Walla Walla VII--Tri Cities On The Way Home

On Sunday, we headed back with a stop in Tri Cities.  We had a reservation at one hotel in Kennewick, but it was not really to our liking so we moved to The Lodge at Columbia Point in Richland where we spent the night.
We really enjoyed the waterfront trail behind the hotel that afternoon and firepit on the grounds that night

The Tri Cities,  is just an hour from Walla Walla, but growing up in Walla Walla, it was almost like a world away. The three adjoining towns, at that time, each about the size of Walla Walla, "combined" to make a larger city.  It had an active youth culture with 4 large public high schools, many movie theatres, waterfront parks, and a large shopping mall, known as the Columbia Center.  Sometimes, Walla Wallans referred to it as the "Dry Cities" because of the desert atmosphere, but I think there was also a hint of jealousy.  

The next day, we visited the Bookwalter Winery and Barnard Griffin, where I tasted, leaving the driving to my wife. We also stopped at the Treveri Cellars in Wapato. 

Democrats Meet In Pasco

Rob Dolin calls roll as the Washington State Democratic Central Committee convenes it's spring meeting in the Tri Cities.  Chair Jaxon Ravens was pleased by the upstart Small Business Caucus that met in the morning, where the attendance jumped from 2 at the winter meetings to 15 at this one.  The body also strategized on how to win in traditionally Republican districts and of course, fundraising.

WSU Grad Covers Hollywood

The E! Network keeps America up to date on what happening in the entertainment industry and one of it's rising stars is a Southeastern Washington native and a graduate of the Murrow School Of Communications at WSU.  Courtney Harvey has been with the E! Network for about 3 years according to dad, Geoff Harvey, also a broadcasting graduate of WSU and a former manager of radio stations in Walla Walla  and the Tri Cities.
Currently Courtney's work is mostly behind the scenes as segment producer, but there is little doubt that she will soon be an on-air fixture.  She has also worked at KVEW in Kennewick, Washington.
Courtney has a fan page on facebook that you can join by clicking here.
Courtney's dad was a mentor to me in my college days, I was trying to break in radio and approached him at K-HIT where I was seeking a summer job.  Geoff always seemed to find time to talk radio with me and keep me up to date on the goings on in the field.

Old Radio Remembered Part III

Walla Walla native Hank Unck previously who worked at KTEL as Lee Michaels, sent this aircheck of his last show on KALE.  KALE was popular with young people in Walla Walla because the local stations didn't play contemporary hit radio during the day.  Unck used the name "Hank Simon" during his Tri Cities stint and also did the evening newscast at KNDU.

East Meets West At The Hydros

Washington is lucky to have 2 Hydroplane racing events, one on either side of the state.  In this picture, one of my radio mentors, Geoff Harvey from Tri Cities (formerly Walla Walla) poses with Seattle radio icon Pat O'Day, a couple days before this year's Tri City race.

Kennewick, Washington Makes A Top 10 List

An hour away from where I grew up, Kennewick, Washington is rated one of the 10 best places to raise a family acccording to this list. Kennewick is part of the "Tri Cities" area, a cluster of cities that grew out of the Hanford Nuclear Project in the 40s. Kennewick is now the largest of the three (originally it was Pasco, then Richland) becoming the first to get a a covered shopping mall, a second public high school, and a performing arts center.

Palin Hides Out In Tri Cities

My brother, Steve, reports on the whereabouts of former Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin.