Why Visit Tri-Cities kept its tourism pals in the dark

Visit Tri-Cities managed to keep the winners of its top tourism awards in the dark, literally, until it was ready to announce their names at its annual meeting Thursday.

The regional tourism agency honored Friends of Badger Mountain and Steve Jensen as its 2018 top tourism partners before a crowd of about 400.

The event at the Three Rivers Convention Center was held in a room darkened to movie theater levels to heighten the drama.

Friends of Badger Mountain received the Excellence in Service Award for the volunteer effort that resulted in a public trail to the top of Candy Mountain. The honor included a small cash award to continue its work.

Friends worked with several landowners and even rerouted the path to acknowledge neighbors’ concerns.

Steve Jensen, state director for the National Softball Association, was honored with the newly renamed Kris Watkins Tourism Champion of the Year award.

Jensen is credited with creating an annual tournament in late June that regularly fills Tri-City hotel room with players, coaches and fans.

Visit Tri-Cities estimates the annual event has attracted nearly 103,000 visitors to the Tri-Cities with a combined $26 million impact over the past 11 years.

The award is named for Kris Watkins, the long-time Visit Tri-Cities leader who retired earlier this year. Michael Novakovich now leads the organization.