Living TC Spring 2016

 TINY HOUSE  MIKEY’S CHANCE NONPROFIT  GOLF GETAWAYS

ROOM TO WORK

locals embrace collaborative workplaces THE REACH GUIDED TOURS touring the Columbia Basin STAND-UP COMEDY where to go for a laugh

Spring 2016

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in this issue ROOM TO WORK | p10 collaborative spaces are on the rise

TINY HOME | p14 a look inside a local woman’s humble abode

Now Open: Baum’s House of Chocolate p22

MEDITERRANEAN DIET | p19 a breakdown of how to adopt this healthy diet

NOW OPEN: BAUM’S HOUSE OF CHOCOLATE | p22 second location featuring sweet treats opens

HOME HOSTED ELEGANCE: EASTER MADE EASY | p24 how to plan a perfect brunch

INLAND NORTHWEST GOLF GETAWAYS | p28 pack up your clubs

THE REACH - GUIDED GEOLOGY TOURS AND HIKES | p32 touring the Columbia Basin

ARTIST SPOTLIGHT: PATRICK FLEMING | p36 teacher and artist

Home Hosted Elegance p24

HOMEGROWN COMEDIANS | p40 bring laughter therapy to the masses

GEORGE GARLICK | p42 former Tri-Citian of the year

MIKEY’S CHANCE | p44 rescued dogs find homes through foster program

SPRING EVENT CALENDAR | p46 can’t miss events of spring

Golf Getaways p28 6

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spring 2016 Publisher Gregg McConnell Editor Libby Campbell Advertising Director Sean Flaherty Design Team Misty Ayers & Sara Nelson Design Sales Team Eric Garcia, Kennen Hawkes, Dana Langheid, Kelly McGrath, Carol Perkins, Pamela Phelps, Cody Rettinghouse, Paige Watson Cover Photo Sara Nelson On the Cover Joe Weakely Contributors Kevin Cole Jennifer Colton-Jones Carolyn Henderson Ashlie Martin Shane Martin Sara Nelson Renee Pottle Elsie Puig Sydnie Roberts Jackie Sharpe Heather Weagant

333 West Canal Drive Kennewick, WA 99336 For Editorial Info: Libby Campbell libby@livingtc.com For Advertising Info: Sean Flaherty sean@livingtc.com facebook.com/livingtcmagazine

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Room to Work Story by Kevin Cole

Photos by Sara Nelson

“COWORKING” HAS BEEN AROUND FOR JUST OVER A DECADE, having been started in San Francisco by software engineer Brad Neuberg in 2005. In a “Coding in Paradise” blog post, Neuberg describes coworking as going well beyond work, as participants start the day with group meditation, have lunch together, take breaks for guided yoga or bike rides, and – almost incidentally, it seems - get some work done.

Tri-Cities coworking doesn’t look quite like that, though it does place tremendous emphasis on community. Coworking here appears to have coalesced, more than started.

Five years ago, a lonely freelance web designer (&Yet’s Adam Brault) looked for other freelance programmers to work with in local coffee shops. But that story ends with the formation of a company rather than a coworking group.

On the heels of that experiment, another web designer in need of company (Doug Waltman) used Twitter to find other local programmers to meet with for workday company. That group evolved into the Tri-Cities’ first official space: Room to Think.

Room to Think occupied an office on George Washington Way for about a year in 2012 to 2013. When one of the organizers moved out

of the area, the work required to keep going was too much for those remaining. The group dissolved and let the space go.

Waltman says Room to Think was educational: “Some people do it as a for-profit, some as non-profit; some people have boards, others try a sole proprietorship or partnership.

Some fail and some succeed. We learned that it’s really about the community behind it. Build the community first – the space and business and other stuff will come afterwards.”

One year later the Tri-Cities was ready for another run at creating a coworking space and many of the same group were there – including Waltman. “When we started Fuse, there were thirty-some members, almost exactly the same number at Room to Think when it shut down… so I don’t think Room to Think was a failure – just a stepping stone to what we have today.”

Erin Schmidt missed Room to Think.

“I was coming back to the work force from being a full-time mom, starting a new career and looking for mentorship and support. I heard about it just after it closed,” she said. She joined other freelancers meeting first in coffee shops, then a Richland Library conference room.

When they outgrew that, they made plans to relaunch coworking in a more formal way.

“Be productive together” is the motto that drives Fuse, located in Richland.

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In the summer of 2014, Fuse was incorporated as the Tri-Cities’ first Social Purpose Corporation – a new corporate structure in Washington state. Last autumn, Fuse leased the space at 710 George Washington Way formerly occupied by Room to Think.

Some of Fuse’s space is leased to small businesses, including software companies, law firms and others. That income helps underwrite the cost of the space.

Coming through the front door, you walk into the hotdesk area. Activity there looks like what coworking is often thought to be: People with laptops, with or without earbuds, beanies and/or beards, working on different projects or just talking. It’s an open room filled with tables and chairs, only a few of which have reserved seating.

Around the perimeter are several doors.

One leads to a small kitchen area with snacks one can buy with the swipe of a card, via an iPad-mounted Square card reader, of course. Other doors lead to small quiet rooms where one can have a meeting or take a phone call without being overheard or bothering others.

(above) Fuse has open, communal areas to work, but there are also quiet, private rooms. (right) People from all professions utilize the shared space offered at Fuse.

There are small private office spaces downstairs and one big office upstairs, where Wildland – the software company for which Schmidt now works – conducts business. Also on the second floor is a quiet, library-like area for those who need to concentrate without a background buzz.

On the Fuse membership list are programmers, of course, but also CPAs, lawyers, writers, designers and telecommuters. There are also people who don’t need workspace, but just want to support coworking generally and Fuse specifically.

much profit we generate. The sharing, the classes, the new businesses that form...”

As a Social Purpose Corporation, Fuse operates for “social good,” not profit.

According to Executive Director Heather Unwin, “Fuse IS a company, but our metrics of success are how much positive impact we have in the community rather than how

For Erin Schmidt, Fuse is partly about education: “How many classes can we do? How many workshops? How many organizations can we get involved? How many bridges can I build to local educational institutions? How can we help students S p ring 2016

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coming out of school find a place to start – not necessarily to get hired here, but maybe to help them start their own thing?”

Community is big at Fuse: social events, networking, resource sharing, support and encouragement from working with others; but there is also a focus on creating new businesses and new things. According to Schmidt, “The founding members of Fuse are mostly interested in making cool things happen in the Tri-Cities. They want fun things to do. They want reasons to keep their families here. And that won’t happen here unless people stay here and make it happen.”

Confluent

Confluent is a makerspace, complete with a 3D printer for projects.

Further up George Washington Way, around the corner to 285 Williams Boulevard, a new collaborative space called

Confluent is preparing to launch.

Nick Napoli, one of Confluent’s organizers, says of the process, “We (the community) started 18 months ago at meetup.com, where you can schedule events and have a calendar. We eventually added a Facebook page. And those have been our two methods of communicating. We started meeting every other week. That eventually became monthly public meetings, then we formed working groups and began having board meetings,” he said.

“The first step was figuring out how to work together and make decisions as a group. We talked to lawyers and decided to become a 501(c)3 non-profit. We looked at locations to see what would work. This is the best one for visibility and being out in the community.

It’s not as big as we would like – our dream is to find an 8,000 to 10,000 square foot facility.” Just now, Confluent is converting a former garage into an art gallery and a makerspace.

Confluent reaches out primarily to the Tri-Cities art and tech communities. On the

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gallery side, the emphasis is contemporary art: “We have a lot of different groups coming. A multicultural dance group will work out of here. We’ll have the Urban Poet Society. We’re all about the art… public art, street art, all different media – there’ll be events in the gallery every month or every other month.”

On the tech side, tools and training from a wide range of technology are envisioned, from hand tools to power tools to 3-D printing and programming. Two different types of 3-D printers are already in place, and more equipment and training is being volunteered all the time as the February grand opening approaches.

Confluent and Fuse share an emphasis on education: “DIY Community Education with a kind of project-based learning,” per Napoli. “If we make technology available, what can happen? What technology can be developed? What kinds of creativity can be spurred? If you teach people how to make a 3-D print, then make a mold of it in the kiln and create products, what might happen? If you can take the cost of prototyping or starting a business from maybe $50,000 down to around $2,000 – which is what we’re talking about here – what businesses can we spur on? Instead of staying a dream in the back of someone’s head, it can become a reality. That’s what I’m excited about – to see what gets started here in our little makerspace!”

More information about either Fuse or Confluent is available online: fusespc.com and meetup.com/ConfluentSpace

Creators, artists and inventors are all encouraged to collaborate at Confluent.

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A Tiny Movement Story by Ashlie Martin Photos by Shane Martin THERE IS NOTHING SMALL ABOUT DESIGNING AND BUILDING YOUR own home from the ground up. That is, of course, unless your home consists of only 350 square feet of living space.

Tiny homes are a relatively new movement in the housing industry. A growing number of people are taking a look at their lives and putting into perspective what their needs are and what makes them truly happy. Downsizing, decluttering, living simply. However you choose to look at it, drastically cutting down on your home’s square footage is becoming more popular. A more

Kinsey’s quaint home is a mere 350 square feet.

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standard home might be 2,000 square feet. A tiny home is usually between 100 and 400 square feet; some even as micro as 80 square feet. Sarah Kinsey’s tiny house in north Pasco is 350 square feet.

Kinsey and her cousin Drew Gutierrez have lived in the Tri-Cities their whole lives. Kinsey grew up in a ranch style home in Richland,

bought her own ranch house when she turned 23 and lived there for 10 years. The tiny house movement was just starting to evolve when new episodes of “Tiny House Nation” started airing. The show caught Kinsey’s eye and as she watched she realized she didn’t need all the extra space in her home, not to mention the financial commitment that comes with being a homeowner.

“The equity that I had in my house was going to pay for this [tiny]

home completely,” Kinsey explained. “Why not live without a mortgage?” She called Gutierrez and asked if he wanted to help her build a tiny home, and he was on board right away.

There are a couple options when it comes to starting a tiny home. You can buy them as a shell, with only the inside to complete, or you can build it yourself. Kinsey opted to build it herself and save $75,000 in the process.

“There are so many websites and books designed to help people building tiny homes,” Gutierrez said. “We have actually thought about starting our own e-books to help people through the process since we learned so much during it.”

As with any home build, one of the first steps was to draw out different floor plans. They bought a book specifically just for tiny

(above) Drew Gutierrez helped his cousin Sarah Kinsey through the construction process. (left) The home sits on property in north Pasco.

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(left) Smaller scale appliances help save space in the kitchen. (below) The pair finished the construction in about seven months.

house layouts. “We went through the book and I didn’t like any of the layouts. So I drew out my own layouts for months; I still have all the sketches,” Kinsey said. “I had a couple different designs, but I had this one floor plan that I was dead set on. I knew I wanted a 24-foot trailer, and the day we picked up the trailer I realized I couldn’t do that floor plan at all. So I had to reconfigure everything.”

The trailer was ordered through a tiny house company, Shelter Wise, who actually helped them out by installing their floors.

Kinsey took sketches into her friend at Pro Build in Kennewick to get supplies for the framing. Once they had the trailer and all the supplies, they started building the home in the driveway of Kinsey’s then current home. Her vision and design started to come to light.

The kitchen countertops consist of rows of pennies, creating an original diamond pattern under a transparent epoxy one sheet.

These were the first component of the whole house, setting the tone for Kinsey’s eclectic style. This same pattern, but made with nickels, extends to the bathroom, creating a cohesive design throughout.

After the countertops were done, Kinsey bought and stained the kitchen cabinets, and the rest of the design slowly came together.

Making the most out of a tiny space can be a challenge, especially when it comes to the kitchen. Kinsey’s kitchen is stocked with an apartment sized fridge and a microwave, and she makes use of smaller kitchen appliances.

“I have a NuWave oven and NuWave hot plate, they work amazing,” she said. “I didn’t want to waste the space by putting a small 16

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oven in so I went with the NuWave. I also do a lot of cooking in my crockpot and, of course, a George Foreman grill.”

From start to finish it took around seven months to complete the house. “We were only working on it about two to three days a week, so I’m sure it wouldn’t take that long again,” Gutierrez said.

They ran into some complications with Kinsey’s health during the building process, which slowed the build time down significantly. “I have had similar health issues in the past, but this one almost ended very badly,” Kinsey said. She was in a tremendous amount of pain, but tests came back negative after a trip to the emergency room.

Since she had similar severe health issues

Though it may be small, the bathroom is fully functioning.

The lofted bedroom saves space on the main floor.

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in the past, she knew something was not right. She went back to the emergency room several times before she was diagnosed with pulmonary embolism, and she had to stay in the hospital for a few weeks. Once she was healthy again, they went back to work and finished the home in October 2015. “If we didn’t have that setback, it probably would have taken about three to four months to finish building.”

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When the home was finally completed, Kinsey sold her ranch house and moved the tiny home to an RV park for a short time before a family friend was able to rent one of his shops and some land out to her in north Pasco, which is where her tiny home is currently parked.

Both Kinsey and Gutierrez had no design background when they started sketching her tiny house, but they did have the passion to create better lives for themselves, and eventually put that passion toward helping others. “After moving out here, we have enough room to build two or three tiny homes at a time,” Kinsey said.

“The ultimate goal is to build several tiny homes to shelter veterans.”

Mediterranean Magic In the Mid-Columbia Story and photos by Renee Pottle THERE’S A BIT OF MAGIC OUT THERE. MAGIC THAT LOWERS OUR risk of heart disease, improves asthma symptoms, fends off dementia and helps keep cancer at bay. It makes taste buds dance and our mouths water with anticipation. What it is? It’s the Mediterranean diet, a deliciously satisfying way of eating, scientifically proven to make us all healthier.

is an important part of the diet. Fats are primarily unsaturated and come from nuts, avocado and olive oil

Our introduction to the Mediterranean diet first came from Ancel Keys, designer of World War II K-rations. Now hundreds of studies prove that the Mediterranean diet may reduce many of our nutrition-related maladies.

The Mediterranean diet is not a short term affair designed to lose weight. It is a holistic way of life and eating that includes physical and mental well-being. Being physically active every day, enjoying meals with others and socializing are all just as important as the foods we ingest.

Mediterranean Diet Foods Let’s be honest, it’s the food we really care about. Luckily foods from the Mediterranean diet are those we already know and enjoy. The basis of the diet is a rich variety of vegetables, grains and bread, legumes, fruit, nuts, greens, herbs and olive oil. Lesser amounts of fish, dairy in the form or cheese and yogurt, eggs and poultry are included. Red meats are treated like sweets, an occasional indulgence. Wine with meals

Homemade fresh and aged Greek cheese.

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instead of the animal based fats common to the typical American diet. Dessert might be a very tiny serving of something sweet or a piece of fresh fruit.

• Stuffed and wrapped vegetables: Eggplant, tomatoes and summer and winter squashes stuffed with grains, meats and cheeses like dolmas or spanakopita.

Cooking the Mediterranean Way

• Salads: Full of wild herbs and leafy greens and dressed simply with olive oil and lemon juice like Greek salad or tabbouleh.

The magic comes when preparing these foods. Cooking methods let the fresh flavors shine and are often simple enough for even a novice cook.

• Soups and stews: Vegetables, grains, beans and meat combinations like pasta fagioli or chermoula.

• One pot dishes: Combinations of meat or fish, vegetables and grains like paella or moussaka.

• Herbs and spices: Dishes are highly seasoned instead of using butter, sugar and salt for added flavor.

• Combination of sweet and savory: Fruit and cinnamon or ginger are common in savory dishes.

Where to Find Mediterranean Ingredients Is your mouth watering? Luckily we live in an area that provides us with many fresh Mediterranean type foods. Items that we don’t grow can be purchased at local establishments. You will find just what you need here: • Grow Your Own: Herbs and greens are easily grown in pots on the deck. We live in the perfect environment for growing big juicy tomatoes, crisp peppers, earthy eggplant and many other vegetables.

• Farmers Markets: For freshly grown fruits, herbs, vegetables and greens.

• Wineries: Mother Nature provides us with the perfect grape growing environment.

Take advantage of this magic by sipping on a glass of local wine while enjoying a Mediterranean meal.

(left) Fresh salad of herbs and vegetables with Myzithra cheese, olives and barley rusks. Served with red wine, oil and vinegar. (below, left) Just a few of the fresh greens and artichokes available at a Mediterranean market. (below, right) A nice selection of dried and brined olives.

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• Pasta Mamas: Makes high quality, authentic, fresh-dried pasta. Visit their store in Richland.

• Highland Health Foods: Located in Kennewick and Richland. They stock several kinds of bulk pulses, many of which are grown in the Palouse. Try quick-cooking red lentils, tiny black lentils, garbanzo beans or cranberry beans. You will also find a vast assortment of nuts like pistachios, hazelnuts, walnuts and almonds – all part of the Mediterranean diet.

• Specialty Markets: The Euro-Market and European Delights Market, both in Kennewick, have a good selection of Mediterranean style breads, tinned fish, vegetables and cheeses.

• Yoke’s Fresh Markets: Located in Richland, West Richland, Kennewick and Pasco. All carry an excellent selection of cheeses, olives, olive oils and Mediterranean style foods like kefir and Israeli Feta.

• Grocery stores: Local grocery stores carry a large variety of fresh foods.

Several different types of greens like red leaf lettuce, arugula, spinach, endive and radicchio can be found along with fresh herbs like Italian parsley, cilantro and basil. This is also where you will find fresh – or freshly-frozen – fish and a large assortment of citrus fruits and berries.

• Restaurants: Many local restaurants serve Mediterranean-inspired dishes.

Some of the most authentic can be found at Lépice Spice Kitchen, Twigs Bistro and Martini Bar, Tagaris Winery and Taverna, Fiction @ J. Bookwalter Winery and Greek Islands Cuisine in Richland.

You don’t need a fairy godmother. Invite friends over, open a bottle of local wine, munch on hummus, nuts and olives, serve a simple salad of fresh herbs and greens, a loaf of artisan bread and an aromatic Northwest-grown lentil and vegetable soup. Mediterranean magic – right here in the Mid-Columbia.

Renee Pottle has been writing and teaching about the Mediterranean diet for over 20 years.

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Now Open:

Baum’s House of Chocolate & Gourmet Popcorn

Story and Photos by Jackie Sharpe LET’S TALK CHOCOLATE: WHO DOESN’T LOVE SMOOTH, RICH, SWEET CHOCOLATE? Baum’s House of Chocolate and Gourmet Popcorn is a long-standing icon in West Richland. Mindy and Don Sandlin took over as new owners in July 2015, but they did not stop there. Already owners of Let’s Party in Kennewick, the duo has a passion for growth. The doors to a

second Baum’s location opened in December 2015 next to Let’s Party.

“We always wanted to bring a candy presence to Let’s Party. It is a great addition, having a spot next door with chocolate and popcorn,” Mindy Sandlin said. Although the Sandlins have some foot traffic and a steady

following at the West Richland location, they felt there was an opportunity to serve more customers by adding a second, more central location. “We want to introduce our story to others in the Tri-Cities who may not know of Baum’s,” Sandlin said.

Baum’s House of Chocolate has a long history in the Tri-Cities. Original

Delicious hand-made sweets are available at both the Kennewick and Richland locations.

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(left) Andrew Krejci has been a Baum’s employee for 26 years. (above) From left to right, Mindy Sandlin, Andrew Krejci, Ashley Schwehr and Roberta Davis

One of the most popular items is the Sea Salt Caramel. Chocolate boxes range from a half pound up to five pounds, and customers can expect to pay $11.50 per half pound for chocolate.

owner Cathy Baumgarten started her company in 1981 with original recipes that the Sandlins still use, including the signature treat that started Baum’s, Old English Toffee. Sandlin said she has 20,000 molds to make chocolate.

Sandlin and her design team, including Baum’s 26 year veteran and chocolate guru Andrew Krejci, are currently coming up with yummy truffle recipes: spiced chili and pumpkin are a couple examples.

Current truffle flavors include toffee, chocolate chip, raspberry, mint, huckleberry, mocha and more. Their specialty liqueur truffles have an added kick: Kahlua, Irish Crème, Belgium Rum and Wine Barrel flavors are added to the ganache.

Customers will find most of their favorite items from the West Richland shop available at the Kennewick location. Baum’s delicious treats include much more than just chocolate. Hard candy, licorice, bulk candy, gummies, nostalgic candy and flavored popcorn are available. The popcorn, introduced by former owner Gary Nixon, includes lemon, cheesy jalapeño, green apple, garlic parmesan and a Seahawks blend. Prices range from $3.50 (small bag) up to the tins at $39.95 each. In addition, there are extra-large bags of popcorn available for parties.

Although currently there is no chocolate manufacturing at the Kennewick location, the Sandlins want to grow their new store into an experience including manufacturing so people can see how chocolate is made. In addition, they are thinking of providing chocolate making parties for not only kids, but adults too.

Could it get much better than chocolate making parties? Well, yes, it could. Sandlin has partnered with local wineries like Terra Blanca to pair her chocolates and their wine for the winery.

Look for the truffle of the month on their website, and stop by to add a little sweet treat to your day with a delicious selection to choose from.

Baum’s House of Chocolate & Gourmet Popcorn 513 N. Edison St. Kennewick, WA www.baumscandy.com

Jackie Sharpe is a food stylist, food and documentary photographer and writer in the Tri-Cities covering the Pacific Northwest. www.jackiesharpeimages.com and www.foodstudioblog.com

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social

Home Hosted Elegance Easter Made Easy

By Sydnie Roberts

Pictures by Lindsey Schifferl

SPRING: THE LIGHT AT THE END OF A COLD, GRAY TUNNEL! WHILE the season can be unpredictable at best, those of us who lust after a ray of sunshine and some early tulips eagerly await its arrival. Easter is the holiday that ushers us into the new season and showers us with a palette of pastels and bad bunny puns. So what better way to hop into this time of year than by embracing a fresh new way to host loved ones this Easter Sunday?

While the traditional dinners of lamb and ham have served us well over the years, we have several other holidays that revolve around a protein packed dinner.

It’s time to embrace our additional options. For too long the restaurants have held a monopoly on this breakfast/ lunch hybrid, bringing it out for Easter and Mother’s Day, never to be heard from again after May. With its smorgasbord of options, brunch has been an intimidating undertaking for the layperson. Restricted to their conventional ovens and counter top Kitchen Aids, the average Joe or Jane very rarely has attempted to pull off the home hosted, mid-morning meal. With some pre-planning and mimosa-infused confidence, you too can create an elegant meal to share with friends and family.

With church and egg hunts, the day can fill up fast, which makes a brunch buffet far more accommodating than the restrictive scheduling of a formal supper. Still, given the day’s activities, your guests will be dressed to impress after services and the ambiance of your event should match. Brunch is the best of both worlds but planning a balanced menu is key. First, identify how many guests you are anticipating prior to grocery shopping. While prep can be similar to a structured dinner, a buffet should include more variety and incorporate multiple main dish elements that cater to both sides of the breakfast/lunch border. There are some great food and drink calculators online that can help you estimate 24

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how much to make, given the number of attendees and the dish. It’s easy to get carried away with the breakfast elements of the menu so be sure to find a balance with carbs and sugars in relation to your proteins.

When planning your menu, keep in mind the prep times and consider how much time you will have prior to the

meal. Unlike dinner, you won’t have the advantage of cooking throughout the day.

Be realistic and choose recipes that can be prepared and stored the day prior or in some cases store purchased. We’re not all Parisian pastry chefs and I don’t think anyone will judge you for buying the croissants.

Also, don’t forget about a drink station. It pays to have lots of options since there are those that can enjoy a soda or glass of champagne, at the same time others might be on their first cup of coffee. Dress it up with garnished glasses and beverage dispensers.

The aesthetics of your buffet should be considered when selecting your items as well. Consider a focal point item such as a cake to anchor your food display. Using tiered dishes to showcase items allows the eye to roam and gives the illusion of more food. White linen tablecloths can be utilized to cover your buffet service; they create a uniform presentation and hide unsightly cords from food warmers and chaffing dishes. I also recommend gathering and labeling all of your serving dishes the night

before. Arrange them exactly how you want them displayed, this saves time and makes it easier for those assisting you during set up.

You’re confident in the succulent spread you have meticulously mapped out and now it’s time to set the table. As host you have

the responsibility of creating an experience for your guests. You must appeal to all their senses and deliver a memorable event.

What you need now is the entertaining equivalent of ice skating’s triple axel, the cherry on top (dramatic pause)…THE TABLESCAPE! Gone are the days of twin

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candlesticks and bowls of wax fruit. The intricate combinations of table linens and centerpieces have evolved.

In all reality this should be the fun part.

Setting your table and creating a stunning visual is not as difficult as you may think.

Start by planning where the seating areas will be. If the number of guests exceeds available formal seating, rent additional tables and chairs. It’s very inexpensive and rental warehouses typically have tablecloths and napkins for rent as well.

If you have Easter décor already, build your color scheme and theme around those elements. If not, look online or in magazines and find your style.

filler stems for volume and contrast to your bouquets. Think outside the box for alterative containers to the standard vase when creating your centerpiece. Don’t just stop at the tables, be mindful of creating arrangements for your entire entertaining space including where the buffet is set up, as this ties everything in.

Now that you have a backdrop created it’s time to identify what place setting is best suited for your meal. Consider what you are serving and the necessary flatware needed, also note what beverages require special

Since Easter is synonymous with spring, I recommend a strong floral element to any design. Flowers are fragrant and can provide a lot of color.

The day before your brunch plan on purchasing the flowers; you can save money by creating the arrangements yourself. Visit the floral department in Costco or your local grocery store for floral bundles. Be sure to add green

cups or glasses. For a buffet you would want to provide no less than a water goblet and coffee cup at each individual seat. For specialized drinks such as champagne or juice, you can provide glasses at the drink station so as not to overcrowd the table.

Have fun with the rest of the place setting.

You can rent anything from antique china to gold plated flatware, so you have a variety of resources to leverage above and beyond your everyday dishes. The individual place setting should be another ‘wow’ moment for your guests. Customize the details with unique napkin holders or place cards that you can get on Etsy.com. Have a gourmet mint or chocolate waiting for them and experiment with napkin and flatware placement for the best look.

Now sit back, enjoy your Easter holiday and welcome spring with some home hosted elegance.

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Inland Northwest golf getaways Story by Heather Weagant CLOSE YOUR EYES AND IMAGINE YOURSELF ON THE COURSE. YOUR BALL WAITS patiently on the tee as you shift your feet back and forth, trying to align them perfectly. You stretch your arms, extend the club, then pull back in, getting a feel for the distance between you and that ball. Take a deep breath and a good look around. Where do you see yourself? If you are a hometown golfer, you might imagine yourself in the desert, surrounded by our all too common flora like rabbitbrush and fiddlenecks.

If your golf game has you dreaming of the same hometown locations, perhaps you are in need of little getaway. Despite some phenomenal golfing opportunities within the Tri-Cities, there are some incredible destinations not far from town.

Big views surround Desert Canyon Golf Resort.

Image courtesy of http://www.desertcanyonresort.com.

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Desert Canyon Golf Resort desertcanyonresort.com Desert Canyon Golf Resort offers a full 18 holes in a remote setting overlooking the Columbia River. This stunning

course has been ranked 7th best public golf course within the state of Washington by Golfweek magazine.

Views like these don’t come often with golfing throughout the Pacific Northwest. Picturesque views of the Columbia River and surrounding hills covered in orchards makes a perfect destination for both relaxation and play. If you’re looking to turn your trip into an overnight excursion, The Lodge at Desert Canyon offers luxury suites with living rooms, spacious bedrooms and full kitchens completely supplied with all you need. This desert location provides more than just a beautiful round of golf. It has everything you need for a relaxing getaway.

Wine Valley Golf Resort winevalleygolfclub.com In an area known for its booming wine economy, it’s not often one would think of Walla Walla as a prime golfing destination. Walla Walla has the benefit of a mild and dry climate, making it the perfect location for year-round golf. Wine Valley Golf Club has received

Enjoy the mild weather at the Wine Valley Golf Club.

Photo courtesy of https://www.facebook.com/WineValleyGolfClub/

notable recognition for their superb course, ranking in at No. 5 for Golf Magazine’s list of best new golf courses in the country, while Golfweek ranked it No. 2 for courses you can play in Washington.

Walla Walla has become home to one of the finest wine regions in the nation thanks to a rather unique combination of climate, character, charm and culture.

The course boasts a stunning design, playing over rolling hills in the shadow of the Blue Mountains.

Every hole across the course offers a variety of lines to play, allowing for a lot of wiggle room for those who need it, yet a challenging opportunity for those who seek it.

Coeur d’Alene Resort cdaresort.com Lake Coeur d’Alene has been christened the “Playground of the Northwest,” and for obvious reasons. Sitting next to one of America’s most beautiful lakes, you won’t find much that beats a round of golf at the Coeur d’Alene Resort. The lake offers a gorgeous backdrop, but with big views come

The world-famous floating green at the Coeur d’Alene Golf Resort.

Photo Courtesy of Quicksilver Studios, Coeur d’Alene, Idaho.

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are your thing, this 6,803 yard par 71 course boasts a view of the lake from each hole and is designed around four distinct geographic features: an expansive lakeshore, a forested ridge, gently rolling woodlands and Fernan Creek.

The highlight of The Coeur d’Alene? This stunning course is home to the world’s only floating green. Even on the course, you are provided with high-class hospitality as you are greeted by a wooden boat and assisted by your personal forecaddie.

Suncadia Resort is home to three award-winning courses.

big challenges as you try to avoid that hazard.

There’s no need to fret because this expertly groomed course complements your game.

Andy Mackimmie, the Head Golf Professional at the Coeur d’Alene Resort Golf Course, is excited to share that they recently replaced all 18 greens with new turf. “We will be boasting some of the top greens in the region when we open late this season to let the new turf get healthy from the winter,” he stated.

Suncadia Resort

“Our plan is to open a couple of weeks later than normal on April 15th.”

Mackimmie shared that the new greens are 100 percent T1 Bent Grass, which have been biologically engineered to be a healthy and viable strain of Bent Grass for our regional climate. This grass is known to have tighter, denser blades per inch ratio which promote the smoothest, most consistent putting surfaces possible. If big views

suncadiaresort.com/golf vacation-golf-resorts Surrounded by some of Washington state’s most gorgeous views, Suncadia Resort is gem of a vacation destination. And with three different award-winning courses, it’s a true golfer’s paradise.

Designed by the Arnold Palmer Course Design Company, Prospector Golf Course was named one of the top 50 new golf courses by Golfweek in 2007. The 7,100

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yard course is playable for any skill level, and offers private instruction, group instruction, a practice range and golf clinics for all skill sets.

Suncadia is also home to Rope Rider Course, which can be challenging for even experienced golfers, but also offers youth tees on each hole. If you’re golfing with kids, check out the shorter three or six hole loops.

Tumble Creek Golf Course is Suncadia’s private course, open to members only.

A trip to Suncadia Resort isn’t complete without experiencing its luxury accommodations and various dining options. And with biking, paddle boarding, hiking and river rafting, there are plenty of family-friendly activities for everyone to enjoy.

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explore

The Reach

guided geology tours and hikes

By Elsie Puig Photos provided by Bruce Bjornstad SPRING IS THE PERFECT TIME TO GET OUTDOORS AND GET ACQUAINTED WITH OUR NATURAL surroundings. Lucky for Mid-Columbians, The Reach has just released their full lineup of 2016 tours. The tours, a special feature of the interpretive center, give participants a look into the unique natural history and geology of the Mid-Columbia while hiking some of the most treasured trails of our region.

The tours give first-hand experience of how the Ice Age Floods carved and created the landscapes seen all around the Columbia Basin. Participants will discover the diverse and impressive geological history and natural heritage of the Mid-Columbia.

The guided hikes offer incredible views of our region.

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geology and science behind our region,” said Bjornstad. “I take pictures and maps with me. The scale of these floods is so huge that when you’re on the ground you can’t really appreciate the scale.”

Fire, ice and floods all played a role in creating the Mid-Columbia. Beginning 100,000 years ago – during the Ice Age – a great glacial dam created Glacial Lake Missoula across 3,000 square miles of northwestern Montana.

The tours are an excellent way to experience our region’s beauty.

“We concentrate on Ice Age Floods and they’re really popular,” said Cathleen Williams, marketing coordinator at The Reach.

An expert geologist guides each tour. One of those geologists, Bruce Bjornstad, has published books and research on the Ice Age Floods and is a passionate adventurer with a zeal for the great outdoors.

“That was a hundred mile swath of floods coming through this one little opening only two miles wide.”

The lake grew in size and volume, and eventually broke through and completely crushed the ice dam, unleashing catastrophic floods that ripped across the Idaho panhandle into Eastern Washington, and eventually emptying into the Pacific Ocean. The effects of these floods are on display across the region and are the main focus of tours.

“This area is spectacular, and it’s unique, because when the floods came through this area they spread out for 100 miles from Grand Coulee all the way over to Palouse Falls,” said Bjornstad. “That was a hundred

THE

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mile swath of floods coming through this one little opening only two miles wide, and when they did they created a lot of erosion and spectacular basalt cliffs.”

Some of the tours are via jet boats that cruise along the Columbia and Snake Rivers. Other tours explore the lava remains of the petrified forests, or the wildflowers in the spring or the geologically significant Channeled Scablands. All tours, whether by boat or bus, include a lunch.

“It’s really [an interesting] tour because there is a lot involved with making beers,” Williams said. “We actually go out to a farm and we watch the whole process of them cutting and processing the hops. We go into

“People are just blown away because they have lived here all their lives and just never knew the history.”

“On one jet boat tour, we leave Richland on the Columbia Point Marina and then drive the Columbia 30 or 40 miles to the horn of the Columbia,” Bjornstad said.

In the past, The Reach has offered agricultural tours to highlight the growing popularity of the area’s agritourism. This year they are offering the Hops to Bottle tour that highlights the area’s hops farms and the rise of craft beers.

the drying sheds and see how they’re dried, we also witness how they’re made into pellets and turned into oil. Then we go into a brewery to learn how the beer is made, and do some tasting. It really is such a fun day.”

The activity levels vary depending on the tours, but they’re mostly interactive. Some tours require a moderate activity level, while others are more relaxing. The Wallula

Tours are led by local geologists who are experts on Mid-Columbia geology.

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Gap trail is one of the most strenuous hikes. The nearly five mile hike along the flood-sculpted western side of the Wallula Gap offers expansive, breathtaking views and requires an extra dose of energy.

“There are beautiful vistas looking out where we sit and have lunch,” said Bjornstad. “We make that story come to life and people are just blown away because they have lived here all their lives and just never knew the history,” he said.

Prices vary for each tour, and the tours are held throughout the year beginning in April. Seating is limited so reservations are required ahead of time. To read descriptions of the hikes and to reserve a spot visit visitthereach.org/2016-tours.

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Technology that transcends time

— The pottery, art and teaching of Patrick Fleming

Story by Carolyn Henderson Photos by Patricia Fleming MOST OF US, WHEN WE HEAR THE WORD “TECHNOLOGY,” THINK COMPUTERS, CELL PHONES, SPACE SHUTTLES AND HOLOGRAPHS. a lifetime, encompassing both production ware (“The first time I did restaurant dinnerware, it was in my dining room”) and fine art pieces sold through galleries.

Added to this, or rather, integrally amalgamated with it, is a 33 year career teaching art in the Kennewick School District, not to mention private instruction and contracting.

Artist Patrick Fleming

And while the list, which gets long quickly, often involves plastic, petroleum and electricity, our oldest technology is still with us today.

Comprised of dirt and clay, it is best developed in the hands of artists: pottery.

“I am humbled by the fact that I am working in a field that appears to be, at this time, 12,000 to 16,000 years old,” says Patrick Fleming, whose work in the discipline spans 36

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“Teaching is in my blood,” Fleming says. “I have, in addition, about five years of adjunct teaching with Walla Walla Community College at Coyote Ridge Correction Center, evening classes at Columbia Basin College, graduate school at Antioc University-Heritage Institute, as well as workshops for the Red Fox Gallery, Allied Arts, Boy Scouts, church groups and The Old Hotel.”

the clay,” Fleming says. “It takes a little time, but is in itself fun. I have furnished clay and glaze materials in this manner to every school where I worked.” At one point, area middle schools found themselves with 12 years’ worth of accumulated, local clay.

It’s all part of the heritage of the technology, he adds, and to make a connection to the enduring accomplishments of the past – as well as create truly unique art – it’s worth emulating what the people in the past did.

“I am always amazed at the ceramicists who resist digging their own clay. Our clay is just sitting on top of the ground, and all we have to do is pick it up. The processing is mostly done by nature, and we just facilitate the natural process.”

A unique twist to the work that Fleming creates himself, as well as instructs others to make, is that it is very, very local, comprised of clay that Fleming and his students dig from the area.

Noting that the learning far outstrips the labor, Fleming remarks that many students, until they take his classes, do not even know that clay comes from the ground. It just somehow, mysteriously shows up in plastic bags.

“It really isn’t a big challenge to dig

“All of my materials are unique.

“There are literally no other pots like mine in the world.”

The Farmer’s Market

This is what I do. My clay comes from the ground in Othello where the shale clay sits on the surface. It has washed down from, maybe, as far away as prehistoric Lake Missoula.

experience of using local clays and glaze materials, in tandem with ancient and ongoing techniques.

“Most of my glazes use local soil, caliche, wood ashes and some other stuff.”

Speaking of the world, Fleming’s work is all over it, commercially distributed in the United States, Asia and parts of Europe.

His individual gallery pieces are generously spread throughout the west and Hawaii, and a number of his former students are now

Fleming’s glazes are based upon 300-yearold Japanese and Korean formulas, and he has published numerous articles, both nationally and internationally, on his

“There are literally no other pots like mine in the world,” he says.

teachers, passing on an ancient craft that remains contemporaneous.

Space shuttles, Fleming observes, incorporate ceramic tiles, which allow re-entry into the earth’s atmosphere. Like all art, pottery is hi-tech and low-tech, accessible to children as well as specialists, and while most of us don’t use ceramic ware to gather our water, it has a value that transcends our interpretation of what is, and isn’t, important.

In a time when Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) are focal in public education, it is worth noticing, Fleming points out, research findings that art — painting, drawing, pottery, sculpture, dance, music and more of what we dismiss as “right brain work” — develops synaptic connections, with the learning of any subject enhanced through these disciplines.

“According to the U.S. Department of Labor… there are more people in this country making their living using the skills that I teach than there are chemists, biologists and mathematicians combined, and yet we are the first curriculum cut,” he says.

Ballet Practice

The issue is, he affirms, a strong one with him.

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Cyber Art 509

by Carolyn Henderson Cyber Art 509 is an online artist’s co-op whose members share the 509 area code. With many of its members in the Tri-Cities area, the group focuses on showing their work at local restaurants, shops, wineries and offices in the form of rotating exhibits.

“Visual communication is the most common and efficient form of communication in the world, and we are developing an entire generation of visual illiterates by ignoring visual art programs.”

Like any teacher, Fleming never really retires, and even though he is theoretically retired, he cannot keep quiet, or still, about what he knows and loves. With his latest work at the Finley School District, Fleming describes himself as being “called out of retirement for the fourth time.” Whether he teaches at a public school, private institution, in his studio, one on one or through Cyber Art 509 – a digital co-op of artists he organized jointly with his wife of 48 years, Patricia – Fleming makes a statement with his art, and his life.

“I do not golf, bowl or own a boat. Teaching, outside of family, is the most interesting, important, and fun thing I do. It is, essentially, all I do.”

Fleming’s art may be seen online at his website, www.patrickflemingart.com.

Carolyn Henderson is a freelance writer who co-owns Steve Henderson Fine Art with her husband, Steve Henderson. She is the author of The Misfit Christian, Grammar Despair, and Live Happily on Less, all available through Amazon. She may be contacted at Carolyn@SteveHendersonFineAR\rt.com.

Started by Pat and Patricia Fleming as a communication and marketing outlet for local artists, Cyber Art 509 presently boasts close to 50 members, encompassing two dimensional art in varying mediums, as well as sculpture, pottery and jewelry making. A core group arranges with businesses for the exhibits, then sets them up and takes them down at a time convenient to the owner. Viewers interested in a particular piece of art contact the artist directly.

Recent exhibits have been, or still are, at Tucannon Cellars, Grill on Gage, Blessed on First, Richland Library, Kennewick School Administration Building, Smokestop Vapor, Fuse, Lash Envy and Zinful Panini Grill and Wine Bar. A number of Cyber Art 509 members also teach their art, in small group, workshop, individual or one on one settings.

Cyber Art 509 is accessible online at www.CyberArt509.com.

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laugh

Homegrown comedians bring laughter therapy to the masses

By Elsie Puig THE LATE ROBIN WILLIAMS ONCE SAID, “COMEDY IS ACTING OUT OPTIMISM.” FOR A HANDFUL OF LOCAL comedians that could not be truer. When it comes to entertainment in the Tri-Cities, stand-up comedy can be seen as the little brother experiencing some difficulty growing into his own. But that does not mean that local stand-up comics are having any difficulty making people across the area laugh while spreading a good dose of humor and a message of positivity.

There are quite a few comedians in the area that perform all over the country. Top names like Adam Kessler, B.J. Johnson, Emily Richman, Max Faulkner and Randy Zee are homegrown talents that take their show on the road.

The Tri-Cities used to have several comedy clubs like the Tower Inn, Celebrities Casino, Jack Didley’s and Crazy Moose Casino, but most have closed or ceased their regular comedy shows. The Red Lion Hotel on Columbia Center Boulevard has a comedy show for part of the year, and sometimes local bars and restaurants host comedy nights. Most stand-up comics also depend on a regular stream of corporate gigs, fundraisers and seminars.

One of the local comics frequently taking the stage is Emily Richman. She captured the attention of audiences with her talks on body positivity and humor at last year’s Tri-Conf. Five years ago she started Open Mic Nights at Joker’s Comedy Club in hopes of inspiring a new wave of local comedians and spreading the joy of humor.

Although she no longer as involved, the legacy still continues every Wednesday at Joker’s Comedy Club where a small yet enthusiastic group of locals learn more about comedy and stand-up.

In her performances Richman talks about the struggles of online dating, her heritage, body positivity and even those stubborn chin hairs. Now she is a motivational speaker, performer and stand-up comic hoping to combine humor with her studies in mental health counseling.

“For me comedy is an opportunity to not only entertain people, but also to reach people and make a connection with them,” she said. “I try to write material that is impactful. I write about my experiences, and I talk about things that are not so easily talked about. But when I do it with comedy people realize that it’s not something to be scared about anymore. That is such a great moment when you’re able to reach people at a very basic level.

Humor is very basic.”

Joker’s Comedy Club, Richland photo by Tri-City Herald 40

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Richman regularly performs alongside Adam Kessler, whose dynamic satire about parenting, contemporary culture, life on the job and family has made him a wellknown performer in restaurants and wineries all over the Tri-Cities. He is the father of three and husband to a science-fiction writer. Onstage, his work is personal and

Emily Richman

Adam Kessler photo by Tri-City Herald

his material adjusts to the changes in his life and to the occurrences of everyday life. He is not afraid to poke fun at himself, especially when it comes to being a stand-up comic.

comedy shows at local hotspots across the Tri-Cities. He noticed there was the need to bring local comedy acts to restaurants and wineries.

“I hope to one day have the same confidence on stage that I have when I get into my 2002 Ford Focus wagon expecting it to start,” he regularly jokes.

“I started doing this about two years ago. I sensed there was a need to have different shows across the area,” he said, “so I started networking and plugging people together.”

“I’ve been wanting to do this since I was a little kid,” Kessler said. “I would watch comedians on the TV and then I would repeat the jokes to my mom. It wasn’t long before I started writing my own material, and that turned into me wanting to produce my own comedy act so I can put on my own shows.”

For him, it’s all about being able to live out his childhood dream of being a standup comic and making his audience’s day a little brighter.

“I love making people laugh and making them forget about their problems for a little while,” he added. “They’re engaged and focused and getting lost in the story.

Their day is made a little better because they hired me to be there.”

Max Faulkner, comedian and Joker’s Comedy Club owner, jokes about anything people can relate to, such as aging, bad cars and growing up.

“It’s a fun time. It is such a rush when you’re up on stage and have a good show,” he said. “I love the writing and creative process of wording your material.”

Joker’s Comedy Club is the home of the only true amateur comedy competition in the Northwest – the “Tri-City Joke Off.” Keith Richards, who is also a local comedian, has taken the active role of booking

Theater in Kennewick and Longbranch Bar & Grill in Finley.

“People love the idea. I have no problem selling seats and tickets, and I get great reviews,” he said. “It allows us to approach lots of subjects that are hard to talk about it, and laughter is great therapy. There is a lot of magic involved.”

His shows have appeared at The Emerald of Siam and That Place in Richland, Roxy

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The Spirit of the Tri-Cities: George F. Garlick Story and photos by Jennifer Colton-Jones ON A CALM DAY IN 1962, A YOUNG GEORGE GARLICK drove down a dusty desert road to a metal trailer surrounded by chain-link fence. There the engineer met with a small group of graduate students struggling to balance families, jobs and their pursuit of higher education.

“These were real people. These were the right kind of people with the right kind of commitment,” Garlick said. He was moved by their passion and the sense of opportunity he found out there amidst the sagebrush.

Fifty-four years later, the entrepreneur and philanthropist still smiles when he talks about that meeting and the spirit of opportunity he says continues to flourish in the Tri-Cities.

“There’s a can-do, will-do attitude here in the Tri-Cities that is unlike anywhere else,” Garlick said. “I couldn’t be more proud.”

After earning his Ph.D in Electrical Engineering and Solid State Physics from Iowa State University, companies from New York, Los Angeles and London had wooed the scientist and his wife. The couple were flown to locations, picked up in limousines and treated to fine dining, but for Garlick, something was missing. Then, he was asked to interview in Richland, Washington, a small city in the high desert of eastern Washington that he had never heard of.

“When I came out, no one met me at the airport. I landed in a sandstorm and came out to a barracks and a chain link fence. That’s all that was out here. I came in, and they brought out 10 graduate students who had families and couldn’t afford to be out of work for a quarter to go to school. For a farm boy from Nebraska, I related to them. They asked me to teach, and I promised I would be there for two years,” he said.

After two years, Garlick and his wife, Carol, had planned to move to Helsinki, Finland to follow a different career path. But something about the Tri-Cities captured them, and 52 years later, Garlick still calls Richland home.

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George Garlick, Tri-City entrepreneur, philanthropist, instructor, author and community leader.

“It was obvious from the first day that there was an opportunity for me to be part of a community and to make a difference,” Garlick said. “When you start seeing that you’re contributing to people’s lives and it’s good and right, you kind of forget about Helsinki, Finland. I can’t remember a time we looked at each other and said, ‘This is it for the rest of our lives,’ but it grows on you.”

Not too far from where that metal trailer sat in 1962 the main offices of Garlick Enterprises look out over Richland and the ponds and business of the Tri-Cities

of 2007, every student received a $3,000 scholarship – funded in part by a $50,000 donation from Garlick. Once, he made a $300,000 donation to Chaplaincy at Hospice in honor of a longtime employee.

The philanthropist has opened doors and raised funds for causes and people he believes in. Garlick makes a point of changing lives when he sees an opportunity, whether it is using persuasion to keep the doors open at a South Dakota college or donating millions to keep innovation and education alive in a small town in Nebraska.

In 2007, he was named Tri-Citian of the Year by the Rotary Clubs of the Tri-Cities, and Garlick humbly ducks his head and says he feels a need to give back to his community.

“This community is special,” Garlick says. “I love the community and would do anything for it.”

Garlick has been an active member of the community for more than five decades.

Science and Technology Park that Garlick helped found. The panoramic views and high-tech tools are a far cry from the Nebraska farm Garlick grew up on.

In a small home where the family burned corn hobs in a cast iron stove to stay warm in winter, Garlick learned about industry, hard work and spirit. When he was 12 years old, Garlick took up the burden of paying $418 a year – equivalent to about $5,586 in 2016 – to keep the family farm. When it was time to go to college, he took $10 to Goodwill and bought clothes and a trunk, boarded the bus and headed into the world.

Regardless of the challenges ahead of him, Garlick has faced them all with spirit and determination.

Through an industrious career in physics, development and education, Garlick has traveled to Japan, Australia and the United Kingdom. He has worked up both sides of the United States and through the heart land, but it is the Tri-Cities that has resonated most with him.

“I don’t know of any community that could have inspired me more than this community,” he said. “This community is not common. It’s not average, and I wouldn’t say that if it I hadn’t been in these other communities.”

An entrepreneur, philanthropist, instructor, author and leader, Garlick still refers to himself as a “farm boy.” Humble to his core, he gives credit to others and shies away from the limelight. Yet Garlick is known for giving his time and money to the community. His newspaper clippings for good works and technical advances date back decades.

Garlick calls the future of the Tri-Cities bright and encourages others to realize the uniqueness of this spirit and to continue to make a difference.

“I’ve never been more proud and more thankful of the can-do, will-do attitude of what we have in the Tri-Cities,” he said. “A kind of spirit like this doesn’t always happen, but it does have a life of its own. A spirit like that is remembered.”

Garlick has worked for Hanford, for Battelle – as manager of the quantum electronics section – and is the co-founder and past chairman of the Tri-Cities Science and Technology Park Association.

When Washington State University Tri-Cities admitted its first freshman class in the fall

Although Garlick meant the words about his community, the words fit his own life as well.

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volunteer

Second Chances rescued dogs find homes through foster program Story and photos by Jennifer Colton-Jones WHEN THE VOLUNTEERS OF MIKEY’S CHANCE CANINE RESCUE first met Pearl, the 5-year-old Maltese was in trouble: her overgrown fur was matted, her weight struggling and her teeth infected and rotting.

Without intervention, Pearl’s story would have ended in tragedy. Instead, the affectionate bundle of fur had captured hearts – and a new home – with her sparkling eyes, soft coat and toothless grin.

Mikey’s Chance is dedicated to rescuing dogs like Pearl and finding them “forever homes” through a dedicated network of foster families willing to take dogs into their lives until that forever home can be found.

“I wish people knew how important fostering is,” said Andrea Moreno, Mikey’s Chance board member and operations director. “Fostering saves lives. It saves the dog we take out of the shelter and it saves the dog the shelter then has space for.”

A nonprofit organization, Mikey’s Chance is named, not surprisingly, for a dog called Mikey. A friendly black Labrador abandoned by his owners, Mikey spent months in a shelter, succumbing to severe kennel stress and snapping. Mikey was euthanized, but through his death, volunteers pulled together to create Mikey’s Chance Canine Rescue. The founders hoped to give other dogs the second chance they deserve – before it’s too late.

Now in its eighth year, Mikey’s Chance continues to grow. In January, Mikey’s Chance had 56 dogs in foster care – 22 of them were puppies under 3 months old.

Funding for Mikey’s Chance comes from fundraisers, adoption fees and private donations. The organization has no kennel, no business office and no paid employees. At any time, the dogs in the program may range from tiny Chihuahuas to towering Great Danes. The program takes in newborn puppies through aging dogs who need a home for the last months of their lives.

The reasons the dogs join Mikey’s Chance are as varied as the breeds – strays, behavioral issues, health issues, overbreeding – but each has one thing in common: danger of being euthanized, just like Mikey.

Mikey’s Chance places dogs in foster home until a “forever” home is found.

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“A lot of times people don’t want to

take the dog to the pound for whatever reason, so they reach out to us for help. Some of them just have behavioral problems that with a patient and experienced foster, they can get help for. Lately it’s been a lot of overbreeding in the community,” Moreno said.

Sometimes dogs are found wandering in the desert without water; others are huddled in uninsulated garages in freezing temperatures.

Some dogs have been abused or neglected; other times, the dog has lost a longtime, caring owner who is hospitalized or has passed on.

“Those are heartbreaking situations because it’s a dog that’s been loved its whole life,” volunteer Carrie DeLeon said. “We’ve had every situation you can think of.”

Those situations come to Mikey’s Chance through community tips of stray dogs, through Tri-City Animal Control and through owner surrenders. After first contact, Mikey’s Chance will ask for photos of the dog and a background story. The board members will vote on if they can take the dog and will then reach out to foster families to find a potential home before evaluating the dog in person. If it’s a dire situation, the dog may be picked up that same day. For others, board members will work with the owners until a foster space can be made.

“It is all about finding that right fit, finding the perfect home, some of these dogs just need a chance.”

Mikey’s Chance has no kennel or business office, so all dogs live in private foster homes. Sometimes, a dire situation means making an extra space at a foster home.

“It’s a leap of faith,” Sara Ellman says. “How do you say no?”

Ellman is currently hosting her 24th foster dog, who joins her “pack” at home, giving the foster dog a chance for socialization and behavioral adjustments. In addition to her own dogs, Ellman keeps a rotating spot open for a foster.

“I remember when my first foster left. I just cried my eyes out. You know the home will be a good one, but it’s bittersweet,” Ellman said.

“I try to remember I can help save so many more dogs if I can let go. I know there’s another one in line. It’s more rewarding than it is painful, especially when you look back at all the dogs you’ve had and see them in their new homes.”

With the exception of young puppies, a dog will spend an average of six months in foster care. The adoption process is painstaking as the group works to find the best possible match for each dog.

All dogs are vaccinated, microchipped and sterilized – spayed or neutered – before adoption. The potential adoptees will interact with the dog and the volunteers before the final papers are signed, and when the dog goes home, its owners will know its whole history.

Foster families stress the difference between the dogs in a home environment. Some dogs – like Mikey – experience kennel stress in the shelter and may seem aggressive, stand-offish or scared but will flourish in a home environment.

Some foster families only take senior dogs. Others only help out in the summer, allowing the year-long foster families to take vacations or simply have a break. Whether long-term or short-term, Mikey’s Chance does everything it can to ease the burden, providing all food and medical care for the pet. If the foster home isn’t a good fit for any reason, they will relocate the dog.

Mikey’s Chance has about 40 foster homes in its roster. Some are part-time, some are full-time. Most are in the Tri-Cities, but some foster homes are in Seattle, Spokane or Portland. When necessary, volunteers like Moreno transport dogs to foster or forever homes.

But it isn’t always enough. The requests come in faster than the volunteer nonprofit can handle them.

“I turned down six today,” Moreno said with a shake of her head.

“I start my morning out with a strong cup of coffee and open my email. I’m the one who has to say no.”

Mikey’s Chance receives an average of 12 requests a day but can only take on those dogs in the more dire circumstances. The organization will work with owners until a foster spot can be secured.

Every now and then, a dog comes into the program and brings back all the memories of Mikey. In January, “Andy” was adopted – a big dog who is friendly and loving at home but deteriorates in the shelter. Weeks later, Pearl went to her new family. Her teeth were gone, but her tail wagged, and big, brown eyes sparkled beneath a mop of soft, white hair.

After her operations, Pearl cost the organization $2,000. She found a forever home for an adoption fee of $285.

“It is all about finding that right fit, finding the perfect home,” Moreno said. “Some of these dogs just need a chance.”

For more information about Mikey’s Chance, including volunteer and foster opportunities, visit mikeyschance.com.

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Spring Event Calendar February Three Rivers Brew & Bacon Festival February 20, Three Rives Convention Center, Kennewick What could be better than the combination of great beer and greasy bacon? Sample regional microbrews and bacon-inspired dishes from local restaurants at the second annual Three Rivers Brew & Bacon Festival.

Tickets are available at ticketmaster.com or at the Toyota Center box office.

TobyMac March 15, Toyota Center, Kennewick TobyMac, one of the first Christian rappers to make a name for himself, will perform at the Toyota Center March 15 as part of his national Hits Deep tour. His musical style is described as a mixture of rock, pop, rap and reggae. The concert also features Britt Nicole, Building 429, Colton Dixon, Capital Kings, Finding Favour and Hollyn. tobymac.com/tour

Tri-Cities on Tap

March The Producers March 4, Toyota Center, Kennewick Based on Mel Brooks’ cult comedy film, The Producers takes the stage at the Toyota Center March 4. Described as “outrageous, in-your-face humor,” this Broadway musical has won an impressive 12 Tony awards.

Tickets are available at the box office or online. yourtoyotacenter.com/events/ details/?event_id=1722

Tri-Cities Antiques Show March 11-12, Southridge Events Center, Kennewick With more than 30,000 square feet of antiques and vintage treasures, the 2016 Tri-Cities Antiques Show will have something for everyone. Antiques, collectibles, vintage jewelry, furniture, books and stamps, pottery and glass and much more will be available. roxytheatreantiques.com/antiqueshow.asp

March 19, Benton County Fairgrounds, Kennewick Whether you like light bodied lagers or hop-packed IPAs, you’re sure to find tons of delicious brews to try at Tri-Cities on Tap. More than 100 beers will be available for sampling during the event. Great food, live music and vendors will be on site. Choose from the afternoon or evening session. americaontap.com/tri-cities-on-tap

April Guided tours of the Reach Various dates, beginning April 9 There’s no better way to get familiar with the history and landscape of the Columbia Basin than with guided tours offered by The Reach Interpretive Center. Whether it’s a wildflower hike, bus tour of basalt lava flows or a jet boat tour through the Wallula Gap, there is something to interest everyone. Visit the link below to see a full list of tours. visitthereach.org/2016-tours

Columbia River Cowboy Gathering & Music Festival April 8-10, Benton County Fairgrounds, Kennewick Now in its 13th year, the Columbia River Cowboy Gathering & Music Festival celebrates the western way of life. Offering music, poetry, western arts and goods and more, the family-friendly festival hopes to preserve the western way of life. For more information, visit them online. columbiarivercowboygathering.com

Spring Barrel Tasting

photo by Tri-City Herald

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of the finest wines in the Yakima Valley.

Purchasing a Premier Pass allows access to exclusive benefits at 40 participating wineries, such as food pairings, library tastings and tours. Don’t forget to BYOG – bring your own glass – as most wineries are unable to supply glasses for such a large event. wineyakimavalley.org/events-item/ spring-barrel-tasting

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April 22-24, Various wineries, Red Mountain and Yakima Valley Spring Barrel Tasting weekend is a great way to taste and purchase some

photo by Tri-City Herald

May Cinco de Mayo Festival May 5, Downtown Pasco Celebrate Cinco de Mayo with a parade, dancing horse show, delicious local food vendors, tons of entertainment and family-friendly activities. downtownpasco.com/ cinco-de-mayo-festival/

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat May 10, Toyota Center, Kennewick The Toyota Center closes out its Broadway season with family musical Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. This production is a reimagining of the Biblical story of Joseph, his brothers and the technicolored coat. Tickets are available at the box office or online. yourtoyotacenter.com/events/ details/?event_id=1722

beer and incredible music. Throw in some delicious food and craft vendors and you’ve got some solid weekend plans. Visit their website for more information. untappedblues.com

Ultimate Wine Run

photo by Tri-City Herald

UnTapped Blues and Brews May 13, Clover Island Inn and May 14, Benton County Fairgrounds Spread over two days and two locations, the UnTapped Blues and Brews Festival is back and better than ever. The festival promises to be jam-packed with great

May 13-14, Badger Mountain & Powers Winery, Kennewick You don’t want to miss this two day event that combines running and wine; the best of both worlds. Friday night will include a kickoff party to celebrate the weekend’s festivities, featuring food, music and, you guessed it, lots of wine. On Saturday comes the 5k run or walk, where a glass of wine will be waiting for you at the finish line. To register and find more information, visit their website. theultimatewinerun.com/tri-cities-wa

appropriately named. The course is made up of various inflatable obstacles spread out over 3.1 miles. Participants will have to make their way over two-story slides, mazes, wrecking balls and many more crazy inflatables. To register and find more information, visit them online. insaneinflatable5k.com/tri-cities-wa

Insane Inflatable 5k May 21, Benton County Fairgrounds, Kennewick With obstacles called Tangled Up and Pure Misery, the Insane Inflatable 5k is definitely

photo by Tri-City Herald