Organizers call Water Follies successful weekend
The hydroplanes, jet fighters and crowd may have been loud this weekend but terms of trouble, officials called the 2016 Tri-Cities Water Follies a quiet event.
“We like to have it quiet,” said Kathy Powell, event director at Tri-Cities Water Follies said. “That is our goal.”
Water Follies drew an estimated 60,000 people for the boat racing, air shows and other events along the Columbia River.
“It was a great success,” Powell said. “We did have temperatures over 100, and we were competing with Watershed, but our turnout for Sunday was remarkable.”
She said the weekend event usually sees the crowd size fluctuate depending on weather conditions.
“Historically, when we had the temperatures in the high 90s or over 100s we do see a dip in the crowds,” she said. “It’s just so uncomfortable.”
The crowd in cooler, recent years has reached as high as 70,000.
Kennewick and Pasco police, for the most part, reported a fairly calm crowd with few problems.
One exception happened Sunday when two Pasco officers near Road 52 saw two men zip by on a golf cart and a little later another man ran up and said his cart had been stolen.
Jaime Valdivia, 22, of Pasco, was booked into the Franklin County jail on suspicion of theft, DUI, reckless driving and failing to cooperate with police.
Across the river in Columbia Park, Jesse Stiles, 26, of Richland, was arrested Sunday on investigation of obstructing an investigation and resisting arrest when he tried to get in without a ticket. When he became belligerent, he was arrested and police found he had a gun.
“There are signs everywhere that say no guns, no weapons,” said Kennewick police Sgt. Ken Lattin.
And, despite the heat, medical officials at the Trios Health tent saw no major injuries or problems.
Powell called it a fun weekend with an exciting finish.
“We’re just looking forward to 2017 now,” she said.
This story was originally published August 1, 2016 at 7:12 PM with the headline "Organizers call Water Follies successful weekend."