Mid-Columbia Libraries (MCL) is a recipient of a grant of $15,000 to host the NEA Big Read in the Mid-Columbia area. A national initiative of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with Arts Midwest, the NEA Big Read broadens our understanding of our world, our communities, and ourselves through the joy of sharing a good book. MCL is one of 79 nonprofit organizations to receive an NEA Big Read grant to host a community reading program between September 2018 and June 2019. The NEA Big Read in the Mid-Columbia will focus on “Station Eleven” by bestselling author Emily St. John Mandel. Activities will take place Oct. 1 through Nov. 15, 2018; the featured event will be a conversation with the author on Nov. 8, 2018.
“With this grant, MCL will be able to provide free copies of ‘Station Eleven’ for our community,” says Executive Director Kyle Cox. “We are proud to build community through the collective experience of reading, thinking, and discussing ideas and themes that raise important social issues. We invite readers across the Mid-Columbia to engage and celebrate with us!” “The National Endowment for the Arts is proud to support opportunities for communities across the nation, both small and large, to take part in the NEA Big Read,” says NEA Acting Chairman Mary Anne Carter. “This program encourages people to not only discuss a book together, but be introduced to new perspectives, discuss the issues at the forefront of our own lives, and connect with one another at events.” The NEA Big Read showcases a diverse range of contemporary titles that reflect many different voices and perspectives, aiming to inspire conversation and discovery. The main feature of the initiative is a grants program, managed by Arts Midwest, which annually supports dynamic community reading programs, each designed around a single NEA Big Read selection. MCL is proud to partner with Friends of Mid-Columbia Libraries, Abadan, TRI-CU Credit Union, and Leidos/Centerra Group to bring this program to the community. Special events related to the themes of “Station Eleven” will be announced. Since 2006, the National Endowment for the Arts has funded more than 1,400 NEA Big Read programs, providing more than $19 million to organizations nationwide. In addition, Big Read activities have reached every Congressional district in the country. Over the past eleven years, grantees have leveraged more than $44 million in local funding to support their NEA Big Read programs. More than 4.9 million Americans have attended an NEA Big Read event, approximately 82,000 volunteers have participated at the local level, and 39,000 community organizations have partnered to make NEA Big Read activities possible. For more information about the NEA Big Read, please visit arts.gov/neabigread. Mid-Columbia Libraries enhances quality of life by providing excellence in books and services for our residents and communities. Since 1949, MCL has grown to 12 library branches and a Bookmobile. Today, MCL offers more than 400,000 books, audiobooks, magazines, and videos, including more than 60,000 downloadable eBooks, eAudiobooks, and eMagazines. Visit midcolumbialibraries.org for more information. Established by Congress in 1965, the National Endowment for the Arts is the independent federal agency whose funding and support gives Americans the opportunity to participate in the arts, exercise their imaginations, and develop their creative capacities. Through partnerships with state arts agencies, local leaders, other federal agencies, and the philanthropic sector, the NEA supports arts learning, affirms and celebrates America’s rich and diverse cultural heritage, and extends its work to promote equal access to the arts in every community across America. Visit arts.gov to learn more about NEA. Arts Midwest promotes creativity, nurtures cultural leadership, and engages people in meaningful arts experiences, bringing vitality to Midwest communities and enriching people’s lives. Based in Minneapolis, Arts Midwest connects the arts to audiences throughout the nine-state region of Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin. One of six non-profit regional arts organizations in the United States, Arts Midwest’s history spans more than 25 years. For more information, please visit artsmidwest.org.
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The Summer Reading Challenge is here, and Mid-Columbia Libraries (MCL) is proud to host the Badger Mountain Glow Hike on June 8 at 8:30 pm. The public is invited to meet up at Trailhead Park, located at 525 Queensgate Dr. in Richland for this free, fun event. Extra glow sticks will be provided while supplies last. Two more glow hikes will take place on July 13 and Aug. 10.
Libraries rock! MCL celebrates reading and music during the 2018 Summer Reading Challenge. From June 1 through Aug. 17., participants of all ages can read or listen for 15 hours to win. And, participants who also complete five creative and exploratory activities, which are optional this year, will be entered to win additional prizes. Participants can visit midcolumbialibraries.org/summer-reading-challenge or any MCL branch for registration, prizes, and details. MCL has an exciting line up of activities going on all summer long including live owls, tortoises, and other reptiles at the library. Information about weekly and special events can be found at midcolumbialibraries.org/calendar. Mid-Columbia Libraries (MLC) is proud to announce Book Club Hub, a digital resource providing recommended titles, guidelines and questions for book discussions, a list of local book clubs, and more. It is available at midcolumbialibraries.org/book-club-hub.
MCL’s Book Club Hub seeks to support the many book club organizers and members in the Mid-Columbia with hand-picked book recommendations from Librarian Sarah Johnson, who also appears bimonthly on KNDU TV’s Wake Up Your Mind. The titles she recommends come in multiple copies, and library customers can click on any title to check availability. Fuse SPC in collaboration with Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Washington State University Tri-Cities (WSUTC), and Gravis Law is announcing a successful Launch Weekend Challenger that took place on the WSUTC campus May 18th – 20th, 2018. Launch Weekend Challenger is a 52-hour team competition to commercialize technology. Starting Friday night, individuals and teams pitch ideas for potential applications of technologies, form teams around those ideas, and then work through the weekend to prototype, research, and validate their ideas, culminating in Pitch Night. At Pitch Night teams have five minutes to present their idea to a panel of judges and receive on the spot feedback, with the Top 3 teams each receiving a prize package worth over $15,000. Although this was the seventh iteration of Launch Weekend, this was the first time that the ideas centered around specific technologies and that the prize package included cash incentives and ongoing support from the entrepreneurial ecosystem. PNNL and WSU both put forth four existing technologies developed out of their respective institutions, it was up to the teams to select the technologies and build on their ideas.
At Launch Weekend Challenger six teams competed to be Top 3, 13 were mentors on-site to provide support and guidance, all 8 Principal Investigators were made available to share knowledge of each technology, and 58 champions of entrepreneurism attended Pitch Night, including the Judges: Adam Brault, Steve Anderson, and Alan Haggerty. The teams comprised a mix of serial entrepreneurs, chemical engineers, software developers, students, marketing strategists, graphic designers, and business owners. The Top 3 teams will now enter into a six-month exploratory phase to develop their ideas, initiate a business model, solidify team structure, and prepare for an 8-week pre-accelerator education course. The ultimate success for these teams is to incorporate and grow local, adding to the richness of local development and creation of high-tech jobs in the Tri-Cities. The collaboration between Fuse, PNNL, WSU, and Gravis Law represents a groundbreaking join effort between public and private sector that has been years in the making. These four entities were crucial in the organization, oversight, and execution of Launch Weekend Challenger. The success of this event really lies in the partnership and goes beyond the weekend, including major support from the Port of Benton, the Tri-Cities Research District, and Pitch Night sponsor CG Public House. The end goal is economic development, job growth, and retention and creation of high-tech industry right here in the Tri-Cities. We will continue to cultivate and expand these partnerships, along with plans to run this commercialization challenge annually, in addition to Fuse continuing to run the typical “any idea goes” Launch Weekend in Fall 2018. About Fuse SPC Fuse, located in the heart of the Parkway in Richland, is a hub for freelancers, small business, entrepreneurs, community development, and high-impact educational events. Fuse was founded on a belief that development of business and community go hand-in-hand. It is our mission to champion and support innovation, education, and collaboration. Fuse is a business & community accelerator run out of a symbiotic co-working space that facilitates growth for those individuals and companies in the startup phase. Since its foundation in 2014 over 105 companies have launched out of Fuse; we have sponsored and hosted over 500 events, meetups, and programs; and are home to 14 small businesses and 170 members. We encourage a mutually beneficial environment where you can be your most productive. Because Interaction cultivates innovation. Post originally ran here The Yard of the Season program was designed by the Parks and Recreation Commission to show appreciation to individuals and businesses for their hard work towards beautifying the City of Kennewick. We need your help by nominating homes and businesses, in the City Limits of Kennewick, that you feel have exceptional landscaping and/or lawn maintenance.
A committee formed by Basin Bloomers Garden Club volunteer their time to review nominations and determine the winning selections. Judging is based upon: regular mowing and trimming, flower beds, lawn to be free of weeds and disease, trees and shrubs pruned, all planting strips are well cared for, and visual appeal. Awards are given for spring, summer and fall, with nominations due by April 7th, June 15th or September 7th, respectively. Winners are presented with a certificate of appreciation at a City Council Meeting, the picture of their property is posted on our web site and a sign is placed in their yard or landscaping. Nominations can be submitted electronically, by mail, or by email. Electronic nomination forms can be located on the City of Kennewick website go2kennewick.com (Look under the “Our Community” tab in “Yard of the Season.”) or mail nomination(s) to: City of Kennewick Attn: Sara Allington PO Box 6102 Kennewick, WA 99336 or email nomination(s) to: sara.allington@ci.kennewick.wa.us Questions? (509) 585-4345 Washington River Protection Solutions makes a major investment in local youth through a generous donation to Junior Achievement of Washington, Southeastern Region. Since 2009 Washington River Protection Solutions has been the Premier Sponsor of JA’s Titan Business Challenge, a regional competition based on the JA Titan classroom program hosted in local high schools. Based on an online business simulation, JA Titan and the culminating Business Challenge offer a real-world look at the challenges and opportunities involved in running a dynamic high-tech company. At its core, the simulation asks students to make decisions in key areas of business: price, production, marketing, capital investment, research & development and charitable giving.
“The JA Titan program and the Titan Business Challenge are great ways to engage and educate students in the realities of today’s business environment and help prepare them to be successful in careers and as informed citizens,” said Peter Bengtson, Washington River Protection Solutions’ Communications and Public Relations Manager. “WRPS is pleased to support such an event. The students, as well as our community benefit from this spirited regional competition.” This year’s Titan Business Challenge took place May 2, 2018 at the Three Rivers Convention Center and hosted nearly 70 students from seven different area High Schools. Each member of the winning team from Chiawana High School took home a $300 cash prize and will proudly display the Titan Championship Trophy for the next year. Contact: Dana Munn, Development & Marketing Manager DanaM@JAWashington.org (509) 783-7222 Join Washington Policy Center’s Young Professionals at our June Happy Hour event at Anelare Winery located in Benton City. This event will feature special guest, Bill Bryant, Seattle’s King county former Port Commissioner and candidate for governor who will discuss NAFTA, tariff disputes and how trade policies impact Washington’s economy.
Bill Bryant is founder and chairman of Bryant Christie Inc. Since founding the firm in 1992, Bill has been appointed under both Republican and Democratic administrations to advise USTR, USDA, and the Ex-Im Bank on our nation’s trade policy. In 2007, Bill was elected to the King County/Seattle port commission and was re-elected in 2011. In 2016, Bill Bryant was the Republican candidate for governor of Washington state. Tickets: $10 *YP Members and College students: FREE Your ticket includes drinks and heavy appetizers. For more information or to register visit washingtonpolicy.org/events or by call (509) 954-2449. This event will sell out, so register soon! The mission of Washington Policy Center (WPC) Young Professionals group is to educate, engage, and empower the next generation of free-market leaders in Washington State through relationship building, events and outreach. WPC's Young Professionals group in Tri-Cities works to educate young business and community leaders about public policy issues facing our state, from environmental issues to education to health care. WPC strives to get young people involved in policy, knowing that ideas, supported by sound research, over time create an environment in which sound public policy decisions are made. CONTACT: Miranda Hawkins (509) 954-2449 The 20th annual Academy of Children’s Theatre Garden Arts Tour will take place on Saturday, June 16 at five beautiful home gardens located throughout the Tri Cities. The self-guided tour runs from 9 a.m. to 3p.m. A finale Garden Party will conclude the tour from 3-5 p.m. Tickets to the tour, including the Garden Party, are $30.00 each and may be purchased on-line at www.academyofchildrenstheatre.org, at ACT, McCurley Integrity Honda, Beaver Bark, and Wild Birds Unlimited.
Showcasing a variety of very diverse gardens, the 2018 tour features an inside look at the fruits of gardening expertise from an impressive group of amateur horticulturists and landscape architects. Included on the tour are an historic residence in north Richland, a xeriscape defined front yard garden, a Heritage Garden featuring all native plants and no grass, a classic European-style landscape garden, and a formal Asian-inspired estate setting. Throughout the day a variety of artists and performers will showcase their talents at the gardens. Major sponsor of the Garden Arts tour is McCurley Integrity Honda. Funds generated at the Garden Arts Tour support on-going education classes and programs at the Academy of Children’s Theatre. ACT served over 6,000 local students last year, offering local children the only access to professional performance art in our region. For more information, call (509) 943-6027 or visit www.academyofchildrenstheatre.org. Event: Garden Arts Tour Date: Saturday, June 16 Time: 9:00 a.m. to 3 p.m., Cost: $30 per ticket for Garden Tour Outlets: ACT, McCurley Integrity Honda, Beaver Bark, Wild Birds Unlimited and on line at www.academyofchildrenstheatre.org Libraries rock! Mid-Columbia Libraries (MCL) celebrates reading and music during the 2018 Summer Reading Challenge. From June 1 through Aug. 17., participants of all ages can read or listen for 15 hours to win. And, participants who also complete five creative and exploratory activities, which are optional this year, will be entered to win additional prizes.
Participants can visit midcolumbialibraries.org/summer-reading-challenge or any MCL branch for registration, prizes, and details. Those who sign up by June 29 will be entered to win a family fun prize package, and kids who register will receive season tickets courtesy of Tri-Cities Alliance FC men’s soccer team while supplies last. Children ages 12 and under who finish the challenge receive a free book; adults receive a book bag while supplies last. All finishers will be entered to win grand prizes such as a Nintendo Switch, Hatchimals, LEGO sets, kick scooters, and more! MCL has an exciting line up of Summer Reading Challenge activities and performances going on all summer long including glow hikes on Badger Mountain, live owls and tortoises at the library, and concerts by popular children's band Recess Monkey and Latin Grammy-winning indie rockers Lucky Diaz and the Family Jam Band. Information about weekly and special events can be found at midcolumbialibraries.org/calendar. Mid-Columbia Libraries (MLC) invites community members to submit historic photos of the West Richland area and community taken before the 1960s; the farther back photos date, the better.
The photographs will be considered for inclusion in a historic mural for future display at Mid-Columbia Libraries’ West Richland Branch, located at 3803 W. Van Giesen. Community members are encouraged to take clear photos of their historic image(s) on their mobile phone or device and send the digital file(s) to comm@midcolumbialibraries.org with “West Richland Historic Photos” in the subject line. Images may also be sent as low-resolution scans. All images should be available for MCL to borrow and scan at a high-resolution if selected for the project. For assistance or questions, the public can contact comm@midcolumbialibraries.org or (509) 737-6365, or stop by the West Richland library. |
Have News?Email your press release and a photo to Austin Regimbal, Marketing & Communications Director. Press releases are posted in their entirety. This is a free benefit for members of the Tri-City Regional Chamber. Archives
April 2024
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