The Tri-City Water Follies is excited to present the 2013 Lamb Weston Columbia Cup / HAPO Over the River Air Show official artwork.  Lockheed Martin, a long time partner of the Water Follies has been creating these designs since 2004, and has won numerous awards and recognition for their work.  The artwork is featured on the cover of the souvenir program ($7), as a poster and on booster buttons ($5) and Challenge Coins ($10) and event shirts.  Stay tuned for availability details.

TRI-CITIES, Wash. – The Tri City Water Follies Association is pleased to announce some  additional performers for this year’s HAPO “Over the River” Airshow:

• The Supermarine Spitfire from the Historic Flight.  One of the planes that made the Rolls-Royce Merlin famous before it powered a generation of Thunderboats.
• The Alpha Jet - From Mustang High Flight LLC. European light attack jet and trainer.  Most notably used by the French Air Force jet team Patrouille Acrobatique de France
• Red Eagle Airshows  -  Internationally-renowned, two-ship formation aerobatic team fling the Talon Eagle Bi-plane.
• Will Allen Airshows - Known as the “flying tenor” for his unique national anthem performances, although he will only be flying at this year’s event, not singing.
• U.S. Air Force Heritage Flight – Featuring 2 P-51 Mustangs

Log on to www.waterfollies.com for more information about the Lamb Weston Columbia Cup, HAPO Community Credit Union Over the River Air Show and the 1-Liter Hydroplane Racing.

TRI-CITIES, Wash. – The Tri City Water Follies Association announced today that they will be adding 1-Liter hydroplanes to the 2013 Lamb Weston Columbia Cup weekend event.

The 1-Liter hydroplanes are an American Power Boat Association (APBA) class of light and quick boats that race at speeds approaching 105 mph.  They are approximately 15’ in length and are powered by personal watercraft engines.

“Water Follies is excited to invite the best 1-Liter hydroplanes in APBA Region 10 to compete in the Columbia Cup 1-Liter Challenge” said Water Follies President Mike Denslow. “The 1-Liter class is one of the fastest growing and most exciting groups to watch in boat racing”.

Washington state has a strong contingent of these race boats, boasting a fleet that includes half of the top ten finishers in national points from 2012.  The boats compete with several other classes of inboard hydroplanes in eleven races in Washington state during the summer.

“My family has been part of the Water Follies for a number of years as volunteers,” said local 1-liter owner John Culver. “But this year will be special because I will get to race my own boat in the show, with my son as the driver,” he said. “I think the fans will be excited to see the level of competition from these boats”

Invitations have been extended to the following 1-Liter teams to attend the Columbia Cup 1-Liter Challenge:

Y-5 Fastrax FTX Motorsports.com -  Owner/Driver Corey Peabody’s team embodies the racing axiom “Go ‘til you blow”.  Most weekends, he’s the fastest boat, but is also just as likely to take his engine home in more pieces than he started with. Peabody won high points in region 10 last year and second nationally.

Y-8 Bononcini Racing -  The team finished third in Region 10 high points and fifth nationally last year with Bianca Bononcini at the helm.  This year, Bianca’s brother Nick takes over driving duties.

Y-19 Specialty Mobility presents Culver Racing – This is your hometown boat.  Owned by longtime Water Follies Volunteer John Culver and sponsored by his business Specialty Mobility, the team finished second in Region 10 high points and fourth nationally last year.

Y-21 Wallace Racing -  A new boat in 2012, this entry is owned by U-21 crewman William Wallace and piloted by current U-100 driver Ryan Mallow.  The team finished eighth in national high points last year.  Look for them to be very competitive in 2013.

Y-26 Mallory Racing – Kayleigh Mallory returns to drive on the river where she won several Unlimited Lights events bringing a competitive 1 liter program that won the region 10 points title in 2011.

 Y-33 Fugitive Racing - Former crew chief of the U-48 Jim LaBrie continues the racing tradition of his father with his 1-liter hull, the ‘Fugitive’.

 Y-17 - Ben Black looks to jump start a 1-liter racing program by purchasing the former Y-28.  This boat was run competitively in the region for a number of years by U-21 driver Brian Perkins.  Racing a limited schedule, this boat finished eleventh in national high points last year.

More boats may be announced at a later date.  Water Follies expects to invite a total of 7-10 teams for this event.

More about 1-Liter Hydroplanes (from www.apba.org)

Minimum Driver Age: 16 years old
Minimum Length: 13′ 6″
Engine: Fall into 4 categories with varying modification limits. 1030 cc, 1160 cc, 1260 cc, and 1315 cc
Top Speed: 105 MPH
Minimum Weight: 750 or 825 lbs including driver depending on boat legnth
Fuel: Racing fuel per APBA specs

Log on to www.waterfollies.com for more information about the Lamb Weston Columbia Cup, HAPO Community Credit Union Over the River Air Show and the 1-Liter Hydroplane Racing.

Water Follies Board Members & Dignitaries Cut the Ribbon for the New Headquarters

TRI-CITIES, Wash. – The Tri City Regional Chamber of Commerce was on hand to help the Tri-City Water Follies Association celebrate the official opening of their new office location with an official ribbon cutting ceremony on Thursday, April 25th.  After board members and dignitaries celebrated the cutting of the ribbon, longtime former board member and current Kennewick City Councilman Paul Parish presented the organization with an official proclamation from the city declaring the Water Follies ‘Business of the Day’. Parish had been a strong proponent of the building during his time on the Water Follies board and was honored this year by the organization this year for his dedicated service to the organization.

Crowd gathered for the ribbon cutting ceremony

Water Follies ‘Business of the Day’ Proclaimation

Sparkling ICE® to Support Unlimited Hydroplane Racing

Sparking ICE will sponsor the 2013 Tri-Cities Water Follies

 SEATTLE—April 1, 2013 -Sparkling ICE by TalkingRain®will sponsor the Tri-Cities Water Follies as the official sparkling flavored water. This year, Sparkling ICE has taken on a supportive role in the unlimited hydroplane racing event.

The 2013 Tri-Cities Water Follies, a series of hydroplane events on the Columbia River, will take place July 26 through July 29. The Unlimited Hydroplane Testing event will be Saturday, July 28, with races to follow Sunday, July 29.

Nate Brown Christens the U-17 Our Gang Racing with Talking Rain in 2007.

TalkingRain has been supporting hydroplane events along with Nate Brown and his racing endeavors since 1997. Since the inception of Nate Brown’s brainchild, Our Gang Racing in 2007, and the debut of U-17 Miss Red Dot in the Tri-Cities, TalkingRain has been quenching the thirst of drivers and crew.

“The Tri-Cities Water Follies is a great community event and we are excited to be a part of the festivities this year” said Nina Morrison, vice president of community and public relations for TalkingRain. “Family-oriented events that incorporate tradition is a part of TalkingRain’s culture, and this event fits perfectly with that mission.”

Both hydro-racing and SeaFair have been important to Seattle for a long time, which is what initially inspired TalkingRain to get involved. This will also be Sparkling ICE’s second year as the official sparkling flavored water sponsor at Madison Regatta.

Aside from a weekend of high-speed hydro-action on the Columbia River, the Tri-Cities Water Follies will use all of its proceeds on the event to make park improvements, scholarship donations and contributions to local civic organizations that help put on the event.

About TalkingRain
Founded in 1987, TalkingRain is a small business comprised of 187 employees and has grown to be a leader in the beverage industry offering a variety of drinks ranging from mountain spring water to flavored sparkling spring water. The TalkingRain family of beverages includes thirst-quenching product lines: Sparkling ICE, Sparkling Essence Water and Mountain Spring Water,all of which are created to refresh the body and renew the mind. For 26 years TalkingRain has stayed true to its vision and its commitment to community by continually creating great tasting, refreshing beverages. For more information about TalkingRain Beverage Company, please visit www.talkingrain.com.

About Sparkling ICE®
Sparkling ICE has made a great tasting, refreshing, zero calorie beverage Perfectly Possible™. Combining naturally flavored sparkling mountain spring water, vitamins and antioxidants and natural fruit juices, Sparkling ICE offers a bold, lightly-carbonated beverage that appeals to all age groups. Available in eight refreshing flavors: Coconut Pineapple, Lemon Lime, Kiwi Strawberry, Lemonade, Orange Mango, Pomegranate Blueberry, Pink Grapefruit and Black Raspberry, Sparkling ICE can be found in retailers nationwide. A great alternative to soft drinks, Sparkling ICE is caffeine free and sweetened with Splenda.

Sparkling ICE is part of the TalkingRain® family of beverages, and retails for $1.19-$1.29. To locate Sparking ICE visit www.sparklingice.com.

The Tri-Cities Water Follies recently received some expected, but still disappointing news regarding this year’s HAPO Over-the-River Air Show – as well as some very positive news that will surely lessen the disappointment.

 Because of the federally enacted budget sequester, the US Air Force’s F-22 Raptor Team will not be appearing this year at the Columbia Cup unlimited hydroplane races.

The cancellation is part of the greater elimination of nationwide air shows by the military, which is cutting nearly all non-essential programs. However, Kathy Powell of the Water Follies views the news as just a temporary setback, saying, “We knew the Air Force might have to pull out of our show this year due to the sequester, but that doesn’t diminish the fact that they had already selected the Tri-Cities as one of their limited summertime air show appearances. They saw the Water Follies as a premiere venue and I expect that when they are fully funded again, they will be here in all of their glory. Unfortunately, we’ll just have to wait a year.”

However, Powell also said there is some good news to report on the Air Show front. “The Historic Flight Foundation in Mukilteo, WA informed us that their Grumman F7F Tigercat and F8F Bearcat will be making an appearance at the HAPO Over-the River-Air Show this year, which is really, really exciting. These are two flying pieces of history and they are awesome to see.”

The F7F-3’s Tigercat was originally designed as a combat carrier plane and saw service in the Korean War, but was used extensively for low-level forest fire fighting. There are only six Tiger cats still flying.

The F8F Grumman Bearcat was among the last piston-engine flyers built specifically for World War II combat and was designed to meet and beat the infamous Japanese Zero. The plane could climb to 10,000 feet in just over a minute and has the distinction of being the first official plane used by the US Navy’s Blue Angels demonstration team. There are only ten F8F’s flying today.

“So we’ll have two more great historical planes to dazzle the crowds and we couldn’t be more thrilled,” said Powell.

The HAPO Over-the-River Air Show and the Lamb Weston Columbia Cup is July 26-28, 2013. For more, see: www.waterfollies.com

Kathy Powell
Event Director
Tri-City Water Follies
201 N. Edison, Ste. 232
Kennewick, WA 99336
Office)509/783-4675
Toll Free) 877-73-HYDRO
Fax) 509/388-0191

www.waterfollies.com

The Federal Government’s ongoing budget impasse and sequestration cuts appear to have grounded the F-22 Demo team for the year.  Air Combat Command released the following statement via their Facebook page:

“A few days ago, our government implemented Sequestration and a year-long Continuing Resolution, which has forced the Air Force to implement policies to reduce spending. Unfortunately, eliminating air show support was one of those policies. On 1 Mar, ACC was directed to stand down the F-22 Demo Team, discontinue Heritage Flights, flyovers, and other aerial demonstrations, and cease all support of air shows and military open houses. 

Now that the dust has settled and the impact of these cuts has sunk in, I know many of you have questions, and I apologize for not being able to address all of them that have been posted here on FB. While I realize all of you (myself included) are hoping that sequestration will be rescinded and support for air shows will be resurrected, I am not in a position to say that either of those will happen. There is always the possibility that Congress will come up with a budget plan that will allow additional funding for the USAF for the remainder of the year; however, we have no guarantee that this will occur. We, like you, hope a decision is made that will allow us to stand up our teams for the remainder of the year. If the F-22 Demo Team and/or the Heritage Flights are put back on the road, our intent is to support the original F-22 Demo Schedule. If shows on that schedule have since cancelled or already occurred, then we will add new shows to the schedule, if the budget allows.

While I know this doesn’t sit well with many of you, please know that we will continue to support the airshow industry in whatever way possible….and I encourage you to do the same! Don’t let this news sway your decision on attending your local airshow. They will need your support now more than ever! – Zipper”

The Tri-City Water Follies recently posted this in response on our own Facebook page:

“This is certainly disappointing news. The Water Follies was very fortunate to have been selected for the F-22 Raptor demonstration team. The fact that we were chosen over so many other shows make evident the Water Follies will be selected again – when budget allows.

For now, know that we are continuing to put together an action-packed weekend filled with impressive aircraft, amazing aerobatics, high-speed boat racing and fun shoreline activities.”

We will continue to keep you informed as the event schedule is finalized for 2013.  Hope to see you all down at the river bank this year.

“Raptor” To Descend on the Tri-Cities During Water Follies Weekend

The Tri-Cities Water Follies has some big news about what you’ll be seeing this summer at the HAPO Community Credit Union Over-the-River Air Show.  The US Air Force Air Combat Command has selected the Tri-Cities and the Columbia Cup to showcase its F-22 Raptor Demonstration Team.

The F-22 Raptor is the Air Force’s newest fighter aircraft, and according to the US Air Force Air Combat Command Team website, its “combination of stealth, supercruise, maneuverability and integrated avionics – coupled with improved supportability – represents an exponential leap in warfighting capabilities.”

Scott Meyer, Air Show Director for the Tri-Cities Water Follies said, “The US Air Force Air Combat Command selected our event over many other outstanding venues and it is truly an honor to be selected. The F-22 is the world’s most advanced fighter aircraft and will appear publically only 23 times worldwide in 2013.”

HAPO’s Ron Hue said he and HAPO were ecstatic about the news. “Getting the F-22 to come to the Tri-Cities, speaks volumes for the quality of our event and the strong showing we have each year from the fans. The top air show teams in the country are now looking to the Water Follies as a premier event. HAPO is proud to be a sponsor,” he said.

Kathy Powell, Event Director for the Tri-Cities Water Follies, echoed Hue’s comments, saying, “The support that the Tri-Cities community has shown to the USAF over the years had a huge impact on our selection, kudos to all our fans.”

“This is the only appearance of the Raptor in the Pacific Northwest this year, so picking the Tri-Cities meant saying no to several well-established air shows and venues in the region,” said Powell. “This is a really, really big deal. I hope all our air show fans and our hydro race fans will turn out in full force to support this year’s event. I know we’ll make such a great impression on the F-22 Raptor Demonstration Team that they’ll keep coming back in the years to come,” she added.

The Lamb Weston Columbia Cup and HAPO Community Credit Union Airshow is July 26-28, 2013. Visit www.waterfollies.com   for more information about the 2013 event.

Water Follies Board Members pose with Tri-City Vistor and Convention Bureau Officials after accepting their award as 2012 Tourism Champion of the Year

Tri-City Water Follies Association Named 2012 Tourism Champion of the Year

 Tri-Cities, Wash – The Tri-City Water Follies Association was named the 2012 Tourism Champion of the Year during the Tri-Cities Visitor and Convention Bureau’s 43^rd Annual Meeting that took place Thursday, November 1.

Every year the Tourism Champion award is given to an individual or group that demonstrates leadership and strengthens the tourism industry.

The Tri-City Water Follies was established in 1966 and in 2012 hosted the 47th consecutive Columbia Cup Hydroplane Race, which attracted over 60,000 attendees and created $2,250,000 of visitor spending in our community.

“We have witnessed the incredible transformation of the Tri-City Water Follies Association for the last few years.  Recognizing this group with the Tourism Champion award is our way of saying ‘thank you’ to the many passionate volunteers who continue to make the Columbia Cup Tri-Cities’ premiere event,” said Kris Watkins, President and CEO of the Tri-Cities Visitor and Convention Bureau.

Source: Tri-Cities Visitor and Convention Bureau

Contact:  Jordan Youngs, Director of Marketing and Public Relations (509) 735-8486. Ext. 233

LAMB WESTON TO SPONSOR 2013 COLUMBIA CUP

ConAgra Foods Lamb Weston continues as title sponsor

 The Water Follies Board of Directors is proud to announce that ConAgra Foods Lamb Weston has opted to renew its title sponsorship of the Columbia Cup for 2013.

“ConAgra Foods Lamb Weston is proud to continue as title sponsor of the Lamb Weston Columbia Cup race for 2013, which will mark our 7^th consecutive year as sponsor” said Lamb Weston Vice President of Human Resources Dave Sanford.

“The Columbia Cup offers all of us at Lamb Weston a chance to join with the community in celebrating and experiencing what has become a ‘must attend’ event.” Sanford adds.

Event Director Kathy Powell concurs “We are once again very thankful  toLamb Weston for their commitment to the Tri-City Water Follies. Beyond the title sponsorship, Lamb Weston also goes the distance by making the weekend event more environmentally friendly by introducing and expanding recycling efforts each year.”

“Since 2007, Lamb Weston has been an outstanding partner”, says Calvin Dudney, outgoing Water Follies President. “We are thrilled that they will be back as our title sponsor next year.”

Lamb Weston, a brand of ConAgra Foods, Inc., is North America’s premier supplier of frozen potato, sweet potato, appetizer and other vegetable products, serving both the foodservice and retail industries. For more information, please visit www.lambweston.com.

The 2013 Lamb Weston Columbia Cup will be held July 26th – 28th.  Visit www.waterfollies.com   for more information.