If you are one of the 70,000 people planning to join this weekend's crowds along the Columbia River in Kennewick and Pasco, here is what you need to know:

Weather

Sunshine and hot temperatures are in the Tri-City forecast.

The high Friday should be about 94 with the weather cooling slightly to highs of 90 degrees Saturday and Sunday, according to the National Weather Service.

Tickets

-- No tickets needed Friday.

-- Weekender tickets covering Saturday or Sunday may be purchased at the gate or at Tri-City Albertsons. Adults $25, children 6 to 12 $10 and children under 5 free.

-- Saturday general admission tickets are sold at the gate. Adults $15, children 6 to 12 $5 and children under 5 free.

-- Sunday general admission tickets are sold at the gate. Adults $25, children 6 to 12 $5 and children under 5 free.

-- Bleacher tickets are sold at the entrance to the bleachers in Columbia Park and do not include admission. Cost is $5 for adults and children 6 and older.

-- Pit passes cost $10 each day Friday through Sunday. A three-day pit pass is $45.

Parking

Parking fees are charged each time cars enter or re-enter lots.

-- Columbia Park parking costs $5 Friday and Saturday, and $10 Sunday.

-- Pasco parking is free Friday, $5 Saturday and $10 Sunday. Look for parking signs off Sylvester Street.

-- Use the main Highway 240 entrance for handicap parking. Golf cart shuttles from the parking lot to the viewing area are available. Ben Franklin Transit offers Dial-A-Ride service, but rides must be booked by noon Friday for Saturday and Sunday.

-- Pedestrians can be picked up at a designated pick-up/drop-off point near the Playground of Dreams.

-- The J&S Dreamland Express, owned and operated by the Kiwanis Club of the Horse Heaven Hills, will provide transportation between parking areas and the river throughout the weekend. On Friday, it will run from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. On Saturday, it will run from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. On Sunday, it will run from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. There is no cost, though donations are welcome.

The train, which operates weekends in Columbia Park, is named in honor of Washington State Patrol Trooper James Saunders, who was shot and killed in the line of duty in Pasco in 1999.

Bus service

Ben Franklin Transit will offer hourly service to Columbia Park from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday and Sunday from the Knight Street Transit Center in Richland and the Huntington Transit Center in Kennewick.

Buses will leave the park both days at noon, 1 and 2 p.m., reaching the Richland transit center 15 minutes later and the Kennewick center 30 minutes later. They return to the park 45 minutes later.

Buses will begin leaving the park 15 minutes after the final event.

Fares are $1.50 -- 75 cents for seniors -- and $4 for families of up to five people. Freedom Passes will be accepted.

Traffic

The main entrance to Columbia Park on westbound Highway 240 will be closed from 4 to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

Extra Washington State Patrol troopers will be assigned Friday through Sunday in aircraft, motorcycles and unmarked patrol cars. They will be looking for speeders, drunken drivers, aggressive drivers and people not wearing seat belts.

Cars parked on the shoulders of Highway 240 to watch the races or air shows will be ticketed.

Schedule

Friday and Saturday the all-day action on the river starts at 8:15 a.m. and Sunday it starts at 8 a.m. The air show will be 11:30 to 1:30 p.m. Friday, Saturday and Sunday.