Jul/096
The Good, Bad and Ugly of the 2009 Tri-City Water Follies
The Good
The 2009 Water Follies were held at Columbia Park on July 24 through July 26th. Having been invited to the event, I decided to take my daughter and see what the hype was all about. Similar to the NASCAR races, hydroplanes run a marked course on the river. Speed and control of the hydroplanes is extremely essential in order to win the race. This event drew crowds of people from all over the Tri-Cities. From the young to the old, men and women, it was a fun-filled three days. Being under an extreme heat wave, it was nearly impossible to escape the heat, but that did not stop the crowds. The odor of food, sunscreen, sweat and beer filled the air. To cool off, it was a quick jump into the river. This was the first boat race my daughter and I had ever attended. When the first race started, our mouths dropped. We had no idea that we would be up close and personal with these boats. As they would make their rounds on the water course, a wall of water would surround the hydroplanes hiding them from sight as they hit the curve in the course. We stood there with our faces beaming from the private area of our party. These private areas were sectioned off by plastic fencing to the left and right and had a covered tent so that we could take a break from the sun’s rays.
The Bad
The commentator’s voice was blasting through the speakers up above and because of the music blaring from the parties to the left of us, I could not hear anything. I was compelled to walk over and ask them if they would lower their music so that I could hear, but did not. It made me wonder who was in charge of these areas. It was disappointing that I could not hear the history or statistics of the planes in the air show. It was also commented by a person in my party that the commentator had been asking people to get out of the water, but no one was getting out of the water because they couldn’t hear what was being said. Also, outside the private area a fight broke out between two guys and no one stepped in to break it up. People crowded around to spectate. I commented out loud if anyone was going to stop the fight. No one responded. An older man walked up to the boys and yelled for them to cut it out. I was stunned that this fight was more of a crowd pleaser than a disturbance. The fight ended by one of the guys jumping off the other and running away. By that time, a guy in a blue shirt with “CROWD MANAGEMENT” written on the back walked up. I believe “CROWD MANAGEMENT” was needed a few minutes earlier. How convenient.
The Ugly
The obscene gestures and vocals that we witnessed on the last day of the Follies from a private area two spaces down did not classify the boat races in the family event file. I’m not a parent who hides things from or overprotects my daughter; however, what we witnessed was a little too explicit for a family event in the park. Remorse set in for all that got to witness what was happening in this particular private area. It was hard to miss the girls in bikinis being held upside down because their crowd wailed as the girl was flipped over. Then noticing the young man’s face between her legs making gestures as she was trying desperately to drink the beer from a keg upside down. It was also inevitable to miss the impromptu sex act by a young guy who was signaling for all to watch while little kids were only 15ft away watching from the river. These acts were conducted with no interruption by any security or crowd management staff, which made me question why. If these people had conducted themselves the same way on a regular day at the park, the police would have been notified. Makes you wonder huh?
Final Conclusion
The Water Follies are supposed to be a family weekend event. As a first timer, I had a great time watching the races and the air show. My daughter also expressed her enthusiasm to attend again next year. I’m glad that we had the opportunity to go. I talked with a few local residents during the week prior to the Follies and each person I spoke with indicated that in the years that they have lived in the Tri-Cities, they had never attended the Water Follies for a variety reasons. A common reason was the cost to attend. Seeing the North American B-25 Mitchell Bomber and the Pacific Prowler was a sight to we will never forget. The aerial demonstration was just awesome. However, that is not the only sight that I will never forget nor will my teenage daughter. How many other families with young children were witnesses to the lewd acts being demonstrated out in the open by these people? You might ask if I will attend this event next year despite my experience. Of course, because despite what we saw, overall watching the races was interesting and it was something fun for my daughter and me to do together.
Note: The opinions expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of “FinditinTricities.com” or its parent company. They are the views of the writer.
Jul/092
Free Fries Friday Advententure – A tale of taste testing
Fries Girl
Due to the Water Follies, Lamb Weston sponsored an one day event in the Tri-Cities called FreeFriesFryday on July 24th. I had decided that my mission was to attend as many restaurants I could throughout the day that were participating in this event and just ask for the free fries. I wanted to make some observations as to what kind of service I would receive and the overall total experience. Never having had this type of experience, I was eager to have my share of French fries and taste test the difference.
My first stop was Carl’s Jr. The restaurant was packed. I had to have my party find us a table while I stood in line. I approached the counter and the young guy asked, “What can I get for you?” I told him that I wanted some of the free fries. He politely asked me how many I wanted. The hustle and bustle of the restaurant was a little distracting. Despite the crowds, the young guy did not seem at all agitated or frustrated. The fries had the appearance of potato skins left on them. They were hot to the touch which indicated that these fries had just been cooked and had not been sitting under the heat lamp. My quick conclusion was that due to the overflow of customers the turnover for the fries was high. When I tasted the first fry I was impressed. The second one and third one confirmed that these were great fries. The amount of salt that was on each fry was ratio perfect down to the last fry. I still knew that I had a few more places to go and try their fries, so I packed up my stuff and headed out.
I drove down the street to Arby’s. I made the decision to go through the drive-thru instead of getting down. I drove up to the speaker and asked for three orders of the free fries. The cashier asked if there were three people in my car. A little shocked by this question, I stated yes. It seemed to me that Arby’s was more concerned on the idea that I could possibly be asking for more than my share . He asked if there was anything else that I wanted to order. I didn’t. When I drove forward, I was immediately handed a bag with fries. It was immediately noticed that the fries we received were curly fries. It was obvious to me that the goal was to get the non-paying customers out of line. From past experience at Arby’s, I’ve been asked if I would like curly fries, however, in this instance I was not. I popped a few of the curly fries in my mouth and quickly realized that these fries had been sitting for alittle while. So what kind of conclusion could I draw from this? That possibly I was made to believe that we were “special customers” in order to not have to make fresh French fries. I chowed down a few fries, but could not eat anymore.
After work, I decided to take my daughter and we hit the streets again continuing my mission for the day. We decided to stop at Ivars and Dairy Queen asking only for the fries. I received limited friendly service. When I say “limited friendly service” I mean to say that there wasn’t a smile nor a frown. They lacked their facial expressions, yet courteous when providing me the free fries I requested. Dairy Queen even put my fries in a bag. Ivar’s cashier tended to me, but secured a moment of non conversation by keeping himself in the back until the fries were ready. Out of those two, Ivar’s fries were better because they were just made, however, the shape, texture and taste of the fry was no match for the fries tasted from Carl’s Jr. After a couple of fries from each, we tossed them and went on. Already feeling full from fries and exhausted from the day, we decided to make Zips, in Richland, our last stop. The cashier was very friendly and was smiling when we walked in. She greeted us politely. I asked for the free fries and she asked me if there was anything else that I would like to order. We decided that we needed a beverage to wash down these fries and all the other fries that we consumed for the day. They seemed very busy through the drive-thru, so that was a positive note that possibly the fries were fresh due to the high turnover. We received our fries in a bag and decided to sit down. Out of all the fries we tried today, these were the only fries that were crinkle-cut. They actually were fresh and tasted pretty good. There were thicker tasting than all the other fries. They did have a dash of salt, but again nothing like the fries from Carl’s Jr.
If I had to rate which fries were the best free fries, I would say Carl’s Jr.
Jul/090
Free French Fries!!!
By Rachael Drouhard
Lamb Weston, America’s #1 french fry company and sponsor of the Columbia Cup hydroplane boat races, is proud to announce a special event designed to kick off the annual Water Follies weekend with a splash!
On Friday, July 24th, participating restaurants all over the Tri-Cities area will be giving away FREE servings of french fries, courtesy of Lamb Weston and the Tri-City Water Follies. “Lamb Weston supports the communities in which we do business and this event is just one way we are giving back to the Tri-Cities. We are also committed to supporting our restaurant partners and Free Fries Fryday is a great way to help them build traffic,” said Lisa Bescherer, Sr. Director of Marketing for Lamb Weston.
From large national chains such as Arby’s, Burger King, Carl’s Jr., and Dairy Queen, to many local restaurant favorites (Burger Ranch, Cousins, Ivar’s and more), there are 35 locations in all throughout the community where consumers can get their free serving of fries.
The company is also operating an informative website at www.freefriesfryday.com to deliver all the details on this unprecedented one-day only promotion, and is urging the community to log on to find their favorite participating restaurant so they “Don’t Miss the Boat!”
ConAgra Foods Lamb Weston is a brand of ConAgra Foods, Inc., (NYSE: CAG), one of North America’s leading packaged food companies. Many of Lamb Weston’s frozen potato, appetizer and vegetable products are made locally in the Columbia Basin area and enjoyed in restaurants around the world.
Jul/091
Mean Bean Espresso – Coffee with Attitiude in Kennewick
by Craig Sutton
Name- Mean Bean Espresso
Address- 5718 W Clearwater Ave, Kennewick, WA
Phone- 509-735-6803
Where did the name Mean Bean Espresso come from? Is your coffee angry?
No, it Means it’s ‘coffee with attitude‘! Like the descriptive, cool, sweet or bad. Mindy, our daughter, drew the logo and it is hard to draw an attitude. So Mean is portrayed as a little rascal, with a sling shot, straight shooting our “Coffee with Attitude” right at you.
With the wealth of espresso stands including your major chain competitors like Starbucks and McDonalds, what sets your company and its product apart? Why choose you?
First off McDonalds serves hamburgers, not espresso! There is an art to making espresso, the beans are roasted for certain tastes, then are finely ground and brewed by forcing hot water under pressure through the ground coffee. This makes a thicker consistency than drip or brewed coffee and crema, a reddish-brown foam that floats on the surface. Then we make espresso drinks with the shots. We use Longbottom organic coffee and teas! Our cups are recycled paper or PLA (corn starch based) plastic cups and straws. We strive to use the most organic and additive free ingredients we can find. Jason went to Barista School and he hopes to attend the Coffee fest in September. We try to be green conscience and responsible. It’s our God given duty. That in itself sets us apart from the competition… Social responsibility
How many locations do you own, and what made you choose this one?
We only own one now. We choose Kennewick because Jason lives there, great people, good location and lots of events going on in the area. Thoughts are in our heads of opening one in Eureka Montana, Kauai HI and Indiana.
What type of experience do you require for your employees?
Our employees have to pass the Jason test. That means they have to make the espresso just the way they are told every time, they need to be consistent. They have to treat our customers with a friendly attentive, coffee attitude. They have to drink and love coffee. Be clean freaks to satisfy the owners, me. And a willingness to go to school to learn more about the profession of Baristi.
Do you offer any unique products our readers should be aware of?
Our Longbottom Fair Trade organic coffee, our teas are also organic, Monin syrups organic, sugar free and regular. We use products that are as additive free and natural as we can find. We do serve completely organic espresso drinks for a small price upgrade. We have great smoothies; we serve Italian sodas and iced coffees. I know all espresso stands serve these drinks but I believe our prices are better.
Jul/090
Bad Companys Brian Howe comes to Clover Island
On July 11th, the Clover Island Inn welcomes Bad Company’s Brian Howe to the Island for a one night performance guarantee to thrill with gates opening at 6:30. Local Band Color Blind will open the show starting at 7:30pm.
In 1984, the 2 existing members of Bad Company drummer Simon Kirke, and guitarist Mick Ralphs courted Brian to replace Paul Rodgers as the lead singer. Brian decided to accept the offer and continue the legend of Bad Company. This was not an easy task, but along with Kirke and Ralphs, Brian created, wrote, recorded and toured, headlining every major venue around the globe. Along with Bad Company’s highly acclaimed 1993 live CD “What You Hear Is What You Get – The Best of Bad Company – Live” Brian wrote and sold 19 million additional albums highlighted by such radio and video hits as “Holy Water’” “If You Needed Somebody,” “No Smoke Without A Fire,” and “How About That,” – not to mention a few of the group’s previous hits as recorded on the “live” CD. His sold-out performances in venues around the world are an event you must see and hear – because “What You Hear Is What You Get – The Best Of Bad Company – Live!”
Gates open @ 6:30 • Color Blind opens @ 7:30 Tickets Available at the Clover Island Inn. $22 in advance or $25 at the gate Room Packages Also Available – (509) 586-0541
Jul/090
Washington Cattlemens Association 2009 Annual Convention and Tradeshow
November 11 thru 14 2009
Pasco Red Lion,
Pasco, WA
www.washingtoncattlemen.org
contact – wacattle@kvalley.com
Jul/090
Time of Remembrance/1st Annual Golf Tournament Sunday, September 13, 2009
Canyon Lakes golf course presents the first annual fund-raising golf tournament to benefit “Time of Remembrance”. The $100 registration fee includes 18 holes of golf followed by dinner at the golf course and a prize ceremony. There are many sponsorship opportunities as well. Please stop by the Chamber to pick up a registration form.
Time of Remembrance is scheduled for September 26 -27, 2009. This event honors those who have died for their country and the families left behind.
Jul/090
Columbia Industries Golf Challenge & Celebration Gala Friday, August 14 & Saturday, August 15, 2009
The golf tournament at Canyon Lakes Golf course will feature special prizes and activities on each par 3. The gala celebration at the Lampson Hanger, will highlight both silent and live auctions, dinner provided by Bonefish Grill and dancing to The Highland Drive Band.
This two day event is a key fundraiser for Columbia Industries which is a non-profit organization that focuses on developing the work skills of people with disabilities. Building on their “unique abilities”, they provide vocational training that will lead to community employment.
Jul/090
Summer Concert Series at Flat Top Park begins this Friday, July 3, 2009
Bring a chair or a blanket and kick back on the lawn at Flat Top Park in West Richland. Enjoy an all American musical tribute performed by the Mid-Columbia Symphony. Concert begins at 7:00pm.
Jul/090
How to Drive in a Roundabout
Cari McGee thinks you should know more about how to drive in a Roundabout with all the new ones added here recently.