Things To Do

Vendor applications

Are you a vendor or an artisan? For some Vista Field events, we put out calls to participate. Apply here when applications are listed below.

ArtWalk event call for artists

Are you interested in participating? Please submit an application today.

Event Date: August 4

Time: 4 – 8 p.m.

Address: 6600 W. Deschutes Ave., Kennewick, WA 99336

ArtWalk event call for artists

Are you interested in participating? Please submit an application today.

Event Date: August 4

Time: 4 – 8 p.m.

Address: 6600 W. Deschutes Ave., Kennewick, WA 99336

Events and vendors

Join us for events we’ll share on this webpage, and bring your family and friends.

If you’re a vendor or artisan, watch this page for our calls for applications to participate in some of the Port-hosted public events at Vista Field.

Recreation and activities

Momentum is building at Vista Field!

Visit often to stroll a streamside promenade and explore the commercial plaza, public commons, pedestrian bridges and fountains.

Enjoy your town center and watch the site transform.

A family walking alongside the stream at Vista Field.

See you at Vista Field

A family plays in the stream at Vista Field.
A family sitting on the stairs that lead to the stream at Vista Field.
Commissioner Skip Novakovich delivers remarks to the crowd at the opening celebration for Vista Field phase one.
Friends stand on a bridge overlooking the stream at Vista Field.
Parents with their young children stroll through Vista Field.

Vista Field history

An aerial of Vista Field on September 22, 1944, shows the vast, undeveloped land surrounding the airfield.
Vista Field on September 22, 1944, shows the vast, undeveloped land surrounding the airfield. Photo courtesy of the National Archives and Records Administration.

This former municipal airfield opened in the 1940s. Vista Field’s airport code was VSK, and it served local farmers and flying enthusiasts.

Vista Field’s trajectory took a significant turn after Pearl Harbor when the demand for military aircraft surged, and pilot training became one of the U.S. Navy’s most pressing responsibilities.

As part of this wartime effort, the Navy began constructing U.S. Naval Air Station Pasco (at the site of the current Tri-Cities Airport) in the spring of 1942. The Navy also leased Vista Field as an outlying airfield called Naval Auxiliary Air Facility (NAAF) Vista to train aviation cadets based at Naval Air Station Pasco.

1940s “ship deck” landing strip

An aerial of Vista Field in May 1945, shows its steel runway, which pilots used to practice carrier deck landing and catapult takeoff training.
The steel runway at Vista Field for carrier deck landing and catapult takeoff training (brighter area on the left parallel to the runway) in May 1945. Photo courtesy of the National Archives and Records Administration.

In May 1944, a crew from the 12th Battalion of the Seabees installed a 460-foot-long landing strip at Vista Field, which simulated the flight deck conditions of the aircraft carrier USS Lexington (CV-16).

The Navy used interlocking pierced steel planking, called M-1 matting, to create this metal “ship deck,” providing a more realistic experience for World War II aviators to practice takeoffs and landings.

Before deploying to the Pacific Theater, cadets made thousands of practice runs on the metal runway (pictured left).

Port of Kennewick has repurposed sections of the 1940s metal landing strip material for a patio at Vista Field’s public pavilions. The Port is transforming the former airfield into a regional town center following a community-driven master plan.

This former municipal airfield opened in the 1940s. Vista Field’s airport code was VSK, and it served local farmers and flying enthusiasts.

Vista Field’s trajectory took a significant turn after Pearl Harbor when the demand for military aircraft surged, and pilot training became one of the U.S. Navy’s most pressing responsibilities.

As part of this wartime effort, the Navy began constructing U.S. Naval Air Station Pasco (at the site of the current Tri-Cities Airport) in the spring of 1942. The Navy also leased Vista Field as an outlying airfield called Naval Auxiliary Air Facility (NAAF) Vista to train aviation cadets based at Naval Air Station Pasco.

An aerial of Vista Field on September 22, 1944, shows the vast, undeveloped land surrounding the airfield.
Vista Field on September 22, 1944, shows the vast, undeveloped land surrounding the airfield. Photo courtesy of the National Archives and Records Administration.
An aerial of Vista Field in May 1945, shows its steel runway, which pilots used to practice carrier deck landing and catapult takeoff training.
The steel runway at Vista Field for carrier deck landing and catapult takeoff training (brighter area on the left parallel to the runway) in May 1945. Photo courtesy of the National Archives and Records Administration.

1940s “ship deck” landing strip

In May 1944, a crew from the 12th Battalion of the Seabees installed a 460-foot-long landing strip at Vista Field, which simulated the flight deck conditions of the aircraft carrier USS Lexington (CV-16).

The Navy used interlocking pierced steel planking, called M-1 matting, to create this metal “ship deck,” providing a more realistic experience for World War II aviators to practice takeoffs and landings.

Before deploying to the Pacific Theater, cadets made thousands of practice runs on the metal runway (pictured above).

Port of Kennewick has repurposed sections of the 1940s metal landing strip material for a patio at Vista Field’s public pavilions. The Port is transforming the former airfield into a regional town center following a community-driven master plan.

Updated Amber Contact