Travelrific® Travel Journal
Picture postcards in prose.™ Check out the blogroll on the front page for official merchandise and other resources!Archive for U.S. travel
Watermelon Olympics in Arkansas
By Linda Tancs
The farmers in Hope, Arkansas, are proud to be growers of the world’s largest watermelons. In fact, they’ve been breaking world records since the 1930s, and an area farmer’s 268.8 pound melon still retains the title as the world’s largest watermelon in the Guinness World Records. So what better place to celebrate the summer fruit than in the famous birthplace of President Bill Clinton, among others. You needn’t be spitting mad to enter the melon spitting contest, but a little bit of oomph could go a long way toward landing you in the winner’s circle at this year’s Watermelon Festival in Fair Park today through Saturday. Or give it a toss at the Watermelon Olympics. Or just plain eat it. After all, watermelon has excellent levels of vitamins A and C and a good level of vitamin B6, not to mention the water content. Perfect for a hot summer day.
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Celebrate the Huckleberry in Montana
By Linda Tancs
In Trout Creek, Montana, the huckleberry–that purple berry resembling a blueberry–reigns supreme. So much so, in fact, that the legislature proclaimed Trout Creek the huckleberry capital of the State. This small northwestern town is proud to celebrate their prized bounty each year with a Huckleberry Festival. That means, of course, you can sample the huckleberry in every food imaginable, like ice cream cones, pizza, cheesecake, hot dogs and pancakes. Far from just another food fest, the annual event includes such activities as a 5K run, dancing under the stars, karaoke, dog agility demonstration, a pageant, an auction, children’s activities, a horseshoe contest, and an interfaith worship service. Don’t miss the fun between 12 and 14 August.
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Rendezvous in the Black Hills
By Linda Tancs
Motorcycle mania hits the Black Hills of South Dakota during the Sturgis Rally from August 8 to 14 this year. The origins of the race began with the Jackpine Gypsies Motorcycle Club in 1936, with an official American Motorcycle Association (AMA) charter in 1937. AMA began promoting the racing events which started the now famous Rally in Sturgis on August 14, 1938. That weekend celebration in 1938 had a lineup of only nine racers and a small audience watching the races. Now the rally will hold 12 events, including motocross racing, a 1/2 mile race, hill climbs, road tours and short track racing. As you can see, the Sturgis Rally has grown quite a bit since the first rally in 1937! Is this the greatest motorcycle rally anywhere? You decide.
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Making Order Out of Chaos
By Linda Tancs
Wordsmiths will be battling it out in the National Scrabble Championship on August 6–10, 2011 at the Hotel InterContinental Dallas at 15201 Dallas Parkway in Addison, Texas. Not just any wordsmith, mind you. To compete you must be a rated player–in other words, an official brainiac. This year’s tournament has four divisions, with the best players duking it out in Division 4. So who will the W-I-N-N-E-R be?
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The Maine Event
By Linda Tancs
Maine. Lobster. Perfect together. So of course the Maine event (okay, I couldn’t resist the pun) in Vacationland is the annual Lobster Festival today through 7 August at Rockland’s Harbor Park, less than two hours from Portland. Today is Hometown Day, and admission is free to kickoff the festivities. Not that you’ll mind the eight dollars for adults and two dollars for children (ages 6 to 12) thereafter for your crack at nearly 20,000 pounds of Maine’s proudest export. So nip along smartly before it’s all gone.
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Gilroy’s Garlic Fest
By Linda Tancs
Where will you find 10 tons of beef, four tons of pasta and calamari, two tons of scampi
and two tons of fresh Christopher Ranch garlic? Gilroy, California–of course. This weekend marks the 33rd annual Garlic Festival at Christmas Hill Park in Gilroy, 30 miles south of San Jose. Locals can save five dollars off up to two general admission tickets on Friday with proof of residency. Cook-offs and celebrity demos are scheduled throughout the weekend, with the garlic showdown of professional chefs culminating on Sunday. You’ll be swooning to the cool sounds of jazz, rock ‘n roll, country, blues, reggae, swing and much more coming from the strolling musicians and stage performances. Don’t miss this year’s Gourmet Alley, featuring the Surf & Turf Alley Wrap–a steak, shrimp, rice, cilantro and garlic aioli wrapped in a garlic-infused lavash. Breath mints are optional.
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The Blue Angels of Pensacola
By Linda Tancs
The National Naval Aviation Museum, one of the world’s largest aviation museums, is located aboard Naval Air Station Pensacola in Florida. On display are beautifully restored aircraft, hands-on exhibits and more than 4,000 artifacts representing Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard aviation. A family fun adventure, the museum offers middle graders the chance to learn about science, math and technology via a Flight Adventure Deck incorporating 38 interactive devices, 11 educational kiosks, an interactive wind tunnel and four computer-based flight simulators. See the Blue Angels in the dazzling seven-story glass and steel atrium that showcases four A-4 Skyhawks in a diving diamond formation or view them at eye-level from the Second Deck. Better still, enjoy Blue Angels at practice air shows from March through November. And it’s all free.
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Feeling Bullish in Virginia
By Linda Tancs
Civil War buffs are readying for the call to arms near Virginia’s Manassas Battlefield Park this weekend. Commemorating the sesquicentennial of the Battle of Bull Run, the first major land battle of the American Civil War, the Commonwealth and the Virginia Sesquicentennial of the American Civil War Commission will treat spectators to a reenactment of the seminal conflict at Manassas Junction on both Saturday and Sunday. Other events include tours of seven historic sites–Manassas Museum, Liberia Plantation, Confederate Cemetery, Cannon Branch Fort, Jennie Dean Historical Site, Mayfield Fort and Camp Manassas–a parade, concerts at the Loy Harris Pavilion, and events at Manassas Museum.
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Workers on Wheels
By Linda Tancs
How’s this for a spin on seasonal employment: you hop in your RV and head for the hills to volunteer or work for pay at a nature center or resort. That’s the life of a workamper, a seasonal employee or volunteer often granted exclusive access to areas of national parks or refuges in exchange for assistance with programs often suffering from reduced employment necessitated by budget cuts. If you’ve got a love of the great outdoors, this might be the gig for you.
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New Jersey Ice Cream Festival
By Linda Tancs
At Toms River this weekend it’s time to get your licks in. On 16 July downtown Washington Street will celebrate the ninth annual Ice Cream Festival. What could be better on a hot summer day than an afternoon of tastings, including ice cream eating contests for both adults and children! Which ice cream do you think is “Best in New Jersey?” Bring your palate to the ballot.
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