The season's first snow fell on Dec. 1, 2023, and about 600 volunteers drove through it to the Three Rivers Convention Center anyway. Over four hours they put together 1,600 bicycles, and one of them was the 20,000th bike Bikes for Tikes had built since it started. The Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business said the room "looked like Santa's workshop." Santa himself even made an appearance.
On Friday, Dec. 4, that same build is scheduled to move into the convention center's expansion. The 17th Annual Build Day starts at 9 a.m., and it is the first event booked in the new space. The city spent years planning a hall to bring in out-of-town conventions and tournaments. The first people through the door will be Kennewick neighbors with wrenches and boxed bikes for local kids.
A Room Built for Visitors, Opened by Neighbors
The scale of the project is what makes that first booking stand out. KAPP-KVEW's Apple Valley News Now reports that the expansion at 7016 W. Grandridge Blvd. is on track to open Dec. 4 and within its $71.3 million guaranteed maximum cost. The centerpiece is a Great Hall of roughly 60,000 square feet. The Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business reports that the expansion adds 110,000 square feet to the building overall. The convention center's own expansion page says the project will nearly double its existing space.
The people who pushed it through describe it as a long time coming. "We've been working on this for decades to see it come to fruition," Corey Pearson, executive director of the Three Rivers Campus, told Apple Valley News Now. He said 80 to 100 workers are on site most days. Kennewick City Manager Erin Erdman told the outlet the project has stayed inside its budget and contingency. She also pointed to the economic case: "We're projecting about $130 million in new local spending over the first five years."
That projection rests on bookings Kennewick hasn't been able to land before. These include larger conventions, regional expos, trade shows, and indoor volleyball, basketball, wrestling, cheer and gymnastics tournaments. Apple Valley News Now also reports that when the Great Hall isn't booked for conventions or other large events, it will be available for community events. The opening-day lineup shows that commitment in practice.
The Nonprofit Already Holding Events Here
Bikes for Tikes isn't new to the convention center. It is a 501(c)(3) started in 2009 with UA Local 598, the Kennewick-area plumbers, steamfitters and pipefitters union. It gives bicycles to community-based organizations that serve children and families in need. The group reports building and donating 22,785 bikes over its first 16 years.
The nonprofit also hosts the Tri-Cities Wine Festival. The 45th annual festival runs Saturday, Nov. 14, from 7 to 10 p.m. in the existing convention center. Tickets are $60 in advance and $65 at the door, and the evening brings Northwest winemakers, local microbrews, hors d'oeuvres and live entertainment. The group's fall calendar also included a golf tournament at Canyon Lakes Golf Course on Sept. 26 and Costumes & Cocktails at The Lost Barn on Oct. 25, with all proceeds from that evening going toward bicycles for local kids.
That puts one local nonprofit on Grandridge Boulevard twice in three weeks:
| Date | Event | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Sat., Nov. 14, 7–10 p.m. | 45th Tri-Cities Wine Festival, hosted by Bikes for Tikes | Three Rivers Convention Center |
| Fri., Dec. 4, 9 a.m. | 17th Annual Bikes for Tikes Build Day, first event in the expansion | Three Rivers Convention Center |
| Sat., Dec. 5, 10 a.m. | Hometown Holiday Parade, then Santa Square until 2 p.m. | Downtown Kennewick |
| Fri.–Sat., March 19–20, 2027 | Tri-City Quilter's Guild Quilt Show & Merchant Mall | Three Rivers Convention Center |
What Build Day Looks Like on the Floor
You don't have to know how to build a bike to help. At the 2023 build, the Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business reported that many volunteers learned as they went. Teams unwrapped the bikes, attached pedals and seats, and handed the technical finishing and quality checks to people with more mechanical experience. Hanford Mission Integration Solutions sent about 50 volunteers in matching neon green shirts. The company had sponsored the event for more than a decade, and it had become one of its most popular volunteer days for employees.
Renee Brooks of HMIS described her favorite moment to the same outlet:
"Seeing when the room is full of finished bikes and knowing the youth in our community will have a new bike and a great Christmas, and we played a small part in that."
According to the organizer's event page, this year's build relies on Local 598 members, local students, community volunteers and community leaders. A few ways to take part:
- Volunteer: sign up through the Build Day registration page at bikesfortikesnw.com/build-events.
- Give: the Bikes for Tikes site has a donate link.
- Request a bike: individuals and organizations can ask for bikes through the website. In 2023, requests opened about three months before the build and closed two weeks before it so the team had time to process them. Check the site for this year's timing.
Getting to Grandridge When the Campus Is Busy
The convention center lists 1,500 free parking stalls and sits next to Toyota Center and Toyota Arena. Its parking and directions page notes that spots can run short during large campus events. It suggests Ben Franklin Transit's Three Rivers Transit Center, less than a block away, as an alternative. A Friday morning build that draws hundreds of volunteers fits that description.
The expansion plans call for better parking and access to Toyota Center and Toyota Arena. They also add outdoor event space, a new kitchen, and a longer lobby to make it easier for crowds to move between venues. An AC Hotel by Marriott is going up beside the expansion near Vista Field. The Journal of Business describes both projects as nearing completion this fall.
The Calendar After Opening Day
Build Day leads straight into the next morning downtown. The Historic Downtown Kennewick Partnership holds its Hometown Holiday Parade on Saturday, Dec. 5, starting at 10 a.m. It features holiday floats, police and fire vehicles, and Santa, with Santa Square activities running until 2 p.m. Groups that want to be in the parade have until 11:59 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 25, to apply. More on that part of town is in our September piece on downtown Kennewick.
The next public event on the convention center calendar is the Tri-City Quilter's Guild Quilt Show and Merchant Mall on March 19–20, 2027. This year's theme is "The Threads That Bind Us." The large tournaments and trade shows behind the city's $130 million projection will come as bookings fill in. For now, the first entries on the new hall's calendar are a union bike build and a quilting guild's spring show.
If you're coming to the Build Day or the Wine Festival and want to talk about what the new hall and the AC Hotel could mean for your part of town, Jason Barrow Realty is glad to help. We've followed Kennewick's growth for more than two decades, and we're happy to share what we know about Kennewick whenever it's useful. Contact Us.
