Tri-City Area and Real Estate Blog

U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots Program

The mission of the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots Program is to collect new, unwrapped toys during October, November and December each year, and distribute those toys as Christmas gifts to needy children in the community.

This holiday season, there is an estimated 5,000 children in the Mid-Columbia in which the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots Program is trying to collect toys for.  The age range of toys needed is for 10 years and younger. They try to get each child a stuffed animal, one nice gift and two less expensive gifts with totals around $70 to $80 per child.  They know times are tough, but at this point they want to get all they can get in order to provide all 5,000 children with toys.

If you are in the area and are able to donate, please drop off toys at one of the following U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots locations.

BENTON CITY WA
AMERICAN LEGION / 908 Dale Ave

RICHLAND WA
WAL-MART / 2801 DUPORTAIL
BIG LOTS / 1743 G.W. WAY
TY”S TAVERN / 3880 Van Geisen St
PURCISION POOCH / 1257A Guyer Ave
APPLE BEES / 43 Columbia Pointe Dr
VFW POST 7952 / 1369 GWY
AREVA / 2101 Horns Rapid Rd
CHUCKY CHEESE / 1300 N. Columbia Center BLVD

KENNEWICK WA
TOYRUS /  1321 N. COLUMBIA BLVD SUITE 821
BIG LOTS / 3019 W. KENNEWICK AVE.
GRANNY’S BUFFET / 6821 WEST CANAL DRIVE
FULL  THROTTLE MOTORCYCLE SHOP /135 VISTA WAY SUIT E
APPLE BEES / 606 N. Columbia Center BLVD
OLD COUNTRY BUFFETT / 1321 N. Columbia Center BLVD
COLUMBIA VALLEY CHIROPRACTIC / Center 2411 S. Union St STE C
GRANDRIDGE DENTAL / 7103 W. Grandridge Ste G
MARINE RECRUITING STATION / 8390 W. Gage Blvd
DSHS / Canal and Edison
TRI CITITES COUNTRY CLUB / 314 Underwood St
LOCAL 112 IBEW / 2637 W. Albany Ave
TOYOTA
HARLEY DAVIDSON
KNDU / 3312 W. Kennewick Ave
KIMOS

PASCO WA
WAL-MART / 4820 NORTH ROAD 68
AMERICAN LEGION / 1029 W. Sylvester
MC CURLEY CHEVY / 1325 N. Auto Plex Way

The Mid-Columbia vineyards have again taken honors for our outstanding wines during the recent Los Angeles International Wine & Spirits Competition. See below for results:

• Kiona Vineyards Winery on Red Mountain won best in show for its – ’2008 chenin blanc ice wine’. Kiona won the top award for limited-productions wines and also won gold for its ‘reserve sangiovese’.
• Domaine Ste. Michelle in Paterson won gold medals for ‘blanc de blanc’, and its ‘blanc de noir’ sparkling wines.
• Barnard Griffin in Richland won gold for ‘rose of sangiovese’.
• Tagaris of Richland won gold for its ‘Alice Vineyard mourvedre’.
• Tasawik Vineyards of Prosser won gold for its ‘Hailstorm Red’.
• Hogue Cellars of Prosser won gold for its ‘Genesis Riesling’.
• Gamache Vintners of Prosser won gold for its “viognier’.
• Columbia Crest in Paterson won gold for its “Grand Estates cabernet sauvignon’.

Go to www.winepressnw.com/winners for the list of medal winner in all categories.

We’ve certainly had our fair share of rain this spring, in fact, more than our share in the opinion of most Tri-Citians. This spring has brought us weather we aren’t used to, mainly the wet stuff, and with that rain come the headaches that hay farmers and orchardists would rather avoid.  In the wee hours of the morning of late, this writer has heard the low chop-chop-chop of helicopters flying above the orchards in an attempt to dry the rain from their crop of cherries. If the water sits too long, the sun comes out and the temperature warms up – the dreaded split occurs and there goes the profit. The hay growers in Franklin County lost more than 70% of the 1st cutting lost to rot and asparagus farmers have been affected as well. Unfortunately, Mid-Columbia farmers have experienced these weather-related losses and thus the visit from the state’s top agricultural chief to determine the need for federal disaster funds. Growers have asked Dan Newhouse, Washington Department of Agriculture Secretary, to visits farms from Franklin to Walla Walla Counties to assess the damage with hopes of receiving federal compensation for the losses.

On June 26th, the general public is invited to attend the Richland Fly-In at the Richland Airport. A variety of planes will be arriving Friday evening and several events are scheduled for Saturday.  A pancake breakfast for pilots and the public will kick-off Saturday mornings activities at 7 am until 11 am. “Young Eagles” (children ages 8-17) will be flown free from 9 am and 1 pm. Antique planes will be on display from 8 am until 3 pm. The Richland Airport is just off the Bypass Highway in Richland. Turn north at the light and head toward the control tower, where parking will be available.

The Mid-Columbia Ninety-Nines, an all women organization willl be there as well. This organization was chartered in 1929 with Amelia Earhart served as its first president.

City of Richland park official have rewritten the master plan for Goethals Park to where nature and local children can connect and interact as kids most certainly love to do!  The plan is to include a wetland area (creek), a shrub-type environment, tunnels, a hill, logs, trails sand play area and a tree house. All these features will lend themselves to children’s imaginations and their need to have fun, including getting down and dirty, rolling down a hill, building a dam across the creek, anything and everything a child’s mind can create. This project is one of many that Richland Park officials hope can renovate some of the older parks in town and bring families back into the parks. One offical said it sounded like a kid in a candy store to have all these places to play. Others were excited about the treehouse project and couldn’t wait to see it all come together.  Looking for a good time with your kids? This could be the place for you!!  Volunteers through the Mid-Columbia Make a Difference Day program will be helping with construction.

Goodwill Industries, partnered with Lourdes Wilson House is working to offer folks with a mental illness an opportunity to locate good jobs that will fill them with encouragement and dignity, thus bringing about meaning to their lives.  Goodwill was able to hand Lourdes a check for more than $50,000 as they met last week in Pasco.   The Lourdes Health Network gets almost no outside funding for Wilson House,  said CEO John Serle, because of the non-tradtional mental health services it provides. Healthy adults can take having a job for granted, but for these individuals with a mental illness, not having a job just adds other issues for them to overcome.  Goodwill officials in the Mid-Columbia stepped in to help and since both Goodwill and Wilson House had a previous relationship, it was a welcome gift. Both organizations allow people participating in Goodwill’s job training and placement program to work at the Wilson House clubhouse.