 30 competitive marching bands. It is held the first weekend in October and the location switches every year between Lampson Stadium and Edgar Brown Stadium.

November

December

Christmas Lighted Boat Parade

The Christmas Lighted Boat Parade is a parade of holiday-themed boats that takes place in mid-December on the Columbia River stretching from Clover Island in Downtown Kennewick and Howard Amon Park in Richland. The event is open and free to the public.

The Living Nativity

The Living Nativity is a Christmas themed production held at the Cathedral of Joy in South Richland. It features live animals and multiple showings. It usually held the weekend before Christmas.

Recreation

The Columbia River provides much of the Tri-Cities' recreational opportunities as do the Snake and Yakima rivers. All three cities offer a number of free boat launch sites, and the size of the river itself creates ample space for fishing, surface water sports, and sailing. Wineries and golf also provide much recreation for the Tri-Cities area.

Wineries

Amid the booming and increasing popular regional wine scene, many wineries are located within or near the Tri-Cities, offering tours and tasting. These wineries are within the Columbia Valley American Viticultural Area. The highly acclaimed Red Mountain appellation is in the nearby Yakima Valley AVA. Several restaurants boasting the region's top wines have opened in recent years, highlighting the variety and quality available.

Tri-Cities wine tasting rooms

• Badger Mountain (organic) Vineyard, Kennewick
• Barnard Griffin Winery, Richland
• Bookwalter Winery, Richland
• Goose Ridge Vineyards, Richland
• Gordon Brothers Cellars, Pasco
• Kamiak Vineyards, Pasco
• Powers Winery, Kennewick
• Preston Premium Wines, Pasco
• Tagaris Winery and Taverna, Richland
• Robust Coffeehouse & Wine Bar, Kennewick
• [1] Threesixty Cellars, Kennewick

Walking, biking, hiking

Sacagawea Heritage Trail

Situated along the Columbia River and Yakima River shorelines, the Sacagawea Heritage Trail is a 23-mile (37 km) recreational and educational trail that travels through parks, golf course communities, wetlands, historic neighborhoods, and across beautiful bridges.^[1] Sacagawea Heritage Trail also connects with the Richland Riverfront Trail, a marked hiking trail that focuses on the state of Washington's contribution to the nuclear history of the United States.^[2]

Badger Mountain

Badger Mountain dominates the Tri-Cities skyline, rising 1581 feet above sea level.^[3] It has been designated as Badger Mountain Centennial Preserve, a 574-acre natural preserve^[4] containing 3.5 miles of designated trails.^[5] It is common to see jack rabbits, coyotes, rattlesnakes, ring-necked pheasants, and deer on the mountain.

Yakima River Delta

Located in South Richland, the Yakima River Delta is full of walking trails through wetlands and forests. It is fairly common to see blue herons, deer, various ducks and other waterfowl, coyotes, otters, beaver, jack rabbits, and bull frogs and other amphibians in the Delta.

Golf

The Tri-Cities also boasts several quality golf courses that can be played almost year-round due to the relatively mild climate. Area golf courses include:

• West Richland Golf Course
• Canyon Lakes
• Meadow Springs Country Club
• Columbia Park
• Columbia Point
• Horn Rapids
• Tri-City Country Club
• Buckskin
• Pasco Golf Land
• The Golf Club

Museums, interpretive centers, and tours

There are many fun and educational museums and tours besides wine tours, in the area. There are many local museums that chronicle area history from Native Americans to Hanford to Wineries. They include:

• Columbia River Exhibition of History, Science, and Technology
• East Benton County Historical Museum
• Benton County Historical Museum
• Franklin County Historical Museum
• LIGO Hanford Observatory Tours
• B Reactor Tours
• Sacajawea Interpretive Center
• Three Rivers Children Museum
• Washington State Historical Museum
• Reach Interpretive Center (opens in 2012)

Within one hour driving distance are the following:

• Whitman Mission National Historic Site
• Maryhill Museum of Art
• Tamastslikt Cultural Institute
• Fort Walla Walla Museum
• Kirkman House Museum
• Carnegie Art Center

Sightseeing tours include:

• Columbia River Journeys
• Tri-City River Cruises
• Red Mountain Country Carriages

Theater and Performing Arts

The Tri-Cities is growing as a community of performing arts, the following is a list of notables.

• Mid-Columbia Ballet [2]
• Mid-Columbia Symphony
• Community Concerts of the Tri-Cities
• Richland Players Theater
• Academy of Children's Theater
• Battelle Film Club
• Camerata Musica
• Ballet Arts
• Diamond Ridge Cloggers

Hunting and fishing

With the area's three large rivers and many lakes and ponds, fishing is very popular in the Tri-Cities for anglers of every age and experience level. There is also an annual national bass fishing tournament that is hosted every year on the Columbia River. It has been featured on ESPN.

The Tri-Cities is surrounded by an abundance of public and private hunting lands ranging from waterfowl, upland birds, turkey, and big game (including bear, deer, elk, and cougar). The largest and most popular public lands being Big Flats HMU (upland birds and deer), Three Rivers HMU (upland birds, waterfowl), and the Wallula HMU (waterfowl, deer, and upland birds).

Shopping and dining

Shopping and dining opportunities in the Tri-Cities have expanded in recent years; though the increase has primarily centered around Kennewick's Columbia Center Mall and Pasco's Road 68, there has also been a recent boom of commercial businesses in other parts of the Tri-Cities.

The area has now become a large shopping destination for not only the three cities themselves, but also for the many smaller communities and towns located in the region ranging from Yakima to Umatilla, Oregon, to Walla Walla. The Tri-Cities now provides the largest concentration of retail and shopping offerings within a 140-mile (230 km) radius.

The two main shopping complexes are Kennewick's Columbia Center Mall, a more traditional, large-scale mall and Richland's Uptown Shopping Center, a 1950's style outdoor-style mall. The Columbia Center Mall is a modern mall with trendy stores such as Abercrombie and Fitch and Hot Topic as well as a large food court and an 8-plex movie theater. It is anchored by Macy's, JC Penney, Sears, and Barnes & Noble. The mall also has restaurants such as P.F. Chang's, Olive Garden, Tony Roma's, Red Lobster, Red Robin, Famous Dave's BBQ, Dairy Queen, Arby's, Shari's, Old Country Buffet, Sonic Drive-in, and Sbarro Pizza on or near its property.

The Uptown Shopping Center (commonly known as "the Uptown") has many locally owned shops and many local favorite bars that are extremely busy every weekend. Popular stores include the Spudnut Shop, Nielsen's Video Games, and Adventures Underground.

The third mall in the Tri-Cities is the Broadmoor Outlet Mall in West Pasco, but due to its lack of popular stores and its location have kept this mall fairly empty of customers and stores. Its most popular stores include The Paper Factory and Van Heusen.

Newer and developing shopping areas include Road 68 in West Pasco, 27th Avenue in Kennewick, Queensgate in West Richland, and Meadow Springs in South Richland.

Nightlife

The area has many popular bars, several dance clubs, music venues, and casinos; most of which are located in Downtown Kennewick, Uptown Richland, and West Kennewick.

Parks

There is an abundance of parks in all three cities as well as the surrounding cities. The biggest parks are located along the Columbia River and have well maintained docks and boat launches, while many smaller parks lie inside the cities.

Kennewick

• Columbia Park is located along the Columbia River between Columbia Center Blvd. and the Blue Bridge. The park hosts the hydroplane races, the area's largest independence day fireworks show, and many other various event. It contains a golf course, campground, frisbee golf, marina, fishing pond, duck pond, stage, multiple docks, boat racing pits, tennis courts, multiple boat launches, two restaurants, aquatic center, multiple playgrounds, skate park, nature trails, playground of dreams, picnic areas, and a walking trail. The park is the future site of a small amusement park, hotel, a third restaurant, and amphitheater. Columbia Park is also partly in Richland.
• Keewaydin Park boasts a downtown location, museum, library, softball fields, baseball field, swimming pool, skate park, community center, playground, aquatic center.
• Lawrence Scott Park contains softball fields, playground, tennis courts, roller hockey court, and picnic areas.

Pasco

• Chiawana Park is across the river from Columbia park and is a popular spot for watching the hydroplane races. It contains a playground, boat launch, dock, picnic areas, walking trail, and marina.

Richland

• Howard Amon Park is one of the most popular parks in the area. It is the site for various activities from boat races to car shows to art shows. It contains multiple docks, boat launch, stage, swimming pool, museum, art gallery, playground, community center, tennis courts, picnic areas, walking trail.
• Columbia Point Park is an affluent area of Richland and is surrounded by high price condos and a golf course. It contains a marina, hotel, restaurant, boat launch, dock, playground, picnic areas, hiking trails, and walking trail.
• Leslie Groves Park is hidden in North Richland along the Columbia River. It boasts a boat launch, beach volleyball, dock, playground, picnic areas, walking trail, and sports fields.

West Richland

• Flat Top Park is the location for the annual Hogs 'n' Dogs which is part of the Cool Desert Nights car show. The park has a playground and picnic areas.

Religion

Although the Tri-Cities, Washington is in the middle of the least religious part of the United States, the Pacific Northwest, it has a strong religious presence with nearly 200 churches in the area representing nearly every sect of Christianity and in languages ranging from English, Spanish, Chinese, Korean, and Russian.

According to the ARDA County Membership Report in 2000 there were 33.724 Roman Catholics and 13,274 LDS in Benton and Franklin Counties, which comprise the Tri-Cities Metropolitan Area. There is a sizable LDS (Mormon) population in the area, with four large LDS Stakes in the Tri-Cities proper. The Columbia River Washington Temple is also located on Gage Boulevard in Richland.

There is an Islamic Center and a Jewish Conservative synagogue. Eastern religions such as Taoism, Buddhism, and Hinduism are also represented in the area.

Politics

Although in a blue state, the Tri-Cities (and most of Eastern Washington) tends to be politically conservative and regularly votes Republican in national elections; locally the Republicans are also dominant, although not quite as much.

Landmarks

Cable Bridge

The Cable Bridge, also known as the Ed Hendler Memorial Bridge (named after a former mayor of Pasco) is one of the most identifiable landmarks in Eastern Washington. It spans the Columbia River connecting East Kennewick and East Pasco. It is unofficially the most photographed landmark in the area.

B-Reactor

B-Reactor is the world's first industrial-scale nuclear reactor.^[6] It is located on the Hanford Site, a former nuclear production complex northwest of Richland.

Blue Bridge

The Blue Bridge is less than a mile upstream from the Cable Bridge and is the second most notable bridge in the area. It is one of two bridges that connect Kennewick to Pasco, the other being the aforementioned Cable Bridge.

Moore Mansion

Built in Pasco along the Columbia River in 1908, the mansion was abandoned after the suicide of one of the owner's children in an upper room of the house. The mansion was later converted into an extremely upscale restaurant. It was eventually burned down by its owners in attempted insurance fraud.^[7] However, the mansion has since been reconstructed.

Rattlesnake Mountain

West of the Tri-Cities, Rattlesnake Mountain is the tallest peak in the area at 3527 ft (1060 m), and the highest "treeless" mountain in the United States.^[8] Rattlesnake mountain and the neighboring Hanford Site is home to a large herd of elk, numbering approximately 670 head.^[9]

Fingernail

A soundstage in Richland's Howard Amon Park, its shape resembles a fingernail. It hosts many concerts throughout the spring and summer. It was salvaged from a rock quarry in the 1970s during the construction of the Interstate 182 interchange and relocated in the park

Grain Elevator

A historic grain elevator remains on Clearwater Avenue in Kennewick. It has not been in use for several years and development has proceeded around it. It is now serving as a cell phone tower.

References

1. ^ O'Neal, Sally. "On The Trail Of Sacagawea: Part 1". The Sportsman's Guide. http://www.sportsmansguide.com/article/article_read.asp?aid=160968&sid=74&htl=%2Fcolumn%2Fcolumn_feature.asp%3Fsid%3D74. Retrieved 2008-07-10. 
2. ^ "Richland Riverfront Trail". Rails-to-Trails Conservancy. 2011. http://www.traillink.com/trail/richland-riverfront-trail.aspx. Retrieved 2011-04-08. 
3. ^ "Pictures of Badger". Friends of Badger Mountain. http://www.friendsofbadger.org/pictures.html. Retrieved 2008-07-10. 
4. ^ "Trailhead Park". City of Richland. http://www.ci.richland.wa.us/RICHLAND/Parks/index.cfm?pagenum=107. Retrieved 2008-07-10. 
5. ^ "Access and Trails". Friends of Badger Mountain. http://www.friendsofbadger.org/access.html. Retrieved 2008-07-10. 
6. ^ "B Reactor Museum Association". April 2008. http://www.b-reactor.org/. Retrieved 2008-07-10. 
7. ^ O'Neal, Sally. "On The Trail Of Sacagawea: Part 1". The Sportsman's Guide. http://www.sportsmansguide.com/article/article_read.asp?aid=160968&sid=74&htl=%2Fcolumn%2Fcolumn_feature.asp%3Fsid%3D74. Retrieved 2008-07-10. 
8. ^ "Fitzner/Eberhardt Arid Lands Ecology Reserve Fact Sheet" (pdf). U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Hanford Reach National Monument. August 2002. http://www.fws.gov/hanfordreach/documents/alefactsheet.pdf. Retrieved 2008-07-10. ^{[dead link]}
9. ^ "Elk on the Monument". U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service - Pacific Region. http://www.fws.gov/hanfordreach/elk.html. Retrieved 2008-07-10.