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
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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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.
