Beach Boys to take stage at Benton Franklin Fair

Get ready to have “fun fun fun” when The Beach Boys perform at the Benton Franklin Fair on Aug. 21.

The popular band has been performing their harmonies and surf classics for more than six decades.

Between the 1960s and today, the group has had more than 80 songs chart worldwide, 36 of them in the U.S. Top 40 (the most by a U.S. rock band), and four topping the Billboard Hot 100, according to the band’s website.

The Beach Boys were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1988 and received The Recording Academy’s Lifetime Achievement Grammy Award.

Country music singer Craig Morgan is scheduled to perform at the fair Aug. 20. His hits include “That’s What I Love About Sunday,” “Redneck Yacht Club,” and “TheFather, My Son, and the Holy Ghost.”

Tickets for the concerts are on sale and cost $30 for reserved seating; $40 for the fan zone; and $60 for VIP section.

Fair admission is required for all reserved seating options. However, general admission lawn and bleacher areas are free with fair admission.

Additional concerts will be announced in the weeks ahead.

Fair officials encourage fans to buy tickets on the fair’s website (bentonfranklinfair.com) and to beware of scammers and third-party websites.

Concerts are at 7:45 pm each night of the fair, which runs Aug. 20-24.

For more information, email info@bentonfranklinfair.com or call 509-222-3749.

To buy tickets, go to: bentonfranklinfair.com/p/tickets.

Identify symbols from family history at this event

More than 10 community organizations are coming together to host an emblem identification event on April 6.

The public is encouraged to bring items from their families that feature crests, insignias and trademarks to potentially learn more about what these symbols represent. Knowledgeable members of community service and fraternal and sorority organizations will be present to provide insight.

The goal is to give people the opportunity “to better understand the effort and history that their family members and friends may have contributed to with their respective organizations and communities,” according to event organizer Erin Hightower of Alma Chapter #100 of the Order of the Eastern Star.

The event is from noon to 3:30 p.m.  April 6 at the Kennewick branch of the Mid-Columbia Libraries, 1620 S. Union St.

Richland Costco could open in August 2025

A final lease for a second Tri-Cities Costco appears to be on the horizon.

Paperwork filed under the state Environmental Policy Act, or SEPA, outlines Costco’s plans to develop a retail warehouse and fuel facility in Richland’s Queensgate area.

The store will be on land managed by the state Department of Natural Resources, or DNR. “The SEPA needs to be completed before we can enter into a lease, so the SEPA is indicating that we are beginning the leasing action with them,” said Courtney James, a communications manager for DNR, in a statement to the Journal of Business. “We are still negotiating terms and will not have a final lease document for several weeks.”

DNR is proposing to lease 29.48 acres, which will be divided into eight parcels.

About 20 acres will be dedicated to the new Costco, with the remaining property divided into seven smaller lots for future development, the SEPA paperwork said.

Foodies closes restaurants but new owners have come forward

The popular Foodies restaurants in Richland and Kennewick abruptly closed in February, but new owners have come forward.

Foodies on the River in Kennewick and Foodies Too in Richland have been sold to a women-owned business team, Foodies founder Joanna Wilson wrote March 2 on the Foodies Facebook page.  “They will be introducing themselves in due time, but I am excited to be able to pass the torch to a pair of women who share the same passion and excitement of food and hospitality,” Wilson wrote.

She did not disclose their names or announce a timeline.

Benton County to turn old firehouse into $2.6M elections center

Benton County’s busy elections division is moving to a new home in time for this fall’s presidential election.

The new county election center – in a decommissioned fire station that’s being gutted and remodeled – will have an observation area with floor-to-ceiling windows, plus additional safety features, and an office and workspace with room to grow.

The former fire station is off West Quinault Avenue, near the county’s Kennewick campus, which includes the administration building and justice center, among other buildings.

It’s a move that will enhance voter services, transparency and safety, said Brenda Chilton, county auditor. The elections division is one of four divisions within the auditor’s office. 

Panera Bread, Chick-fil-A coming to Kennewick

A new restaurant is coming to the former Old Country Buffet on West Canal Drive in Kennewick.

Panera Bread is set to open there next year, and the revamped building also will have space for one to two more tenants, the developer confirmed.

The building at 6821 W. Canal Drive is close to the planned Chick-fil-A, also set to open along Canal. The popular Georgia-based fast-food chain is known for its chicken sandwiches.

“Between those two restaurants (Panera and Chick-fil-A) and what’s already there, Canal is quickly becoming a new food destination,” said Chris Waddle, lead developer of Hogback Development Company in Yakima.

His company is redeveloping the former Old Country Buffet building.

The price tag for the project is about $4.2 million.