New Clover Island Inn owners bring in Richland music icon to run summer concert series

Approaching its 20th anniversary, the Thunder on the Island concert series at Clover Island Inn is a summertime entertainment staple in Tri-Cities.

It’s in a unique location on the island owned by the Port of Kennewick. The Clover Island Inn is a popular place to stay for those visiting Tri-Cities, with waterfront views and restaurant and recreational options nearby.

One hotel parking lots can host a large stage used for Thunder on the Island shows during the warm seasons.

That includes free, family-friendly shows on Wednesdays and headlining acts on Sundays. With a capacity of 1,600 attendees, the venue makes for a fantastic space for large events.

Now, the hotel’s new owners are turning to an outside contractor with a long history in the food and music industry to take over the Thunder on the Island shows in 2025.

Thunder on the Island personnel changes

The inception and upkeep of Thunder on the Island is largely attributed to Mark Blotz, though it is said he refuses to accept such credit.

Blotz officially retired from his management role when the inn was sold to new a new group.

The 2024 Thunder on the Island events were put on by the new owners and current staff. They told the Port of Kennewick that they lost a lot of money on the concert series this year because of a lack of food and liquor sales.

The new owners, known as CII Hospitality, are in the process of revamping the venue and there are no current food or liquor licenses.

They began to look at other options for the event — keeping Thunder on the Island where it is, but bringing in outside contractors to run the concerts.

A couple of groups were interested in taking over, but the best offer came from The Emerald of Siam’s Dara Quinn, who started a new event management business called Emerald Spark Events with partner Alicia Cullison.

They’ve entered an agreement with CII Hospitality, and the Port of Kennewick, which leases the stage to CII, agreed to the change on Sept. 24. It was the last piece of the puzzle needed for the takeover.

Thunder on the Island 2025

The concert series will celebrate its 20th year in 2025. The milestone will be celebrated with bigger events, using Quinn’s vast connections in the music industry, Cullison’s experience running large events and the talented staff and partners they work with.

Quinn and Cullison told the Herald their goals for the coming year include diversifying the audience and offering a wider array of music.

The duo also plans to offer all-encompassing services during events.

Emerald Spark will take over booking bands, finding sponsors and all aspects of the concerts, including ticketing, sound, food and drinks, stage management and more.

The port paid about $400,000 for a professional but portable stage early in 2023 to replace an old stage fashioned from two flatbed trailers that some acts refused to perform on.

Emerald Spark will train staff to properly set up the stage with the manufacturer’s specifications.

As the new company and weather allows, Quinn and Cullison would like to host additional events at the venue during the warmer seasons.

Emerald Spark will be available for corporate and other events at the Inn or other local venues as soon as possible. The Emerald Spark Events website and social media pages are in progress, but will include contact options for event inquiries in the future.

For now, the focus is on delivering the best possible Thunder on the Island series in 2025, they said.

Quinn and Cullison are looking for local sponsors to support the new venture. They told the Herald they’ve received a lot of community support throughout this process, and they’re excited for the new undertaking.

About Emerald Spark Events

Quinn and Cullison met while working together at this year’s Tri Town Get Down music festival in Richland.

Quinn was an instrumental part of the festival in numerous capacities in both 2023 and 2024, and Cullison joined this year as the volunteer coordinator. They realized they worked well together, and had similar visions when putting on community events.

Conversations about who could take over Thunder on the Island followed the Get Down festival early this June. Once Quinn began discussing the possibilities with Cullison, “There was an immediate spark,” she told the Herald.

With nods to both of their existing ventures, The Emerald of Siam for Quinn and Spark Innovative Learning Project for Cullison, Emerald Spark Events was born soon after. Officially a registered business in Washington state, the company combines their talents to provide top-quality events.

Cullison has experience with several nonprofit organizations, including the Tri-Cities Diversity and Inclusion Council and Tri-Cities Pride, on top of work with the learning project.

Quinn has been in the music industry for decades, with more connections that she has space for.