Tri-Cities Water Follies racing canceled for 2nd season. Can the event survive?

For a second year, there will be no unlimited hydroplane races on the Columbia River.

The Tri-City Water Follies Association announced Monday night that it’s canceling the 2021 HAPO Over-the-River Air Show and Columbia Cup.

“Due to the recently issued Washington state (COVID) guidelines for special events, the size and scope of boat race weekend is not allowed,” said Hector Cruz, the president of the Tri-City Water Follies.

The event draws about 65,000 spectators each summer.

Water Follies event director Kathy Powell said the Water Follies board worked very hard with the cities of Kennewick and Pasco, as well as Visit Tri-Cities, to communicate with the Governor’s Office to amend the guidelines.

“We gave it our best shot, to no avail,” said Powell, who added there were a lot of unknowns with the state.

“You can’t plan a $1 million event around the unknown,” she said.

Kennewick City Manager Marie Mosley praised the efforts of Water Follies Association volunteers.

“We’re disappointed for our citizens that look forward to the annual races and airshow,” Mosley said. “The iconic Water Follies event is a showcase attraction for our community, and its positive impact on tourism will be missed.”

An estimated 1,200 volunteers work throughout the year to plan and organize the event, which was scheduled for July 23-25.

Columbia Cup racing

The Tri-Cities race is recognized as a top venue for the sport and consistently receives recognition as the best race course for fans and race teams.

The board and Powell had been working on the event, which is a year-round planning process.

“I had the most important parts done,” she said. “First securing the water levels with the Corps of Engineers. And then getting the marine permit, which gives us the ability to use the river.”

Typically, Powell says, this time of year the Water Follies board meets two times a month. They can have Zoom meetings, she said, but a lot of what they need done has to be in person.

“The unknown is making it hard to plan,” she said.

Part of the state’s requirement for the size of the event the Water Follies hosts is that each person has to have 72 square feet of space.

“We have 40 acres in Kennewick to use,” Powell said.

That still wouldn’t get the board to where it needs to be financially.

Powell said the big money-makers are the private hospitality areas and the RVs.

“Those are things that pay the bills,” she said. “It would make a 100-person hospitality tent drop down to 48 people. Then the host would be responsible to make sure everyone is wearing a mask, and staying apart at a safe distance.”

The state guidelines, she said, still say people have to wear masks at this event.

“That makes it tough for an organization of all volunteers, including the security, to make sure that happens,” Powell said.

And the clincher was the finances for all of this: fewer people able to attend means less revenue.

“Then we have to pay the bills,” said Powell. “This is a $1 million bill.”

Powell, who spoke with the Herald on Monday night after the board’s vote, said it was a sad day.

“But I’d like to think our sponsors appreciate us for having a safe and successful event,” she said. “It’s better than trying and failing.”

Future of racing

The bigger question is what will this do to the future of the event — which has been canceled for two consecutive years after running successfully for 54 straight years?

“We always were concerned about a bad weather year,” said Powell. “We worked really hard to save for a rainy day fund.”

“The Water Follies has the ability to make it work,” she said. “Our hope is that we still have boats, we still have fans, that will come to the races.”

The event generates over $3 million in economic impact for local businesses.

Profits from the Tri-City Water Follies have recently been invested in funding improvements to the Columbia Park band shell, the rebuild of the Playground of Dreams, and an upgrade to the sound system in the park.

The Tri-Cities event is the second race to be canceled for the 2021 H1 Unlimited season.

Seafair, which was scheduled to be in Seattle the first weekend of August, was canceled a few weeks ago.

Races are still scheduled in Guntersville, Ala., on June 26-27, and in Madison, Ind., on July 2-4.

San Diego’s Bayfair committee said it plans to go ahead with its race in mid-September.

Indoor football delayed

Meanwhile, the American West Football Conference delayed the start of the season for the four teams in Washington and Oregon — including the Tri-City Rush — to help with attendance.

Currently, both states have limited seating for Indoor Arena events.

For the Rush, which will be playing its games at the HAPO Center (formerly TRAC in Pasco), has its home opener moved from May 15 back to May 29 against the Wenatchee Valley Skyhawks.

The Rush was originally scheduled to visit the Yakima Canines in the Yakima Valley SunDome on Sunday, May 9.

But now Tri-City’s first road game will be June 5 at Yakima.

Dust Devils open this week

Twenty-six players from the Los Angeles Angels’ farm system arrived Saturday and have been working out at Gesa Stadium in Pasco these past few days, preparing for the 120-game High-A West season that begins Tuesday, May 4.

The Vancouver Canadians, a Toronto Blue Jays’ affiliate, visit this week with a six-game series.

All games Tuesday through Saturday start at 6:30 p.m., while Sunday’s contest begins at 1:30 p.m.