Wings, wheels and pancakes
Woe is me! Such personal tragedy has entered my life, I see no alternative but to inflict my suffering on you, too.
According to my eye doctor, I will never realize my dream of becoming a commercial airline pilot. It has been my dream ever since … she told me I couldn’t.
And now, just to rub it in, East Wenatchee tells me its “Wings and Wheels Festival” takes off on Oct. 3.
They’ll commemorate the first nonstop, trans-Pacific flight from Misawa, Japan, right to East Wenatchee all the way through Oct. 5. Like all good festivals, there will be a pancake feed – which is a lot more than you can get from any of the teetering-on-the-edge-of- bankruptcy carriers that make up the American air travel industry.
But let’s forget about all that and enjoy the “family oriented” festival fun awaiting you.
The “wheels” portion of the affair involves a car show, motorcycle wingding complete with parade, and whatever mode of transportation you use to get there.
There’s still more. The “ride and glide extreme sports stunt team” will demonstrate things your children should not do, and to pacify them, the festival will roll out free activities just for kids, airplane rides and live music.
Organizers bid you visit their Web site at www.east-wenatchee.com/ wingsandwheels for a complete schedule and ticket prices. Direct your other questions to (509) 886-6108.
The Ice Age cometh
The Wenatchees – both East and regular – don’t want to let you go.
No. They’d like to get you together with some other visitors who couldn’t leave. Kind of spooky, isn’t it?
See your ultimate fate at “Ice Age Adventures,” the Wenatchee Valley Museum and Cultural Center’s Oct. 18 look at Ice Age mammals.
The family activity day also explores the Clovis culture with the museum’s 11,000-year-old Clovis points excavated from the East Wenatchee Clovis site in 1990.
Interactive exhibits showcase lava, ice and water flows, and kids can check out flint knapping demonstrations, put together a rock collection and get up-close with Ice Age mammoth remains. (Look, kids! Here’s some dead stuff.)
The day’s doings will set you back $5 for adults, $4 for seniors and older kids, and $2 for the younger sort. The teeny-tiniest are free.
Get up to speed at www.wenatcheewa.gov (look for the museum under the “departments” heading) or by calling (509) 888-6240.
Regional events
•Greener Living and Harvest Celebration, Saturday, Prosser, Wash. Learn how to be a better citizen with sustainability advice and products for home and the office, all the while enjoying food and organic wine pairings, live jazz and more. ( www.visityakima.com /800-852-0885)
•Humanities Montana Festival of the Book, Oct. 2-4, Missoula. Celebrate reading, writing and books with more than 70 regional writers in readings, panels, receptions and demonstrations. Other bookish stuff includes exhibits, a literary contest, entertainment and related tours. ( www.visitmt.com /406-243-6022)
•16th Annual Health and Fitness Fair, Oct. 18-19, Boise. The annual expo promises tips for getting in shape. ( www.boise.org /208-323-4464)