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
Chicken and a Movie
By Linda Tancs
Forget the poppycock. In Wayne, Nebraska, it’s all about chickens. The Wayne Chicken Show takes place from 8 -10 July this year at various downtown venues accessible by shuttles. Complete with cluck-tible souvenirs and hot wings, the festival includes a rooster crowing counting contest, quilt show, parade and the world’s largest chicken dance. Now that should put some pluck in your cluck.
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National Cherry Festival
By Linda Tancs
The Grand Traverse region of Michigan is known for its world-record tart cherry harvest. So, of course, where else would you expect to find the nation’s preeminent cherry festival? This year’s event, from 2 – 9 July, has been named one of USA Today’s top ten festivals for several years. Promising more than 150 events along the shores of Lake Michigan and Grand Traverse Bay, the festival features an air show on 3 July over West Grand Traverse Bay–the location for Cherries D’Vine, where cherry creations from starters and entrees to cherry blended desserts will be paired with award winning wines from both the Leelanau and Old Mission peninsulas. Songbirds can vie for top honors in the Cherry Idol competition, a contest for all ages. For a bird’s-eye view of the festivities, consider an EasyRotor helicopter tour. It all sounds so cherry good.
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The Oldest Continuous Celebration in the US
By Linda Tancs
For 226 years, the folks of Bristol, Rhode Island have been producing a Fourth of July celebration like no other. Perhaps the most patriotic town in America, this year’s event promises to be “a unique American experience.” The Fourth of July Ball on 2 July at Mt. Hope Farm kicks off the grand celebrations, followed by a highlight of the festivities, the Drum and Bugle Corps Competition, on 3 July at 7:00 p.m. at Mt. Hope High School. Now in its 22nd year, the popular competition features top drum and bugle corps from the United States and Canada. Fireworks commence at 9:30 p.m. at Bristol Harbor on 3 July, culminating with the annual Military, Civic and Firemen’s Parade on July 4th at Hope and High streets beginning at 10:30 a.m. Best of all, you can have your own souvenir of the event by purchasing an Official Souvenir throughout the weekend, or get a limited edition coin by downloading the order form. When they’re gone, they’re gone. Better order yours now!
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Lots to Know About Louisville
By Linda Tancs
Louisville, Kentucky is home to the Kentucky Derby and the official American baseball bat. That much a great majority of folks probably knows. But there’s so much more going on there. Did you know that one third of the world’s bourbon is made there? Or that it’s home to the nation’s largest urban forest and the largest Victorian neighborhood? It’s also the site of today’s annual Great Steamboat Race. Beginning in 1963, the event has been a contest primarily between Louisville’s steamer, the Belle of Louisville, and New Orleans’ Delta Queen, both added to the National Historic Register in 1990. Since the Delta Queen’s conversion to a floating hotel in Tennessee, the Belle of Cincinnati replaced her in 2009. The Battle of the Belles now includes a series of challenges and tasks throughout race day for the boats and their crews, culminating in the race down the Ohio River. Crowds in excess of 10,000 gather on the Indiana and Kentucky shorelines to cheer their favorite boat to victory. May the best Belle win.
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Michigan’s Asparagus Trail
By Linda Tancs
In West Michigan, the trails are so good you could practically taste them. Consider, for instance, the 22-mile Hart-Montague Trail State Park, Michigan’s first paved rail trail. Located mostly in Oceana County, this linear park travels through cherry and apple orchards, asparagus fields and ice cream stands. Originally part of the Chicago and West Michigan Railroad, the trail connects John Gurney Park and the city of Hart with the twin cities of Montague and Whitehall. Both ends of the trail have camping, lodging and places to eat.
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Preserving the Past in Alabama
By Linda Tancs
At Fort Rucker, Alabama, they preserve the past for the future. That’s where you’ll find the Army Aviation Museum, exhibiting over 160 military aircraft, including one of the largest collections of military helicopters in the world. Aviation students, researchers, and authors will love the library (available by appointment only), housing more than 1,600 technical and field manuals, more than 2,000 films, an aviation history reference section, and approximately 95,000 photographs. Guided tours are available on request (call ahead to ensure that access to the installation is not restricted due to security requirements), and admission is free.
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Chicago’s Front Yard Food Fest
By Linda Tancs
Chicago’s Grant Park, at Michigan Avenue and Congress Drive, is dubbed Chicago’s “front yard.” Maybe that’s because it’s large and centrally located, the perfect venue for a foodie fest attracting more than 2 million visitors each year. The second largest tourist attraction in Illinois, the ten-day free event offers the usual fare (no pun intended) of top chops from Chicagoland’s best eateries, arts and crafts, music, chef demonstrations and lots of family fun in keeping with the current theme, America’s City Picnic. Visit anytime between 24 June and 3 July.
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Lost on the Beach
By Linda Tancs
Remember the secluded and pristine sandy beach of the TV show “Lost”? That’s Mokuleia Beach Park, a popular kite surfing spot. Tucked away on Oahu’s North Shore across from Dillingham airfield, there’s not a lifeguard in sight on this miles-long stretch of paradise. What you will find are scores of marine life (particularly sea turtles) and a long flat reef ideal for snorkeling. Find a local hotel and get lost for a while.
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Czech, Mate
By Linda Tancs
Czech immigrants have settled in the tiny town of Tabor, South Dakota since 1869. The founders of this town (population under 1000) are celebrated during the third weekend of each June at the Czech Days festival. Fireworks are scheduled for 16 June. See the Beseda Dancers, 238 colorful costumed dancers performing Friday and Saturday evenings at 8:30 pm in Sokol Park. Other features include a heritage museum boasting a log school and log house, homemade noodles and Czech music. Also, watch the screening of the film “Tabor: A Little Czech Town on the American Prairie.” Bring your appetite. Tiny Tabor is located on SD Highway 50, 100 miles southwest of Sioux Falls.
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The Seventh Sister of Connecticut
By Linda Tancs
At Connecticut’s southernmost of hills known as the Seven Sisters, actor/director/playwright William Hooker Gillette built a twenty-four-room mansion reminiscent of a medieval castle. The fieldstone structure with a southern white oak woodwork interior is part of Gillette Castle State Park, an East Haddam treasure accessible from road or ferry. In fact, from late April to late November take the Chester-Hadlyme ferry across the Connecticut River from Chester for majestic views of the clifftop castle. The castle is open from Memorial Day to Columbus Day but the park is open year round.
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